Near Death Once More

A tiger's roar jolted Mu Xuanheng awake from his unconscious state.

He had originally thought he was dead for sure, but as it turned out, nothing had happened.

The Blood Tower still stood, but the Evil Soul Master inside was thoroughly dead.

He opened his eyes wide, unable to believe it, his face etched with fear.

"Did Xuan Zi come by? This doesn't look like his handiwork, though."

Mu Xuanheng knew Xuan Zi well enough; Xuan Zi would never have let this tower remain intact. He would have destroyed it completely.

"If not Xuan Zi, then who?" He didn't know, and no one was there to give him an answer. He could only guess that the Evil Soul Master had been backlashed by his own Soul Tool.

Fortunately, this Blood Tower had no restrictions set, as it was meant for the Evil Soul Master inside to use, allowing Mu Xuanheng to take it over easily.

The bad news was that he didn't know how to use it, and he was currently in a weakened state.

"The Sky-Ripping Claw consumes too much soul power. I really shouldn't use it recklessly."

As he moved slightly, his entire body creaked and popped.

His condition was abysmal; never mind seeking revenge on the One-Horned Dragon, he would be lucky if he wasn't treated as a snack by a passing century-level soul beast.

Helpless, he had no choice but to hide and recover his soul power.

He didn't even dare to head back, as he would have to pass through the territory of that One-Horned Dragon.

At this moment, he could only pray that no accidents would occur, and pray that the unreliable Xuan Zi would find him as soon as possible.

Having eaten his fill, Xuan Zi arrived at the spot where he had parted ways with Mu Xuanheng, but he did not find any sign of him.

He wasn't worried: "He's a living person with the combat power of a Soul Elder; he shouldn't have any problems as long as he doesn't run into a millennium-level soul beast."

He thought happily, searching for Mu Xuanheng's figure in a leisurely manner.

Before long, he discovered bleached bones exposed on the ground.

The cold, sinister aura of soul power and the clean-picked remains sent a shiver down his spine: "Evil Soul Master?"

He immediately realized that something was terribly wrong.

Soul beasts were one thing, but this was the Star Dou Great Forest, and it had never been home to only soul beasts.

Furthermore, while other soul masters might care about the reputation of Shrek, Evil Soul Masters did not; they might even strike harder precisely because of one's connection to Shrek.

"Xuanheng, please, you must not have run into an Evil Soul Master."

But that small hope was quickly shattered.

The skull pierced by five fingers was a testament to the fact that Mu Xuanheng had fought against the deceased.

If that was the case, the Evil Soul Master he encountered was definitely not alone.

Mu Xuanheng was absolutely no match for an Evil Soul Master capable of forming a team.

At this moment, Xuan Zi finally panicked. He stood up immediately, expanded the range of his spiritual power, and began to search for traces of Mu Xuanheng.

There were no traces of him in the surrounding area.

Mu Xuanheng found a rock and hid behind it.

There was absolutely nowhere nearby that could provide cover.

He could only stay where he was and recover his soul power.

A sudden change occurred; the rapid footsteps did not sound human.

He immediately stopped his meditation and carefully peeked out.

It was a giant black tiger, its entire body pitch black, the "King" character on its forehead also a gloomy black. Its tail was tipped with bone, ending in a massive, hooked barb.

He quickly suppressed his racing heart; this was a Dark Evil God Tiger.

Like the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear, it was a top-tier soul beast capable of rivaling a hundred-thousand-year-level beast even at the ten-thousand-year level.

He wasn't sure what its cultivation level was, and judging by its length, it was a millennium-level specimen, but no matter how he looked at it, he was no match for it.

He held his breath, not daring to make a sound.

He gathered soul power in his hands, just in case.

He glanced back.

The Dark Evil God Tiger was bathed in blood, with a massive wound where its tail connected to its body, and there were patches of black on it that clearly didn't belong to it.

It was severely injured.

The Dark Evil God Tiger looked around, spotted a giant rock, and scrambled to hide behind it.

It was fleeing from a pursuit.

A tiger claw reached forward, clearly visible to Mu Xuanheng behind the rock.

The bloody, sharp claws were still stained with flesh.

Mu Xuanheng was incredibly tense now; the tiger had already stepped past the rock, and one more half-step forward, it would see him.

Strike first to gain the advantage!

His soul power had recovered slightly; this was his only sliver of hope.

He aimed for the neck, as that was the only vulnerable spot he could target.

He lowered his body slightly, ensuring his sharp claws could strike the target the moment the opportunity arose.

The instant the tiger's head emerged, its eyes widened like copper bells.

"Sky-Ripping Claw!"

He threw out a fourth-rank Soul Tool to suppress it, followed by the violent output of his external spirit bone. He dared not hold back a single drop of his soul power; this was his only chance at survival.

In a split second, he used the Evil Soul Master's Soul Tool to suppress the evil tiger, and his Chaofeng Dragon Body claws instantly tore through the beast's throat.

At the final moment of its life, the Dark Evil God Tiger's eyes held only confusion and resentment. It had actually died at the hands of a one-ring soul master.

Even though it had been killed after being heavily wounded, it could not accept this.

Mu Xuanheng seized his only chance at survival.

"Damn it, the timing is terrible today." Mu Xuanheng had faced two life-or-death struggles in a single day; it was truly agonizing.

A purple soul ring began to manifest from the body of the Dark Evil God Tiger.

The soul ring carried a hint of temptation.

He shouldn't be absorbing this thing, but his martial soul was radiating intense excitement.

It was as if, having already absorbed a Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear for his first ring, absorbing a Dark Evil God Tiger for his second was a matter of course.

This thought popped into his mind inexplicably, but his reason told him it was impossible: Damn! These aren't even in the same league.

The Dark Evil God Tiger was indeed the best choice, far better than some sub-dragon species.

He gritted his teeth: "Damn it, life is full of disappointments; a desperate struggle is better than waiting for death."

He sat cross-legged, ignoring the tiger's head that was still spurting blood, and immediately began to absorb the soul ring.

Not far away, a group of Evil Soul Masters followed the scent.

"Boss, that Evil God Tiger was running in this direction."

The absorption of the soul ring was just as he had feared—far from smooth.

The resentment of the Dark Evil God Tiger surged toward him alone.

Mu Xuanheng had his own grievances: I wasn't the one hunting you. I only killed you to save my own life, why are you directing your resentment at me?

He was indeed in the middle of absorbing the soul ring, and with the resentment rushing in, he could only endure it.

Fortunately, the Blood Tower beside him still had some effect. A significant portion of the resentment was absorbed by it.

The remaining resentment, carrying a trace of the Evil God's power, poured into his body.

He struggled, using his dragon claws to shred the corpse of the evil tiger beside him.

The soul ring absorption was successful, and his previously depleted soul power gradually began to replenish.

He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, but before he could even smile, he heard a voice: "Boss, look! That's the Dark Evil God Tiger."

His expression changed instantly; he put away the small tower and fled immediately, running in the direction he had been chased from earlier.

"Where did that brat come from?"

The leader of the Evil Soul Masters immediately sensed something was wrong: "Chase him!" He went ahead himself to inspect the prey.

The tiger's corpse was already stone cold.

Without a doubt, the heavily wounded Dark Evil God Tiger had been finished off by someone.

He looked around at the vines of the Flesh Tree and the corpses of his own subordinates.

He had already concocted a scenario in his mind where his men and the Dark Evil God Tiger had fought to the death, only for the kid who ran away to reap the rewards.

"Kill him for me!" He had painstakingly designed this trap, only for someone else to reap the benefits; he was instantly consumed by rage.

Behind him were the pursuing Evil Soul Masters, including several five-ring Soul Kings.

Mu Xuanheng felt like crying: "I go out for a trip, and it's like I've poked a hornet's nest of Evil Soul Masters. And every single fight is completely lopsided."

If they had been three-ring or four-ring masters, he might have wanted to test his strength, but unfortunately, there was a whole group of five-ring masters behind him.

That leader couldn't be a Soul Emperor, could he?

The more he thought about it, the more perilous it felt, and his yellow and purple soul rings flashed.

The Evil Soul Masters behind him saw this and realized the opponent was only an eight-year-old Soul Grand Master, yet he possessed a superior soul ring configuration.

Such a genius could not be allowed to escape, so they used every ounce of their strength to pursue him. The distance was closing.

"Second Soul Skill, Chaofeng Dragon Body."

The wings on his back unfurled; the child of the dragon and phoenix displayed his talent for soaring.

His speed surged suddenly. A whole group was running, but he was flying. It looked like he might be able to put some distance between himself and the Evil Soul Masters and escape with his life.

"Brat, you're dead! Fifth Soul Skill, Ghost Star Killing Fall."

Faded stars appeared in the sky, aiming at Mu Xuanheng and raining down a streak of eerie starlight.

Suddenly, the world spun. Mu Xuanheng was struck down directly from mid-air, vomiting blood.

If not for the Chaofeng Dragon Body reinforcing his defense, he would have been killed by that move already.

The head of the Evil Soul Master appeared before him, seven soul rings hovering around him; he was not a Soul Emperor, but a Soul Saint.

"Even if this move of mine was only a pursuit, how could a mere Soul Grand Master like you possibly block it?" His eyes held appreciation: "How about it, kid? Do you want to join our Holy Cult? Looking at you, our Holy Cult can definitely guarantee you become a Title Douluo."

"Join my ass!"

Mu Xuanheng had been beaten to the point where he couldn't speak, and the one who shouted was Xuan Zi, who had finally appeared.