Sacrifice

Bang!!

The tremendous impact

instantly cracked the stone surface with several fissures!

Crash!

The male wolf's head split open, spraying blood everywhere.

Then it fell to the ground, its body twitching twice.

Its already faint life force began dissipating rapidly.

"Has it gone mad?!" Hu Liena covered her mouth. "Why would it kill itself?"

Gui Mei did not understand immediately either.

"If it wants us to avenge it, it should at least preserve its own life."

"Even if it dies here, we have no reason to act on its behalf.

Has it become so desperate that it believes its death will make soul masters avenge it...?"

Rustle...

The sound of the male wolf rubbing its head against the ground.

It struggled to raise its head.

Blood continued pouring from its nose and mouth.

It looked toward where the three of them were hiding and let out several more low whines.

"Whine..."

The sound grew weaker and weaker.

It turned to look at the Crimson Flame Heavy-Armored Beast, squeezing out a low growl from its throat.

Then it looked once more at Li Zha's right hand.

Li Zha fell silent.

An answer surfaced in his mind.

But that answer was far too absurd.

Even he was shaken to the core.

Yet everything the male wolf had done pointed toward that very answer.

At last, he slowly uttered two words. "...Sacrifice."

"What?!"

Gui Mei abruptly turned his head.

Hu Liena also wondered whether she had misheard.

"Sacrifice?"

"Impossible!"

Gui Mei immediately denied it.

"Only Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts possess the ability to sacrifice themselves!"

"During a sacrifice, a soul beast gives up its cultivation and life, willingly offering its soul ring to its chosen soul master,

without causing the immense soul ring backlash!"

"This Red-Mane Explosive-Flame Wolf is only a little over ten thousand years old. It simply cannot do that! Besides, a sacrifice does not work like this!"

Naturally, he knew this very well, because he had once witnessed a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast sacrifice itself.

It had been a transformed Hundred-Thousand-Year Blue Silver Emperor soul beast.

Li Zha continued looking at the male wolf without refuting Gui Mei's view.

"It truly does not know the sacrificial method of a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast."

"So it chose the stupidest method."

Gui Mei froze for a moment before suddenly turning toward the male wolf.

He had guessed the answer as well!

But it was simply too inconceivable!

At this moment, Li Zha continued.

"It smashed its own head to lose its ability to resist."

"Now that it only has its last breath left, I can be one hundred percent certain that it has no other intentions."

"As long as I kill it, its soul ring will belong to me."

Once Hu Liena understood, her expression changed again and again.

"It wants to become your soul ring? Then have you avenge it?"

"Most likely."

Li Zha raised his right hand.

The red light in his palm grew increasingly intense.

"The Red-Mane Explosive-Flame Wolf is also a fire-attributed soul beast. It sensed the Flaming-tipped Spear."

"Perhaps because Senior Gui concealed his aura, it never imagined that I was only a Soul Scholar."

The male wolf watched the bright flame in his eyes.

Though it was very faint,

it could sense the holiness within it.

Perhaps... perhaps the owner of this flame could avenge her.

To show its sincerity, it used the last of its strength to slowly press its head against the ground.

It looked like it was offering itself up to be taken.

At this moment, the Crimson Flame Heavy-Armored Beast cast a puzzled look toward the male wolf.

It could not understand why this male wolf was acting so...

"Roar?!"

Just then, its pupils suddenly narrowed!

It locked onto Li Zha from afar!

That blazing palm!

Though it could see nothing over there,

the male wolf's strange actions, coupled with that bizarre fire-attributed energy,

made it completely certain that

there was something unusual beside that shattered boulder!

It immediately began moving its massive body, cautiously advancing toward the male wolf.

"This is bad. It seems the male wolf's actions have made it notice something abnormal."

Gui Mei frowned slightly.

Hu Liena hurriedly stepped in front of Li Zha.

"Even if it is willing, you cannot absorb it!"

"It has between thirteen thousand and fifteen thousand years of cultivation!"

"Grandpa Gui said before that its resentment would raise the soul ring's pressure to thirty thousand years!"

Gui Mei replied gravely as well, "Even with this method of sacrifice, even if it is willing,

you will still have to endure the backlash of a fifteen-thousand-year soul ring."

"Li Zha, do not act rashly."

Li Zha looked at the male wolf.

Its anger had never been directed at him.

From the moment it approached to the moment it rammed the boulder, it had shown no intent to attack.

Its hatred for the Crimson Flame Heavy-Armored Beast had indeed reached the utmost extreme.

It was even willing to sacrifice itself this way for the slim hope of revenge.

Looking at the male wolf, whose flame of life was about to be extinguished completely,

Li Zha stood up. "There is not much time left. If this continues, then everything it did... will have been for nothing."

Boom!

He extended his right hand.

The Flaming-tipped Spear instantly condensed in an explosive blaze of ultimate fire!

Hu Liena's pupils contracted. She hurriedly rose as well and took half a step after him.

"Li Zha, what are you doing?!"

Li Zha did not turn back. He gazed calmly at the male wolf.

"It is about to die."

"If it dies naturally, its soul ring will not belong to me."

Gui Mei immediately guessed his intentions.

"Are you really going to accept its soul ring?"

"The Red-Mane Explosive-Flame Wolf is not among your three targets!"

"Before this, you did not even choose that nine-thousand-year Lava Horn Lizard, the one closest to ten thousand years!"

Li Zha did not turn around as he walked forward with his spear.

"Senior Gui, Nana, you should both be able to tell that I, Li Zha, have always done as I please."

As he spoke, he continued walking forward.

"I dared to choose a ten-thousand-year soul ring no one before had dared to choose,

not because of ambition or anything else, but simply because I wanted to.

And now, this Red-Mane Explosive-Flame Wolf has sacrificed itself in death and placed its hopes in me.

With this scene before me, there is no doubt that I am angry.

Senior Gui, Nana, Li Zha is about to cause you trouble again."

"Do not say such things. Since you have made up your mind, then do as you wish.

Though I, Gui Mei, am nearing a hundred years old, that does not mean I never had a burning heart."

"It is merely a forty-thousand-year Crimson Flame Heavy-Armored Beast. Within the time it takes to burn an incense stick, I can crush it to death."

Gui Mei placed one hand behind his back.

Hu Liena clenched her teeth as well.

"Li Zha... you must succeed!

I will not allow you to fail! You have not called me big sister yet...!"

"Mm."

Li Zha carried his spear out of the range of the black mist concealing Gui Mei's aura.

The instant the concealment around him vanished—

the Crimson Flame Heavy-Armored Beast immediately turned its head!

Its enormous eyes locked directly onto Li Zha!

"Roar—!"

The sudden appearance of a human filled it with rage!

An ant had been watching its feast of slaughter all along!

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Its four thick feet smashed forcefully into the ground.

"Li Zha!"

Gui Mei still felt his heart jolt!

"Fifth Soul Skill: Night Parade of a Hundred Ghosts!"

He immediately activated his Soul Power!

Black mist rose from his body!

No soul rings appeared!

Gui Mei's fighting style was highly unusual!

Unless he deliberately revealed them himself, he could use soul skills without his soul rings appearing!

Boom boom—!

Centered on him, a vast domain of black mist spread outward!

Last time, it had only covered around sixty meters.

This time, it reached a full hundred meters!

Countless ghostly shadows emerged from the black mist domain, darting back and forth before the Crimson Flame Heavy-Armored Beast.

They completely obstructed its vision.

"Roar!!"

The Crimson Flame Heavy-Armored Beast furiously flung its body about!

Its immense size and weight made the ground quake again and again!

Meanwhile, Li Zha arrived before the male wolf with his spear.

As if sensing something, the male wolf struggled to open its eyes and look at the human before it.

It wanted to see Li Zha's face clearly, but its hazy consciousness no longer allowed it.

Li Zha: "..."

He said nothing. After drawing half a breath,

he raised the Flaming-tipped Spear high.

His five fingers suddenly clenched.

Squelch—!

The Flaming-tipped Spear pierced the Red-Mane Explosive-Flame Wolf's throat.

In an instant, a great deal of blood sprayed out.

Much of it splashed directly onto Li Zha's face, as he was closest.

The Red-Mane Explosive-Flame Wolf's blood carried fire-attribute Soul Power and was extremely hot.

Where the hot blood struck Li Zha's face, his skin was rapidly burned!

The bright red wounds seared as wisps of white smoke rose from them.

He did not retreat in the slightest, nor did the wounds on his face change his expression.

At the same time, his second martial soul, the body martial soul Undying Lotus Root,

immediately began repairing every wound.

At that moment, the male wolf's heart completely stopped beating.

A soul ring as black as ink, carrying faint crimson blood energy, rose up.

"I accept your sacrifice."

Li Zha held the Flaming-tipped Spear.

A crimson tassel moved without wind.

It swayed rapidly.