"Buzzz—!"
A far clearer, more intimate sensation of bloodline connection swept through Situ Xuan's entire body.
It was not a simple addition of Soul Power, but a brief fusion and resonance on the level of life itself.
He could clearly "hear" Little Black Tiger's faint yet steadfast heartbeat gradually synchronizing with the drumbeat-like pulse pounding in his own chest.
The Martial Soul's true form had officially been activated!
A faint aura from ancient wilderness, accompanied by the nimbleness of the wind, quietly permeated every limb and bone in Situ Xuan's body.
His muscle fibers seemed to be tempered once more by an invisible force, his bones gave off a faint hum, and his five senses became even sharper than before. He could even more clearly detect and distinguish the mixed Malevolent Qi, toxic stench, and Soul Power fluctuations in the air.
This was not a Soul Skill, yet it surpassed one.
What Soul Spirit Possession brought was an all-around, flawless enhancement of his physical attributes. Its effects were no less than those of a top-tier enhancement-type First Soul Skill, and in certain respects—such as instinct for danger and perception of auras—it was even better!
Clouds followed dragons; wind followed tigers!
At that moment, Situ Xuan felt the blood and qi coursing through him like vast rivers, while an indescribable sense of savagery and power filled his heart.
The ghostly flames burning in his eyes seemed infused with a tiger's ferocity, becoming sharper, colder, and more oppressive with a predator's presence.
His originally human pupils seemed to lengthen slightly as well, taking on the vertical slits of an apex predator. Fierce light blazed from them!
"Good! Just in time!"
Situ Xuan howled inwardly. This sudden surge of power gave the violence clamoring for release within his chest a stronger vessel.
The Black Heart Evil Palm stirred that immense Malevolent Qi, making Situ Xuan seem as though he had truly transformed into a battle-ready Black Tiger!
At the same time, perhaps provoked by his abruptly heightened baleful aura, or perhaps because the temptation of that immense halo of spiritual power had finally overwhelmed their mutual wariness, the balance of the encirclement was instantly shattered!
"Roar—!"
The first to attack was the millennium-old Earth-Shaking Giant Ape, which had long been unable to restrain itself!
The bizarre aura on Situ Xuan's body—a mixture of human Soul Power and Soul Beast ferocity—thoroughly enraged it. It saw this as the ultimate challenge to its status as ruler of this territory.
Its pillar-thick arms shot high into the air, then came crashing down at Situ Xuan with terrifying force that seemed capable of crushing everything!
A massive shadow instantly engulfed Situ Xuan's position. Before the fist wind even arrived, its oppressive force had already made the ground sink slightly.
Almost at the same moment, the three Iron-Winged Goshawks circling overhead let out piercing cries in unison!
With a fierce beat of their wings, countless azure wind blades formed from highly compressed wind elements poured down like a violent storm, covering dozens of meters around Situ Xuan and sealing off every route of aerial escape!
On the right, the Seven-Colored Poisonous Miasma Python seized the opportunity created by the Earth-Shaking Giant Ape and Iron-Winged Goshawks. Opening its jaws, it spewed out a dense, indissoluble seven-colored poisonous mist like a gushing fountain. Rather than shooting directly at Situ Xuan, it rapidly spread outward, sealing off vast areas to his right and behind him.
That sweetly fishy stench carried powerful paralytic and corrosive effects. Even the air gave off faint sizzling sounds.
Meanwhile, the three five-hundred-year Shadow Leopards directly ahead were like three true bolts of black lightning. Taking advantage of the chaos and cover created by their companions, they drove off with all four limbs, leaving faint afterimages behind as they lunged at Situ Xuan from three tricky angles—high, middle, and low!
Their claws tore through the air with shrill screeches, aimed straight for Situ Xuan's throat, heart, and waist!
Even more scalp-numbing was that the Bloodthirsty Demon Rat swarm, like a black tide, finally moved as well!
They let out dense, mind-numbing squeaks and surged from the thornbushes like a burst dam, charging at Situ Xuan without fear of death!
Their target was not merely Situ Xuan himself, but also the enticing halos of spiritual power around him!
Individually, these Demon Rats were weak, but their numbers were immense. Once they closed in and tangled around a target, they could gnaw even a millennium-old Soul Beast down to bare bones in a short time!
A net cast across heaven and earth! A sure-kill trap!
Facing this frenzied assault from above and below, from every direction, with virtually no blind spots, Situ Xuan moved!
His movements were faster than the naked eye could possibly follow!
"Black Heart Evil Palm—Black Shadow Looming!"
With a low shout, Situ Xuan's figure suddenly became blurred!
This was not merely rapid movement. In an instant, seven or eight incredibly solid afterimages materialized where he stood!
Every afterimage maintained a different posture—blocking, evading, or attacking—and their auras, Malevolent Qi, and even Soul Power fluctuations were completely identical, instantly disrupting every Soul Beast's lock-on!
The Earth-Shaking Giant Ape's mountain-splitting fists smashed down viciously!
"Boom—!"
The earth shook violently as dust mixed with shredded grass shot into the sky. A deep pit several meters across appeared where Situ Xuan had been standing.
Yet a flicker of astonishment flashed through the giant ape's muddy eyes—there had been no sensation of striking a solid body!
At the same time, the dense rain of wind blades poured down, tearing several of Situ Xuan's afterimages to pieces, only to strike empty air as well!
And the figure that should have been swallowed by the poisonous mist vanished like a ghost just before the fog closed in!
The next instant, Situ Xuan's true body appeared as if teleporting beside a Shadow Leopard diving down through the air on the left! He appeared without the slightest warning, as though he had been standing there from the very beginning!
The Shadow Leopard's dark green pupils abruptly contracted, filled with incredulous terror. It had not even managed to see how he had approached!
"Your speed is like a turtle crawling in my eyes!"
Situ Xuan's icy voice sounded like a death sentence.
His right hand formed sword fingers, the tips wrapped in pitch-black light and Malevolent Qi condensed to the extreme. Though he moved later, he struck first, accurately pointing at an extraordinarily hidden, faintly pulsating spot on the Shadow Leopard's waist and abdomen—a Soul Beast energy node resembling a human Secret Acupoint, which he had instantly detected through his exceptional insight and the heightened perception brought by Martial Soul Possession!
"Seven Death Stars of the Big Dipper!"
His fingertip lightly touched the leopard's body, without any earthshaking impact.
"Pfft—!"
A soft sound rang out, like ripe fruit splitting open.
The five-hundred-year Shadow Leopard's forward momentum came to a dead stop. Its huge body collapsed as though every bone had been pulled from it, and the vicious gleam in its eyes instantly faded, replaced by deathly gray.
Within its body, all life force had been utterly shredded and annihilated by a sinister, vicious hidden force from that single finger!
Instant kill!
Situ Xuan did not even glance at the Shadow Leopard he had killed in an instant. Without slowing in the slightest, he used the force of that strike to spin, his left leg sweeping out like a steel whip with a shrill tear through the air!
"Big Dipper Steel Tendon Severing Kick!"
This kick struck solidly against the foreleg joint of another Shadow Leopard attempting to ambush him from the side!
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