Battle Against a Three-Ring Evil Spirit Master

Everyone fell silent. The only sound in the courtyard was the old woman's sobbing.

"It was my fault he was taken." Jie'en's weak voice suited his state perfectly: lost and helpless.

"Did the mysterious Spirit Master have any distinguishing features? Do you know where he was headed?" Yake Entu asked.

"Distinguishing features..." Jie'en raised his head and began to recall. "Oh! Yes. He wore a hood, his face was deathly pale, and his eyes were bloodshot, like he hadn't rested in ages."

Qian Yun perked up at once. Isn't that a classic Evil Spirit Master's look?

Yake Entu calmly nodded. "Did he mention his destination?"

Jie'en shook his head helplessly. "He didn't say where he was going, but he did ask me about a place called Oukai Jungle."

The others exchanged glances. That was the very place they were headed.

"All right, we understand the situation. If we can, we'll help you look for your nephew." Yake Entu nodded, accepting the task.

Jie'en couldn't believe the sudden promise. Once he came to his senses, he fell to his knees. "Thank you, thank you! I never dared hope that Lord Soul Masters would be willing to help us."

"Get up. It's our duty at Spirit Hall to rid the people of evil. If that Spirit Master dared impersonate us, he'll pay for it!" Yake Entu said firmly. He glanced at the two old people, their faces full of hope, then changed his tone. "But you should also prepare for the worst. He's been missing for a long time, and Oukai Jungle is close to Star Dou Great Forest. Anything could have happened."

It was clear enough what Yake Entu meant.

Jie'en clenched his fists and nodded silently. "I understand that. That's why I didn't dare trouble you, my lords."

That night, Qian Yun and Hu Liena, the youngest members of the group, were assigned to the same room.

Qian Yun sat on the edge of the bed, sorting through the odds and ends in his backpack as he asked Hu Liena:

"What do you think about what happened this evening?"

Hu Liena thought it over, then furrowed her brow and leaned close to his ear. "Why do I get the feeling an Evil Spirit Master did it? The way Jie'en described him sounds exactly like one."

Qian Yun nodded in agreement. "I think so too, and I suspect Jie'en and the captain both know it. Jie'en was probably afraid of being accused of covering for an Evil Spirit Master, so he pretended not to know."

Hu Liena asked in confusion, "But if he knew it was an Evil Spirit Master, why didn't he just say so? It wasn't his fault."

Qian Yun shook his head. "The way he talked clearly pointed toward an Evil Spirit Master, but it's possible the man really did look exactly like that. Either way, we can't blindly trust his description. We should be ready for a fight tomorrow."

Hu Liena looked surprised. "You mean we might actually run into him?"

"Hard to say. But when you're away from home, it's always best to be careful."

"All right."

The night passed without incident.

Early the next morning, everyone set out.

This time, the backpack on Hu Liena's back was much smaller.

She had pawned several things she didn't need from her bag to pay for their room the night before. Since they didn't want to attract attention by showing off their wealth, the two hadn't brought their Soul Tools, so they had little choice but to make this sacrifice. They decided to treat it as a lesson learned.

By noon, the group had reached their destination: Oukai Jungle.

Their mission was to exterminate a troop of Thousand-Face Monkeys that had gone berserk for unknown reasons and might threaten the nearby towns at any moment.

Once they reached the designated spot, Yake Bo'en, the captain, began assigning tasks.

The group had always worked together as a complete unit, and its members were used to coordinating with one another. But now Qian Yun and Hu Liena had joined right before the operation, which made assigning teams a problem.

Yake Bo'en thought for a moment, then called everyone together.

"I just checked the terrain. The troop of Thousand-Face Monkeys is still inside. To wipe them out as quickly as possible, I've decided we'll surround them from eight directions. I'll take one side by myself, and the rest of you will pair up. Once the perimeter closes in, we'll merge into four groups. When I give the signal, we attack together and try not to let a single one escape!" Yake Bo'en drew a map in the dirt with a stick and briskly laid out the plan.

"Any objections?" Yake Bo'en's gaze swept over each of them.

"None!"

"Good. Pair up, then."

As expected, no one volunteered to team up with Qian Yun and Hu Liena. The members chose partners they already knew well.

The newcomers, Qian Yun and Hu Liena, were assigned to each other by default.

Watching the others head off in pairs, Hu Liena clenched her fists and shook them at their backs. "Hmph! As if they're so great. After they see what we can do, they'll know who's really carrying the team!"

"Let's go too." Qian Yun didn't take it to heart. This was more or less what he'd expected.

"Wait." Yake Bo'en suddenly called out to them.

Qian Yun turned and saw Yake Bo'en beckoning. The two went over, and Yake Bo'en greeted them with a wide, toothy grin. "Haha, Amiga, Boli. Don't take it personally. They just figured you two would want to stay together."

That flimsy excuse would have been better left unsaid.

Qian Yun asked bluntly, "Is that why you called us over, Captain?"

"Uh, of course not." Even Yake Bo'en's thick skin couldn't hide his embarrassment. "Well, the perimeter's set, but there's one spot no one's guarding. See?"

Yake Bo'en pointed at the entrance on the map.

"Captain, you don't think we can handle it, do you? We may be young, but we're every bit as strong as the other members! Who's going to come to the entrance anyway?" Hu Liena finally snapped. Ever since they'd joined the team, everyone had treated them like a joke. Now that the mission had started, they were still being given the grunt work.

"Well... that's..." Faced with the fuming Hu Liena, the burly Yake Bo'en could only scratch his head, feeling guilty.

He couldn't exactly tell her that they were too precious to risk, and that he couldn't afford to answer for it if anything happened. What would the other members think if he said that?

Qian Yun glared at him. He was angry too, but the operation had already begun. This wasn't the time to make a scene. "That's enough, Boli. The captain has his reasons. As team members, we should just follow orders. I'm sure that once the captain sees what we can do, he'll put us to better use, right?"

Qian Yun's words were impeccable, and he placed particular emphasis on the word "strength."

Yake Bo'en could only force a sheepish grin.

Once Qian Yun and Hu Liena took up their positions, the operation began.

At the entrance to the perimeter, inside a small thicket, Qian Yun and Hu Liena listened as the distant sounds grew louder and livelier. The scene before them, meanwhile, remained as calm as still water.

Hu Liena gritted her teeth in frustration. Qian Yun knew this wasn't the time to talk to her. He parted the bushes in front of them, and they both froze at what they saw.

A monkey's corpse lay before them. It looked exactly like their target, a Thousand-Face Monkey!

But the operation had only just begun. Who had killed it? And judging by its gruesome state, the Thousand-Face Monkey looked as though every drop of blood had been drained from its body.

As Qian Yun pondered this, he sensed something.

"Watch out! Xiao Na, dodge!"

They reacted quickly, leaping aside as their Martial Souls possessed them in an instant!

As soon as they moved, the ground where they'd been standing exploded, sending dirt flying and leaving a huge crater behind.

After landing, he donned the Crown, and his spiritual power spread out in every direction from him. It surged outward at tremendous speed, flattening the surrounding Blue Silver Grass.

"Left!"

"Second Spirit Skill, Fox Fire!" The moment the words left her lips, Hu Liena sent a ball of flame flying.

This was her second Spirit Skill. It could erode spiritual power, and it could also track its target.

The drifting Fox Fire landed on a curtain and disappeared.

Qian Yun and Hu Liena focused their spiritual power, not daring to let their guard down for a moment.

"Heh heh." A harsh, unpleasant laugh rang out.

The two of them, already on high alert, felt their hearts sink. The only Spirit Master who would appear here and attack them had to be the Three-Ring Evil Spirit Master they'd discussed the day before.

"I was wondering who had come. It turns out it's just two little kids?" A sinister voice rang out again. As he spoke, Qian Yun and Hu Liena finally saw him in person.

"What's that?" Hu Liena saw the hooded man's mount clearly. It might be Jie'en's nephew.

"Who are you, and why are you here?" Qian Yun asked. They still couldn't tell what the Evil Spirit Master's Martial Soul was, but the two hundred-year and one ten-year Spirit Rings beneath his feet were clearly visible.

While Qian Yun and Hu Liena remained wary, the mysterious man seemed perfectly at ease. "And who are you? What are you doing here?"

Qian Yun didn't answer. His first Spirit Skill was ready to unleash.

The mysterious man glanced at the Spirit Rings beneath their feet, his voice rising slightly. "Oh, I see. I was wondering how two little kids dared come after me. You're counting on those two hundred-year Spirit Rings, are you?"

"Hmph. Spirit Roar!" A nearly transparent shockwave burst from Qian Yun's chest without warning.

"Heh. You're overestimating yourselves." As the Spirit Skill shot toward him, his second ten-year Spirit Ring lit up.

"Clang—"

Spirit Roar struck him, making a sound like metal being hit. That was Spirit Roar's effect: it ignored eighty percent of physical defense and had powerful spiritual penetration.

"Ugh! Cough, cough!" The mysterious man spat out a mouthful of blood. When he looked up again, his blood-red eyes were full of shock.

He'd thought that even if the two little kids were at the second ring and had hundred-year Spirit Rings, he was a Soul Elder who had just broken through to rank thirty-seven. He should have no trouble dealing with them. But Qian Yun's attack had been like a great hammer, knocking his internal organs out of place. And that was after his second Spirit Skill had blocked part of it.

While he was stunned, a thin pink mist suddenly began to spread before his eyes. Then, even his mind started to grow hazy. He was a three-ring Soul Elder, yet the haze was already affecting him.

"Something's wrong! Move, horsey!" The mysterious man squeezed his legs around his "mount," and Jie'en's nephew bolted out of the mist.

Hu Liena, who had changed positions, smiled faintly. "Hmph. Think you can get away?" Her crimson eyes immediately locked onto Jie'en's nephew.

"Hmph." Jie'en's nephew gave a short grunt and collapsed. He was an ordinary person. Though young and strong, he couldn't possibly withstand Fox Charm empowered by Qian Yun's Soul Power.