Facing the massive centipede charging toward him, Fang Ling's breathing grew rapid and heavy.
Sweat dripped into his eyes and into the wounds on his body, but he seemed completely unaware.
Tension and determination filled the air around him.
His eyes locked forward like a leopard stalking prey, his pupils focused intently.
His movements were slow and deliberate, carrying the resolve of someone who had already accepted death.
The corners of Fang Ling's lips lifted slightly, when did that faint smile appear?
Even in the face of extreme danger, his eyes blazed with fighting spirit.
This might be his final dance in this life.
If he was going to die, he wanted to die with a smile.
The centipede was almost upon him, venomous mandibles wide open, a poisonous mist seeping out, nearly at arm's reach.
Fang Ling felt a wave of dizziness, but his judgment remained unaffected.
He took precise aim.
Then, this was the moment!
"Kill!"
With a sudden roar, his emotions ignited instantly.
His heart pounded violently, as if trying to burst out of his chest. Blood surged through his veins, filled with unstoppable energy, soaring upward like a storm.
His scythe was now only a broken piece. To land a killing blow, he had to aim for the centipede's mouth.
No longer swinging it to slash, he thrust it forward instead.
All his remaining soul power, just ten percent, rushed madly through his meridians, forcefully converging into an unprecedented power.
It surged like a breached river, like a volcanic eruption, and poured into his second soul ring.
Carrying a devastating force, it converged into a dazzling glow on the broken blade.
The centipede's venomous mandibles were about to pierce Fang Ling's abdomen.
His broken scythe was about to stab into the creature's mouth.
The fierce wind howled, carrying the stench of poison. Fang Ling's heart grew heavier.
Things didn't look good.
But there was no retreat, no escape. He had to gamble everything on this one strike.
Life or death would be decided in an instant!
Just as the deadly collision was about to occur, a black shadow with cat ears suddenly darted into Fang Ling's line of sight.
"Someone's here to save me!"
The realization struck, and joy surged in his heart.
Whoever it was, whatever their motive, survival was all that mattered now.
He couldn't stop his momentum, and he saw the newcomer reach out to stop his broken scythe, holding it in place.
Then, with a single hand, the person slammed the raging centipede to the ground with an explosive crash.
Boom!
Wood chips flew from the massive tree roots, and dirt scattered in all directions.
The centipede's hard exoskeleton cracked inch by inch, collapsing inward. Purple-red venom splattered everywhere, it was clearly dead on the spot.
Covered in black fur, with cat ears and dark pupils, the man smiled and said, "Kid, you should count yourself lucky."
A high-level soul master with a black cat martial spirit?
Fang Ling felt a wave of relief. He didn't even catch what the man said clearly, just the overwhelming joy of survival.
His tense nerves finally relaxed, and exhaustion and pain flooded in like a tidal wave. In an instant, he lost consciousness and fell forward.
He wasn't worried about anyone discovering his soul bone.
The external soul bone given to him by the one-eyed giant-horned antelope was rather unique, it enhanced his jumping ability passively. It could be powered by soul energy without manifesting externally.
In theory, his explosive ability didn't require the soul bone to appear either.
After all, it was just a soul power technique that exploded on activation.
The soul bone simply protected his feet.
As long as his body could withstand the backlash from the soul skill, he didn't need to worry about blowing his own foot to pieces.
"Hey, kid!"
The tall, lean middle-aged man with the black cat martial spirit quickly caught Fang Ling as he fainted.
He didn't mind the blood staining his clothes. Instead, he looked at Fang Ling's blood-soaked clothing and the open wounds all over his skin with undisguised admiration in his eyes.
What kind of hardship must one endure to forge such a powerful will?
With silent respect, he carried Fang Ling back to the group.
"Uncle Li, how is he? Did you save him?"
A beautiful young girl raised her eyebrows slightly and asked softly as she saw Fang Ling unconscious in his arms.
"Of course, miss. Old Li is a powerful agility-type Soul Sage, after all."
He gave a mildly boastful response and placed Fang Ling inside a tent. In a lower voice, he added, "This young man probably fainted from exhaustion or serious injury."
"What do you think, miss?"
Without much thought, the girl casually called someone over.
"Aunt Mei, come help."
"Yes, miss." A graceful young woman nodded gently.
She summoned her martial spirit, and a green glow enveloped Fang Ling's body. Surrounding her were five soul rings, yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, marking her as a powerful healing-type Soul King.
Under her healing, Fang Ling's wounds began to close rapidly.
While healing him, the girl silently studied him.
He wasn't particularly handsome, but not bad either, somewhat charming, perhaps.
She had wanted to save him earlier because she saw him limping. Yet despite being only at the Soul Grandmaster level, he faced a thousand-year soul beast with unwavering will and refused to give up.
It reminded her of herself, someone who also had to face a bleak future alone.
Now, up close, she suddenly felt her martial spirit react.
A faint tremor stirred within her.
Could it be that this stranger shared a fusion skill with her martial spirit?
How was that possible?
Wasn't it supposed to be that coward who ran away?
It couldn't be this boy.
The girl was stunned, unwilling to believe it. She tried to sense more, but the strange feeling disappeared instantly.
Was it just her imagination?
Cautiously, she leaned closer and studied him more carefully.
She even reached out her soft white finger and touched his forehead.
At that exact moment, Fang Ling's consciousness returned.
He opened his eyes to see a stunningly beautiful, elegant girl touching his forehead with her delicate fingers.
What was happening?
Their eyes met, and he froze for a moment. A blush rushed to his face. Somewhat awkwardly, he greeted her:
"Hi... I'm Fang Ling."
The beautiful girl froze for a moment, then quickly pulled her hand back.
As if caught doing something sneaky, her face turned red in an instant.
Flustered, she touched her flowing hair to hide her embarrassment, then replied in a small voice:
"I'm Zhu Zhuqing."
"Zhu Zhuqing?!"
Fang Ling was shocked. He watched her walk away as if nothing had happened.
No wonder she had such a stunning figure, a flawless face, and such an icy, noble aura.
So she was the cat.
His spirits lifted, not just from hearing her name, but also from sensing a faint tremor from his scythe martial spirit.
Could it really be... a martial spirit fusion skill?
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