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The protective barrier surrounding the Dark Devilgod Tiger shattered.
Although the God-Demon Dual Slash's sword energy had been partially neutralized, the remaining force slammed into the tiger's body, leaving it severely wounded. In the next instant, the Dark Devilgod Tiger was violently pulled into the swirling black hole.
Because they had been warned by Su Wen well in advance, the moment the black hole manifested, Dugu Bo and Chen Xin had already retreated to a safe distance. A terrifying suction force erupted from the void, but its reach was limited; once they were outside a certain radius, the dragging sensation vanished.
Su Wen and the others came to a halt fifty meters away from the vortex, watching the black hole as it spun with ominous persistence.
At the final moment, the Dark Devilgod Tiger had been forced to use this self-detonating gamble to save its life. Its "Evil God's Protection" was on cooldown, but it still possessed the "Life-and-Death Arena" soul skill. Activating the skill generated a temporary, powerful shield that had just barely managed to block the lethal blow from the God-Demon Dual Slash.
Even if it were sucked into the Life-and-Death Arena, it would be subjected to the regression of time, forced back into its juvenile form. However, when the opponent was a human Spirit Master, the tiger felt no fear. In fact, even if it were facing the Titan Giant Ape or the Sky Azure Bull Python, it wouldn't be worried.
Among soul beasts of the same level—especially in their infancy—the Dark Devilgod Tiger was peerless. It was invincible!
Su Wen hadn't expected the beast to use this ability as a defensive panic button. If an enemy entered the black hole, they would be reverted to their childhood to face the tiger in a "fair" duel. If the enemy refused to enter, the tiger would simply remain safely tucked away within the pocket dimension of the arena.
Su Wen wasn't sure how long the Life-and-Death Arena could sustain itself, so he didn't want to gamble on waiting outside for the tiger to reappear.
"If we enter, we have to fight it to the death in our juvenile forms?" Chen Xin observed the black hole, clearly intrigued by such a unique soul skill. Even Ning Fengzhi, with his vast wealth of knowledge, found the situation remarkably rare and startling.
"What if we just grab a random soul beast and throw it in there, then wait for it to come out so we can ambush it?" Dugu Bo suggested.
Su Wen shook his head, dismissing the idea immediately. The power of choice was currently in their hands, but the cunning tiger wouldn't have used this as a survival trump card if it didn't have a backup plan.
"If we just wait, the Life-and-Death Arena will never have its required two living beings. We don't know if it will wait indefinitely for a second life to enter or if it will eventually kick the tiger out after a set time. We could wait; we could gamble on it. However, if a second life does enter and becomes its opponent, as long as the tiger doesn't kill them, it might be able to stay in that arena indefinitely."
"Therefore, the only way is to go in ourselves and kill it!"
Ning Fengzhi frowned. He had never imagined a "bug-level" survival skill like this existed in the world. Indeed, the Life-and-Death Arena felt less like a hidden trump card and more like a god-tier escape ability. As a fragile support-type Spirit Master, Ning Fengzhi couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy.
"It's no wonder the Dark Devilgod Tiger can devour soul beasts everywhere without being hunted down. Even as a juvenile, it likely possessed this ability. It's too broken as a survival tool," Dugu Bo remarked.
"The choice is ours now. Xiao Wen, are you certain you want to go in?" Ning Fengzhi asked, his expression grave as he looked at the young man. Now that the decision rested on them, he felt the need to offer one last warning. This was a soul beast, after all—and not just any beast, but the Dark Devilgod Tiger. Even a six-year-old version of the tiger would surely possess cultivation exceeding ten years, and its raw power might be even more formidable than that.
"Don't worry, Uncle Ning. I am confident I can kill it," Su Wen replied. He took a deep breath and began walking slowly toward the black hole. Activating his "Ultra-Perception," he paid close attention to every shifting detail within himself.
Amidst a disorienting sensation of the world spinning, Su Wen felt his soul power being locked away. It regressed bit by bit, and his Mental Sea was gradually resealed. Even his physical state began to reverse. Every aspect of his being—save for his memories and consciousness—shrank. Even his Martial Soul, which had evolved multiple times, reverted to its most primitive state.
This comprehensive seal also included the "Origin Soul Power" that had been circulating within his Martial Soul Space. Even the minor superficial wounds he had deliberately left on himself vanished. Everything was flowing backward toward the state he was in when he was six years old.
Landing within the Life-and-Death Arena, Su Wen finally saw his enemy.
The current Dark Devilgod Tiger's tail had reverted to a normal tiger tail; the Evil God Hook at the tip was pathetically small, devoid of even a flicker of energy. Its body had shrunk from its previous eight-meter length to a mere meter and a half. If it had been a nightmare of ferocity before, it now looked exceptionally cute—more like a large black housecat.
"Better than I expected. You didn't revert to the age of six, but to a theoretical 'six-year' soul beast state."
The minimum for a soul beast was ten years; anything below that wasn't officially a soul beast, merely a mutation with a gradually strengthening body. Only after soul power was born did it count as a soul beast, starting at the ten-year level. The current Dark Devilgod Tiger was in a state where it didn't possess a single shred of soul power.
However, its gaze remained intelligent; there was no confusion in its eyes. It stared at Su Wen with a hint of surprise. Even in its juvenile state, it could tell that the person who had entered wasn't one of the two Title Douluos from before, nor was it the support Spirit Master. Instead, it was the brat who had been staying on the sidelines the whole time.
The tiger's crimson eyes flashed with murderous intent. It wasn't hard to guess that this person was the one who actually needed its soul ring.
"My Martial Soul has also fallen into a dormant state, exactly like it was before my awakening ceremony."
Su Wen couldn't help but sigh with emotion. Hearing him mumble to himself, the Dark Devilgod Tiger didn't launch an immediate attack. Instead, it watched him like a predator observing its prey, waiting for him to finish processing his current situation. The only thing that displeased the beast was that Su Wen showed no signs of panic. For a hunter, that was a failure.
It let out a tiger's roar.
"Everything about me has returned to how it was before I was six. My strength, my body—it's all the same." Su Wen looked at the tiger and began to grin.
"But what is the point of cultivation? What is the essence of strength? It is experience. It is technique. It is insight!"
He reached out to connect with his Martial Soul Space. Although his talent had regressed to its pre-six-year-old level, and he could only perceive the internal conditions of his body, Su Wen had the unique experience of sensing his Martial Soul Space with his original, baseline talent. He instantly felt the familiar space within his soul.
And right now, within that Martial Soul Space, a thread of weak Origin Soul Power was drifting aimlessly.
"Back then... I did have Origin Soul Power after all."
When a Spirit Master was stuck at a rank because they lacked a soul ring, they accumulated Origin Soul Power. Similarly, the tiny bits of feedback gathered from nourishing the body before awakening a Martial Soul were, naturally, also Origin Soul Power.
(End of Chapter)