"Stop! Don't run! Second Miss, just accept your fate!"
Several vicious shouts came from afar, accompanied by a jumble of footsteps.
The rabbit ears atop Xiao Wu's head twitched gently as she looked toward the source of the voices.
She turned to Chen Yang beside her and whispered, "Brother, it sounds like there are people up ahead. Should we go take a look?"
Chen Yang closed his eyes and used his third Soul Skill, sharing Ah Yin's skills.
"Blue Silver Domain!"
A pale blue domain spread outward. All the Blue Silver Grass in the forest became his eyes and ears, relaying information to him.
Through the vision transmitted by the Blue Silver Grass, Chen Yang clearly saw a girl in black leather being pursued by a group of Soul Masters deep in the woods.
The pursuers attacked viciously, unleashing one Soul Skill after another, yet their aim was strangely poor. Every attack skimmed past the girl's body, and not a single one landed.
A pair of sensitive black cat ears stood atop the girl's head, and a slender cat tail trailed behind her. Those unmistakable features belonged to none other than Zhu Zhuqing.
Her particularly distinctive figure made her identity obvious at a glance.
"Let's go help."
Chen Yang spoke calmly. Holding Xiao Wu securely with one arm, he pushed off, his figure teleporting rapidly from branch to branch as he headed straight toward them.
(Wait for me!)
Seeing the two disappear, Ah Yin waved her vines anxiously, used Dig to burrow into the ground, and followed them.
In the dense forest ahead, Zhu Zhuqing gritted her teeth as she darted and twisted between the trees, dodging her pursuers' attacks.
Damn it...
Most of her Soul Power was spent, and she was almost running on empty. After fleeing nonstop, her physical strength was also close to giving out.
Was this where I would fall today...?
I refused to accept that!
Just as utter despair rose in Zhu Zhuqing's heart, a clear, steady male voice suddenly rang out above the dense forest.
"Entanglement! Sleep Powder!"
The instant the words fell, the ground shook violently!
Countless thick, tough blue-and-gold vines burst from the earth, shooting outward with incredible speed.
The pursuers' piercing screams followed one after another.
Zhu Zhuqing stopped and looked back.
The Soul Masters pursuing her were tightly bound by a mass of blue-and-gold vines, forming an enormous cocoon.
The vines kept scattering green powder. The screams and struggling quickly faded, leaving only a few exposed leaves swaying in the wind.
Her eyes went blank. Several Soul Ancestors and a Soul Emperor had been dealt with just like that?
"Hey, snap out of it."
Zhu Zhuqing looked up toward the voice and saw a handsome, rugged-looking man and a lively, adorable girl standing in a tree, watching her.
She hurriedly bowed.
"Thank you for saving my life, senior! I, Zhu Zhuqing, will never forget your kindness!"
The corner of Chen Yang's mouth twitched. He leaped down in front of Zhu Zhuqing and reached out to help her up.
"No need to be so formal. I'm only twelve this year. I hardly qualify as a senior."
"Twelve? How is that possible!"
Zhu Zhuqing's eyes filled with shock. To easily suppress a Soul Emperor and several Soul Ancestors at twelve, his cultivation had to be at least that of a Soul Saint.
A twelve-year-old Soul Saint?!
Xiao Wu teleported beside Zhu Zhuqing, casually draped an arm over her shoulders, and bragged in a thoroughly smug tone.
"My brother is a one-in-ten-thousand genius. And me, too! I'm only twelve, but I've already reached over level sixty."
Zhu Zhuqing normally disliked being touched, but at that moment she felt no aversion whatsoever. Instead, she was extraordinarily excited!
Her breathing quickened as she stared at Xiao Wu and Chen Yang with an intensely aggressive gaze.
One could be a monstrous genius who appeared only once in ten thousand years, but two appearing together meant they definitely had a special cultivation method!
If she could become his disciple, perhaps she could break free of her fate through her own strength!
"Senior! My name is Zhu Zhuqing, and I come from the Zhu Family of the Star Luo Empire. My Martial Soul is the Hell Spirit Cat, and my current Soul Power is level twenty-seven.
Please take me as your disciple! I'm not afraid of hardship. As long as I can gain strength, I'll do anything!"
Zhu Zhuqing bent deeply at the waist and gave a respectful bow.
"Huh??"
Seriously, who asked to become someone's disciple the first time they met? Weren't they supposed to get acquainted first and take things step by step?
Xiao Wu was bewildered and looked at Chen Yang, at a loss.
"Brother, what do we do?"
"..."
Chen Yang also fell silent. He had only stepped out to show off his strength, hoping to impress the little kitty and then raise her affection for him.
After all, even without his intervention, she could have escaped with those pursuers deliberately holding back.
But how had this turned into taking a disciple?
Hmm... Still, master and disciple sounded pretty good, too~
First a sibling buff, then a master-disciple buff~
No, I couldn't rush things.
"Are you sure? Becoming my disciple isn't that simple. You'll be bound to us, and you must never betray us."
Zhu Zhuqing's mind raced, but when she thought of the reports describing Dai Mubai's life of drinking and debauchery, she gritted her teeth and nodded firmly.
"I'm willing! If I ever betray you, Master, you may purge me from your disciples."
"All right. Remember what you said."
Chen Yang summoned the Master Ball and lightly tapped Zhu Zhuqing's forehead with it.
"Whoosh~"
[Dun-dun-dun~ Successfully contracted a Humanoid Pokémon!] [Species: Hell Spirit Cat / Human??? Type: Dark, Ghost Level: 27 (1512/1997) Talent: Above average Skills: Hell Stab, Netherworld Hundred Claws. Ability: Keen Eye (increases the chance of attacks hitting an enemy's weak points) Nature 1: Tenacious (resistance increased by 10%) Nature 2: Hardworking (experience gained increased by 0.2%)]
Chen Yang frowned at Zhu Zhuqing's above-average talent.
As expected, without an Immortal Herb to cleanse her meridians and marrow, Zhu Zhuqing was still a little weak. But that was fine. He wasn't picky.
Her talent problem would soon be solved.
"Ding! Congratulations to the host for taking Zhu Zhuqing as a disciple, snatching away one of the Son of Destiny's supporters, and plundering a large amount of destiny. Reward: Secret Technique Disc · Throat Chop (negates an opponent's healing moves, counters Soul Masters specializing in sustained combat) Reward: High-Grade Pokéblock · Special Defense recipe (permanently increases Special Defense by 3 points after use) Reward: Quick Claw (a Pokémon holding it is guaranteed to attack first)"
Chen Yang raised his hand and released Zhu Zhuqing.
She looked at her hands in confusion.
"Master, that place just now was so strange. It felt like my cultivation speed increased quite a bit."
"That's normal. It's my fifth Soul Skill, Soul Power Enhancement. As long as you're inside the Master Ball, your Soul Power will slowly increase," Chen Yang explained.
His fifth Pokémon had hatched from the egg he had received as a reward earlier.
It was Yveltal, a Dark- and Flying-type Pokémon, also known as the Y God, the Destruction Pokémon, and the Bird of Death.
He could attack enemies while absorbing an equal amount of life to heal himself. His core ability was plundering life energy.
He was the only Dark-type Pokémon among the First-Level Gods, undying and indestructible.
The fifth soul ring he had provided absorbed Soul Power from the outside world and stored it in the Master Ball, allowing the Pokémon inside to automatically gain experience.
It could truly be called an outrageously unfair skill.
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