Bang—
A scarlet afterimage sliced through the air like lightning, accompanied by a deafening sonic boom, and violently struck a man nearby.
The speed was so fast that the man had no time to react. The confusion on his face hadn't even faded when he was sent flying like a cannonball.
After crashing through several massive trees that would take two people to embrace, the man spewed a large mouthful of blood. His entire body, with shattered bones, collapsed onto the ground like a heap of mud. His breath was faint, and his occasional convulsions indicated that he was beyond saving.
"Wu Luan!"
Seeing this scene, the eyes of the remaining ten people in the group instantly turned red. They glared furiously at the soul beast that had suddenly charged into their ranks.
It was a soul beast that resembled a gecko, standing on four limbs, but much larger—its body was over ten meters long and covered in dark red scales. The recent attack hadn't come from its terrifying claws, but from its massive tail, which was nearly half its body length.
The most striking feature of the creature was a noticeable scar over its left eye, likely caused by another soul beast, rendering it blind in that eye. Its abdomen bore several long wounds, and fresh blood continued to ooze from them, clearly showing that the beast had just been in a fight and had fled here after losing.
After killing two people in quick succession, the remaining right eye of the lizard glowed an even more intense red. It looked at the weak humans before it with a mix of contempt and amusement, baring its teeth in a sneer that seemed disturbingly human as if mocking them for overestimating themselves.
Foul-smelling drool dripped from its mouth, and the stench of blood filled the air. Zhang Lexuan, standing at the front, wore an extremely grim expression. In just a brief moment, they had already lost two people. One of the inner court disciples, who had recognized the soul beast, looked on the verge of breaking down.
"Bloodcorrupt Dragon Lizard! And it's a hundred-thousand-year one! Why would a hundred-thousand-year soul beast appear in the mixed zone!?"
"Where is Elder Xuan? Why hasn't he shown up yet!?"
Aside from Zhang Lexuan, the team consisted of two Soul Sages, with the rest being Soul Kings and Soul Emperors.
Even with this lineup, having lost two fighters already, they still wouldn't stand a chance against this Bloodcorrupt Dragon Lizard.
Facing a hundred-thousand-year soul beast, even a Titled Douluo wouldn't dare to claim certain victory, let alone one as notorious as the Bloodcorrupt Dragon Lizard, known for its savagery.
Even among soul beasts, the Bloodcorrupt Dragon Lizard was infamous. Unlike the Dark Devilgod Tiger, which devoured others to strengthen itself, this beast killed purely for the love of slaughter.
Although the Bloodcorrupt Dragon Lizard had a high egg-laying rate, few of its offspring survived. This was because, from birth, the hatchlings were forced to fight each other to the death under their mother's watchful eye, until only one victor remained.
In such a harsh environment, even the last survivor would likely suffer severe injuries and might not live long. It was common for none of the Bloodcorrupt Dragon Lizard hatchlings to survive. Only the final survivor, recognized by the mother, would be nurtured until it could hunt on its own.
This brutal competition resulted in them developing terrifying combat instincts and a crazed bloodlust. Not only would they kill prey, but they would also attack each other with the same ferocity.
Even the battle-hardened Shrek inner court disciples began to feel a growing sense of despair. Just then, a thunderous shout erupted in their ears.
"Enough!"
A silver moon silhouette appeared behind Zhang Lexuan, and with it, her two yellow, two purple, and three black soul rings emerged, causing everyone's bodies to tremble under her powerful aura. The despair in the air began to fade.
"With Elder Xuan missing, we must rely on ourselves. This Bloodcorrupt Dragon Lizard is clearly heavily wounded. With so many of us here, we might just have a chance if we give it our all."
The moment she finished speaking, Zhang Lexuan suddenly felt an ominous premonition of death. The scarlet afterimage once again descended. Whether it was her shout that had enraged the Bloodcorrupt Dragon Lizard or her perceived threat, this time, the lizard's tail lashed directly at her.
Without hesitation, Zhang Lexuan retreated swiftly as her seventh and sixth soul rings lit up simultaneously. In an instant, brilliant silver light burst forth from her body, and the silver moon silhouette behind her began to move forward, enveloping both her and her sixth soul ring.
As the black soul ring merged with the moon, the silver moon's color shifted into a deep, eerie black, resembling a bottomless abyss. Encircling this blackness was a silver ring, resembling a solar eclipse.
Just as the Bloodcorrupt Dragon Lizard's tail was about to strike her, a deafening roar exploded from the black moon, followed by a dazzling pillar of light so bright that it was blinding.
Under the influence of her Martial Soul True Body and with the near-maniacal infusion of her soul power, the sixth soul skill's power startled even the Bloodcorrupt Dragon Lizard. Without time to react, the terrifying strike landed squarely on its tail.
With a thunderous explosion, blood rained down from the sky as the Bloodcorrupt Dragon Lizard let out a pained roar. It endured the agonizing pain and instinctively turned to look at its tail. The scales had been torn apart, revealing a half-meter-wide wound where flesh had been vaporized by the immense energy. It was clearly a serious injury.
As a soul beast famed for slaughter, being wounded like this by a weak human had enraged the Bloodcorrupt Dragon Lizard, its mind consumed by a tidal wave of killing intent. Letting out a furious roar, it charged directly at the black moon where Zhang Lexuan stood.
While the lizard was in a blind rage, the remaining inner court disciples couldn't contain their joy. Zhang Lexuan's attack had injured the beast so severely that they could now see a glimmer of hope.
"Everyone, cover Zhang Lexuan!"
One of the Soul Sages shouted decisively, activating his seventh soul ring, while the others immediately unleashed their soul skills to engage the beast.
Soul skills had cooldowns, and only Zhang Lexuan was capable of piercing through the Bloodcorrupt Dragon Lizard's tough scales. The strategy now was to focus on her attacks.
Their goal was to keep attacking its wounds, distract the lizard, and create enough opportunities for Zhang Lexuan to land another decisive blow.
With its tail heavily injured, the threat was now significantly reduced. If they could hold out long enough, Elder Xuan might arrive before they needed Zhang Lexuan to strike again!
They could win!
(End of Chapter)