Boom—!
A while later, the Battle Tiger collapsed, utterly spent.
Its enormous body weighed well over a thousand pounds, and the ground seemed to tremble.
The battle had lasted a full half-hour.
Most of Chen Feng's group were so exhausted they could barely stand. They sat down wherever they were, panting heavily.
Chen Feng himself wasn't in much better shape.
"Sure lives up to being a Battle Tiger nearing a thousand years old!"
"That thing was damn strong!"
"Brothers, how's everyone holding up? Nobody lost an arm or a leg, right?"
Chen Feng's gaze swept over everyone present.
"No!"
"We got hurt, but Little Tang healed us in no time!"
The others replied.
Hearing this, Chen Feng looked at Tang Yin again, gratitude showing in his eyes.
"Little Tang, thank you!"
"If you hadn't been here, with a healing-type Soul Master on our side, we might've had half the team injured—or worse—fighting that Battle Tiger!"
Tang Yin smiled. "Since I joined you, I'm part of this team. It was only right for me to help."
Chen Feng smiled faintly.
Then he finished off the Battle Tiger with a single blow. A yellow Soul Ring slowly appeared.
Chen Feng stared at the Soul Ring, his heart pounding with excitement, then began absorbing it.
Some of the others rested, while the rest kept watch in case any more Soul Beasts appeared.
In most cases, though, no other Soul Beasts would show up.
"Xiao Wu, let's go back and rest too."
Tang Yin glanced back at the Battle Tiger, then took Xiao Wu by the hand and led her to the tent.
As she walked, Xiao Wu glanced back at the Battle Tiger.
Chen Feng's absorption lasted a full three hours.
It wasn't until the next morning that he finally woke.
After absorbing the Soul Ring, Chen Feng had officially entered the ranks of Soul Elders, leaving the others in his team behind.
"Ah—!"
Chen Feng stretched his limbs, letting out a blissful groan, his face beaming.
The others, who had been resting, were drawn by the commotion. One by one, they went over to congratulate him.
Tang Yin also woke from his meditation.
"What's all the noise outside?" Xiao Wu stretched, rubbed her eyes, and asked with a frown.
Tang Yin smiled faintly and explained, "He's finished absorbing his Soul Ring. They're celebrating."
"Does that mean we can leave now?" Xiao Wu asked.
"Yeah," Tang Yin replied.
Just then.
The discussion outside immediately caught his attention.
"Captain, I think we should take this Soul Bone to a big city and sell it, then split the proceeds evenly. What do you think?" said a man surnamed Li. He still addressed Chen Feng respectfully, but his tone was rather casual.
"Old Li's got a point. We all contributed to beating that Battle Tiger. We were practically walking the edge of death. The reward we agreed on earlier is worthless compared with this Soul Bone." Another man chimed in, his eyes fixed on the Torso Soul Bone from the Battle Tiger in Chen Feng's hand.
Soul Bones were rare treasures in the Soul Master World, and they were always in demand.
Whenever one appeared, it was bound to spark a struggle.
There were six parts to a normal Soul Bone: the head, torso, and four limbs.
Of the six types, the torso bone was the most important and valuable.
"You—!" Chen Feng narrowed his eyes slightly.
At that moment.
Tang Yin opened a crack in the tent and stared outside in astonishment.
The heavy tension was so palpable that he could feel it even inside the tent.
"Tang Yin, what's going on?"
Xiao Wu moved beside him, curiously peering outside.
"Something's not right."
"That Battle Tiger dropped a Soul Bone when it died, and these people seem to be arguing over it."
Tang Yin frowned as he spoke.
"A Soul Bone?"
"Are they fighting over it? Aren't they teammates? They fought side by side just a moment ago!"
Xiao Wu couldn't help but stare in shock.
"Don't say anything. Pack up. We'll sneak out of here and stay out of it."
Tang Yin slowly backed away and began packing whatever he could carry into his Soul Tool.
"Tang Yin, don't you want the Soul Bone?" Xiao Wu asked curiously, looking outside.
"I do, but I have to be alive to use it!" Tang Yin gave a helpless smile.
"Hey, hey, hey! Tang Yin, they really are fighting! Seven of them are ganging up on Chen Feng!" Xiao Wu cried out.
At her words, Tang Yin leaned closer to look outside.
Sure enough.
Just as Xiao Wu said, the eight people who had been getting along so well were now locked in combat.
Chen Feng was fighting the other seven alone.
"I almost let all the time we spent together fool me," Tang Yin muttered to himself.
Worried that the fight between the eight would spill over and endanger him and Xiao Wu, Tang Yin didn't hesitate any longer. He grabbed her and dashed out of the tent, plunging into the dense forest.
Chen Feng and the others noticed Tang Yin and Xiao Wu leaving, but paid them no mind.
Or rather, their departure suited them just fine.
After all, one more person meant one more variable.
However.
They didn't know that Tang Yin and Xiao Wu hadn't gone far.
Three hundred meters away, Tang Yin crouched with Xiao Wu in a thicket, releasing his Blue Silver Domain to watch the eight fight over the Soul Bone.
Xiao Wu didn't know what was going on and asked in surprise, "Tang Yin, what are we doing here? Weren't we leaving the Soul Hunting Forest?"
Tang Yin smiled and explained, "I have an ability called the Blue Silver Domain. It lets me control the Blue Silver Grass within a radius of five hundred meters. The grass can also act as my eyes, so I can see Chen Feng and the others fighting from here."
Xiao Wu's eyes widened in amazement. "That's incredible!"
Tang Yin patted Xiao Wu on the head. "It's my secret. No one else knows—not even you—so you have to keep it to yourself."
Xiao Wu's pretty face instantly turned red, both because of what Tang Yin had said and because of his gesture.
"Your dad doesn't know either?"
Tang Yin nodded. "He doesn't know."
Blushing, Xiao Wu quickly assured him, "Don't worry, Tang Yin. I'll never tell anyone! And thank you for trusting me so much!"
Tang Yin smiled faintly.
"Tang Yin, is there any way you could let me see it too?" Xiao Wu asked.
"Maybe someday. The Blue Silver Domain has a lot of potential, but I haven't fully developed it yet," Tang Yin explained.
Xiao Wu sighed. "What a shame."
Tang Yin shook his head with a laugh, then focused his attention on the fight between the eight.
Although Chen Feng had broken through to Soul Elder, he was up against seven Soul Grandmasters.
Even though they'd all fought a fierce battle earlier, after resting for three hours they had mostly recovered.
In less than half an incense stick's time, Chen Feng was completely on the defensive.
"If Chen Feng gives up the Soul Bone and runs for his life today, he might still have a chance of escaping."
"Otherwise, he'll probably die here."
Tang Yin's expression was grave as he spoke in a low voice.
"I never thought people who fought side by side just before would turn on each other over a Soul Bone."
Xiao Wu couldn't understand it at all.