The Might of Haotian, Xiaogang in Trouble

The volume of the voice resounded throughout the entire tavern.

"Who do you think you are!"

The middle-aged man, who had been boasting to his friends, glared with extreme annoyance at the shabby-looking blacksmith before him.

"I asked you what happened to the Soul Hunting Forest just now."

Tang Hao stared at the middle-aged man with eyes as sharp as a falcon's.

The middle-aged man was startled by that gaze, but upon regaining his senses, he felt a surge of shame-induced anger; he couldn't believe he had been intimidated by a lowly blacksmith in front of his brothers.

"Just because you tell me to speak doesn't mean I will. What kind of face would I have left? You're just a stinking blacksmith, don't think you're some big shot. Let me tell you, my cousin's second aunt's cousin is..."

Tang Hao had no interest in listening to this man's nonsense. He unleashed his aura, the pressure of his spirit power crashing down heavily upon the chattering middle-aged man.

The man was merely an ordinary person; how could he possibly withstand the aura of the mighty Haotian Douluo? Even though Tang Hao didn't use much of his strength, the man was still crushed to the ground, his bones popping and cracking under the weight.

Withdrawing his aura, Tang Hao looked at the other men nearby who were frozen in terror.

"Can you tell me now what exactly happened in the Soul Hunting Forest?"

The men looked at each other, none daring to speak, until Tang Hao's expression grew impatient, prompting one man to step forward with a sobbing tone.

"I—I don't know the details either. It is said that the spirit beasts in the Soul Hunting Forest went on a rampage for some unknown reason. The entire forest has become incredibly dangerous, and many powerful spirit masters have already fallen inside."

"That's all I know, please, please don't kill me."

"Hmph."

Tang Hao strode toward the door, but before leaving, he spoke to the man still sprawled on the ground:

"Don't look down on others next time, or else."

Tang Hao still didn't actually kill the ant. The main reason was that killing someone might lead to an investigation, and it wouldn't be good to attract the attention of Spirit Hall. Otherwise, he would have long since displayed the might of the Haotian hammer to crush this ant who dared to nag at him, and incidentally wiped out his cousin's second aunt's cousin as well.

However, he didn't know if the man would spend the rest of his life bedridden after being subjected to the pressure of his spirit power.

After exiting the tavern and reaching a secluded spot, he took flight and rushed toward the Soul Hunting Forest at high speed.

On the other side.

Tang San and his two companions were walking cautiously through the Soul Hunting Forest. Today, the forest felt unusual.

"Teacher, what is going on? Why are the spirit beasts in the Soul Hunting Forest so scarce right now?"

Yu Xiaogang was also confused; he had never encountered such a situation before. However, to maintain his image as a teacher, he bluffed:

"It must be that this area was recently slaughtered by some powerful spirit beast, which is why the spirit beasts are so sparse. We should be fine if we change direction."

Although this explanation was a bit far-fetched—if there had been a slaughter, the smell of blood should have been heavy—Tang San respected his teacher and naturally would not question Yu Xiaogang's words.

"Understood, Teacher. Which way should we go?"

Yu Xiaogang pointed in a random direction. The tool-man Dean naturally had no objections and led the way, guiding the two in the direction Yu Xiaogang had indicated.

They still didn't know what had happened in the Soul Hunting Forest. Although Ni Huang had spread incense around the perimeter of the forest, she had intentionally avoided the path Tang San was taking, specifically to prevent them from sensing the danger and leaving immediately.

Suddenly, Tang San, who was walking at the rear, tensed up. With his five senses sharpened by practicing the Mysterious Heaven Skill, he smelled a thick scent of blood ahead.

"Teacher, I sense a very strong smell of blood ahead. Should we change direction again?"

Yu Xiaogang, however, shook his head confidently.

"The Dean is a four-ring spirit sect. With him here, we won't encounter any danger in this Soul Hunting Forest."

"Alright."

Since Yu Xiaogang had said so, Tang San naturally chose to trust his teacher.

After walking for another stretch, Tang San suddenly felt that something was wrong. At this moment, the Dean walking in front also sensed it.

"Alert!"

"What's wrong?"

Yu Xiaogang was still bewildered when the two stopped. His strength was too low, he lacked cultivation techniques like the Mysterious Heaven Skill, and he rarely engaged in combat, so he was the only one who remained oblivious to the danger.

Before the Dean could reply, pairs of glowing green eyes emerged from the surrounding bushes, looking like a vast green ocean at a glance.

"It's the Gale Demon Wolf! This is a large pack of demon wolves."

The Dean's face changed instantly. Wolf-type spirit beasts almost always traveled in packs. The number of Gale Demon Wolves before them was staggering—likely over a hundred. Even if most were only ten-year or hundred-year spirit beasts, their sheer numbers were overwhelming.

The Gale Demon Wolf pack slowly surrounded them. Three larger Gale Demon Wolves emerged from the pack; one of them was the largest, with a shoulder height of nearly three meters, while the other two were slightly shorter but still over two and a half meters tall.

As the three giant beasts led the pack in an assault, cold sweat broke out on the Dean's forehead.

Although he was a spirit sect, it was questionable whether he could defeat this Gale Demon Wolf King. If this entire pack of Gale Demon Wolves swarmed them, he would certainly die without a doubt.

"Master, we might be finished today."

Yu Xiaogang also realized the situation was dire. He summoned his spirit—a cute, ugly little purple pig appeared, its eyes showing a hint of intelligence—and he whispered to Tang San.

"Little San, the situation is bad. Find an opportunity and run as fast as you can."

Tang San did not try to be a hero and nodded. He was moved in his heart; a teacher for a day is a father for life. That his teacher was thinking of him at a time like this truly proved he was the second father Tang San acknowledged.

The pack of wolves slowly closed in, and death felt within reach. This brought immense psychological pressure upon the group. Seeing the pack was less than ten meters away and the stench of the wolves growing increasingly pungent, Yu Xiaogang could no longer hold back.

"Fart like thunder, blast the heavens and shatter the earth, Luo Sanpao!"

Luo Sanpao wiggled its plump buttocks toward the wolf pack, and a mustard-yellow mist sprayed from its chrysanthemum, heading straight for the Gale Demon Wolf King.

"Not good."

The Dean was startled. He saw the wolf king unleash a wind blade that instantly dispersed Yu Xiaogang's mist. Although Yu Xiaogang's soul skill could not inflict damage on the pack, it was more than enough to enrage them.

The wolf pack no longer advanced slowly. Led by the wolf king, they all lunged toward the group.

"Fire Split Tiger possession, third soul skill, Fierce Tiger Roar."

The Dean had no time to blame Yu Xiaogang. With his martial soul possessed, he immediately charged toward the wolf king.

"Fourth soul skill, Lion Tiger Sky Split."

Facing the wolf king, the Dean dared not hold anything back and attacked with all his might. For a moment, he actually suppressed the Gale Demon Wolf King, but soon, more Gale Demon Wolves swarmed toward him.

"A good opportunity."

Seeing that most of the powerful magic beasts were attracted by the Dean, Yu Xiaogang immediately realized this was his chance.

"Fart like smoke, hypnotic slumber, Luo Sanpao."

A pale yellow mist sprayed from Luo Sanpao's chrysanthemum, and many low-year Gale Demon Wolves nearby were affected, instantly becoming drowsy.

"Xiao San, run quickly."

He grabbed Tang San's hand and ran in the direction they had come from. Taking advantage of the Dean's life-and-death struggle with the wolf king, they had a chance to shake off these low-level wolves. He and Xiao San would not have to die; the Dean's sacrifice would have meaning.

However, he overlooked one point: his soul skill was an area-of-effect skill that encompassed the wolf king and the Dean as well. The Gale Demon Wolf King was a soul beast, so this hypnotic mist had no effect on it, but the Dean was human, and his physique was ultimately inferior to a magic beast, so the hypnotic mist caused him to falter for a split second.

"Not good."

The Dean reacted immediately, but it was already too late. He was already surrounded by the pack, and that momentary lapse was all it took for him to be torn to shreds by the wolves in an instant.

After tearing the Dean apart, the wolf king looked at the fleeing Yu Xiaogang and Tang San. Its ugly wolf face was full of ferocity, and with a long howl, it led the pack in pursuit.

Feeling the pack closing in again, Yu Xiaogang was terrified. He cursed inwardly, What a piece of trash! He couldn't even buy enough time for an escape.

Seeing the wolves catching up, Tang San ran for his life, pushing his Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track to the limit. But his strength was ultimately too low, and the distance between them grew shorter.

Suddenly, he saw a giant tree ahead and his face lit up with joy. With a leap, he jumped beside the giant tree and used both hands and feet to climb rapidly up the forty-meter-tall trunk.

Although the wolves below were unwilling, they could only circle the base and howl wildly at Tang San in the tree.

"Hmph, a bunch of beasts."

Tang San looked down at the wolves howling incessantly and showed a look of disdain.

"Ah!"

Yu Xiaogang was suddenly pounced upon and knocked to the ground by a Gale Demon Wolf over two meters long. He did not have Tang San's agility and was tackled by the following wolves before he could run very far.

"Oh no, Teacher."

Tang San immediately remembered his teacher below and wanted to go down to rescue him, but after taking a single step, he pulled his foot back.

"No, there are too many Gale Demon Wolves. Even if I use my sleeve arrows, I can't kill many of them. Going down now is just suicide. I cannot abandon the escape opportunity my teacher fought so hard to give me, that's right."

Looking at his teacher below, Tang San's expression was heavy. This was the mentor he respected like a father!

"Go in peace, Teacher. I will avenge you."

Yu Xiaogang, pinned to the ground, had a look of despair. He didn't know how Xiao San was doing; he had been running behind and was blocked by trees, so he hadn't noticed Tang San climbing the tree.

Yet death sometimes does not arrive as expected. The Gale Demon Wolf that had pinned him down had eyes full of lust, staring greedily at Yu Xiaogang's buttocks. Its claws swiped, tearing through the tattered cloth between them, and two snow-white mounds of flesh were instantly exposed.