The Cloud-Piercing Windhawk and the Shadow Nether Leopard

Everyone stared in shock at the alluring Dugu Yan, now shielded by eight spider legs. This was an External Soul Bone!

Then they turned eager eyes on Jiang Baiyu. He was the one who had told them where to find it!

Jiang Baiyu smiled helplessly. "I only came across the information by chance."

Only then did they let the matter drop.

Dugu Bo looked at Dugu Yan. "Yanzi, what about your soul skill?"

"Watch closely." The fourth Soul Ring behind Dugu Yan flashed. "Fourth soul skill: Serpent Dragon Poison Prison!"

Dugu Yan thrust both arms forward. Billowing dark-green poisonous mist burst outward, swiftly engulfing most of the clearing. Serpent dragon patterns flickered within it, accompanied by a faint draconic pressure.

"This soul skill inherited the Man Faced Demon Spider's deadly venom. It's highly corrosive, and its draconic pressure can intimidate most Soul Beasts." Dugu Yan sounded rather pleased with herself.

Hearing how powerful her soul skill was, the others praised her. They also grew eager to obtain their own Soul Rings and see what skills awaited them.

With that in mind, they set off at once to find their target Soul Beasts.

Meanwhile, at Shrek Academy, Tang San shuddered in the middle of training. It felt as though something important had slipped away from him.

"What's wrong, Third Brother?" Xiao Wu asked.

Tang San used his Purple Demon Eyes to scan the area. Finding no one spying on them, he pushed the hollow feeling aside. "Nothing. Let's keep running. We still haven't met the teacher's target for today."

"Fine." Xiao Wu pouted.

In the middle reaches of Star Dou Forest, Ancient Trees blocked the sky. Only scattered patches of sunlight filtered through the layered foliage onto the ground. The air held the scent of plants and the distinctive musk of Soul Beasts. Now and then, a low beastly roar sounded in the distance, echoing through the deep valleys.

The group stopped near a cliff. Jiang Baiyu said:

"The side valley ahead is where the seven-thousand-year Cloud-Piercing Windhawk nests. Senior Dugu and my grandfather will stand guard. This time, everyone will help with the hunt. Treat it as training."

The others nodded. After a brief discussion, they settled on a plan.

Yu Feng's Wind Chime Bird martial soul possessed him in an instant. The faint outline of pale-green wings spread behind him, while wind-aspected Soul Power surged around his body. He flashed forward in a streak of green light, heading straight for the towering cliff.

"Cloud-Piercing Windhawk, come out!"

Yu Feng had proposed this Soul Beast as his target, and Dugu Bo had found it for him. He could not have been more pleased with the choice. Now they only needed to bring it down!

Yu Feng shouted, and a gale erupted around him. Sharp wind blades shrieked through the air and slammed into the cliff face.

Screech!

A piercing cry rang out above them. A bird of prey with a wingspan of over two zhang burst from a nest in the rock face. Its silver-gray feathers flashed as its wings whipped up a howling gale. It was the Cloud-Piercing Windhawk.

Its talons gleamed coldly, and its eyes were sharp as knives. At the sight of Yu Feng intruding on its territory, it screeched in fury and beat its wings. Razor-edged feathers of wind poured down like rain.

The Cloud-Piercing Windhawk was a seven-thousand-year Soul Beast. Its body was formidable, and it flew far faster than an ordinary Soul Beast.

Even with his soul skills boosting him, Yu Feng's Soul Power was simply too low. Before long, the Cloud-Piercing Windhawk was right in front of him, poised to kill him.

Seeing his friend in danger, Osler's eyes flashed. His Ghost Leopard martial soul possessed him fully, and black Soul Power spread across his body. He sank into the shade beneath the trees, seeming to merge with the darkness itself.

His form turned hazy. Concealed by the trees' shadows, he slipped silently behind the Cloud-Piercing Windhawk and raked at its wing with claws wreathed in shadow power.

At the same time, Zhu Zhuqing moved in from the flank, slashing straight at the bird's back.

Sensing the danger behind it, the Cloud-Piercing Windhawk wheeled sharply and barely evaded the fatal strike. But it was too slow to escape Zhu Zhuqing's shadow-infused attack entirely. She carved a deep gash in its left wing, and its speed dropped at once. Osler seized the opening and left a wound of his own.

Working together, the two inflicted wounds large and small across the Cloud-Piercing Windhawk's body.

"Now's my chance!"

Yu Feng's eyes lit up. His second Soul Ring flashed, and he gathered his wind-aspected Soul Power to its peak. He shot skyward, and wind blades burst from his wings to slash viciously into the Cloud-Piercing Windhawk.

The Cloud-Piercing Windhawk had been guarding against the two feline martial-soul masters' attacks. It had paid no attention to Yu Feng. By the time it noticed him, his wind blades were already upon it.

A shrill cry of agony echoed through the valley.

The seven-thousand-year Soul Beast plummeted to the ground. It struggled a few times, then went still.

A deep-purple Soul Ring slowly rose from its corpse. Breathing fast, Yu Feng stepped forward, his face alight with excitement. He reached out to the Soul Ring with his mind, and it descended into his body. Soul Power coursed through his meridians, and the aura of his martial soul surged.

After absorbing the Soul Ring, Yu Feng did not whoop with excitement. Instead, he carefully examined the corpse.

"What are you doing?" Dugu Yan asked.

Yu Feng grinned. "What if this one dropped a Soul Bone for me too?"

But Soul Bones were not so easy to find. When his search turned up nothing, Yu Feng told the others about his new skill:

"Fourth soul skill: Cloudflow Wind-Splitting Slash. It gives me powerful ranged wind-blade attacks and a major boost to my speed. On top of that, my martial soul has evolved from a Wind Chime Bird into a Windhawk. Its attack power has improved enormously."

With his Soul Ring absorbed, Yu Feng excitedly hugged several of the others. A Windhawk surpassed his old Wind Chime Bird in both speed and attack power!

Jiang Baiyu pushed Yu Feng away when he came in for a hug. Then he nodded to Osler and looked toward the dense forest on the other side. "Next is the Shadow Nether Leopard."

Osler's gaze sharpened. The Shadow Nether Leopard was the Soul Beast he had chosen. It liked to lurk deep in dark forests and excelled at stealth and ambush. An ordinary soul master would struggle to detect it, making it an excellent match for his Ghost Leopard martial soul.

Following the markers Dugu Bo had left, the group entered the forest. Trees grew so thickly that sunlight could barely penetrate the canopy. Darkness lay everywhere they looked, with dense shadows broken only by the faint glow of a few fungi.

"Be careful. The Shadow Nether Leopard is nearby," Jiang Baiyu warned. The Shennong Cauldron hovered beside him to protect the group. This seven-thousand-six-hundred-year-old Shadow Nether Leopard was extremely fast. One careless move could leave them badly wounded.

Shi Mo and Shi Mo took the lead. Their Black Tortoise martial souls appeared, and heavy, ocher-colored Soul Power spread out to shield the others behind them.

Ye Lingling's Nine-Hearted Begonia glowed faintly, ready to heal any sudden injury. Zhu Zhuqing stood nearby, the hazy form of a Hell Spirit Cat appearing behind her. Shadow-aspected Soul Power flowed around her as she watched their surroundings.

Without warning, a pitch-black shape shot out of the thick undergrowth! It was the seven-thousand-six-hundred-year-old Shadow Nether Leopard. Its entire body was black, its fur seeming to swallow the light. Ghostly green eyes gleamed as it lunged straight for Zhu Zhuqing, the weakest of the group, with shadow power gathering around its claws.

"Watch out!" Yu Tianheng shouted.

His Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon martial soul unleashed its full power. Dragon scales covered his arms, and violet-blue lightning erupted from him. A thick bolt shot across the clearing to intercept the Shadow Nether Leopard.

"Serpent Dragon Poison Prison!" Dugu Yan attacked at once. Jade-green poisonous mist gushed forth, spreading toward the Shadow Nether Leopard to trap it.

As lightning and poison closed in, the Shadow Nether Leopard twisted aside, narrowly avoiding the bolt's direct impact. But a large swath of mist still struck it, corroding its black fur and leaving dark spots.

The Shadow Nether Leopard pressed its attack on Zhu Zhuqing. She had no time to dodge, but the Shennong Cauldron beside Jiang Baiyu slammed into the beast and knocked it aside.

Seeing the Shadow Nether Leopard stumble, Osler seized the opening. "Shadow Devouring Kill!"

A Soul Ring flashed behind him, and his body merged into the surrounding shadows, leaving only an afterimage behind.

An instant later, Osler emerged from a shadow beside the leopard and slashed hard with his shadow-infused claws.

The Shadow Nether Leopard reacted with astonishing speed. It twisted away from the ambush and began darting through the shadows, striking from concealment and vanishing again. Osler met it in a deadly duel amid the forest gloom.

Yu Feng spread his wings and launched several Cloudflow Wind-Splitting Slashes, forcing the Shadow Nether Leopard into the open. The moment the wind blades drove it from the shadows, Osler seized the fleeting opening and unleashed all his Soul Power.

Pitch-black shadow power gathered in his claws, and he drove them through the Shadow Nether Leopard's body. With a low, guttural roar, the beast collapsed.

A deep-purple Soul Ring slowly rose above the corpse, sending dense waves of shadow-aspected Soul Power through the air. Osler stepped forward and drew the ring toward him with his Soul Power.

The purple Soul Ring sank into his body. The aura of his Ghost Leopard martial soul soared, and the shadow-aspected Soul Power within him grew denser and fiercer.

"Fourth soul skill: Shadow Instant Kill," Osler said calmly. "I can control shadows and enter an intangible state."

He was extremely pleased with the skill.

Dugu Bo, who had been watching over them all along, appeared beside the group. "All right. Let's rest for the night."