Near Death Again

A tiger's roar jolted Mu Xuanheng awake.

He had thought he was done for, but nothing had happened.

The Blood Tower was still there, but the Evil Soul Masters inside were dead.

His eyes widened in disbelief, and his face showed nothing but fear.

"Was Xuan Zi here? This doesn't seem like his style."

Mu Xuanheng knew Xuan Zi well enough. There was no way Xuan Zi would leave this tower standing here in peace. He would have destroyed it completely.

"But if it wasn't Xuan Zi, who else could it be?" He had no idea, and nobody was there to give him an answer. All he could do was guess that the Evil Soul Masters had been killed by their own Soul Tools backfiring.

Fortunately, the Blood Tower had no restrictions, since it was meant for the Evil Soul Masters inside to use. That made it easy for Mu Xuanheng to take control of it.

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

"Sky-Ripping Claw uses too much Soul Power. I really can't use it carelessly."

He moved slightly, and his whole body crackled.

He was in terrible shape. Forget getting revenge on the One-Horned Dragon—even avoiding being used as a snack by some passing Hundred-Year Soul Beast would be lucky.

With no other choice, he could only hide and recover his Soul Power.

He didn't even dare head back. He would have to pass through the One-Horned Dragon's territory.

Right now, all he could do was pray that nothing unexpected would happen—and that the deadbeat Xuan Zi would find him as soon as possible.

After stuffing himself, Xuan Zi returned to the place where he and Mu Xuanheng had parted, but Mu Xuanheng was nowhere to be seen.

He wasn't worried. "He's a living, breathing person, and he's close to Soul Elder strength. Nothing short of a thousand-year Soul Beast could cause him trouble."

He cheerfully searched for Mu Xuanheng.

Before long, he spotted bones lying exposed on the ground.

The chill of the Soul Power and the way the body had been devoured made his blood run cold. "An Evil Soul Master?"

He immediately realized something was wrong.

Soul Beasts might not be a problem, but this was the Star Dou Great Forest. Soul Beasts weren't the only things here.

Other Soul Masters might care about Shrek's reputation, but Evil Soul Masters wouldn't. If anything, they'd be even harsher because Mu Xuanheng was connected to Shrek.

"Xuan Heng, please don't run into any Evil Soul Masters."

But that faint hope was quickly dashed.

The skull pierced by five fingers made it clear that Mu Xuanheng had fought the dead man.

Which meant he had run into more than one Evil Soul Master.

Mu Xuanheng stood no chance against a group of Evil Soul Masters.

At last, Xuan Zi panicked. He immediately set off, expanding his mental power's range as he searched for Mu Xuanheng.

There was no trace of him nearby.

Mu Xuanheng found a rock and hid behind it.

There was hardly anything around that could conceal him.

He had no choice but to stay where he was and recover his Soul Power.

Suddenly, a burst of hurried footsteps broke the silence. They didn't sound human.

He immediately stopped meditating and peered out cautiously.

A huge black tiger stood there. Its entire body was black, including the gloomy character for "king" on its forehead. Its tail was bone-covered, with a massive hook at the tip.

He quickly quieted his breathing. It was a Dark Evil God Tiger.

Like the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear, it was a top-tier Soul Beast capable of contending with hundred-thousand-year Soul Beasts despite being only ten-thousand years old.

He couldn't tell how powerful this Soul Beast was. Judging by its size, it seemed to be a thousand-year Soul Beast, but no matter how he looked at it, he wasn't a match for it.

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

Soul Power gathered in his hand, ready for anything.

He glanced back.

The Dark Evil God Tiger was covered in blood. There was a huge wound where its tail joined its body, and some of the black stains on it clearly weren't its own.

It had been seriously injured.

The Dark Evil God Tiger looked around, spotted a boulder, and hurriedly ducked behind it.

It was fleeing its pursuers.

A tiger's paw reached out from behind the rock, clear as day to Mu Xuanheng.

The bloodied claws still clutched scraps of flesh.

Mu Xuanheng was on edge. The tiger had already stepped past the rock. If it came half a step farther, it would see him.

Strike first!

He had recovered some Soul Power. This was his only chance to survive.

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

He lowered his body slightly, making sure his claws could strike their target right away.

The moment the tiger's head appeared, its eyes widened like bells.

"Sky-Ripping Claw!"

He threw out the fourth-tier Soul Tool to suppress it, then unleashed the full force of his External Soul Bone. He didn't dare hold back a trace of Soul Power. This was his only chance to survive.

In an instant, he used the Evil Soul Masters' Soul Tool to suppress the tiger, while Chaofeng's dragon claw tore through its throat.

In the final moment of its life, the Dark Evil God Tiger's eyes held nothing but confusion and resentment. It couldn't believe it had died at the hands of a One-Ring Soul Master.

Even though it had been seriously injured before he killed it, it was still unwilling to accept its fate.

Mu Xuanheng had seized his only chance to survive.

"Damn it, today just isn't my day." Mu Xuanheng had faced death twice in a single day. It was unbearable.

A purple Soul Ring formed from the Dark Evil God Tiger's body.

The Soul Ring carried a hint of temptation.

He shouldn't have absorbed it, but his Martial Soul was sending him a surge of excitement.

Just as he had absorbed a Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear for his first ring, absorbing a Dark Evil God Tiger for his second seemed entirely possible.

The thought suddenly sprang into his mind, but reason told him no. "Damn it, these aren't the same thing!"

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

He gritted his teeth. "Damn it, life is full of disappointments. Taking a chance is better than sitting here waiting to die."

He sat cross-legged, ignoring the tiger's head still spurting blood, and immediately began absorbing the Soul Ring.

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

"My lord, that Evil God Tiger ran in this direction."

The Soul Ring was just as difficult to absorb as he had expected.

All of the Dark Evil God Tiger's resentment rushed toward him.

Mu Xuanheng had something to say about that. He wasn't the one who'd hunted it down. He had killed it only to save his own life—so why was it directing its resentment at him?

He was indeed absorbing the Soul Ring, and the resentment rushed straight at him. All he could do was endure it.

Fortunately, the Blood Tower nearby helped. It absorbed quite a lot of the resentment.

The remaining resentment carried a trace of Evil God power as it entered his body.

Struggling, he used his dragon claw to smash the body of the Dark Evil God Tiger beside him.

He successfully absorbed the Soul Ring, and his already depleted Soul Power gradually filled back up.

He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. Before he could even smile, he heard someone say, "Boss, look! That's the Dark Evil God Tiger!"

His expression changed instantly. He put away the little tower and fled, running in the direction from which he had been chased earlier.

"Where did that little kid come from?"

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

The tiger's body had already gone cold.

There was no doubt about it: someone had delivered the finishing blow to the seriously injured Dark Evil God Tiger.

Looking around, he saw the vines of the Flesh Tree—and the bodies of his own subordinates.

He imagined that his men and the Dark Evil God Tiger had fought to the death, only for the child who'd run off to swoop in and claim the spoils.

"Kill him!" He had gone to all the trouble of setting up this trap, only for someone else to reap the rewards. Rage surged through him.

Behind him, the Evil Soul Masters were in pursuit, including several Five-Ring Soul Kings.

Mu Xuanheng was close to tears. "How did a simple trip outside turn into me stumbling into an Evil Soul Master den? And every fight's completely out of my league!"

If he were up against a three- or four-ring Soul Master, he would at least try his luck. But there were a bunch of Five-Ring Soul Kings behind him.

"Could that leader be a Soul Emperor?"

The more he thought about it, the more terrifying the situation became. The yellow and purple Soul Rings around him shone.

The Evil Soul Masters behind him saw the situation and realized that their opponent was an eight-year-old Soul Grandmaster with an extraordinary Soul Ring configuration.

With a prodigy like this right in front of them, how could they let him escape? They chased him with all their might, rapidly closing the distance.

"Second Soul Skill: Chaofeng Dragon Body."

A pair of wings unfurled from his back, as the child of a dragon and a phoenix revealed his gift for flight.

His speed surged. While everyone else ran, he flew. It looked as if he could leave the Evil Soul Masters behind and escape unharmed.

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

Faint stars appeared in the sky and took aim at Mu Xuanheng. A streak of gloomy starlight descended.

The world spun around him. Mu Xuanheng was knocked out of the sky, blood spilling from his mouth.

If Chaofeng Dragon Body hadn't strengthened his defenses, that attack would have killed him.

The leader of the Evil Soul Masters appeared in front of him. Seven Soul Rings hovered around the man. He wasn't a Soul Emperor—he was a Soul Saint.

"Even if I was only using that skill to pursue you, how could a little Soul Grandmaster like you possibly withstand it?" His eyes held a note of admiration. "What do you say, kid? Want to join our Holy Cult? From the looks of you, our Holy Cult could definitely help you become a Titled Douluo."

"Like hell I will!"

Mu Xuanheng had been beaten so badly he couldn't speak. The shout came from Xuan Zi, who had finally arrived.