"Third Soul Skill: Sword Wings, Soaring Flight!"
A crystalline, azure-blue longsword plummeted from the sky!
Wrathed in overwhelming killing intent, it cleaved straight into the Mutated Scale Armor Beast's crocodile-like tail. With a deafening metallic clang, the two remaining pentagrams on the blade—yellow and purple—flared to life.
"First Soul Skill: Sword Unsheathed!"
"Second Soul Skill: Killing Intent Unleashed!"
The sword shot upward, unleashing arcs of sword qi that coalesced into a radiant, azure "KILL" character—blazing brilliantly in Tang Ya's vision.
Bzzz—!
Amid the sword's resonant hum, the "KILL" character slashed toward the beast's back—the very spot already wounded by Zhuge Crossbow bolts, and thus its weakest point.
BOOM!
The moment the character tore through the Scale Armor Beast's armored back, scales exploded outward, flesh ripped apart, and even the embedded crossbow bolts were ripped free—dragging chunks of muscle with them.
The beast's famed defense was shattered.
The sword spun midair—then plunged downward like a divine judgment!
The Mutated Scale Armor Beast was impaled into the earth, writhing feebly, utterly unable to escape.
Its agonized wail sent the Human-Faced Demon Spider—already unnerved by the earlier burst of Light energy—into full retreat. Its attacks faltered, its body already edging backward.
But Bei Bei wouldn't let such an opening slip.
Just then, a gentle voice rang out:
"Seven Treasures, Glazed in Light—
First: Speed! Second: Attack!"
"The Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda of the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect!" Bei Bei instantly recognized the voice—and relaxed slightly. The unknown newcomers were allies, not threats.
Feeling the surge of dual amplification, he roared:
"Second Soul Skill: Thunder's Wrath!"
Torrents of lightning erupted from his body, sealing off every escape route for the spider.
Then, his thousand-year soul ring flashed—
"Thunder's Fury!"
Trapped, the Human-Faced Demon Spider's fury exploded. It whirled back, rearing its upper body on two legs while the other six—sharp as spears—glowed with virulent purple venom, lancing toward six vital points on Bei Bei's body.
But before it could strike—its motion froze.
Lightning coiled around it, paralyzing every limb. Even the humanoid face on its abdomen twisted in agony.
Strike while the iron's hot!
Bei Bei's draconic claw smashed into its belly, flipping it skyward—exposing its fatal weak spot.
Before the spider could react—
"Blue Silver Entanglement!"
Vines erupted from the ground, wrapping the creature into a tight cocoon.
No time to struggle—
BAM! BAM! BAM!
Sixteen black bolts shot forth like vengeful shadows, piercing deep into the spider's body.
Moments later, the thousand-year Human-Faced Demon Spider ceased thrashing. A faint purple glow seeped from its corpse, coalescing into a hovering purple soul ring.
In the end—it still fell to the Zhuge Crossbow.
"Xiao Ya—are you alright?!" Bei Bei rushed to her side, voice thick with concern. Seeing she was unharmed, he turned gratefully toward the red-haired girl nearby.
"Little sister—thank you."
While Bei Bei fought the spider, Wu Feng had appeared beside Tang Ya, incinerating the web with a burst of flame. She'd pulled Tang Ya free, given her an antidote, and even created the opening for the killing shot.
"No need to thank me," Wu Feng waved a hand, nearly slipping into her usual nickname before catching herself. "Thank Ning Tian and… Brother Junting." She gestured toward the treeline.
Bei Bei and Tang Ya followed her gaze.
"Wow! So handsome!" Tang Ya blurted out instinctively.
Bei Bei sighed beside her—but couldn't deny it.
The white-haired youth radiated an indescribable aura—like a sheathed sword, ready to cut through heaven and earth at a moment's notice.
And that Mutated Scale Armor Beast, pinned like a trophy beneath his blade?
Proof enough of his strength.
But Bei Bei's eyes lingered longer on the girl the youth guarded.
She stood with innate grace—wealth and nobility woven into her very presence. In her right palm rested a foot-tall, seven-colored pagoda, circled by two yellow soul rings.
Definitely from the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect.*
He tugged Tang Ya's sleeve. "Xiao Ya—that's enough."
Then, stepping forward, he clasped his fists respectfully.
"Bei Bei of Shrek Academy—thank you both for your aid."
"Tang Ya of Shrek Academy—grateful for your help."
"No need for formalities," Ning Tian replied with a warm, diplomatic smile—already bridging the distance between them. "After all, we'll soon be Shrek freshmen ourselves. Helping senior students is only natural. Besides…" She glanced at the fallen beast. "I need the Scale Armor Beast's soul ring anyway."
"What?!"
Both Bei Bei and Tang Ya's eyes widened in shock. Tang Ya nearly shouted:
She's about to become a Soul Elder?!
And she's enrolling as a Shrek freshman?!
That meant… she was only eleven years old!?
Ning Tian merely smiled politely. She approached the dying Scale Armor Beast and ended its suffering with a precise shot from her soul-guided raygun—its eyes already glazing over with relief.
"Two-thousand-year third soul ring… and an eleven-year-old support-type Soul Grandmaster," Bei Bei murmured, watching her back. "That's the real monster."
Seeing Tang Ya chatting animatedly with the red-haired girl and the frail boy, he walked alone to Chen Junting's side.
"Thank you again, junior—your timely help saved us."
Chen Junting had just recalled his Seven Kill Sword. At the approach of the Tang Sect's heir, his usually icy demeanor softened—just slightly—with a rare, outwardly polite smile.
"Senior brother, it was nothing—just a casual gesture."
"Still," Bei Bei said gravely, recalling how close they'd come to death, "without your intervention, we'd be corpses. If you ever need our help, Xiao Ya and I won't hesitate."
"Heh—too kind," Chen Junting chuckled lightly. He neither accepted nor refused—but in that moment, he quietly acknowledged the debt owed.
"May I ask your name, junior?"
"Chen Junting."
"Oh? The Chen surname!"
Bei Bei's eyes flicked to the Scale Armor Beast's back—now empty of the sword that had pinned it. "Could it be… your martial soul is related to the Seven Kill Sword, inherited from Elder Sword Dao Chen Xin of ten thousand years ago?"
"My martial soul is the Seven Kill Sword," Chen Junting admitted plainly—but clarified the misconception. "Though I'm not actually descended from Chen Xin."
"I see."
Just then—
"Bei Bei! Come guard me!"
Tang Ya, having finished chatting with Wu Feng and Huo Yuhao, finally remembered she needed to absorb her soul ring. She called out urgently.
Chen Junting's gaze softened as he returned to Ning Tian's side, standing silently in protective vigil. Huo Yuhao and Wu Feng gathered close as well.
Time passed…
By dusk, both Ning Tian and Tang Ya had successfully absorbed their soul rings.
Knowing the Great Star Dou Forest grew far more dangerous at night, the six of them agreed to leave the border between the Outer and Mixed Zones before darkness fully fell.
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