Skirmish

Qin Tian stood in the middle of the group, watching the Nether Wolves with a cold smile at the corner of his mouth.

If any other Soul Elder had encountered them, they would likely already have been thinking of retreating.

The oldest Nether Wolf in the pack was only three thousand years old, but their greatest strength lay in teamwork. The thousand-year-old Nether Wolves worked in tandem with the hundred-year-old ones. Forget a team of Soul Elders—even a small team of Soul Ancestors would not dare let their guard down against them.

But they were different. Though they were a team of Soul Elders, with Soul Power levels generally around thirty-three or thirty-four, all their Martial Souls were top-tier.

Moreover, after their training at the Worship Hall, their combat strength couldn't be measured by Soul Power alone.

What's more, every Soul Ring they had obtained had been absorbed beyond their limits. Their strength was such that they feared neither the Nether Wolf pack before them nor even Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts.

"Brothers, get ready to fight."

"I'll take the three-thousand-year-old Nether Wolf. You can divide up the rest."

As soon as Qin Tian finished speaking, he activated Martial Soul Possession and fixed his gaze on the pack leader.

Hearing Qin Tian's words, Tian Yao and the others grinned and burst into laughter.

"Martial Soul Possession!"

They all shouted and activated their Martial Souls, ready for battle.

In an instant, Soul Rings appeared, their yellow, purple, and black light catching the eye.

Qin Tian's Soul Rings were two purple and one black, while Tian Yao and the others each had one yellow and two purple. If outsiders had seen this sight, they would have...

"First Soul Skill, White Tiger Battle Body."

"Second Soul Skill, White Tiger Diamond Transformation."

Qin Tian immediately unleashed his first and second Soul Skills. With these two enhancement skills, his strength increased tremendously.

He clenched his fist, felt the immense power surging through him, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes.

"Self-Created Soul Skill, Holy Light Roar!"

Qin Tian drew a breath, then let out a tiger's roar.

The roar rang out, radiating the majesty of a king. Under the impact of his spiritual power, the Nether Wolf pack was briefly stunned.

Seeing this, Tian Yao and the others each unleashed their Soul Skills.

"Kill!"

Qin Tian shouted and stamped his right foot down. His body shot toward the Nether Wolf pack like a cannonball.

"Holy Light Triple Strike!"

He raised his right hand, its fingers curled like a tiger's claw, and slashed viciously at the wolves.

Three enormous claw shadows appeared. Any Nether Wolf in their path was torn apart.

In the blink of an eye, several hundred-year-old Nether Wolves had been killed, while dozens of younger wolves whimpered as their bodies were ripped to pieces.

After tearing open a path, Qin Tian raised his tiger claw and struck hard at the three-thousand-year-old Nether Wolf.

Tian Yao and the others were just as relentless, plunging into the pack and slaughtering their way through.

High above, the Fourth Enshrined Elder, Mighty Lion Douluo, and the Fifth Enshrined Elder, Light Feather Douluo, watched the battle below with satisfied expressions.

"Not bad. A lion uses all its strength even when hunting a rabbit. This is the first time Xiao Tian and the others have fought a real battle, but they've acquitted themselves well."

Hearing Mighty Lion Douluo's words, Light Feather Douluo nodded in agreement.

"Hmm?"

"Why are they here?"

Mighty Lion Douluo and Light Feather Douluo looked toward the entrance to Lost Trace Canyon, their brows furrowing slightly.

"Fourth Brother, I'll go take a look."

Light Feather Douluo flashed over to the entrance of Lost Trace Canyon. He looked at the two men, a cold glint in his eyes.

"Yue Guan, Gui Mei, what are you two doing here?"

Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan and Ghost Douluo Gui Mei looked at the figure that had suddenly appeared, their faces respectful.

"Yue Guan and Gui Mei pay our respects to the Fifth Enshrined Elder."

Light Feather Douluo gave a slight nod but said nothing.

Yue Guan and Gui Mei exchanged a glance, looking somewhat awkward as they struggled to find the right words.

Light Feather Douluo seemed to see through their purpose and spoke in a low voice.

"You came to assess their strength. Go back and tell Bibi Dong to stop scheming and focus on properly training her disciple. Don't bring disgrace upon Spirit Hall."

Hearing Light Feather Douluo's words, Yue Guan and Gui Mei bowed respectfully once more.

"Yes, Fifth Enshrined Elder. We will relay your words to His Holiness the Pope exactly as you said them."

Light Feather Douluo merely chuckled, unconcerned, and waved them away.

Yue Guan and Gui Mei glanced toward Lost Trace Canyon. When they saw Mighty Lion Douluo, they turned and left.

Once they were gone, Light Feather Douluo returned to Mighty Lion Douluo's side and watched the battle below.

By then, the battle below was almost over.

The Nether Wolf pack was decent, but no more than that. It posed no serious threat to Qin Tian and the others.

None of the seven members of Qin Tian's team were ordinary Soul Elders. Every one of them could fight opponents of a higher level.

"Whew!"

After killing the three-thousand-year-old Nether Wolf, Qin Tian let out a long breath.

He looked at the corpses strewn across the ground, his expression calm and his gaze unruffled.

It was as if they had not just fought a bloody battle, and the wolf carcasses all around them had nothing to do with them.

"Search the battlefield. Then we'll move out."

Smelling the blood in the air, Qin Tian knew they couldn't stay there any longer.

The strong stench of blood would surely attract other Soul Beasts. If they stayed, they would face one fight after another.

They had just fought a battle, and both their stamina and Soul Power had been depleted. They could certainly keep fighting if they had to, but as their leader, he had to consider more than that.

He had to do everything he could to avoid unknown risks.

"Brother Tian, there are no Soul Bones."

Qin Tian showed no disappointment. He simply nodded, his expression indifferent.

"Let's go."

After speaking, Qin Tian glanced around, chose a direction at random, and led the others away.

"Awooo!"

"Roar!"

"Hiss!"

Roars rang out all around them. Qin Tian and the others remained calm and continued forward in silence.

The seven advanced in a battle formation and, before long, reached a valley.

Qin Tian looked at the valley and immediately decided they would rest there for the night.

Not long after they left, Soul Beasts came to the place where they had fought.

The Nether Wolf corpses became food for the beasts, which devoured them.

Qin Tian and the others knew nothing of this. They were busy pitching tents, lighting a fire, and roasting Nether Wolf meat.

After they had eaten their fill, Qin Tian began assigning the night watches.

"Lost Trace Canyon is nothing like the outside world. Danger lurks everywhere in here, so we have to stay alert and never let our guard down."

"I'll take the first half of the night, then Tian Yao will take over. Tomorrow, Qian Han will take the first half, and Xiong Sheng the second. We'll keep rotating like that until we leave Lost Trace Canyon."

Tian Yao, Qian Han, and the others listened to Qin Tian's arrangements and nodded solemnly.

"Brother Tian, we'll do as you say."

Qin Tian gave a slight nod, looked at everyone, and smiled.

"Alright, go get some rest."

After speaking, Qin Tian went to a nearby tree and leaped up into its branches. He scanned the surroundings, ready to notice any movement at once.

High above, Mighty Lion Douluo and Light Feather Douluo exchanged a glance, satisfaction in their eyes.

Training in Lost Trace Canyon tested not only their combat skills but also their wilderness survival and reaction abilities.