Evan Chu's Frostbane Sword slashed down right at the spot where Goldwing had ripped open the Fire Scorpion's tail, but in that same instant, the scorpion's massive pincers swept toward him. If he didn't dodge in time, he'd be crushed beneath those claws.
It was already too late to dodge—the only option was to block with both hands. Just as Evan panicked, a white flash burst from the center of his brow and shot straight toward the Fire Scorpion's pincers.
The blast knocked the pincers back over a meter, and Evan seized the chance to retreat quickly. It was a hair's breadth escape—dangerous beyond words.
"You reckless brat, you always act without thinking! Thanks to you, I've lost another layer of soul power. How do you plan to pay me back this time?" Luna, the Sword Spirit, grumbled in his mind.
Evan was drenched in cold sweat. He really had been too impulsive—seeing Goldwing get badly hurt had thrown him off, and that's the worst mistake you can make in a fight. Losing your cool is the fastest way to get killed. He swore he'd pay more attention from now on.
"Thanks, Luna. With you around, how could anything happen to me? Don't worry—I'll do my best to find you some Soul Snow Grass or other soul-nourishing medicine as soon as I can," Evan said, grinning shamelessly.
"That slash should've seriously wounded the thing. If you time it right and strike again, you might be able to sever its tail. The Fire Scorpion's defense is monstrous—at least on par with the Fourth Layer of the Starforge Body," Luna replied, her tone softening.
Seeing Evan escape from the Fire Scorpion's pincers, Jenny Sima and the Violet Thunder Fox both breathed a sigh of relief. At the same time, they were deeply curious about the flash of light that had shot from his brow.
If you looked closely, you could see a fist-sized hole in the Fire Scorpion's pincers, with red energy pouring out of it.
Evan quickly retreated several steps, racking his brain for a way to cut off its tail directly. None of his current attack techniques were strong enough, and his strongest, the 'plain but terrifying' slash, needed time to prepare. With Macy and Goldwing both exhausted and unable to stall the enemy, he could rely only on himself.
Evan's slash had split most of the Fire Scorpion's tail, and now the beast was rolling frantically across the yellow sand. Its pincers flared again, spewing two-meter-long flames that swept wildly in all directions.
"Try merging your Heart Sword into one. The Fire Scorpion's defenses are already breached—your Heart Sword should be able to sever its tail, and you won't need to get close. I don't have any soul power left to bail you out again," Luna reminded him.
Evan had never successfully fused his Heart Sword before, but now it was his only option. He forced out all distractions and quickly channeled Chaos Qi into his fingertips.
This was the critical moment. The Fire Scorpion could escape at any time, and then all his previous effort would be wasted. He had only one shot—there wouldn't be a second chance.
The sword is born from the heart, and the heart commands the sword—anything in the world can become the sword in one's mind. Evan quietly grasped the true essence of the Heart Sword technique. With a single thought, he raised both hands and fired off two streams of invisible sword-qi.
This strike drained Evan's mental power like never before, but in that instant, he truly understood the principle of 'ten thousand swords born from the heart.'
The twin sword-qi streams shot toward the Fire Scorpion's tail, and at the instant they neared it, they fused together. Evan felt the space around them ripple as the sword-qi merged.
He knew he'd succeeded. The fused sword-qi struck the torn section of the Fire Scorpion's tail, and the overwhelming energy pulverized the tail—erasing even part of its body without a trace.
Evan was stunned. Jenny Sima and the Violet Thunder Fox were stunned. Even Luna was amazed—none of them had expected that fusing two streams of sword-qi would unleash such power.
The force was ten times that of a single sword-qi attack. With tenfold Heart Sword power, not even the Fire Scorpion's monstrous defense could withstand it. A hoarse, miserable scream rang out as torrents of red energy flooded from the Fire Scorpion's body—just like what they'd seen with the Flame Serpents.
Evan ignored the Fire Scorpion's current state and went straight to Goldwing's side, pulling out an Ice Crystal to draw the fire poison from his wing.
"Boss, I really let you down. I can't believe I couldn't beat a scorpion—it's infuriating just thinking about it," Goldwing said, gritting his beak through the pain.
"Goldwing, this Fire Scorpion isn't some ordinary monster. It's made entirely of fire-element energy, not even a real living thing. I don't know all the details, but one thing's clear—its defense is on par with a King-rank beast.
Don't blame yourself. Just focus on healing—remember, we're counting on you to fly us to that oasis you spotted."
"Got it, Boss. As long as you get rid of the fire poison, I'll recover in no time," Goldwing replied.
By now, the purple barrier around Jenny Sima had faded away. She frowned, clearly struggling with the desert heat.
After about ten minutes, the fire poison was purged from Goldwing's body. Evan walked over to Jenny Sima and said, "Sorry, Jenny. This Ice Crystal can help with the heat, but don't get too close—it's dangerous."
With that, Evan set the Ice Crystal on the yellow sand. Instantly, a cloud of mist rose up and the temperature around them dropped sharply. By now, the Fire Scorpion was completely still—it looked dead.
"Shadow, come out!" Evan called out, and Shadow appeared on the sand at his command.
It was Jenny Sima and the Violet Thunder Fox's first time seeing Shadow, the Bloodshadow Berserker Lion cub—both were curious, though Macy might've glimpsed him from afar. Still, the sacred-beast pressure rolling off Shadow made her distinctly uncomfortable.
"Big Brother, why'd you call me out? I was having such a nice nap!" Shadow grumbled, sounding a bit annoyed.
Everyone had suffered plenty because of Shadow, but as long as he could grow and break through quickly, all the hardship was worth it.
"See that red energy over there? Take a look and see if it's any use to you," Evan said.
Thinking back to the Flame Serpents' red energy, Evan felt a bit regretful—if he'd known Shadow needed it, he would've collected it at the time. He wondered why Luna had only mentioned it now.
"Wow! Blazestone! Not bad, not bad at all. With this much, I can at least break through one whole realm. Thanks, Big Brother!" Shadow cheered, then darted over to absorb the energy.
"Evan, what kind of puppy is that?" Jenny Sima asked, puzzled.
"That's my little brother, Shadow the Bloodshadow Berserker Lion. He's an ancient sacred beast—don't underestimate him. When he grows up, he'll be terrifying," Evan said, grinning at Jenny's stunned reaction.
"Big Brother, how did you sign a Soul Contract with such a tiny beast?" Macy, the Violet Thunder Fox, asked.
"His mother helped him sign it. She left a trace of her consciousness in the monster egg. Macy, you seem to know a lot about the Bloodshadow Berserker Lion clan?" Evan asked, sensing there was more to her interest.
Just then, Shadow ran over, his body flashing red, and suddenly grew to the size of a calf—a young lion, massive and awe-inspiring, appeared before them all...