Capture Failed, Beast Tide Arrives

"I've been observing, and there's a Thunder-Clap Bird with a chick in a nest on the upper left of the cliff. Its crest isn't long, so it should be about eleven hundred years old."

Yu Hezai leaped down from a tree over ten meters tall, stood before Yu Hengqing, and pointed toward a protrusion on the cliff not far away.

Due to his lack of strength, Yu Hengqing followed the direction of Yu Hezai's finger and could vaguely make out a nest perched on the ledge.

"Alright, then Second Cousin, later you follow our plan: you provoke it to fly out of the nest, and then I'll use the marinated bait to lure it into the trap."

This plan was something Yu Hengqing and Yu Hezai had already mapped out while they were still in the carriage.

Without doing this, it would be difficult for Yu Hezai alone to precisely pick out a soul ring suitable for Yu Hengqing to absorb from a whole flock of Thunder-Clap Birds.

"I'm heading out then. You need to be careful; if things look wrong, use the protective soul tool the Sect Master gave you."

After giving his instructions to Yu Hengqing, Yu Hezai jumped back onto the tree branches to find a suitable vantage point for his attack.

Yu Hengqing took out a piece of meat the size of a watermelon, coated it in spices, and tossed it into the center of the trap. He then climbed up a nearby tree, looked up at the cliff, and waited quietly for Yu Hezai to lure the bird over.

As the sun gradually climbed high above Yu Hengqing's head, he saw a shadow moving within the nest.

Finally, the Thunder-Clap Bird is coming out to hunt!

Accompanied by a series of crisp bird calls, Thunder-Clap Birds flew one after another from their various nests into the depths of the Star Dou Forest.

The target bird Yu Hengqing and his cousin had chosen also let out a cry, flapped its wings, and took flight from the nest.

"Whoosh!"

Just as the bird flew out of the nest, a stone shot out from a nearby tree, striking its left wing directly.

The Thunder-Clap Bird cried out in pain, lost altitude, and dove toward the ground.

Seeing this, Yu Hengqing immediately took out two packets of powder—one to lure the bird and the other to mask his own scent.

The bird circled the tree from which the stone had been fired a few times, and finding no enemy, it prepared to regain its altitude.

Suddenly, an alluring fragrance wafted over from nearby.

Already hungry, the bird abandoned its thoughts of revenge upon smelling the scent and landed, walking slowly toward the source.

Before long, the figure of the Thunder-Clap Bird entered Yu Hengqing's line of sight.

Yu Hengqing quickly looked up at the surrounding canopy and sure enough, saw his Second Cousin, Yu Hezai, on the trunk opposite him.

Standing across from him, Yu Hezai gestured for Yu Hengqing to stay still.

Seeing the meat emitting the tempting aroma on the clearing, the excited bird lunged forward, ready to snatch it up.

"Bang!"

The moment the bird grabbed the meat, a large net suddenly sprang up from beneath its feet, ensnaring it.

As the startled bird began to struggle violently in an attempt to break free and take flight, four vines tied to the trees suddenly pulled taut.

Seeing the capture was a success, Yu Hezai jumped down from the tree and walked up to the bird.

"Martial Soul, possess! Third Soul Skill, Thunder Ring!"

Yu Hezai raised his dragon-transformed right arm, and as the purple soul ring at his feet lit up, a thundercloud instantly condensed above the bird.

Dozens of lightning bolts shot from the cloud, slamming into the bird trapped in the net.

Given Yu Hezai's strength as a Spirit Douluo, the bird, which had been struggling fiercely, didn't even have the chance to let out a scream before it was left severely wounded.

Yu Hengqing, who had just climbed down from the tree, saw the bird charred black and breathing weakly, and was about to step forward to finish it off.

Suddenly, the forest in the distance became restless, with the cries of various soul beasts echoing one after another.

"Not good, it's a soul beast riot! Xiao Qing, forget about this bird!"

The experienced Yu Hezai naturally recognized the sound of the commotion. He quickly stepped forward, grabbed Yu Hengqing, leaped into the treetops, and fled in the direction away from the disturbance.

As for the Thunder-Clap Bird, it was left behind, watching weakly as the figures of the two men gradually disappeared from its sight.

"Chi Wang, what is the meaning of this? Didn't we agree not to cause a soul beast riot?"

Hearing the commotion in the distance, the leading Great Beast looked at Chi Wang, who had returned injured, and rebuked him with a sense of frustration.

"Xiong Jun, don't even mention it! I saw a man in fancy clothes hunting soul beasts at will and couldn't stand it. I was just about to strike him down when two Title Douluos suddenly rushed out from the shadows."

"I have old wounds that haven't healed, and fearing that a fight would cause them to flare up, I triggered a soul beast riot to force them to retreat. I didn't expect that man to use a soul skill to hit me just before they left."

Chi Wang revealed the still-bleeding wound on his shoulder. Xiong Jun stepped forward to look and immediately felt something was wrong.

"There is a trace of divine power on this wound. You didn't happen to provoke that inheritor, did you?"

"No, that man is not like the one Bi Ji described."

Xiong Jun knew that Bi Ji would never report falsely, and neither would Chi Wang. If that were the case, it meant another god had chosen their successor.

"Go find Bi Ji to treat you later. Although you were injured, you brought us some very good information."

Just as Xiong Jun was about to take Chi Wang back to the Life Lake to report the news of a new divine successor to Di Tian, the Ten Thousand Demon King returned.

"Xiong Jun, I think I've found the Thunder God's successor! I just saw Bi Ji in that direction, and there were only two people near her, one of whom matches what Bi Ji said earlier."

Hearing the Ten Thousand Demon King say this, Xiong Jun stopped in his tracks. His eyes filled with excitement as he turned to the Ten Thousand Demon King and said, "Ten Thousand Demon King, you take Chi Wang back. I'm going to go meet the Thunder God's successor!"

Before the Ten Thousand Demon King could say anything more, Xiong Jun's figure vanished from the sight of the Ten Thousand Demon King and Chi Wang.

At this, the Ten Thousand Demon King heaved a deep sigh, supporting Chi Wang as they walked toward the Life Lake.

The moment Bi Ji sensed the soul beast riot, she rushed toward the scene, but by the time she reached the center of the disturbance, all that remained for her was a half-meter-deep trench.

If it were merely a conflict between soul masters and soul beasts, it would never trigger a soul beast riot, unless a Beast God was acting in concert with the soul masters!

Sensing that something was terribly wrong, Bi Ji hurriedly used the Dragon Scale to perceive the surrounding aura.

"Chi Wang's aura! No, that's not all—there is also the lingering presence of divine power! Chi Wang has attacked a successor to a godhood!"

Thinking of this, Bi Ji did not hesitate for a second, turning and sprinting in the direction of Yu Hengqing.

Bi Ji did not know why Chi Wang would attack another successor to a godhood, but since Chi Wang had appeared here, it proved that Xiong Jun and the others had already slipped out; the Thunder God's successor might be in danger!

Meanwhile, Yu Hengqing, who had been carried by Yu Hezai for a long time, had finally moved far away from the agitated zone.

"Second Cousin, how could the soul beasts in the outer perimeter of the Star Dou Forest riot for no reason?"

Regarding the sudden soul beast riot, Yu Hengqing felt somewhat puzzled after being set down; how could normal soul beast hunting possibly trigger a riot?

Unless hundred-thousand-year soul beasts like Daming or Erming appeared! It's a good thing I've already left, otherwise Second Cousin and I would have been in danger.

Just as Yu Hengqing was feeling smug about them having left the scene of trouble early, the unexpected happened.

Yu Hezai, who had been scanning the surroundings, seemed to perceive something; he whipped his head around and shouted at Yu Hengqing, "Watch out!"

Before Yu Hengqing could react, a pair of sharp claws glinting with a cold light lunged straight for his face.