As the Thousand Venom Centipede lunged forward, the Black-White Thunderhawk let out a deafening screech. In an instant, its white-feathered wings erupted with two blinding bursts of thunderous energy.
"Boom!"
The twin blasts exploded mid-air, releasing countless arcs of lightning that slammed into the centipede, blasting it away.
Temporarily freed from danger, the Thunderhawk flapped its wings, trying to rise into the air. But the wounds on its wings rapidly turned purple, and black blood began to drip—clear signs of severe poisoning.
It flapped a few more times before losing control and crashing back to the ground. Its body trembled violently.
The Thousand Venom Centipede wasted no time, pouncing on the injured bird. With its long, coiled body, it tightly wrapped around the hawk, and its massive pincers bit hard into the bird's neck.
The Thunderhawk thrashed wildly, rolling through the forest as it tried to shake the centipede off. But the moment it had been bitten, millions of deadly toxins were already injected into its bloodstream. Were it not for its powerful soul beast physique, it would have died instantly.
Its struggles gradually weakened until it finally lay motionless on the ground.
Even then, the centipede remained wary. It didn't loosen its grip. Instead, it tightened, squeezing so hard that even cracks and snaps of bones could be heard from a distance.
After a while, satisfied with its victory, the centipede began to relax its coils, preparing to devour its prey.
But at that moment—the Thunderhawk's eyes suddenly snapped open!
It let out a roar and blasted a pillar of dark lightning straight through the centipede's head.
Both beasts now lay still—one dead, the other barely alive.
From a distance, Ye Chen watched all this unfold with disbelief.
> "Talk about luck… I just got myself a free ten-thousand-year soul ring?"
A grin crept onto his face. Wasting no time, Ye Chen jumped down from a tall tree and rushed toward the dying soul beasts.
Just as he neared them, another figure emerged from the shadows—arriving just a second behind him.
The two locked eyes.
It was a young woman—golden short hair, a sharp gaze, a body full of mature elegance. Her appearance was nothing short of stunning, even rivaling beauties like Zhu Zhuqing or Ning Rongrong.
> "I've been tracking these beasts for half a month. Step aside."
Her voice was cold, commanding—as if she saw Ye Chen as an insignificant bystander.
Ye Chen raised his brows, smirking.
> "How about we split them? One soul beast each. Fair, right?"
The woman scoffed.
> "Fair? You think both of these are ten-thousand-year soul beasts? Clearly, you're new to this."
Surprised, Ye Chen double-checked. Indeed, only the centipede was over ten thousand years. The Thunderhawk was just short—around 9,000 years.
> "Ah… I see. Thanks for the clarification!" he said, laughing off the embarrassment.
"In that case, the centipede is mine. The Thunderhawk suits you just fine."
He stepped forward to finish off the centipede.
But the woman blocked him.
> "You? Absorb a ten-thousand-year soul ring with only 30 levels of soul power? That's suicide."
Her pressure surged, revealing her true strength—level 40.
> "I told you, they're mine. Leave now, or I won't be so polite next time."
Ye Chen shrugged.
> "Wow, you're really not into sharing. But you can't absorb a ten-thousand-year soul ring either, right? Wouldn't that be... wasteful?"
> "That's none of your business. If you don't leave, I'll kill you."
Ye Chen casually sat on a broken tree stump, crossing his legs with a grin.
> "Go ahead then. Kill me, and you'll lose both soul rings. Your move, princess."
The woman clenched her fists. Time was running out—the beasts were on the brink of death. If she hesitated, both rings could vanish.
But absorbing a soul ring beyond her limit… meant her body would be exposed in a vulnerable and, frankly, embarrassing state.
She glanced at Ye Chen.
> "At least he's good-looking… I'll deal with him after."
Determined, she turned away and moved to the Thunderhawk. Without a word, she pulled out a gleaming dagger and delivered the final blow. A purple ring of energy emerged, and she immediately sat down to begin absorbing it.
Seeing this, Ye Chen smiled.
> "Finally."
He summoned his weapon, the Abyssal Blade, and finished off the Thousand Venom Centipede. Then, he too sat down and began absorbing the soul ring.
Thanks to his unique cultivation method, Ye Chen could handle higher-level soul rings with relative ease. He had been intentionally suppressing his soul power so that he could absorb stronger rings later.
As long as the soul ring's energy was within his tolerance, the process would be smooth.
Minutes passed.
Ye Chen's eyes opened slowly. Three soul rings—purple, purple, and black—now hovered around him. He had successfully completed the fusion.
Just as he stood up to stretch, he heard a strange tearing sound.
He turned—and was instantly stunned.
The woman's clothes had completely disintegrated during her absorption. She now sat there, her divine figure fully exposed, with only two fox-like ears and a fluffy tail adding to her already enchanting charm.
Ye Chen froze. His nose bled uncontrollably.
> "She's… absolutely breathtaking…"