Chapter 8: Nether Wolf Pack? No Wolf Spirits! | Zhu Zhuqing: Then Let the Slaughter Begin!
"I trust you!"
Zhu Zhuqing did not hesitate in the slightest.
Her fate and Bai Lu's were intertwined; if one prospered, both prospered. If one fell, both perished.
She believed Bai Lu would never do something foolish without confidence in success.
And even if it truly were foolish, so what?
Dying on the path of changing her destiny was far better than being swept along by fate and casually crushed by a random wave.
The little kitten has finally grown.
Within her spiritual sea, Bai Lu revealed a satisfied smile.
"Since that's the case, let's go."
"Remember to familiarize yourself with the power of the head soul bone."
"Alright."
Zhu Zhuqing nodded slightly.
Nuoding City lay northwest of the Star Dou Great Forest.
Following Bai Lu's directions, she burst forward at full speed, heading west.
She did not choose the main road to leave the forest or hire a carriage.
Instead, she sprinted through the woods at maximum speed.
Her movements were nimble and agile, like a true Hell Spirit Cat.
"I know you are neither bloodthirsty nor evil. But the world is full of helplessness."
"Since you've inherited my power, you must grow stronger through slaughter."
"Your path is destined to be watered with blood."
Bai Lu's voice echoed in her spiritual sea.
"From now on, every enemy you encounter—human or soul beast—if they harbor malice, show no mercy."
"I understand."
Zhu Zhuqing's gaze sharpened.
She would not slaughter the innocent.
But if killing villains and soul beasts allowed her to grow stronger, she felt no great burden.
Don't preach to her about protecting soul beasts and sustainable development.
When she was being hunted, no one had stepped forward to protect her.
Rustle—
The Star Dou Great Forest was fraught with danger.
After running for some time, once Zhu Zhuqing slowed to catch her breath, strange noises came from the nearby grass.
The next moment, a group of wolves stepped out.
Their eyes glowed ghostly green. Their bodies were iron-gray, each over 1.6 meters long.
"Awoo"
At the leader's command, the pack spread out, faintly encircling the girl.
Nether Wolf Pack. None over a hundred years.
Bai Lu reminded calmly.
"Understood."
Zhu Zhuqing nodded, instantly entering martial soul possession, transforming into a Hell Spirit Cat.
With a flick of both hands—
"Shing!"
Sharp, spike-like claws extended from her cute feline paws.
Hell Rush Stab!
Her soul ring flashed beneath her feet, and terrifying speed erupted.
Like a streak of dark phantom light, she dashed across the ground, leaving a distinct afterimage.
Swish!
In the next instant, she appeared before the Nether Wolf leader.
Her claws gleamed with chilling nether light, frighteningly sharp.
"Awoo?"
The leader had never expected the girl to be so powerful or so decisive.
She gave it no chance to react, no chance to dodge.
Its eyes widened as it watched the blinding cold gleam approach.
Rip!
A slicing sound rang out.
The leader's skull was pierced clean through, its cranium ripped open.
Fresh brain matter splattered across the ground like red tofu.
From the moment Zhu Zhuqing launched her attack to the leader collapsing, less than two seconds had passed.
"Awoo?!"
The remaining wolves hadn't even understood what happened before their leader lay dead in a pool of blood.
At that very moment, the Slaughter Head Bone faintly flashed red.
A dim wolf-shaped gray mist rose from the corpse, drawn as if by irresistible force, and was absorbed into the head soul bone.
"Awoo!!"
The sight terrified the pack.
They let out unified howls of panic and scattered in all directions.
Trying to run?
Zhu Zhuqing instantly locked onto several figures.
Her soul ring flared.
Her figure blurred and vanished.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Black shadows darted. A cold light flashed.
One Nether Wolf after another fell to the ground.
Not only stripped of life—
But of the soul.
"Haa…"
After several heavy breaths, Zhu Zhuqing finally ceased her slaughter.
Crimson blood dripped slowly from her claws, blooming into vivid flowers upon the earth.
Around her, not a single Nether Wolf remained standing.
Whoosh, whoosh—
Streams of gray mist flew from the wolf corpses, all absorbed into the head bone.
"Hiss."
A burning, stabbing pain suddenly pierced her head, causing her to suck in a sharp breath.
Once the souls were fully devoured, she focused inward.
Her spiritual power had strengthened slightly.
"Not bad. But your endurance still needs work."
Bai Lu's tone carried faint praise.
"Now, properly test the head soul bone's power."
Zhu Zhuqing hummed in acknowledgment, closed her eyes, and concentrated her spirit within her mind.
Vaguely, she sensed more than a dozen illusory figures within the Slaughter Head Soul Bone's space—
The very Nether Wolf pack she had just slain.
But now their bodies were like drifting smoke, their eyes dull like puppets on strings.
"They don't seem very intelligent…"
"All things possess spirit, but spirit varies in strength."
Bai Lu's voice echoed.
A flash of white light appeared.
Within the Slaughter Head Soul Bone's space stood a young man clad in white robes patterned with dark markings—handsome, yet dignified.
"Regardless of strength, unless it is a sacrifice, souls devoured through killing inevitably lose part of their consciousness."
"The stronger the being, the less the loss."
He pointed at the wolf spirits.
"They were weak. Their intelligence was limited. So they can only serve as mindless vanguards."
Zhu Zhuqing secretly observed Bai Lu's manifestation before asking,
"Does that mean I must kill as many powerful soul beasts or even humans as possible?"
"If possible, that would naturally be best."
Bai Lu clasped his hands behind his back and gently stroked a wolf spirit.
"When you grow stronger and slaughter more, as they grow stronger alongside you, their intelligence may also improve."
"As long as you don't wish them dead, they will never truly die."
"Now, continue."
Both withdrew from the head soul bone's space.
White Tiger… Slaughter Formation.
Zhu Zhuqing's eyes snapped open as she activated the soul bone's power.
Blood-red ripples spread outward from her body, infused with killing intent, covering a thirty-meter radius.
"Awoo."
With a thought, the blood ripples on the ground stirred.
More than a dozen phantom wolf spirits crawled out of the earth, gathering loyally at her side.
"Go!"
She pointed toward the tallest tree nearby.
Swish!
Scarlet light flared in every wolf spirit's eyes.
Without hesitation, they charged the massive tree in unison.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Crashing, biting, slashing.
Though weaker than in life, they were fearless and tireless.
Boom!
Before long, under the relentless assault, the giant tree collapsed with a thunderous crash.
'Not bad.'
A flicker of satisfaction flashed through Zhu Zhuqing's cold eyes.
She had only devoured a dozen century-level Nether Wolves and already achieved this effect.
If she devoured more and stronger soul beasts in the future…
Wouldn't she become an army unto herself?
"Exactly,"
Bai Lu affirmed her thoughts.
When he chose the path of slaughter, this had been his purpose.
In truly powerful fantasy worlds, low-level combat power might mean nothing.
But in the relatively lower-tiered Douluo world—
Quantitative change could indeed produce qualitative transformation.
…
Zhu Zhuqing's gaze darkened.
After a moment of silence, as though making a final decision, her expression turned cold.
"If that's the case…"
"Then let the slaughter begin."
—
End of Chapter