Provoking Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts

After several days of rest and recovery, Xu Qianqian's injuries and soul power had both recovered considerably.

She began putting her plan into action: find two relatively hot-tempered soul beasts and provoke them into fighting. Ten-thousand-year soul beasts were highly territorial.

Xu Qianqian cautiously entered the territory of ten-thousand-year soul beasts without venturing any deeper.

For Dugu Bo, soul beasts that were several tens of thousands of years old were nothing. But for Xu Qianqian, if she encountered a twenty-thousand-year soul beast, she would have to turn around and flee.

A beast resembling a crocodile stood before her. It had four eyes on its head, limbs thicker than water barrels, and black scales wrapped around its body like protective armor, gleaming brightly under the sunlight.

"Scale-Armored Beast, 13,000 years of cultivation, earth attribute, soul skills..."

Through her martial soul and her knowledge of Scale-Armored Beasts, she identified the soul beast before her, along with its weaknesses and abilities.

Come to think of it, this was Xu Qianqian's first time dealing with a ten-thousand-year soul beast. She had to be extremely cautious.

If something like this slapped her with one paw, her small body would be crushed into the ground so deeply she could not even be dug out.

Having selected one soul beast, Xu Qianqian recalled other information in her mind.

"That ten-thousand-year giant bear from before seems to be nearby." Xu Qianqian fell into thought.

The 12,000-year Earth Bear was roughly evenly matched with the Scale-Armored Beast.

However, that Earth Bear possessed a special ability—gravity.

If soul beasts of the same earth-element attribute fought, this cumbersome Scale-Armored Beast might not have the advantage.

Xu Qianqian pinched her chin in thought. After a moment, she gritted her teeth.

"Whatever. I'll try it first."

Against a ten-thousand-year soul beast, as long as she was careful of its gravity ability, she might still be able to escape.

No sooner said than done, Xu Qianqian flashed forward with a whoosh, appearing before the Scale-Armored Beast.

The Scale-Armored Beast raised its four eyes. Seeing Xu Qianqian appear, it let out a series of howls. Its enormous body slowly rose.

"Big guy, your soul ring is fated to be mine. How about you sacrifice yourself to me?"

"That'll save me from getting my hands dirty."

"Roar!" The intelligence of a ten-thousand-year soul beast was no longer weak. It could understand what Xu Qianqian was saying, and her provocative words thoroughly enraged it, its eyes flooding with blood-red fury.

It lowered itself into a charging stance, turning into an arrow loosed from a bow as it charged toward Xu Qianqian.

Xu Qianqian gave it her all, fully opening her domain and sensing the beast's speed.

She swiftly leaped into the air.

The Scale-Armored Beast rushed beneath her, failing to strike Xu Qianqian.

"Too slow, big guy." Xu Qianqian waved her hand. "Then let me give you a move too!"

"First Soul Skill—Thousand Winds!"

Seven- to eight-meter-long crescent-shaped wind blades descended from above and crashed into the Scale-Armored Beast's body.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

After several impacts, the wind blades scattered.

A faint mark had appeared on the Scale-Armored Beast's armor.

"The defense of a ten-thousand-year soul beast really is terrifying."

This level of defense was on an entirely different level from that of a thousand-year soul beast.

Though the injury was slight, it was enough to thoroughly enrage the Scale-Armored Beast.

The Scale-Armored Beast roared again, charging forward on all four claws, wind whipping around it as it launched another direct attack.

Xu Qianqian did not dare linger. After using her aerial advantage to narrowly evade its attack, she immediately summoned three Gale Wolf Kings to hinder the Scale-Armored Beast, tossed out a few more taunts, and slipped away.

But how could the Scale-Armored Beast let off someone who had provoked it again and again?

Besides, in this area of Sunset Forest that had only just reached the ten-thousand-year range, the hard armor on its body was extraordinarily formidable. It had never feared anyone.

Xu Qianqian ran in front while the ten-thousand-year soul beast chased behind.

"Isn't this supposed to be a soul beast known for defense? Why does it run like a rabid dog?"

Xu Qianqian wiped the sweat from her forehead.

Fortunately, the domain did not consume much, and she could summon creatures to block it. Otherwise, she would probably have had to fly into the sky and kite it.

The trees along the way were knocked down one after another by the Scale-Armored Beast, while the ground echoed with the thunderous crashes of heavy objects falling.

Before long, Xu Qianqian arrived in the Earth Bear's territory.

She did not show herself before the Earth Bear. Instead, she sent a wind blade from afar crashing into the Earth Bear's forehead.

Then, she flew straight upward at a ninety-degree angle, using Thousand Winds and Bedrock to conceal her aura and form.

"Roar! Roar! Roar!"

The Earth Bear, whose "hair had been blown" by the wind blade, let out an enraged roar. Turning around and seeing the Scale-Armored Beast charging toward it, it immediately flew into a rage.

Ten-thousand-year soul beasts had their own territories and normally did not interfere with one another.

But today—

This damned Scale-Armored Beast actually dared to attack it, and it was running so arrogantly.

"Roar! Roar! Roar!"

The Earth Bear rose directly from its prone position. Waves of blue light erupted from its body, followed by a faint tremor in the ground.

Boom!

Unable to brake in time, the Scale-Armored Beast was crushed to the ground by the gravity domain. It took a while to struggle back to its feet. Though it had originally intended to explain itself, it no longer had any intention of doing so.

The Scale-Armored Beast leaped up with all its might, using its own defenses to resist the gravity. Then it dove down and rammed into the Earth Bear.

Bang!

The Earth Bear was forced back more than ten meters. Catching the charging Scale-Armored Beast with both hands, it let out a pained cry.

But the Scale-Armored Beast's second attack completely shattered the Earth Bear's reason. It tensed its entire body, and its fur stood on end.

Rumble!

The Earth Bear viciously slammed the Scale-Armored Beast into the ground, sending tremors through the surrounding earth.

The Scale-Armored Beast had thick hide and tough flesh. This little damage meant nothing to it.

Its long tail swept toward the Earth Bear. Bang! The Earth Bear lost its footing and staggered to the ground.

Before the Earth Bear could hit the ground, the Scale-Armored Beast began spinning rapidly and rammed into it again, sending the Earth Bear flying more than ten meters away.

The Earth Bear climbed up from the ground, while the Scale-Armored Beast let out a series of "woofing" sounds.

After confronting each other for a moment, both beasts launched their attacks at the same time.

The Earth Bear's palm struck the Scale-Armored Beast's body, while the Scale-Armored Beast's tail stabbed toward the Earth Bear's shoulder.

For a time, the two soul beasts over ten thousand years old fought in a deadlock.

High in the air, Xu Qianqian, the instigator behind it all, quietly observed everything before her.

"Sure enough, soul beasts with brute strength aren't very smart."

Strong limbs, simple minds?

"Mm, it'd be best if they both get badly hurt so I can finish them off," Xu Qianqian muttered.

Thinking back, it had been very dangerous just now. If she had been hit even once, she might not have been able to get back up.

Both were rock-element soul beasts. If she completely "recorded" them, her second soul ring should be able to reach over ten thousand years.

As time passed, the battle between the two soul beasts neared its end.

The Scale-Armored Beast's scales fell off one by one, and its body was covered in filthy blood.

The Earth Bear's body had also been pierced through by the Scale-Armored Beast's tail several times, leaving multiple gaping holes as blood poured out nonstop.

Both soul beasts were panting heavily, but neither was willing to stop.

The Earth Bear seized an opportunity. At the instant the Scale-Armored Beast attacked, it grabbed the other's tail.

Under the influence of gravity, it rapidly used the beast's body to pound the ground.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

After being slammed repeatedly into the ground, the Scale-Armored Beast's head buzzed. Another punch landed on its abdomen, and it nearly vomited up its internal organs.

But the Scale-Armored Beast was no pushover either. The moment the Earth Bear grabbed it and lifted it up, it opened its sharp jaws, exerted force, and charged forward!

It bit down on the Earth Bear's neck.

"Roarrr!"

The Earth Bear let out a miserable scream. Bright red blood dyed the Scale-Armored Beast's body crimson, and the Earth Bear's aura rapidly weakened.

"Now!"

Xu Qianqian revealed herself. Knowing that the Scale-Armored Beast's weak point was inside its mouth, she knew she could injure its body from within through there.

A wind blade several times stronger than before came flying from behind the Earth Bear.

Sshh—

The wind blade shot directly into the Scale-Armored Beast's body through its mouth, shredding its internal organs.

At the same time, the Earth Bear's neck was largely severed by the attack, and blood dyed the black fur on its body red.

The Earth Bear's aura was weak, but the sudden sneak attack restored a sliver of its rationality.

It grabbed the already dead Scale-Armored Beast and hurled it toward Xu Qianqian.

It flew so fast that it nearly created a sonic boom through the air.

"Oh no!"

Xu Qianqian's expression changed drastically. With a ten-thousand-year soul beast hurtling at her, did she still have any chance of surviving?

Just then, Xu Qianqian's purple second soul ring began to change, turning pitch-black in an instant.

"New skill, new skill—hurry up and block it for me!"

Xu Qianqian's second soul ring lit up.

An aura of rock element formed a barrier-like shield around her.

BOOM! The thunderous roar was deafening, resounding across the entire sky.