Three Beasts Close In

Jingtian silently slipped back into his nest. After sensing his unique Soul Power fluctuations, the poison membrane at the entrance quietly parted to reveal a narrow gap, then swiftly sealed itself once he entered.

He coiled himself in the center of the familiar sandy ground. The soft blue glow emitted by the Water-Condensing Pearl gently nourished his mind, but his heart was anything but calm.

Red-Armored Spike Turtle, Variegated Arrow-Poison Jellyfish, Steel-Beak Iron-Bone Fish.

Three soul beasts, the youngest at least two hundred and sixty years old and the oldest three hundred and fifty, and they even understood basic coordination.

His poison was certainly lethal. As he had thought, in a one-on-one fight, with camouflage and his one-hit-kill poison techniques, he was confident he could deal with any one of them. Even the Red-Armored Spike Turtle, the strongest in defense, could be worn to death if he found a gap in its shell or a weakness such as its eyes or mouth and injected a sufficient dose of venom.

But they would not give him a chance to fight alone.

Once battle began, it would inevitably be three against one. Even if he launched a sneak attack and killed one first—the ideal target being the Steel-Beak Iron-Bone Fish, which attacked fastest but had relatively weaker defenses, or the Variegated Jellyfish, which posed the widest threat—the other two would react immediately and join forces against him. At that point, his advantages in camouflage and mobility would be greatly diminished, forcing him into a direct one-against-two confrontation.

The Red-Armored Spike Turtle's defense and strength, along with the Variegated Jellyfish's area-of-effect poisonous tentacles and mental interference—presumably—were no easy opponents. Especially if they coordinated well, with one tangling with him head-on and taking the damage while the other controlled the field and harassed him from afar, Jingtian would be in a very dangerous position.

I can't fight them head-on. Jingtian immediately dismissed the idea of a frontal clash. The risk was too great, and the gains were not worth the cost. His top priority now was steadily increasing his strength, not fighting over some empty reputation or territory.

But I can't retreat forever, either. The thought followed at once. If they considered him weak and easy to bully, pushed their advantage, or even came near his nest, the trouble would be enormous. He had to display enough deterrence to let them know that this territory had an owner—and that owner was not to be provoked.

Then the answer seemed obvious: divide them, drive a wedge between them, and defeat them one by one.

The three soul beasts appeared to be allied, but could soul beasts—especially ones of different species and habits—truly possess unshakable trust? Their union was nothing more than a temporary alliance founded on strength and mutual benefit. If he handled it properly, he might be able to find an opening.

Jingtian began recalling the details he had observed that day.

The Red-Armored Spike Turtle was clearly the leader. It moved near the front and center, carrying itself with arrogance, while the other two faintly treated it as their head. The Variegated Jellyfish seemed relatively quiet, its tentacles drifting as it mostly watched the surroundings. The Steel-Beak Iron-Bone Fish, meanwhile, appeared impatient. It often strayed slightly from formation before hastily returning, seeming both somewhat fearful of the Red-Armored Spike Turtle and somewhat resentful of it.

Perhaps... he could start with the Steel-Beak Iron-Bone Fish? It was impatient and clearly not entirely loyal to the Red-Armored Spike Turtle. It might be the alliance's most unstable link.

Or perhaps he could exploit their respective habits? The Red-Armored Spike Turtle enjoyed consuming mineral-rich Iron-Thread Algae. The Variegated Jellyfish had a particular need for pure Moonlight Water. The Steel-Beak Iron-Bone Fish, meanwhile, loved hunting an extremely fast species known as the Silver-Light Phosphorus Shrimp...

One rough plan after another rapidly flashed through Jingtian's mind, only to be assessed, revised, and refined one by one. He needed more information. He needed to confirm these details and find the most suitable time and place.

Over the following days, Jingtian completely changed his routine.

He drastically reduced both the frequency and range of his active hunting, devoting most of his attention to secretly monitoring the Red-Armored Spike Turtle alliance and gathering intelligence.

Relying on master-level camouflage and Spirit Energy perception, he became a true phantom, trailing far along the edge of the three soul beasts' territory. He recorded their daily patrol routes, feeding grounds, and resting places—the Red-Armored Spike Turtle favored undersea caves, the Variegated Jellyfish preferred drifting among seaweed beds in the middle waters, and the Steel-Beak Iron-Bone Fish often darted through open waters—as well as the subtle changes in their Soul Power fluctuations when they communicated. Soul beasts also used simple pheromones and mental fluctuations to exchange information.

He discovered more details:

As expected, every few days, the Red-Armored Spike Turtle would visit a particular Iron-Thread Algae Forest to feed. Its vigilance would decrease slightly while eating, but its shell always remained in a defensive state.

At certain times each month—seemingly whenever a special energy fluctuation appeared in the seawater—the Variegated Jellyfish would rise to shallower waters to absorb Moonlight Water. It was relatively focused during this process, and the defensive range of its tentacles would shrink.

The Steel-Beak Iron-Bone Fish was the most active. It frequently left the core area of the alliance's territory alone to hunt schools of Silver-Light Phosphorus Shrimp, sometimes even straying beyond the other two's perceptive range for quite some time. Moreover, it truly seemed dissatisfied with the Red-Armored Spike Turtle. Once, when the turtle took a larger share while dividing prey, the fish showed obvious resistance, though it was quickly suppressed.

The opportunity seemed to lie with the Steel-Beak Iron-Bone Fish.

But Jingtian did not act immediately. He needed to ensure that nothing could go wrong.

He selected a relatively open stretch of water where the Steel-Beak Iron-Bone Fish often hunted Silver-Light Phosphorus Shrimp, one with complex reef formations along the bottom. The good visibility there made it convenient for the Steel-Beak Iron-Bone Fish to use its speed in chasing shrimp, while the reefs below provided Jingtian with excellent ambush sites and escape routes.

Then he began preparing the bait.

He captured several Silver-Light Phosphorus Shrimp without killing them. Instead, he soaked them in an extremely minute amount of venom carrying specially marked pheromones that mimicked the distress signals of injured shrimp. The venom was not lethal and would not even cause the shrimp much discomfort, but it amplified the pheromone signals they emitted severalfold and gave them a faintly abnormal quality.

Next, he "coincidentally" released the treated shrimp along a route the Steel-Beak Iron-Bone Fish was likely to patrol, driving them toward the predetermined ambush site.

At the same time, he set up venom traps in several crucial locations among the reefs at the bottom of the ambush site. They were not fatal poisons, but a mixture of potent paralysis toxin and mental interference toxin, carefully concealed within seaweed and rock crevices. They had been designed to trigger when Soul Power fluctuated violently—high-speed impacts or explosive bursts of Soul Power would stir the water and activate them.

Finally, he chose a massive hollow reef with cracks in it as his hiding place, camouflaging himself perfectly and adjusting his condition to its peak. His venom reserves were full.

Everything was ready. All that remained was for the prey to take the bait.

Like the most patient hunter, Jingtian lay silently in wait within the reef, his perception spreading through the ambush area like a spider web.

On the first day, the Steel-Beak Iron-Bone Fish did not appear.

On the second day, it still did not appear.

On the afternoon of the third day, just as Jingtian was considering whether to adjust the plan, the edge of his perception finally caught that familiar, swift, razor-sharp Soul Power fluctuation—the Steel-Beak Iron-Bone Fish had arrived! And it had come alone!

The Steel-Beak Iron-Bone Fish had clearly been drawn in by the unusually active Silver-Light Phosphorus Shrimp and the enticing signals they gave off. It did not harbor the slightest suspicion. Its eyes held only those delicious streaks of silver light. Its speed suddenly increased as it shot forward like a metal arrow released from a bow, charging toward the fleeing shrimp—and the ambush Jingtian had laid!

The distance rapidly closed!

Three hundred meters, two hundred meters, one hundred meters!

The Silver-Light Phosphorus Shrimp scrambled in panic into gaps among the reefs below.

Without hesitation, the Steel-Beak Iron-Bone Fish dove sharply downward. Its pointed bony beak gleamed coldly as its Soul Power erupted, accelerating it once more. It was determined to catch the shrimp before they could hide any deeper!

At the very instant its Soul Power erupted, the instant it rushed into the heart of the reef zone—

Pop! Pop! Pop!

Several soft explosions rang out almost at once! Paralytic venom sacs hidden in rock cracks and seaweed were triggered by the violent currents and Soul Power fluctuations, and several clouds of pale gray poisonous mist instantly spread through the seawater around the Steel-Beak Iron-Bone Fish!

Caught off guard, the Steel-Beak Iron-Bone Fish crashed headlong into the poisonous mist! It tried in terror to stop and turn, but the inertia from its high speed made it impossible to brake at once. Worse still, the venomous mist rapidly invaded its body through its breathing—water exchange through its gills—and contact with its skin!

Roar—! A soundless Soul Power roar, mingled with rage and alarm, burst forth.

The Steel-Beak Iron-Bone Fish felt its body suddenly grow heavy. Its movements became stiff and sluggish, while the scene before its eyes began to warp slightly and waves of dizziness assaulted its mind. It knew it had fallen into a trap and desperately circulated its Soul Power, trying to disperse the toxins and break free.

But how could Jingtian's meticulously prepared mixed poison be so easily neutralized? The paralytic effect drastically reduced its speed and mobility, while the mental interference made it difficult to focus, leaving its Soul Power circulation sluggish.

Just as it struggled to rush out of the poisonous mist—

A dark blue figure shot from a "reef" behind and to the side like a phantom! Its speed far exceeded anything the Steel-Beak Iron-Bone Fish had expected!

Jingtian gave it no time to react at all! As he burst out of camouflage, three highly condensed streams of deep-blue venom formed a triangular formation that sealed off every possible direction of escape, shooting straight for the Steel-Beak Iron-Bone Fish's vital points—its eyes and gill slits!

The Steel-Beak Iron-Bone Fish was terrified out of its wits. It twisted its body with all its strength while erupting with all its Soul Power to form a metallic protective barrier over its body.

Hiss! Hiss!

Two soft sounds rang out! The barrier blocked part of the venom, but Jingtian's poison possessed extremely strong Penetration. Two streams still struck successfully! One grazed the fish's eye socket, and its deadly poison instantly corroded the area. The other accurately shot into a tiny crack in its gills!

Aaargh—!! An incomparably miserable soul-scream resonated through the seawater!

The Steel-Beak Iron-Bone Fish instantly fell into extreme pain and chaos! Its vision was damaged, its breathing obstructed, and the previous paralysis and mental interference left it completely unable to resist. It could only roll and writhe madly as its Soul Power ran wild, churning the surrounding seawater into a murky mess.

Jingtian did not pause for even an instant. Clinging to it like a parasite attached to bone, his eight tentacles nimbly avoided its unconscious thrashing and precisely injected more venom into the weakest points of its Soul Power barrier—its joints and wounds!

The neurotoxin erupted in full!

The Steel-Beak Iron-Bone Fish's struggles weakened at a visible rate. Its Soul Power fluctuations rapidly dispersed, and the metallic gleam of its scales quickly faded to dull gray.

In less than twenty breaths, the Steel-Beak Iron-Bone Fish—a two-hundred-and-sixty-year soul beast renowned for its speed and offense—completely ceased struggling. Its life force abruptly vanished.

From the triggering of the trap to the target's death, the entire process took less than a minute. Clean, swift, lethal.

Jingtian quickly moved forward and wrapped his tentacles around the Iron-Bone Fish's corpse. At the same time, he released a small cloud of poisonous mist to disperse any lingering scent and blood smell nearby. He did not devour it immediately. Instead, dragging the corpse behind him, he withdrew soundlessly at top speed through the complex reef passages he had already mapped out, avoiding the Red-Armored Spike Turtle's and Variegated Jellyfish's usual patrol routes.

Only after returning to his nest, activating every defense, and properly concealing the Iron-Bone Fish's corpse did Jingtian let out a slight breath of relief.

The first step had succeeded.

But it was far from over. The Steel-Beak Iron-Bone Fish's disappearance could not be hidden for long. The Red-Armored Spike Turtle and Variegated Jellyfish would notice soon enough. How would they react? Would they furiously join forces to search for the killer? Or would they suspect each other, allowing cracks to appear in their alliance?

Jingtian needed to observe and wait. At the same time, he needed to digest this spoils of war. A two-hundred-and-sixty-year soul beast that excelled in speed and metal attributes would provide no small boost through its life essence and Soul Power.

Coiled beside the Water-Condensing Pearl, he began to devour and digest it. His Soul Power steadily increased. More importantly, the Iron-Bone Fish's unique metallic energy, carrying a sharp attribute, seemed to give his own venom the beginnings of Penetration and Armor-Piercing properties.

Even as he digested it, he still kept a thread of his perception extended, remotely monitoring the territory where the Red-Armored Spike Turtle alliance had once operated.

The storm was about to arrive.

And he had already prepared his venomous fangs, hidden deeper in the darkness.