In the forest of the Ancient Waste Mountains, two figures were running at top speed. They were Xiao Qian and Xing Jue.
"Huff, huff, huff…" Under the pressure of that terrifying force, Xiao Qian was panting heavily. Panic surged in her heart. Before that expert even arrived, this powerful force had already forced her into such a sorry state. If that expert were to appear, Xiao Qian knew that she wouldn't even have a sliver of hope of escaping.
So at this moment, in order to shake off that expert's pursuit, Xiao Qian increased her speed to the limit and even began to burn her soul once again.
"Xiao Qian," Xing Jue said with heartache when he saw the green smoke rising from Xiao Qian's body.
"Don't worry, Master! I will definitely protect you and get you out of here!" Upon hearing Xing Jue's words, Xiao Qian said with a smile. Then, she increased the speed at which she burned her soul. Her running speed also instantly increased several folds.
However, despite this, she was still unable to break free from the pressure of the terrifying force. Moreover, the other party was approaching them at an extremely fast speed. If this continued, within less than half an hour, Xiao Qian would definitely be caught by that Deputy Palace Master.
At this moment, above the Ancient Waste Mountains, the Deputy Palace Master was soaring through the air. With every flap of the two enormous, dark red wings on his back, his speed would increase. Such speed could only be described as terrifying.
However, just at this moment, an even more powerful pressure suddenly appeared in front of the Deputy Palace Master and rapidly spread out. Moreover, the might of this pressure was actually completely suppressing the pressure emitted by him. This sudden change surprised the Deputy Palace Master.
"May I know who you are, Senior? And why are you stopping me?" After sensing the strength of this pressure, the Deputy Palace Master hurriedly stopped and asked loudly towards the empty sky in front of him.
"The person you are chasing after is a disciple of my sect. If you take even half a step forward, don't blame me for being impolite!" At this moment, a voice filled with imposing might rang out from before the Deputy Palace Master.
Hearing this voice, the Deputy Palace Master snorted coldly and was about to move forward again. However, just at this moment, a powerful, dark red gaseous energy suddenly surged towards him from the sky not far away.
The terrifying power emitted from it caused the Deputy Palace Master to tremble. Looking at the dark red gaseous energy that filled the air before him, he finally came back to his senses. Immediately, he said politely, "May I know which sect Senior is from?"
"Scram!" However, as soon as he respectfully asked, a single word, "Scram," rang out from the sky. Hearing this word, the Deputy Palace Master gritted his teeth and said respectfully, "I apologize for offending you, Senior. Please forgive me." Then, without further ado, he turned around and flew towards the Underworld Palace at top speed.
After the Deputy Palace Master left, the sky returned to its former tranquility. However, suddenly, the space where the voice had just rang out began to ripple. Immediately after, an elderly figure appeared. Surprisingly, this old man was the same "Filthy Old Man" who had previously pointed Xing Jue towards the Herb Mountain Estate.
However, at this moment, this old man was standing in the air, and he emitted an unparalleled air of majesty. Like a sage, he stood proudly in the sky.
"Kid, you're on your own from now on," the old man said to the depths of the Ancient Waste Mountains, smiling. Then, his body swayed, and he disappeared.
"Master, the pressure is gone," Xiao Qian said, somewhat in disbelief. She and Xing Jue had already reached the depths of the Ancient Waste Mountains and could sense that the terrifying pressure had suddenly disappeared.
"Yes, I can't sense it either. Could it be that the depths of this mountain range has the ability to conceal one's aura?" Xing Jue said, puzzled. Logically, that expert had chased after them so he couldn't have left for no reason. As for why they couldn't sense him now, the only thing Xing Jue could think of was that the mountain range had the ability to conceal one's aura.
"I don't know either, but at least we're safe for now." Xiao Qian smiled faintly and then helped Xing Jue to sit down by a large tree.
She also sat down cross-legged in a hurry to recuperate. Although she had only burned her soul for a short while, it had been extremely taxing for her.
The pain that Xing Jue felt from forcibly using "Soul Slayer Sword, Sword Qi" had also subsided a lot, so he was able to utilize his Soul Power.
Immediately, he mobilized the Soul Power within his body and began to heal his soul. Perhaps because his injuries were too severe, his Soul Power actually became rather erratic. Under this rapid squirming, Xing Jue even felt a sense of losing control. He tried to control it with all his might, but his Soul Power still surged as if it wanted to explode out from his body.
"Bang!" Finally, Xing Jue lost control of his Soul Power. Like an erupting volcano, it surged out from within his body. To Xing Jue's astonishment, his Soul Power was actually dark black in color.
After surging out, the dark black Soul Power began to revolve around Xing Jue. Finally, it enveloped his entire body. As he was enveloped by this dark black Soul Power, he actually felt that his injuries were healing at an extremely fast speed. The pain also rapidly dissipated, and in the end, even his extremely severe injuries miraculously healed!
"Congratulations, Master! You have successfully cultivated Soul Healing!" The commotion that Xing Jue made had also awakened Xiao Qian, who was meditating and recuperating by the side. Looking at the dark black Soul Power, which was revolving rapidly around Xing Jue's body, Xiao Qian said joyfully.
"What? You said I succeeded? Then, Xiao Qian, why has my Soul Power turned dark black?" Xing Jue asked in disbelief when he heard Xiao Qian's words.
Although he had been able to utilize Soul Healing for a long time now, he knew that he hadn't truly mastered it. Yet, at this moment, stimulated by his injuries, he had actually unleashed the full potential of Soul Healing. However, what puzzled him the most was that his originally formless Soul Power had actually turned dark black.
"Answering Master, your Soul Power should have been dark black to begin with. This is the special characteristic of the Soul Eater Clan. It's just that you weren't able to control this power before, so you couldn't use this dark black Soul Power. Now, it seems like Master can use it already. This is your true power!" Xiao Qian patiently explained to Xing Jue.
"True power?" Hearing Xiao Qian's words, Xing Jue came to a realization because he also felt that the Soul Power, that was currently swirling on the surface of his body, was completely different from what he had used before. In short, it was many times stronger! With a thought, the Soul Power, that was revolving around his body, surged into his body.
"Haha!" Seeing that he was actually able to control this power, Xing Jue couldn't help but laugh excitedly.
"Master, with this dark black Soul Power, you can now cultivate Soul Attacks, Soul Defenses, and even Soul Movement Techniques." Xiao Qian added with another smile.
"So that's how it is. No wonder." After hearing Xiao Qian's words, Xing Jue finally understood why the cultivation of the Soul Eater Secret Technique was done step-by-step. It turned out that in order for his Soul Power to have the effect of increasing his combat strength, he had to activate this dark black Soul Power.
"Roar..."
Just at this moment, a beast's roar suddenly came from not too far away from Xing Jue and Xiao Qian. The roar contained a powerful pressure that even caused Xing Jue's heart to tremble.
"A Divine Rank Initial Stage Magical Beast," Xiao Qian, who also sensed this pressure, said, somewhat shocked.
"Xiao Qian, are you saying that it's a Divine Rank Initial Stage Magical Beast?" Hearing Xiao Qian's words, Xing Jue exclaimed in shock. In the Eastern Region of the Tianwu Continent, although Magical Beasts were plentiful, the generally stronger ones were only at the Venerable Rank. Divine Rank Magical Beasts were extremely rare. He never expected to encounter one here.
Generally, Magical Beasts that had reached this level had a certain chance of growing a "Beast Soul" within their bodies. Not only could a Beast Soul help those without a Qi Sea condense one, but it also contained great power within it. If one could refine it, their cultivation would also increase. However, it was almost impossible for ordinary people to refine a Beast Soul. However, Xing Jue just happened to be an exception.
"Yes, Master. Divine Rank Magical Beasts have a certain chance of growing a Beast Soul within their bodies. If you can refine a Divine Rank Magical Beast's Beast Soul in the future, Master, you will be able to increase your cultivation by quite a bit," Xiao Qian said excitedly.
"But, a Divine Rank Magical Beast's combat strength is terrifying!" Xing Jue understood what Xiao Qian meant. Xiao Qian wanted to kill the Divine Rank Magical Beast, but Xing Jue was a little worried. Not to mention that Xiao Qian had just burned her soul and her strength had declined, just the Divine Rank Magical Beast's strength alone was stronger than humans who had reached the same Martial King level.
"Don't worry, Master, I'm confident that I can kill it." Xiao Qian smiled faintly at Xing Jue. She then turned and walked in the direction of the Magical Beast. Xing Jue shook his head helplessly, concealed his aura, and followed after her.
In the deepest part of the Ancient Waste Mountains, there was a cave. Its location was rather well-hidden, and if one didn't search carefully, it would be difficult to discover it. Lying at the entrance of this cave was a giant wolf that was a full 10 meters long and had dark red fur. The wolf had two fangs that were half a meter long, bared menacingly. On top of its head was a peculiar black horn. This was a Black Horned Wolf, an extremely ferocious type of Magical Beast.
"It's actually a Black Horned Wolf! Master, something seems wrong with this Magical Beast," Xiao Qian whispered. She and Xing Jue were hiding in a concealed bush a hundred meters away from the Black Horned Wolf.
"Xiao Qian, what's wrong?" Xing Jue asked, puzzled. This was the first time he had ever seen a Magical Beast of this level, so he didn't understand it at all.
"Replying Master, Magical Beasts of this level all possess high intelligence. Some of them can even speak human language. However, take a look at this Magical Beast. It's like an ordinary Magical Beast. Although its strength is formidable, its intelligence is still at a low level."
"There must be something fishy going on here! Also, Master, look, it's actually lying down outside the cave. It's not entering, and every now and then, it'll let out a roar, seeming to be warning nearby Magical Beasts not to approach. This means that it's guarding something! Therefore, I think there must be some kind of treasure in that cave," Xiao Qian said slowly.
"Oh? In that case, it seems we have no choice but to kill it!" After hearing what Xiao Qian said, Xing Jue felt that it was indeed possible. Immediately, he looked excitedly at the mysterious cave behind the Black Horned Wolf.