Zheng Zha felt deeply uneasy. After upgrading the Tiger Soul to A-rank, he found himself completely unable to wield the magnificent crimson weapon.

At that moment, a pillar of light shot down from above Zheng Zha, enveloping both him and the Tiger Soul. Vaguely, Zheng Zha felt the silhouette of a white tiger charging toward him. Then, as the light faded, a layer of white mist coated the blade of the Tiger Soul saber. This white mist seemed alive, constantly trying to coalesce, yet just as the mist began to form the shape of a white tiger, it would suddenly dissipate. This was indeed not the complete Tiger Soul, merely an A-rank semi-finished product.

"Even a semi-finished product... it has to be better than the initial version, right?"

Zheng Zha mumbled to himself, yet he immediately gripped the hilt of the Tiger Soul. A killing intent erupted from him. Before the nearest members, Ba Wang and Luo Gandao, could even register what was happening, they cried out in pain as their chests were struck, sending them flying backward. Zheng Zha, gripping the Tiger Soul, had eyes burning crimson. He had just kicked them both in the chest, and judging by the speed and force, he had already activated his "Explosion" state. Ba Wang and Luo Gandao's chests were visibly indented.

The two lay on the ground, hacking up blood, clearly close to death.

"Aooo!" Zheng Zha roared skyward, raising the Tiger Soul saber wreathed in the white tiger mist, and slashed toward Zhang Heng beside him.

The speed was utterly terrifying.

Zhang Heng had previously acquired the bloodline of the Elven Electro-Archer, granting him swift reflexes. Before the blade could connect, his vision blurred, and he rolled away, escaping the direct path of the Tiger Soul’s arc. However, mere meters after he rolled clear, a ferocious aura slammed into his back. His spine instantly separated from the rest of his body; his lower half, extending to his mid-chest, was virtually obliterated.

Zheng Zha’s slash had missed Zhang Heng directly.

But within a ten-meter radius of that attack line, no one remained standing. Everyone had been struck down by the violent aura. Zhang Heng was the most grievously injured, nearly half his heart shattered. Zhao Yingkong and the others outside that radius were also battered and wounded; only Zhao Yingkong, due to his superior agility, merely coughed up a few mouthfuls of blood, suffering the least among them.

This was not over.

After delivering the blow, Zheng Zha leaped up, his eyes still red, and brought the mist-shrouded Tiger Soul saber down toward Cheng Xiao, who stood shielding Zhan Lan, aiming for Cheng Xiao's forehead.

Though the blade had not arrived, the fierce aura felt like it could cleave them both in two. A faint, hairline cut was already visible on Cheng Xiao’s forehead... "Main God!" Everyone was completely healed! Reward points deducted from Zheng Zha!" Xiao Honglü’s voice suddenly rang out. Then, several beams of light shot down from above the "Main God," engulfing Zheng Zha, who was still mid-air, and also shining upon all the other injured members. Even within the light, Zheng Zha continued to scream and struggle wildly.

As the beams intensified, the Tiger Soul was forcefully wrenched from Zheng Zha's grip.

Only then did Zheng Zha’s frenzied resistance cease. His crimson eyes gradually returned to normal. He looked around nervously. The ground was indeed stained with blood, but everyone injured was within the light beams. It was clear they had been critically wounded, but none had died by his hand. The Main God’s repair function was immensely powerful; as long as a person was still breathing, even faintly, they could be fully restored.

Once everyone was healed, Zheng Zha turned to them, his face etched with guilt. "I'm sorry, everyone... I was completely controlled by that malevolent energy. The moment I grasped the Tiger Soul, an overwhelming hatred filled my heart. All I wanted was to brutally slaughter everyone near me... Damn it, this blade is too wicked. I don't even know how those few strikes gained such power. While the force was immense, every swing felt like it was ripping my soul out. I only perceived a world of bloody red, except for the pale blade in my hand, where a white tiger's head stared at me grimly..." Everyone listened in genuine terror. They were modern people, accustomed to life-and-death battles and supernatural horrors in the cursed world, but something that threatened to devour their very souls instilled deep fear in them.

"Wait, wait, there are characters inscribed on this blade."

Qi Tengyi suddenly spoke up.

Everyone looked at him strangely. Qi Tengyi cautiously approached the Tiger Soul saber, peering closely at the blade. Then, he slowly read aloud: "Hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate... Don't look at me like that. There are seven 'hate' characters on this blade, followed by... The Seven Great Hatreds of Heaven and Earth since antiquity: First, hatred for youth passing too soon; Second, hatred for time that cannot be reclaimed; Third, hatred for the impermanence of worldly affairs; Fourth, hatred for the inscrutability of the human heart; Fifth, hatred for the meaninglessness of life; Sixth, hatred for the unrest even in death; Seventh, hatred for the ruthlessness of Heaven and Earth. Loyalty and righteousness only exchange for these Seven Great Hatreds. Hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate..." Everyone gathered around the Tiger Soul. The previously crimson blade now indeed bore strange runes. As Qi Tengyi described, these runes were the earliest forms of Chinese oracle bone script, virtually unknown to most. He had learned them from his previous master, who was a tomb raider... Although they knew the meaning of these runes, no one knew how they might help in using the Tiger Soul. Conversely, the A-rank upgraded Tiger Soul bore no resemblance to the power expected of an A-rank Legendary Magic Item. The force of Zheng Zha's previous strikes, while partly due to his own formidable power, was incredible. The Tiger Soul, merely an A-rank Legendary Magic Item, felt capable of being S-rank; its malevolence and power far surpassed that tier. Even the Sword of Victory and Vow could not match the Tiger Soul at this moment, although the Sword of Victory and Vow possessed a hidden ultimate move. The upgraded Tiger Soul, however, carried the flaw of uncontrollable killing. Based on its recent display, the aura of the Tiger Soul saber was simply astonishing.

"What a pity. No matter how fine a weapon, if it cannot be used, it is meaningless... Alas."

This was Zheng Zha's final sigh. For three days and three nights, he had relentlessly researched how to utilize the upgraded Tiger Soul saber. But every time he picked it up, he would fall into that state of madness overwhelming his mind. Each time, team members stationed far away had to scream for full restoration, relying on the Main God's beams to pull him back from the brink. Furthermore, Chu Xuan was locked in his room engaged in some arcane activity, and Xiao Honglü admitted he didn't know how to tame the weapon. In short, Zheng Zha had exhausted every means. This A-rank Legendary Magic Item was undeniably powerful, but it had become unusable. By comparison, he almost preferred the less potent Tiger Soul saber he originally possessed.

"Today is the final attempt. If this doesn't work, I'll just exchange for another weapon..." Zheng Zha took a deep breath, nodded to the other team members at the edge of the plaza, and brought the fruits of his three-day labor into his palm.

During these three days, besides studying how to use the new Tiger Soul saber, he had been ceaselessly condensing his internal energy. Using the minute control afforded by unlocking the fourth stage of the gene lock, he painstakingly refined and miniaturized his internal energy, thread by thread. What was once like airflow had solidified into something resembling liquid, even solid. But as he continued to refine it, this highly condensed internal energy suddenly reverted into a gaseous state. However, this gas was far more ethereal than his original internal energy, almost as if it possessed life, becoming active within his body as soon as it formed.

Zheng Zha did not know how to use this newly formed gas. It had completely lost the functions of internal energy—such as boosting physical attributes or concentrating for destructive force. This gas possessed none of those properties. However, it had one very peculiar characteristic: fusion. Whether it was internal energy or vampire energy, if this gas was left undisturbed, they coexisted peacefully. But if provoked, any amount of internal or vampire energy would be easily devoured by this small mass of gas. After consuming them, the gas’s volume did not increase at all, as if the devoured energies had simply vanished into thin air.

Because of this, when Zheng Zha discovered this property in his refined essence, his gaze immediately returned to the Tiger Soul saber. In his understanding, the biggest change in the weapon was the addition of the white mist; therefore, clearing the white mist should allow him to use it again. He decided to test if this essence could devour the white mist... Zheng Zha enveloped his fist with the mysterious essence and reached out to grip the Tiger Soul with one hand. In an instant, an icy consciousness shot directly into his mind from his hand. The mysterious essence did not devour the Tiger Soul's white mist. Instead, it isolated the mist's mind-controlling property, then connected Zheng Zha’s consciousness with the newly formed spirit consciousness of the Tiger Soul... It was the overwhelming, lingering hatred left by the creator of the tiger soul, the one who had murdered his loyal steed, the White Tiger...