The situation was once very awkward

The Molten Heart Stone-Throwing Ape died instantly, a purple Thousand-Year Soul Ring slowly emerging.

With the loot secured, Zhang Yang finally let out a sigh of relief, quickly reloading before pointing his M14 toward the distant Rock Mountain Lord.

The battlefield situation was dire: the massive Rock Mountain Lord was roaring in a low voice, its soul power fluctuating violently as it flew into a rage.

The three-meter-tall Yan was circling it, struggling to buy time.

Beside Zhang Yang, Xie Yue and Hu Liena were unleashing their Martial Soul Fusion Skill.

As for Zhang Yang, who had just finished off the Molten Heart Stone-Throwing Ape, he had already launched a fierce assault.

Zhang Yang darted between the tree branches, actively seeking an opening.

"ROAR!"

The Rock Mountain Lord slammed a palm into Yan's fists; Yan flew backward to dissipate the impact, while the Rock Mountain Lord roared angrily at the sky.

"Good chance. Second Soul Skill: Armor-Piercing Declaration."

The first and second soul rings beneath Zhang Yang's feet lit up simultaneously.

Second Soul Skill: Armor-Piercing Declaration.

Effect: Once activated, the next 5 bullets gain the "Ignore Physical Defense" property. It acts directly on the target's body, proving highly effective against armor, scales, and hardened skin. Its effect is reduced against pure energy defenses.

The first and second soul skills were activated in tandem.

The next moment, Zhang Yang pulled the trigger. Five bullets, like sharp awls, pierced through the Rock Mountain Lord's soul power barrier without resistance, entering through its gaping maw and exiting the back of its head, spraying blood in every direction.

"!"

The Rock Mountain Lord's roar cut off, and the muddy, earth-attribute soul power surrounding it instantly fell into chaos.

"Bang! Bang! Bang..."

Zhang Yang seized the opportunity, catching the opening to hold the trigger down.

"Hah! Third Soul Skill, Hellfire."

Yan stepped into a lunge, his right fist clenched as a scorching dark red light erupted, violent soul power coalescing around his fist.

With the charge complete, Yan threw a punch. A flame of ultra-high temperature radiated intense light, surging toward the nearby Rock Mountain Lord.

The violent, scorching fire-attribute soul power shredded the chaotic earth-attribute soul power around the Rock Mountain Lord like a blade, instantly engulfing the beast in hellish, high-temperature flames.

"Bang."

Landing on the branch of another large tree, Zhang Yang fired the last bullet in his magazine before swapping in a fresh one.

Immediately after, Zhang Yang's first soul skill lit up again; he lowered his head, aimed, and fired instantly.

"Hoo-hoo-ga~ ga-ga~"

The small Molten Heart Stone-Throwing Ape hiding in the distance was struck in the head and died on the spot, a ten-year white soul ring drifting out.

Since the brat refused to flee even after seeing its parents' soul rings appear, it clearly harbored malicious intent and planned to cause trouble later; naturally, it could not be left alive.

"Hoo." Yan retracted his stance, gazing proudly at the Rock Mountain Lord, which was burning like a torch in the distance.

A sharp whistling sound cut through the air as two Moon Blades sliced across the night sky, their keen edges reflecting a cold light as they carved through the Rock Mountain Lord's body.

With two sounds like worn leather being shredded, the figure of the Martial Soul Fusion Skill "Demonic Charm" appeared beside Yan and stood still, saying, "No movement. It seems to be dead."

The arrogance on Yan's face grew even more pronounced.

Zhang Yang leaped back to the ground and approached them, not looking at the Rock Mountain Lord, but instead at the "Demonic Charm" standing to the side.

With long, flowing red hair and a neutral face that made it impossible to distinguish gender, the voice sounded as if Xie Yue and Hu Liena were speaking the same words in unison.

"A Martial Soul Fusion Skill? Interesting." Zhang Yang smiled.

Without the infusion of fire-attribute soul power, the flames soon died out. The Rock Mountain Lord, now charred, lay on the ground with its purple soul ring hovering in mid-air.

"Check the surroundings and clear any potential threats," "Demonic Charm" ordered.

Zhang Yang and Yan nodded, and the three figures quickly separated.

Zhang Yang circled the area but found no soul beasts over a hundred years old.

This was to be expected; after three thousand-year soul beasts had been battling for so long, any other soul beasts would have long since been scared away. How could they be foolish enough to stay and wait to be hunted?

Not long after Zhang Yang returned, Yan, as well as Xie Yue and Hu Liena—who had ended their fusion—also arrived back one after another.

Once the area was confirmed safe, Xie Yue looked at Zhang Yang: "Zhang Yang, you can absorb the soul ring now. The three of us will guard you."

"Then I thank the three of you." Zhang Yang nodded and sat cross-legged, placing his M14 on his lap. The thousand-year soul ring of the Molten Heart Stone-Throwing Ape drifted over rapidly and settled onto the barrel of the M14.

"Swish!"

Xie Yue, Hu Liena, and Yan instantly took up a triangular formation, protecting Zhang Yang in the center.

"Actually, there's nothing to be on guard for, isn't the area already cleared?" After standing for only a short while, Yan couldn't help but speak up.

"Those who drown are usually the ones who know how to swim." Xie Yue's voice remained steady: "Don't be careless. Take your final watch seriously."

Yan curled his lips in frustration, casting his gaze back toward the distance.

At this moment, Hu Liena suddenly spoke up: "Yan, I didn't expect your Hellfire to deal such high damage."

Hu Liena could sense that Yan's current state was particularly awkward.

In truth, Yan had already accepted Zhang Yang as a member of the Xie Yue Squad by now.

First and foremost, Zhang Yang joining the squad was something the Pope Bibi Dong desired.

This was an immense pressure that could not be resisted, a pressure that forced Yan to find reasons to convince himself to accept Zhang Yang.

Thus, driven by this pressure, Yan had to observe Zhang Yang and strive to find some rationality in him.

As the saying goes, "the man who suspects his neighbor of stealing his axe sees theft in everything"—when one searches for reasons with a predetermined answer in mind, one naturally finds plenty.

The reasons Yan used to convince himself were quite numerous, including but not limited to "it's good to have another long-range option in the team," "he's quite proactive about integrating into the squad," and "having an extra pair of hands is always good," and so on.

Very well, now that Yan had accepted the fact in his heart that "Zhang Yang will be my teammate," why did he still insist on acting as if he were at odds with Zhang Yang?

Adolescent boys always care about their pride, after all.

If he changed his attitude in just a few short days, wouldn't that prove he was a person without a mind of his own?

What Hu Liena needed to do now was to subtly untie the knot in Yan's heart.

And the first step of this subtle approach was to praise him.

Then, give him a way to step down gracefully.

Hearing Hu Liena speak, Xie Yue, who was standing nearby, also nodded and said: "Indeed, the Rock Mountain Lord is not a soul beast that is easy to deal with."

"Yan's Flame Lord is truly worthy of being a top-tier special-type beast martial soul; his third soul skill actually possesses such immense power."

"Heh, it was mainly because I am quite sensitive to earth-attribute soul power fluctuations, so I managed to seize that fleeting opening."

Hu Liena said: "Yan's Flame Lord is a top-tier martial soul with both fire and earth attributes, so his sense for earth-attribute soul power is naturally keen."

"Moreover, its amplification for fire-attribute soul skills is also surprisingly powerful."

Xie Yue praised: "In the time it took for Nana and me to transform, your third soul skill had already burned the Rock Mountain Lord to death."

"Just by hearing the sound of my Moon Blade cutting into its flesh, I knew that guy was already dead."

As he spoke, Xie Yue released his soul power to attract the Thousand-Year Soul Ring of the Rock Mountain Lord over there.

The Thousand-Year Soul Ring naturally remained motionless.

Yan laughed heartily, his expression brightening a little: "Actually, I didn't expect the damage of my third soul skill to be this high either. It is a thousand-year earth-attribute soul beast, after all, yet it was burned to death just like that."

Having said that, Yan deliberately struck a handsome pose, lifting his chin, one hand on his hip, the other extended forward, and then gave a dashing beckon.

Thousand-Year Soul Ring: "..."

The scene was momentarily very awkward.

Yan's face was instantly filled with embarrassment.

"Ha, haha, it must be that I didn't control my soul power well just now."

Yan looked at the soul ring in the distance and, unwilling to give up, tried again.

Thousand-Year Soul Ring: "..."