Sun Shi and the other three looked at one another, then at Zhao Wuji across from them, who still looked completely unscathed as he stared them down with killing intent. Looking at the wounds on their own bodies, their shock only deepened.
The four of them were genuine Soul Saint powerhouses. They had run rampant around the outskirts of the Star Dou Forest for years—what ruthless figures had they not seen?
Yet they had never encountered such a bizarre opponent. They could not hurt him, could not move him, and getting close meant being burned and slowed. Even attacking him caused backlash against themselves. How were they supposed to fight this?
Feeling the Soul Power within him refill completely in mere moments, Flender could not suppress the grin on his face.
He watched Zhou Man charge furiously out from the dust below, amusement flickering in his eyes as the fourth soul ring beneath his feet lit up once more.
"Fourth Soul Skill: Air Blade!"
Over a hundred razor-sharp air blades, carrying piercing whistles through the air, rained down upon Zhou Man like a torrential storm.
Zhou Man had intended to deal with Zhao Wuji, who had gone mad with bloodlust, before taking care of that annoying flying creature. But the air blades filling the sky had sealed off every path ahead. His eyes nearly split with rage, and he could only force himself to halt.
His eighth soul ring suddenly lit up beneath his feet, and he gritted his teeth as he roared.
"Eighth Soul Skill, Blood Shield!"
A massive scarlet shield formed from thick blood instantly condensed before him, forcibly withstanding the bombardment of air blades.
Flender sensed that the effects of the Red and Blue Buffs on him had only half a minute left.
He folded his wings and dove sharply downward, grabbing Zhao Wuji by the back of his collar before he could react. His gray-black wings suddenly beat with force, carrying them both into the sky as they tore through the air toward the Star Dou Forest.
"We're leaving. The buffs are almost over."
This battle had been immensely satisfying for Zhao Wuji. He already bore the title of the "Immovable Wisdom King," but normally, he had to worry about Soul Power consumption during fights and guard against hidden injuries.
But today, both stacks of Thornmail were full. With that terrifying 600% defense, along with the Red and Blue Buffs backing him up, his attacks inflicted burning and slowing effects. Taking hits even reflected true damage, while his Soul Power replenished as fast as he used it. It was practically like activating an invincible mode.
He alone had suppressed four Soul Saints, several Soul Emperors, and over a dozen Soul Kings. It was exhilarating.
He did not forget to turn back and hurl an arrogant threat at those below.
"You worthless dogs of the Blood Wolf Mercenary Group, I'll remember you! Just wait for your daddy here! Next time I come back, I'll slaughter my way through your pathetic mercenary group!"
Flender had been somewhat worried at first, but seeing Zhao Wuji so spirited, without even a proper wound on his body, he realized he had worried for nothing.
Come to think of it, this had also been the most satisfying battle of Flender's life.
With the advantage of flight, he threw out his Fourth Soul Skill as if it cost nothing. Not a single Soul Master on the other side could fly, so they could only glare helplessly from the ground, utterly unable to do anything to him.
"Wang Long, Wang Erxiong, you'd better pray this old man never finds you!"
Below, Zhou Man stared with bloodshot eyes at the two figures vanishing beyond the horizon, the fury in his chest nearly burning through the top of his skull.
"Aah! This is infuriating! You're all useless trash! You couldn't even keep two people here! This is the first time in all these years that I've been humiliated like this!"
Knowing that pursuit was pointless, he could only watch helplessly as the two escaped. With an enraged roar, he slammed his fist, as large as a casserole, into a towering boulder beside him.
Boom!
The hard boulder instantly shattered apart, sending fragments flying everywhere.
A Soul Emperor stepped forward trembling.
"L-Lord Man, the casualty count is out... Five Soul Emperors, eight Soul Kings, and fourteen Soul Ancestors died on the spot... The remaining brothers are all injured as well..."
Hearing that string of numbers, Zhou Man nearly coughed up blood.
Everyone he had brought this time was an elite cultivated by the Blood Wolf Mercenary Group over more than a decade—the foundation of the mercenary group's future. Yet in order to seize a single supreme treasure, they had lost more than half of them.
His chest heaved violently as he panted like a bull and roared madly.
"Send everyone out! Even if you have to turn the Star Dou Forest upside down, find those two damned bastards for me!"
He clenched his fists tightly, a vicious scheme flashing through his eyes as he gritted his teeth and added,
"Also, spread the news immediately. Say that Wang Long and Wang Erxiong were seriously injured and fled into the Star Dou Forest with the Soul Recovery Pavilion's supreme treasure, the one that can restore Soul Power without limit."
"I want to see whether those two bastards can withstand the pursuit of Soul Masters across the entire continent."
"Yes! This subordinate will handle it at once!"
On the other side,
At the outskirts of the Star Dou Forest,
Several figures raced desperately through the air, using the overlapping canopy for cover.
Sharp whistles tore through the air behind them, relentlessly chasing their target ahead.
Lin Feng sat atop the broad back of a Dominator Vanguard and looked behind him.
A massive ten-thousand-year Nether Owl was flapping its wings in furious pursuit a hundred meters away.
Its feathers were as black as ink, allowing it to nearly blend into the shadows amid the mottled shade of the trees.
Its blood-red vertical pupils brimmed with greedy ferocity. Every sweep of its scythe-like tail feathers through the air kicked up a sharp gust, and it moved so fast that only an afterimage remained.
"Damn it, I actually ran into a ten-thousand-year Nether Owl at the very outskirts of the Star Dou Forest. Even that one-in-ten-thousand crap chance had to land on my head. I've got unbelievably bad luck."
Lin Feng cursed through gritted teeth. As the Nether Owl beat its wings, its speed surged once again, instantly closing the distance between them to less than fifty meters.
Panicking, he slapped the Dominator Vanguard's back and shouted,
"Faster! Go faster! That damn bird is about to catch us! Vanguard, charge deeper into the forest!"
But the Nether Owl was naturally adept at speed. Even with the dragon Bloodline empowering the Dominator Vanguard, it was gradually being chased down.
The savage pressure radiating from the ten-thousand-year soul beast weighed on Lin Feng's heart like a boulder. He could even clearly smell the foul, bloody wind coming from that damned bird.
Meanwhile, the Nether Owl's mind was entirely occupied by the noble dragon Bloodline aura emanating from the three dragon-shaped soul beasts ahead.
That aura was like the most enticing blood meal in the world, making the blood throughout its body boil.
Dragon Bloodlines possessed an innate suppressive effect on ordinary soul beasts, but they were also the finest possible tonic!
Ordinary dragon-type soul beasts generally lived in groups. Only after growing to ten thousand years would they leave their clans and move alone.
It had never expected that, after suddenly deciding to come to the outskirts to hunt for food, it would encounter three lone thousand-year dragon-type creatures.
As long as it swallowed these three little things, its cultivation could increase by at least two or three thousand years. It might even have a chance to reach the threshold of fifteen thousand years.
"Damn bird, are you sick or something? Am I your father? Why are you chasing your daddy so relentlessly? There are so many soul beasts in this forest, so why the hell are you only chasing me?"
Seeing that the Nether Owl was about to catch up, Lin Feng cursed loudly. A ruthless glint flashed through his eyes as he gritted his teeth and sternly ordered the other two Dominator Vanguards guarding him at either side.
"Dragon Soldiers, do whatever it takes to hold that damned bird back!"
The moment they received the order, the two Dominator Vanguards hesitated without the slightest pause. They abruptly turned around, opened their massive mouths, and spewed scorching Dragon Breath as they charged straight at the pursuing Nether Owl in a suicidal attack.
The Nether Owl had been wholly focused on flying forward and had never expected these seemingly weak dragon-type soul beasts to dare turn around and counterattack.
It was flying too fast, having pushed its speed to the limit. It had no time to stop and crashed solidly into the two Dominator Vanguards.
Boom—!
The deafening explosion shook the surrounding trees. The three figures instantly lost balance and plummeted from the sky, smashing heavily into the grass below and sending blades of grass and shattered stones flying everywhere.
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