The panicked trio fought off the remaining Soul Beast as they rushed towards the edge of the forest. Although most of the Soul Beast had been drawn away, there were still many more than they could eat, and Soul Beast continued to relentlessly attack them.
The three fought desperately and actually managed to carve out a bloody path. Seeing the dwindling number of Soul Beast, they gradually saw a chance to survive and fought even harder.
Suddenly, just as the bald man and Li Shuheng were fighting fiercely, the scarred man let out a miserable scream! The two hurriedly turned around to look, but only saw him being dragged by something and quickly entering the jungle.
"Scarface!" the bald man shouted, rushing to save him, but Li Shuheng stopped him. In such a pitch-black environment, recklessly trying to save someone would only result in their own death.
"Hurry up and leave, or we'll all die!" Li Shuheng said without hesitation, hoping that Scarface could hold off the monster for a little longer.
The bald man was terrified. In such an environment, he would naturally believe whatever the people around him said, so he had no choice but to continue advancing with Li Shuheng.
As the two walked, Li Shuheng suddenly cried out in surprise, tripping over a ditch. Even though he was a fairly skilled fighter, his panic caused him to slip and fall over such a small hole.
"Damn it, when it rains, it pours! Baldy, let's get out of here!" Li Shuheng was about to continue when he suddenly realized something was wrong. "Bald? Baldy?!"
The deserted forest appeared eerie and terrifying. Li Shuheng felt a deep fear, his hands trembling uncontrollably, almost unable to hold his own Martial Soul Qinggang Sword.
Suddenly, a whooshing sound came from the air. Li Shuheng subconsciously raised his sword to block, but he did not expect that the opponent's target was his sword. His hand was suddenly struck, blood splattered everywhere, and the sword fell to the ground.
Having lost his weapon, Li Shuheng hurriedly tried to pick it up, but as he bent down, he discovered a huge beast claw appearing in front of him, pressing down on his Qinggang Sword.
Li Shuheng cautiously raised his head, and what came into view was a leopard that was completely black, its soft fur blending perfectly into the night, like a Ferocious Beast born specifically for the night.
The black panther's face was expressionless, but the dripping blood at the corner of its mouth and the fierce killing intent in its Middle God told Li Shuheng that its goal was very simple—to kill Li Shuheng.
"You, you stay away! Get away, get away!" In extreme terror, Li Shuheng completely forgot that what was under the black panther's feet was not an ordinary sword, but his own Martial Soul.
He fell to the ground like an ordinary person, backing away, offering only feeble resistance with his hands.
Such a person, let alone a ferocious Soul Beast, could be easily killed by even an ordinary wild beast.
"Roar--" The black panther growled and pounced on Li Shuheng, its target being his neck. For a top hunter like it, such an attack was guaranteed to be successful. Qi Ling, hiding in the shadows, had been watching everything, or more precisely, watching the Shadow Demon Leopard! From the moment it appeared, Qi Ling knew that her goal had been achieved.
"Hmm, the attributes are just right, the characteristics are quite suitable, and the quality is beyond reproach—a top-notch item!" Qi Ling said, examining the Shadow Demon Leopard. "The only drawback is that its age seems a bit too high!"
"Sigh, forget it, let's capture her first. If all else fails, she can be Zhu Zhuqing's Fourth Soul Ring; she's perfectly qualified!"
Without further hesitation, Qi Ling stepped out from the shadows with immense momentum.
The moment Qi Ling stopped concealing his presence, the Shadow Demon Leopard sensed his presence, its muscles tensing as it prepared to deliver Fatal Strike.
Unfortunately, Qi Ling wasn't one of those Soul Master who were scared out of their wits! If Li Shuheng and the bald man had performed normally, they might not have lost to this leopard. It's just a pity that their mental fortitude was too weak, and they couldn't get over their own mental hurdle.
"Little kitty, be good, brother will be very gentle and won't hurt you," Qi Ling said. "Anyway, you've already killed someone, so it's not like you've been wrongly accused. Just go in peace!"
Zhu Zhuqing, who was keeping watch by the campfire, was staring at the fire in a daze when she suddenly exclaimed "Huh!" and then saw Qi Ling, covered in blood, carrying a huge black panther, walk out of the forest.
"Bang!" He threw the huge black panther to the ground, raising a cloud of dust. Qi Ling sat down beside him and said, "Phew, this thing was really heavy. It's exhausted."
"Are you alright?" Zhu Zhuqing asked.
"No, all this blood is this guy's, and some of it is from those guys!" The "those guys" Qi Ling was referring to were naturally Li Shuheng and his group.
Zhu Zhuqing listened to Qi Ling's words without any questions, and said, "It's good that you're not injured. If you were injured, I wouldn't know how to treat you."
Qi Ling asked curiously, " Zhu Zhuqing, aren't you wondering where all those people went? Or rather, what did I do to them?"
"There's no need. They're completely meaningless to me," Zhu Zhuqing said decisively. "Besides, I trust you, Qi Ling, that you wouldn't commit pointless killing."
"That's true." Qi Ling shrugged indifferently. "Those guys did their job. Look, this Shadow Demon Leopard is their gift to you?"
Upon hearing the name Shadow Demon Leopard, Zhu Zhuqing's eyes lit up! Since Qi Ling said so, then this Shadow Demon Leopard must be the Soul Ring he found for her, which made her look forward to it.
"This guy is perfect for you in every way, except that his age is way too high. So I think we should keep him for now and use him as your Fourth Soul Ring. That would be more appropriate," Qi Ling said.
Zhu Zhuqing examined the Shadow Demon Leopard and asked, "How old is it?"
" Zhu Zhuqing, don't even think about it. If it weren't really too extreme, I would definitely let you try!" Qi Ling said helplessly. "This guy's age is over five thousand years! Five thousand years! Do you know what that means?"
"The fact that Xiao San absorbed a two-thousand-year-old Man Faced Demon Spider almost cost him his life, but this Shadow Demon Leopard is no less ferocious and evil than the Man Faced Demon Spider, and even possesses a cunning that the Man Faced Demon Spider lacks."
"Absorbing it is simply impossible; it's a gamble with a nine-out-of-ten chance of death, no, a ten-thousand-out-of-ten chance of death!"
"But there's still a chance, isn't there?" Zhu Zhuqing stared intently at Qi Ling, as if speaking through her eyes.
" Qi Ling, you must have a way, right?"