"I observed a Thunder-Clap Bird nest in the upper-left corner of the cliff. There's a Thunder-Clap Bird with a chick in it. Its crest isn't very long, and it's around 1,100 years old."
Yu Hezai leaped down from a tree more than ten meters tall, landed in front of Yu Hengqing, and pointed at a protrusion on the distant cliff.
With his limited strength, Yu Hengqing could only vaguely make out a nest sitting on the protrusion in the direction Yu Hezai was pointing.
"Alright. Second Cousin, stick to the plan we made earlier: enrage it and make it fly out of the nest. Then I'll use the bait we prepared to lure it into the trap."
Yu Hengqing and Yu Hezai had made this plan while they were still in the carriage.
Otherwise, Yu Hezai alone would have a hard time picking out the right Soul Ring for Yu Hengqing from among a flock of Thunder-Clap Birds.
"I'm going now. Be careful. If things look wrong, use the protective soul tool the sect master gave you."
After reminding Yu Hengqing, Yu Hezai leaped back onto the branches to find a suitable spot to attack from.
Yu Hengqing took out a piece of meat the size of a watermelon, coated in spices, and tossed it into the middle of the trap. Then he climbed a nearby tree and watched the cliff, waiting quietly for Yu Hezai to lure the Thunder-Clap Bird over.
When the sun had climbed high above Yu Hengqing's head, he saw a shadow moving inside the nest.
Finally, the Thunder-Clap Birds are coming out to hunt!
A series of clear bird calls rang out, and Thunder-Clap Birds began flying from their nests into the depths of the Star Dou Forest.
The Thunder-Clap Bird they had chosen as their target called out as well, beating its wings and taking off from its nest.
Whoosh!
The moment the Thunder-Clap Bird flew out of the nest, a stone shot from a nearby tree and struck its left wing.
The Thunder-Clap Bird cried out in pain, dropping lower in the air as it swooped toward the ground.
Seeing this, Yu Hengqing immediately took out two packets of powder. One was meant to lure the Thunder-Clap Bird, while the other would conceal his own presence.
The Thunder-Clap Bird flew just above the treetops, circling the tree from which the stone had been thrown. Finding no enemy, it was about to climb higher.
Suddenly, an enticing fragrance drifted over from nearby.
Already hungry, the Thunder-Clap Bird abandoned its thoughts of revenge at once. It landed beneath the trees and slowly walked toward the source of the scent.
Before long, the Thunder-Clap Bird came into Yu Hengqing's view.
Yu Hengqing hurriedly looked over the surrounding treetops and spotted his second cousin, Yu Hezai, on the trunk of the tree opposite him.
Yu Hezai gestured to Yu Hengqing, telling him not to move.
The excited Thunder-Clap Bird saw the fragrant piece of meat in the clearing and lunged forward, about to snatch it up.
Bang!
The instant the Thunder-Clap Bird picked up the meat, a large net suddenly sprang up from beneath its feet and trapped it.
The startled bird thrashed violently, trying to break free and take flight. Four vines tied to nearby trees snapped taut.
Seeing that the capture had succeeded, Yu Hezai jumped straight down from the tree and walked up to the Thunder-Clap Bird.
"Martial Soul, Possession! Third Soul Skill, Thunder Ring!"
Yu Hezai raised his right arm, transformed by Dragon Transformation. The purple Soul Ring beneath his feet lit up, and a thundercloud instantly gathered above the Thunder-Clap Bird.
Dozens of bolts of lightning shot from the cloud, striking the Thunder-Clap Bird trapped in the net.
With Yu Hezai's Soul Douluo strength, the Thunder-Clap Bird, which had been struggling fiercely, didn't even get a chance to cry out before he left it gravely wounded.
Yu Hengqing had just climbed down from the tree. Seeing the Thunder-Clap Bird blackened all over and barely breathing, he was about to go over and put it out of its misery.
Suddenly, the forest in the distance stirred, and all kinds of Soul Beast cries rose one after another.
"Not good, it's a Soul Beast rampage! Xiao Qing, forget the Thunder-Clap Bird!"
With his wealth of experience, Yu Hezai immediately recognized what the commotion meant. He hurried over, scooped Yu Hengqing up, and leaped onto the treetops, running away from the disturbance.
As for the Thunder-Clap Bird, Yu Hengqing and Yu Hezai left it behind. Weakly, it watched their figures gradually disappear from sight.
"Scarlet King, what happened? Weren't we clear that you weren't to cause a Soul Beast rampage?"
Hearing the commotion in the distance, the Ferocious Beast leading the group looked at the injured Scarlet King and scolded him in exasperation.
"Xiong Jun, don't even ask! I saw a man dressed in fine clothes casually hunting Soul Beasts, and it angered me. I was about to attack and kill him when two Titled Douluo suddenly charged out from hiding."
"My injuries hadn't healed, and I was afraid fighting them would aggravate them, so I triggered a Soul Beast rampage to drive them away. But just before they left, that man actually hit me with a Soul Skill."
The Scarlet King showed him the wound on his shoulder, which was still bleeding. Hearing this, Xiong Jun stepped forward to examine it and immediately sensed something was wrong.
"There's still a trace of divine power in this wound. Don't tell me you picked a fight with that successor?"
"No. That man wasn't the one Bi Ji described."
Xiong Jun knew Bi Ji wouldn't lie, and neither would the Scarlet King. That meant another god had chosen a successor.
"Go find Bi Ji later and have her treat you. You got hurt, but you've brought us some very useful news."
Just as Xiong Jun was about to take the Scarlet King back to Life Lake and tell Di Tian that a new divine successor had appeared, the Ten Thousand Demon King returned.
"Xiong Jun, I think I've found the Thunder God's successor! I saw Bi Ji in that direction just now. There were only two people near her, and one of them matched the person Bi Ji described earlier."
Hearing this, Xiong Jun stopped in his tracks. He turned to the Ten Thousand Demon King, excitement shining in his eyes. "Ten Thousand Demon King, take the Scarlet King back. I'm going to meet the Thunder God's successor!"
Before the Ten Thousand Demon King could say anything, Xiong Jun had vanished from sight, leaving him and the Scarlet King behind.
The Ten Thousand Demon King could only sigh deeply and help the Scarlet King toward Life Lake.
The moment Bi Ji sensed the Soul Beast rampage, she rushed toward it. But when she reached its center, all she found was a trench half a meter deep.
A fight between Soul Masters and Soul Beasts alone would never trigger a Soul Beast rampage. Unless a Ferocious Beast had been moving with the Soul Masters!
Sensing that something was badly wrong, Bi Ji hurriedly used her Dragon Scale to detect the surrounding auras.
"The Scarlet King's aura! No, there's divine power lingering here too! The Scarlet King attacked a divine successor!"
At the thought, Bi Ji turned without hesitation and sprinted in Yu Hengqing's direction.
Bi Ji didn't know why the Scarlet King had attacked another divine successor. But since he had shown up here, that meant Xiong Jun and the others had slipped out as well—and the Thunder God's successor might be in danger!
Meanwhile, after Yu Hezai had carried Yu Hengqing a long way, the two finally got clear of the disturbance.
"Second Cousin, why would the Soul Beasts on the outskirts of the Star Dou Forest suddenly go berserk?"
Yu Hengqing had just been set down. The sudden Soul Beast rampage puzzled him. How could ordinary hunting of Soul Beasts possibly cause one?
Unless a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast like Daming or Erming had appeared! Fortunately, I've already left. Otherwise, Second Cousin and I would have been in danger.
Just as Yu Hengqing was congratulating himself on getting away from trouble in time, the unexpected happened.
Yu Hezai, who had been scanning their surroundings, seemed to sense something. He abruptly turned and shouted at Yu Hengqing, "Look out!"
Before Yu Hengqing could react, a pair of gleaming claws lunged straight at his face.
Before you continue