At that thought, Luo Chen felt not fear but overwhelming excitement.
"Thank you, Netherworld Stinger Scorpion. You made me realize my shortcomings." He raised his head, fierce fighting spirit blazing in his eyes. "In a moment, I'll give you a swift death."
"Hiss, hiss, hiss!" The Netherworld Stinger Scorpion made a disdainful sound. In its eyes, the brat before it had been poisoned and was already a spent arrow, liable to die at any moment.
Luo Chen paid no attention to the Netherworld Stinger Scorpion's disdain.
At that moment, he was gathering his strength.
After all, Luo Chen was currently in his half-human, half-scorpion form, with his attack, strength, and speed all increased by eighty percent. Coupled with his body tempered by the Scorpion Emperor Body Tempering Technique, his explosive power had already reached an astonishing level.
Whoosh!
Luo Chen's figure became a streak of dark green lightning, instantly closing the distance between himself and the Netherworld Stinger Scorpion.
At the same time, he shouted, "Take my pincer! Die!"
Before his words had faded, his scorpion pincer was already snapping toward the Netherworld Stinger Scorpion's head.
"You still think you can hurt this king?" The Netherworld Stinger Scorpion immediately raised its pincers to block. "Keep dreaming your grand dreams!"
When the Netherworld Stinger Scorpion's pincers collided with Luo Chen's, a thunderous crack rang out.
A powerful shock wave erupted from the point of collision, instantly shearing every surrounding tree in half.
"You've got strength! Again!"
Luo Chen raised his pincer once more and attacked the Netherworld Stinger Scorpion, but his speed was noticeably slower than before.
Seeing this, the Netherworld Stinger Scorpion was overjoyed. It thought the poison had spread deep into Luo Chen and he was nearing death, so it was no longer as wary when meeting his attack.
But this played right into Luo Chen's hands.
The reason Luo Chen had attacked the Netherworld Stinger Scorpion's head was to make it raise its pincers and obstruct its own vision.
Now, not only had the Netherworld Stinger Scorpion raised its pincers, it had even lowered its guard, finally giving Luo Chen an opening.
"Fell for it, didn't you, big oaf?" A cold smile curled Luo Chen's lips. "Your view is blocked. Now it's my turn to attack!"
Nine scorpion tails abruptly extended from the sacrum at Luo Chen's back!
"First form, Gather Together as One! Pierce!"
The Nine Poison Scorpion Hook Swords merged into one and stabbed toward the Netherworld Stinger Scorpion's abdomen at tremendous speed.
Arthropod Soul Beasts had bodies encased in thick shells, giving them extremely strong defenses. Only the shells on their abdomens were softer, making that their weakest defensive point.
Sensing the threat to its abdomen, the Netherworld Stinger Scorpion wanted to dodge, but at the same time, its own pincers blocked its vision, leaving it unable to see Luo Chen's movements at all.
By the time it reacted, it was already too late.
Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud, thud, thud, thud, thud! The nine Nine Poison Scorpion Hook Swords
all pierced the Netherworld Stinger Scorpion's abdomen.
"Hiss!!!" The Netherworld Stinger Scorpion let out an agonized scream.
Luo Chen did not care how much pain the Netherworld Stinger Scorpion was in. At that moment, he injected all the Nine Poison Scorpion venom contained within the Nine Poison Scorpion Hook Swords into its body in one rush, seeking to destroy its bodily functions with the deadly poison.
As the Nine Poison Scorpion venom took effect, the Netherworld Stinger Scorpion's body began trembling violently, its shell rotting and falling away at a speed visible to the naked eye.
"You... you..." The Netherworld Stinger Scorpion's voice became unbearably hoarse, its eyes filled with fear and rage. "You actually... ambushed... this king's... abdomen..."
Although Luo Chen could not understand the language of Soul Beasts, as the saying went, the eyes were windows to the soul. He saw resentment, fear, and rage in the Netherworld Stinger Scorpion's eyes.
"On the battlefield, only those who survive have the right to speak." A wicked smile curled Luo Chen's lips. "You're about to die, so shut that foul mouth!"
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh! The Netherworld Stinger Scorpion once again launched its penetrating scorpion needles. Even if it died, it would drag Luo Chen down with it.
Seeing this, Luo Chen hurriedly retreated, standing somewhere safe as he quietly waited for the Netherworld Stinger Scorpion to succumb to the poison.
As the Netherworld Stinger Scorpion used its scorpion needles extensively, the Nine Poison Scorpion venom spread even faster.
After just a few minutes, the Netherworld Stinger Scorpion completely lost its reason from the pain and went out of control.
It twisted its body madly, its scorpion tail flailing wildly and its huge pincers smashing everywhere. Clearly, these were its instinctive struggles.
"It should be about time?!" Luo Chen murmured to himself. "Don't be afraid. I'll put you out of your misery now."
With that, the Nine Poison Scorpion Hook Swords behind him attacked the Netherworld Stinger Scorpion furiously.
Under the attacks of the Nine Poison Scorpion Hook Swords and the corrosion of the deadly poison, the Netherworld Stinger Scorpion's hard shell became riddled with pits, exposing the mangled flesh beneath.
Meanwhile, the Netherworld Stinger Scorpion gradually lost its ability to move. Its formerly upright tail drooped limply, and the pincers that had been able to contend with Luo Chen lay slack on the ground.
It panted heavily, its eyes growing dimmer and its breathing increasingly rapid. Finally, after letting out a faint hiss, the Netherworld Stinger Scorpion stopped struggling altogether.
It had been poisoned to death by the Nine Poison Scorpion's deadly venom. Even its soul had been corroded away by the Nine Poison Scorpion venom.
Before long, a purple Soul Ring slowly condensed above its head, emitting a faint glow.
Looking at the purple Soul Ring floating in midair, Luo Chen exhaled a stale breath and murmured, "After a thousand hardships and ten thousand trials, I finally killed the Netherworld Stinger Scorpion!"
However, Luo Chen was someone who made certain of success. Without ninety percent confidence, he would not act rashly.
Thus, covered in wounds as he was, he did not immediately absorb this 1,780-year Soul Ring.
He knew that to absorb this Thousand-Year Soul Ring completely, he had to be in his best condition. Otherwise, something could very well go wrong.
After sitting down to meditate where he was, Luo Chen once again examined his scorpion pincer, which the Netherworld Stinger Scorpion had pierced.
"The Netherworld Stinger Scorpion's needles... really do live up to their reputation!" He laughed in relief. "Luckily, I tempered my body every day in Bluestone Village, making my skin tougher and indirectly strengthening my scorpion body's defenses. Otherwise, those needles really might have turned me into a sieve."
"But I also learned a lot from this actual battle." Luo Chen lowered his head and looked at his hands. "Breaking through everything with strength is all well and good, but I still need attack techniques, strategy, and observation of my enemies' weaknesses."
"Once I leave the Star Dou Great Forest, I'll go earn some Gold Soul Coins at the Suotuo City Great Soul Arena and learn some attack techniques while I'm at it."
With these thoughts in mind, Luo Chen settled into recuperation. Before long, he stood upright and looked at the purple Soul Ring floating in the air.
"A 1,780-year Second Soul Ring. Since ancient times, no one on the Douluo Continent has ever been able to absorb one at eight years old. But today, I'll break that record and absorb a Thousand-Year Soul Ring at the age of eight."