Running Away

However, just then—

"Hmph. What a joke."

Qian Qizhou snorted. His voice wasn't loud, yet it rang clearly in the furious King of Slaughter's ears.

"Bzzzt—!!!"

Under the King of Slaughter's furious gaze, Qian Qizhou tightened his grip on the Naginata and poured every last bit of his power into it.

Brilliant purple lightning erupted across the blade once more, all of it gathering at the tip.

"Heh. Struggling in your death throes."

The King of Slaughter thought the boy was about to put up a desperate fight.

But Qian Qizhou pointed Engulfing Lightning at the empty air before him and slashed fiercely!

"Crack—!!!"

A deafening sound like shattering glass rang out.

The space in front of him had been cleaved open by a single slash, leaving behind a pitch-black, twisted spatial rift!

Without hesitation, Qian Qizhou turned into a streak of light and darted into the rift.

At the instant his figure vanished completely into it, he glanced back at the furious, stunned King of Slaughter. "You damned evil spirit, who said I was going to fight you?"

As his words fell, the spatial rift abruptly closed and disappeared!

"King of Slaughter: '!!!'"

He froze in midair, disbelief filling his blood-red eyes... along with a towering fury at having been toyed with!

That ant... that damned ant! He had actually... torn open space and run away right in front of him?!

And even left him with such an insulting remark?!

"AAAAAAAH!!!"

The King of Slaughter went completely berserk, throwing his head back and letting out a deafening roar.

His terrifying aura of slaughter erupted out of control, crushing the already-ruined palace around him into dust.

At that moment, he felt like a giant who'd been toyed with by a monkey, utterly humiliated and enraged.

Meanwhile, several hundred miles from the desolate, lifeless plain outside Slaughter City, high above a secluded mountain valley—

"Shrrk—!"

A faint sound of space tearing rang out.

A figure glided gracefully from the spatial rift and landed steadily on the ground.

It was Qian Qizhou, who had just slipped away right under the King of Slaughter's nose.

He looked back in the direction of Slaughter City, confirmed no one was pursuing him, and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Recalling the perilous scene just moments ago—and the King of Slaughter's arrogant display as he charged up some huge attack, only for Qian Qizhou to seize the chance to escape—he shook his head helplessly and muttered as he replenished his Soul Power, "That's what being too arrogant gets you..."

"Against a Soul King like me... Uh, I'm a Soul Emperor now. And that guy still had to charge up?"

"Such a poser."

Still, this adventure had let Qian Qizhou truly feel the gap between himself and the strongest fighters.

If that guy had gone all out from the start, Qian Qizhou might still have gotten away, but he would've been gravely injured.

"My strength still isn't enough." He put aside his jokes, his expression turning solemn.

But when he'd faced that guy just now, he seemed to have sensed a familiar aura.

It was similar to the aura he'd felt when Tang Hao fought his father all those years ago...

Thinking of the oppressive, dark red sky above Slaughter City, Qian Qizhou shook his head and temporarily pushed his jumbled thoughts aside.

He couldn't shake the feeling that an invisible web woven from schemes was closing in behind him.

But with his current strength, there was no point digging any deeper. He'd better recover and grow stronger first.

With that, Qian Qizhou flashed into motion, becoming a somewhat dim purple streak of light as he flew in the opposite direction from Slaughter City. Within a few breaths, he had vanished beyond the horizon.

Several days later, deep in a remote, uninhabited stretch of primeval mountains in the northwest of the continent—

Qian Qizhou found a natural cave hidden behind a secluded waterfall. After setting a few simple warning measures, he began his retreat.

Before long—

"ROAR—!!!"

A deafening roar suddenly rang out from deep within the cave.

The roar carried terrifying pressure, shaking the entire cave violently as stones pattered down!

Startled awake, Qian Qizhou froze, then whipped around to look into the darkness at the back of the cave.

When he'd chosen this cave, he had carefully searched it with his spiritual power. He'd found no signs of life, which was why he'd felt safe cultivating here.

How could this be...

In the area deep within the cave that had been pitch-black moments before, two huge eyes, each as large as a lantern, suddenly lit up with a crimson glow!

Accompanied by heavy, terrifying footsteps, an enormous figure slowly emerged from the shadows!

It was a Soul Beast of tremendous size and build, covered in thick, blue-black scales. A single horn grew from its head, and fangs protruded from its mouth. It resembled a giant rhino, but was far more savage and terrifying.

A violent earth-attribute Soul Power surged around it. Its aura was so powerful that it was no weaker than a human Soul Douluo's—in fact, it might even surpass one.

"Earth Vein Dragon Rhino?!" Qian Qizhou recognized the top-tier Soul Beast, famed for its terrifying defense and immense strength, and his heart jolted.

He tried to turn and leave, only to discover that the Soul Beast's domain had sealed off the entire area. There was no way out.

"ROAR!!!" The Earth Vein Dragon Rhino didn't care what Qian Qizhou was thinking. Its sleep had been disturbed, and it was in a state of extreme fury. Its thick legs stamped down hard!

"RUMBLE!!!"

The entire cave shook as if the earth itself were moving.

Countless sharp stone spikes burst from the ground and surrounding walls like a rainstorm, blanketing the entire cave indiscriminately!

At the same time, it lowered its head, aimed the yellow-brown glowing horn at Qian Qizhou, and charged.

Qian Qizhou sighed, summoned Engulfing Lightning, and met it head-on.

Lightning and a mountain-like charge collided with a thunderous crash in the cramped cave!

He had only just begun converting his power. The Soul Power and elemental energy within him were in a state of imbalance.

As a result, he was caught in an awkward middle ground, unable to advance or retreat—and nowhere near his usual fighting strength.

"Damn it!" Qian Qizhou cursed under his breath. The Earth Vein Dragon Rhino couldn't have woken at a worse time.

Qian Qizhou gritted his teeth and gripped his weapon with both hands, pouring his surging Soul Power into it. Lightning flared across the blade as he swung fiercely at the horn!

"CLANG—!!!!!"

A deafening clash rang out!

Qian Qizhou felt an irresistible force travel up the blade, leaving his arms aching and numb.

The power within him, already unsteady, was thrown into turmoil as well.

He grunted, his body hurled backward against his will, and slammed heavily into the cave wall.

"Crack..." Web-like fissures spread across the rock.

"ROAR!" The Earth Vein Dragon Rhino let out a triumphant bellow, lowered its head, and charged again, determined to crush the intruder!

Qian Qizhou slid down the rock wall, a trace of blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. His face grew even paler.

Feeling the Soul Power and elemental energy racing chaotically through him, he groaned inwardly.

This fight was ridiculously frustrating.

He had the power of a Soul Emperor, but his unstable condition meant he could use at most sixty or seventy percent of his strength. That thick-skinned beast had him completely countered.