As soul power surged into it, violet lightning crackled endlessly along the short-bladed Whale Tooth dagger in Xu Zihuang's hand. The slightly curved blade gleamed, its tip aimed straight ahead.
At the same time, two spirit rings swiftly rose beneath his feet. The brilliant violet glow of a thousand-year ring radiated a noble aura.
His indifferent Golden Eyes seemed as though they could pierce through all illusions of the world.
"Heh, I knew I didn't choose wrong." In Xu Zihuang's spiritual sea, the Skydream Iceworm gloated in secret.
"Roar—!"
A sudden, low growl erupted as the Dark Devilgod Tiger revealed itself fifty meters before him. Blood-red eyes blazed with a lust for slaughter, while its sinister Devilgod Hook swayed lightly behind it—each movement sending ripples through the very air.
Its body was black, but the energy it exuded was gray, a foul and corrupted gray. With every step forward, the surrounding plants bent aside of their own accord. Its pace was slow, yet its aura grew ever stronger.
The oppressive gray energy covering its body warped even Xu Zihuang's vision.
He had already lost the initiative from the very start.
The Dark Devilgod Tiger moved. In stark contrast to its earlier sluggish advance, its sudden charge sent a bloody stench rushing into Xu Zihuang's face, the air itself convulsing under the force. In the blink of an eye, it vanished from his sight.
Wind attribute mastery?
Xu Zihuang narrowed his eyes, unsurprised. He had read about this apex spirit beast in old records during his childhood.
One of the reasons the Dark Devilgod Tiger was so powerful was its control of six attributes:
Wind, Lightning, Darkness, Evil, Time, and Space.
The beast before him had not used a spatial skill like Instant Transmission—only the wind attribute, boosting its speed to an extreme.
Still, its movements left traces to follow.
Golden patterns flared around Xu Zihuang's pupils as his Golden Eyes martial spirit unleashed its full potential. His dynamic vision slowed the world dozens of times over, allowing him to track the beast's movement in an instant.
Pivoting sharply on his right foot, he turned—just as the tiger closed within three meters. Its pitch-black claws, absorbing all light, seemed like shadows of death themselves. One slashed for the back of his head, the other for his waist.
The sheer speed was breathtaking.
Yet its strength was not diminished—its raw force was tightly condensed within its claws. Only when they were a foot from his body did Xu Zihuang clearly sense the terrifying might within them.
Even with his resilient body, if struck, he would be gravely injured.
His Golden Eyes might slow his perception of the world, but time itself did not bend.
Though he had reacted, he was too late to dodge.
"Mirror of Ruin."
Without hesitation, Xu Zihuang unleashed the mighty second skill of the Demonic Killer Whale.
Crimson ripples spread instantly. Under his precise spiritual control, the Dark Devilgod Tiger—and the space around it—were frozen in scarlet crystal.
"Break!"
His soft incantation rang out, and cracks spread rapidly across the crystal encasing the beast. With a thunderous shatter, it collapsed.
Yet his skill, which had never once failed, left the Dark Devilgod Tiger utterly unharmed.
"A domain?" Xu Zihuang retreated swiftly, studying the gray currents swirling around the beast's body. His composure did not waver; he had never expected a one-shot kill.
A beast of this caliber, even at the ten-thousand-year level, could challenge weaker hundred-thousand-year beasts.
Judging by its size and the joints on its Devilgod Hook, this one was already over eight thousand years in cultivation. At such a level, even seasoned ten-thousand-year beasts would have little chance before it.
If not for its grievously wounded origin, Xu Zihuang wouldn't even qualify to stand against it.
The Dark Devilgod Tiger, missing its strike, also stepped back.
In the Star Dou Forest, man and beast faced each other in silence. The tiger's cold, blood-red eyes seemed unnervingly calm, yet deep within gleamed greed and cunning.
Greed—for the pure soul power radiating from Xu Zihuang's body. It knew devouring him would yield more than consuming several ten-thousand-year beasts.
Cunning—for it realized this human was not as easy to deal with as it had thought. As it sought his weaknesses, its desire to devour him only grew firmer.
"Skydream Iceworm, didn't you say you'd assist me? Why can't you even lock onto the Dark Devilgod Tiger with your spiritual power?" Now that the immediate danger had eased, Xu Zihuang's tone carried irritation as he questioned the parasite in his spiritual sea.
He knew the Skydream Iceworm was a waste, but with a million years of spiritual cultivation, it ought to be able to do something.
His words nearly left the Iceworm speechless. But unwilling to admit its uselessness, it stiffened its tone.
"That beast's domain blocks my spiritual power—what do you expect me to do?"
It was frustrated as well.
Had it not been for this ability of the Dark Devilgod Tiger, it would never have fallen into its clutches.
Sensing its grand image beginning to crumble, it hastily tried to salvage its pride.
"Cough, cough… actually, that thing isn't in great shape either. Using its domain just now must've pushed it close to its limit."
Xu Zihuang ignored it. He had already seen as much himself.
Especially after being nourished by the vitality of the Spirit's Gold, he could feel the Dark Devilgod Tiger's life force draining away rapidly.