Variegated Bewitching Butterfly

Whoosh... whoosh...

Several sounds arose from a small patch of flowers and grass, filled with orange, purple, and red wildflowers.

It was rare to find a flat patch of flowers and grass amid the trees of Star Dou Forest, covering an area of roughly two hundred square meters.

The sounds had come from Duanyu Fan and the other three. As for why they were here, it was because Hu Liena had caught the scent of flowers.

More than an hour after Flender and the others left, Duanyu Fan's group continued deeper into the forest, and Hu Liena smelled the fragrance drifting from the flowers.

Hu Liena recalled a type of soul beast: the Variegated Bewitching Butterfly. It loved the scent of flowers and the morning dew on their petals. Since Hu Liena had researched soul beasts suited to her spirit in the library for her future Soul Ring needs, she knew of it.

A breeze blew toward Hu Liena and the others, and she caught a scent in the wind, stopping in her tracks.

"Wait! I can smell pollen carried by the wind. There's actually a patch of wildflowers in the forest. It reminds me of a soul beast that likes to live around large fields of wildflowers—the Variegated Bewitching Butterfly. It's one of the soul beasts well suited to my spirit." Hu Liena gestured to Duanyu Fan and the other two as she explained.

"That's great! We finally have news of a soul beast that suits us. Let's head in the direction the breeze is coming from." Duanyu Fan immediately replied after hearing her explanation.

"Not bad luck! We got a lead so quickly. Let's go take a look. Hopefully, its cultivation is high enough." Yan said with a pleased smile.

The four followed the wind and arrived at the scene before them. Seeing the patch of wildflowers and weeds, they stopped.

"This should be the place. These wildflowers are quite pretty." Hu Liena looked over the field and remarked.

The wildflowers and weeds were tall enough to submerge their waists.

"Variegated Bewitching Butterflies aren't very large. A thousand-year-level one should be about a meter long. As for their appearance, they're butterflies with several colors mixed together. I don't know if it's still here, so search carefully." Hu Liena described the soul beast.

Whoosh, whoosh... The sounds of stepping into the wildflower field and parting the grass rang out as Duanyu Fan and the others entered the weeds and began searching for the Variegated Bewitching Butterfly.

"Everyone, be careful! Just like its name suggests, the Variegated Bewitching Butterfly can confuse one's mental power." Hu Liena warned.

Duanyu Fan and the others slowly approached the center of the wildflower field, keeping more than two meters apart because the grass grew taller the deeper they went.

As Yan walked, he found himself entering a world full of flowers, dazzling and multicolored, and gradually lost himself within it.

An eye stared at Yan from ahead of him—a gaudily colored butterfly.

Duanyu Fan noticed Yan's abnormal behavior. Yan had fallen two minutes behind the other three, and coupled with Hu Liena's warning, Duanyu Fan realized something was wrong. The Cross Spirit appeared in his hand.

"Psst!" Duanyu Fan alerted Hu Liena and Xie Yue.

Hu Liena and Xie Yue turned to look at Duanyu Fan. He signaled them with his eyes, and they followed his gaze.

They saw Yan standing utterly still, grinning foolishly.

Duanyu Fan motioned for the two to come over, and the three gathered together.

"Yan has probably been caught in its trap. That means there's a Variegated Bewitching Butterfly casting something in front of him. If it can affect Yan, it should be at least five thousand years old. Moon Blade, circle around from the front Yan is staring at and get behind it. I'll use my First Soul Skill to remove Yan's current condition. Since it's a butterfly, it can definitely fly, so when the time comes, Moon Blade, attack its wings. Demon Fox, stay to the side and don't let the soul beast escape." Duanyu Fan laid out the battle plan.

"Understood." With that, they moved into position.

Xie Yue bent low and quietly circled behind the Variegated Bewitching Butterfly, while Hu Liena moved to a nearby position at its side.

Duanyu Fan also quietly approached and took up a position not far from Yan, maintaining his distance from Xie Yue and Hu Liena.

He still needed to support the two of them, and he was afraid his Soul Skills would not reach them if he stood too far away.

Duanyu Fan saw the Variegated Bewitching Butterfly Hu Liena had described. It lay on the ground, its entire body a riot of colors. It looked to be roughly 1.4 meters long, with an alluring appearance. Its eyes flickered with an illusory light directed at Yan, clearly unaware of Duanyu Fan and the other two.

"First Soul Skill, Healing Prayer. Second Soul Skill, Courage Blessing. Third Soul Skill, Holy Light Guard." Duanyu Fan summoned his Soul Rings. One yellow, two purple, and one black Soul Ring appeared beneath his feet as he swiftly released his Soul Skills onto Hu Liena, Xie Yue, and Yan.

Under Duanyu Fan's First Soul Skill, Yan quickly came to his senses.

"Screech!" The Variegated Bewitching Butterfly also snapped back to awareness and let out a cry. Its alluring wings spread open as it prepared to take flight.

"First Soul Skill! Slash." Xie Yue immediately summoned his Soul Rings as well—two yellow and one purple—and unleashed his Soul Skill. His two Moon Blade Spirits spun toward the Variegated Bewitching Butterfly's left wing and severed it.

He then controlled the Moon Blade Spirits to fly back and cut off its other wing before they finally returned to Xie Yue's hands.

Screech, screech...

The Variegated Bewitching Butterfly cried out urgently. It had only flown a little over a meter into the air before instantly crashing into the grass.

"Damn it! I actually fell for it. First Soul Skill, Hell Lava Surge." Yan came to his senses, furious at his own carelessness. He immediately released his Soul Skill, and a pillar of fire burst into the sky beneath the Variegated Bewitching Butterfly, striking it squarely in the middle.

"Judging by its size, it should be around the seven-thousand-year level." Hu Liena spoke up.

Duanyu Fan could now clearly see the Variegated Bewitching Butterfly's length. Including its antennae and tail, it was roughly 1.6 to 1.7 meters long.

"Careful! There are other Variegated Bewitching Butterflies." Duanyu Fan sensed something unusual. The Soul Power fluctuations from his group had disturbed the other Variegated Bewitching Butterflies.

Screech, screech...

Five Variegated Bewitching Butterflies then appeared atop the wildflowers and weeds. They were slightly smaller than this one, but they were still around the three- to four-thousand-year level.

"Could this one be a Butterfly King?" Hu Liena cried out in surprise as the five Variegated Bewitching Butterflies closed in.

"Fall back together. This one can't run without its wings." Duanyu Fan directed them.

Even without Duanyu Fan saying so, Xie Yue and Hu Liena had already retreated, because they saw the five Variegated Bewitching Butterflies releasing a multicolored mist from their bodies as they surrounded them.

As Xie Yue passed the Butterfly King, he cut off its legs as well, leaving it completely unable to move. He grabbed its two antennae and retreated to Duanyu Fan's side.

"Withdraw into the woods behind us. Don't get drawn into a fight." Xie Yue said as he carried the Butterfly King.

"Mm! Good idea." Duanyu Fan looked at Xie Yue carrying the Butterfly King and slowly replied.

With the movement speed boost from Duanyu Fan's Second Soul Skill and Third Soul Skill, everyone moved quickly.

"Hmph! I can't let us take a loss. Courtesy demands reciprocity—I've got some mist for them to taste too. Third Soul Skill, Pink Mist." Hu Liena unleashed her Third Soul Skill, and a sheet of red mist blocked the five Variegated Bewitching Butterflies chasing after them.

Before long, the four of them successfully retreated into the woods. Hu Liena's Third Soul Skill disrupted the Variegated Bewitching Butterflies' vision and sense of smell.

However, they soon burst through the red mist and continued their pursuit. Still, the Variegated Bewitching Butterflies found it difficult to fly through the forest.

"They really won't give up. We have to show them what we're made of. Third Soul Skill, Hell Flames." Yan released his Soul Skill at the Variegated Bewitching Butterflies that were still pursuing them into the woods.

Meanwhile, the effects of Duanyu Fan's Second and Third Soul Skills were still applied to the four of them.

"Third Soul Skill, Break!" Xie Yue also controlled his Moon Blade Spirit to attack the Variegated Bewitching Butterflies.

Seeming to sense the threat from Yan and Xie Yue's attacks, the Variegated Bewitching Butterflies rapidly retreated.

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I've been so busy, sob sob.

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