Qian Renxue?

"Is it really trying to fight me to the death?" Lan Si froze for a moment. Then he steeled himself, stowed the AK47 in his Soul Tool, and activated the Five Thunders Heart Art. Lightning surged through his left hand as he summoned the Clear Sky Bamboo Shoot.

His left hand, charged with all the Soul Power of a Level 30 Soul Master, poured it into the black little hammer, its surface densely patterned with brilliant golden spirals.

In an instant, the black hammer swelled several times in his grip, its handle stretching to a full meter. The patterns on it suddenly sharpened into view, crackling with explosive blue lightning.

He swung with all his strength, the bamboo shoot's tip pointed downward. Wrapped in terrifying lightning, the Clear Sky Bamboo Shoot hurtled straight at the Soul-Eater Demon Spider's face.

The Soul-Eater Demon Spider instinctively sensed danger and raised its two front legs to block.

Unfortunately, although it had been prepared, it could never have anticipated that Lan Si's Clear Sky Bamboo Shoot could pierce through defenses.

The tip of the Clear Sky Bamboo Shoot struck the exact point where the Soul-Eater Demon Spider's front legs crossed.

Crack!

Its front legs snapped. The corner of Lan Si's mouth lifted. He pressed his advantage, turning the hammer around and unleashing the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer technique, slamming it furiously into the Soul-Eater Demon Spider's face once more.

One blow, two blows, three blows...

In an instant, dust billowed across the area where Lan Si and the Soul-Eater Demon Spider fought, and lightning filled the air.

When the thirty-sixth blow landed, Lan Si was spent. A brief opening appeared, and he immediately retreated dozens of meters to recover his strength, waiting patiently as he watched in silence.

As the dust settled, a gigantic crater came into view. The Soul-Eater Demon Spider lay miserably at the bottom. Of its eight legs, only four remained intact. Its two front legs had fallen off, while its third leg on the left and second on the right had been reduced to stumps. Its once glossy black head had caved in completely; of its eight eyes, only three remained, dull and lifeless. Purple fluid seeped from the breaks in its legs and from wounds in its head and abdomen.

It lay limp and helpless where it had fallen—a pitiful sight indeed.

Even seeing the Soul-Eater Demon Spider in such a state, Lan Si didn't let his guard down. Until a Soul Beast produced a Soul Ring, it was still alive.

He beckoned with his right hand. The Cyan Lotus Blade, knocked away earlier by the spider, shot back into the air and thrust toward it.

The Soul-Eater Demon Spider seemed to have been waiting for this. The instant Lan Si controlled the blade, it sprang up on its four remaining legs, leapt over his head, and fled at full speed toward the inner reaches of the Star Dou Great Forest.

Soul Masters could sense the strength of Soul Beasts within a certain range, and Soul Beasts could likewise sense how strong Soul Masters were. To the Soul-Eater Demon Spider, Lan Si's aura was no more than an ant's, far weaker than its own.

And yet Lan Si had repeatedly seized the initiative. First, he had used his Martial Soul's ability to fly and keep his distance while attacking from afar, provoking the spider into shooting its web. Then, taking advantage of the opening, he had used a strange weapon to smash the abdomen where it stored the web it depended on for survival. After that, he had brought out an incomparably powerful Second Martial Soul and badly wounded it, leaving it utterly unable to fight back.

In the end, he had even seen through its feigned death.

The Soul-Eater Demon Spider couldn't understand. It was already strong among Soul Beasts, and more cunning than most. How could it have suffered such a crushing defeat?

It was unwilling to accept this. It had to escape. Once free, it could rely on its superior devouring talent—greater even than that of the Man Faced Demon Spider—to feed on smaller Soul Beasts. Given enough time, it would surely recover to its peak and return to take revenge on this weak human.

"What a sly creature. But do you really think you can get away?" Lan Si sneered. Without hesitation, he stowed the Clear Sky Bamboo Shoot and recalled the Cyan Lotus still floating in the air. He tapped the ground with his toes, leapt onto the Cyan Lotus Pedestal, and sent it flying after the Soul-Eater Demon Spider.

One chased, the other fled, and they gradually ventured deeper into the Star Dou Great Forest. The distance between them kept shrinking. Along the way, Lan Si fired his semi-automatic pistol more than once. Though reduced to only four legs and much slower, the Soul-Eater Demon Spider had lost none of its agility or keen senses. Driven by its desperate will to survive, it repeatedly dodged Lan Si's bullets.

But Lan Si didn't lose heart. The distance between them was visibly shrinking.

One hundred meters, fifty, thirty. Closer, closer still.

When they were less than twenty meters apart, Lan Si's body suddenly shuddered. He felt a bone-chilling menace that pierced straight to his soul, as if continuing the chase would mean certain death.

Lan Si stared into the distance, and a bead of cold sweat slid down his forehead. Five hundred meters ahead, a golden-haired woman sat cross-legged beside a gigantic Soul Beast. Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black—five dazzling Soul Rings shimmered around her. A sixth black Soul Ring was slowly taking shape. It looked like she was absorbing her Sixth Soul Ring.

He was certain the danger wasn't coming from the Soul-Eater Demon Spider or the golden-haired woman. From a distance, her clothing and appearance clearly marked her as no commoner; she looked more like a noble. That left only one possibility: someone hidden nearby was protecting her.

Should he leave, or keep chasing?

If he left, he couldn't bear to give up such a good Soul Ring. Besides, once the golden-haired woman woke up, she might think he had driven the Soul-Eater Demon Spider toward her to harm her. In her fury, she might order her subordinates to hunt him down.

But if he continued, he might be attacked by her people. The golden-haired woman was already a Soul Emperor, so her protector's Soul Power had to be higher than hers—at least a Soul Saint, perhaps even a Soul Douluo. A Titled Douluo wasn't out of the question either.

And someone with such strength at this age... Lan Si had a good idea who the golden-haired woman was.

For a moment, Lan Si was torn.

Had he left home without checking the almanac today? First, he'd run into Little Kitten being hunted by a big cat and played the hero. Then, right afterward, he'd stumbled across a mysterious woman. Was this damn "handsome for three seconds" curse really following him?

As soon as Lan Si spotted the golden-haired woman, the Soul-Eater Demon Spider noticed her too.

But unlike Lan Si, who was secretly cursing his luck, the Soul-Eater Demon Spider was thrilled. It sensed an aura within the golden-haired woman that was both powerful and repulsive to it. Instinct told it that if it devoured this human woman, it would gain an unprecedented boost in strength. It might even heal its wounds and step directly into the ten-thousand-year rank.

Lan Si drew a deep breath. Just as he was wavering, an Angel Phantom nearly three meters tall suddenly appeared behind the golden-haired woman. Six wings spread from its back, and its face was otherworldly. A sacred, noble golden radiance burst forth, and Lan Si suddenly felt as though his soul had been cleansed.

Seeing this, Lan Si could be certain: the person before him was Qian Renxue.