"No!" Zhu Zhuqing blurted out, her voice much louder than she had expected.
She took a deep breath, nodded seriously at Yang Xing, then turned and walked toward the threshold.
She stepped forward.
Five ferocious figures emerged from beyond the threshold.
Two iron-gray giant wolves, a crimson Fire Lizard, a Jade-horned Rhinoceros with two horns, and an ink-black Shadow Leopard. The five Soul Beasts formed up in sequence, radiating pressure on the same level as Zhu Zhuqing.
"Hell Spirit Cat, Martial Soul Possession!"
Zhu Zhuqing gave a low shout as her Martial Soul Possession activated. Her cat ears stood erect, her claws extended, and two Soul Rings appeared beneath her feet. Her body instantly stretched into a black afterimage as she charged into the battlefield.
Her tactic was to keep moving. She used the Hell Spirit Cat's agility to weave continuously between the five Soul Beasts, searching for openings and retreating immediately after each strike.
Her repeated challenges over the past few days had not been in vain. Her reaction speed was at least twice as fast as when she had first entered, and she knew the attack patterns of all five Soul Beasts inside out.
Hell Stab cut in, her claws slashing across an Iron Wolf's flank and leaving behind a deep gash.
Netherworld Hundred Claws struck repeatedly at the Fire Lizard's vulnerable abdomen, its piercing effect driving Soul Power into its meridians.
The two Soul Beasts retreated in defeat one after another.
But when it came to the third one—
The Jade-horned Rhinoceros charged while the Shadow Leopard launched a sneak attack, trapping her between them. Zhu Zhuqing dodged the rhinoceros's ram, but she did not have time to evade the Shadow Leopard's claws stabbing out from the shadows.
Three bloody streaks were carved across her back, and