Come, You Scum!

Situ Xuan could clearly feel countless hostile and yearning intentions locking onto him.

This was exactly the effect he wanted!

Finally, he pushed through a particularly dense thicket of thorns, and the view before him suddenly opened up.

This was a small forest clearing, not large in area, but compared to the canopy-choked jungle before it, it was a rare open space.

A few rare beams of sunlight, not entirely blocked, pierced through the foliage like golden swords, casting pillars of light that illuminated the dust dancing in the air and the massive, dazzling halo of spiritual power surrounding Situ Xuan.

The grass in the clearing was covered in dew, shimmering under the sunlight, forming a bizarre and intense contrast with the aura of death brought by Situ Xuan.

However, this seemingly tranquil clearing was currently filled with suffocating murderous intent.

Situ Xuan stopped in his tracks and slowly scanned his surroundings.

Directly ahead, in the shadows at the edge of the clearing, three pairs of scarlet eyes lit up.

Accompanied by low, threatening growls, three Shadow Leopards, each a size larger than the one before, slowly stepped out.

Their muscles were taut, their claws glinted with a sinister light, and they spread out in a fan formation, blocking Situ Xuan's path forward. Their aura far exceeded that of a hundred-year beast; they were at least five-hundred-year-old cultivation level.

To the left, heavy footsteps and the sound of branches snapping echoed.

A giant beast, like a small hill, walked out—a thousand-year Soul Master beast, the Earth-Shaking Giant Ape!

It stood over five meters tall, its thick arms pounding against its chest, emitting a dull sound like war drums. Its fangs protruded, and saliva dripped from the corners of its mouth, corroding small pits into the ground.

Its gaze was fixed on Situ Xuan, or more accurately, on the massive halo of spiritual power behind him that made it drool with greed.

To the right, a faint "hissing" sound came from the air. A giant, colorful python as thick as a water barrel silently lowered its head from an ancient tree, its cold snake eyes locking onto Situ Xuan without a shred of emotion.

A thousand-year Soul Master beast, the Seven-Colored Poisonous Miasma Python! The air around it was slightly distorted, emitting a dizzying, sweet, and fishy scent.

And it wasn't over yet.

"Caw—!"

A sharp cry came from the sky.

The beasts looked up to see three Iron-Winged Goshawks with wingspans exceeding four meters circling above the clearing, their sharp eyes scanning Situ Xuan and the soul beasts below like they were prey. They were also thousand-year soul beasts, clearly attracted by this massive collection of spiritual power.

From the direction he had come, in that thicket of thorns, came a rustling sound. Vaguely, countless tiny green eyes could be seen flickering in the darkness, accompanied by a scalp-tingling gnawing sound—it was a swarm of Bloodthirsty Demon Rats. Though individually weak, they numbered in the hundreds or thousands, like a tide!

In an instant, Situ Xuan was trapped in an unprecedented encirclement.

Three five-hundred-year Shadow Leopards, one thousand-year Earth-Shaking Giant Ape, one thousand-year Seven-Colored Poisonous Miasma Python, three thousand-year Iron-Winged Goshawks, and a countless swarm of Bloodthirsty Demon Rats...

These powerful soul beasts, which usually occupied their own territories and were wary of one another, had temporarily formed a bizarre balance and encirclement due to their common goal—Situ Xuan and the extreme, massive halo of spiritual power upon him.

The air was thick with the suffocating malice of soul beasts, the smell of blood, and the sweet, fishy scent brought by the poisonous python, all mixed with the freshness of the grass in the clearing, creating an extremely contradictory sense of oppression.

The sun was still shining, but this clearing seemed to have turned into the prelude to a slaughterhouse.

None of the soul beasts launched an immediate attack. They were wary of each other, growling, hissing, and circling, seemingly assessing one another while looking for the best moment to strike.

But their focus remained on the tiny human standing in the center of the clearing, surrounded by countless halos of spiritual power.

Facing a desperate situation that would make any Great Soul Master or even a Soul Venerable despair, Situ Xuan's expression held no fear. Instead, those eyes, which had always carried a hint of laziness and mockery, now lit up with unprecedented excitement, like two burning ghost fires.

He slowly raised his hands and assumed his starting stance. The aura that had been restrained within him erupted like a beast breaking its seal!

It was not just the fluctuation of soul power, but also the brutal killing intent tempered in mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

He took a deep breath, feeling his heart pounding violently in his chest from the extreme danger and excitement, and flashed a smile mixed with madness and anticipation at the terrifying "audience" around him.

"Now this is more like it... Come on, you scum! Let me have some fun!"

In the clearing, the air was as stagnant as iron, and the murderous intent was like a thick, tangible liquid, enveloping every inch of space.

Several powerful thousand-year soul beasts, along with the five-hundred-year Shadow Leopards and the tidal swarm of Bloodthirsty Demon Rats, formed a cage of certain death.

Their growls, hisses, gasps, and the sound of claws scraping the ground wove together into a prelude of destruction. All eyes were greedily and viciously focused on the center—the human illuminated by the massive spiritual halo like a master of a nebula.

Standing in the center of the desperate situation, Situ Xuan felt no fear; instead, the wild rage and fighting spirit surging in his chest reached its peak.

The malice radiating from his body collided violently with the fierce aura of the soul beasts, creating an invisible, suffocating vortex of pressure.

The essence of the Fist of the North Star surged within him, and his rage acted like fuel, pushing his power to a new height.

The starting stance he assumed looked simple, yet it contained the explosive power to tear everything apart, as if he would transform into an Asura in the next instant and stain this world with blood.

Just at this critical moment, when the battle was about to begin—

"Awoo—!"

A tiger's roar, somewhat immature and clear, completely out of place with the tragic atmosphere of the scene, rang out without warning.

This roar was not earth-shattering, yet it seemed to possess a peculiar penetrating power, clearly reaching the ears of every living creature present, even briefly overpowering the restlessness of the soul beasts.

Immediately following, a deep black light shot out from Situ Xuan's chest, like a meteor tearing through the night sky.

The black light detached from his body, rapidly expanding and solidifying in the air, before landing lightly on the clearing beside him.

The light dissipated, revealing the figure within.

It was Situ Xuan's soul spirit—the Little Black Tiger, entirely black as ink and only the size of a house cat.

At this moment, the little guy seemed a bit different from usual.

It was no longer the lazy, curled-up creature that had been fast asleep, nor did it show the slightest hint of cowardice toward the terrifying environment surrounding it.

Its four paws were planted firmly on the ground; though its body was tiny, appearing like a mere speck of dust before those colossal giants, it held its head high and chest out, the fur around its neck seemingly fluffing up in an attempt to project a fierce and imposing aura.

It tilted its head back once more and let out a long howl: "Awoo—!"

This time, the howl lacked a bit of its previous immaturity, replaced by an indescribable majesty and pride that originated from the very depths of its bloodline.

Those amber eyes, which were usually half-closed and dazed, were now wide open, burning with a scorching flame as they scanned the terrifying, mountain-like existences surrounding it without a shred of fear.

Within its gaze, there was even an innate sense of arrogance, as if it were looking down upon all living things.

A tiger cub roars in the forest; though its power is small, its intent is already manifest!