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**
Crack!
A sharp, ear-piercing sound echoed through the clearing.
Under the massive infusion of soul power, combined with the dual augmentation of Dragon-Elephant Colossal Strength and the power of Metal Revolution, this axe strike was not only incredibly sharp but also carried a terrifying weight.
This Man-Faced Demon Spider's cultivation was higher than Ling Xiao's.
As it exerted the full strength of its eight legs, it didn't get blown back as he had expected. Instead, it braced its four purple front legs in a horizontal block, exploding with a burst of power to catch the axe head.
However, under the crushing force of the Profound Sky Axe, the spider's four rear legs were driven deep into the earth. More importantly, the four legs used for defense were carved with axe marks at least several centimeters deep, nearly severing them.
The trauma to its limbs caused the demon spider to let out a series of shrill, agonizing screeches. Seeing the spider's legs stuck in the ground, a smirk played across Ling Xiao's lips.
He pressed down hard with his arms, then used the momentum of the spider's resistance to retract his axe and leap backward. The moment he landed, he channeled his martial soul once more, swinging the Profound Sky Axe upward in a violent arc.
"Profound Sky Slash!"
In an instant, a massive, crescent-shaped axe blade of black-red energy erupted from the edge. It tore through the air with a howling whistle, flying toward the Man-Faced Demon Spider as if to cleave it in two.
The ten-meter-long energy blade radiated an aura of raw violence and tyranny; its condensed energy and palpable sharpness were enough to make the heart tremble.
As it flew, the sheer pressure of the blade carved a trench several feet deep into the ground. Faced with a lethal threat, the Man-Faced Demon Spider's instincts screamed in alarm.
Unfortunately, with four of its legs buried deep in the soil, it had no time to dodge. Its usual cold cruelty was replaced by a flash of sheer terror. Purple soul power gathered frantically as it braced its four remaining legs in a desperate block.
Bang!
A crisp, thunderous explosion rang out, accompanied by a piercing shriek of pain.
The Man-Faced Demon Spider's four attacking legs were instantly severed by the massive axe blade of the Profound Sky Slash.
The blade's momentum did not stop there; after shearing through the legs, the crescent energy slammed heavily into the spider's main body, leaving a gruesome, massive gash.
Purple, highly toxic spider blood sprayed everywhere as the force of the blast sent the creature tumbling through the air before it hit the ground with a heavy thud.
The purple blood that splattered onto the earth instantly corroded the surrounding vegetation, wiping out all signs of life. The toxicity of its blood was clearly not to be underestimated.
At this moment, even though the Man-Faced Demon Spider looked miserable and severely wounded, Ling Xiao showed no hint of mercy.
He raised the Profound Sky Axe high once more, driving his martial soul to unleash a second Profound Sky Slash. Another massive energy blade, no weaker than the first, shot toward the spider, seemingly destined to split it down the middle.
Unexpectedly, the Man-Faced Demon Spider did not give up. Its life force was incredibly tenacious. Despite having a third of its body nearly sliced open by the previous strike, it still possessed the strength to retaliate.
Purple light gathered at its maw, and in the next heartbeat, it spat out a cluster of purple light. In the blink of an eye, a toxic purple spiderweb expanded to cover his entire field of vision.
The black-red axe blade roared through the air.
As expected, though the spider's web was exceptionally resilient and imbued with potent toxins, it could not withstand the might of the Profound Sky Slash.
The crescent blade sliced it in half instantly, and the residual force blew the two halves aside, preventing them from forming an effective obstruction. However, the web had succeeded in stalling the Profound Sky Slash for a single heartbeat.
In a life-or-death struggle, every millisecond counts.
The Man-Faced Demon Spider seized this opening.
It used its remaining four legs to push off with all its might, leaping diagonally backward. Its four long legs blurred as it scrambled away; even though its legs had been reduced from eight to four, its speed remained frighteningly fast.
In an instant, it vanished into the dense forest behind, hoping to use the terrain to escape.
"It runs fast... what a tenacious life force."
Ling Xiao's brow furrowed. He made a snap decision, leaving behind a single sentence as he gave chase.
"Nana, I'm going after it! Wait for me here!"
Watching Ling Xiao effortlessly wound a Man-Faced Demon Spider whose cultivation was comparable to a peak Three-Ring Soul Elder, Hu Liena's eyes sparkled with various emotions.
She couldn't help but sigh inwardly: My Charming Fox martial soul has only reached the Three-Tail realm. In terms of actual combat power, I really am far behind Ling Xiao and the others.
Even though my mental power is stronger and my mental control is hard to resist, that doesn't mean they would lose to a single control skill. Mental methods aren't omnipotent. During our past spars, they really were going easy on me.
However, Hu Liena didn't feel inferior just because her martial soul seemed weaker than theirs. She understood that the Charming Fox was essentially a mid-tier martial soul in its early stages.
The initial lack of raw power was an inevitable side effect of her choosing Dual-Fusion Stream." Only in the later stages would this path truly show its terrifying potential.
Besides, as long as one's Innate Soul Power was high enough, even a soul as weak as Blue Silver Grass—a standard "trash martial soul"—could be cultivated to an extreme level. Her Charming Fox was already a mental-attribute mid-tier soul; her starting point wasn't low.
Once she pushed her cultivation to the Four-Tail realm, her martial soul would evolve to the high-tier rank. At that point, the gap between her and possessors of top-tier martial souls like Ling Xiao would shrink significantly.
Seeing Ling Xiao disappear into the woods, his figure gradually blurring, Hu Liena's eyes flickered with worry.
"The Man-Faced Demon Spider isn't just poisonous and powerful; its speed is among the fastest of all soul beasts."
"Now that it's fleeing for its life, Ling Xiao might have the explosive power to keep up in a short burst, but in a long-distance chase, he might not catch it. No, I have to go help him."
With that, a glow of soul power rose from Hu Liena's body as she immediately activated her martial soul possession.
A silver figure flashed by as she burst into motion, chasing after Ling Xiao.
Deep in the forest, nearing the core region of the Spirit Hunting Forest, Ling Xiao kept his eyes locked on the purple figure ahead. He circulated his soul power to the limit, augmenting his body to maintain his explosive pursuit.
Unlike the Man-Faced Demon Spider, which was both fast and incredibly nimble, Ling Xiao's approach to obstacles was far cruder.
To save time, he simply swung his axe to shatter any trees or boulders in his path. He didn't even care about the drain on his soul power, frequently using Explosive Steps in conjunction with his physical strength to further boost his speed.
But unfortunately, every time he drew close, his momentum would flag, and his speed would inevitably drop. Explosive Steps provided great short-term acceleration for combat, but it was ill-suited for a long-distance pursuit.
As a Power-Attack System Soul Master, despite his impressive physical strength, he was only specialized in short-range bursts. Maintaining high speeds over a long distance was a complete weakness.
Though he had tried to kill it from a distance with axe energy or his first soul skill whenever he got close, the Man-Faced Demon Spider was too cunning and tenacious.
Coupled with the remaining gap between them, it managed to dodge his attacks every single time. Before long, the spider began to pull away again. Ling Xiao's heart grew heavy with concern.
He had wounded the beast without much effort, but if it truly committed to running, catching it was proving to be a nightmare.
**
Enjoying the story? Support the translation and get early access to future chapters here: www.patr eon.com/c/FanficTranslator
Thanks for reading!
I have 100+ advanced chapter now on Patreon. I will post 5 advanced chapter on Patreon everyday except Sunday