Forest Melee

"Don't worry! It'll be fine."

Liya's concern warmed Yan's heart. He smiled at the older girl, then went to rest.

The night passed without incident. Early the next morning, after bidding farewell to Lycett, Bart, and the children, Feng Lin and Liya brought Yan into the Hot Springs Mountain Range.

Once the three of them had entered the mountains and avoided everyone's gaze, Feng Lin and Liya summoned their martial souls and flew into the sky.

Feng Lin's Gale Eagle and Liya's Lightbird were both flying bird-type martial souls. Although Liya's Lightbird was not an Agility Attack type, carrying a child for a short flight was not a problem.

Feng Lin spread his wings and flew ahead, while Liya held Yan and followed behind. The three quickly penetrated deep into the Hot Springs Mountain Range. After passing over a dense forest, the view ahead suddenly opened up, and the surrounding temperature rose considerably.

Yan looked into the distance. The peaks there towered high and resembled chimneys, occasionally belching thick smoke. It appeared to be a volcano, a rare volcanic landscape marked by scorching heat, pungent fumes, and strange rocks everywhere.

Their current location was still some distance from that peak, but the temperature was already far from low. The vegetation around them was much sparser than in the dense forest they had passed through, creating terrain that was half forest and half grassland. Many soul beasts roamed nearby, including the fire-attributed soul beasts Yan had come to hunt.

"Young Master Yan, there are many fire-attributed soul beasts in this area. Let's search around here first and see whether we can find a suitable target."

Feng Lin scanned the surroundings, his sharp eagle eyes pausing briefly in several directions before he turned to speak to Yan. Naturally, Yan had no objections, so Feng Lin and Liya folded their wings and descended back into the forest.

"Chitter, chitter, chitter..."

Just as they landed, the trees around them suddenly rustled. Along with the disturbance came the cries of a troop of monkeys, and Yan quickly turned toward the source of the noise.

Amid the chaotic chittering, figures appeared atop the surrounding treetops. These creatures with fiery red fur moved incredibly fast. After darting through the canopy in a circle, they surrounded Yan's group from several directions.

They were monkey-like soul beasts with crimson fur and nearly identical appearances. The smaller ones were about half a meter tall, while the largest stood over a meter high. A chittering mass gathered around them, clearly treating Yan's group as prey.

Feng Lin recognized the soul beasts after a glance. Tilting his head toward Yan, he asked, "This is a Crimsonfire Monkey Horde. They're decent fire-attributed soul beasts. The monkey king leading them is probably around three hundred years old. Do you need me to make a move?"

"No need to kill them. Just drive them away. The age of the soul ring I need can be a little lower, but its quality must be high. Preferably, it should come from a relatively top-tier fire-attributed soul beast."

Yan shook his head. He did not think much of these pack-dwelling Crimsonfire Monkeys. These chittering creatures did not look like soul beasts with any impressive soul skills, much less when their ages were so low. The oldest was only around three hundred years old. What use were they?

"Get lost."

After receiving Yan's answer, Feng Lin did not hesitate. He no longer concealed the Soul Power within him. A five-ring Soul King unleashed the full power of his martial soul, instantly whipping up a violent gale. Flying sand and stones overturned the monkey horde, the surrounding trees swayed wildly, and the Crimsonfire Monkeys finally realized they had provoked someone they could not afford to offend. One after another, they hurriedly fled.

"Awoo..."

"Awoo, awoo..."

"Awoo..."

Just as the Crimsonfire Monkeys scattered in terror after Feng Lin displayed his strength, waves of wolf howls rose from the surrounding woods. Scarlet fire wolves charged toward them at astonishing speed.

The Crimsonfire Monkeys could not dodge in time, and many failed to reach the trees before perishing in the wolves' jaws. After recovering from their panic, the monkey king led several older Crimsonfire Monkeys in a counterattack. Naturally, the fire wolf pack would not let them go. In an instant, the two races descended into a brutal, bloody melee.

"Let's go."

Yan glanced at the two groups slaughtering each other, then beckoned to the indifferent Feng Lin. Taking the hand of Liya, who looked somewhat nauseated, the three headed toward the peak they had observed earlier.

Yan had told Feng Lin to spare the Crimsonfire Monkeys only to avoid meaningless slaughter. It was like killing an unconscious soul beast merely to teach a disciple, even though its soul ring could not be absorbed, wasting the soul ring for nothing.

In his eyes, that kind of behavior was utterly idiotic. A few words could explain things clearly, yet people insisted on putting on such pointless demonstrations.

Of course, stopping Feng Lin from casually slaughtering the Crimsonfire Monkeys was one thing. The Crimsonfire Monkeys going to war with the fire wolf pack was another. The law of this region was survival of the fittest, and there was no need for them to interfere in a battle between soul beast clans.

"With so many soul beasts gathering here, it looks like we can wait for a while."

Just as Yan, Feng Lin, and Liya were about to leave the woods, they sensed even more soul beasts converging in this direction. The thick scent of blood had likely attracted them. They immediately changed their minds and decided to wait and see whether a suitable target would appear.

Liya held Yan and leaped onto a high branch. They had only just found their footing when a dark crimson figure shot out from a tree five meters away. Avoiding Feng Lin as though fleeing for its life, it darted toward the battlefield that had become a river of blood. It swiftly seized the corpse of a Crimsonfire Monkey in its jaws and left the battlefield.

"This Fire Leopard is quite nimble. It would be a decent choice, but its age is a little too low. It isn't even three hundred years old yet."

Feng Lin's eagle eyes shifted and caught sight of the soul beast. It was a Fire Leopard covered in pure fiery-red fur without a single stray hair, its coat gleaming a brilliant scarlet. It was considered a high-grade soul beast, certainly much stronger than the Crimsonfire Monkeys and fire wolves.

"A Lava Hound. Its age isn't low, and it would suit the Flame Lord, but its quality is a little lacking. Wanting top-tier quality along with dual attributes is a bit too difficult."

More and more soul beasts gathered in this forest, many of them fire-attributed. Looking down from above, Yan spotted quite a few hundred-year soul beasts. One species called the Lava Hound caught his attention.

Besides the fire attribute, Lava Hounds contained a trace of the earth attribute, and their blood was as thick as magma. They were naturally pack-dwelling soul beasts, fast and powerful. Although they possessed no long-range attack methods, they feared no death and were covered in flames of extremely high temperature, making them suitable for the Flame Lord's original dual fire-and-earth attributes.

Ordinary Lava Hounds were around 1.2 meters long, while those over a hundred years old exceeded 1.8 meters and could even spit fireballs. Among the pack Yan had spotted, there were Lava Hounds over three meters long. As far as the age of a first soul ring went, they were rather suitable.

This pack of Lava Hounds was extremely fast. Fireballs flew from their mouths, and where they landed, they spread across the ground like flowing magma. This sudden brawl made the battle even more chaotic.