Chapter 350: Skill: Self-Destruct!

"What a fine monster!"

Wang Ping'an's face was full of uncontainable excitement; not only was he happy to have slain Tiger Hui, earning a full 13,000 Merit at once, but he was also delighted, more than ever before.

A skill also dropped from Tiger Hui's body—a skill that suited him perfectly.

Skill: Self-Destruct!

When Wang Ping'an thought of this skill, he couldn't help but want to burst out laughing, but unfortunately he was currently controlling a Paper Person, which made it impossible to laugh out loud.

Just now.

He had personally witnessed the terrifying explosive power when Tiger Hui used Self-Destruct together with a puppet, and he couldn't even imagine what horrific force would result from him controlling a Paper Person with this skill.

Moreover.

Unlike Tiger Hui's Tiger Demon puppet, his Paper Person varies in quality because of the materials and the talisman—its crafting proficiency. The Paper Person he currently crafts may not match a top‑grade artifact, but it's certainly not far behind a mid‑grade one.

Once he upgrades the talisman—improves the crafting proficiency and uses better materials—he will be able to forge a superior Paper Person, and by pairing it with the Self‑Destruct skill, he can also raise the skill's proficiency.

It wouldn't be surprising if a single Paper Person's self‑destruct could wipe out an entire city—or even something far more terrifying!

How could he not be happy?

Wang Ping'an forced his excitement down and prepared to claim Tiger Hui's corpse. The massive Tiger Demon body was riddled with countless sword wounds; his tiger hide was mostly ruined, yet every other part of the beast remained a first‑rate treasure.

He was convinced he could sell it for a great price!

"Look, I'm already confused; this Tiger Demon is a top‑grade monster. Not only did it grant me Merit, it also gave me a skill, and now I can profit from its corpse. How could I not give it a proper send‑off?"

At that thought, Wang Ping'an hesitated not a moment and immediately used the Soul Salvation skill.

In an instant.

A primitive, grand, mysterious… Stone Gate began to take shape.

"What is this?"

Not far away, Yu Die lay on the ground, wrapped in a pair of broad butterfly wings, slowly healing herself. Watching the Stone Gate materialize before Wang Ping'an, her pupils contracted and her face and eyes filled with disbelief.

Not long ago.

She had watched herself on the brink of death at Tiger Hui's hands. Though she was resentful, she was already exhausted to the point of having no strength left to even struggle desperately; even if she refused to accept death, she could only watch Tiger Hui's assault that threatened her life.

Beyond self‑blame, she felt no ounce of resentment toward Tiger Hui.

In life‑or‑death combat, each uses whatever means; no matter how low Tiger Hui's tactics were, defeat is defeat. She lost her life to Tiger Hui's hand, which can only be blamed on her own inferiority, not on Tiger Hui's treachery.

Only.

If there were a next time, she swore she would be meticulous, leaving no room for carelessness, even when victory was within arm's reach.

Little did she know.

Just as she awaited death's arrival, someone suddenly attacked Tiger Hui, diverting his attention away from her. When she looked closely, she was shocked to discover the attacker was a Paper Person.

Paper Person.

She recognized it—it was the Paper Person she had just fought to the death with not long ago. She hadn't expected it to appear here and rescue her; she didn't know whether the Paper Person had been stealthily following her or merely happened to pass by.

She pondered for a long while, unable to understand, and grew lazy to think further. Paying close attention, she saw the Paper Person, amid its clash with Tiger Hui, swiftly healing its own wounds, ready to aid Wang Ping'an as soon as its body recovered a bit.

Regardless of Wang Ping'an's motives, she had to acknowledge the life‑saving debt.

However.

What she never imagined was that, contrary to her speculation, Wang Ping'an could be Tiger Hui's opponent. After all, she had fought both Tiger Hui and Wang Ping'an once each and knew their abilities well, yet she was wrong in her guess.

On the contrary, it was Tiger Hui who wasn't Wang Ping'an's match, as Wang Ping'an repeatedly left severe sword wounds on him.

If she hadn't noticed, Tiger Hui's thick hide and flesh—typical of a beast famed for its physique—allowed him to withstand Wang Ping'an's successive sword strikes. Any other cultivator, even a Golden Core stage practitioner, would not stand a chance.

Facing a continuous barrage of a dozen or twenty‑plus sword wounds.

He would have likely perished long ago!

She realized that upon meeting Wang Ping'an again, he was many times stronger than when they first met.

She didn't know.

This novel you to

Is it that Wang Ping'an hid his ineptitude in their life‑or‑death fight, or that the recent life‑or‑death clash between her and Wang Ping'an propelled him to a meteoric advancement?

Only then could he gain the upper hand in his life‑or‑death battle with Tiger Hui!

Just now.

She saw Tiger Hui use a rogue spirit's self‑destruct to destroy the Paper Person Wang Ping'an controlled, yet Wang Ping'an reappeared; she was somewhat surprised but not overly so.

If one can control a Paper Person, naturally one can control two.

However, the difficulty of handling one Paper Person versus two is, to put it mildly, worlds apart.

Nevertheless.

Back then, Wang Ping'an likely relied on this very tactic—controlling two Paper Persons—while carrying his spirit cat and storage pouch, leaving only a talisman case before vanishing from her sight. His using the same trick again was not beyond her expectations.

Yu Die had considered herself to have overestimated Wang Ping'an, until she saw the Stone Gate fully materialize before him. Then she realized she hadn't overestimated him at all; she had actually underestimated him. She inhaled deeply, exhaled a heavy breath of foul air, and couldn't help but remark:

"I never imagined anyone could master the Soul Salvation scriptures to such an extent that they could manifest Guimen Guan!"

The Soul Salvation scriptures are among the earliest spells practitioners encounter; most can perform them, albeit in varying forms, with largely similar effects. However, for someone like Wang Ping'an to cause Guimen Guan to appear during a soul salvation is not unheard of, but it is exceedingly rare.

"Who, exactly, is he?"

Yu Die stared at Wang Ping'an's silhouette, a torrent of tangled thoughts swirling in her mind, her expression complex as she spoke.

As Guimen Guan materialized, Tiger Hui's soul drifted out of his corpse. Seeing the gate open in mid‑air, his eyes lit with unmistakable delight, but when he glanced at Wang Ping'an beside him, that delight turned to resentment.

Had it not been this person, he would not have met his end in the Yellow Springs.

Know that he was only a short time away from refining the Mountain God's authority; once he succeeded, he would become the Mountain God of Shizi Ling—perhaps a low‑rank deity, but still far more noble than this rootless monster.

Yet all of that was shattered the moment Wang Ping'an's sword pierced his skull.

How could he possibly not resent Wang Ping'an, the chief culprit?

(End of Chapter)