Chapter 17: Mutation, Martial Soul Fusion Ring
Swish!
Su Ye had just landed on the tree when the Bloodthirsty Death Beast (血煞绝命彪) surrounded him like maggots crawling on bone. It pushed with its four legs, starting to climb the tree.
Su Ye immediately moved to another, slightly thinner tree, and set Zhu Zhuqing down.
"Look for an opportunity to leave!!"
He shot her a sharp look, then flew into the air, nocking an arrow and shooting it at the Bloodthirsty Death Beast.
Whoosh—!
The long arrow broke through the air with a trembling sound.
Just as the beast jumped to the ground, it wasn't easy for it to dodge. The sharp metal arrowhead pierced deeply into its thigh.
Roar—!
The injured Bloodthirsty Death Beast became even more violent, baring its fangs and roaring. It actually grabbed the arrow.
With a tearing sound, chunks of flesh were ripped off with the arrow.
The blood that flowed out turned into a blood mist, swirling around its body, almost creating a blood field around it.
"..."
Such ferocity made Su Ye's soul tremble. It was the first time he saw a soul beast that wasn't afraid of pain and deliberately used its injuries to enhance its power.
Alright, alright—!
Today, I want to see how much blood your body can bleed!
Su Ye drew another full bow, aiming directly at the Bloodthirsty Death Beast's other eye.
Whoosh—!
This arrow didn't miss, but it only scratched a small piece of the beast's skin.
That blood mist wasn't simple; not only did it have powerful resistance, but it also deflected the attack.
"Beast! Come on!" Su Ye shot another arrow in provocation, pulling the beast's hatred towards him before flying off in the distance.
The Bloodthirsty Death Beast's vicious eyes showed a hint of intelligence. It had been hesitating about which prey to play with and torture.
But after Su Ye's repeated provocations, its ferocity completely overwhelmed its reason. It roared and rushed after Su Ye without a second thought.
Su Ye didn't fly at top speed toward the distance. Instead, he maneuvered through the trees, fully utilizing the terrain's advantage...
As long as the beast climbed trees, its speed would drastically decrease. Su Ye immediately flew to another tree.
On one hand, his meridians had not fully recovered, and his soul power wasn't flowing smoothly. It was impossible for him to use his soul techniques again, so he conserved as much soul power as possible.
On the other hand, Su Ye also wanted to wear down the Bloodthirsty Death Beast's stamina. Even if it chose to destroy the trees, it would consume energy, which would make it easier to escape.
And so...
One man and one beast engaged in a tug-of-war in the forest, seeing who would give up first.
Hearing the noise fade into the distance, Zhu Zhuqing leapt down from the tree. Her long, graceful legs bent slightly to absorb the impact, and she landed smoothly on the ground.
She looked deeply into the distance, then took a few steps backward. The feeling of worry surged in her heart like a tidal wave.
Leave?
Was she really going to abandon him and leave?
It felt like her high heels were stuck to the ground, unable to move.
Frozen in place, Zhu Zhuqing felt a mix of complex emotions. Her usually clear and decisive eyes seemed at a loss, filled with confusion.
In a daze, she seemed to recall the moment when the young man had carried her away from Zhu Zhuyun.
His pair of unwavering, starry eyes, sharp yet warm, was so captivating that it could not be forgotten.
Once... he saved him.
Once... he cured her poison and took care of her inside and out.
Thinking of Su Ye's funny sausage-like mouth, Zhu Zhuqing couldn't help but chuckle, her cold face melting like snow in winter, replaced by a warm smile.
"That guy is rude and a bit lecherous, but at least his heart isn't bad."
"And this time, he still didn't leave me behind."
Thinking of this, Zhu Zhuqing clenched her pink fist.
Yeah.
This time, if he had chosen to have her attract the Bloodthirsty Death Beast's hatred, he could have escaped safely.
But in the end, he still chose to take all the danger upon himself.
Dai Mubai, that coward who shrinks back at the slightest issue, was even inferior to him by a finger.
"Now, he is the only one who hasn't given up on me..."
A bittersweet smile spread across her face as Zhu Zhuqing suddenly sighed deeply, her eyes becoming unusually clear and bright, as if she had made a decision.
Swish—
No longer hesitating, Zhu Zhuqing turned and rushed in the direction where the man and beast had gone.
Her slender, graceful figure moved through the forest like a night goddess—determined and beautiful.
He had saved her three times. No matter what, she couldn't let him come to harm!
Even if it meant dying, she would die first!
After all, her failure in the fight for the throne meant she couldn't escape death, so why not exchange her life for his?
She... wouldn't regret it!!
Meanwhile, Su Ye was still playing with the Bloodthirsty Death Beast.
"Come on, little beast~"
"Hey, can't hit me, can you? You just can't hit me, are you angry~"
"Wow, getting impatient, huh? Come on, this tree is thick. If you're so skilled, keep hitting it!"
"..."
Knowing that the Bloodthirsty Death Beast didn't understand human language, Su Ye didn't expect it to. He just had a bit of fun taunting it.
The beast's massive paw slammed into the tree, shaking the green leaves loose.
Boom, a paw strike, and the tree trunk collapsed.
As Su Ye flew off, a pile of green leaves was shaken loose and fell over the Bloodthirsty Death Beast, something he had picked from the tree.
Yes, the tree leaves were useless as an attack.
Su Ye didn't expect them to be effective.
With a strong finger snap, he placed a metal long arrow on the bowstring.
He charged the bow, the string humming as it was drawn.
The falling leaves blocked the line of sight between the man and the beast. Knowing that the blood-colored aura would deflect the arrows, Su Ye shot the last arrow by instinct.
The target was the eyes!
As long as the Bloodthirsty Death Beast's eyes were blinded, he could escape.
Thud, the sharp weapon pierced the flesh, and the Bloodthirsty Death Beast's roar followed.
Did it hit??
Su Ye's mind shook, but as the leaves fell, he realized the arrow had only struck the Bloodthirsty Death Beast's back, and it had only penetrated by two centimeters.
(ーー゛)･･･
"…Hah, let's keep dragging this out."
With his arrows exhausted, Su Ye had no choice but to continue jumping between the trees, changing positions.
The Bloodthirsty Death Beast, now completely enraged, stopped climbing trees and became even more savage and brutal. It started firing dark red energy spheres from its mouth.
Although the attacks seemed dangerous, in reality, they were not threatening at all, and Su Ye dodged them with ease.
Boom!
Boom!
The forest seemed to be under a bombing attack, with explosions and rumbling sounds echoing through the air.
As Su Ye dodged the explosions, he felt a strange sense of satisfaction. His soul power was almost depleted, but he still had the Nine-Petaled Clear Spirit Grass.
Once the Bloodthirsty Death Beast ran out of soul power, leaving would be easy.
However, Su Ye never expected that someone would suddenly turn back.
When his eyes landed on Zhu Zhuqing, Su Ye nearly fainted from anger. His heart felt cold all over.
It was truly as the saying went: "Not afraid of a god-like opponent, just afraid of a pig-like teammate."
Furious, Su Ye cursed out loud, "Are you out of your mind?!"
"I told you to leave quickly, why the hell are you back here?!"
Zhu Zhuqing's face remained as firm as iron, and she was unmoved, her voice growing more urgent.
"You go. I'll hold it off. Consider this repaying your life."
Su Ye was left speechless, turning his head with his features scrunched up. People really do get speechless when they're at a loss for words.
Swish!
Zhu Zhuqing's two soul rings lit up, and her speed as the Ethereal Spirit Cat reached its peak, launching an attack on the Bloodthirsty Death Beast.
But her scratching attack was completely useless against the beast's blood aura shield.
In the blink of an eye, before Su Ye could react, Zhu Zhuqing was knocked back by the beast's paw, vomiting blood and suffering severe injuries.
"I told you to leave!!"
Looking at the young man who suddenly blocked her way, lying on the ground, Zhu Zhuqing glared, baring her teeth in anger. It seemed she was angry at her own helplessness, as no one really cared about her life or death.
"..."
Su Ye's face was unusually calm, without sarcasm or anger, only a deep, powerless smile.
"Little cat, you win~"
As his words fell, it was as if a heavy chain had suddenly been unlocked, and the thousand-year soul ring beneath Su Ye's feet vanished.
Boom!
A domineering and powerful energy roared within his martial soul, the Golden Flame Eagle.
The air twisted and boiled, and flames spread across the area.
The young man's figure bathed in the flames, resembling an apostle of the Fire God descending to the human world, surrounded by raging flames.
At that moment, even the vicious Bloodthirsty Death Beast couldn't help but retreat.
(End of Chapter)
ps: read advance chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/lilsakka419/posts