Apocalypse: Master of Soul Beasts

The large black cat, nimble as a cheetah, stalked along the shortest straight-line path toward the Laughing Monk.

Its agile figure and swift, efficient movements made Wen Yu marvel; felines truly were one of Earth’s most formidable terrestrial predators.

In contrast, Cyclops and Star seemed far clumsier. In their miniature forms, their small bodies wriggled so hideously that Wen Yu could hardly bear to watch.

Moreover, they were incredibly slow. Victor had already covered more than half the distance, yet those two hadn’t even crawled 100 meters.

Witnessing this, Wen Yu frowned slightly.

His three soul pets rarely cooperated in battle. This meant that while their individual combat abilities were indeed strong, their teamwork was atrocious.

At least for now, the actions of the three soul pets seemed full of flaws in Wen Yu’s eyes. Couldn’t Victor have first placed Cyclops and Star in the Netherworld and only let them out when the battle began?

However, Wen Yu merely watched in silence, offering no hints. If their teamwork was lacking, they would simply have to train. Besides, based on the Almighty Demon Vine’s assessment of Laughing Monk’s strength, Wen Yu was confident he could ensure his soul pets’ safety even if the monk were several times stronger.

The absorption speed of the Soul Realm space was definitely no joke.

As Wen Yu stood by silently and his three soul pets crept about, Victor slowly approached the Laughing Monk’s position.

...

1,000 meters...

500 meters...

300 meters...

As the distance shrank, Victor’s movements became increasingly subtle.

Victor’s concealment ability was only S-class—not a particularly reliable rank—and according to the intelligence relayed by Moon’s Eye, aside from his level, Laughing Monk’s skills were entirely unknown. Whether he possessed a skill that could see through Victor’s concealment ability was something no one knew.

The air seemed to solidify.

Victor gently lifted his left paw, then slowly set it down.

200 meters! This distance was already within Victor’s attack range.

Seeing the Laughing Monk before him still completely oblivious, eyes shut tight and standing motionless, Victor narrowed his eyes and slowly tensed his body, preparing to pounce.

To be fair, Victor had naturally also considered the issue Wen Yu had just pondered regarding the Netherworld’s use.

But this involved a significant problem—the competition among Wen Yu’s soul pets!

Wen Yu, at Level 5, possessed five Soul Realms. The Soul Beast of his 1st Soul was negligible. Faceless, of The Fourth Soul, lacked independent combat capability and consumed no resources. This left three soul pets. Among them, Victor currently seemed the most powerful in terms of overall abilities and assistance to Wen Yu.

Judging by Wen Yu’s recent resource allocation, the three soul pets held similar positions in his heart.

However, resources were finite. As Wen Yu acquired more soul pets, internal competition for these resources would only intensify. Victor, the cleverest of them, had already discerned Wen Yu’s intention in having the three soul pets deal with the Laughing Monk.

I need to see if you are truly worth the significant resources I’m investing in your development!

Survival of the fittest was an immutable law of nature. Wen Yu might not forcibly terminate a Soul Realm contract, but if a soul pet’s strength couldn’t keep pace with the main group, it would face a long period of being sidelined, eventually becoming a passive ”skill booster” that merely provided Wen Yu with an additional skill.

Victor felt his current thoughts were somewhat dark...

However, judging by Wen Yu’s way of doing things, Victor believed there was about a 50% chance it would end up this way.

A cruel, yet very realistic thought—this was very much in line with Wen Yu’s style!

And now, it was time for the three soul pets to submit their answer sheets!

Victor felt that if he could take down this little nuisance called Laughing Monk all by himself, his ”report card” would undoubtedly be perfect. As for Cyclops and Star... Heh. Competition was competition, and this was about their future standing!

Having been a boss in Las Vegas for so long, Victor was absolutely unwilling to be ranked beneath fellow soul pets Cyclops and Star!

...

He slowly turned his head and glanced briefly in the direction of Cyclops and Star behind him—those two were far, far away.

And this unmoving figure before him—physical fitness under 15,000 points. So what if it possessed some unknown Cultivation Technique? Victor’s own physical fitness exceeded 13,000 points, augmented by the innate talent of a divine beast species. On paper, even if it wasn’t a complete rout, it would be an evenly matched battle at worst!

Thinking this, Victor slowly unsheathed his terrifying claws. His body tensed, and in the next instant, the massive black shadow erupted with astonishing Energy Fluctuations.

Like a black storm cloud, Victor lunged headfirst towards Laughing Monk!

...

The two-meter-tall figure loomed larger in Victor’s vision. As the distance shrank, Victor could even clearly see Laughing Monk’s impassive expression and the large hole in his chest.

The large hole looked as if it had been punched by a humanoid Demon Fiend. The tattered heart within the cavity, uncorrupted after countless years, even faintly exuded a ”fresh” hue.

The adjective ”fresh” made Victor a little nauseous. Thankfully, he had only eaten vegetarian food all day...

Thinking of vegetarian food, Victor couldn’t help but recall his appetite today—it was delicious and beneficial, but the quantity was too large, so large that Victor felt a slight ache in his stomach.

When was the last time his stomach had ached like this?

A jumble of inexplicable thoughts surged through Victor’s mind, showing signs of becoming unstoppable, yet Victor himself was oblivious.

It wasn’t until, in a daze, Victor perceived faint sounds ahead that he managed to lift his head and look towards where Laughing Monk had originally been standing.

The previously quiet Laughing Monk had, at some point, opened his eyes.

The pale golden eyes made Victor feel an astonishing pressure. Then, Victor saw the corners of the figure’s mouth slowly curve into a slight smile...

Ugh, old man, that smile on your wrinkled face is truly hideous. Don’t you know you need a facelift...

Strange thoughts surfaced again. Victor hadn’t even realized why this pounce of his was taking so long!

Then, Victor saw the Laughing Monk slowly bring his hands together.

”MOO!”

”BOOM!!!”

Massive Energy Fluctuations swept through the surroundings. At that moment, Wen Yu finally understood how the surrounding devastation, reminiscent of a nuclear bomb strike, had occurred!