Chapter 25: The Third Soul Skill

The Wind-Thunder Demon Wolf lay in the mud, maintaining an incredibly undignified posture. Its massive wolf head was buried deep in a slurry of mud and rotting grass roots, with only its hind legs twitching nervously. It seemed unable to break free from the philosophical trinity of "Who am I, where am I, and why did I fall?"

Not far away, Bai He stood on one leg, the other still extended in the tripping motion. The expression on his face was frozen. Half of it was the shock of "I actually succeeded," and the other half was the shame of "I, a dignified Soul Douluo, actually used such a move." His old face felt even hotter than the miasma in the swamp.

Bai Chenxiang, who had just dropped gracefully from mid-air, ready to deliver a thunderous blow, also froze in place. Her Meteor Gauntlets, condensed with the full force of her strength and the advantage of her weighted gear, were less than three inches from the back of the wolf king’s head, yet she could not bring herself to strike.

How could she attack? To use her strongest move on an opponent lying on the ground with its rear end hoisted high? The image was too ridiculous; she dared not even imagine it.

For a moment, human and wolf, aggressor and victim, were trapped in an eerily awkward atmosphere. This dead silence was finally shattered by a roar filled with boundless humiliation and monstrous rage.

"Awoo——!!!"

The Wind-Thunder Demon Wolf jerked its head out of the mud. Its originally heroic and aloof wolf face was now covered in black sludge and grass clippings, looking utterly wretched. Those ice-blue eyes were no longer blue; they had completely transformed into a blood-red color, burning with raging fury.

It did not care about the wounds torn by sharp claws, nor the turbulent soul power within its body. It only knew that as the King of the Thunder Swamp, having lived for thousands of years, it had never suffered such a disgraceful insult!

Being toyed with by two humans—one old, one young—like they were walking a dog was one thing. But in the end, to be tripped by an old man using a low-life tactic that even street thugs would disdain? This was worse than death! Its dignity had been shredded, tossed into the mud, and trampled upon!

Boom——!!!

Violent lightning, no longer focused or restrained by any technique, transformed into an ocean of purple-blue electricity. Centered on the Wind-Thunder Demon Wolf, it swept madly in every direction. The mud on the ground evaporated instantly, and the scorched earth cracked open. It had gone insane!

"No! Retreat!"

Bai He’s complexion changed drastically. Disregarding all decorum, he snatched up the still-stunned Bai Chenxiang and retreated at breakneck speed. That ocean of lightning grazed his heels, turning everything where they had stood just a moment ago into charred cinders.

"Girl! Your terrible idea! You've completely provoked this beast!"

As he fled for his life, Bai He could not help but complain to his granddaughter in his arms. He regretted deeply why he had stuck that leg out.

Bai Chenxiang’s small face was also pale. She gripped her grandfather’s clothes tightly and said urgently, "Grandfather, it has lost its mind! This is both a good thing and a bad thing!"

"The good thing is that it won't use its brain anymore; the bad thing is that it will attack without regard for the cost!"

Her small mind raced, observing the giant wolf behind them that had turned into a lightning-crazed demon.

"Grandfather, running like this isn't the solution!"

"Then what do you propose?" Bai He asked anxiously. His internal soul power was depleting rapidly, and carrying someone had inevitably impacted his speed.

"Fight separately!" A flash of determination crossed Bai Chenxiang’s eyes. "You act as the bait, and I will lead the attack! Its eyes are only on me now. You harass it from the flanks and create an opening for me!"

"No! That’s too dangerous!" Bai He refused without a second thought. Let a six-year-old child lead an attack against an enraged 2,500-year-old soul beast? He wasn't crazy!

"Grandfather! Trust me!" Bai Chenxiang’s voice suddenly rose, carrying an unquestionable firmness. "We have no way back! Have you forgotten? The way of the fox and rabbit lies in wit; the way of the tiger and wolf lies in dominance! Now is the time for the fox and rabbit to show their fangs!"

Bai He’s heart trembled. He looked at the surprisingly bright eyes of his granddaughter. There was no fear in them—only a calm madness and a hunger for victory.

Yes, how could he have forgotten? From the moment she stepped out of the clan, this girl had been constantly redefining his understanding of her. He should trust her, just as he trusted his own speed.

"Alright!" Bai He steeled himself and placed Bai Chenxiang under a relatively thick, charred tree. "You girl, if you dare to have even the slightest mishap, see how I deal with you when we get back!"

Before the words had faded, he turned, no longer fleeing, and transformed into a cyan shadow, actively rushing toward the edge of the sea of lightning. Like a top-tier matador, he danced on the crests of the lightning waves, using his ghostly footwork to draw the Wind-Thunder Demon Wolf's attention.

"Beast! Look over here!"

The Wind-Thunder Demon Wolf’s blood-red eyes were locked firmly onto the little one who had shamed it. As for the buzzing old fly nearby, it only diverted a portion of its lightning to swipe at him casually. Its target was singular!

*Now!*

Bai Chenxiang seized the moment when Bai He successfully drew the wolf king’s attention. Instead of retreating, her entire body acted like a spring compressed to its limit, lunging forward!

It wasn't a straight line, but a strange, curved trajectory! Her speed was so fast that she left an undissipated afterimage where she had stood. Her true form, aided by the high speed, had already traced a lethal path through the wolf king’s blind spot.

The wolf king was highly intelligent; even in its rage, it sensed the danger. It swung its head violently, and a lightning bolt as thick as a barrel appeared out of thin air, striking precisely at the path of Bai Chenxiang’s advance! It intended to use absolute power to seal off all technique!

However, Bai Chenxiang seemed to have anticipated this. The moment before the lightning bolt was about to strike her, her figure disappeared once more.

"Wind Flash!"

An extreme, short-range displacement!

By a hair's breadth, she dodged the violent lightning, her figure appearing like a ghost beside the Wind-Thunder Demon Wolf’s thick right front leg! She raised her right fist.

The pitch-black gauntlet, which she had named "Meteor," shimmered with a cold luster under the reflection of the purple lightning.

"Break!"

A low roar, entirely out of place for her age, erupted from her delicate throat. All her power, the momentum of her ninety-pound weighted gear, the burst of soul power, and a ferocity that did not belong to a child were all condensed into this one punch!

The target was not the hard bone, but the knee joint—the most unstable part supporting its massive body, which had also been tripped by Bai He moments before!

"Crack!"

A crisp, bone-chilling sound of fracturing could be heard clearly even amidst the roaring thunder.

"Awoo——!!!"

The Wind-Thunder Demon Wolf let out a shriek of extreme agony. Its right front leg twisted outward at a grotesque angle, and its massive body collapsed to one side, kicking up a sky full of mud.

The excruciating pain caused the madness in its eyes to recede slightly, replaced by disbelief. It had actually been knocked down again, and in the same manner! Only last time it was tripped, and this time, it was beaten down!

Having succeeded with one strike, Bai Chenxiang did not succumb to greed. She activated her Wind Flash again, instantly opening up a distance of tens of meters and returning to a safe zone. Her small face was somewhat pale; that punch had nearly drained all the soul power in her body.

"Well done!" Bai He’s excited shout rang out. Seizing the opportunity of the wolf king’s fall, his figure moved like lightning, instantly appearing above the wolf king’s head.

"Take advantage of your illness to claim your life!"

He didn't have as many qualms as his granddaughter. His hands joined into a blade, and cyan soul power condensed frantically, forming a wind blade several feet long. He slashed fiercely at the relatively fragile neck of the Wind-Thunder Demon Wolf!

"Third Soul Skill: Wind Blade!"