Li Zha withdrew his Fire-Tipped Spear and hid behind a tree.
Up ahead,
a Man Faced Demon Spider and a White Tiger were locked in a fierce battle.
"Looks like that Mandala Snake deliberately ran this way. It wanted to use the chaos of their fight to hold me up."
Realization dawned on Li Zha.
Unfortunately, its plan was good, but its strength fell short.
Before it could reach this place, Li Zha had killed it with a single thrust.
Li Zha observed them for a moment. "The Man Faced Demon Spider has around two thousand years of cultivation. The other one, a light-attribute White Tiger, has slightly less, but its racial bloodline is clearly stronger. It isn't even losing ground."
"I'll have to wait a little longer."
Against a two-thousand-year Soul Beast-and a Man Faced Demon Spider at that-Li Zha knew he was no match.
He would have to wait until they had worn each other down a little more.
Having made his decision, Li Zha activated [Lotus Body] and began absorbing Soul Power to recover his strength.
Outside,
Leng Yaozhu nodded. "Good. He has fierce courage, but a clever mind as well."
Leng Yaozhu grew increasingly pleased.
She had originally worried that Li Zha would abandon his intelligence because of his tremendous strength. Now, it seemed her Zha'er had not become so full of himself that he thought he could take on two thousand-year Soul Beasts alone.
Bai Zhicen pouted.
"What kind of luck does little Li Zha have? Thousand-year Soul Beasts aren't exactly common on the Primary Spirit Ascension Platform, yet he's run into three at once."
Bai Haoze agreed. "It is a little strange. Maybe it's just a coincidence."
Just then,
Leng Yaozhu suddenly noticed that the Soul Power Li Zha had expended was recovering.
"This is..."
Leng Yaozhu watched closely and finally realized that the Lotus Body concealed within space was absorbing the surrounding Soul Power to replenish Li Zha's main body.
And throughout this process,
Li Zha's main body could actually move without being affected!
"This Martial Soul can be used like that?"
Leng Yaozhu lightly tapped her fingertips together. Once again, the power of the Transcendent Self Martial Soul reshaped this Limit Douluo's understanding.
Just imagine:
Li Zha essentially had an automatically recharging Milk Bottle. Calling this infernal Martial Soul overpowered did not even begin to cover it.
About half an hour later,
Li Zha moved.
The battle between the two beasts was gradually reaching its conclusion. The Man Faced Demon Spider had the edge in cultivation, after all. As the fight dragged on, the Radiant White Tiger's injuries worsened, and it was already thinking of retreating.
Just as the Radiant White Tiger exchanged a head-on blow with the Man Faced Demon Spider and prepared to flee,
Li Zha shot forward.
[Hundred Slashes Across the Prairie] activated instantly. The three white-flaming tips of his Fire-Tipped Spear merged into one, and Li Zha hurled it!
Whoosh!
Every hair on the Man Faced Demon Spider's body stood on end as it sensed danger. It hurriedly twisted its swollen abdomen, trying to shift its body out of the way.
But Li Zha's timing was perfect: he struck at the very instant the two beasts finished their head-on clash.
The Man Faced Demon Spider barely managed to protect its vital parts before the Fire-Tipped Spear pierced its enormous abdomen!
"Roar!"
The Man Faced Demon Spider let out a shrill howl, opened its mouth, and spat a web coated in thick, dark-green venom toward Li Zha behind it.
This was the Man Faced Demon Spider's innate skill, nearly instantaneous and incredibly fast.
The web spread open in an instant, enveloping the space around Li Zha. Its coverage was actually twice what he had expected, leaving him nowhere to dodge.
At that critical moment,
Li Zha steeled himself. White fire covered his entire body, and instead of retreating, he charged!
"You think I'll shy away from your edge?!"
White fire blazed all over Li Zha, turning him into a man of flame as he rushed toward the web.
The instant they met, the white Samadhi True Fire burned straight through the web.
Even the venom was incinerated by the white flames.
Li Zha burst through the web almost without resistance.
With a thought, he dispersed the white fire covering his body.
In an instant, Li Zha reached the Man Faced Demon Spider, grabbed the butt of his Fire-Tipped Spear, and churned it violently!
"Roar!"
The Man Faced Demon Spider screamed miserably again. It was utterly bewildered, twisting its body in a blind attempt to flee.
"Holy freaking beans..."
Outside, Da Bai's and Xiao Bai's mouths twitched as they watched.
A One-Ring Soul Master taking a thousand-year Man Faced Demon Spider's innate skill head-on was no different from seeing a ghost.
"Samadhi True Fire can burn all forms of energy, so it naturally counters poison.
"But... overcoming his fear of deadly venom in an instant... it seems Zha'er has a strong killing instinct."
Leng Yaozhu's gaze grew somewhat grave.
As a knowledgeable and experienced Limit Douluo, Leng Yaozhu knew that someone ruthless enough toward himself would only be more ruthless toward his enemies.
Li Zha had clearly risked charging forward to seize a fleeting opening.
No wonder the Man Faced Demon Spider had been stunned.
That was a completely reckless way to fight.
"Opportunities on the battlefield change in the blink of an eye. Having different Soul Spirits work together is nowhere near as effective as using just one..."
The words Li Zha had spoken when choosing his Soul Spirit echoed in Leng Yaozhu's mind.
"Zha'er's Martial Soul, and the mentality behind his choice of Soul Spirit... both were born for killing."
"Ah..."
Leng Yaozhu sighed.
She knew that the massacre of his entire village a year ago had shaped Li Zha's current personality.
Li Zha had none of the curiosity and innocence other young Soul Masters showed when embarking on a new path. Instead, he seemed like a killing machine beginning to awaken, pushing his body to its limits in every battle.
Inside,
Li Zha churned the Fire-Tipped Spear wildly inside the Man Faced Demon Spider.
The inside of its human-faced abdomen immediately suffered devastating damage.
The bloodthirsty Man Faced Demon Spider fled in panic.
Yet the more it tried to run,
the more excited Li Zha became!
"Let's fight to our hearts' content!"
Li Zha unleashed his Samadhi True Fire at full power. White flames instantly engulfed the Man Faced Demon Spider, and terrifying waves of heat began madly devouring its life.
Nearby,
the rare Radiant White Tiger stared at the scene, dumbfounded.
But it soon realized that Li Zha was only a One-Ring Soul Master.
Moreover, as he suppressed the Man Faced Demon Spider's struggles, Li Zha's aura was rapidly weakening.
What a chance!
"Roar!"
The Radiant White Tiger immediately abandoned the idea of fleeing. Those damned human Soul Masters had trapped them inside this Spirit Pagoda, where they could neither truly die nor live well.
Now that a human Soul Master stood before it,
the Radiant White Tiger instantly set aside its petty grudge against the Man Faced Demon Spider and charged at Li Zha, embodying the great love of Soul Beasts united against a common enemy.
If Li Zha had any strength to spare right then, he would certainly have praised it:
This Radiant White Tiger was better suited to being the Lord of Soul Beast than that Lust Dragon Fish!
Just as the Radiant White Tiger prepared to attack while Li Zha had his hands full,
"Master! I'll help you!"
The Crimson Flame Dragon Spirit, which had been waiting for ages, immediately rushed out. It could not possibly pass up such a good chance to prove itself, and spat out a blast of dragonfire!
"Roar!"
Although this blast from the Blazing Dragon Spirit was not Samadhi True Fire, dragon Soul Spirits naturally suppressed Soul Beasts of other races.
The Radiant White Tiger was immediately stopped.
"Roar!"
If the Radiant White Tiger could speak, it would certainly have cursed the traitor. A member of the noble Dragon Race, siding with humans!
The Blazing Dragon Spirit merely puffed out its chest proudly in mockery.
What the hell did this stupid tiger know?
Damn it, the instant I saw Li Zha's manifestation, the Blazing Dragon Spirit felt like it was facing the might of heaven itself.
Although it did not know why,
the Blazing Dragon Spirit had a premonition that once Li Zha grew strong, even the legendary Dragon God might not be his match!
Therefore,
while its master was still weak, it had to earn its merits by supporting his rise. Otherwise, it would be too late!
With that thought,
the Blazing Dragon Spirit pounced straight onto the Radiant White Tiger, staging a clash of dragon and tiger. For a time, they actually fought on equal footing.
A few minutes later,
the Man Faced Demon Spider turned into Soul Power and was absorbed by Li Zha. Carrying his Fire-Tipped Spear, Li Zha joined the battle between dragon and tiger, and the outcome instantly ceased to be in doubt.
The Radiant White Tiger was weaker than the Man Faced Demon Spider to begin with, not to mention that their earlier fight had nearly exhausted them both.
In the end,
it, too, became fuel for increasing the age of Li Zha's Soul Ring.
"Cough, cough... that felt good!"
Beneath Li Zha's feet, his sole purple Soul Ring had grown even deeper in color.
It had actually broken through from over four thousand years to five thousand!
Retracting his Fire-Tipped Spear,
Li Zha lay on the ground, gasping for breath.
Level fourteen Soul Power was still too weak. Even against a badly wounded thousand-year Man Faced Demon Spider, he had nearly capsized.
But after killing those two Soul Beasts,
an intense sense of pleasure welled up in Li Zha's heart!
"Looks like I'd better leave. In my current state, even a hundred-year Wind Baboon could probably send me packing for good."
Li Zha caught his breath, then pressed his emergency rescue device and left the Spirit Ascension Platform.
The moment he emerged,
Leng Yaozhu hurriedly scooped him into her arms.
Leng Yaozhu quickly transferred Soul Power into Li Zha, her voice filled with concern.
"Are you all right?"
"Teacher, I'm fine."
"Don't push yourself so hard next time. I only wanted you to fight a little so I could assess your style, but you went and risked your life."
"I understand, Teacher. I won't do it again."
Li Zha nodded.
Hehe, I'll do it again next time!
At that moment, Da Bai could not help commenting:
"Little Li Zha, what's going on with you? Running into thousand-year Soul Beasts one after another-your luck is just too rotten."
"Big Sister Da Bai, I dunno either."
Li Zha strategically scratched his head and acted cute.
Just then,
the Blazing Dragon Spirit inside him spoke. "Master, I'm afraid this has something to do with me."
"We of the Dragon Race are the Lord of Soul Beast. We naturally possess a constitution that attracts Soul Beasts. Dragons in particular are drawn to one another."
"This is the destiny the Dragon Race is born with."
The Blazing Dragon Spirit's voice was sorrowful and solemn.
"I call it Blood Sorrow."
Li Zha froze.
Wait, seriously, dude?
Now we've even got Blood Sorrow?!
Before you continue