Birdsong at Night

Yao Rao shot Ye Tian a sidelong glance, seemingly piqued that her charms were being ignored, which only served to fuel her competitive spirit. She continued to chatter incessantly beside him, occasionally flaunting her proud, curvaceous figure.

The three Soul Elder members behind Yao Rao occasionally caught a glimpse of her silhouette as she swayed, causing their breathing to quicken, yet Ye Tian remained as cold as a stone, showing not a single reaction from start to finish.

Yao Rao had not expected her allure to fail so completely; the man didn't even blink. Just as she prepared to make her next move, Leader Wang, who was leading the way, suddenly called out.

"We are about to enter the Sunset Forest. Everyone, stay alert!"

Yao Rao glared at the unappreciative Ye Tian and returned to the center of the formation. Two defense-type Soul Elder members summoned their martial souls to guard her flanks.

The agility-type member leaped onto the treetops in a few bounds, swiftly scouting the surrounding environment.

Ye Tian summoned his Overlord Spear and marched alongside Leader Wang.

Yao Rao stared at the martial soul in Ye Tian's hand, her eyes flickering with an unreadable light.

An instrument-type martial soul, and judging by its appearance, it is certainly not weak. Her interest in him grew even stronger.

They walked through the forest for an entire day. Any soul beasts they encountered that weren't too strong became food for their temporary squad. At night, they found a spot to rest.

Ye Tian kept watch by the campfire, his perception spreading outward. There were very few soul beasts nearby, so he simply closed his eyes and began to cultivate.

Before long, seemingly sensing that Ye Tian had entered a state of cultivation, the chorus of snoring ceased by one. The agility-type man opened his eyes, looked left and right, and lingered his gaze on Ye Tian for a moment.

Seeing that Ye Tian was still meditating, he rose silently, even summoning his martial soul, and slipped past his sleeping companions into Yao Rao's tent.

Soon, a series of suggestive, imaginative cries erupted from within the tent.

Leader Wang, who had been fast asleep, opened his eyes at that moment. His gaze swept over the empty spot where the agility-type man had been, a hint of mockery in his eyes. His soul rings flickered, and a barrier enveloped the tent, muffling the blood-boiling sounds so they could no longer reach the outside.

An hour later, the agility-type man emerged from the tent. His legs were weak and his face was pale, but his eyes remained bright.

The taste of Yao Rao was, indeed, quite excellent.

As soon as the agility-type man hit his pillow, exhaustion washed over him, and he was soon snoring loudly. A moment later, a damp, palm-sized piece of cloth was flicked out of the tent, landing on the face of one of the defense-type soul masters.

He grabbed it instinctively, felt the strange texture, and looked down at the cloth in his hand before glancing toward Yao Rao's tent.

Just then, the tent flap parted slightly, and a fair, long leg abruptly entered his field of vision.

"Hee hee, am I beautiful?"

Yao Rao, wrapped in a silk sheet, poked her head out. Her eyes seemed charged with electricity; one look was enough to make the man fall.

"Beautiful, too beautiful!" The man followed his instincts, stepping closer to Yao Rao.

"The night is short, why are you so slow!" Yao Rao's jade-like fingers tapped the man's chest, and she leaned in close, blowing a breath into his ear.

The fire in the man's eyes ignited instantly. He lunged forward, kissing those alluring lips fiercely.

Three hours later, a third person entered Yao Rao's tent, and the same sounds echoed once more.

It wasn't until the night began to fade that Yao Rao's tent finally fell silent. Now, Yao Rao lay completely naked, her body covered in red marks. The coquettishness on her face had vanished, replaced by an evil, chilling aura.

As she cultivated, her soul power rose rapidly, and a moment later, she broke through to level forty-four. Yao Rao opened her eyes to assess her current strength, her tone filled with disdain as she muttered to herself.

"These people are too weak. I only absorbed a third; I really need the life force of that little brother Ye Tian to help my cultivation reach the next level."

"Little brother, no prey I have set my eyes on has ever escaped my grasp."

"Hee hee."

When Yao Rao emerged, fully dressed, Leader Wang opened his eyes and asked, "How was it?"

"Only increased by one level. Those three are too useless; I was afraid of sucking them dry all at once, so I only took a third."

"We'll wait until we get the medicinal herbs and head to another city. Those three have already had their fun; it's only right to trade their lives for more."

"I still want to taste that new little brother," Yao Rao said, pressing her entire body against Wang Ping, her fingers wandering over him.

Wang Ping snorted, shoving Yao Rao away, and warned, "Remember your status. If your strength improves too slowly, I won't mind killing you and taking your head to Martial Soul Hall for the bounty."

"Understood~" Yao Rao wasn't the least bit annoyed, instead casting a flirtatious wink at Wang Ping.

Yao Rao and Wang Ping had known each other since they were Soul Elders. Wang Ping needed people to train with, and although Yao Rao was an evil soul master, the method she had devised left no obvious flaws on the surface.

The two had traveled north from the Star Luo Empire, and the companions Yao Rao recruited eventually became fodder for their cultivation.

Yao Rao needed their soul power and life force, while Wang Ping used their resources to cultivate. The two worked together with a tacit understanding.

This mission was something Wang Ping had scouted out. Why keep those three useless men alive?

Naturally, it was for the medicinal herbs deep in the forest. In the Sunset Forest, not to mention a Soul Ancestor like him, even a Soul King had to be careful at all times. As for Ye Tian, based on the strength he displayed today, Wang Ping was confident he could suppress him alone.

At daybreak, Wang Ping woke the others, and they continued deeper into the forest.

Ye Tian followed at the back of the team, scanning the three Soul Elders who all looked rather pale. Recalling the sounds he heard last night, his gaze swept over Yao Rao, noting the change in her soul power, and a smile curled his lips.

It seemed he had joined an interesting team. It was just a matter of who would be the oriole and who would be the prey in the end.

In the afternoon, the agility-type man who had gone to scout suddenly returned, his face flushed with excitement.

"Boss, I found the soul beast the old man mentioned! It's just a hundred meters ahead!"

"Let's go take a look!"

The team picked up the pace and moved in quickly. Upon reaching a hillside, Ye Tian leaped onto a tree trunk, pushed aside the branches, and looked toward a cave not far away.

At the cave entrance, a giant insect at least fifteen meters long lay basking lazily in the sun. It was the target of their trip—the Dark Giant Tiger.

Their mission was to obtain the tiger bone of the Dark Giant Tiger, as well as a medicinal herb nourished by its excrement: the Tiger Tooth Fruit.

Ye Tian scanned the area around the cave; there was no sign of the Tiger Tooth Fruit. It was likely inside the cave behind the Dark Giant Tiger.

Wang Ping realized this as well and looked at his companions.

"Old Three, lure that beast away. Old Four, Old Five, follow him. If Old Three can't outrun it, lend him a hand."