Chapter 28: First Battle Against a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast — Self Martial Soul Fusion Skill, Success!
Days passed. The sun and moon revolved; the stars shifted across the sky.
In the blink of an eye, a week had gone by.
During this time, Zhu Zhuqing trained and tempered herself within the Star Dou Forest.
She slaughtered soul beasts, devoured soul power, practiced her self-martial soul fusion skill, and cultivated the White Tiger Slaughter Art…
Although her soul power rank had not increased, her growing mastery over her abilities elevated her overall strength to an entirely new level compared to when she had just broken through.
Most importantly—
Her control over the self-martial soul fusion skill deepened steadily.
At first, she required Bai Lu's coordination to perform it.
Later, she could summon her White Tiger girl clone to fuse with her.
And now—
She felt that she was only a single step away from truly mastering the self-martial soul fusion skill—Hell White Tiger, on her own.
For that final step—
She needed pressure.
Bai Lu's voice sounded within her spiritual world.
"Remember, ten-thousand-year soul beasts are completely different from hundred- or thousand-year ones. Their racial abilities are fully matured, and their intelligence is far higher. Do not underestimate them in the slightest."
That was right.
Her target was a ten-thousand-year soul beast.
And not an ordinary one.
Her opponent—
A ten-thousand-year Vigorous Vajra Bear.
As a high-tier soul beast, the Vigorous Vajra Bear possessed terrifying defensive and offensive power. Though slightly lacking in speed, it could manipulate gravity, severely restricting its opponents' movements.
Zhao Wuji had many shining moments thanks to this high-level martial soul—
He had escaped pursuit from sixteen Spirit Hall bishops above Soul Emperor level, survived a beating from Tang Hao, and even endured a punch from the Titan Giant Ape.
Though those "glorious moments" mostly involved being chased or beaten…
They still proved how formidable the martial soul truly was.
And now—
Zhu Zhuqing, not even a Soul Ancestor yet—
Had chosen it as her opponent.
"I understand. I will win."
She inhaled deeply and looked toward the cave ahead, where the Vigorous Vajra Bear was sleeping.
Battle intent ignited in her cold eyes.
"White Tiger possess!"
"Eight Spider Lances manifest!"
She immediately transformed into her White Tiger form, summoning the Eight Spider Lances from her back.
Her storage bracelet flashed, and she tossed out two-thousand-year-old soul beast corpses.
The spider lances pierced into them, devouring instantly.
The soul power that entered her body was immediately expended to activate her two enhancement soul skills—
"White Tiger Vajra Transformation!"
"White Tiger Killing God Transformation!"
The Slaughter Skull and her blood-colored soul ring lit up.
Her body became taller, more agile, and powerfully toned.
Crimson aura coiled around her as chilling killing intent radiated from her eyes.
"Roar?!"
Sensing the killing intent, the Vigorous Vajra Bear awakened instantly.
Its massive four-meter-tall body rose to its feet.
It stepped out of the cave, examining the intruder who dared step into its territory.
"ROAR!"
A warning growl reverberated as a powerful aura spread outward, bending nearby trees under invisible pressure.
Gravity had already enveloped the area.
Zhu Zhuqing felt her body grow heavy; her movements slowed significantly.
Had her overall abilities not been doubled, she might not even have been able to stand steady.
"Gravity manipulation…"
Her heart tightened.
Without hesitation, she switched forms, transforming into her Hell Spirit Cat form and bursting forward at full speed.
"Phantom Flash!"
She stomped on a patch of shadow and blurred forward, leaving afterimages as she appeared before the Vigorous Vajra Bear.
"Hell Piercing Strike—Eightfold Assault!"
Under the shroud of nether energy, the Eight Spider Lances became eight purple-black beams, tearing through the air toward the bear's vital points.
But the reaction speed of a ten-thousand-year soul beast far exceeded expectations.
"Roar!"
The bear raised its massive paw.
A thick brown rock shield formed before it.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The eight beams slammed into the shield, exploding into clouds of toxic mist.
The rock shield, seemingly unbreakable—
Was pierced instantly.
The spider lances continued forward.
But at that moment—
Brown light flared across the bear's body.
Its fur thickened dramatically, as though it wore the earth itself as armor.
Boom!
The Eight Spider Lances, normally unstoppable, barely broke through its defense, leaving only shallow wounds.
The venom entered—
But the bear clearly possessed resistance. The poison would not take effect quickly.
"What a terrifying defense!"
Zhu Zhuqing's pupils shrank.
Her soul bone flashed.
Using Phantom Flash, she shifted to the bear's flank.
"Hell Piercing Strike—Shatter the Mountain and Split the Earth!
Channeling the explosive force of her right arm soul bone, she drove two claws and ten lances into the bear's side.
Puchi!
They broke through.
Venom surged in massive quantities.
"ROAR!!!"
Enraged by pain, the Vigorous Vajra Bear doubled the surrounding gravity.
It spun, raising its left fist high before smashing downward with full force.
"Phantom Flash!"
Zhu Zhuqing vanished in a flash, reappearing dozens of meters away.
BOOM!
The impact shattered her afterimage and shook the earth violently.
"ROAR!"
Red light flared in the bear's eyes.
Its soul power resonated with the ground.
Shing! Shing! Shing!
Dozens of sharp rock spikes erupted upward, completely sealing her escape routes.
"Flight!"
She leapt skyward using the Blue Silver Emperor right leg bone.
But the instant she touched ground again—
She felt herself locked onto.
Bai Lu warned, "Tracking soul skill. Within a hundred meters, it can instantly close the distance through jumping."
"Is there a skill like that?!"
She froze briefly.
"ROAR!"
The Vigorous Vajra Bear lunged like a raging freight train.
She instinctively used Hell Rush Stab to evade.
But mid-air—
The bear adjusted its trajectory, descending precisely toward her.
This—
Was unavoidable.
"Shatter the Mountain and Split the Earth! Crimson Flame Explosive Charge! Hell Piercing Strike!"
Her eyes sharpened.
She turned to face it head-on.
The Eight Spider Lances formed a defensive web before her as both fists blasted forward.
BOOM!!!
The explosive shockwave flattened surrounding trees.
Cough—
Zhu Zhuqing was blasted backward, slamming into a tree. Blood trickled from her lips.
Across from her—
The bear clutched its abdomen, new wounds bleeding.
Purple poison now clearly coursed through its body.
Yet its eyes burned even redder.
Light flared again—
The locking sensation returned.
"You want to drag me down with you?"
"Impossible."
Her eyes turned cold.
Memories of performing martial soul fusion skill flashed through her mind.
The sensation.
The resonance.
The merging of powers—
So close.
Suddenly—
She understood.
The reason she had failed to perform the self-martial soul fusion skill—Hell White Tiger alone—
It was not a technique.
It was confidence.
She lacked confidence in fully unleashing the White Tiger's power.
"If the White Tiger clone is part of my power, then I alone can do it!"
Her will hardened.
Within her body, the White Tiger and Hell Spirit Cat resonated, erupting into brilliant black-and-white light.
"ROAR!"
The light dispersed.
A mighty Hell White Tiger stood revealed.
Self Martial Soul Fusion Skill—Hell White Tiger.
Success!
Across from her—
The poisoned Vigorous Vajra Bear had already gone mad.
Even at the sight of the Hell White Tiger, it did not retreat.
"ROAR!"
Red light exploded from its body as it entered a berserk state, releasing all remaining power recklessly.
Its height grew from four to five meters. Earth armor wrapped around it.
With the force of Mount Tai crushing downward—
It leapt.
A final strike.
For either survival—
Or death.
The Hell White Tiger did not retreat either.
It soared upward to meet the charge.
"Hell Piercing Strike!"
Eight dark-purple, ghostly tentacles extended like spears of judgment.
Puchi! Puchi! Puchi!
This time—
The bear's defense was paper-thin.
Its massive body was pierced clean through.
"AAAAARGH!!!"
A miserable roar shook the forest.
Even as death approached, it struggled to tear flesh from the Hell White Tiger.
But the spider lances hooked into its body and slammed it into the ground.
Boom!
The earth fractured.
Venom erupted fully.
The Vigorous Vajra Bear lay dying.
The Hell White Tiger raised its massive paw.
"Rest."
It brought the paw down.
Smash!
Skull shattered.
Blood mist filled the air.
The bear fell still.
A black ten-thousand-year soul ring slowly rose from its corpse.
A deep-purple soul phantom drifted upward and was absorbed into the Slaughter Space.
The Hell White Tiger dissolved.
Zhu Zhuqing returned to human form, landing softly.
Though exhausted—
Victory burned in her eyes.
"I did it…"
Her icy expression melted as she lifted her chin slightly, smiling proudly.
Like a kitten waiting for praise.
"Well, now whose capable little kitten is this?"
Bai Lu did not hold back his praise.
After letting her enjoy the moment, he added:
"There seems to be something… inside its body."
End of Chapter