Mutation

Roar~!!

Before long, with the three of them working together to keep it occupied, the Crimson Flame Tiger let out an unwilling wail. Its body collapsed to the ground from excessive blood loss, teetering on the brink of death.

The three of them heaved a sigh of relief at the sight.

"Clap, clap, clap! Truly splendid. As expected of one of Green Pine Town's top Soul Beast hunting teams!" A man around thirty-seven or thirty-eight years old walked up from the rear, applauding as he congratulated them.

"You flatter us, Employer. The Crimson Flame Tiger is already on its last breath. You should act quickly!" Wang Zhen urged after calming his surging blood and breath.

The man nodded. "All right. Protect me while I absorb the Soul Ring. Once we return to town, I'll pay your team the remaining balance."

"Fine! Go ahead," Wang Zhen said blandly as he put away his giant axe.

Under the watchful eyes of the three, the employer stepped forward and ended the Crimson Flame Tiger's life. A pale purple Soul Ring slowly condensed above the tiger's corpse.

The man took out a wine flask from a Storage Soul Tool in the form of a low-grade bracelet, took a large gulp, then sat cross-legged and began absorbing the Crimson Flame Tiger's Soul Ring.

"Pah! A thousand-year Third Soul Ring. Why the hell didn't I get an opportunity like that back then?" Wang Zhen spat and cursed under his breath.

Once the employer began absorbing the Soul Ring, the three members of the hunting team naturally relaxed considerably.

"Xiao Ming! Ever since you joined our Soul Beast hunting team, every hunt has become several times easier! Hahaha!" Qin Lan laughed as he patted Wu Xuan on the shoulder.

"You overpraise me, Brother Qin. You and Brother Wang are the absolute mainstays of this hunting team. How could my contribution compare to yours?" Wu Xuan said with a smile.

"I like hearing that. You old bastard sure know how to talk, haha! I'm going to deal with the corpse. Don't come over!" Wang Zhen laughed and cursed, then rose with his Great Blade Axe in hand and walked toward the Crimson Flame Tiger's body.

Wu Xuan and Qin Lan nodded without paying it much mind.

That had always been the hunting team's rule. The employer only had the right to absorb the Soul Ring; the Soul Beast's corpse and all other gains naturally belonged to the hunting team.

The hide of a thousand-year Crimson Flame Tiger was naturally the most valuable part of its entire body. Though it had been damaged in several places, its selling price was far beyond that of the other parts. Wang Zhen being the first to cut up the corpse made it obvious that he was after the hide.

Wu Xuan did not care about this at all. Although Qin Lan was somewhat dissatisfied, he did not dare object.

But just as Wang Zhen dismembered the Crimson Flame Tiger's body, a sudden change occurred. Beneath the peeled hide, a crimson bone shimmering with gorgeous light entered his sight.

"Th-this is a Soul Bone!!" Wang Zhen cried out in shock.

Hearing this, Wu Xuan and Qin Lan, who had been chatting, both turned their gazes toward Wang Zhen.

Qin Lan hurried over in a fluster, his eyes wide as he stared unblinkingly at Wang Zhen's hands.

When a bone radiating a crimson gleam was slowly extracted, Qin Lan's face filled with wild joy. "It really is a Soul Bone. We're rich—we're rich!"

Wu Xuan calmly took a drink from the waterskin at his waist and showed no intention of going over.

Ignoring the ecstatic Qin Lan beside him, Wang Zhen gripped the Soul Bone in his hand. A trace of greed arose in his heart as he began weighing the pros and cons.

Qin Lan was the team's control-type Soul Elder. His Martial Soul was the Ground Rat, and his Soul Power was as low as level thirty-two. Among Soul Elders, his strength was basically at the bottom. He would not be too difficult to deal with.

That sissy was even more useless. All he did was dodge and launch sneak attacks. There was no need to take him seriously at all.

With that thought, Wang Zhen's gaze hardened, and he made his final decision.

Holding the Great Blade Axe in one hand and the Soul Bone in the other, Wang Zhen looked at the excited Qin Lan and said flatly, "Old Qin! How do you think we should divide this Soul Bone?"

Qin Lan did not notice the coldness in Wang Zhen's voice at all. He remained excited. "Simple. We sell it and exchange it for Gold Soul Coins. Old Wang, you take fifty percent. I take forty percent and the entire Soul Beast corpse. As for Xiao Ming, he gets ten percent of the proceeds from selling the Soul Bone."

"Xiao Ming! Do you agree to this plan? Don't get greedy! With that little strength of yours, we're already being generous by giving you ten percent." Qin Lan wore an expression as if Wu Xuan had struck it rich.

"Tch!" Wu Xuan sneered, looking at him with pity. Ten percent for himself? Did they really think he was some beggar asking for scraps? Besides, judging from Wang Zhen's demeanor, he clearly had no intention of dividing it at all, yet Qin Lan was still too foolish to realize it.

"What? You think it's too little? Then don't take even ten percent." Seeing Wu Xuan's attitude, Qin Lan's face immediately darkened.

Looking at the completely unguarded Qin Lan, Wang Zhen's expression turned fierce. He waited no longer. The First Soul Ring and Second Soul Ring on his Great Blade Axe lit up in succession.

First Soul Skill: Steel Blade!

Second Soul Skill: Great Blade Slash!

Wang Zhen burst forward in an instant. Qin Lan, completely off guard, was beheaded with a single axe strike. He did not even have time to scream. Wang Zhen then swung his axe at the employer who was absorbing the Soul Ring. The oblivious employer died on the spot as well!

"Tsk, tsk! Old Qin, Old Qin! At your age, you still haven't figured things out. Profit moves the heart. How could you be so careless?" Wu Xuan sighed, but there was not the slightest trace of frightened panic on his face.

Wang Zhen could not help but regard Wu Xuan more highly upon hearing his lament, but unfortunately, he still had to die.

"So you're going to silence me too?" Wu Xuan put away his waterskin and slowly stood.

Wang Zhen gave a vicious grin, pointed at Qin Lan and the dead employer, and shouted, "Yang Ming, you ungrateful bastard! You dared break the rules! For the sake of taking the Soul Bone, you actually murdered the employer and your companion."

"This employer was a disciple of the Iron Blood Sect. If they pursue this matter, what crime should you be charged with!"

Wu Xuan's expression suddenly darkened as he said coldly, "You old dog Wang! I never thought you'd be this hypocritical and disgusting. Qin Lan may have been somewhat greedy, but he didn't deserve to die. Was nearly a year of friendship worth less than a mere thousand-year Soul Bone?"

Wang Zhen spat fiercely and cursed, "Friendship? Bullshit friendship. Selling the two of you wouldn't even fetch ten thousand Gold Soul Coins, and you still have the nerve to talk to me about friendship. Sissy, surrender quietly and I'll give you a quick death."

Wu Xuan's face darkened as well. Gritting his teeth, he said, "You old dog Wang! There are two things I hate most in my life. First, when people call me a sissy. Second, when I'm falsely accused for no reason. Very well. You've managed to hit both things I hate most."

"Have you decided how you want to die?"

"Die, my ass! You dare act arrogant in front of me? I'll split you in half with one axe!" With that, Wang Zhen roared and charged at Wu Xuan.

"You arrogant old dog!" Wu Xuan shouted sharply. A violent gale instantly erupted around him, blowing so fiercely that the charging Wang Zhen could barely open his eyes.

Second Soul Skill: Light Spirit Wind!

Wu Xuan spun into the air, Gang Wind wrapping around both his arms as he charged straight toward the burly man.

Light Spirit Wind was Wu Xuan's Second Soul Skill. It could increase the speed of up to three people by fifty percent, while also increasing his own hurricane force by fifty percent.

What was hurricane force? Put simply, it increased the penetrating power of the wind element. This was also the basic ability of the Shadow Wind Leopard, a near-second-tier Soul Beast.

Soon, fists and the giant axe collided. Wu Xuan's punch, carrying Gang Wind, blasted the descending axe aside head-on.

Bang! Bang! Bang! The dull sounds of flesh striking flesh forced Wang Zhen to retreat again and again.

"What?" Wang Zhen was sent flying back in a sorry state, gasping violently. Dark red fist marks covered his arms and body, beading with dense droplets of blood. He looked utterly miserable.

Every punch Wu Xuan landed on his muscular body felt as though the spot had been bitten apart by a Soul Beast.

Wang Zhen's eyes were filled with shock and fury as he stared at Wu Xuan. What a good job of hiding his strength, that bastard.

Seeing Wu Xuan charge at him again, Wang Zhen gritted his teeth and climbed to his feet. As long as he could withstand several rounds of Wu Xuan's attacks, he could rely on his level thirty-six Soul Power as a Soul Elder to fight steadily and wear him down to death.

After several exchanges, Wang Zhen, bruised, swollen, and covered in blood, finally found an opportunity.

As an opening appeared, Wu Xuan threw a fierce punch. The sharp Gang Wind directly shredded Wang Zhen's entire left arm.

Blood sprayed wildly. With his face twisted in agony, Wang Zhen endured the piercing pain and roared, "Sissy, die!"

First Soul Skill: Steel Blade!

Third Soul Skill: Earth-Splitting Axe!

Wang Zhen slammed his axe into the ground. A terrifying shockwave directly blasted the unprepared Wu Xuan into the air.

"Hahaha! Second Soul Skill: Great Blade Slash!" Wang Zhen leaped forward and fiercely swung his axe at Wu Xuan in midair.

I was careless! Wu Xuan's face filled with shock, and a sense of frustration rose in his heart. He had never expected his opponent to use one of his own arms as bait, all for a chance to counterattack and stake everything on a desperate strike.

He was still too young, with far too little experience. Compared to mercenaries who had spent their lives fighting to the death, he ultimately lacked that ruthless, all-or-nothing ferocity.