Facing the hundred-thousand-year soul beast, Lin Xiao held nothing back, and the light of his fifth soul ring blazed brightly.
In an instant, invisible waves surged forth, as if the shadow of the Yellow River poured down, shrouding the surroundings in deathly silence. Only the Manjusaka flowers touched by the river's water bloomed with even greater brilliance.
Fifth soul skill, Yellow River Guidance.
Among Lin Xiao's six ten-thousand-year soul rings, only the fifth soul skill was an amplification-type skill. The Higanbana flowers, which naturally grew on the other shore, became even more bewitching under the nourishment of the Yellow River's water. Their vibrant red glowed like dripping blood, radiating bursts of light.
Raising both hands, seeds of the Manjusaka shot toward the badger beast. Enhanced by the fifth soul skill, the number of Manjusaka seeds increased dramatically. Under Lin Xiao's control, the blood-red rays wove together like a vast net, enveloping the badger beast's entire body.
However, when the Manjusaka seeds landed on the badger beast, they slid off its fur to the sides.
For a beast with such a volatile temperament to grow into a hundred-thousand-year soul beast, its defense was naturally formidable. Its fur, tightly packed like steel needles, not only deflected most of the Manjusaka seeds but also prevented those that landed from easily penetrating its hide.
Seeing this, Lin Xiao waved his arm, and several "metal spheres" appeared from nowhere, clattering to the ground with a series of metallic clinks. They transformed into soul tool cannons aimed at the badger beast.
Its fur could deflect attacks that landed on it, reducing the damage it took, but soul tool cannon attacks were intangible, forcing it to bear their full brunt.
Lin Xiao's second soul ring lit up, and as his soul skill Sprout was activated, the Manjusaka seeds that had been deflected by the badger beast began to take root and sprout. Tendrils of branches emerged from all directions, wrapping toward its limbs.
This series of attacks finally slowed the badger beast's pursuit slightly.
At that moment, Lin Xiao's gaze sharpened, and with a wave of his arm, the self-propelled soul tool cannons he had set up fired simultaneously.
"Boom—"
A tremendous explosion echoed through the Star Dou Forest. The surrounding trees, as if struck by a violent force, toppled outward. A layer of soil vanished from the ground, and dust billowed into the air, revealing a clear trail of sunlight slanting through.
According to the Mingde Hall's standards, if Lin Xiao could create a complete array soul tool, he would be rated as a sixth-level soul engineer—and he already was.
These self-propelled soul tool cannons utilized the array soul tool technology Lin Xiao had learned from Jing Hongchen. Though they were fifth-level soul tool cannons, their combined firepower was something even an eight-ring soul master wouldn't dare face head-on.
This was the first time Lin Xiao's self-propelled soul tool cannons had fully unleashed their power, and the result was the complete transformation of this area of the Star Dou Forest into a barren clearing.
However, after the strike, Lin Xiao's expression didn't lighten. He could clearly sense that within the dust cloud, the badger beast's aura hadn't weakened at all—instead, it had grown even more ferocious.
"Roar—"
A roar, almost tangible in its intensity, rang out. Lin Xiao's figure retreated a few steps, and the surrounding dust cleared completely in the wake of the roar. Looking at the badger beast, its fur now bore numerous wounds, with blood seeping from them.
Even a hundred-thousand-year soul beast with exceptional defense couldn't emerge unscathed from the combined attack of Lin Xiao's soul tool cannons. Yet, when Lin Xiao saw the changes on the badger beast's body, his brows furrowed even tighter.
The two blood-red stripes on its back seemed to come alive, slowly flowing. The blood oozing from its wounds also flowed toward those stripes.
Whether it was stained by the blood or some other reason, the blood-red hue spread across the badger beast's entire back in the blink of an eye. Not a single light-colored hair remained, leaving its fur a striking mix of red and black.
"Swoosh—"
The badger beast, standing in place, vanished from sight in an instant. Lin Xiao instinctively activated his soul tool thruster, dodging to the side. Then, he saw a blood-red shadow streak past where he had just been standing.
Though he had evaded, the gust from the badger beast's attack still stung his face.
In that moment, he realized that the badger beast, through some unknown means, had become far faster and stronger than before, despite its injuries.
Perhaps this was the source of its confidence to challenge other soul beasts.
Lin Xiao waved his arm, and the soul tool cannons fired again, their beams weaving into a net that enveloped the badger beast.
Yet the badger beast completely ignored the attacks, letting them land on its body. Blood flowed from its wounds, making its fur glisten even more, and its movements grew swifter.
Lin Xiao lightly raised his right hand, and his third soul ring lit up. One by one, Manjusaka flowers bloomed, accompanied by a series of booming sounds that continuously blocked the badger beast's attacks.
At the same time, a wisp of a remnant soul quietly vanished from the flower's stamen, and several invisible soul seeds took shape.
True to their nature, the soul seeds targeted the opponent's spirit and memories. Though his soul power was far inferior to that of a hundred-thousand-year soul beast, when it came to mental strength, Lin Xiao was confident he could hold his own, even against such a creature.
Meanwhile, though Zhang Lexuan had chased after Lin Xiao in the direction he had gone, her speed as a soul master couldn't match Lin Xiao's full-powered soul tool thruster. She hadn't gone far before she lost track of him.
As she searched for traces of Lin Xiao and the badger beast, a loud boom sounded ahead, and a powerful shockwave rolled in. Even with the forest's trees dampening its force, she could still feel the intensity of the attack—a force that seemed less like that of a single soul master and more like an entire army.
Zhang Lexuan's expression shifted, her soul power surging as she rushed forward.
Moments later, when she arrived at the site of the battle, she was met with a strange scene.
Lin Xiao and the badger beast were locked in a distant standoff. The badger beast's claws gleamed sharply under the sunlight, its hundred-thousand-year soul beast aura fully unleashed, even stronger than when it had chased her group earlier. Yet its gaze lacked the sharpness it had before, as if it were standing there in a daze.
On the other side, Lin Xiao showed no intention of seizing the opportunity to counterattack. His brows were tightly furrowed, and the area around him was desolate. Even the grassroots in the upturned soil had completely withered. The self-propelled soul tool cannons, neatly aimed at the badger beast, remained inactive without Lin Xiao's command.
Zhang Lexuan didn't know exactly what had happened. She only saw Lin Xiao glance at her.
She immediately understood, and a radiant moon rose into the air.
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