Chen Xiaojun and his companions were now in the central belt of the Sunset Forest's outer region, where soul beasts between three and five thousand years old roamed.
Meanwhile, on the forest's outskirts, a group of black-clad figures was pursuing two high-ranking soul masters.
They moved through the dense woods, low growls echoing in their ears as though warning intruders not to trespass on the creatures' territory.
These soul masters wore tight black clothing beneath black robes, with black cloth masks covering their faces. Only their eyes and black-gloved hands were exposed.
Silver dagger patterns adorned their robes, with silver ornaments decorating the daggers' hilts.
They moved swiftly and struck ruthlessly. Clearly, they were no ordinary soul masters.
Anyone with a sharp eye would have recognized their origins: they belonged to the Xuan Ye Pavilion, one of the continent's three great neutral organizations, alongside Soul Fighting City!
Taking assassination contracts was one of the Xuan Ye Pavilion's mainstays. It was the strongest assassin organization on the continent.
Its assassins were graded according to their completed missions, but those who reached silver rank were almost invariably Soul Kings or stronger.
Led by an assassin bearing a golden dagger emblem, these Silver-Rank Killers of the Xuan Ye Pavilion surged in from every direction, trying to surround Chen Shihua and Yang Bu’er.
They attacked relentlessly, but Chen Shihua and Yang Bu’er possessed superb combat skills. As Soul Douluos, they coordinated seamlessly, repeatedly repelling the assassins' attacks.
"Fourth Soul Skill-Wolf Rush Assault!"
"Third Soul Skill-Poisonous Stabbing Thrust!"
"Sixth Soul Skill-Seismic Wave!"
"..."
The Xuan Ye Pavilion's assassins unleashed their soul skills one after another. Chen Shihua and Yang Bu’er kept dodging while launching counterattacks.
Their soul skills intertwined, painting a scene of fierce combat.
Anxiety gripped Chen Shihua. She knew that although she and