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"Sixth Soul Skill: Lunar Eclipse!"
Zhang Lexuan's face turned even paler.
Maintaining her Martial Soul True Body already drained immense soul power, and after releasing two consecutive ultimate skills, her spiritual reserves were nearly depleted. She was not yet the powerhouse who would one day possess a hundred-thousand-year eighth soul ring and command authority over the Inner Court.
This time, the effectiveness of Lunar Eclipse was noticeably weaker.
It only immobilized the hundred-thousand-year soul beast for three seconds. Zhang Yi and the others rushed to follow up with coordinated attacks. Finally, after their combined offensive, the Blood-Eroding Demon Tiger showed signs of serious injury.
Especially its abdomen—torn open by a sword-wielding Inner Court disciple.
Drip—
Blood spilled onto the ground.
The Demon Tiger had lost some of its former dominance, though the overwhelming pressure it exuded remained. Despite its injuries, Shrek's team was in no better shape. Due to a brief lapse in attention, Ruo Ling had taken a devastating blow—her internal organs displaced, bones shattered. Only the Inner Court's sole healing-type soul master kept her barely alive.
Among the fifteen-person team (not counting Ma Xiaotao or Su Wen), six had lost the ability to fight. The rest were injured to varying degrees. What was worse, the intense battle had left everyone's soul power reserves running dangerously low.
Su Wen scanned the area.
The healing-type soul master, a refined young man in gold-rimmed glasses, was frantically working to treat the wounded, unable to spare a moment for himself. At this rate, his own soul power would soon be depleted…
The only good news? No one had died—yet.
The bad news? If Elder Xuan didn't arrive soon, casualties were inevitable.
Pfft—
Zhang Lexuan fought through a wave of dizziness and activated her third ultimate skill. The result was potent—another explosion sent the Demon Tiger howling in rage. In retaliation, it activated its "Bloodburst" ability, its eyes burning red as it lunged toward Zhang Lexuan.
Clearly, it hadn't expected this seemingly fragile group of humans to unleash such devastating power.
"Humans... must die!" it roared.
All its physical attributes surged. The cost of this "Bloodburst" would be a temporary period of weakness afterward, but that didn't matter—one minute of rampage would be enough to annihilate the entire group.
"…"
A trace of despair flickered in Zhang Lexuan's beautiful eyes. Her strained body finally faltered, her knees buckling. Around her, everyone was either wounded or locked in combat with the Demon Tiger—no one noticed she was collapsing.
Just before she fell—
Su Wen rushed forward, catching her and slinging her arm over his shoulder. The weight of her body leaned heavily on him.
Fortunately, he had awakened his martial soul and developed some soul power. Otherwise, with his 1.3-meter frame, he'd never have been able to support the 1.78-meter-tall woman, even if she was fairly light.
"Huff… thank you."
With the support, Zhang Lexuan's voice grew faint, her lips barely parting as she whispered.
"Every hundred-thousand-year soul beast awakens a unique innate ability. Judging from this one, it's likely a strength-enhancement type. Although it'll weaken afterward, even surviving the next few dozen seconds will be difficult…"
"If we can just hold out until its rage subsides—?"
As she spoke, her chest rose and fell with labored breaths. The sweet fragrance from her lips brushed against Su Wen's neck, tickling him—but Su Wen had no time for such distractions. A massive, blood-drenched beast, nearly ten meters long, with crimson eyes and murderous intent, was charging toward them at a terrifying speed.
"…I should've had Elder Xuan take you back to the academy earlier," Zhang Lexuan muttered, regret flashing across her features.
Su Wen said nothing.
"Xiaotao, take Su Wen and run!" Zhang Yi shouted.
The beast was clearly targeting Zhang Lexuan. As long as the rest of them stayed behind to distract it, Su Wen and Ma Xiaotao had a chance to escape. It was the only thing a senior from the Inner Court could still do for his juniors.
Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, his face pale. Still, he desperately controlled his Ghost Vines, trying to slow the Demon Tiger's advance. All around, the other Inner Court disciples had lost themselves to bloodlust—their comrades grievously wounded, their fates uncertain. This beast was the cause of it all. The fear they once felt had long since turned to rage.
"Go now. Follow Xiaotao. I can still hold on… As long as Elder Xuan gets here, we'll be fine," Zhang Lexuan tried to push Su Wen away weakly, but he stood firm.
ROAR!!!
A terrifying roar tore through the air.
The beast hadn't even arrived, but the sound hit first. If a normal tiger's roar in the wilderness could make one's knees weak, then facing a hundred-thousand-year soul beast head-on was enough to make one's soul tremble.
The Blood-Eroding Demon Tiger swatted away another disciple blocking its path, its crimson gaze locked solely on Zhang Lexuan. This was the human who had wounded it. As for Su Wen—he was just collateral damage.
Su Wen's heartbeat surged. He slowly closed his eyes.
The crimson figure was approaching too fast. No one left on their team could stop it now…
"Hurricane, mind if I borrow your space for a bit?"
A low growl echoed from within Su Wen's spiritual sea. Hurricane, his contracted soul beast, responded in confusion.
"Thanks."
Su Wen's eyes snapped open.
A glowing light coalesced in his hand—an all-white Pokéball-like sphere. Ever since capturing Hurricane, this sphere had served solely as its resting place, no longer capable of capturing other beasts. But at this moment, it was Su Wen's final card.
The Demon Tiger leaped from an ancient tree, closing in at a terrifying speed.
Everyone watched in helpless despair.
Its maw opened wide.
It was so close that Su Wen could almost smell the stench of blood and decay on its breath. Without hesitation, he threw the small, sweat-drenched white sphere he had been clutching.
BZZZ…
A column of white light shot out.
The light wrapped around the Blood-Eroding Demon Tiger. Within its confused gaze, its massive body slowly began to fade from sight—vanishing into thin air.
The suddenness of the scene left everyone stunned.
What just happened?
It actually sealed a hundred-thousand-year soul beast?!!
Su Wen took a deep breath.
From his research over the past few days, he had learned that his Pokéball functioned more like a sophisticated pet incubation chamber. As long as its "owner"—Hurricane—was inside, its rate of health and energy recovery was three times faster than usual.
Although the white sphere recognized only Hurricane as its master, it could still temporarily contain other soul beasts. Su Wen had tested it with century- and millennium-level beasts before, and Hurricane could expel them at will if it wished.
This had been Su Wen's plan all along. Trap the Blood-Eroding Demon Tiger in the Pokéball. If they could just hold out until its berserk state ended, they might survive…
But there was one problem—he had never tried it with a hundred-thousand-year beast before. Could the Pokéball even handle it?
PFFT—
Just as the thought passed through his mind, Su Wen suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood.
His head throbbed as if it had been struck by a hammer!
The Demon Tiger, after its momentary confusion inside the Pokéball, had begun to go berserk.
(End of Chapter)