Chapter 11: Killing Strike
Upon seeing the 300-year-old Xuan Shui Turtle, Dai Yao relaxed.
"As long as they start fighting, I can escape in the chaos," he thought.
Dai Yao quickly darted past the turtle.
However, an unexpected situation arose. Upon encountering the 700-year-old Xuan Shui Turtle, the 300-year-old also detected the Beast Heart Powder and went into a frenzy.
Now, both Xuan Shui Turtles were charging after Dai Yao.
"What the hell! Did I just trap myself?" His heart sank.
One Xuan Shui Turtle had already made him flee for his life, and with two pursuing him, the chances of escaping had become even slimmer.
Now, it was time to take a gamble and give everything he had to kill them.
"The Xuan Shui Turtle is huge, and in close combat, it has the advantage. Once I'm caught in close quarters, I won't be able to escape."
"In other words, I only have one shot."
Dai Yao took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. In moments of crisis, only a calm mind could allow him to think clearly and find a way out.
"The problem now is that the Xuan Shui Turtle's weakness lies in the center of its abdominal shell. But how do I get it to flip over? I can't just slide tackle it, can I?"
A slide tackle would be like serving breakfast to a tiger. Plus, the Xuan Shui Turtle's underbelly is too low to slide tackle.
As the chase continued, Dai Yao felt his energy draining rapidly. He had already consumed 40% of his energy.
"This is bad. I only have 60% of my energy left, and the maximum force I can exert with my Eight Extremes Collapse requires 40% of my energy. The longer this goes on, the slimmer my chances of survival."
He glanced back and saw that the 700-year-old Xuan Shui Turtle hadn't closed the gap much, but the 300-year-old was already falling farther behind.
An idea began to form in his mind.
He changed direction, and from the sky, it seemed like he was running in a circular path.
Eventually, both soul beasts were aligned in a straight line. Dai Yao had successfully maneuvered himself between the two—one ahead and the other behind. But this came at a price: the distance had shrunk from more than ten meters to just a few meters.
He could feel the hot breath of the Xuan Shui Turtle behind him.
"It's life or death now!"
Dai Yao gathered the energy in his dantian and leaped high into the air, directly at the 300-year-old Xuan Shui Turtle charging toward him. This jump was higher than any before.
As he landed on the Xuan Shui Turtle's shell, he pushed off again.
The turtle's body sank, like a balloon being pushed underwater, only to be pushed back up by buoyancy.
Dai Yao and the Xuan Shui Turtle were both moving at high speed, so landing on the turtle's back required precise calculation. A single mistake could result in failure.
Although this move was dangerous, it was Dai Yao's only choice in such a dire situation.
At the same time, he considered the possibility of failure. While leaping, he exerted more force than necessary, intending to clear the 300-year-old turtle and jump over it, causing both turtles to collide. If they fought, he could escape in the confusion.
When the 700-year-old Xuan Shui Turtle saw its prey leap, it immediately followed suit, pushing off hard.
The 300-year-old Xuan Shui Turtle, after being stepped on by Dai Yao, saw the giant in front of it leap into the air. Its berserk eyes cleared up, and it immediately withdrew its limbs into its shell.
With a loud bang, the massive Xuan Shui Turtle leapt off the back of the other turtle, leaving deep hoofprints on its shell.
"Now!" In the blink of an eye, Dai Yao seized the opportunity.
He landed on one foot, using the momentum to pivot, and his other foot drew a circular arc on the ground. Both feet pushed off, charging straight toward the Xuan Shui Turtle above him.
The turtle, realizing that if it was hit at its weak spot, it would die, immediately activated its inner energy and formed a green circular barrier.
"Eight Extremes… Collapse!"
Dai Yao poured 40% of his energy into his right hand. When his right claw made contact with the green barrier, a deafening sound erupted.
A massive shockwave spread out in all directions, causing the trees to shake and the snow to fall. A huge circular area without snow appeared around Dai Yao.
The barrier cracked, but Dai Yao was running out of energy. Nevertheless, he couldn't let up. With his left claw, he injected the last 20% of his remaining energy.
"It's over." Dai Yao could hardly feel the pain in his body as he aimed his final strike at the turtle's abdominal shell.
Another cracking sound echoed, and his fist broke through the turtle's shell. Dai Yao plunged into the Xuan Shui Turtle's body.
He fell heavily to the ground, and the Xuan Shui Turtle twitched a few times before going completely still. Meanwhile, the 300-year-old Xuan Shui Turtle, having just poked its head out, saw the tragic fate of the other turtle.
It immediately fled, its speed much faster than when it was chasing Dai Yao.
"Ha..." Dai Yao crawled out from inside the Xuan Shui Turtle. The martial soul's state had been lifted, and he collapsed on the ground, panting heavily. After a long while, he finally thought, "I really survived that."
A yellow soul ring appeared above the dead Xuan Shui Turtle's body, with hints of purple mixed in.
"A 700-year-old soul ring... too bad I can't absorb it."
But he was still in the danger zone of the Soul Beast Forest, so he immediately sat down and began to meditate, focusing on his spiritual world's Green Lotus to continue his cultivation.
Behind a bare tree, the guard was watching the scene in shock.
"What kind of monster is this?!" Although he wasn't a soul master, he knew what it meant for a six-year-old child to kill a 700-year-old Xuan Shui Turtle.
Especially with the techniques Dai Yao used to escape and then counterattack—those were likely the legendary self-created soul skills.
"A genius beyond compare! If he survives, he'll surely uncover the truth about the Xuan Shui Turtle's strange behavior today. If he investigates, my entire family's lives will be at risk," he thought in fear.
Looking at the exhausted Dai Yao, a terrible thought crossed his mind.
"The only option now is to kill him."
Hearing movement nearby, Dai Yao opened his eyes. In just this brief moment, he had regained half of his energy. The Green Lotus technique was truly incredible.
When he saw the guard, he immediately understood that the enraged Xuan Shui Turtle was likely the result of his handiwork. He had no grievances with this man, but his only conflict was with the empress. This man must be one of her agents.
Dai Yao sensed no soul power from the guard, so he was just an ordinary person.
"Half of my energy is enough to kill him," Dai Yao thought.
He looked at the approaching guard and asked, "Why is a guard like you here?"
Before the guard could respond, Dai Yao glanced past him and said in surprise, "Guard Captain?"
(End of Chapter)
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