The Wind Follows the Tiger

"Hum--!"

A sense of bloodline connection, far clearer and more intimate than before, surged through the entire body of Situ Xuan.

It was not a simple addition of soul power, but a brief fusion and resonance at the level of life itself.

He could clearly "hear" the weak yet steady heartbeat of the Little Black Tiger, gradually synchronizing with the pulse thumping like a war drum within his own chest.

Martial Soul manifestation, officially activated!

A faint aura originating from the ancient wilderness, accompanied by the agility of the wind, quietly merged into every fiber of Situ Xuan's being.

His muscle fibers seemed to be tempered once more by an invisible force, his bones emitted a subtle hum, and his five senses became sharper than before; he could even clearly capture and distinguish the mixed baleful aura, toxic stench, and soul power fluctuations in the air.

This was not a soul skill, yet it surpassed one.

What the soul spirit possession brought was an all-around, no-blind-spot enhancement of physical fitness, the effect of which was in no way inferior to a top-tier enhancement-type first soul skill, and in some aspects—such as intuition for danger and perception of auras—it was even superior!

Clouds follow the dragon, wind follows the tiger!

At this moment, Situ Xuan only felt the blood in his body surging like a great river, and an indescribable sense of wildness and power filled his heart.

Within his eyes, the burning ghostly fire seemed to have been injected with the ferocity of a tiger, becoming sharper, colder, and more filled with the oppressive presence of a predator.

His originally human pupils seemed to elongate slightly, taking on the characteristics of vertical slits belonging to a top predator, revealing a murderous glare!

"Good! Just in time!"

Situ Xuan roared in his heart. This sudden sense of power provided a more solid vessel for the violence in his chest that was desperate to be unleashed.

The Black Heart Evil Palm mobilized that vigorous baleful aura, as if it had truly transformed Situ Xuan into the likeness of a battle-hardened black tiger!

At the same time, perhaps stimulated by his suddenly elevated fierce aura, or perhaps the temptation of that massive spiritual light halo finally outweighed their mutual wariness, the balance of the encirclement was instantly broken!

"Roar--!"

The first to strike was that thousand-year Earth-Shaking Giant Ape that had long been unable to restrain itself!

It was thoroughly enraged by the bizarre aura on Situ Xuan that mixed human soul power with the ferocity of a soul beast, viewing it as the ultimate provocation to its status as the overlord of the territory.

Its thick arms, like stone pillars, were suddenly raised high, and with a terrifying momentum capable of crushing everything, it smashed down toward Situ Xuan's head!

A huge shadow instantly shrouded the location where Situ Xuan stood; before the wind of the fist even arrived, the oppressive force had already caused the ground to sink slightly.

Almost at the same time, the three Iron-Winged Goshawks circling in the air also emitted ear-piercing resonance!

They flapped their wings violently, and countless cyan wind blades formed from highly compressed wind elements descended like a torrential rain, covering a range of several dozen meters around Situ Xuan, sealing off all his aerial paths for evasion!

On the right, the Seven-Colored Poisonous Miasma Python seized the opportunity created by the Earth-Shaking Giant Ape and the Iron-Winged Goshawks. Opening its snake mouth, a thick, inseparable seven-colored poisonous mist surged out like a fountain. It did not shoot directly at Situ Xuan, but rapidly spread, sealing off a large area to his right and rear.

The sweet, fishy aura carried a strong numbing and corrosive effect, causing even the air to emit a faint "hissing" sound.

And the three five-hundred-year Shadow Leopards directly in front were like three streaks of true black lightning. Utilizing the chaos and cover created by their companions, they pushed off with all four limbs, leaving faint afterimages in their wake, and lunged straight at Situ Xuan from three tricky angles—high, middle, and low!

Their sharp claws tore through the air, emitting shrill hisses, aiming directly at Situ Xuan's throat, heart, and abdomen!

What made one's scalp tingle even more was that the swarm of Bloodthirsty Demon Rats, like a black tide, finally moved as well!

They emitted a dense, mind-scrambling "squeaking" sound, surging out from the thorn bushes like a burst dam, charging toward Situ Xuan without fear of death!

Their target was not just Situ Xuan himself, but the alluring spiritual light halos around him!

These demon rats were weak individually, but their numbers were vast; once entangled at close range, they were enough to gnaw a thousand-year soul beast down to white bones in a short time!

A net of heaven and earth! A dead-end trap!

Facing this violent siege from the sky and the ground, from all directions, with almost no blind spots, Situ Xuan moved!

His movements were so fast that they exceeded the limits of the naked eye!

"Black Heart Evil Palm--Black Shadow Looming!"

With a low shout, Situ Xuan's figure suddenly became blurred!

It was not a simple rapid movement, but an instant manifestation of seven or eight incredibly solid afterimages in place!

Each afterimage maintained his different postures—blocking, dodging, or striking—with the same aura, baleful energy, and even soul power fluctuations, instantly disrupting the lock-on of all the soul beasts!

The mountain-splitting, rock-shattering fists of the Earth-Shaking Giant Ape smashed down fiercely!

"Boom--!"

The earth shook violently, dust mixed with grass clippings shot into the sky, and a deep pit several meters in diameter appeared where Situ Xuan had originally stood.

But a flash of bewilderment crossed the giant ape's murky eyes—there was no feeling of hitting a solid object!

At the same time, the dense rain of wind blades poured down, tearing the afterimages Situ Xuan had left behind to shreds, but they also landed on empty air!

And that figure that should have been shrouded by the poisonous mist had also vanished like a ghost just before the mist closed in!

The next instant, Situ Xuan's true body appeared like a teleportation beside one of the Shadow Leopards that was lunging from the air on the left! He appeared without any warning, as if he had been standing there from the very beginning!

The dark green pupils of this Shadow Leopard contracted sharply, filled with unbelievable terror. It hadn't even been able to see how the opponent had approached!

"Your speed, in my eyes, is like a tortoise crawling!"

Situ Xuan's cold voice sounded like the declaration of the Grim Reaper.

His right hand formed a sword-finger, with black light and baleful energy condensed to the extreme coiling around his fingertips. Striking after but arriving first, he pointed with extreme precision at an incredibly hidden, slightly pulsing point on the Shadow Leopard's abdomen—a soul beast energy node similar to a human "secret acupoint," which he had captured in an instant thanks to his extraordinary insight and the keen perception granted by his Martial Soul possession!

"Seven Death Stars of the Big Dipper!"

His fingertips tapped lightly against the leopard's body, devoid of any earth-shattering roar.

"Pfft—!"

A faint sound, like a ripe fruit bursting open.

The momentum of that five-hundred-year cultivation Shadow Leopard came to an abrupt halt; its massive body collapsed as if every bone had been pulled out, the fierce glint in its eyes instantly extinguished, replaced by a deathly gray.

Inside its body, every trace of vitality had been thoroughly shredded and annihilated by a sinister, cunning hidden force unleashed by that single finger!

One-hit kill!

Situ Xuan did not even glance at the Shadow Leopard that had died in an instant. Without pausing, he used the force of his strike to spin, his left leg sweeping out like a steel whip with a shrill whistle through the air!

"Big Dipper Steel Tendon Severing Kick!"

This kick landed solidly on the front joint of another Shadow Leopard that had been attempting to ambush him from the side!