Severely Injuring the Golden Nine-Headed Lion! Zhao Wuji Attacks

Watching the direction in which Zhao Wuji fled, Su Changge did not order a pursuit.

With the cards currently in his hand, he could manage defensive counterattacks and positional warfare against a Soul Saint like Zhao Wuji, who possessed a top-tier beast martial soul.

If he were to truly lose his sense of proportion and foolishly chase after him, he would only be digging his own grave.

"Continue forward! All Musket Cavalry, keep your weapons loaded and heighten your vigilance."

Over the next few days, Su Changge led a group of soul hunters through various parts of the Star Dou Great Forest's outer perimeter, searching for powerful soul beasts with a soul age of around five thousand years.

However, the bloodlines, aptitude, and potential of those so-called powerful soul beasts failed to catch Su Changge's eye.

In the blink of an eye, the eighth day arrived.

After much hesitation, Su Changge and his party crossed the outer perimeter and entered the edge of the mixed zone.

Su Changge was unaware that just as they entered the mixed zone, a rugged figure in the shadows behind them was suppressing a cold, murderous intent... staring fixedly at his head.

Rustle, rustle...

The soul age and quantity of soul beasts in the mixed zone far exceeded those of the outer perimeter.

If the outermost edge was a paradise for ten-year soul beasts and weak hundred-year soul beasts, and the outer perimeter was home to hundred-year and thousand-year soul beasts...

Then the soul beasts living in the mixed zone were primarily thousand-year and ten-year-thousand-year soul beasts, with no shortage of those reaching tens of thousands of years in age.

It was precisely because he knew this that Su Changge dared not lead his team deep inside, choosing instead to roam the ten-mile stretch where the mixed zone met the outer perimeter.

"That is... a Golden Nine-Headed Lion!!!"

Several hours later, after avoiding a few powerful thousand-year soul beasts that were not part of his plan, Su Changge found his target as he had hoped.

A Golden Nine-Headed Lion!

One of the many peak clans of the Star Dou Great Forest.

The nine heads of a Golden Nine-Headed Lion corresponded to nine different energy-based skill systems.

If one's luck was poor, they would at least be guaranteed attributes like wind, fire, lightning, earth, or poison; if one's luck was good, they could even unlock "blind box" skills of the space, holy light, darkness, or even time variety.

"That's the one!"

Following Su Changge's instructions, the dozens of soul hunters and two hundred Musket Cavalry instantly formed a battle formation, leveling their Divine Fire Thunderbolt Cannons V2.0.

The Golden Nine-Headed Lion clearly sensed Su Changge and his group, slamming its claws heavily into the ground as its body surged to several times its original size.

All nine heads spewed energy simultaneously, bombarding the area where Su Changge and his men were positioned.

Fortunately, the dozens of soul hunters had coordinated well during the eight days they had spent in the Star Dou Great Forest.

With a wave of their hands, twenty or thirty defensive soul skills were unleashed, forcefully withstanding the Golden Nine-Headed Lion's first wave of attacks.

"Fire! Don't give this beast a moment to breathe."

Under the command of the cavalry captain, nearly two hundred matchlock muskets spat tongues of fire.

However, most of the specially crafted armor-piercing steel bullets were deflected by the Golden Nine-Headed Lion's formidable physique, with only a very few tearing through the skin... embedding themselves in the layer between the hide and the flesh.

Seeing the Golden Nine-Headed Lion's body was so resilient, many people's expressions changed drastically.

If the matchlock muskets couldn't even break its defense, how were they supposed to fight this battle?

"Don't panic! All musketeers, aim for the Golden Nine-Headed Lion's eyes. Three-stage firing!"

"Soul hunters with control-type skills, prioritize releasing your control abilities to compress the Golden Nine-Headed Lion's space!"

"All gunners and soul hunters with long-range capabilities, prioritize aiming at the leftmost head of the Golden Nine-Headed Lion... concentrate your fire on one point. We'll take them down one by one."

Su Changge's voice carried a hint of tremor.

Engaging such a powerful soul beast with a formidable body and the ability to fight above its rank was, in some ways, even trickier than facing a Soul Saint like Zhao Wuji.

As the leftmost head of the Golden Nine-Headed Lion was blasted apart, the beast instantly fell into a berserk state.

Colors flashed across its remaining eight heads, and terrifying energy converged into a massive energy sphere, intertwining in mid-air to form a giant black hole that frantically devoured every living thing and object it touched.

A few Musket Cavalrymen, because their line was too far forward, were dragged into the black hole in the blink of an eye, disappearing without a trace.

"Is this a skill that a thousand-year soul beast can derive?"

"Could this Golden Nine-Headed Lion be the direct descendant of some king within the Golden Nine-Headed Lion clan?"

Watching this scene, Su Changge's mouth twitched, but a burning light flickered in his eyes.

The black hole before him was not a true black hole, but rather one derived from the intertwining of the eight types of energy spat out by the Golden Nine-Headed Lion... once the energy was exhausted, the black hole would vanish completely.

It had a fatal weakness in terms of duration!

But... it was still a black hole.

Even if it was just a knock-off version, it was enough to serve as a trump card below the Divine Realm.

"Fortunately, this Golden Nine-Headed Lion hasn't stepped into the ten-thousand-year level yet, otherwise... even if I wanted to escape today, I wouldn't be able to!"

"All soul hunters, release your soul skills at the nodes to attack the black hole. The entire army's line is to retreat slowly, cannons keep firing, retreat and fire simultaneously... blast off another head for me!"

Su Changge's judgment was correct; as the black hole's energy vanished, the black hole dissipated entirely.

During the brief interval before the black hole dissipated, Su Changge's side once again blasted apart three of the Golden Nine-Headed Lion's heads.

Thick, golden blood spilled out, staining the ground beneath the Golden Nine-Headed Lion into a domain of golden gore.

Su Changge's gaze swept across the faces of the many soul hunters who had exhausted their soul power, and after a brief moment of contemplation, he shifted his strategy.

"Men, pile all the black powder here. The entire army is to continue retreating, luring the Golden Nine-Headed Lion forward."

Seeing the detestable humans attempting to "flee," the Golden Nine-Headed Lion, caught in a berserk rage, dragged its heavy body forward, intent on tearing every one of these presumptuous humans to shreds.

Yet, just as it kept advancing and had barely stepped into the area where Su Changge had pre-planted the black powder, several fire-type soul skills descended, igniting the two dozen barrels of black powder below.

In an instant, a small mushroom cloud rose into the sky, and the Golden Nine-Headed Lion, caught at the epicenter, was swallowed by the terrifying energy, letting out a miserable howl.

As the shockwaves subsided, the tragic state of the Golden Nine-Headed Lion was quietly revealed.

The Golden Nine-Headed Lion lay at the bottom of the crater, half its body destroyed, exposing golden bones as blood gushed out like a fountain.

The remaining four auxiliary heads were completely obliterated, with only the central primary head still intact.

At this very moment, this powerful thousand-year soul beast had completely lost the strength to resist.

Su Changge let out a long sigh of relief, gripping his Steel Ruyi Staff as he walked forward.

It was time to finish off the Golden Nine-Headed Lion and absorb its soul ring.

Swish! Swish...

Just as Su Changge approached the Golden Nine-Headed Lion, a burly figure transformed into a blur and lunged straight at him, moving so fast that none of the soul hunters or the Musket Cavalry could react in time.

However, it was as if Su Changge had anticipated all of this; he instantly unleashed his first soul skill, smashing it toward the incoming figure!

"Zhao Wuji! I've been waiting for you for a long time!!!"