First Glimpse of the Extraordinary

The Bone Dragon's defenses were indeed formidable. It spread its bony wings and blocked hundreds of Blue Silver Emperor javelins without a scratch. Its strength was nothing to scoff at either: a swipe of its claw smashed a vast swath of Blue Silver Emperor roots.

It was just a little slow. The Blue Silver Emperor javelins raining down from the sky had put it on the defensive, leaving it no choice but to withstand them with its body. Then Ning Fengzhi stepped in, six Soul Rings appearing around him: two yellow, two purple, and two black.

"Seven treasures emerge, resplendent as colored glass: strength, speed, soul, defense, attack, amplify."

All six Soul Skills were applied to Gu Rong.

The Bone Dragon's attributes visibly strengthened across the board.

It could now move its feet a little and head elsewhere.

Ning Fengzhi apologized to Qian Xunling nervously. "I'm sorry we dragged you two into danger. Please stay with us. We'll be sure to get you out."

In a rare moment of guilt, Qian Xunling nodded. "All right."

If he had guessed correctly, he was the Blue Silver Emperor's target.

Bibi Dong clutched Qian Xunling's hand tightly. "Martial Uncle," she said fearfully.

"No good. This Blue Silver Grass is too tough, and there's too much of it. I can't hold out much longer. We need to get out of here, quickly," Gu Rong said through gritted teeth. "Worse still, this Blue Silver Grass is charging at us like it doesn't care if it lives or dies."

"Uncle Gu, can your Spatial Traversal carry this many of us?" Ning Fengzhi asked worriedly.

Gu Rong smiled bitterly. "Whether I can or not, I have to try."

With that, the Bone Dragon tore open a spatial rift, grabbed everyone, and plunged inside. When they reappeared, they had left their previous position behind and appeared twenty meters away.

But the distance was so short that the Blue Silver Emperor roots noticed them instantly. They turned and raced toward the Bone Dragon at tremendous speed, as though the entire forest were made of Blue Silver Grass.

Gu Rong's expression tightened. "Damn it, is this a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast? How can it command so much Blue Silver Grass?"

Gu Rong used Spatial Traversal again.

But he couldn't travel very far. The Blue Silver Emperor reacted instantly, surrounding and attacking them from all sides once more. Cold sweat streamed down Ning Fengzhi and Gu Rong's faces. They felt they were going to die here today.

Then Qian Xunling spoke. "Put me down. I'm the one this Blue Silver Grass is after. If you put me down, it'll only chase me, not you."

"What?!" Ning Fengzhi and Gu Rong looked at Qian Xunling in confusion.

Qian Xunling continued, "She's a Hundred-Thousand-Year Blue Silver Emperor. If you don't put me down now, and she really flies into a rage out of humiliation, none of you will be able to leave either."

"How could I let that happen? Dong'er doesn't want to be separated from Martial Uncle." Before Ning Fengzhi and the others could respond, Bibi Dong, still holding Qian Xunling's hand, cried out, her eyes red.

Qian Xunling shot her a glare. "Don't worry. You've seen what I can do. This Blue Silver Emperor can't hurt me. Go with them and get out of danger first. I'll come find you afterward."

"No, I won't." Bibi Dong held Qian Xunling's hand tightly. Her reluctance warmed his heart somewhat. He smiled, raised a hand, and stroked her head. "Be good. If you don't listen, I'll send you back once I get free. Don't even think about following me again."

"How could you? Martial Uncle, that's cheating." Bibi Dong felt terrible hearing his threat, but then she saw the serious look in Qian Xunling's eyes. Her own eyes were red as she said, "Martial Uncle, you have to come back and find Dong'er. Otherwise... otherwise, Dong'er will hate you."

"Haha." Qian Xunling laughed in exasperation.

Hadn't she always hated him?

At that moment, Gu Rong spoke. "Kid, even I can't say for certain that we can escape. Don't try to act tough. I'll find a way to get you all out."

"Act tough, my ass. Keep her safe. I'll be right back," Qian Xunling said irritably. He used his Soul Power to force his way out of the Bone Dragon's grip and dropped down. Gu Rong was utterly shocked. "That kid actually broke free of my claw."

After he landed, the Blue Silver Emperor roots stopped chasing the Bone Dragon and turned toward Qian Xunling instead. The corners of his mouth twitched. "Big Sister, do you really have to hold such a grudge? All I did was take a piss on your roots. And that guard of yours, the Blue Silver King, came looking for death for no reason."

As though they had understood Qian Xunling's words,

the roots suddenly grew thicker and shot toward him.

Qian Xunling's expression tightened. He turned and ran in the opposite direction from the Bone Dragon, moving so fast that he left an afterimage. He soon vanished from the sight of everyone in the Bone Dragon's grasp.

Gu Rong said in surprise, "He's so fast."

Ning Fengzhi asked, "Uncle Gu, could you discern the immortal's Soul Power Level?"

Gu Rong shook his head. "When he treated me, my back was turned to him the whole time. I didn't sense a trace of his Soul Power. But I could tell that he's extremely skilled at using it. His level is definitely not low."

Both men turned their gazes toward Bibi Dong.

But the little girl's face was full of worry. She stared in the direction her martial uncle had gone, as though she had lost her soul, murmuring that he would surely be all right.

Neither of them felt comfortable asking her now, so they could only drop the matter.

By then, Qian Xunling's legs were growing tired. Looking at the Blue Silver Emperor roots pursuing him relentlessly, he asked, "Big Sister, are you really not going to leave me any way out?"

With a sharp hiss, Blue Silver Emperor roots hidden in the grass on either side shot out at Qian Xunling's vital points. Seven Soul Rings slowly rose from beneath his feet.

He raised a hand and sent two bolts of lightning flying, shattering the roots.

Qian Xunling was angry too. "Big Sister, I didn't expect you to flee here after Uncle Golden Crocodile severely injured you. If you can't kill me this time, I'll definitely find your true body next time, and then you'll be in for it.

"I'll feed your leaves to pigs, weave your roots and stems into straw sandals, and pickle your core. Then I'll preserve your divine consciousness and soul and make you watch me ruin your body every day. I'll make you wish you were dead."

With a rumble, roots buried who knew how many meters underground crawled out of the soil, each as thick as a bucket. She was furious beyond measure. If she could speak, even Jesus would probably meet Buddha.

The ground beneath Qian Xunling's feet shattered. Vast stretches of forest collapsed as the roots left their posts, and the affected area kept expanding.

"Damn, who said Blue Silver Grass was the weakest of the Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts?" Qian Xunling grumbled. He unleashed his Sixth Soul Skill: "Time Stop."

A black-and-white domain spread over a vast stretch of forest.

After a close call, Qian Xunling avoided falling into the collapsing pit.

However, the stronger the beings caught within Time Stop, the greater the burden on his Soul Power.

Qian Xunling didn't linger. He found a relatively thick Blue Silver Emperor root and placed his hand on it. The root trembled, and Qian Xunling said speechlessly, "Come on, what are you getting shy for? You're shaking all over."

In truth, she was simply angry, but Qian Xunling intended to kill the person and destroy the heart; he wasn't about to pass up such an opportunity.

Qian Xunling closed his eyes and carefully sensed the source of the Soul Power. A moment later, he found its location. It was a little far from here, and he wasn't strong enough to deal with her right now, so he still had to slip away.

Qian Xunling withdrew his hand. "The next time we meet, I won't let you off even if you beg for mercy."

A wormhole appeared in front of Qian Xunling, and he slipped inside. Time Stop dissipated, and the wormhole vanished, leaving only the devastated ground and the Blue Silver Emperor's roots in disarray.

That hateful human had gotten away again.

She lashed her roots about, venting the resentment in her heart!

But she soon calmed down. She knew Qian Xunling had found her location, and that human's helper was extremely powerful. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been forced to flee the Star Dou Great Forest and come here.

Now she had only two choices.

She could either wait for Qian Xunling to return and fight him to the death, or flee, move somewhere else, and wait for an opportunity.

But every time she migrated, a large portion of her roots and stems would be damaged, weakening her power. Unless she chose to take human form, there was no avoiding it.

But if she took human form, she would lose all her power. Absolutely not!