When they saw the Wind-Thunder Twin Wings, Zhao Wuji and the others were dumbfounded.
A Soul Bone-and it seemed to be a very special kind, one that granted flight.
Soul Bones that granted flight were exceedingly rare, priceless treasures that money alone could not buy.
"I never imagined that kid had a treasure like that."
Zhao Wuji marveled again and again. He did not even seem to have a Soul Bone himself.
Such things could only be encountered by chance, not sought at will.
Even if someone wanted to buy one, it was far from easy.
Even the most worthless Soul Bones were almost all controlled by Soul Master organizations.
An organization that acquired a Soul Bone would not readily put it up for sale.
Ordinary Soul Masters who obtained one generally chose to sell it to such organizations, which offered higher prices.
Commoner Soul Masters could only feast their eyes.
Watching Lin Xiao fly away at tremendous speed, Dai Mubai was genuinely envious.
Intense greed flashed in his eyes.
A Soul Bone could be extracted after its owner's death.
A treasure like that shouldn't belong to him.
Dai Mubai thought to himself that if he obtained that Soul Bone, he would gain the ability to fly.
In battles between Soul Masters, flight offered an enormous advantage.
It could even turn the tide of a battle.
A lowborn wretch from the mountains did not deserve such a treasure.
Zhao Wuji glanced over. The look in Dai Mubai's eyes was dangerous!
After the Dark Cloud Leopard incident, he had been paying especially close attention to Tang San and Dai Mubai.
Two people harboring ulterior motives could very well become wolves among the flock.
Even though Dai Mubai was a senior student and had helped the academy considerably over the past few years.
That did not give him license to harm his fellow students.
The academy was grateful for his help.
But every student had to obey its rules.
Harming a fellow student was a grave offense.
Seeing Dai Mubai's expression now, Zhao Wuji knew he had already set his sights on Lin Xiao's Soul Bone.
He would have to find time to warn Lin Xiao, lest something happen.
Dai Mubai was the Third Prince of the Star Luo Empire, with considerable power behind him.
If he truly drew upon the Star Luo Imperial Family's strength, Lin Xiao would never withstand it.
That was an enormous power, with countless experts in its ranks.
Lin Xiao was a commoner from the mountains. Even with a fortuitous encounter like a Heaven-Bestowed Soul Ring, he could not withstand an assassination by the Star Luo Imperial Family.
At that moment, Lin Xiao knew nothing of Dai Mubai's thoughts. He only wanted to find Xiao Wu.
And check on the Man Faced Demon Spiders along the way.
The Sword Immortal Clones had already begun moving, so he decided to switch perspectives and take a look.
Switching to a clone's perspective, he soon saw two Sword Immortal Clones racing through the forest.
Their destination was clear: the Man Faced Demon Spiders' lair.
The Sword Immortal Clones had considerable cultivation. Dealing with Man Faced Demon Spiders several thousand years old would certainly pose no problem.
They could even take on ten-thousand-year ones.
Through that perspective, he saw that a Sword Immortal Clone had already reached a dark grove.
The surroundings were silent, without any other sounds.
Yet the Sword Immortal Clone located a Man Faced Demon Spider in an instant.
Sword energy swept across the grove, instantly cleaving a Man Faced Demon Spider over a thousand years old in two.
The execution was clean and decisive, without the slightest hesitation.
A Man Faced Demon Spider just over a thousand years old was clearly not Lin Xiao's target on this trip.
Those over two thousand years old were his real targets.
In just half an hour, more than twenty Man Faced Demon Spiders nearby had all been slain.
The Sword Immortal Clones then continued searching.
Looking at the corpses strewn across the ground, Lin Xiao chuckled inwardly.
With the Sword Immortal Clones ahead and Tang San behind, Tang San was destined to get no Soul Ring.
An External Soul Bone?
That thing was already beyond Tang San's reach. He could only stare helplessly at the Soul Rings covering the ground.
Sure enough, Tang San arrived shortly afterward.
He would chase after Xiao Wu and stage a heroic rescue. Perhaps that would win her heart.
What could tug at the heartstrings more than such a scene?
He had already worked out his plan. All that remained was finding Xiao Wu.
Of course, he could also search for a suitable Soul Beast along the way.
His Soul Power had reached Level 30, and it was time for him to obtain his Third Soul Ring.
On his way over, he had seen several gravely injured Soul Beasts.
Some were over a thousand years old, but their attributes were not particularly good and did not mesh well with his Blue Silver Grass.
So he had not delivered the final killing blow.
The Man Faced Demon Spiders he had now discovered were just right.
That was why the sight of the corpses on the ground truly tempted him.
But that temptation lasted only a second.
The Soul Rings were excellent, but under the rules, he could not absorb them at all.
He could only watch helplessly as the Soul Rings gradually vanished.
"Which bastard deserving a thousand cuts killed all these Soul Beasts?"
So many Thousand-Year Soul Rings lay before him, including some two-thousand-year ones.
Yet he could not absorb a single one. How could his heart not ache?
Whoever had killed these Soul Beasts truly deserved to die.
There had been Soul Rings here that suited him perfectly, yet now he could not obtain them.
Whoever killed these Soul Beasts had already paved their own road to death.
If he could find out who they were, he would vent this fury no matter what.
Up in the sky, Lin Xiao watched Tang San standing silently before the corpses.
Since your heart aches so much, let's make it hurt a little more.
With that thought, he swooped down.
With the speed boost from the Wind-Thunder Twin Wings, he reached Tang San's side almost instantly.
Smack!
One mighty slap, and Tang San's vision went black as he passed out.
He had not even had time to see what had attacked him.
All he knew was that the blow was brutally heavy, leaving him dazed and rattling his brain.
Before losing consciousness, he had only one thought: he might meet his end here.
This was the Star Dou Great Forest, an exceedingly perilous place.
Unconscious here, he could be eaten by another Soul Beast at any moment.
Soul Beasts harbored extremely, extremely intense hostility toward humans!
If they found an unconscious human, how could they possibly pass up the meal?
After slapping Tang San, Lin Xiao felt thoroughly satisfied and promptly resumed following the direction Er Ming had taken.
Er Ming probably had not returned to the depths of the forest yet. Most likely, he was still somewhere along its outskirts.
If he had reached the depths, Xiao Wu would not be able to return so quickly.
Following Er Ming's trail was not difficult. Everywhere that enormous fellow passed looked as though a disaster had struck, making the trail easy to recognize.
At that moment, beside a lake somewhere on the forest's outskirts, Er Ming sat with his enormous body by the shore, looking utterly aggrieved.
Xiao Wu sat on his shoulder, glaring at him with puffed cheeks.
"Er Ming, why did you come out looking for me? You even carried me off in front of so many people. That was dangerous!"
Tang San's father was a Titled Douluo, and the legendary Clear Sky Douluo at that.
If he discovered Er Ming, Er Ming would be in danger.
"Sister Xiao Wu..."
Er Ming pouted.
Sister Xiao Wu had been gone for several years. After finally sensing her presence entering the forest, how could he not get excited?
He had imagined their reunion as sister and brother countless times.
But why was it different from what he had imagined?
"All right, all right, I know you missed me, but I still have to go back."
"Er Ming, you can't be so impulsive again. Go back to the Lake of Life. It's safer there."
Thinking of what Lin Xiao had told her, Xiao Wu felt very anxious.
In the fate awaiting her, Tang San would scheme against her, and she would ultimately sacrifice herself.
Da Ming and Er Ming would also fall victim to Tang San's schemes, ultimately sacrificing themselves to him and becoming his strength.
Those were things that would happen in the future.
Now that she knew, she could not let them happen.
She had to change everything.
And make those who schemed against her pay.
Whether Tang San or Tang Hao, both had to pay.
To make such powerful enemies receive their just retribution, she would still need Lin Xiao's help.