Chapter 9: Three Soul Elders… They Don't Seem Very Happy
Evening descended as the setting sun sank beyond the horizon.
A cluster of bonfires illuminated the growing darkness.
A little "kitten" lay beside the flames, silently licking her wounds.
Though her body was covered in injuries, a faint trace of pleasure surfaced in her eyes.
Not long ago, she had encountered a three-thousand-year-old Vajra Tiger.
The two sides engaged in a fierce battle.
In the end, the Vajra Tiger collapsed at her feet.
And its soul became the strongest existence within the Slaughter Space.
"So? Watching the residents in your Slaughter Space increase one by one—doesn't it give you a strange sense of accomplishment?"
Bai Lu understood a young girl's mindset very well.
It was just like playing games in a previous life—collecting rare items, outfits, pets…
Every time you obtained a new "treasure," there was always a tremendous sense of achievement.
That process was addictive.
That feeling was irresistible.
"Mm."
Zhu Zhuqing nodded slightly, the corners of her lips lifting into an almost imperceptible arc.
The subconscious resistance to killing she once felt had long since dissipated, along with the strengthening of the [Slaughter Formation] and the growing sense of accomplishment from collecting "pets."
If not for the darkness and her fatigue, she might have continued "collecting" even more rare and powerful soul beasts.
Just then—
Rustle~
The grass shifted.
Three burly Soul Masters stepped out under the cover of night.
They had originally approached after noticing the firelight, hoping to see if they could form a temporary group.
But when they saw that only a wounded young girl with a childlike face and a voluptuous figure sat beside the bonfire, darker thoughts instantly surged in their hearts.
The three exchanged tacit glances, each seeing the lust in the others' eyes.
"Little sister, why are you alone in the forest? Where are your guardians?"
"Did something happen to them? Need your big brothers to lend a hand?"
The scar-faced leader stepped forward slowly, questioning her while subtly scanning the surroundings.
After confirming that Zhu Zhuqing was indeed alone, his smile twisted into something lewd.
"Little sister, you're hurt? Big brother's heart aches just looking at you. Come here, let me help you."
"Big brother's chest is strong and firm. Do you want to feel it?"
The other two rubbed their hands together, their gazes brazenly roaming over Zhu Zhuqing's body.
"What level are you…? I… ran into a three-thousand-year Vajra Tiger today…"
Zhu Zhuqing lowered her head and spoke in a "weak" voice.
"A three-thousand-year Vajra Tiger?!"
The scar-faced man's expression shifted slightly before he forced himself to appear indifferent.
"Relax. The three of us are powerful Soul Elders. A mere three-thousand-year Vajra Tiger? We'd slaughter it easily!"
One of them added, "As long as little sister takes good care of us…"
"We'll help you rescue your parents tomorrow!" another chimed in.
"So… only Soul Elders."
Zhu Zhuqing slowly rose to her feet and lifted her head, her gaze turning icy as it fell upon the three of them.
Her hair shifted from black to white. Her figure grew taller. The White Tiger martial soul successfully possessed her.
Swish!
A blood-red hundred-thousand-year soul ring appeared beneath her feet, radiating an eerie and terrifying glow in the night.
"Th-This…"
"A h-hundred-thousand-year soul ring?!"
"H-How… is that possible…"
The three Soul Masters' expressions changed drastically, as though they had witnessed something incomparably terrifying.
Soul beasts had bloodline suppression.
Soul Masters had soul ring suppression.
In the eyes of ordinary Soul Masters, the number and color of soul rings represented the "bloodline" gap between them.
A hundred-thousand-year soul ring existed only in legends.
Yet the girl before them possessed one.
Even if… it was only a single ring, it was enough to frighten them to death.
"Could she be a hundred-thousand-year soul beast in human form?"
"That's impossible! Even if she transformed, her first ring couldn't be a hundred-thousand-year ring!"
"She doesn't seem afraid of us at all!"
In the span of a heartbeat, the three Soul Elders felt their legs weaken.
At that moment, the hundred-thousand-year soul ring beneath her feet lit up.
"White Tiger Vajra Transformation!"
Zhu Zhuqing's aura surged. Muscles tightened. Her figure grew even more imposing.
In the next instant, her fur shifted from white back to black, and tiger claws transformed into cat claws.
The soul rings beneath her feet changed into two yellow rings, one of which immediately lit up.
At the same time, Zhu Zhuqing moved.
Her speed was so fast it left afterimages, darting through the darkness like a phantom.
With the augmentation of the White Tiger's strength, Hell Rush Stab's power skyrocketed.
Slash!
Claw-light flashed.
One man's head flew high into the air.
"Summon your martial souls!"
The scar-faced man and the tall one were horrified and hurriedly retreated, activating their martial souls.
An iron blade appeared in the former's hand. The latter underwent Savage Bear possession, his body swelling even larger.
Beneath their feet were one white and two yellow soul rings each.
Before they could even attack, a gray figure emerged from their fallen companion's corpse, his soul only to be swallowed in a single gulp by Zhu Zhuqing.
"Th-That was… a soul?!"
She ate his soul?!
"G-G-Ghost!"
Terrified out of their wits, the two lost all will to resist and fled in different directions.
Hell Rush Stab!
Whoosh!
The wind tore through the air behind him.
The scar-faced man spun around abruptly, raising his iron blade in defense.
Clang!
Metal collided with claws.
The sharp, spear-like claw was blocked.
But immediately—
Puchi!
His expression stiffened.
He slowly lowered his gaze toward his chest, only to see that a claw had still pierced straight through it.
Darkness swallowed his vision.
His consciousness began to float upward.
He realized he was rising, separating from his body, then drifting uncontrollably toward the girl who had already turned to chase the tall man.
No! Don't!
He let out a silent scream.
No one cared.
On the other side, Zhu Zhuqing had already caught up with the tall man.
"Hell Hundred Claws!"
After blocking her earlier Hell Rush Stab, her second soul ring lit up, unleashing a storm of claw shadows.
Like a blade tempest, it engulfed the tall man.
"Savage Bear Guard!"
He activated his soul skill. A phantom savage bear enveloped his body, blocking the attacks one after another.
Only then did he realize that Zhu Zhuqing's raw strength might not be as overwhelming as he had imagined.
"Savage Bear Charge!"
After enduring Hell Hundred Claws, he hardened his resolve. With a burst of power, he overcame his fear and charged at her head-on.
Whoosh
A black shadow flickered.
Zhu Zhuqing vanished from before him.
Hell Rush Stab!
Whoosh!
The sound of air splitting came from behind him. He had no time to turn and block.
"Aim for the neck!"
Bai Lu's voice suddenly echoed in her mind.
Without hesitation, Zhu Zhuqing raised her hand, shifting the target of Hell Rush Stab from his heart to his neck.
Rip!
Flesh tore apart instantly, the wound deep enough to expose bone.
The tall Soul Elder didn't even feel pain before darkness swallowed his vision, and he collapsed forward uncontrollably.
He wasn't dead, but he was unconscious.
"Look at what you've done. He's not even dead…"
Bai Lu was kind-hearted and couldn't bear to see someone injured.
He quickly had Zhu Zhuqing send the Soul Elder into the Slaughter Space for emergency treatment.
The operation was a success.
The Soul Elder "came back to life."
He even reunited with his good brothers.
The three of them wept with joy because their wish to become close to Zhu Zhuqing had been fulfilled.
Just… in a way, a hundred—no, a thousand times more intimate.
Only…
They didn't seem very happy.
End of Chapter