[Notification: You slew a fiend in a single strike. Minor increase to Prayer Power.]
[Notification: You slew a fiend in a single strike. Minor increase to Prayer Power.]
[Notification: You slew a fiend in a single strike. Minor increase to Prayer Power.]
[Notification: You slew a fiend in a single strike. Minor increase to Prayer Power.]
[Notification: Breakthrough achieved.]
The scythe swept across the air.
The three Soul Beasts before him were instantly engulfed by the Yin Fire clinging to the blade, reduced to nothingness in the blink of an eye.
As the system notifications rang out, a powerful aura erupted from Bai Jue's body.
He had broken through.
Bai Jue
Realm: First-Rank, Mid-Stage Festival Bearer
Festival: Zhongyuan
Weapon: Soul-Reaping Scythe
Zhongyuan Abilities: Netherworld Authority, Yin Fire, ???, ???
Zhongyuan Recognition: 80%
Abilities: Danger Perception, Focus, Devour Soul
Skills: Lethal Combat Art, Scythe Mastery
After glancing over his updated status, Bai Jue smiled.
The surge of Prayer Power flowing through his body filled him with exhilaration.
He threw a casual punch.
A sharp cracking sound echoed through the air.
The punch landed on a nearby tree—and in the next instant, the trunk snapped cleanly in half.
His raw strength was obvious.
Roar!
Another deafening howl echoed through the mountain.
Perhaps drawn by the breakthrough aura, even more Soul Beasts began to converge.
This mountain was practically a nest for Soul Beasts—their numbers were terrifying.
But Bai Jue showed no fear at all.
Instead, his grin widened.
"Perfect," he laughed, spreading his arms.
"Come on then. All of you—become my soldiers."
The Netherworld Authority unfolded.
Chains of soul-binding shot forth instantly, wrapping around one Soul Beast after another and dragging them into the underworld.
System notifications rang out once more.
[Notification: You have contained a Soul Beast. Minor increase to Prayer Power.]
[Notification: You have contained a Soul Beast. Reward obtained: Yin Officer ×1.]
"A Yin Officer? Not bad."
Bai Jue's excitement grew even stronger.
More Soul Beasts were pulled into the Netherworld.
Then—
A figure appeared that made Bai Jue pause.
With a thunderous roar, it charged straight at him, its massive claw sweeping through the air with explosive force.
Bai Jue raised his scythe.
Clang!
He blocked the attack effortlessly.
Looking closer, he saw what it was.
A Sha Tiger Soul Beast.
Its body was pitch-black, enormous—nearly as large as an elephant.
Baleful energy swirled violently around it, giving off both savagery and regal dominance.
Its strength had reached First-Rank High Stage, almost surpassing Bai Jue's own realm.
Ordinary Festival Bearers would instinctively retreat when faced with such a creature.
After all, Sha Tigers were born from condensed killing aura.
Tigers already embodied sharp metal qi in life—after death, that nature only intensified.
As a Sha Tiger, its body was incredibly tough, and it could manipulate killing aura to amplify its destructive power.
Unfortunately for it—
Its opponent was Bai Jue, wielder of Zhongyuan.
"Courting death."
Bai Jue frowned slightly and let out a cold snort.
With a thought—
Two Yin Officers stepped out from the Netherworld, one before and one behind the Sha Tiger.
Without hesitation, they hurled their soul-binding chains, locking the Sha Tiger in place and dragging it toward the underworld.
ROAR!
The Sha Tiger struggled violently.
Its high realm nearly allowed it to break free.
But in the next instant—
Bai Jue sneered.
The scythe flashed.
Yin Fire engulfed the blade as it cleaved down.
A deep gash tore across the Sha Tiger's body.
Baleful, ink-black blood flowed as it let out a pained roar.
That single strike caused it to lose its footing, and in that brief moment, the Yin Officers dragged it completely into the Netherworld.
Thick Yin energy surged forth, suppressing it entirely.
Humm—
After confirming the surrounding Soul Beasts were either slain or contained, Bai Jue exhaled slowly.
With a thought, he summoned the Sha Tiger again.
Just minutes later, when it reappeared before him, its eyes were filled with unwavering loyalty.
It had become his warrior.
Each time he witnessed the Netherworld Authority in action, its terror became clearer.
And when Bai Jue looked at the Sha Tiger now, delight spread across his face.
"Excellent. Truly excellent," he laughed.
"Dominant appearance, massive size—more than qualified to be my mount."
With a light leap, Bai Jue landed on the Sha Tiger's back.
The fur beneath his hand was unexpectedly soft.
Roar…
The Sha Tiger let out a low, obedient growl—nothing like its former ferocity.
Bai Jue smiled faintly.
"Go. Take me deeper into the mountain."
ROAR!
The Sha Tiger sprang forward.
Its four limbs transformed into surging baleful energy, carrying it through the air as it raced toward the mountain's depths at terrifying speed.
Outside the mountain.
Di Yao had just woken up.
She rubbed her eyes and hopped down from a tree, then reached into the air and pulled out a display screen from her spatial ring.
The screen flickered to life.
It was the live feed from the camera embedded in Bai Jue's earpiece.
When the image focused on the massive Sha Tiger beneath him, Di Yao froze.
"…He got himself a mount?"
A moment later—
"Wuwuwu… damn it, that's so unfair!"
She clenched her teeth, eyes full of envy.
She had once wanted a mount too.
But without something like the Netherworld Authority—something capable of containing living entities—it had been impossible.
Spatial rings couldn't store living beings.
In the end, she had no choice but to give up on the idea.
Grumbling, Di Yao unwrapped another lollipop and stuffed it into her mouth, continuing to watch the feed.
Suddenly—
Her expression changed.
Black mist crept across her face, her features warping into a terrifying visage of blue skin and fangs.
As if listening to something unseen, she spoke in a low voice,
"Someone infiltrated the mountain?"
"And they're heading toward Xiao Bai?"
"…Who is it?"
"Rats?"
Her gaze turned icy.
"So Xiao Bai's been targeted… because of that Nie, huh?"
A sinister smile spread across her face.
"Heh. Someone dares set their sights on my student?"
"Courting death."
At this moment, Di Yao no longer looked cute in the slightest.
She resembled a true ghostly deity.
Blue-faced and fanged, ghostly silhouettes flickered behind her—twisted, ferocious, and horrifying.
She took a single step forward.
Her figure vanished from where she stood, plunging into the mountain at terrifying speed.
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