Run Over by a Truck (Sad)

The terrifying energy fluctuations surged higher and higher. Realizing something was wrong, the Blood Erosion Dragon Lizard instinctively stopped, giving Zhang Lexuan a chance to widen the distance.

Feeling the energy fluctuations behind her as well, she instantly caught up to Huo Yuhao, scooped him into her arms, and charged forward without slowing down in the slightest.

Huo Yuhao had been fleeing for his life with his head down when he suddenly felt a soft mass strike him from behind. A sensation of being run over by a truck immediately welled up in his heart.

The scenery on both sides began flying backward. With Zhang Lexuan's help, his forward speed increased several times over.

A second later, a thunderous explosion erupted behind them. The Blood Erosion Dragon Lizard's miserable roar seemed capable of shattering eardrums. Huo Yuhao, whose Spiritual Power had already been somewhat overdrawn, felt his vision go dark, and he could no longer maintain Mental Detection.

Fortunately, Zhang Lexuan had taken him far enough away in time, so they were not injured.

However, after that explosion, the battle was already nearing its end, and his Mental Detection was no longer needed.

Zhang Lexuan turned around, and the Blood Erosion Dragon Lizard's miserable state came into view.

The long, narrow wound on its abdomen had been completely ripped open by the explosion, with a large amount of its internal organs spilling out. Yet even with such severe injuries, the Blood Erosion Dragon Lizard still had not died. It lay on the ground, wailing in agony, showing just how terrifying its Life Force was.

Of course, that was also because the Soul Guidance Bombs Huo Yuhao had made were composed of second- and third-tier Soul Guidance Devices, so their power was not particularly strong. If compared directly, they might not even have matched Zhang Lexuan's Sixth Soul Skill. Had they not exploded right at the wound, it would have been uncertain whether they could even break through its scales.

Though it was not dead yet, the Blood Erosion Dragon Lizard struggled desperately without being able to rise, clearly having lost all ability to resist.

Zhang Lexuan plainly hated the creature that had nearly wiped out their entire team to the bone. The Sixth Soul Ring beneath her feet lit up once more, and a terrifying beam of light instantly pierced through the Blood Erosion Dragon Lizard's head, finally ending its life.

Seeing the Blood-colored Soul Ring slowly emerge above the Blood Erosion Dragon Lizard's corpse, Huo Yuhao's heart stirred. Only then did he remember that Xuan Zi seemed to have mentioned this incident in his previous life.

—Twelve Inner Courtyard Disciples had become separated from their Team Leader Teacher and encountered a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Beast. In the end, only four survived.

Although he had seen twelve of them last night, he had not connected it to this event. After all, who would have thought that an incident he had once heard as if it were a story would happen right before him? Recalling Zhang Lexuan's Hundred Thousand Year Eighth Soul Ring, he had just been about to say something when he realized that Zhang Lexuan was still holding him in her arms out of instinct.

Though Huo Yuhao had clearly grown much sturdier after eating well these past two years, he was still a child. At that moment, like a body pillow, he was tucked beneath Zhang Lexuan's arm in the embrace of her tall figure, his feet not even touching the ground.

An inexplicable sense of embarrassment rose in his heart. Huo Yuhao's lips twitched slightly, but he was too embarrassed to struggle.

How humiliating!

Whether from the anger in her heart or because the burst of speed just now had already been Zhang Lexuan's limit, Huo Yuhao could feel two rather sizable headlights behind his head rising and falling violently, while a faint fragrance drifted into his nostrils.

Finally, after a bout of completely futile struggling, Huo Yuhao gave up.

He felt like a little white mouse caught in a python's coils. No matter how he struggled, it was useless.

"Um... Lexuan-jie, you can let go of me now."

"Ah? Oh, oh." Zhang Lexuan froze upon hearing that, only then noticing Huo Yuhao, whom her right arm had been tightly restraining. She hurriedly set him down, her tone solemn.

"Yuhao, thank you so much this time."

Without Huo Yuhao's help, they would have had to sacrifice at least one more Inner Courtyard Disciple, and that was assuming her final Sixth Soul Skill could hit. If she missed, then everyone left, herself included, would have died.

"It's nothing. I just did what I could—"

Before Huo Yuhao could finish, the remaining five Inner Courtyard Disciples had already rushed over. When they saw the Blood Erosion Dragon Lizard's corpse, their eyes widened at once.

"Senior Zhang, how did you do it?"

Zhang Lexuan was just about to answer when she saw Huo Yuhao subtly shake his head. Understanding his meaning, she did not mention his third eye or purple Soul Ring.

After hearing the entire account, it sounded like nothing more than a lucky coincidence, like a blind cat stumbling upon a dead mouse. The faces of the team members were filled with relief, but only Zhang Lexuan vaguely sensed where that luck had come from.

Thinking back to Huo Yuhao's golden Vertical Eye, she shuddered instinctively.

Was that his Martial Soul?

Why did it possess such a strange ability?

Seeing that the danger had passed, one of the Inner Courtyard Disciples glanced again at the Blood Erosion Dragon Lizard's corpse. His throat bobbed, and his voice trembled slightly with excitement.

"Now that the Blood Erosion Dragon Lizard is dead, Senior Zhang, hurry up and absorb the Soul Ring!"

At those words, the others also looked toward the Blood-colored Soul Ring above the Blood Erosion Dragon Lizard. Their breathing became hurried.

This was a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring!

And not just the Soul Ring—Hundred Thousand Year Soul Beasts were guaranteed to produce Soul Bones. Though the process of obtaining it had been extremely brutal, such a generous reward somewhat made up for it.

Huo Yuhao stood to the side without speaking. As the Inner Courtyard Disciples stared at the Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring, the unlocking progress of the Greed Origin within his Spiritual Space rapidly increased as well.

The Inner Courtyard Disciples before him were all Soul Emperors, and the greed energy they provided was considerable. Combined with what that eighth-and-a-half-rank Soul Guidance Device Master from the Skysoul Empire had provided, the dark-golden Greed Origin would likely be fully unlocked before long.

It would have been a lie to say he was not tempted by a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring. Although he could sense greed from them, the Jealousy Origin in Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Space showed no signs of growing.

That surprised Huo Yuhao somewhat.

For this to happen meant that while these Inner Courtyard Disciples also wanted the Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring, they did not resent Zhang Lexuan for obtaining it.

Judging by how they had addressed her earlier, Zhang Lexuan was clearly not yet the Inner Courtyard Senior Sister. For her to command such prestige showed that she was exceptionally well-liked.

"Will there be any problems if she absorbs a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring as her Eighth Soul Ring?"

Another student asked worriedly. Having come back to their senses, they naturally knew that Zhang Lexuan was the only one present who could possibly absorb this Soul Ring. The others had not even reached the level where they could obtain another Soul Ring, and even if they had, they would not have dared.

"A Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone would greatly improve her physique. She can absorb the Soul Bone first, then try."

As the discussion continued around her, Zhang Lexuan remained silent. Instead, she instinctively looked at Huo Yuhao. Everyone had contributed to this, and by all rights, she could not keep it for herself alone.

The other students could be compensated after they returned to the academy, but Huo Yuhao was different. Right now, she did not have sufficient compensation to offer him.

Noticing Zhang Lexuan's gaze, Huo Yuhao smiled.

"Lexuan-jie contributed the most, so the Soul Ring and Soul Bone naturally go to you. If possible, give me the Blood Erosion Dragon Lizard's corpse."

The Blood Erosion Dragon Lizard's attributes did not suit him anyway, so he had little interest in it. Besides, he only had one ring, and his maximum absorption limit had only just surpassed a thousand years. Only someone tired of living would try to absorb a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring.

But the corpse was different. A Hundred Thousand Year Blood Erosion Dragon Lizard contained an enormous amount of energy in its flesh, and it was filling too. Absorbing it through the Gluttony Origin should help him increase his Cultivation Speed considerably.

At ten meters long, it would last him several years even if he ate it as a daily snack.