At that thought, a flicker of fervor flashed through Luo Chen's eyes. "One thousand seven hundred and eighty years old. No big deal. I'll choose this one!"
Just as he was about to use the formidable presence of the Netherworld Scorpion Emperor, a top-tier Soul Beast, to suppress it as he had when hunting the Nine Poison Scorpion,
another thought arose in his mind.
During his two years in Bluestone Village, Luo Chen had mostly done repetitive exercises, such as carrying rocks, running with weights, and practicing the Nine Poison Scorpion Hook Sword... He had never put them into actual combat. Now that a suitable opponent for honing himself stood before him, why couldn't he use it to test himself?
Second, Luo Chen wanted to challenge himself. He knew that only when people faced a life-or-death crisis could their bodies' potential be fully unlocked. That way, he could absorb this one-thousand-seven-hundred-and-eighty-year Soul Ring more safely.
With that thought, he smiled and jumped down from the tree. After circling the area, he found a boulder as large as a millstone.
"Mm, heavy enough." He hoisted the boulder with one hand, gauged its weight, and nodded in satisfaction. "This should be enough to knock the Netherworld Stinger Scorpion awake, right?"
Carrying the rock, Luo Chen quietly crept back near the dead tree where the Netherworld Stinger Scorpion slept, found an excellent position, and used his thumb to aim at its head.
"Targeting complete. Missile ready to launch!"
Luo Chen drew a deep breath, raised the boulder above his head, and hurled it at the Netherworld Stinger Scorpion's head.
"Off you go!"
"Bang...!"
The boulder struck the Netherworld Stinger Scorpion squarely on the head,
and knocked it awake.
It let out an enraged hiss, raised its enormous pincers, and gently touched its head. Feeling the intense, agonizing pain, it looked around in towering fury, raging flames burning in its little ghostly green eyes, determined to find the scoundrel who had ambushed it.
"Who?!"
It let out a low growl, its voice filled with fury.
"Who dared ambush this king?!"
Seeing that the Netherworld Stinger Scorpion had awakened, Luo Chen immediately jumped down from a large tree and landed steadily before it.
He grinned at the Netherworld Stinger Scorpion. "Big oaf, stop looking around. I'm the one who threw that rock at you."
At his words, the Netherworld Stinger Scorpion blinked its mung-bean-sized eyes.
"I was actually ambushed by a human cub!" Its voice was filled with disbelief. "If the other beasts find out, won't they laugh at me for the rest of my life?"
At that thought, its fury reached its peak, and the scorpion tail behind it immediately lashed toward Luo Chen!
"Die!"
The Netherworld Stinger Scorpion's tail thrust out like lightning, its venom-coated tip heading straight for Luo Chen's heart.
At the sight, Luo Chen shouted, "You dare! I'll capture you today!"
In a flash, the Netherworld Scorpion Emperor Martial Soul possessed his body. At the same time, its first Soul Skill-Scorpion Emperor Transformation-had activated.
Instantly, an icy presence erupted from his body. Dark green shell patterns rose over his skin, his hands turned into enormous pincers, and nine scorpion tails shot skyward from his sacrum.
Watching the scorpion tail hurtling toward him, Luo Chen's lips curled into an excited smile.
"Come on, Netherworld Stinger Scorpion."
"Let me see whether your speed or my strength is greater!"
Seeing Luo Chen turn into a half-human, half-scorpion figure, the Netherworld Stinger Scorpion was deeply puzzled.
"How did this little brat turn into a scorpion?" A flicker of confusion flashed through its eyes, but fury immediately overwhelmed it.
"Whatever he is, he'll die beneath my pincers today!"
The Netherworld Stinger Scorpion swung its enormous pincers and smashed them viciously toward Luo Chen.
The enormous pincers descended like a mountain, carrying terrifying force. At the same time, Luo Chen raised his own pincers, preparing to meet the blow head-on.
"Bang!"
A powerful shock wave erupted from the point of collision, destroying all the surrounding trees.
Luo Chen and the Netherworld Stinger Scorpion were each driven several steps backward. Seeing such immense strength in such a small body, Luo Chen couldn't help feeling secretly shocked. The Netherworld Stinger Scorpion is stronger than I expected!
Good thing I've spent these past two years tempering my body. Otherwise, it really might have smashed me to death with one pincer.
At the same time, the Netherworld Stinger Scorpion was deeply shocked as well.
It knew perfectly well how powerful its pincers were. After all, if not a thousand, then at least a hundred Soul Beasts had died beneath them.
Its pincers could be called one of its trump cards, yet today, this ever-successful pincer smash had actually been blocked by the little brat before it.
At that thought, the Netherworld Stinger Scorpion vaguely sensed that something was wrong, so the tail behind it gradually rose upright.
Luo Chen immediately realized something was wrong. He was just about to move away, but it was already too late.
The Netherworld Stinger Scorpion's tail suddenly fired several scorpion needles toward Luo Chen.
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh..."
The scorpion needles came thick and fast, pouring down like a torrential rain with penetrating force.
Luo Chen's pupils abruptly contracted. He had never imagined that his spiritual perception, which had always let him clearly discern how things moved and worked, would run into trouble with the Netherworld Stinger Scorpion's needles.
The scorpion needles were still just as fast. Left with no other choice, Luo Chen could only rely on his strengthened body and brace himself to endure the damage head-on.
But the scorpion needles' penetrating power was simply too great. Even though Luo Chen had activated his first Soul Skill, "Scorpion Emperor Transformation," increasing his defense by eighty percent and making his shell as hard as iron, it was still like white paper before these needles, pierced with a single jab.
"Hiss, hiss, hiss."
Several scorpion needles stabbed into Luo Chen's shell, instantly piercing countless tiny holes through it. The Netherworld Stinger Scorpion's venom seeped into his body along with them.
Seeing its venom enter Luo Chen's body, the Netherworld Stinger Scorpion was overjoyed.
It was certain that, given time, the little brat before it would definitely die from its poison.
Meanwhile, the scorpion venom on which the Netherworld Stinger Scorpion had pinned such high hopes was expelled from Luo Chen's body just one second after entering it.
After all, Luo Chen tempered his body every day with the Netherworld Scorpion Emperor's origin venom. His body had long since adapted to deadly poisons.
The Netherworld Stinger Scorpion using deadly poison before Luo Chen was like brandishing a broadsword at Lord Guan's gate-it had no idea of its own limits.
However, although the venom had been neutralized, the piercing attacks had struck Luo Chen fair and square.
Luo Chen lowered his head to look at the tiny holes in his shell, and a chill rose in his heart. How can these scorpion needles have such strong penetrating power? If they'd hit my heart just now, the consequences would have been unthinkable.
Only now did Luo Chen realize just how low-level his combat skills were.
When facing an enemy, he knew only how to use brute force. Once he encountered something brute force couldn't resolve, however, he would be forced onto the back foot.
The Netherworld Stinger Scorpion's needles come thick and fast, with powerful penetration. Scorpion Emperor Transformation can't block them at all, Luo Chen thought. My weakness is that I only know how to use brute force and don't understand technique. If this continues, I'll certainly die if I encounter a stronger enemy.