Chapter 29: Liu Erlong Earns Great Merit
Qi Tian's martial soul was the most ordinary Blue Silver Grass. To truly evolve and avoid hitting a bottleneck in the future, he needed to replenish his martial soul essence.
Otherwise, he could end up like Yu Xiaogang—forever stuck at a certain level, unable to break through.
Now, seeing that so many plants in this forest had evolved into soul beasts could only mean one thing: among them was a powerful plant-type soul beast with a superior bloodline that had led the others to evolve.
If Qi Tian could absorb that leader's soul ring, his martial soul might undergo another transformation.
With that thought in mind, Qi Tian, supported by his rank-48 soul power, boldly stepped deeper into the forest.
Liu Erlong's martial soul, now an Ultimate Fire, had slowed her cultivation speed. It had taken her nearly a year to rise only two levels—yet her actual combat strength was nothing short of terrifying. The sheer destructive power of her extreme flame was unmatched.
"Huh? Strange… I don't see it anywhere," Qi Tian muttered after searching for a while but failing to locate the leader among the plant soul beasts.
"Awwooo—!"
A wolf's howl suddenly echoed from the depths of the forest.
"Benefactor, that must be the beast that's been attacking people! Let's go check it out!" Liu Erlong said quickly.
"Alright." Qi Tian glanced regretfully at the surrounding plant soul beasts before heading toward the sound.
In the heart of the forest, a blue-green wolf-shaped soul beast was locked in fierce combat with a pitch-black Ghost Panther.
"Erlong, is that the one?" Qi Tian asked.
"Yes, that's it!" she replied with certainty.
Qi Tian frowned slightly. "A Stormwind Demon Wolf… this thing's attacks might not be the only danger it poses."
The Stormwind Demon Wolf was infamous—it sometimes bred with humans, producing half-human, half-wolf bandits that terrorized nearby lands.
"Are there actually such disgusting soul beasts?" Liu Erlong's face darkened.
Having dropped out of school early, she hadn't learned much about rare soul beasts. Otherwise, she would've known about the depravity of this species.
"No wonder the reports said some women were killed, while the strong men mysteriously vanished," Qi Tian said, his eyes narrowing.
Only now did he notice the wolf was female—its belly was swollen, and its chest was engorged with milk. It was about to give birth.
Like dogs, wolves often gave birth to multiple offspring, and those offspring could have multiple fathers. It was very likely her womb carried both wolf cubs and half-human hybrids.
"Seems even men need to watch out when they travel these days," Qi Tian quipped dryly.
"You—! What nonsense are you talking about!" Liu Erlong snapped, her face flushing slightly as she scolded him.
Qi Tian chuckled. "Nothing. Let's just finish this beast off. Has that Ghost Panther harmed anyone in the area?"
"I asked around—no, it hasn't attacked any humans," Liu Erlong replied.
"In that case, we'll just drive it away."
The Stormwind Demon Wolf was enormous—over several meters long—and incredibly agile. It wasn't any slower than the Ghost Panther. With a snarl, it unleashed several sharp Wind Blades, slicing toward the panther's afterimages.
Qi Tian's body instantly flared with power as his martial soul possessed him. His hands and feet turned draconic, scarlet scales spread across his body, and a pair of dragon horns emerged from his forehead.
He exhaled a torrent of blazing fire—a Dragon's Breath—engulfing the Stormwind Demon Wolf in a sea of flames.
The Ghost Panther, previously at a disadvantage, seized the opportunity. One of its clones bit the wolf's flank while its true body swiftly retreated into the shadows.
The Stormwind Demon Wolf roared and retaliated, blasting out another Wind Blade to disperse Qi Tian's flames.
But in that brief moment of pause, Qi Tian had already closed the distance.
"Didn't expect that, did you? I'm a melee powerhouse!" he growled.
His draconic claws struck with brutal force. The wolf tried to dodge—impressively fast even while wounded—but Qi Tian's follow-up blows left it no chance to recover.
Its speed waned, its movements slowed, and within moments, Qi Tian overpowered it completely—smashing it to death with sheer physical might.
Liu Erlong's eyes gleamed with excitement as she watched him fight. That raw, explosive style of battle resonated deeply with her.
"As expected… Benefactor and I truly share the same spirit," she thought, her heart pounding.
"Alright, that's five thousand gold soul coins earned. Let's check the wolf's den—there might still be survivors," Qi Tian said.
"Mm, I'll listen to Benefactor!" Liu Erlong replied, clearly pleased with his calm and decisive attitude.
Dragging the demon wolf's corpse behind him, Qi Tian followed the trail to its lair—and sure enough, several burly men were inside.
They were only lightly injured, but their expressions were dull, their spirits sluggish, and something about them seemed… off.
"The wolf is dead. You're all safe now. If you want to live, follow me down the mountain," Qi Tian ordered.
The men turned toward him—and at the sight of the wolf's body in his hand, their eyes turned bloodshot. All at once, they lunged toward Qi Tian, wailing miserably.
"Wolfie! Why did you kill her?! She was our Wolf Sister! You murderer!"
One particularly deranged man even tried to attack Qi Tian, but Qi Tian simply flicked his wrist, knocking him out cold with a burst of soul power.
"What's wrong with them?" Liu Erlong asked, frowning.
Qi Tian was equally puzzled. After knocking the rest unconscious, he began inspecting the lair.
Piles of bones—almost like small mountains—filled the place, and the stench of rot mixed with a faint, peculiar fragrance.
"This smell… It's familiar," Qi Tian murmured.
Then it hit him. He had smelled the same thing earlier—outside the forest.
"The flower of that plant-type soul beast!"
Realization dawned. He had been deceived—that plant soul beast was skilled at camouflage!
No wonder these men had fallen for the wolf. They had all been exposed to a spiritual toxin that twisted their desires.
Only Liu Erlong had been unaffected—her cultivation level was far too high for the toxin to influence her.
Qi Tian lifted the unconscious men and tied them to the demon wolf's corpse, dragging them down the mountain to safety.
---
Meanwhile, elsewhere—
"Xiaogang, what's wrong? Are you poisoned?" Flender asked in alarm.
Yu Xiaogang was clutching a green vine, his face flushed and eyes dazed, muttering names under his breath—"Bibi Dong… Liu Erlong…"
Flender's face darkened with embarrassment, while Qi Tian, who had just arrived, couldn't help but wear the same dumbfounded expression.
Liu Erlong's eyes blazed with fury. "That bastard actually dares to… defile—me—"
She stopped herself mid-sentence, realizing Qi Tian was beside her, and quickly changed her words.
"Just wait, I'll smash his precious parts into dust!" she fumed inwardly.
Even Qi Tian couldn't bear to watch. He knew both Bibi Dong and Liu Erlong—and this scene was beyond absurd.
"I'll stop him," Qi Tian said, stepping forward.
"Wait!" Liu Erlong suddenly stopped him.
By now, Yu Xiaogang was completely delirious, babbling incoherently as his soul power and life essence were gradually absorbed by the parasitic plant soul beast entwined around him.
"Second Uncle… just send someone to capture that wild woman—Erlong's mother. Then rescue her yourself, and your father-daughter relationship will be restored!"
"But don't act too fast, Second Uncle… give me time to train the Martial Soul Fusion Technique with her."
"Erlong's talent is excellent. In time, she'll become a Soul Douluo. When the three of us master our Fusion Technique, we'll be able to face even a Titled Douluo head-on!"
Then, Yu Xiaogang's aura changed again—his tone becoming arrogant, delusional.
"Hmph, Bibi Dong! I am now the Master of Martial Soul Theory, the leader of the Upper Three Sects!"
"Do you regret casting me out of Spirit Hall now? Kneel before me and repent, and perhaps I'll grant you mercy!"
"Xiaogang, you're poisoned! Let's go down and get you detoxified!" Flender shouted, face flushed with shame as he hoisted Yu Xiaogang and hurriedly fled down the mountain.
Liu Erlong's rage was boiling over. "He… he wanted to target my mother?! I'll kill him!"
Qi Tian couldn't help but sigh. It was almost unbelievable—Yu Xiaogang had actually come up with such a vile scheme to force Liu Erlong into submission.
Fortunately, they had discovered it in time—before it was too late to fix.
—
T/N: I'm not sure what's going on, but this fanfic hasn't been showing up in the recent updates section during the morning since yesterday. So, I've decided to switch my update schedule — from now on, I'll upload new chapters only at night, around two to three chapters each time.
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