Nether Demon Wolf, Cat-Eared Girl

Xu Peinian knew Qian Jun Douluo was not the kind of person who liked to joke around. He must have found something good, so he immediately asked:

"Teacher, what did you find?"

"A Nether Demon Wolf close to five hundred years old."

"A Nether Demon Wolf?!"

Xu Peinian's heart jolted. It seemed he had truly gotten lucky this time.

Though the Nether Demon Wolf differed from the low-level soul beast, the Nether Wolf, by only one word, the gap between them was as vast as heaven and earth.

Low-level soul beasts like Nether Wolves, which were usually only around a hundred years old, simply dared not appear in the mixed zone of Star Dou Forest.

The Nether Demon Wolf was a one-in-ten-thousand mutation among Nether Wolves. Cold-blooded and bloodthirsty by nature, it differed from ordinary wolf-type soul beasts in that it was not a pack creature. Even in its youth, it would slaughter its entire pack and preferred living alone.

The only reason this Nether Demon Wolf lived in the mixed zone was because it was still too young, not yet five hundred years old. Otherwise, it could have claimed a place deep within Star Dou Forest.

Most importantly, it was practically a perfect match for the Netherworld Blade martial soul. Nothing could be more suitable as his first soul ring.

"Then I'll have to trouble Teacher and Grandpa Jiang Mo."

"No problem."

"Leave it to me."

The two consecrated elders pounded their chests with resounding confidence. Qian Jun Douluo then headed straight for the Nether Demon Wolf's hiding place, while Jiang Mo Douluo stayed beside Xu Peinian to protect him.

A level ninety-six peak attack-type Douluo dealing with a five-hundred-year Nether Demon Wolf—even if its bloodline was exceptional—was like an old man toying with a child.

Qian Jun Douluo quickly beat the Nether Demon Wolf half to death and dragged it back.

"Xiao Nian, what do you think of the soul beast your teacher caught for you? Isn't it much better than that useless Yu Xiaogang from before?"

"What Yu Xiaogang?"

Jiang Mo Douluo asked with a baffled expression.

"Our Pope's former lover. Not long ago, he hunted a twenty-year-old Slug for his newly accepted disciple's first soul ring and even poked his own anus open."

"Pfft, seriously? It's one thing for Yu Xiaogang to be useless, but does his disciple have brain damage too?"

Jiang Mo Douluo could not hold back his laughter. Such an absurd master-disciple pair was truly unheard of.

Tang San, far away at Notting Academy: First of all, I didn't provoke anyone.

Purple Anus: I ***.

Xu Peinian stared at the dying Nether Demon Wolf lying on the ground, feeling an inexplicable sense of familiarity.

Suddenly, inspiration struck Xu Peinian, and he remembered why it looked familiar despite never having seen it before.

Wasn't this just a heavily modified Pro version of a husky?

Aside from being several times larger than a husky and having glossy black fur, it looked fairly similar to the husky his family had kept in his previous life.

The only obvious difference between it and a husky was its eyes. As everyone knew, a husky's eyes held a clear sort of stupidity, but even while on the verge of death, this Nether Demon Wolf's eyes remained full of savage ferocity.

"Xiao Nian, why are you standing there? Don't tell me you've never killed anything before and you're scared?"

Qian Jun Douluo's call pulled Xu Peinian from his thoughts.

Taking a deep breath, Xu Peinian raised the Netherworld Blade in his hand and slowly plunged it into the Nether Demon Wolf's head.

At first, the Nether Demon Wolf struggled desperately. As the blade sank deeper, its struggles gradually weakened. Finally, it gave a slight twitch and stopped moving completely.

Xu Peinian gave it a few more stabs to prevent it from playing dead and counterattacking. Only after a dark yellow soul ring rose from the demon wolf's corpse did he withdraw his blade and stand upright.

Suppressing the nausea rising in his heart, Xu Peinian sat down cross-legged according to procedure. He then mobilized the Soul Power within his body, drawing the Nether Demon Wolf's soul ring over to begin absorbing it.

The two consecrated elders stood nearby, splitting their attention in two. One part remained alert to their surroundings, while the other focused on Xu Peinian, watching his condition at all times.

This was Xu Peinian's first time truly absorbing a soul ring on his own. Even though he had made ample preparations, he still proceeded cautiously and gradually, not daring to relax in the slightest.

Even so, the fierce, surging energy, carrying the Nether Demon Wolf's resentment before death, battered Xu Peinian until his brows knitted tightly. He had no choice but to grit his teeth and endure it.

This was where the effects of Whale Rubber became apparent. Without it strengthening his body, he would have long been unable to withstand the energy's impact and would have exploded to death.

Just as the energy fluctuations gradually calmed and Xu Peinian believed everything was going smoothly,

Suddenly,

A change occurred.

A cold aura wrapped in immense energy abruptly struck, crashing wildly through Xu Peinian's meridians as though it were the Nether Demon Wolf's lingering will launching one final desperate counterattack.

Xu Peinian was caught completely off guard. Just as his meridians were about to be destroyed and the absorption was about to fail, the Qili Belt around his waist suddenly flashed, and Paddi the Lazy Goat's equally dark yellow soul ring rose up.

The surging energy suddenly veered as if drunk, leaking out of Xu Peinian's body through a branching meridian.

Everything returned to calm.

A mere Nether Demon Wolf, successfully refined!

Xu Peinian opened his eyes and exhaled a breath of turbid air, a trace of delight spreading across his brow.

Recalling the perilous moment just now, Xu Peinian could not help but break out in a cold sweat. Fortunately, Paddi the Lazy Goat's passive ability had activated, allowing him to escape danger safely.

The Emperor Luck Constitution truly lived up to its reputation. It was indeed an indispensable divine skill for a protagonist exploring secret realms, fighting monsters, and leveling up.

"Xiao Nian, are you all right?"

Qian Jun Douluo had witnessed everything just now. If the Qili Belt had activated even a second later, he would have forcibly interrupted Xu Peinian's absorption process to save his disciple's life.

Soul rings were good, but life was more important.

"I'm fine, Teacher. I've successfully absorbed the Nether Demon Wolf's soul ring..."

"Roar—!"

His voice trailed off, but a beast's furious roar suddenly rang out several miles away.

Xu Peinian and the others were immediately drawn to it and looked toward where the sound had come from.

Elsewhere.

Sunlight could not penetrate the dense forest, casting only mottled shadows. A figure could vaguely be seen darting through the trees.

From her outline, she appeared to be a voluptuous adult woman carrying a delicate little girl in her arms.

Her body was nearly a blur, moving so quickly that it seemed something terrifying was chasing them from behind.

"ROAR!!!"

A roar that nearly shattered their eardrums rang out behind them. Trees extending from the rear toppled one after another to either side, as though some enormous beast were crushing through them.

Though massive in size, it was not slow at all.

The distance between them kept shrinking.

"Damn it, who made such a huge disturbance earlier and startled this thirty-thousand-year Mountain-Splitting Kui Ox? The key is that it won't stop chasing us!"

The voluptuous young woman possessed only the strength of a Soul King. She had merely brought the little girl in her arms here to hunt her first soul ring, yet she had unfortunately run into this situation.

Even in such danger, the little girl did not cry or scream. Her bright eyes still held a coldness and calmness far beyond her age.

"Moo!"

Hearing the snort practically at their heels, the beautiful, plump woman immediately veered left.

But she was ultimately one step too slow. The air current kicked up by the Mountain-Splitting Kui Ox's charge sent her flying, and the Soul King woman immediately collapsed onto the ground and fell unconscious.

The little girl in her arms rolled away as well, only stopping after crashing into a massive tree.

The terrified Mountain-Splitting Kui Ox gave them no chance to recover. It immediately changed direction and charged again.

This time, the direction of its charge was aimed straight at the tree where the cold-looking girl lay.

Its hooves struck the ground, and the sensation of the earth shaking grew ever stronger.

The little girl's entire body ached, and she no longer had time to get up and flee. She could only close her eyes and wait quietly for death to arrive.

Faced with death, she could no longer remain calm. Her tiny hands clenched into fists, and her body trembled slightly. She even involuntarily summoned her martial soul.

A pair of cat ears drooped atop her head, while a small tail curled behind her, all of it revealing the fear in the girl's heart.

Am I going to die? To die like this... I'm not willing.

She had yet to escape her family's control, and she had yet to personally avenge herself against her sister, Zhu Zhuyun, for the assassination attempt.

Her life had clearly only just begun. Fate, why were you so unfair?

Fear and unwillingness tangled in her heart, but death already seemed inevitable...