Chapter 26: You've Already Been Surrounded by Me | Can One Person Use a Martial Soul Fusion Skill?
"Awo?!"
Wait, something's not right!
The moment it saw that scene, the previously arrogant eyes of the Stormwind Demon Wolf King instantly cleared.
It remembered.
It had seen the spider lances on Zhu Zhuqing's back before—on the body of the top predator known as the Man-Faced Demon Spider, the so-called evil slaughterer of the forest!
"Awoo!"
Retreat! All of you, fall back!
The Stormwind Demon Wolf King let out a sharp howl.
At the command, the pack did not hesitate in the slightest. They turned and fled decisively.
However—
"Do you really think you can escape?"
Zhu Zhuqing seemed to murmur to herself. A cold, confident smile curved at the corner of her lips.
"You've already been surrounded… by me."
Her eyes sharpened. Crimson light suddenly flared.
"White Tiger Slaughter Formation!"
A blood-colored ripple exploded outward from her as the center, spreading rapidly. In the blink of an eye, a two-hundred-meter radius was completely enveloped.
Within the domain, the aura of blood and slaughter boiled like a burning sea, constantly eroding the consciousness and soul power of all living beings inside.
The next instant—
"Awoo!" "Roar!" "Ahhh!"
Accompanied by the cries of various soul beasts, shadowy figures began to appear along the edges of the Slaughter Formation, converging inward toward Zhu Zhuqing.
In less than two seconds, the situation reversed.
The fleeing wolf pack was now forcefully surrounded by an army of vengeful souls.
A glance revealed countless types—
Nether Wolves, Rock Rhinoceroses, One-Eyed Owls… and the largest among them, a massive Vajra Tiger.
The awakened souls within the Slaughter Formation had eyes blazing with frenzied red light as they charged the Stormwind Demon Wolves without hesitation.
Though their auras were weak and their strength greatly diminished after becoming souls, they feared no death, and their numbers were overwhelming.
More than ten souls attacked a single Stormwind Demon Wolf. Even if they couldn't kill it immediately, they could injure and restrain it.
For a moment, miserable howls echoed endlessly.
"Now it's your turn."
Zhu Zhuqing fixed her gaze upon the Stormwind Demon Wolf King, undisguised killing intent flashing in her eyes.
"Wooo…"
The wolf king wanted to flee.
But instinct told it—
There was no escape.
There was only one path left:
Fight to the death.
The bloodline of a king began to boil.
"Awooo!"
With a low roar, the wolf king's powerful body shot forward.
Its eyes gleamed viciously as it moved like the wind, closing the distance in the blink of an eye and lunging at Zhu Zhuqing.
Its razor-sharp claws dragged streaks of cyan afterimages through the air, wrapped in the power of wind as they slashed downward with terrifying force.
It felt capable of tearing apart anything in its path.
Whoosh!
The gale tore forward.
Zhu Zhuqing did not dodge.
Her face remained calm.
"Hell Piercing Strike."
The sharp claws in her hand blossomed with dark radiance, like ink that could never be erased from eternal night, pointing directly at the charging wolf.
Bang!
The wind exploded outward.
The wolf king's body froze mid-motion.
It had unleashed with everything it had—
Was shattered in a single exchange by the seemingly delicate cat claw before it.
Its foreleg was firmly pinned in place.
Before it could struggle or retaliate, the Eight Spider Lances behind Zhu Zhuqing flashed simultaneously.
"Hell… Piercing Strike."
With her crisp, cold voice falling—
Shing!
Puchi!
The Stormwind Demon Wolf King's body trembled violently.
Its fur, normally tougher than steel and blades, now felt like thin paper.
Eight lances.
Sixteen bloody holes.
"Woooo…"
The wolf king let out a mournful cry, trying to resist, but its body was completely locked in place by the spider lances piercing through it from every direction.
Its strength had nowhere to go.
Venom rapidly spread through its body. Life drained away at a terrifying speed. Its eyes were filled with unwillingness.
Its kingly bloodline had only just awakened.
Given time, if it could become a ten-thousand-year soul beast, it would have risen as a true Stormwind Demon Wolf King.
But now—
That future had become an unreachable dream.
At the same time, Zhu Zhuqing faintly felt an extremely weak stream of soul power flowing back into her body through the Eight Spider Lances.
This soul power—
It was not temporary.
It was permanent soul power capable of raising her rank.
"Wooo…"
Soon, the wolf king's howl came to an abrupt stop.
Its body crumbled like dust returning to the earth.
A faint purple soul was drawn by the Slaughter Skull into the Slaughter Space.
Moments later, it transformed into a vengeful soul and began hunting its former subordinates.
Zhu Zhuqing, however, remained standing there in a daze.
"Was that my imagination?"
She frowned slightly. "It feels like… even without evolving, my Eight Spider Lances can increase my permanent soul power through devouring."
"It wasn't your imagination. Your soul power did increase, though by an almost imperceptible amount."
Bai Lu confirmed her perception and speculated:
"The Eight Spider Lances are attached to your spine and ribs, and your spine is connected to the Slaughter Skull. Both carry highly compatible slaughter attributes."
"On top of that, the nourishment from the Blue Silver Emperor soul bone allowed the Eight Spider Lances to undergo a slight evolution the moment they fused with you."
"Then can I level up purely through devouring now?"
Zhu Zhuqing turned toward the remaining Stormwind Demon Wolves being slaughtered by the souls, her eyes shining with the same excited light as a player farming monsters in a Fourth Calamity game.
"I don't think so. But you can try."
Bai Lu wasn't optimistic.
The Eight Spider Lances had only evolved slightly. Their energy conversion rate was abysmal. Even draining a pile of ten-thousand-year soul beasts probably wouldn't raise her a single level.
If she had that time, she might as well focus on evolving the Eight Spider Lances further.
Still, Zhu Zhuqing was nothing if not practical.
She devoured every last Stormwind Demon Wolf.
In the end, she reached the conclusion—
Bai Lu was right.
However, already expecting this outcome, she didn't feel disappointed. Instead, she felt delighted at the expansion of her wolf soul army.
But—
"Mm!"
Zhu Zhuqing's face suddenly turned pale.
A sharp pain stabbed through her head. Dizziness washed over her as the Slaughter Formation shattered instantly.
She braced herself with a spider lance, steadying her swaying body.
"The White Tiger Slaughter Formation doesn't consume much soul power," Bai Lu sighed softly, "but it puts immense strain on your spiritual power."
"With your current spiritual power, even with the enhancement of the Slaughter Skull, maintaining an entire army of souls for long periods is no easy task."
If the soul army could be maintained without cost, then back when he faced the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger, that creature would have been drowned in souls before even touching him.
"Your spiritual cultivation needs to be put on the agenda."
"What should I do?"
The moment Zhu Zhuqing finished speaking, a massive stream of information flooded her mind.
It contained a special spiritual cultivation technique, detailed methods for soul transformation, and soul control techniques.
"This is the White Tiger Slaughter Art, a cultivation method that tempers your spiritual power through the souls within the Slaughter Space. Practice it daily."
Bai Lu paused slightly, his tone growing more serious.
"Compared to spiritual power, what's more important right now is developing your self-martial soul fusion skill, Hell White Tiger."
"I… can use a martial soul fusion skill alone?"
Zhu Zhuqing stood frozen, her face full of disbelief.
The reason the Zhu family had intermarried with the Dai family for generations was precisely for the martial soul fusion skill.
And now—
Could she use it by herself?
End of Chapter