"A Three-Eyed Demon Fox? There are Soul Beasts like that in the Soul Hunting Forest?"
Yu Xiaogang naturally knew of Soul Beasts like the Three-Eyed Demon Fox. What he didn't understand was how Xiao Wu and the others had deduced that one was here.
Could they know something about Soul Beasts that he didn't?
"Why don't we go take a look?" Nuoding Dean said.
They might have run away earlier, but he wasn't afraid to go back.
Mainly because it was a fox.
Many Soul Beasts followed the habits of ordinary animals. Wolf-type Soul Beasts usually moved in packs, while tigers and leopards often hunted alone. Foxes, meanwhile, tended to live alone or travel in pairs.
If, as Xiao Wu said, there was a fox suitable for Jiang Jiu's Second Soul Ring, that would be ideal. If there wasn't one, or if there were two thousand-year-old foxes, they could just run again.
Luo Sanpao led the way, carefully circling back toward the place where they had encountered the Three-Eyed Fox.
"S sanpao, can you still smell it?"
"Luo Luo." Luo Sanpao nodded and set off in one direction, swaying its head from side to side.
After a while, Tang San spotted them.
The good news was that there really was a Three-Eyed Demon Fox, and its cultivation was estimated at over six hundred years.
The bad news was that a thousand-year-old Three-Eyed Fox was nearby too. Before they could hunt the Three-Eyed Demon Fox, they had to deal with the thousand-year-old one.
But that had been expected, and this was already the best possible outcome.
"We need to find a way to lure it away," Yu Xiaogang said.
Luo Sanpao's Hypnotic Smoke might not work as well on a thousand-year-old Soul Beast. They couldn't deal with it as easily as they had the Black-Striped Ghost Leopard.
"I can keep that Three-Eyed Fox occupied for a while. Can you handle the Three-Eyed Demon Fox?" Nuoding Dean looked at Jiang Jiu and the others.
Yu Xiaogang's ability to damage a Hundred-Year Soul Beast was, at best, better than nothing. The key to dealing with the Three-Eyed Demon Fox would still be Jiang Jiu and the others.
Generally speaking, there was little chance that two Soul Grandmasters and one Soul Master could take on and successfully hunt a powerful Soul Beast more than five hundred years old. Still, Nuoding Dean had some expectations. After all, these three youngsters were genuine geniuses.
"Xiao San." Jiang Jiu looked at Tang San.
Tang San nodded to him.
"Dean, leave it to us."
It was already the end of their third year. Tang San had long since moved beyond making only Sleeve Arrows. He now had a true weapon of mass destruction, one that would be a tremendous help on a Soul Hunting trip.
They started with Luo Sanpao's Hypnotic Smoke again. The smoke had some effect on the Three-Eyed Demon Fox, especially after it was injured.
Nuoding Dean threw himself into the fight too, using his Fourth Soul Skill for the first time. He charged forward and engaged the thousand-year-old Three-Eyed Fox.
"Let's finish this quickly."
Tang San took a black box from his Storage Soul Tool, swiftly adjusted its mechanism, and handed it to Jiang Jiu.
To be honest, Tang San was Jiang Jiu's greatest source of confidence when it came to hunting Soul Beasts. Tang San had already made a Godly Zhuge Crossbow, and the one in his hands now had been crafted from the Iron Essence he had refined.
At this stage, the Godly Zhuge Crossbow had more than enough stopping power. The only thing they needed to worry about was accuracy.
"Charm!"
Xiao Wu wasn't afraid in the slightest. She went straight at the Three-Eyed Demon Fox.
The Three-Eyed Demon Fox also had the ability to Charm. Xiao Wu might be at a slight disadvantage if she really pushed herself, but that didn't matter.
That brief pause was all Jiang Jiu needed to fire the Godly Zhuge Crossbow in his hands.
Click, click, click! A rapid series of snapping mechanisms rang out, and sixteen bolts shot into the Three-Eyed Demon Fox in an instant.
With a whimper, it fell. Jiang Jiu handed the Godly Zhuge Crossbow back to Tang San and waited for the Soul Ring to appear.
If the thousand-year-old Three-Eyed Fox hadn't been there, the three of them could have slowly worn the Three-Eyed Demon Fox down. But since Nuoding Dean had already gone all out, not using Tang San's Hidden Weapon would have been a waste.
"This..." Yu Xiaogang stared in utter shock. This was nothing like what he had imagined. He seemed to understand something, though only vaguely.
Meanwhile, Tang San didn't put the Godly Zhuge Crossbow away after taking it back. Instead, he began winding its mechanism again.
He headed toward Nuoding Dean.
If they didn't drive off the Three-Eyed Fox, it would interfere with Jiang Jiu's absorption of the Soul Ring.
"Xiao San, there's no need to kill it. We might need to look for it again later."
Jiang Jiu said this even though there was no way he would absorb the Soul Ring of a Three-Eyed Fox that had only just passed the thousand-year mark for his Third Soul Ring. He was just saying it.
"I understand."
Tang San didn't put away the Godly Zhuge Crossbow. Instead, he took out a strange-looking crossbow and strapped it to his back with one hand.
"Dean, I'll help you."
"Did the Three-Eyed Demon Fox get away?"
"Brother Jiu's already absorbing his Soul Ring."
"So that's why the Three-Eyed Fox suddenly started fighting for its life."
With Luo Sanpao's yellow smoke blocking their view, and Nuoding Dean focused entirely on the Soul Beast in front of him, he hadn't immediately realized what had happened with Jiang Jiu and the others.
But that was partly because they had dealt with it far too quickly. He had only just started fighting.
"Whoosh!"
With the help of his Purple Demon Eye, Tang San seized his chance and struck. He suddenly ducked, and a seven-inch bolt shot out, sinking straight into the Three-Eyed Fox's leg.
"Fine shot!" Nuoding Dean pressed his advantage and began forcing the Three-Eyed Fox back.
Tang San took out another Tight-Back Flower-Pattern Crossbow.
Ever since Jiang Jiu had stopped using up the Iron Essence he'd stockpiled to make better Barbell Bars, quite a bit of it had gone to Tang San. Jiang Jiu could use it too, so it wasn't exactly a loss.
"Argh!"
The second bolt from the Tight-Back Flower-Pattern Crossbow never fired. In its panic, the Three-Eyed Fox chose to flee.
Nuoding Dean didn't pursue it. He glanced at the black box in Tang San's hand and the strange crossbow, but didn't ask about them.
The two returned to where Jiang Jiu was absorbing his Soul Ring and stood guard.
Tang San kept the Godly Zhuge Crossbow in his hand. Once it was cocked, there was no way to release it except to fire the bolt.
Since he hadn't fired it at the Three-Eyed Fox, it would still serve as a good warning.
An hour passed. Jiang Jiu opened his eyes, and a red glow flashed across them.
"How did it go? How did it go?" Xiao Wu leaned in close.
"It wasn't quite what I expected, but all in all, it's still a Charm Soul Skill."
Jiang Jiu stood up.
"Youngsters these days are something else. I won't be able to help you with your Fourth Soul Ring, but looking at you all, hunting a thousand-year-old Soul Beast yourselves doesn't seem impossible," Nuoding Dean said with a sigh.
"Dean, when you're looking for your Fifth Soul Ring, I'll make sure you get a good one."
"Heh, you brat. I'll take you up on that." Nuoding Dean smiled. His Soul Power cultivation speed couldn't compare with these little monsters'. Every single level was a herculean struggle.
If he ever reached level fifty, who knew what heights these youngsters would have reached by then? Perhaps they'd already become Titled Douluo.
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