Jungle Ambush, Who Is the Prey?

As Ye Feng's figure completely vanished at the town's exit, a few men in the crowd exchanged glances. Without a word, they slipped away from the crowd and silently followed in the direction he had disappeared.

Their movements were covert and well-coordinated, clearly the work of seasoned veterans in this trade.

However, when the group chased out of the town and reached the outer perimeter of the Star Dou Great Forest, stopping just three or four meters from the gloomy woodland, they all came to a sudden halt.

The area ahead was completely empty; there was no trace of the child to be found.

"Boss, what's going on?"

A tall, thin man lowered his voice, his face filled with disbelief.

"Could that brat have flown away? We were clearly tracking him in this direction!"

The man addressed as the boss was a middle-aged man with a sinister expression named Jiang Yi. He squinted at the dark forest ahead and let out a cold snort.

"Fly? Impossible!"

Jiang Yi's analysis was calm.

"Judging by his appearance, he's at most seven or eight years old! At best, he's just a fledgling Spirit Master who just obtained his first spirit ring!"

"As for that Radiant Lion..."

He paused, offering the most logical explanation.

"He likely stumbled upon a stroke of blind luck, running into one that had been severely wounded by the beast tide on the outskirts, allowing him to pick up a massive bargain."

The other four nodded in deep agreement with this speculation.

A seven or eight-year-old child hunting a top-tier spirit beast over three hundred years old alone?

Who would believe that!

Scavenging was the only possible explanation.

"Everyone, search carefully!"

Jiang Yi's voice was laced with ruthlessness.

"That little brat must still be nearby!"

He then looked up at the sky to gauge the time.

"The beast tide hasn't fully subsided; it won't end until tomorrow.

Even if he had ten times the courage, he wouldn't dare venture deep into the forest outskirts right now!"

"Understood!"

"He's just a little brat who just got his spirit ring!"

"Once we catch him, those six hundred Gold Soul Coins will be ours!"

The group was full of confidence, not taking Ye Feng seriously at all. They immediately fanned out into a semi-circular formation and began searching the edge of the forest with meticulous care.

Not far away, inside a natural hollow within a massive, dense-leafed tree, Ye Feng watched everything below through the gaps in the foliage with a cold gaze.

His eyes glowed with a faint, golden halo in the darkness.

Pupil of Light Dawn!

Under the augmentation of this External Soul Bone, his dynamic vision and night vision were terrifyingly enhanced; every move of the five men below fell clearly under his control.

Watching the undisguised greed and ferocity on their faces, a cold killing intent surged in the depths of Ye Feng's heart.

Do they really think this young master is a powerless child?

Trying to kill for loot?

Very well.

Since you want to play, then I will play along with you!

Without a hint of impulsiveness, he calmly evaluated the strength of both sides.

Five people. Judging by the faint spirit power fluctuations during their movements, while none were particularly strong, they were definitely all Spirit Masters with cultivation.

A head-on collision would leave him with zero chance of victory.

Picking them off one by one was the only path to survival!

Ye Feng surveyed the tree hollow where he was hiding.

He had stored fresh water and dried meat here earlier; he could hide for a week without any issues.

He had plenty of patience.

But this group of "prey" that had intruded into his hunting ground clearly did not.

Now, all he had to do was wait.

Wait for one piece of prey to voluntarily approach his hunting range.

He slowly took the heavy bow from his back, pulled a sharpened arrow from his quiver, nocked it, and silently drew the string to a full moon.

Time ticked away, drop by drop, in the oppressive silence.

The five scattered bandits searched with extreme care, advancing almost inch by inch.

Finally, one of the shorter, stockier men began cursing as he walked toward the giant tree where Ye Feng was hiding.

"Damn it, is this little brat a rat? Where the hell did he crawl off to?"

He grumbled while using his machete to hack away at the thicket in front of him.

He was getting closer.

Fifty meters.

Thirty meters.

Twenty meters!

Now!

Inside the tree hollow, Ye Feng held his breath for a split second, then suddenly released his fingers from the bowstring!

"Whoosh!"

A nearly imperceptible sound of air being pierced rang out as the Wolf-Tooth Arrow transformed into a lethal shadow in the night, flying with pinpoint accuracy toward the stocky man's throat!

"Thwack!"

The sound of the sharp arrow piercing flesh was dull yet distinct.

The complaints on the man's face froze instantly. He looked down in disbelief at the fletching protruding from his neck, his throat emitting a wheezing "hiss" as blood gushed out like a fountain.

He didn't even have time to let out a scream before his body crashed heavily to the ground, twitching a few times before falling silent.

A kill in one strike!

Ye Feng didn't look at the corpse, nor did he feel even the slightest ripple of emotion.

He simply nocked another arrow with lightning speed, locking his target onto the next closest bandit.

Once the first man fell, it would soon be discovered.

And whoever found their companion's body would inevitably rush over to inspect it.

That would be his second opportunity!

Sure enough, less than a minute later, a suppressed shout came from another direction.

"Third Brother? What's wrong?"

A bandit holding a long staff hurried over, his expression turning to one of shock the moment he saw the stocky man lying in a pool of blood.

He lunged forward, crouching down anxiously to check his companion's wounds.

"Third Brother! You..."

Before he could finish his sentence.

"Whoosh!"

The second sound of the death-string rang out in the night wind.

The sharp arrow, carrying Ye Feng's cold killing intent, pierced through the back of his head from an incredibly tricky angle with lethal precision!

The bandit's body stiffened violently, his outstretched hand hanging in mid-air before dropping limply. He collapsed forward, landing right on top of his companion's corpse.

Double kill!

Ye Feng slowly exhaled a breath of stale air.

The same trick works once or twice, but never a third time.

The remaining three men would never make the same mistake again.

Without a moment's hesitation, he crawled out of the tree hollow and quickly reached the two corpses.

He swiftly looted the money pouches from their bodies, then effortlessly pulled the two valuable arrows from the corpses, wiped the blood off with a cloth, and slid them back into his quiver.

After finishing this, he pulled a flint from his bosom, poured some accelerant oil over the bodies, and struck the tinder.

"Whoosh!"

Flames surged upward, quickly swallowing the two corpses with a crackling sound as a charred, pungent stench began to permeate the forest.

"Third Brother! Fifth Brother!"

Jiang Yi's roar of shock and fury echoed from the distance.

Seeing the fire rising into the sky, the remaining three men knew exactly what had happened and charged over like madmen.

When they saw the two bodies already charred black within the flames, their eyes turned bloodshot instantly.

"Ahhh! You little brat!!"

Jiang Yi let out a beast-like roar toward the sky, his voice shaking the forest:

"I am going to tear you into ten thousand pieces! I'll pull your tendons and peel your skin!"