Chapter 44: The Line Between Genius and Madman, First Encounter with Dugu Yan
It was a special wolf bandit. Over two and a half meters tall, its entire body was covered in cyan fur, muscles bulging like forged steel.
With the aid of wind, it concealed both its aura and its figure. Only at the very moment it launched its attack did it suddenly reveal itself.
"Hoo..."
With a violent leap, a cyan whirlwind gathered around its sharp claws, tearing through the air as it viciously slashed toward Zhu Zhuqing's back!
"Shua!"
A fierce gale pressed against her back, and a chilling, murderous intent filled the air.
Yet Zhu Zhuqing's expression did not change. She did not move in the slightest.
It was as if she had not sensed it at all.
At the instant when the claw was only two meters from her back—
"Shua shua shua!"
Eight purple-black, razor-sharp spider lances suddenly burst forth from her back.
Each lance, wrapped in hell power, had tips gleaming with a cold, violet-black light.
Hell Piercing Strike!
In that instant, the Eight Spider Lances transformed into eight unstoppable spears of judgment, completely sealing off every possible route of evasion for the cyan wolf bandit.
The scene made it appear as though the wolf bandit had willingly hurled itself into the embrace of the Eight Spider Lances, seeking its own death.
"Puff puff puff puff—!"
Amid a succession of muffled impacts, the Eight Spider Lances pierced into the wolf bandit's body from eight different directions at once.
That muscular body, as hard as steel, offered no resistance to the Hell Piercing Strike of the Eight Spider Lances.
"Ta ta ta…"
Cold light flickered. Blood sprayed into the air, staining the ground.
When the attack ended, the massive cyan wolf bandit leader was already skewered and suspended in midair by the Eight Spider Lances.
"Urgh…"
Its eyes bulged, pain and bloodlust driving it into a frenzy.
With trembling arms, it attempted to drag Zhu Zhuqing down with it in a desperate bid to perish together.
However…
"Devour."
Zhu Zhuqing's emotionless voice rang out.
The Eight Spider Lances instantly bloomed with a purple radiance and began frantically devouring the wolf bandit.
A vast amount of energy flowed through the lances from the wolf bandit's body into Zhu Zhuqing, becoming nourishment for her growth.
The light in the wolf bandit's eyes visibly faded at a speed discernible to the naked eye.
"Shua!"
At the moment that light fully dissipated, the Eight Spider Lances abruptly expanded.
Large pieces of withered, husk-like fragments were scattered weakly onto the ground.
"Buzz~"
A faintly red-glowing purple soul drifted out and was drawn into the Slaughter Space by the Slaughter Skull, granting it a far from welcoming home.
The battle was completely over.
Zhu Zhuqing slowly turned around and glanced at the wolf bandit's shredded remains on the ground, her gaze cold and detached.
With Bai Lu's spiritual perception, she had known about the invisible wolf bandit's presence from the very beginning.
The reason she had not moved was simply to wait for it to deliver itself to her so she could strike a fatal blow.
Though the wolf bandit had been instantly killed, its strength was already no weaker than that of an ordinary Soul Ancestor.
"You were fairly lucky. This cyan wolf bandit wasn't fully grown yet," Bai Lu's voice sounded at the right moment. "If it had matured completely, its strength might even have surpassed that of an ordinary ten-thousand-year soul beast."
Zhu Zhuqing nodded without speaking further.
When her gaze shifted toward the ruined and shattered village, she could not help but let out a soft sigh.
She had arrived just one step too late.
"Return."
Zhu Zhuqing withdrew the Eight Spider Lances back into her ribs.
After dispelling the White Tiger Slaughter Formation, the blood-red ripples faded, though the ground remained vividly crimson.
Looking inward at the Slaughter Space, dozens of wolf bandits now stood quietly within, having become members of the ever-growing "family."
It had to be said that perhaps due to their slaughter-aligned nature resonating with the Slaughter Space, this pack of wolf bandits had unexpectedly become the legion with the highest quality and overall strength within it.
"How ironic."
A faint mocking smile appeared at the corner of Zhu Zhuqing's lips.
The more frenzied and bloodthirsty an existence was, the greater its quality and strength became under the guidance of the Slaughter Skull.
Meanwhile, more ordinary beings, even those with greater cultivation, possessed far lower quality than one might imagine.
"One either walks toward mediocrity or descends into madness."
"The line between genius and lunatic has always been razor-thin. Whether human or soul beast, it is the same."
Bai Lu sighed softly. "Let's go. Head to Heaven Dou City."
"Alright."
Zhu Zhuqing cast one last cold glance over the blood-soaked battlefield and turned to leave.
At that moment—
"Hurry! Everyone, prepare for battle!"
A loud shout came from the other side of the village.
"Hm?"
Zhu Zhuqing paused mid-step and calmly turned her head.
Eight figures were rapidly approaching from a short distance away.
At the front was a man around thirty years old, with a resolute face and steady aura, likely a Soul King or even a Soul Emperor.
Behind him followed five men and two women, all sixteen or seventeen years old, dressed in matching uniforms.
Judging by the lineup, they were most likely students of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
"This… what exactly happened here?!"
Everyone stared at the scene before them, a sight resembling a living Asura battlefield, and all of them froze in shock.
They had been on an outdoor training exercise. Upon receiving news of wolf bandits, they rushed over immediately.
And yet… they had still arrived too late.
Zhu Zhuqing silently observed them, her gaze settling particularly on the only two young women among the group.
One had blue hair cascading over her shoulders, her face veiled with black gauze, and her eyes hollow and tinged with loneliness.
The other was tall and slender, with purple hair and green eyes, her figure graceful yet strangely enchanting.
"That is …"
As if sensing something, Dugu Yan lifted her head and met the figure turning back beneath the setting sun.
Their eyes met.
Zhu Zhuqing could clearly see the astonishment in Dugu Yan's gaze.
Her own eyes, however, remained utterly calm.
She glanced once at Dugu Yan, then swept her gaze across the others.
She did not linger. She offered no explanation.
With a flicker of movement, Zhu Zhuqing vanished like a phantom into the afterglow of the sunset.
"Wait!"
Qin Ming attempted to pursue her to ask about the situation, but Zhu Zhuqing was far too fast. Within just a few breaths, she had disappeared completely.
Usually steady and composed, Yu Tianheng asked,
"Teacher, should you go after her?"
"No need."
Qin Ming shook his head. "I'm not entirely sure what happened, but the destruction of this wolf bandit pack likely involved her as well. There's no need to pursue the matter too deeply."
He crouched down to inspect the wolf bandit corpses and the marks on the ground. His brows immediately knitted together.
"Claw marks, bite wounds, impact traces…"
"This isn't right. What exactly happened here?"
"Could it be that another group of soul beasts clashed with the wolf bandits?"
Dugu Yan's emerald eyes lingered in the direction where Zhu Zhuqing had disappeared.
"That girl… she doesn't look much older than us, but I feel she's no weaker than we are."
"Whoever she is, she isn't our concern right now."
Qin Ming drew a deep breath. "Check the village first. See if there are any survivors. Then return to the academy or Heaven Dou City as soon as possible to report this matter."
Everyone nodded and split up to take action.
Dugu Yan remained standing where she was, the image replaying again and again in her mind.
That fleeting glance beneath the sunset.
Those deep eyes, cold and tranquil—as if nothing in this world could stir even the slightest ripple within them.
"Just who… are you?"
Dugu Yan murmured softly.
—
End of Chapter