C6 Demon Hou

"I've got it now—I used to think the soul seed was merely a seed from the Soul Tree, but in reality... in reality, every single tree here is a Soul Tree!" Woo Yang was thrilled by his hypothesis, yet he knew it was still unconfirmed. Nonetheless, he felt certain about his conjecture; the Invincible Manual indicated that only the Soul Tree could produce such distinctive fluctuations.

The forest's vibrant greenery was due to the overpowering soul force vibrations, so intense that they could actually alter human perception!

"How can I obtain the soul seed? I need to draw it into my body with my own soul, but how is that possible with mere communication?" Puzzled, Woo Yang watched as the Invincible Manual materialized once more.

"Congratulations, Master. You've sensed the Soul Tree in under five days. To acquire the soul force seed, you have two options: deplete your lifespan or complete a mission to earn the soul seed's recognition. You may choose either, or neither."

"Let's be clear—I won't sacrifice my lifespan. Give me a mission; I'm ready to take it on."

"The soul seed mission commences. Slay Vicious Beasts imbued with soul force, from Rank One to Rank Nine. Each kill will earn you varying degrees of the soul seed's recognition."

"Could I tackle a Rank Four?"

Woo Yang pondered briefly, confident in his ability to defeat a Rank Three. But with the prospect of securing a superior soul seed from a higher-ranked soul beast, he opted to gamble.

"A Rank Four soul beast has been deployed. The beast's vulnerabilities are now accessible. Please confirm."

"Activate."

No sooner had Woo Yang spoken than he spotted an enormous brute, towering two meters tall, emerging before a colossal tree not far off. The beast was a mere fifteen feet away, yet it loomed like a hillock.

"Rank Four Barbarian Beast, the Cruel Devil Dog. Vulnerabilities: abdomen, eyes. Moderate speed, high strength, average reflexes."

As the manual concluded, the Cruel Devil Dog abruptly opened its blood-red eyes. Initially bewildered by its new surroundings, the creature's attention swiftly fixated on Woo Yang, a seemingly appetizing morsel, locking its fierce gaze upon him.

It seemed to recognize Woo Yang, harboring a grudge against him. In that instant, its fur bristled, transforming it into a spiky behemoth reminiscent of a superstar porcupine.

The Cruel Devil Dog was a striking mix of red and black, its body cloaked in red and brown fur. Beneath the thick coat lay skin as tough and coarse as iron armor.

Perhaps it was the forest's shimmering green glow that made its fur glisten with an ominous, chilling sheen.

"Hiss..."

The Cruel Devil Dog snarled at Woo Yang, its front claws scraping the ground and etching deep grooves into the earth.

"It's okay. The forest is thick; it can't just barrel through at will," Woo Yang muttered to himself, mopping the sweat from his brow in a vain attempt at reassurance.

But scarcely had he spoken when the Cruel Devil Dog erupted into action. Trees that stood in its way were no match for its formidable might. Even the most majestic trees, wide enough to require two people to encircle them, were no obstacle; the dense forest was violently torn asunder, leaving a gaping void in its wake.

"That powerful?"

Woo Yang's eyes bulged in disbelief. His knowledge of soul beasts was limited; he knew they were akin to Vicious Beasts but with innate, potent soul force—making them at least twice as formidable. Additionally, soul beasts possessed a soul core, which martial artists could exploit to amplify their own soul force once they'd tapped into it.

"To hell with this, and a shout-out to your ancestors with the Golden Book!" Overwhelmed by the sight, Woo Yang's regret morphed into action, and he spun on his heel to flee.

"A Rank Four Soul Beast, this strong?"

Woo Yang was no stranger to Rank Four Vicious Beasts; his family had captured both Rank Four and Rank Five beasts before. Yet, this soul beast seemed to verge on the might of a Rank Five Vicious Beast.

And him?

Merely a Layer Three in the Qi Stage, he might be slightly stronger than the average martial artist at his level, but he was utterly outclassed by this creature. To engage it in combat would be tantamount to suicide.

"Analyzing weaknesses, the Cruel Devil Dog has poor stamina. Wearing it down will more readily reveal its vulnerabilities."

"Why didn't you mention that sooner?"

Woo Yang was thrilled. All he had to do was wear out his stamina, kind of like taking a dog for a walk, right?

Without hesitation, Woo Yang set off with the Cruel Devil Dog, weaving through the forest. The beast pursued him relentlessly, as if it harbored a deep-seated vendetta against him.

Both the Cruel Devil Dog and Woo Yang were rapidly depleting their energy.

"This isn't sustainable. I need to find a way to drain its stamina even more."

Woo Yang mulled it over. He was burning through stamina faster than the behemoth. If he wasn't careful and ran out first, wouldn't he just become a treat for this creature?

After some thought, Woo Yang leapt into a tree.

The Cruel Devil Dog, a powerhouse of brute strength, was no tree climber. Frustrated that its prey had taken to the branches, it could only ram its body into the trunk in response.

The beast was relentless. In under an hour, it had toppled a massive tree that would take three people to encircle. But Woo Yang remained calm, simply moving to another tree to perch.

As the day wore on, the Cruel Devil Dog began to show signs of weakness.

Seizing the moment, Woo Yang sprang from the tree, his arms' veins popping with power as he delivered a thunderous punch to the beast's back. To his astonishment, the Cruel Devil Dog seemed unfazed by the blow, even giving Woo Yang a look of utter disdain.

"Seriously? You're underestimating me?"

The Cruel Devil Dog gave a confirming nod, then, with a fierce glint in its eyes, swiped a claw at Woo Yang.

"Motherf—, I'm Woo Yang. I've faced down plenty of scorn in my time, and you're just a beast. I don't care if you're a Demon Hou or some kind of Soul Beast. Today, you're up against me, Woo Yang the King, and I swear, I'll pummel you so badly, even your own mother won't recognize you!"

Fuming yet focused, Woo Yang didn't lose his composure. He had spent enough time in the tree to consider his strategy against the Cruel Devil Dog. The previous punch was merely a probe; now he had his answer. To defeat the Cruel Devil Dog by targeting its non-weak spots was utterly impossible with his current level of cultivation.

To stand a chance, one must strike at the weaknesses. The abdomen, soft and vulnerable, presented an ideal target against the Cruel Devil Dog. Yet Woo Yang hadn't planned to strike there just yet.

"Come here, you dumb mutt!" Woo Yang taunted, nimbly evading the Cruel Devil Dog's lethal claws and swiftly retreating several meters. As the beast charged once more, Woo Yang slammed his fists into the earth with all his might.

Crack, crack—the ground fissured, a two-foot-wide chasm snaking from beneath Woo Yang's fists toward the oncoming paws of the Cruel Devil Dog.

The beast's onslaught was ferocious, but its reflexes were pitifully slow. In a twist of fate, its hind leg plunged into the crevice Woo Yang had created, leaving it flailing in a panic, desperate to free itself from its unexpected trap.

Seizing the moment, Woo Yang channeled his strength and surged forward like a loosed arrow, aiming for the soft belly—the beast's Achilles' heel and the most susceptible spot for a fatal blow.

The Cruel Devil Dog wasn't completely witless. As Woo Yang lunged, it managed to extricate itself. Its gaping maw narrowly missed Woo Yang's head, but its razor-sharp claws sank deep into his shoulder, tearing flesh. In comparison to the beast's massive form, Woo Yang was barely larger than its claws.

Gritting through the agony, Woo Yang jerked away, allowing the beast to rip away a chunk of his flesh—a puzzling offering that left the Cruel Devil Dog bewildered. Why would this man willingly feed me his flesh?

Ignoring his pain, Woo Yang capitalized on the distraction and slid beneath the behemoth's underbelly.

The Cruel Devil Dog bent its colossal head to inspect its stomach, claws ready to rend Woo Yang apart. But to its surprise, Woo Yang wasn't attacking. Instead, the young man who had bizarrely offered up his flesh now smirked up at the beast. In a swift motion, he scooped up a handful of mud, infused it with his Spirit Power, and hurled it straight at the creature's noble visage.

The Violent Devil Ape, a being nearly at the level of a Rank Five Vicious Beast, was utterly unprepared for Woo Yang's cunning assault.

Sand and wind swirled into its eyes, carrying Woo Yang's concealed Spirit Power—a force not to be taken lightly.

The Cruel Devil Dog descended into chaos, its roars echoing as it contorted its massive frame.

At that very moment!

Woo Yang gathered his might, delivering a relentless barrage of punches to the beast's abdomen. His Royal Tyrant Fist, a Rank Three martial skill, allowed him to exert his power to its fullest.

Each blow packed hundreds of kilograms of force, repeatedly smashing into the Cruel Devil Dog's body and shattering its flesh.

"Gu Te Bai!"

With a bellow, Woo Yang summoned all his strength for a final blow, his fists striking the same spot in unison.

Bang!

A bloody hole was punched through the Cruel Devil Dog's abdomen. Woo Yang plunged his hand into the gory cavity and yanked, tearing out the creature's innards.

"Roar..."

The Cruel Devil Ape's eyes snapped open. Desperate to escape Woo Yang, it stumbled forward only to gradually lose its strength and collapse with a ground-shaking thud.

"Mission complete. Begin soul seed fusion!"

Nearby, a tree pulsed with intense energy, beckoning Woo Yang closer.

"Fusing with the soul seed is exceedingly challenging, Master. Prepare yourself mentally."

"As long as it doesn't shorten my lifespan, it's fine."

"Your lifespan won't be shortened, but you might end up mentally impaired because of it."

"As long as my lifespan remains intact, I can handle it."

"What was that? Say it again?"

Before Woo Yang could lash out at the Invincible Manual, the soul seed's pull was irresistible. In that moment, he felt the despair of a damsel in distress, helpless against an impending threat.

"If only I'd known that completing the mission would grant me a soul seed, I wouldn't have wasted so much time."

Woo Yang was consumed by regret, with less than half a day remaining.

"The time before wasn't wasted. Without the ability to sense soul force, Master, fusing with the soul seed would have been impossible."

Following the manual's instructions, Woo Yang clung to the tree with all four limbs, his posture reminiscent of a child clinging to a tree trunk.

Under the mandate of the manual, Woo Yang clung tightly to the trunk of a large tree, his posture resembling a teddy bear hugging a tree in the sunlight. Slowly, a layer of misty green light began to wrap around his body.

"Do I really have to strike such an embarrassing pose? And why this color?" Woo Yang grumbled, even as the fusion process began. He had a point; the act of clinging to a tree with all four limbs was indeed a bit humiliating.

As the time it took to steep a pot of tea passed, the glow completely enveloped Woo Yang, and his consciousness grew increasingly heavy. It felt as though something was integrating with his soul, seeping through his pores and coursing through his blood.

Pain!

An agonizing, soul-tearing pain!

The excruciating torment made Woo Yang's body shake uncontrollably.

He was on the verge of giving up when the Golden Book suddenly spoke up, "Hold on, do not release your grip, or all of Master's previous efforts will be in vain."