The Might of Haotian, Xiao Gang in Peril

The sound was so loud that it echoed through the entire tavern.

"Who the hell are you?!"

The middle-aged man who had been bragging with his friends looked displeasedly at the shabby blacksmith before him.

"I asked what happened to the Soul Hunting Forest you were just talking about."

Tang Hao fixed the middle-aged man with a fierce, hawk-like gaze.

Startled by those eyes, the middle-aged man came back to his senses and became somewhat embarrassed and angry. He had actually been frightened by a lousy blacksmith in front of his brothers.

"You think I'll tell you just because you asked? Where would my dignity be then? You stinking blacksmith, who do you think you are? Let me tell you, my cousin's second aunt's maternal cousin is—"

Tang Hao had no interest in listening to his nonsense. His aura spread out, and the pressure of his Soul Power crashed down upon the chattering middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man was merely an ordinary person. How could he withstand the aura of the mighty Clear Sky Douluo? Even though Tang Hao had not used much force, the man was still crushed to the floor, his bones crackling loudly.

Retracting his aura, Tang Hao looked at the others around the man, who had been frightened senseless.

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

The few men looked at one another, none daring to speak. Only when impatience appeared on Tang Hao's face did one man step forward with a trembling voice.

"I-I'm not entirely sure either. I heard that the Spirit Beasts in the Soul Hunting Forest went berserk for some reason, and the whole forest became extremely dangerous. Many powerful Spirit Masters died inside."

"That's all I know. D-Don't kill me."

"Hmph."

Tang Hao strode toward the door. Before leaving, he said to the man still lying on the ground, unable to get up,

"Don't look down on people next time. Otherwise..."

Tang Hao still did not kill that ant. Mainly because killing someone might draw an investigation, and attracting Spirit Hall's attention would be troublesome. Otherwise, he would have long since displayed the might of Haotian, smashed this ant who dared to yap at him to death, and killed that cousin's second aunt's maternal cousin while he was at it.

Still, whether the man would spend the rest of his life bedridden after enduring the pressure of his Soul Power was none of Tang Hao's concern.

After leaving the tavern and reaching a secluded spot, he leaped into the air and sped toward the Soul Hunting Forest.

Elsewhere.

Tang San and the other two were walking warily through the Soul Hunting Forest. Today's forest was somewhat unusual.

"Teacher, what's going on? Why are there so few Spirit Beasts in the Soul Hunting Forest now?"

Yu Xiaogang was equally confused. He had never encountered anything like this before, but in order to maintain his image as a teacher, he still began bluffing.

"It should be that this area was recently slaughtered by some powerful Spirit Beast, which is why there are so few Spirit Beasts here. We should be fine if we change directions."

Although that explanation was somewhat far-fetched—if Spirit Beasts had been slaughtered here, the smell of blood should have been heavy afterward—Tang San respected his teacher and naturally would not question Yu Xiaogang's words.

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

"This way."

Yu Xiaogang casually pointed in a direction. The tool-like dean naturally had no objections. He took the lead and guided the two toward the direction Yu Xiaogang had indicated.

They still did not know what had happened in the Soul Hunting Forest. Although Ni Huang had spread incense around the outskirts of the forest, she had deliberately left Tang San's route untouched, precisely to prevent them from immediately fleeing once they sensed danger.

Suddenly, Tang San, who was walking at the rear, tensed. Having cultivated the Mysterious Heaven Skill, his five senses were keen, and he smelled a strong stench of blood ahead.

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

Yu Xiaogang shook his head confidently.

"His Excellency the Dean is a four-ring Soul Ancestor. 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 some farther, Tang San suddenly felt that something was wrong. At that moment, the dean walking ahead also noticed it.

"Stay alert!"

"What's wrong?"

Yu Xiaogang was still somewhat bewildered when he saw the two stop. He was too weak and lacked a cultivation technique like the Mysterious Heaven Skill. He also rarely fought, so he alone had failed to notice the danger.

Before the dean could answer, pairs of glowing green eyes emerged from the surrounding brush. At a glance, they seemed like a green ocean.

"Gale Demon Wolves! This is a large wolf pack."

The dean's expression immediately changed. Wolf-type Spirit Beasts almost always traveled in packs. There were likely more than a hundred Gale Demon Wolves before them. Even if most were only ten-year or hundred-year Spirit Beasts, their numbers were overwhelming.

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

As the three giant beasts approached with the wolf pack, cold sweat immediately covered the dean's face.

Although he was a Soul Ancestor, whether he could defeat the Gale Demon Wolf King before him was uncertain. If this pack of Gale Demon Wolves attacked together, he would certainly die.

"Master, we may be done for today."

Yu Xiaogang also understood that the situation was bad. He summoned his Martial Soul, and an ugly yet oddly cute purple pig appeared, its eyes possessing a trace of intelligence. At the same time, he quietly said to Tang San,

"Little San, something's wrong. Find an opportunity and run as soon as you can."

Tang San did not try to play the hero. He nodded, deeply moved. A teacher for a day, a father for life. Even at a time like this, his teacher was thinking of him. He truly deserved to be the second father Tang San acknowledged.

The wolf pack slowly closed in, death seeming close enough to touch. The immense psychological pressure weighed upon them. Seeing that the wolves were less than ten meters away and their stench was growing stronger, Yu Xiaogang could no longer endure it.

"Fart Like Thunder, Heaven-Shaking Earth-Rending Luo Sanpao!"

Luo Sanpao wiggled his plump rear at the wolf pack, and a cloud of shit-yellow smoke sprayed from his anus toward the Wolf King.

"Not good!"

The dean was startled. A single Wind Blade from the Wolf King dispersed Yu Xiaogang's smoke. Although Yu Xiaogang's spirit skill could not harm the wolf pack, it was more than enough to enrage them.

The wolves no longer advanced slowly. Under the Wolf King's lead, they all pounced toward the group.

"Fire Split Tiger Possession, Third Spirit Skill, Fierce Tiger Roar!"

The dean had no time to blame Master Yu. With Martial Soul Possession activated, he immediately charged toward the Wolf King.

"Fourth Spirit Skill, Lion Tiger Sky Split!"

Facing the Wolf King, the dean did not dare hold anything back and attacked with his full strength. For a moment, he actually suppressed the Gale Demon Wolf King, but soon, more Gale Demon Wolves surged toward him.

"Good opportunity."

Seeing that most of the stronger demon wolves had been drawn to the dean, Yu Xiaogang immediately realized this was their chance.

"Fart Like Smoke, Hypnotic Sleep Luo Sanpao!"

A pale yellow smoke sprayed from Luo Sanpao's anus. Many nearby Gale Demon Wolves of lower cultivation were affected and immediately became drowsy.

"Little San, run!"

He grabbed Tang San's hand and ran in the direction they had come from. While the dean fought the Wolf King to the death, they had an opportunity to shake off these low grade demon wolves. Neither he nor Little San needed to die, and the dean's sacrifice would be meaningful.

But he had overlooked one thing. His spirit skill was an area-of-effect skill, and it included both the Wolf King and the dean. The Gale Demon Wolf King was a Spirit Beast, so this little hypnotic smoke had no effect on it. But the dean was human, and his physique could not compare to that of a magical beast, so the hypnotic smoke still dazed him for an instant.

"Not good."

The dean immediately reacted, but it was already too late. He had already been surrounded by the wolf pack, and after being dazed for an instant, he was torn apart in the blink of an eye.

After tearing the dean apart, the Wolf King looked at the fleeing Yu Xiaogang and Tang San. Its ugly wolfish face was filled with ferocity. With a long howl, it led the pack in pursuit.

Sensing the wolf pack rushing after them again, Yu Xiaogang was horrified. What a useless piece of trash! He couldn't even buy us enough time to escape.

Seeing the wolf pack catch up again, Tang San ran desperately, pushing Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track to its limit. Yet his strength was ultimately too weak, and the distance between them only grew shorter.

Suddenly, he spotted a giant tree ahead, and joy immediately appeared on his face. With a leap, he jumped beside the massive tree and used both hands and feet to quickly climb the giant tree, which stood more than forty meters tall.

Although the wolf pack below was unwilling, they could only surround the tree and howl madly at Tang San above.

"Hmph, a bunch of beasts."

Tang San looked disdainfully at the endlessly howling wolf pack below.

"Ah!"

Yu Xiaogang was suddenly pounced upon and knocked to the ground by a Gale Demon Wolf over two meters tall. He did not possess Tang San's agility. He had not run far before the Gale Demon Wolf following behind caught him.

"Oh no, Teacher."

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

"No, there are too many Gale Demon Wolves. Even if I use my Sleeve Arrows, I won't be able to kill many. Going down now would just be throwing my life away. I can't waste the chance Teacher fought desperately to give me. That's right."

Looking at his teacher below, Tang San's face was solemn. This was the elder he respected and loved like a father!

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

Yu Xiaogang, pinned to the ground, was filled with despair. He wondered how Little San was doing. He had been running behind earlier and had been blocked by the trees, so he had not noticed Tang San climbing the tree.

But sometimes death did not arrive as expected. The Gale Demon Wolf pinning him down had lust burning in its eyes as it greedily stared at Yu Xiaogang's buttocks. Its claws tore open the rag blocking them, exposing two snowy-white cheeks of flesh.