Zhu Zhuqing felt she might be about to die.
She had heard long ago that the Star Dou Great Forest was extremely dangerous, but she hadn't expected to find herself in such a desperate situation so soon.
The Two-Headed Iron-Backed Wolf before her had savage, bloodthirsty eyes and a terrifying, ferocious aura that nearly swallowed her whole. A chill crept through her from head to toe.
She was certain that the Two-Headed Iron-Backed Wolf before her had cultivated for at least three thousand years!
"Roar!!!"
The Two-Headed Iron-Backed Wolf growled low, crouching close to the ground. Its powerful limbs suddenly tensed, and it lunged toward Zhu Zhuqing, her face drained of color, like a black bolt of lightning.
With the Nether Civet Martial Soul possessed, she could barely make out its afterimage. Without a moment's thought, she dodged to the side.
Boom!! A crater appeared where she had stood, dust flying everywhere.
Without looking back, Zhu Zhuqing fled toward the forest's outer reaches. Her fair, delicate face was pale with lingering fear, making her all the more pitiful.
Just then, a wolf's howl rang out behind her. At once, it felt as though thorns were pricking her back. Every hair on her body stood on end, a deadly sense of danger coursing through her and leaving her hands and feet icy cold.
Without thinking, she abruptly dodged to the left.
Boom!!!
From the corner of her eye, she saw a blue-black energy orb strike the spot where she had been and explode. Its aftershock swept over her in a violent gust.
Like a black butterfly with broken wings, she spat out a mouthful of blood. Her delicate body slammed into a massive tree, and she vomited blood again before crashing to the ground.
Zhu Zhuqing felt as though her whole body had been torn apart. The pain was excruciating, and she could barely move. All she could do was watch helplessly as the Two-Headed Iron-Backed Wolf approached, step by step.
The fear of death filled her heart. Her usually cool, beautiful eyes trembled faintly, quivering with unease.
Who can come save me...? Zhu Zhuqing let out a plea in her heart. No matter how strong she was, she was still only a twelve-year-old girl.
The Two-Headed Iron-Backed Wolf growled bloodthirstily, then pounced at Zhu Zhuqing where she lay. Its enormous, ferocious jaws opened wide and lunged for the girl's slender, snowy-white neck.
Zhu Zhuqing's beautiful eyes widened in terror, and her whole body shook violently.
"Heh, I didn't expect to stumble into such a clichéd hero-saves-the-beauty scene."
Just then, a young man's quiet laugh reached her ears.
The next second, reflected in her wide, terrified eyes, was a black figure that had appeared out of nowhere. His back was tall and straight, slender yet heavier than a mountain, as if he could shield her from every danger.
The slender, upright young man faced the ferocious Two-Headed Iron-Backed Wolf lunging at him and merely raised his right arm.
"Dragon Transformation." Zhu Zhuqing heard the young man murmur those two words. Then his right arm blazed with golden light as layer upon layer of golden dragon scales seemed to grow from his fingertips, rapidly spreading up to cover his shoulder.
The young man's right arm had completely transformed into a limb covered in Golden Dragon Scales, beautiful yet brimming with explosive power. His hand ended in Golden Dragon Claws that glinted with a chilling sheen.
The Golden Dragon Claws slowly opened, then reached straight for the lunging Two-Headed Iron-Backed Wolf. To Zhu Zhuqing's astonishment, they clamped around the wolf's neck.
The Two-Headed Iron-Backed Wolf let out a terrified shriek. The hand gripping its neck was like an iron vise, holding it fast. No matter how desperately it struggled, it couldn't break free.
Even with three thousand five hundred years of cultivation, it couldn't escape that terrifying grip!
Then both its heads opened wide toward the human boy before it, ready to unleash two blue-black energy orbs.
Just then, a deep purple Soul Ring suddenly appeared around the young man, shining brilliantly.
The next instant, the Two-Headed Iron-Backed Wolf seemed to see a Golden Dragon towering higher than a mountain behind the boy. The dragon's golden eyes, mighty and imperious, stared down at it, making it tremble.
The Golden Dragon then opened its maw and let out a deafening roar that shook the soul.
"Roar——!!!!!"
The Two-Headed Iron-Backed Wolf froze on the spot. Its bloodthirsty eyes turned blank and lifeless, and it stopped struggling, as though all its strength had drained away. Its body went limp in the young man's grasp, its limbs dangling.
The blue-black energy orbs in both its mouths went out as well.
This was Qin Yuan's third Soul Skill—Golden Dragon Roar.
Golden Dragon Roar: Summons the phantom of a Golden Dragon to unleash a sky-shaking roar that suppresses the enemy's body and soul, leaving them unable to resist. If the target's Soul Power is lower than the user's, it is forcibly stunned for five seconds. If the target's Soul Power is higher, the degree of stun depends on the difference in Soul Power.
It had come from the six-thousand-year-old Titan Tremor Roar, another top-tier Soul Beast of immense strength.
At the same time, his Soul Power Level had reached a staggering thirty-seven!
After absorbing the Soul Ring of the Titan Tremor Roar, which had cultivated for a full six thousand years, his Soul Power had surged by five levels!
Glancing at the stunned Two-Headed Iron-Backed Wolf in his grasp, Qin Yuan raised his left arm. Brilliant golden light flashed as it, too, underwent Dragon Transformation, becoming a claw covered in Golden Dragon Scales.
The Golden Dragon Claw gave a gentle push. With the Two-Headed Iron-Backed Wolf stunned and its muscles relaxed, the claw easily pierced its throat and emerged through the back of its neck.
The excruciating pain jolted the Two-Headed Iron-Backed Wolf out of its daze, but it was too late. It twitched a few times, whimpered, and fell completely still. A purple Soul Ring began to gather above its corpse.
Zhu Zhuqing's wide eyes were filled with shock. A Two-Headed Iron-Backed Wolf with at least three thousand years of cultivation had just been killed like that?
From the young man's voice moments earlier, she could tell that he wasn't very old—sixteen at most. Yet he had so effortlessly slain a three-thousand-year Soul Beast that even a Soul Ancestor would struggle to handle!
Her beautiful eyes wavered, and a great shock surged through her heart.
"Are you all right?" Qin Yuan turned around. His gaze passed through the Golden Dragon Mask and fell on the girl, a trace of admiration flashing in his eyes.
What a beautiful girl! She looks only twelve or thirteen, yet her figure is already incredibly curvaceous, with such a full, shapely body. Especially those twin peaks on her chest, practically bursting out—they're simply bewitching. What will she be like after a few more years of growing up?
"I'm all right..." Zhu Zhuqing said. She struggled to get up so she could thank him, but the pain all over her body made her delicate brows knit and her face twist in pain.
Seeing the beautiful girl's pained expression, Qin Yuan was just about to step forward and heal her with Life Miracle when a thought suddenly crossed his mind. Almost as if possessed, he asked:
"What's your name?"
Zhu Zhuqing paused, then replied, "My name is Zhu Zhuqing."
Hearing the name, Qin Yuan wore a strange expression. What a coincidence! I was just wondering when I'd get to meet Zhu Zhuqing, and now I've run into her—and even saved her life.
The corners of his mouth lifted slightly. Qin Yuan didn't use Life Miracle. Instead, he stepped forward, bent down, and helped Zhu Zhuqing up with a smile.
"My name is... Ling Tian."
"Thank you, Ling Tian. You saved my life. I'll definitely repay you," Zhu Zhuqing said with heartfelt gratitude.
"Haha, then I'll look forward to it." Qin Yuan laughed twice, then helped Zhu Zhuqing toward a nearby spot to rest.
Zhu Zhuqing wasn't accustomed to being close to men. Even her fiancé had never been this close to her, yet, to her surprise, she didn't dislike it.
This puzzled her, and she couldn't understand why. Forcing down her doubts, she let the young man wearing the Golden Dragon Mask support her to a spot where she could rest and recover.
Zhu Zhuqing still hadn't realized that, in that moment of life and death, the tall figure that had appeared before her like a savior, shielding her from every danger, had quietly etched itself deep into her heart and soul, never to be forgotten.
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