Chapter 31: Dance of the Thunder Serpent

A crisp voice, ghost-like, echoed from behind Zi Dianchen.

Zi Dianchen’s hair stood on end; he whirled around, lashing out with a claw that trailed a sheet of electricity!

He struck empty air. Behind him, there was no one.

"On your left."

The voice came from his left. Zi Dianchen roared, sweeping out with another lightning-imbued claw!

Again, he hit nothing.

"Too slow."

This time, the voice seemed to emanate from all directions at once, carrying a faint, lingering sigh.

Zi Dianchen was completely unhinged. Like a caged beast, he swung his razor-sharp claws wildly, hurling bolts of lightning in every direction, turning the small circle into a desolate mess of charred, flying earth. Yet, he could not even touch a corner of his opponent’s clothing.

Outside the circle, the members of the Zi Dian family stood with mouths agape, their expressions as if they had seen a ghost in broad daylight. Zi Dian Xiong’s face was beyond unsightly. He stared fixedly at the scene, watching his nephew being toyed with by a six-year-old child like a mere clown. Even with his keen eyesight as a Soul King, he could only capture blurry, cyan afterimages.

Too fast! That was not a speed a mere Soul Master should possess!

Only Bai He stood outside the circle with his arms crossed, chin slightly tilted, wearing a smug expression that said, "My granddaughter is just that amazing; you bumpkins have never seen anything like this." But the hand hidden in his sleeve, trembling slightly from nerves, betrayed his true feelings. Heavens knew how fast his heart was pounding! His own soul power, stagnant for so long, seemed to show signs of loosening due to this intense stimulation.

This was goddamn exhilarating! Even more so than when he was hunted by a Titled Douluo all those years ago!

A stick of incense felt agonizingly long. When Zi Dianchen, gasping for breath with more than half his soul power depleted, finally came to a halt, Bai Chenxiang’s figure reappeared clearly at the other end of the circle. She stood there, her small face calm, her breathing steady, not a single thread of her clothing ruffled. It was as if the thrilling chase had nothing to do with her.

She looked at her "opponent" across from her, whose eyes were bloodshot and who was panting heavily, and she gave a gentle shake of her head. That simple motion was like a razor-sharp blade, stabbing deep into Zi Dianchen’s crumbling heart.

Humiliation. Utter humiliation.

Zi Dianchen’s chest heaved violently. The scorching air he drew into his lungs did nothing to alleviate the exhaustion brought on by his heavy expenditure of soul power. The lightning he was so proud of, the martial soul inherited from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, had become a joke. Every attack felt like it had been unleashed against a gust of wind that could never be grasped. And his opponent, that six-year-old girl, had not moved more than three steps from her original spot from start to finish. She was like a willow tree rooted in place; no matter how the wind blew, she merely swayed, never broken, never blown away.

No. That wasn't right.

A spark of realization flashed through Zi Dianchen’s mind, clouded as it was by rage and fatigue. She hadn't been standing still. She had been moving the entire time! But her movements were so precise and her speed so immense that his eyes were completely unable to track them!

"Wind Instant Body!"

The name jumped into his mind. It was the legendary movement technique, one that only the core members of the Speed Clan could ever hope to master—a technique bordering on teleportation!

This old monster, this little girl—they were from the Speed Clan!

Having realized this, Zi Dianchen felt no relief, only a deeper sense of despair. The Speed Clan was once a top-tier powerhouse that stood shoulder-to-shoulder with their Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, both under the banner of the Clear Sky Clan, one of the Upper Three Sects! Although they had declined after the Clear Sky Clan closed its gates, a starving camel is still larger than a horse; their foundation was far beyond what his mere outer-branch Zi Dian family could compare to.

No wonder this old man was an eight-ring Soul Douluo! No wonder this little girl possessed such eerie speed!

It was over. Today, they had kicked a red-hot iron plate.

In that very moment of distraction, Bai Chenxiang moved. This time, she didn't just dodge in place. She took an active step forward. It was a light, slow step, like a girl from next door strolling across a meadow. But in Zi Dianchen’s eyes, this step seemed to bridge the distance of space itself, and an invisible pressure rushed toward him!

"Can't let her get close!"

That was the only thought in Zi Dianchen’s mind. He forced the remaining soul power in his body to prepare his second soul skill.

"Second Soul Skill: Dance of the Lightning Snakes!"

This was an area-of-effect skill that formed a web of countless tiny lightning snakes around him, paralyzing and continuously shocking any enemy who entered. It was the only way he could think of to counter her ghostly movement.

However, he was fast, but Bai Chenxiang was faster. Just as his soul power surged and the skill was about to manifest, her figure blurred once more. This time, it wasn't just afterimages from dodging; it was a series of distinct, seemingly real versions of "her" that began to circle him at high speed.

One, two, three... In the blink of an eye, five identical Bai Chenxiangs appeared! Each one held a different pose—one running, one jumping, another even waving at him with nonchalant ease.

"Cloning technique?" Zi Dian Xiong gasped in shock from outside.

"No, it’s not a cloning technique!" Bai He’s eyes were burning with intensity now. He stared at the arena, his voice carrying a tremor he hadn't even noticed himself. "This is the visual residue caused by the ultimate limit of speed! These are afterimages!"

When speed reaches a certain level, exceeding the limits of the human eye's reaction, it leaves images on the retina that have yet to fade! Only one of these five figures was real. But to Zi Dianchen, every single one could be fatal!

His second soul skill, ready to be unleashed, was choked back, stuck in his throat. He dared not release it. If he attacked the wrong one, his already meager soul power would be completely exhausted, and he would truly become a lamb for the slaughter.

Cold sweat rolled down his temples. He felt as if he were facing not a six-year-old child, but the most cunning, patient, and lethal hunter. And he was the rabbit driven into a dead end.

Just as his nerves were at their breaking point, as he struggled to identify the true body, a faint, barely audible "tap" sounded from the back of his neck. It was as if someone had gently patted him.

Zi Dianchen’s blood seemed to freeze in that instant. He turned his head, stiffly, bit by bit.

There, the little girl he could never catch had appeared behind him, less than half a foot away. Her small hand was still held in the position of a light pat. Her clear eyes reflected his own face, which was etched with shock and terror.

"You..."

Zi Dianchen only managed to utter a single syllable.

A potent yet incredibly delicate force suddenly struck his ankle. It didn't feel like an attack; it felt more like someone had gently hooked his foot from behind. The force wasn't strong—it couldn't even cause him injury—but the timing was diabolical. It came exactly at the moment when Zi Dianchen’s focus had shattered, his body was taut, and his center of gravity was leaning forward. It was like an athlete in a full sprint having their support leg precisely tripped by someone standing to the side.

"Thump!"

A dull sound, heavy with humiliation.

Zi Dianchen, the level 30 Great Soul Master, the genius of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan’s outer branch, had fallen face-first onto the ground in a textbook "hungry dog pouncing on food" pose.

The spot where he fell was ironic. It was right beside the cold, lifeless corpse of the Wind-Thunder Demon Wolf. His posture and his wretched appearance were identical to the wolf king that had been tripped by Bai He’s foot moments before.