Not to Be Underestimated

Radiant Sword Fang Tiger let out a furious roar, then bypassed Ghost and Yue Guan and charged straight at Qian Xunjie.

The Radiant Sword Fang Tiger was no fool. It had naturally identified who among the three was the leader. The principle of capturing the king first to capture the bandits still applied to soul beasts.

After dodging the Radiant Sword Fang Tiger's pounce, Qian Xunjie's face unconsciously revealed delight. A soul beast with high intelligence and a powerful bloodline would surely grant an exceptionally powerful Ninth Soul Skill.

"Regroup and attack!"

Qian Xunjie immediately gave the order, intending to remind Ghost and Yue Guan not to remain immersed in the shock from before. Powerful soul beasts had always existed; they simply had not encountered one before.

"Understood!" Ghost and Yue Guan answered in unison.

Indeed, after their soul skills had been interrupted by the Radiant Sword Fang Tiger, the two had fallen into a daze. Only Qian Xunjie's reminder brought them back to their senses.

"Sixth Soul Skill, Golden Stamen Flowing Clouds!"

Yue Guan launched the first attack. Chrysanthemum petals swirled around him before shooting toward the Radiant Sword Fang Tiger.

Brilliant golden petals surrounded the Radiant Sword Fang Tiger, raining down fierce attacks upon it like a meteor shower.

As though it sensed the petals' power, a golden barrier erupted around the Radiant Sword Fang Tiger, blocking the petals that sought to slice it apart.

"Eighth Soul Skill, Ghostly Specters!"

Ghost was an agility-attack Soul Douluo, so he waited for an opportunity before striking. This attack successfully hit the Radiant Sword Fang Tiger.

The blow caught it completely off guard. Having just dismissed its barrier, the Radiant Sword Fang Tiger was successfully ambushed.

Although this protective barrier was extremely powerful, it could not be maintained indefinitely. It consumed enormous amounts of Soul Power, so even the Radiant Sword Fang Tiger only activated it when necessary to conserve its strength.

Yet the Radiant Sword Fang Tiger had never expected Ghost to seize precisely this opening and attack.

"Old Ghost, beautifully done!" Yue Guan could not help praising his close friend when he saw that the attack had landed.

"Focus on the battle, Old Chrysanthemum. We're still fighting!"

The Radiant Sword Fang Tiger's eyes turned blood-red, and the aura around it grew even more violent and berserk. Clearly, Ghost's strike had truly enraged it.

"Old Ghost, be careful. It looks like that move of yours made this thing angry."

"I know. No need to say more."

The Radiant Sword Fang Tiger shot toward Yue Guan like a meteor, apparently intending to break through from his side. Its judgment was not wrong. Compared with Qian Xunjie and Ghost, Yue Guan was relatively easier to deal with.

The reason was simple. Ghost was too fast for the Radiant Sword Fang Tiger to land a hit on easily, while Qian Xunjie, whose strength had yet to be revealed, was equally an unknown. Thus, Yue Guan became the Radiant Sword Fang Tiger's preferred target.

Yue Guan was a power-attack Soul Douluo, and dealing with speed-type soul beasts was not easy for him. After all, the saying, "Under heaven, only speed is invincible," existed for a reason.

"Fifth Soul Skill, Angel Light Blade!"

Qian Xunjie naturally would not stand by and watch. He immediately unleashed an area-of-effect soul skill, and countless blades of light flew toward the Radiant Sword Fang Tiger.

Forced by Qian Xunjie's Fifth Soul Skill, the Radiant Sword Fang Tiger had no choice but to halt its advance.

The Radiant Sword Fang Tiger fixed its gaze on Qian Xunjie, clearly shifting its hatred onto him.

Just as the Radiant Sword Fang Tiger prepared to launch another attack, a black abyssal pool appeared beneath its feet at some unknown moment. Countless ghostly tentacles bound its limbs.

The Radiant Sword Fang Tiger knew this was the work of the man among the three who moved without a trace. But thinking such a petty trick could trap it was rather naive.

As a king, the Radiant Sword Fang Tiger possessed pride and confidence. Such insignificant ghostly tricks were beneath its notice. It directly released a holy radiance that dispersed the shadowy ghost hands binding its limbs.

There was nothing to be done about it. Ghost's martial soul was completely suppressed by the Radiant Sword Fang Tiger in terms of attributes.

However, after this brief series of exchanges, the Radiant Sword Fang Tiger had also realized that the three before it were not weak. So far, it had not caused them even the slightest injury.

There was even a human sitting on a tree stump not far away, someone with no killing intent whose strength was unknown.

Because it could not sense any killing intent from the human sitting in the distance and could not understand what he was planning, it continued to divide its attention to remain on guard.

Without intending to, Rota had restricted the Radiant Sword Fang Tiger's performance. With someone of unknown strength nearby, it did not dare attack too recklessly.

Qian Xunjie and the other two had also demonstrated their strength clearly. Up to this point, the Radiant Sword Fang Tiger had not managed to touch any of them.

The battle's rhythm was beginning to shift toward a war of attrition. Three people wearing down one soul beast left no room for suspense.

The Radiant Sword Fang Tiger looked back at Rota in the distance, then turned its gaze back to the three before it.

The next moment, red and gold Soul Power began erupting around the Radiant Sword Fang Tiger. Red represented its undisguised killing intent, while gold was the original attribute of its Soul Power.

Sensing that something was wrong with the surrounding aura, the three immediately prepared themselves, staying alert for the Radiant Sword Fang Tiger's attack.

Judging by its earlier posture, it was likely preparing to get serious. A ninety-thousand-year soul beast was not so easy to provoke when it went berserk.

Suddenly, the Radiant Sword Fang Tiger before them vanished in an instant. There was no trace of its aura nearby either, as though it had never existed.

"Did the Radiant Sword Fang Tiger just run away?" Yue Guan asked in confusion.

"Don't let your guard down. We can't be sure of anything." Qian Xunjie's expression was grave, without the slightest sign of relaxation.

And so, a long time passed without any movement. Just as even Qian Xunjie began to wonder whether the Radiant Sword Fang Tiger had already left, the unexpected occurred.

Yue Guan was suddenly sent flying by a red-and-gold figure. The immense force of the blow made him spit out a mouthful of blood.

"Old Chrysanthemum!"

"Yue Guan!"

This sudden development was beyond Qian Xunjie and Ghost's expectations. Who could have imagined that a soul beast could be so scheming?

Ghost hurried to Yue Guan's side to check on his close friend. After spending so many years together, the two had long regarded each other as the most important person in their lives.

With his mouth full of blood, Yue Guan could not utter a single word. They had not brought any recovery- or food-type soul masters on this journey. Yue Guan's condition was truly not optimistic; if they delayed too long, his life might be in danger.

Who could have expected this Radiant Sword Fang Tiger to possess not only tremendous strength, but also remarkable intelligence? Yue Guan had let his guard down for a moment and suffered greatly for it.

Qian Xunjie was also conflicted over what to do. If he abandoned Yue Guan, Spirit Hall would lose another high-level combatant, yet he did not wish to give up the Radiant Sword Fang Tiger just like that...

Seeing that the situation had reached a stalemate, Rota finally stood up. After all, he was also an elder of Spirit Hall, so he had to lend a hand at least a little.

"Oh my, oh my. Looks like this old man has to take the stage after all~"

The Radiant Sword Fang Tiger also heard the voice from behind. At last, this human with no killing intent was going to join the battle.

Its instincts told it that this man was the most threatening person among them.

The Radiant Sword Fang Tiger trusted its instincts greatly. Back when it was weak, those instincts had helped it escape danger time and time again.