Soul Beast on the Mountaintop, a Fateful Encounter

"The sound came from the mountaintop. What should we do next?"

Xiao Wu nimbly weaved through the mountains with Yu Yan as they headed for the third mountain east of Stone Mill Village. Standing at the foot of the mountain, she pointed at the summit and habitually asked Yu Yan what they should do next.

"What else can we do? That thing isn't strong. We'll just charge up and take it out."

As he spoke, Yu Yan took the lead and rushed toward the mountaintop.

Thinking that made sense, Xiao Wu followed close behind Yu Yan as they charged up the mountain together.

As they neared the summit, Yu Yan slowed down. He carefully crept toward the top, intending to confirm what kind of creature was making the sound before deciding how to strike.

He could look down on his opponent strategically, but tactically, he had to respect it completely.

Hidden behind a large tree, Yu Yan saw the creature lying on a rock at the mountaintop. It had the body of a cicada, but its head somewhat resembled a human head.

The beastly roar heard by the villagers of Stone Mill Village came from the mouth of that strange creature's human-like head. It had raised its head toward the moonlight and let out a loud howl.

Judging from the sound, it seemed to be imitating a cicada's cry, but the imitation was poor. That was why no one in Stone Mill Village could determine what kind of creature had made the roar.

Yu Yan pondered for a long time and confirmed that he had never seen this kind of Soul Beast before.

It was a Soul Beast he did not recognize at all. He would have to deal with it carefully.

"That thing looks so strange. It's ugly and disgusting."

Xiao Wu, who had caught up, stood beside Yu Yan. Once she saw the creature making the noise, she muttered softly about it.

"You'll draw its attention from the front. I'll circle behind it and use Scorching Breath to ambush and kill it."

Ignoring Xiao Wu's complaint, Yu Yan laid out the battle plan they would carry out shortly.

Xiao Wu questioned it. "Didn't you say it wasn't strong? Can't we just attack it head-on?"

Xiao Wu did not understand. He had said they would charge up and take it out while they were climbing the mountain, so why had he changed the plan after arriving?

"I don't recognize this Soul Beast. It might have some special ability. It's always better to be cautious."

Yu Yan explained why he was being careful.

"You're way too cautious."

Although Xiao Wu mocked him, she did not reject Yu Yan's plan.

Yu Yan suppressed his aura and quietly crept behind the Human-Faced Cicada.

Human-Faced Cicada was the name Yu Yan had given the strange-looking creature. It combined its human face and cicada-like features, making it simple, easy to understand, and easy to remember.

Perhaps because the Human-Faced Cicada had only recently become a Soul Beast, it did not notice Yu Yan and Xiao Wu preparing to attack nearby.

He summoned his Martial Soul and completed Martial Soul Possession. Yu Yan raised a hand and gestured for Xiao Wu to act.

Xiao Wu looked around, then also completed Martial Soul Possession. She picked up a pebble from the ground, activated Full Amplification, and hurled it hard at the Human-Faced Cicada.

The pebble traced a perfect arc through the air and landed in the Human-Faced Cicada's howling mouth, forcibly cutting off its cry and drawing blood from the corner of its mouth.

"Finally, some peace and quiet."

Xiao Wu stepped out from behind the tree and appeared before the Human-Faced Cicada, successfully drawing all of its attention.

Seeing the one who had thrown a pebble into its mouth, the Human-Faced Cicada spat out the stone, flapped its wings, opened its huge mouth, and unleashed an even louder sound than before.

Its cicada abdomen trembled lightly, producing the chirping cry of a cicada.

From the human face's gaping mouth came an imitation of that cicada cry.

The noise formed by the overlapping sounds made Xiao Wu, who faced it head-on, reveal a pained expression.

Xiao Wu rubbed her temples and threw another pebble at the Human-Faced Cicada.

Having just been hit by a pebble and learned its lesson, the Human-Faced Cicada flapped its wings and dodged the stone aimed at its mouth.

Yu Yan judged where the Human-Faced Cicada would move, seized the opportunity, and unleashed the Scorching Breath he had already prepared.

Flaming breath poured from Yu Yan's mouth, successfully striking the Human-Faced Cicada's back and igniting its wings.

With one hit landing, Yu Yan followed the principle of striking while it was down. Three more Scorching Breaths hit the Human-Faced Cicada in succession, making its cries increasingly shrill.

A few minutes later, the Human-Faced Cicada stopped struggling in the flames. Its legs twitched, and it was dead beyond doubt.

Yu Yan picked up a wooden stick nearby and poked the Human-Faced Cicada's corpse. Only after confirming that it was truly dead did he approach and carefully examine this Soul Beast he had never seen before.

"Yu Yan, why were you so cautious?"

Xiao Wu came to Yu Yan's side, wanting to see what excuse he could come up with.

"Better safe than sorry. That thing's cry was pretty piercing just now. If we'd been caught off guard, we still could've suffered."

Yu Yan did not even need to think before quickly coming up with an excuse. He had indeed been overly cautious in this matter, but he had no intention of admitting it.

China had five thousand years of history, with countless famous figures, sayings, and stories. As long as someone wanted to talk, they could argue both sides of anything.

While bickering with Xiao Wu, Yu Yan walked in the direction the Human-Faced Cicada's head had been facing.

Even when its life was in danger, the Human-Faced Cicada had still turned in that direction and crawled a short distance.

Based on that, there was either something in that direction that could save its life, or it was its nest.

Either possibility was worth investigating carefully.

After walking thirty or forty steps in that direction, Yu Yan discovered a crack between two large boulders. The edges of the crack looked fresh, clearly as though they had only recently been broken open.

Yu Yan looked back at the Human-Faced Cicada's body on the ground, then looked at the size of the crack. He concluded that this was probably where the Human-Faced Cicada had lived.

Peering into the crack, he found it pitch-black inside, with no end visible at a glance. It looked as though there was another world within.

"Yu Yan, is this that thing's cave?"

Yu Yan's actions had already made that clear. Xiao Wu was merely asking to confirm her guess.

"Yeah."

Yu Yan summoned the Ice and Fire Twin Fish for Martial Soul Possession, widening the crack he could not pass through.

After some effort, Yu Yan successfully opened up a hole large enough to pass through.

"Come in with me and take a look. If it could make a wild beast evolve into a Soul Beast, there might be something good inside."

After canceling Martial Soul Possession, the energy-form Ice and Fire Twin Fish circled around him, emitting a faint glow that illuminated the passage ahead.

Once he had adjusted himself, Yu Yan picked up a stone nearby and threw it inside.

The pebble hit the ground, making a sound within the crack.

They waited quietly. Other than the sound made by the pebble, no other noise came from within the crack.

This was testing the waters with a stone. If anything else were inside, the sound of the pebble would surely disturb it and provoke a reaction. Otherwise, it meant there was no danger within.

Since Yu Yan could pass through the opening, Xiao Wu naturally could as well.

Xiao Wu looked admiringly at Yu Yan as he took the lead into the crack, then followed behind him and advanced slowly.