Within the vast, boundless Primitive forest, Zhao Xuanzhen continued his first journey through the Spirit Ascension Platform, searching everywhere for prey.
Soul beasts possessed an incredibly strong sense of territory. This outer region had been claimed by the Wind Baboon pack; other soul beasts had either been driven away or become food. After searching for ages, Zhao Xuanzhen found only a three-hundred-year Ghost Vine disguised as an ordinary vine.
In the Legend of the Dragon King Era, a soul beast without powerful attributes or noble bloodlines was hardly worth mentioning. Zhao Xuanzhen knocked the Ghost Vine down with two punches and easily claimed thirty years of feedback.
After resting and restoring his Soul Power and stamina to their peak, Zhao Xuanzhen set off again. Traveling alone was the most boring thing in life, so he simply summoned the Spirit Water Porpoise to keep him company.
Finding an exploration companion was not his primary goal. Zhao Xuanzhen remembered that when soul masters fused with sufficiently powerful soul spirits, they could summon them in battle for a righteous group beatdown. As an Auspicious Beast that rode crocodiles and commanded birds, the Spirit Water Porpoise definitely had some tricks up its sleeve!
The Spirit Water Porpoise followed Zhao Xuanzhen on its little stubby legs without a word of complaint. With its steady temperament, even if it did not want to come out and fight, it would not resist strongly. It would only quietly convince itself—there was nothing it could do after getting stuck with this.
Dense woods surrounded them. The deeper the man and beast went, the richer the Life Energy became. At the same time, an oppressive aura faintly seeped from the unseen darkness.
A trace of rustling suddenly reached Zhao Xuanzhen's ears. The Spirit Water Porpoise twitched its ears as well. The air ahead seemed to carry an added reek, tinged with a faintly sweet scent.
"Something has delivered itself to us. Tun Tun, you go."
"No."
"You have to."
"Fine."
With the negotiation over, the Spirit Water Porpoise resigned itself to its fate and quietly waited for the soul beast to approach!
"Whoosh..."
The bushes shook violently. A dark green serpent sped close to the ground, over seven meters long and unbelievably fast, charging wildly ahead and brutally sweeping away every obstacle in its path!
When the great serpent saw Zhao Xuanzhen and the Spirit Water Porpoise blocking the only path through, a flash of irritation crossed its ruby-red snake eyes. It opened its giant mouth and released a piercing hiss!
A seven-hundred-year Mandala Snake!
Do not be fooled by its cultivation being lower than the King of Godslayers Zhao Xuanzhen had encountered before. The Mandala Snake's combat strength utterly crushed that of a Wind Baboon. If the two soul beasts fought, it would probably be a nine-to-one match—the Mandala Snake could whip the Wind Baboon around like a spinning top nine times in a second!
Faced with the Mandala Snake's heavily threatening hiss, the Spirit Water Porpoise remained unmoved. The Mandala Snake was one of the forest's predators; when had it ever suffered such humiliation?
Its sinister giant mouth suddenly opened wide. In a scene of overwhelming impact, the Mandala Snake's jaws split open to one hundred and eighty degrees, displaying a snake's exaggerated skeletal structure. Its snake tongue was red as blood, and its fangs drew poisoned, icy gleams beneath the sunlight as it viciously bit at the tiny porpoise!
The Spirit Water Porpoise planted its front paws into the earth, its damp nose trembling slightly. A Yin Yang Qi Vortex wrapped around its body and became a black-and-white round shield. It was Zhao Xuanzhen's first soul skill, Qi Follows the Heart—this skill had belonged to the Spirit Water Porpoise from the start!
"Scrreech—"
The shield and fangs collided with a screech like fingernails scraping across a blackboard. They did not remain locked for long before fine cracks burst across the Mandala Snake's prized fangs from the Yin Yang Shield. The difference in strength was immediately clear!
The Spirit Water Porpoise was not silly at all once it entered combat. Having gained the upper hand, it pressed its advantage. The airflow split into three streams, locking down the snake's head, snake's body, and snake's tail. For the first time in its life, the Mandala Snake experienced the suffocating pressure of being coiled by a python!
A string of Blood Flowers burst from its hard snake scales. The pain made it roar again, and the Mandala Snake was completely enraged!
Its dark green snake scales gleamed beneath a faint layer of light. Its snake body turned boneless and slick, slipping free from the chains around it as the Mandala Snake lunged at the Spirit Water Porpoise once more!
However, the Spirit Water Porpoise had already finished charging up. It transformed into a black-and-white intertwined meteor, its Yin Yang Airflow condensing into substance as a radiant horn formed at the mark between its brows.
Sensing the destructive aura leaking from that horn, the Mandala Snake suddenly realized that the one before it was the true hunter, while it was merely prey trapped in the game without knowing it. It desperately spat out a mouthful of venom, only for it to break apart into countless points of light the instant it touched the Spirit Water Porpoise.
The next moment, the crisp sound of a skull shattering rang out like glass striking the ground. The snake scales exploded inch by inch along the bones, and the Mandala Snake's final wailing resounded through the heavens!
The Spirit Water Porpoise stood unharmed atop the snake head. As the Mandala Snake's life faded, the vitality in its eyes gradually dimmed. Its Soul Power flowed into the Soul Ring, raising its age to nine hundred years.
"The two of them are very compatible."
Before the Soul Guidance Screen, Leng Yaozhu said with a smile. The Bai Sisters strongly agreed; they understood why Zhao Xuanzhen had let the Spirit Water Porpoise fight alone.
In this era, soul spirits were part of a soul master's combat strength. Since Zhao Xuanzhen had fused with the Spirit Water Porpoise, he naturally needed to understand how strong it was.
The Spirit Water Porpoise had slaughtered the Mandala Snake as easily as chopping melons and vegetables. Beneath its soft persimmon-like appearance lay tremendous power. A first soul spirit was the soul spirit that would accompany a soul master the longest in the future. Tun Tun would be an important source of support for Zhao Xuanzhen!
Watching Zhao Xuanzhen continuously knead the Spirit Water Porpoise on the Soul Guidance Screen, Bai Haoze said delightedly, "He achieved this much on his very first trip into the Spirit Ascension Platform. Xuanzhen is far more outstanding than I imagined. I was even worried he would suffer a loss."
"Mm-hm, and his first Soul Ring seems like it is about to evolve."
Seeing the specks of purple light shining from that Soul Ring, Bai Zhicen rapidly calculated its age in her mind. "If a Thousand-Year Soul Beast showed up now, that Soul Ring would ascend immediately."
"Do not curse him!" Bai Haoze scolded his sister with a laugh.
Thousand-Year Soul Beasts and Hundred-Year Soul Beasts were entirely different concepts. If Zhao Xuanzhen encountered a Thousand-Year Soul Beast, there was a ninety percent chance that he would be the unlucky one.
"No, what Little Bai said has already become reality." Leng Yaozhu's expression darkened slightly.
"Ah???"
Bai Zhicen looked utterly incredulous. She had only been joking!
"Mandala Snakes are treacherous, vicious, and fond of slaughter. Yet when it saw Xuanzhen and the Spirit Water Porpoise, its first reaction was to intimidate them. Why do you think that was?"
At those words, the Bai Sisters' expressions immediately turned grim. They began recalling the Mandala Snake's abnormal behavior, then suddenly understood. That roar had clearly been meant to frighten away whoever blocked its path. Its panicked appearance showed that it had been fleeing for its life!
A seven-hundred-year Mandala Snake had been terrified out of its wits. One could only imagine its pursuer. Even if it was not a Thousand-Year Soul Beast, its strength could not have been much different!
At that moment, the Soul Guidance Screen faithfully broadcast the scene within the Spirit Ascension Platform. Above the dense branches, a massive black shadow connected to a purple Silk Thread silently descended behind Zhao Xuanzhen. The human face on its abdomen was vicious as a demon!
"A Man Faced Demon Spider!"
An old friend had arrived. Following in the footsteps of the Wind Baboon, Ghost Vine, and Mandala Snake was none other than the legendary beast king of Douluo Continent, the nightmare of small soul beasts, the evil slaughterer—the Man Faced Demon Spider!
Her words had come true. Bai Zhicen closed her eyes and covered her face. This Man Faced Demon Spider had surpassed a thousand years of cultivation; it was one of the most dangerous soul beasts in the Junior Spirit Guidance Platform!
Man Faced Demon Spiders were cold-blooded, brutal, and exceptionally patient. To land a single fatal blow, they would willingly wait in silence for a long time. It had witnessed the Spirit Water Porpoise kill the Mandala Snake. Now that a battle had just ended, the timing was perfect!
It silently raised sharp forelegs comparable to blades and spears. Bloodthirst and ruthlessness flashed through its eight beast eyes as it stabbed down at Zhao Xuanzhen's head without holding anything back!
Kun Word: Earth Movement.
The earth shattered at his command, and a Stone Python burst from the ground, carrying the young man into the sky!
Spirit Connection Realm Mental strength granted Zhao Xuanzhen extraordinarily keen perception. The Man Faced Demon Spider's self-satisfied stealth technique was actually riddled with flaws!
The Man Faced Demon Spider was horrified. Its invincible spider spears had merely sparked twice against the Stone Python, while it was instead oppressed by the human's overwhelming pressure from above, forcing it to retreat!
Standing atop the Stone Python, Zhao Xuanzhen's black eyes turned deep blue. His usual gentle aura vanished, leaving only indifference. The Taiji Bagua emerging within his pupils flickered and revolved, as if it wished to absorb and reconcile everything in the world!
The body as the nation, qi as the people, the heart as the emperor!
Dao technique, Bagua Qimen!
The Bai Sisters stared wide-eyed at the scene appearing on the screen, unable to say a word. Even Leng Yaozhu, with all her experience, leaned forward, her voice strained.
"True Self's... martial soul talent?"
Leng Yaozhu could not understand it and could only attribute it to an innate ability gained from awakening a God-level Original Martial Soul!
She had guessed half of it right. Bagua Qimen was a Dao technique of Zhao Xuanzhen's Two Forms Sect from his previous life. Other than comprehending the basics by observing a Qimen formation, it required a sufficiently strong body and mind to bear the Qimen formation.
Because he had been weak and sickly since childhood in his previous life, Zhao Xuanzhen had never cultivated Bagua Qimen to a profound level. Yet in this life, after awakening his Original Martial Soul, all his abilities had become part of his body, achieving Zhao Xuanzhen's True Self!
Heaven, earth, man, gods!
Heaven's Timing, Geographical Advantage, Human Harmony, divine aid!
Supported by absolute physical strength and Mental strength, the Four Plates Dao technique of Bagua Qimen was finally unleashed!
Qimen air conditioning was a thing of the past!
Zhao Xuanzhen recalled the Spirit Water Porpoise and looked down at the Man Faced Demon Spider, which faced him as though confronting a great enemy. Bagua Qimen was terrifying indeed, but it had also made his broken body in his previous life even worse. Now, he truly wanted to enjoy himself to the fullest!
Kan Word, Heavy Water.
Bagua Qimen, Earthly Dao Technique!
The myriad forms of the world could not escape the word "change." Bagua Qimen was the mastery of the changes of the cosmos.
Qian, Kun, Xun, Zhen; Kan, Li, Gen, Dui. Using the innate Bagua as its foundation, it constructed a Qimen formation. Each trigram corresponded to the mighty forces of nature. Zhao Xuanzhen was the Master of Qimen. By changing the Qimen layout, he caused changes in all things within the formation. Upon reaching deeper realms, even time and space could be freely controlled within the Qimen formation!
Thousands of water droplets suddenly condensed in the air, forming Water Curtains in all directions as they hovered before the Man Faced Demon Spider. Bone-piercing cold slowly spread. Bright terror reflected across the Water Curtains' surfaces. The instant the spider spear crashed into them, the Heavy Water violently exploded, and innate Kan Water qi invaded the Man Faced Demon Spider's sturdy carapace!
The Heavy Water continuously destroyed flesh and blood. Yellow-green blood sprayed forth, and the plants rapidly withered after being corroded by the poisonous blood. The Man Faced Demon Spider rolled and struggled. Wherever its massive body swept across, ancient trees looked as though they had been ravaged by a storm. The area was left in complete ruin, without a single surviving plant!
Xun Word, Wind Rope!
The wind howled as green Wind Ropes woven from wild gales pierced out of the void, wrapping around the Man Faced Demon Spider's eight legs. The wind was both flexible and tough, pinning the Man Faced Demon Spider firmly to the ground.
The Man Faced Demon Spider roared madly. As it attempted to break free from the Wind Ropes through brute force, it shot out a web. The web swelled wildly in the wind, becoming a giant net five meters across in an instant, reflecting a gleaming purple sheen!
Innate Soul Skill, Web Binding!
Unlike ordinary spider-type soul beasts that slowly spun silk to weave webs, the Man Faced Demon Spider could instantly cast its web. It was tough, tremendously sticky, and carried horrifying neurotoxin!
Li Word: Blazing Flame.
As Zhao Xuanzhen spoke, scorching flames abruptly erupted. A giant fireball trailing a blazing tail descended, and surging heat swept across heaven and earth as it crashed toward the web like an avalanche!
The poison vaporized under the high temperature. After the fireball exploded through the web, its power did not diminish. A burning sea of flames surrounded the Man Faced Demon Spider. Its already overburdened carapace began to melt and drip away. Firelight illuminated that twisted, terrified face, along with its anguished hisses.
The stench of burnt flesh filled the air. Intense survival instinct flooded its mind as the Man Faced Demon Spider broke free of the Wind Ropes. Its abdomen was covered in wounds, and the human face gave a shriek like an infant's cry. Its eight long legs moved at high speed, leaving a series of afterimages!
Ignoring its severe injuries, the Man Faced Demon Spider forcibly burst through the sea of flames. Its spider spears squeezed out the strongest power of this life, launching its entire body into the air and striking directly at Zhao Xuanzhen atop the Stone Python. Its lower abdomen naturally faced upward, and the vicious human face formed from white patterns rapidly enlarged. Its dark purple eyes brimmed with icy, cruel light!
This soul beast hated Zhao Xuanzhen to the extreme and wished it could tear him into scraps. In midair, its long legs lifted high and stretched into a perfect killing arc. Corrosive venom coated its legs, and together with its innate neurotoxin, it would be fatal to a soul master not only if pierced, but even if touched by the slightest amount!
Zhao Xuanzhen heard the trembling whine of spider legs slicing through the air and clearly saw the deathly aura condensed from the poison. He softly chanted, the Qimen formation rotated, and four stone pillars rose from the earth. Their ancient, weathered surfaces seemed to tell the world of mountains and rivers' solemn weight!
The Man Faced Demon Spider stared at the ground in disbelief. Even with the intelligence of a Thousand-Year Soul Beast, it could not understand why this human could command so many elements. Every one of them carried crushing pressure, and their power was outrageously strong!
You were cheating!
There was nowhere to evade in midair. The Man Faced Demon Spider could only twist its body as much as possible, but its struggle was doomed to be futile. The stone pillars predicted every evasive trajectory and precisely pierced through its millstone-sized round body from four directions!
Gen Word, Giant Rock!
Boom—
The Man Faced Demon Spider crashed down miserably. Four horrifying bloody holes had been torn through its body, and its remaining blood snaked down the stone pillars, sending up green smoke when it touched the ground.
Deep blue light flowed through Zhao Xuanzhen's eyes. The ground heaved as if a giant beast were awakening. Guided by the trigrams, it shifted and compressed. The area where the Man Faced Demon Spider lay rose into an isolated peak while the surroundings collapsed into a ring-shaped Abyss.
Dui Word, Flowing Abyss!
The Man Faced Demon Spider no longer had the strength to resist. It breathed weakly, almost imperceptibly. Even at death's door, its eight cold beast eyes remained fixed on Zhao Xuanzhen, as though it wanted to carry its hatred into its next life. If it had been a real soul beast, it would have dropped an External Soul Bone at the very least.
"It is over."
Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled as storm clouds slowly gathered in the sky.
The Stone Python dispersed, and Zhao Xuanzhen passed by the trapped beast.
Zhen Word, Thunder!
Thunderclap Finale!
Lightning annihilated the Man Faced Demon Spider. Its ashes scattered in the wind, and the legendary soul beast left behind not a single Trace. A hundred years of Soul Power flowed into the First Soul Ring, and purple light bloomed intensely!
Spirit Ascension, Thousand-Year Soul Ring!
Bagua Qimen drew inspiration from Ninety-Nine Eighty-One Sorcerers and Feng Hou Qimen from Under One Person, though its specific effects differed from both.
The Earth Plate was the protagonist's commonly used Dao technique, and it also conveniently surpassed the Silver Dragon King's elemental power. Those who understood Old Tang understood. When the time came, it would be the Heaven Plate's shining moment, while the God Plate Eight Deceit Gods would be the protagonist's foundation for facing the Twelve God Kings in the future.
PS: Feed me peanuts. Although I am sometimes too lazy to divide chapters, they are all 4k!
Before you continue