17: Chapter 17 was hijacked again? The Empress is on the verge of a breakdown.

Deep within the ruins, beside a dried-up spirit pool.

The air seemed to solidify, with only the heavy breathing of the Armored Earth Dragon Beast echoing through the underground space.

The pressure of a Peak Demon Soldier was palpable, weighing heavily on Xia Youchu's heart.

Standing alone before the massive Armored Earth Dragon Beast, she was as insignificant as an ant.

Her cultivation at the three-star Yuan Practitioner Realm seemed so laughable before this behemoth.

Yet, Xia Youchu's eyes remained terrifyingly calm.

It was a stillness born from enduring ten thousand tribulations and gazing down upon the cycle of life, death, and Reincarnation.

In her past life, the enemies she faced were a hundred, even a thousand times stronger than this.

Beyond the boundary passes, the roars of alien emperors had shattered stars, yet she had never retreated a single step.

The current predicament, while perilous, was far from a dead end.

"Even in a dead end, there is still a glimmer of survival."

Her gaze swept rapidly across the entire spirit pool area.

On the central stone platform, the dragon-pattern spirit-nourishing fruit radiated an enticing, colorful glow.

The guardian Armored Earth Dragon Beast coiled directly in front of the stone platform. Its crimson eyes were locked tightly onto her, the intruder, while its thick tail, covered in metallic scales, swept unconsciously, carving deep furrows into the ground.

Its weakness...

Xia Youchu recalled the scattered records from her past life regarding this type of Yao Beast.

The Armored Earth Dragon Beast possessed extremely strong defense, especially its suit of armored scales, which even attacks from ordinary Grand Yuan Master Realm practitioners could hardly penetrate.

It had immense strength, excelled at charging and biting, and its tail strikes contained the force of a thousand jun.

However, its intelligence was low, and its movements were relatively slow, especially when turning around.

Moreover, this type of Yao Beast that relied on formidable defense often had weak resistance to attacks on the mental level.

"The dragon-pattern spirit-nourishing fruit... contains pure Mental Energy."

A plan, bold to the point of madness, rapidly took shape in Xia Youchu's mind.

She needed to take a risk; she needed to bet on the limit that this current body could withstand!

She moved slowly toward the side and back, appearing to look for an escape route, but in reality, she was adjusting her angle.

The Armored Earth Dragon Beast's low growl became more muffled, its massive body crouching slightly as it assumed an attack stance.

Now!

A fierce glint flashed in Xia Youchu's eyes as her hands suddenly formed a complex hand seal!

This was not a combat technique driven by Yuan power, but a forbidden technique that acted directly on the Soul Origin!

"Soul-Burning... Secret Technique!"

Hum!

An invisible flame seemed to ignite deep within her Soul!

Agonizing pain instantly swept through her entire body, a thousand times more painful than injury to the Physical Body!

Her face instantly turned as pale as paper, and a trace of blood even spilled from the corner of her mouth.

Yet, in contrast, a burst of Mental Energy far exceeding the three-star Yuan Practitioner Realm erupted with her as the center!

This was not Yuan power, but a pure mental shock!

At the Yuan Practitioner Realm, she was forcibly unleashing a mental attack that could only be accessed at the Yuan Spirit level!

"Roar!!!"

The Armored Earth Dragon Beast let out a roar mixed with pain and fury!

This mental shock did not directly inflict heavy damage on it, but the burning pain originating from deep within its brain and the intense dizziness caused it to instantly fall into a brief state of chaos!

Its crimson eyes became even more frenzied, losing any clear sense of target. Its massive body began to charge recklessly, and its thick tail swept wildly around!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The rock walls were struck, sending rubble flying, and the ground was plowed into deep furrows.

It had completely forgotten about the dragon-pattern spirit-nourishing fruit on the stone platform and temporarily ignored Xia Youchu as well.

Xia Youchu endured the agonizing pain of her burning Soul and the waves of weakness, yet her eyes were startlingly bright.

The bet paid off!

This beast indeed reacted violently to mental attacks!

She did not hesitate at all, moving like a ghost!

Pouring all the Yuan power in her body into her legs without reservation, she executed an exquisite movement technique from her past life—the Flowing Cloud Steps!

Although her Yuan power was low and could not display even a fraction of its profoundness, it was enough to seize this fleeting opportunity!

Like a wisp of smoke, she narrowly avoided the Armored Earth Dragon Beast's wild tail sweeps and flying rubble, circling along the edge of the spirit pool and rushing toward the central stone platform at top speed!

The Armored Earth Dragon Beast was still crazily venting the pain of its burning Soul, destroying everything around it.

Ten meters! Five meters! Three meters!

The stone platform was right before her eyes!

The rich vitality and Mental Energy radiating from the dragon-pattern spirit-nourishing fruit almost hit her in the face!

Xia Youchu could even see the naturally formed dragon-shaped patterns on the surface of the fruit!

As long as she got it, all the risks and sacrifices would be worth it!

She reached out with a slightly trembling hand, grabbing toward the colorful fruit!

Her fingertips were about to touch that enticing glow...

Success!

Just at this critical moment—

Boom!!!

The ground under Xia Youchu's feet exploded violently without warning!

Amidst the flying rubble and dirt, a gray head broke through the ground like a dragon emerging from an abyss!

A blood-red maw opened, and with lightning speed, it swallowed the dragon-pattern spirit-nourishing fruit on the stone platform, along with half of the stone platform itself, in one gulp!

Crunch!

The sound of the fruit being crushed was exceptionally clear in the now-silent space.

Time seemed to have frozen.

Xia Youchu's outstretched hand froze in mid-air, the ecstasy and anticipation on her face instantly solidified, turning into complete dullness and disbelief.

She could even feel a few drops of the sweet juice that splashed out when the fruit was bitten, landing on the back of her hand.

It even carried a warm aura of energy.

But the fruit was gone.

Eaten by this bastard that popped out of nowhere?!

Swallowed it whole without even chewing?!

Ling Tian swallowed the dragon-pattern spirit-nourishing fruit and smacked his lips in satisfaction.

[Devoured dragon-pattern spirit-nourishing fruit, gained Evolution Points +500! Mental Energy +50! Gained special status: Refreshed (Mental Energy recovery speed increased by 100% for 10 days, slight increase in Comprehension Ability).]

A cool, comfortable, yet vast and boundless surge of Mental Energy instantly exploded in his mind, like sweet dew nourishing parched land.

The fatigue accumulated from previous continuous battles and devouring was swept away, and his thinking became unprecedentedly clear and sharp.

"Refreshing! This fruit packs a punch!"

He patted his belly in satisfaction, only then noticing Xia Youchu, who was standing to the side with a deathly pale face and eyes that seemed ready to kill.

"Hmm? Why are you here?"

Ling Tian transmitted a thought filled with confusion and... a hint of "Are you looking for food too?"

He had been happily gnawing on rocks underground when he suddenly felt, through the Soul link, an extremely intense and self-destructive Soul fluctuation coming from Xia Youchu, along with an aura of pure energy that made him drool.

Acting on the principle of "a partner in trouble, and good food available," he immediately rushed over at top speed.

As soon as he popped his head out, he saw that fruit radiating an enticing aroma, so, as a conditioned reflex, he took a big bite...

Watching Ling Tian's innocent expression, which seemed to say "I ate something good and I'm satisfied" and even hinted "You're late," Xia Youchu's chest heaved violently. A metallic, sweet taste surged into her throat, and she almost fainted from anger.

The backlash of the Soul-Burning Secret Technique felt like millions of steel needles piercing her Soul.

All her painstaking efforts, the price of damaging her Soul, the excellent opportunity she had finally created...

The dragon-pattern spirit-nourishing fruit, which was about to be hers and was crucial to the Foundation of her early Cultivation...

Gone!

Swallowed in one gulp by her own War Beast!

"Damn you!!! I will XXXX!!!"

Xia Youchu pointed at Ling Tian, her fingers trembling, so angry that she couldn't even speak a complete sentence.

In her past life, she had traversed the world and held the power to decide the fate of the universe; when had she ever suffered such frustration?!

Yet now, she had been sabotaged twice by a stupid, blockheaded Gecko?!

However, misfortunes never come singly.

In those few seconds when Ling Tian swallowed the dragon-pattern spirit-nourishing fruit and Xia Youchu was so angry her Soul almost left her body.

The Armored Earth Dragon Beast, which had fallen into a frenzy due to the mental shock, finally regained a trace of clarity from the chaos.

It shook its massive head, its crimson eyes refocusing.

Then, it saw the stone platform.

On the stone platform, that little plant—which it had guarded for who knows how many years and which radiated an enticing aura—was... gone!

Only a bare, broken stem remained!

And beside the stone platform, there was now a small gray bug emitting an aura that it loathed!

Along with the human female who had previously used strange means to pierce its Soul!

"Roar!!!"

A heaven-shaking roar sounded again, even more furious and frenzied than before!

Losing the dragon-pattern spirit-nourishing fruit had plunged it into complete madness!

It no longer held anything back; the terrifying aura of a Peak Demon Soldier exploded fully, and palpable Evil Qi spread out, locking onto Xia Youchu and Ling Tian beside the stone platform!

Its massive body, carrying the momentum to crush everything, charged at them like a mountain of steel!

Its blood-red maw opened, a foul-smelling gust of wind hitting their faces, its sharp teeth—capable of crushing metal—glinting with cold light!

Xia Youchu's expression changed drastically!

Ahead was the mindless, furious guardian beast, and behind was... her frustrating War Beast!

A dead end!

A true dead end!