Chapter 56: The Failed Revenge

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As Mark shouted, a tall black horse, its entire body covered in slabs of dark rock armor, emerged with a loud neigh, materializing from within him before instantly merging back into his body.

With the Black Armored Horse possessing him, Mark's body grew taller, and his muscles began to swell.

Although his skin didn't develop the same rock armor as the horse, it turned a deep, metallic black, shimmering with a sheen that looked almost like polished steel.

At the same time, a white soul ring slowly rose from beneath Mark's feet, pulsing as it moved up and down his body.

"Kid, you're dead!"

Having completed his spirit possession, Mark smirked coldly, raising his darkened fists and waving them a few times in the air.

The fists, now enlarged, gleamed with a metallic luster under the sunlight, producing a sharp whistling sound as they sliced through the air—a clear display of their threatening power.

"Did you really think that just because you beat my lackeys, you could take me down too? Let me show you why I can do whatever I want in Nuoding City!"

By the time Mark finished speaking, his voice had risen to a roar.

He then forcefully stomped on the ground with a loud bang!, his body turning into a black shadow as he charged forward.

The Black Armored Horse was an exceptionally unique spirit beast. In addition to possessing the speed and stamina common to all horse-type spirits, it also had a defense that was rare among its kind.

Of course, having such defense meant its speed wasn't as fast as other horses, but compared to non-speed-type beast spirits, the Black Armored Horse was still quite swift.

Whoosh!

With his foot slamming down and his body rocketing forward, Mark roared, raising his fist—now as large as a sandbag—and aimed it directly at Lin Ye.

Enhanced by his spirit possession and soul power, Mark's punch carried the weight of a thousand pounds. The dark fist tore through the air with a sharp, whistling sound as it hurtled toward Lin Ye.

But as Mark's punch was about to land, Lin Ye calmly sidestepped, executing a graceful movement with his Phoenix Dance of Six Illusions, effortlessly dodging the attack.

Then, as Mark's eyes widened in shock, Lin Ye clenched his right hand into a fist and delivered a powerful punch to Mark's face.

Despite the defensive boost provided by the Black Armored Horse spirit possession, which even strengthened the typically vulnerable areas like his face, Lin Ye's punch was unrelenting.

Mark's darkened, gleaming face instantly caved in from the impact, his eyes bulging wide as several of his teeth flew out from his gaping mouth.

Mark's body was sent flying, crashing heavily into a tree. He slid down the trunk before landing with a thud on the ground.

"Ah! It hurts!"

Clutching his swollen cheek, Mark groaned in pain, struggling to get back on his feet.

Leaning against the tree, his face bruised and swollen, he stared at Lin Ye in disbelief.

"How... how did you dodge my attack?"

"Your attack? Was it supposed to be impressive? There was no speed, no real strength behind it. It was easy to avoid."

Lin Ye's voice remained calm, almost indifferent, as he responded to Mark's disbelief.

"Impossible!"

Mark's eyes turned red with fury. "No one in Nuoding City dares to look down on me! My fists have been tested all over the city—how can they be called weak?!"

"You wretched commoner! How dare you belittle me! Die!"

Completely enraged, Mark bellowed and activated his first soul skill.

"First Soul Skill: Wild Horse Breaking Free!"

As Mark roared, the white soul ring around him lit up, releasing invisible soul power. Some of it surged into his legs, while the rest flowed into his arms.

While his legs didn't change visibly, the muscles clearly tightened, brimming with energy. His arms, however, became encased in a thick layer of black rock armor, making them look like they were covered by a pair of solid black gauntlets.

This was the effect of Mark's first soul skill—Wild Horse Breaking Free.

With this skill, his limbs were strengthened, boosting both his speed and explosive power by 30%. Additionally, thanks to the Black Armored Horse spirit, the skill also conjured rock armor around his arms, significantly enhancing his attack power and defense.

Boom!

Fueled by rage, Mark stomped the ground again, turning into a black blur as he charged at Lin Ye. His right hand, now clad in thick rock armor, swung fiercely toward Lin Ye.

However, this time, Lin Ye didn't bother dodging. Instead, he rushed forward to meet the attack head-on.

In a swift motion, Lin Ye activated his Phoenix Dance of Six Illusions, his speed surpassing Mark's. In the blink of an eye, Lin Ye was already right in front of him.

Mark was startled but quickly recovered, letting out an angry roar as he swung his rock-armored fist at Lin Ye.

But Lin Ye wasn't foolish. Seeing the punch coming, he easily sidestepped, dodging it effortlessly. Then, clenching his left fist, he delivered a punch directly to Mark's face. Simultaneously, his right arm bent forward, and his elbow slammed into Mark's chest.

The sudden punch had already left Mark's head spinning, and before he could recover, the brutal elbow strike followed.

Mark's chest exploded with pain, as though his ribs had been shattered. His stomach churned violently, the agony making him feel like his insides were being torn apart.

"How is this possible?! Even with my soul skill, I'm still no match!"

As the pain wracked his body, Mark's heart filled with frustration and disbelief.

But no matter how unwilling he was to accept it, the truth remained. Under Lin Ye's relentless assault, Mark was sent flying once again, crashing into another tree before sliding down, utterly defeated.

This time, Mark couldn't even stand. Slumped against the tree, his face contorted in pain, he was completely drained of strength.

"Weren't you planning to teach me a lesson? Is that all you've got?"

Lin Ye walked over calmly, looking down at the battered Mark with a faint sneer.

"What... what are you? I'm a soul master... but I couldn't match your speed or strength..."

Mark's voice trembled with fear as he looked up at Lin Ye, his face pale and drenched in sweat.

Lin Ye merely smiled, crouching down as he reached into Mark's clothing.

"W-What are you doing?!"

Feeling Lin Ye's movements, Mark's body stiffened, his face filled with terror.

"Stop whining."

Lin Ye frowned, his hand still rummaging through Mark's clothes until he finally grasped a money pouch.

"After wasting so much of my time, this will be my compensation."

Opening the pouch, Lin Ye found a few dozen gold soul coins, along with several silver and copper coins. Satisfied, he nodded before tucking the pouch into his own robes.

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