The Zhuge Crossbow's Truancy Method

"A Three-Eyed Demon Fox? Could such a soul beast really exist in this Soul Hunting Forest?"

Yu Xiaogang naturally knew of the Three-Eyed Demon Fox, but he could not fathom how Xiao Wu and the others had deduced its presence.

Was there knowledge about soul beasts that he was unaware of?

"We'll know once we go and take a look," Nuoding Dean said.

Although they had been running for their lives earlier, he was not afraid to turn back now.

The main reason was that it was a fox.

Many soul beasts followed animal instincts; for instance, wolf-type soul beasts usually moved in packs, while tiger and leopard-type soul beasts often hunted alone. Foxes, however, were more inclined to live solitary lives or move in pairs.

If it were truly as Xiao Wu said and there was a fox suitable for Jiang Jiu's second soul ring, that would be ideal. If there wasn't, or if they were both thousand-year foxes, they could simply run again.

Luo Sanpao led the way, carefully circling back toward the spot where they had previously encountered the Three-Eyed Fox.

"Sanpao, can you still smell the scent?"

"Luo-luo." Luo Sanpao nodded, shaking its head as it trotted in a specific direction.

After some time, Tang San made a discovery.

The good news: there really was a Three-Eyed Demon Fox, with a cultivation estimated at over six hundred years.

The bad news: a thousand-year Three-Eyed Fox was also nearby. To hunt the Three-Eyed Demon Fox, they would first have to eliminate the interference of that thousand-year beast.

However, this had been within their expectations, and it was already the best possible outcome.

"We must find a way to lure it away," Yu Xiaogang said.

Luo Sanpao's Hypnotic Smoke might have limited effectiveness against a thousand-year soul beast; it wouldn't be as easy to resolve as it had been with the Black-Striped Ghost Leopard earlier.

"I can tangle with that Three-Eyed Fox for a while. Can you handle the Three-Eyed Demon Fox?" Nuoding Dean looked at Jiang Jiu and the others.

Yu Xiaogang's lethality against century-level soul beasts was negligible; the key to dealing with the Three-Eyed Demon Fox rested on Jiang Jiu and his companions.

Generally speaking, it was nearly impossible for two Great Soul Masters and one Soul Master to perfectly hunt a powerful soul beast over five hundred years old, but Nuoding Dean still held some expectations. After all, these three little ones were true geniuses.

"Xiao San," Jiang Jiu looked at Tang San.

Tang San nodded at him.

"Dean, leave it to us."

It was now the end of their third year, and the hidden weapons Tang San had crafted were no longer limited to just Sleeve Arrows. He possessed true heavy-hitters in his hands, which would absolutely be a great help in hunting souls.

Starting once again with Luo Sanpao's Hypnotic Smoke, the mist proved somewhat effective against the Three-Eyed Demon Fox, especially after it had been injured later on.

Nuoding Dean went all out, utilizing his fourth soul skill, which he hadn't used before, and charged forward to clash with the thousand-year Three-Eyed Fox.

"Let's finish this quickly."

Tang San took a black box from his soul storage device, swiftly adjusted the trigger mechanism, and handed it to Jiang Jiu.

To be honest, Jiang Jiu's greatest confidence in this hunt was Tang San, because Tang San had already crafted the Zhuge Crossbow. The one in his hands now was made from the Iron Essence he had refined.

The lethality of the Zhuge Crossbow was definitely sufficient for this stage; the only thing to watch out for was accuracy.

"Charm!"

Xiao Wu was not afraid at all, directly pitting herself against the Three-Eyed Demon Fox.

The Three-Eyed Demon Fox also possessed the ability to Charm. Xiao Wu might suffer a slight disadvantage if they truly went head-to-head, but that no longer mattered.

The brief moment of hesitation was enough for Jiang Jiu to trigger the Zhuge Crossbow in his hand.

Click, click, click. A series of mechanical explosions rang out, and sixteen crossbow bolts pierced into the Three-Eyed Demon Fox in an instant.

With a whimper, Jiang Jiu handed the Zhuge Crossbow back to Tang San and waited for the soul ring to appear.

If that thousand-year Three-Eyed Fox hadn't been there, the three of them could have slowly worn the demon fox down, but since Nuoding Dean had started fighting with all his might, it would have been a disservice to him not to use Tang San's hidden weapons.

"This..." Yu Xiaogang was dumbfounded. This was completely different from the scene he had imagined, and he vaguely felt as if he understood something.

On the other side, Tang San did not put the Zhuge Crossbow away after taking it back; instead, he began resetting the mechanism.

He walked toward Nuoding Dean's position.

If they didn't drive that Three-Eyed Fox away, it would affect Jiang Jiu's absorption of the soul ring.

"Xiao San, there's no need to kill it. We might need to find it later."

Jiang Jiu said this, though he knew it was impossible for his third soul ring to be from a fox that had only just crossed the thousand-year mark; he was just saying it.

"I understand."

Tang San did not put the Zhuge Crossbow away, but instead took out a strange set of crossbow bolts and mounted them on his back with one hand.

"Dean, I'm here to help you."

"Did the Three-Eyed Demon Fox get away?"

"Jiu-ge is already absorbing the soul ring."

"No wonder that Three-Eyed Fox suddenly started fighting for its life."

Obscured by Luo Sanpao's yellow smoke, and with Nuoding Dean having to focus entirely on the soul beast in front of him, he hadn't been able to immediately grasp the situation on Jiang Jiu's side.

However, part of the reason was that Jiang Jiu and the others had finished their fight too quickly; he had only just engaged.

"Swish!"

With the assistance of the Purple Demon Eye, Tang San seized the perfect moment to strike. He ducked sharply, and a seven-inch crossbow bolt shot out, piercing straight into the Three-Eyed Fox's leg.

"Nice shot!" The Nuoding Dean pressed his advantage, beginning to suppress the Three-Eyed Fox.

Tang San took out another Tight-Back Flower-Pattern Crossbow.

Ever since Jiang Jiu stopped using his hoarded Iron Essence to make better barbell bars, a considerable portion had gone to Tang San. Jiang Jiu could use them too, so it wasn't a loss.

"Awoo!"

This second Tight-Back Flower-Pattern Crossbow could not be fired, as the Three-Eyed Fox panicked and chose to flee.

The Nuoding Dean did not pursue. He looked at the black box in Tang San's hand and the strange crossbow bolt, but he did not ask any questions.

The two returned to the spot where Jiang Jiu was absorbing his spirit ring and began to stand guard.

Tang San kept the Zhuge Crossbow in his hand at all times; once the Zhuge Crossbow's spring was set, there was no way to disengage it other than firing the bolts.

Since he hadn't been able to fire it at the Three-Eyed Fox, it served well as a defensive measure.

An hour passed, and Jiang Jiu opened his eyes, a red halo flashing through his pupils before vanishing.

"How is it? How is it?" Xiao Wu leaned in close.

"It's not quite what I imagined, but overall, it is still a Charm spirit skill."

Jiang Jiu stood up.

"The younger generation is to be feared. I won't be able to help you with your future third spirit rings, but looking at you all, it's not impossible for you to hunt thousand-year spirit beasts on your own," the Nuoding Dean sighed.

"Dean, if you need to find a fifth spirit ring in the future, I'll definitely get you a good one."

"Heh, you brat. Then I'll take your word for it." The Nuoding Dean smiled. His spirit power cultivation speed could not compare to these little monsters; it took his life just to level up once.

If he ever actually reached level fifty, who knew what heights these little ones would have reached by then? Perhaps they would have already become titled experts.