Bad Luck, Hunted by a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast...

Sun Shi and his three companions exchanged glances, then looked at Zhao Wuji, who stood opposite them looking completely unfazed and staring them down with murderous intent. When they looked at the wounds on their own bodies, their internal shock deepened.

The four of them were genuine Soul Ancestor powerhouses who had run rampant on the outskirts of the Star Dou Forest for years; there wasn't a ruthless character they hadn't seen.

Yet, they had never encountered such an eerie opponent. They couldn't move him, couldn't hurt him, and every time they got close, they were burned and slowed. Even their own attacks would backfire on them—how were they supposed to fight this?

Feeling his soul power, which had refilled to the brim in mere moments, Flender couldn't suppress the corners of his mouth from curling upward.

He looked down at Zhou Man, who was charging furiously through the smoke and dust, a hint of mockery flashing in his eyes as his fourth soul ring lit up once more.

"Fourth Soul Skill: Air Blade!"

Hundreds of sharp, whistling blades of energy tore through the air like a torrential downpour, bombarding Zhou Man.

Zhou Man had intended to finish off the berserk Zhao Wuji first before dealing with this annoying bird, but the sky full of incoming blades sealed off every path forward. His eyes split with rage, and he had no choice but to grind to a halt.

His eighth soul ring suddenly flared, and he roared through gritted teeth.

"Eighth Soul Skill: Blood Shield!"

A massive, scarlet shield condensed from thick blood instantly formed before him, forcibly tanking the bombardment of the sky-filling blades.

Flender sensed that the effects of the red and blue buffs circulating through his body had less than half a minute remaining.

He tucked his wings, dove sharply, and grabbed Zhao Wuji by the back of his collar. Before the man could react, his grey-black wings exerted sudden force, carrying both of them into the sky as they streaked away toward the Star Dou Forest.

"Let's go, the buff duration is almost up."

Zhao Wuji had thoroughly enjoyed this battle. He had always held the title of "Immovable Wisdom King," but in daily fights, he had to worry about soul power consumption and guarding against hidden injuries.

But today, with double Thornmail stacked, 600% terrifying defense, the red and blue buffs providing a safety net, attacks that burned and slowed, and the ability to reflect true damage while recovering soul power as fast as he spent it, he felt like he was playing in god mode.

He had suppressed four Soul Ancestors, several Soul Emperors, and over a dozen Soul Kings all by himself—it was exhilarating.

He didn't forget to look back and shout threats at the group below.

"A bunch of trash dogs from the Blood Wolf Mercenary Group, I've remembered you! You just wait for your master; next time I come back, I'll slaughter my way through your pathetic mercenary group!"

Flender had been somewhat worried, but seeing Zhao Wuji full of energy and without a single decent scratch on him, he realized his concern was wasted.

Come to think of it, this was the most satisfying battle he had ever fought in his life.

By exploiting his flight advantage, he had spammed his fourth soul skill as if it cost nothing. The enemy didn't have a single soul master capable of flight, so they could only stare helplessly from the ground, unable to do a thing to him.

"Wang Long, Wang Erxiong, you'd best hope I never find you."

Below, Zhou Man's eyes were bloodshot as he stared fixedly at the two figures disappearing into the horizon, the rage in his chest threatening to burn through his skull.

"Ah! It infuriates me! A bunch of useless trash, couldn't even keep two people here! This is the first time in all these years I've been so humiliated."

Knowing he couldn't catch them and could only watch them escape, he let out a furious roar and slammed his sandbag-sized fist into a boulder several meters high beside him.

"BOOM!"

The solid boulder instantly shattered and disintegrated, sending stone shards flying in all directions.

A Soul Emperor stepped forward, trembling.

"M-Master Man, the casualty report is out... five Soul Emperors, eight Soul Kings, and fourteen Soul Ancestors were killed on the spot... the remaining brothers are all wounded..."

Hearing these numbers, Zhou Man nearly vomited blood.

The people he had brought out this time were the elite core of the Blood Wolf Mercenary Group, the foundation of their future, cultivated over a dozen years. Just to snatch a single supreme treasure, they had lost more than half.

His chest heaved violently, his breath coming in ragged gasps as he roared like a madman.

"Send everyone out! Even if you have to turn the Star Dou Forest upside down, you will find those two damned bastards for me!"

He clenched his fists tightly, a flash of vicious calculation in his eyes, and added through gritted teeth:

"Also, spread the word immediately: say that Wang Long and Wang Erxiong are severely wounded and have fled into the Star Dou Forest with the supreme treasure from the Soul Recovery Pavilion that allows for infinite soul power recovery."

"I want to see if those two bastards can survive the pursuit of every soul master on the continent."

"Yes! This subordinate will handle it immediately!"

On the other side, On the outskirts of the Star Dou Forest, Several figures were fleeing for their lives in mid-air, using the interlocking tree canopies for cover.

Sharp, piercing sounds of air being torn apart followed closely behind, biting hard at the targets ahead.

Lin Feng sat on the broad, sturdy back of the Dominator Vanguard, looking back.

A hundred meters away, a massive, ten-thousand-year-old Nether Owl was flapping its wings in a frantic pursuit.

Its feathers were as pitch-black as ink, almost blending into the shadows beneath the dappled tree cover.

Its blood-red vertical pupils were filled with greedy, murderous light. Every time its sickle-like tail feathers sliced through the air, they kicked up a fierce wave of pressure, its speed so great that it left only a blurred afterimage.

"Damn it, to run into a ten-thousand-year-old Nether Owl on the very outskirts of the Star Dou Forest—that this one-in-ten-thousand chance would land on me, I must have had the worst luck in eight lifetimes."

Lin Feng cursed through gritted teeth, watching as the Nether Owl flapped its wings, its speed surging again as the distance between them instantly closed to within fifty meters.

Anxious, he slapped the back of the Dominator Vanguard and shouted.

"Faster! Faster! This damn bird is about to catch up, Vanguard, charge deeper into the woods!"

However, the Nether Owl was renowned for its speed, and even with the boost from the Dragon bloodline, the Dominator Vanguard was gradually being overtaken.

The ferocious pressure radiating from the ten-thousand-year soul beast weighed on Lin Feng's heart like a giant boulder; he could even clearly smell the stench wafting from the bird.

At this moment, the Nether Owl's mind was entirely consumed by the noble Dragon bloodline aura emanating from the three dragon-shaped soul beasts ahead.

That aura was like the most alluring prey in the world, making its blood boil with desire.

While the Dragon bloodline naturally suppressed ordinary soul beasts, it was also the ultimate tonic!

Ordinary Dragon soul beasts were typically gregarious, only leaving their packs to act alone once they reached ten thousand years of age.

It never expected that a whim to hunt in the outer perimeter would lead it to stumble upon three solitary thousand-year-old Dragons.

As long as it devoured these three little things, its cultivation would surge by at least two or three thousand years, perhaps even giving it the chance to break through the fifteen-thousand-year threshold.

"You damn bird, are you sick in the head? Am I your father? Why are you chasing your father relentlessly? There are so many soul beasts in this forest, why do you have to keep chasing me?"

Seeing the Nether Owl about to catch up, Lin Feng cursed loudly. A ruthless glint flashed in his eyes as he gritted his teeth and issued a stern order to the two Dominator Vanguards flanking him.

"Dragon Soldiers, entangle this damn bird at any cost!"

The moment they received the order, the two Dominator Vanguards did not hesitate for a second. They abruptly changed direction, opened their massive maws to spew scorching Dragon Breath, and slammed head-on into the pursuing Nether Owl in a suicidal charge.

The Nether Owl had been flying with its mind set on the chase, never expecting these seemingly weak Dragon soul beasts to dare turn and counterattack.

It had been flying too recklessly, pushing its speed to the limit, and was unable to brake in time, colliding solidly with the two Dominator Vanguards.

"BOOM!"

The deafening roar shook the surrounding trees, and the three figures instantly lost their balance, plummeting from mid-air and crashing heavily onto the grass below, sending blades of grass and gravel flying in every direction.