I'll Take That Last Strike for You

Before entering the Soul Hunting Forest, Mo Yifan checked his bag of rations three times.

Xu Sheng could not hold back any longer.

"Afraid someone's going to sneak a bite?"

"Last time I flew back, Lu Song said my flatbread had fallen."

Lu Song carried his pack without a change in expression. "It did fall."

"Into your mouth?"

Ren Yu stayed out of it, lowering her head to retie the cords on her leg guards.

Jiang Shi was a little nervous, but as he listened to the others bicker, his grip on his bow loosened a little.

Only after the guards verified their Soul Hunting authorization did the group pass through the entrance.

Fang Zhan led Wen Zhao and two others seeking Soul Rings along the northern path. Xu Sheng's team went to another patch of woodland suitable for snakes, as agreed, and the two sides settled on a place to meet that afternoon.

The trees here were dense, leaving few places where the view from the air was clear. Mo Yifan rose to scout only where there were suitable gaps, then came down and followed on foot, unwilling to spend all his Soul Power on flying.

Xu Sheng walked in front, with Ji Juechen bringing up the rear.

After they had gone some distance, a small beast suddenly darted out of the fallen leaves ahead.

Jiang Shi had an arrow nocked almost instantly.

But before he had drawn the bow fully, he stopped. The little beast had already rounded a tree root and disappeared into another patch of grass. It was far too small to be worth the whole group stopping to chase.

Cen Zhao glanced over. "Why didn't you shoot?"

"It's not what we're looking for."

"Quick reactions, though."

Jiang Shi lowered his head and smiled without saying a word.

His old team had not let him stand in front, so he had stayed in the back and practiced nocking arrows. Eventually, the moment he heard leaves move, his hand would reach the end of an arrow before he knew it.

Xu Sheng looked back just in time to see him put the arrow away.

The man looked quiet, but he had some skill.

Once they got back, he could have Mo Yifan practice with him. With one watching from above and the other aiming from the ground, they might not have to wait for an enemy to reach their faces before making a move every time.

Xu Sheng made a mental note of it but said nothing for now. He knew very well that rather than telling someone who had yet to obtain his first ring how he could fight in the future, it was better to secure the Soul Ring in front of them first.

Cen Zhao held the shaft of his spear, keeping the chain short so it would not catch on the branches and leaves. Bai Ji carried his little pack and had not released any smoke for the moment.

It was already hard enough to see in this place. Smoking out their own people would practically be serving a meal to the Soul Beasts.

In midmorning, they found the first shed snakeskin.

Searching farther ahead, they finally spotted the Mandala Snake coiled at the edge of a damp slope.

The snake was about three meters long and dark green, its head buried beneath the leaves with only a section of its tail exposed. It did not attack of its own accord, but as the group approached, it slowly raised its head.

Xu Sheng did not act immediately.

Its age was roughly right, and the location was not bad either.

The real trouble was the pile of loose rocks at the bottom of the slope. If they let it slip inside, they would have to guard against a sudden bite while chasing it.

He pointed to the side.

Ren Yu nodded and laid Green Jade Vine around the tree roots. Lu Song took up a position below the slope, holding his Black Armor Shield across his front to block the widest gaps.

Jiang Shi had just started to raise his bow when Xu Sheng pressed his hand down.

"No rush. Wait until I call you."

Then Cen Zhao moved.

The chain spear lashed out from the side, its butt scraping across the ground and startling the Mandala Snake into springing up. It did not lunge at the spearhead, but skimmed along the ground straight toward the man holding it!

Cen Zhao was ready. He retreated and reeled in the chain, and the Yellow Soul Ring around him lit up.

Crimson Flame Edge!

The spearhead took on the color of fire as it swept across the front of the snake's head.

The snake twisted, avoiding the frontal strike. At that very moment, the Green Jade Vine tightened beneath the leaves and checked the front half of its body.

That single check made the vine tremble under the strain.

Ren Yu did not pull against it by force. She immediately changed the direction of the pressure and guided it toward the shield.

"Bang!"

The snake's tail slammed into the Black Armor Shield. Lu Song's foot slipped and he staggered half a step back, but he braced his knee against a rock and forcibly steadied himself.

Xu Sheng darted forward at that moment.

His sword flashed in a diagonal slash, avoiding the snake's head and cutting the section of tail it had just swung around. The Mandala Snake whipped its head back in pain, but another blade was already pressing against the side of its neck.

Ji Juechen did not meet the snake's fangs head-on with his sword. He simply held the blade at an angle, directing its lunge into empty space, then turned sideways to clear the way.

Xu Sheng landed, and Crimson Holy Judgment lit up along his blade.

The strike precisely sliced through the protection on the side of the snake's body, splashing blood over the fallen leaves.

The snake was still struggling, but the group had already pinned it down within a sufficiently narrow space.

"Jiang Shi!"

Xu Sheng had just called out when a voice suddenly came from the woods beside them.

"Great chance! I'll take that last strike for you!"

A figure charged out.

The man was covered in a layer of gray-black scales, and two Yellow Soul Rings stood out vividly around him. He claimed he was helping, but the short blade in his hand went straight for the Mandala Snake's wound!

Xu Sheng's gaze darkened.

He turned his sword over and, instead of going after the snake, struck at the newcomer's wrist.

"Clang!"

The short blade was knocked aside and plunged into the earth nearby.

The newcomer's expression changed. He immediately thrust out his left hand, Soul Power gathering between his five fingers as he grabbed for Xu Sheng's sword hand.

Xu Sheng had already turned sideways. He thrust White Wings forward, opening the distance between them again.

"Jiang Shi, do it!"

Jiang Shi's lips were pale, but he did not freeze.

He did not hastily draw his bow. Following the method they had discussed before setting out, he gripped his short knife and, while Ji Juechen and Ren Yu pinned the snake down again, bent forward and stabbed into the vital spot that had already been torn open.

The Mandala Snake thrashed violently a few times before finally going still.

A ring of yellow light gradually rose from the snake's body.

Jiang Shi stared at the Soul Ring, completely stunned.

He had searched for so long and waited for so long.

Now that it was finally before him, he almost did not dare reach for it.

"Sit down first," Xu Sheng said.

Lu Song had already moved his shield over. Bai Ji stood guard on the other side, while Cen Zhao retrieved his spear, the fiery color on its tip yet to fade.

The young man who had suddenly charged out shook his wrist, his expression ugly.

"I helped you kill the snake. Why did you hit me?"

Xu Sheng glanced at the short blade by his feet.

"You have two rings, and you still need a snake that's only around three hundred years old?"

"I was just lending a hand."

"Then you reached a little too far."

At that moment, four more players walked out of the woods.

The one in front called out as he walked, "Brother Yue, what happened?"

Yue Zheng ignored them, fixing his eyes on the badge on Xu Sheng's chest.

He had originally thought they were an ordinary low-level cooperative hunting team. He had not expected someone like this among them.

What angered him even more was that his move just now had been knocked aside in front of several of his companions.

"My name is Yue Zheng. Level twenty-two, Scale-Armored Crocodile Martial Soul," he said. "I've been through this area quite a few times. We'll all be hunting for rings here in the future, so there's no need to make things like this, is there?"

Xu Sheng had still wanted to hear what he had to say, but at that, he nearly laughed.

He had failed to snatch the last hit, and now he was acting as though Xu Sheng were the one denying him face!

"All right." Xu Sheng nodded.

Yue Zheng's expression eased a little.

"Pick up that knife and move back. Once we're done, you can leave."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm afraid you might lend us another hand in a moment."

Yue Zheng's face instantly darkened.

He still wanted to move forward, but Ji Juechen was already standing beside Xu Sheng. Two yellow rings rose around him. He had not struck with his sword, but its tip pointed precisely at the spot where Yue Zheng's next step would have landed.

Yue Zheng's foot stopped.

This man's Soul Power was actually more substantial than his own!

There was more than one two-ring Soul Master on the other side!

The group exchanged glances. In the end, they did not charge in on the spot, instead retreating several meters away.

Xu Sheng stopped looking at them and turned back to guard Jiang Shi.

The Soul Ring slowly descended. Jiang Shi closed his eyes and began drawing on the power within it.

Ji Juechen asked quietly, "They're still watching."

"Let them watch."

Xu Sheng flicked the blood from his sword, his gaze passing over Yue Zheng and settling on the woods behind him.

While the two sides had been talking, Mo Yifan had taken the chance to circle briefly above the treetops. When he came down, he had given Xu Sheng a single prearranged signal.

Someone with wings was following the players from a distance.

The feathers were black.