Dark Demon Evil God Tiger (Part 1)

"I didn't expect to find a lone Ten Thousand Year Soul Beast in the outer area!"

A trace of greed quickly spread across Lang Taihui's face.

Although he hadn't reached the stage where he needed a Soul Ring, a complete Ten Thousand Year Soul Beast carcass was still worth a fortune.

He immediately changed direction, leaping onto the tallest ancient tree and peering through the gnarled branches towards the source of the tiger's roar.

But when he saw the figure darting through the forest, his blood ran cold.

A bone-chilling malevolence seeped into his marrow through his pores, his soul power seemed to surge backward, and his meridians felt like they were being sliced by a knife.

"Pfft!"

A mouthful of blood sprayed onto the dark bark.

The greed from moments ago vanished, replaced by a fear that sank deep into his bones.

"Damn it! It's... it's that kind of thing!"

That was no ordinary Ten Thousand Year Soul Beast.

It was the most forbidden legend of the Star Dou Great Forest.

An evil creature that even Titled Douluo dared not tread lightly into its territory, where countless senior soul masters had met their end.

Even countless soul beasts feared it, finding it more repulsive than the Man Faced Demon Spider.

A giant tiger, pure black from head to tail, without a single speck of other color, its blood-red vertical pupils burning with an eerie ghost fire.

It was over eight meters long, its muscles coiled like cast steel, weighing at least three thousand jin.

The character "King" on its forehead was also black, but unlike its fur, it looked like a mass of solidified black mist, exuding an indescribable gloom.

Most terrifying was its tail.

Three times longer than a normal tiger's, it was made up of countless sharp bone segments, tipped with a massive barb that gleamed with a cold, dark blue light. A gentle sweep could sever a giant tree as thick as a man's embrace.

Lang Taihui's teeth chattered uncontrollably.

This was the despair from the depths of his soul when faced with absolute power.

Let alone hunting it, he didn't even have the courage to look at it for long, as if lingering for another second would cause his soul to be devoured by that malevolence.

"There's no way! There's no saving her!"

He scrambled down the tree, not bothering to wipe the blood from his lips, and fled madly in the direction of Li Moyue and Lei Xiang without looking back.

Zhu Zhuqing couldn't be saved.

That evil creature was charging this way, directly towards her.

Going there now would only lead to his own demise.

It would be better to bring the news of this soul beast's appearance back to the Martial Soul Hall, perhaps to redeem himself and avoid punishment for dereliction of duty.

A moment later, he appeared before the two.

Li Moyue breathed a sigh of relief when she saw him, then instinctively looked in the direction Zhu Zhuqing had fled, and asked softly.

"Teacher, Zhuqing she..."

Before she could finish, she was silenced by Lang Taihui's bone-chilling gaze.

He grabbed Li Moyue by the waist, his voice urgent and fierce.

"Don't worry about her! If you don't want to die, come with me!"

Lei Xiang, who had been slumped on the ground, saw Lang Taihui like a savior and scrambled to follow.

But when he heard the words "Don't worry about her," he suddenly stopped.

Just now, it was Zhu Zhuqing who had saved his life.

He looked back into the depths of the forest, only seeing swaying tree shadows and increasingly violent ground tremors.

His lips turned pale, and his fingernails dug deeply into his palms.

But the next second, a tiger's roar, so loud it made the leaves rustle and fall, echoed through the air.

Fear instantly drowned out that insignificant trace of guilt.

He shook his head violently and turned to catch up with Lang Taihui.

The figures of the three soon disappeared into the dense forest.

The ground trembled more and more violently.

Each tremor felt like a heavy hammer blow to Zhu Zhuqing's chest, making her already chaotic breathing even more difficult.

The air was filled with a thick scent of blood and a nauseating malevolence.

The surrounding plants withered and blackened at a visible rate.

Even the sunlight seemed to be blocked by that aura, leaving only a gloomy gray in the world.

Zhu Zhuqing leaned against a thick ancient tree, gasping for air.

Her lungs felt as if they had been scrubbed with sandpaper, and her body was covered in scratches from branches and jagged rocks.

Sweat mixed with blood soaked through her clothes, clinging to her skin, cold and heavy.

She tried to stand, but her legs were as soft as cotton; the moment she exerted force, she stumbled and nearly collapsed.

No, I cannot fall here!

She gritted her teeth and wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand.

Through her blurred vision, she seemed to see that sinister youth with dark golden eyes once again.

"My life is not just my own; it belongs to Teacher as well."

"I must survive."

Zhu Zhuqing took a deep breath and braced herself against a tree trunk, slowly straightening her body.

She staggered forward a few steps, leaving a bloody footprint on the ground with every stride.

It was just like those days at Martial Soul Hall, when she would run until she was exhausted, only to grit her teeth and crawl back up to keep running again.

But just then, a massive black shadow appeared at the edge of her vision.

It was a giant tiger, the likes of which she had never seen before.

Pure black fur, blood-red eyes, and a terrifying tail tipped with a barb.

Its speed was astonishing; in a few leaps, it covered hundreds of meters, snapping giant trees in its path and leaving deep claw marks in the earth.

Zhu Zhuqing's heart skipped a beat.

Its appearance inexplicably reminded her of the "Hell White Tiger" mentioned by her family.

The unique Martial Soul Fusion Skill of the Dai Family and the Zhu Family of the Star Luo Empire.

Yet, this tiger-type spirit beast only shared a name; its form and aura were worlds apart from a true Hell White Tiger, possessing a sinister quality that made her scalp tingle.

Regardless, this was a spirit beast of over ten thousand years.

She could no longer run.

She truly could not run anymore.

Her legs could no longer support the weight of her body; her knees gave way, and she slammed heavily into the ground.

Jagged stones sliced through her knees, and blood seeped out, but she felt not a shred of pain.

Despair, like cold seawater, began to drown her bit by bit.

Something slid from the corner of her eye, hot and wet.

She raised her hand to wipe it away, leaving a faint water trail on the back of her hand.

She stared blankly at that trail, her voice so hoarse it was barely audible.

"Teacher... I am sorry, I still could not do it..."

But at that moment, a surge of scalding unwillingness welled up from her chest.

She was so unwilling.

Unwilling to die here like this.

Unwilling to remain shackled by fate.

Unwilling for her life to end so abruptly.

The words Gu Chensha had taught her in the dormitory suddenly surfaced clearly in her mind.

"The power of the Primordial Demon Spider Emperor has always been within you."

"Using it lightly in Martial Soul Hall would lead to discovery, but when you reach a true desperate situation, do not be afraid—release it."

"It is your weapon, and it is a part of you."

Yes, I still have a trump card!

Zhu Zhuqing closed her eyes, sinking all her consciousness into the deepest part of her body to touch that power she had always carefully sealed away.

Back in the dormitory, she had only tested it a few times under the guidance of Gu Chensha.

But this time, she would bet everything.

Zhu Zhuqing's eyes snapped open.

The dark golden luster in her pupils ignited like a raging fire.