The moment he entered the Spirit Ascension Platform, Jiang Mingyuan noticed that the Soul Power drifting through the air was more active than before.
"Wang Jinxi, take the lead. Xie Xie, on the left. Zhang Yangzi, on the right. Keep your eyes open. The Spirit Ascension Platform is different during the upheaval period. Soul Beasts are far more aggressive, so be careful." As team captain, Jiang Mingyuan immediately assigned everyone their roles. He and Tang Wulin stood in the center of the formation, ready for battle at any moment.
They immediately activated Martial Soul Possession and advanced in formation. Wang Jinxi extended his enormous bone claws to push aside the undergrowth blocking their path. Zhang Yangzi released his Soul Spirit, a small black eagle, and had it circle overhead to give them some visibility.
A faint golden sheen shimmered over Tang Wulin's right hand as dragon scales grew from his skin. His left hand held Jiang Mingyuan's tightly, keeping him protected at his side.
After roughly a dozen minutes of walking, the ground ahead suddenly trembled. A dim black glow shone in Zhang Yangzi's eyes. As his Soul Spirit, the little black eagle could share its vision with him.
Zhang Yangzi's expression grew serious, and he said warily, "Captain, there's a huge turtle-type Soul Beast two hundred meters ahead to our left. Should we avoid it?"
The others immediately stopped and waited for Jiang Mingyuan's decision.
"What distinguishing features does it have? Are there any signs of other Soul Beasts besides that turtle?" Jiang Mingyuan asked at once.
Under Zhang Yangzi's control, the little black eagle moved to a better vantage point for a closer look.
"A brown shell with some moss-like plants growing on it. Its body is about four meters long. There are no signs of other Soul Beasts within sight."
Jiang Mingyuan immediately searched his memory for a matching Soul Beast. During their many previous visits to the Spirit Ascension Platform, they had rarely encountered turtle-type Soul Beasts. Their populations were small in forest terrain to begin with, and he happened to have seen something matching this description in a textbook.
"It's a Mossback Turtle. Its attack power is weak, and its defense isn't particularly strong either. It mainly lives near swamps and uses the plants on its back as camouflage. We've lucked out. A four-meter-long Mossback Turtle is nearly five hundred years old. Just beat it down." Jiang Mingyuan spoke cheerfully. They had to be a little cautious against other Soul Beasts-what if things went belly-up? But this one was practically meat delivered straight to their mouths.
Tang Wulin felt Jiang Mingyuan's hand tighten slightly around his. He turned his head a little and saw the delight on Jiang Mingyuan's small face. After so many years together, he had picked up on a few of Jiang Mingyuan's little habits.
Jiang Mingyuan himself might not even have realized it, but whenever he was thinking or excited, he would unconsciously tighten his grip on whatever he was holding.
Jiang Mingyuan gave the order, and the team immediately changed direction, racing toward the left. They couldn't let this Mossback Turtle get away.
The Mossback Turtle was slowly making its way toward a river. Its former home, a small swamp, was on the verge of drying up, so it had to find another suitable place to live.
Suddenly, the Mossback Turtle stopped. It had sensed movement in the undergrowth ahead.
A dark figure burst out of the bushes, holding two daggers that glimmered with an eerie light. In an instant, he rushed up to the Mossback Turtle and slashed open its neck.
The Mossback Turtle hurriedly withdrew its head and limbs into its shell. Fortunately, the wounds inflicted by the daggers were shallow, cutting only the surface of its skin without damaging its windpipe.
The others arrived one after another. The five of them took positions on four sides, surrounding the Mossback Turtle.
Wang Jinxi glanced at the others and attacked first. His first Soul Ring lit up, and the bone claw on his right hand grew another size larger before smashing down on the shell.
Thud! A muffled impact rang out. The recoil forced Wang Jinxi several steps backward. Once he regained his footing, he looked at his bone claw in surprise.
Jiang Mingyuan explained, "A Mossback Turtle's shell actually isn't hard. Because it lives in swamps year-round, its shell isn't rigid like those of other land turtles. Instead, it has a certain softness that lets it absorb some of the impact. Unless you're far stronger than it is, it's best not to use blunt attacks. Xie Xie, try piercing it with your daggers."
Hearing this, Xie Xie lifted his chin, puffed out his chest, and strode forward confidently. With a slight turn of his wrists, his arms lashed out like a raging storm. His blades crossed wildly before him, slashing and thrusting. He struck so quickly that dozens of intersecting silver blade trails appeared in the air.
He finished with a cross-shaped slash, then abruptly turned around and smoothed his hair. A real man never looked back.
"Damn, Xie, you've got some moves!" Zhang Yangzi couldn't help praising him. His Dark Phantom Demon Eagle Martial Soul had initially been developed toward the power attack system, but after receiving Wu Changkong's instruction, he had realized that his Martial Soul fell far short of a true power attack system Martial Soul. He was now pursuing the path of a control-type Soul Master who favored agility.
However, after Zhang Yangzi approached to examine the Mossback Turtle's shell, he raised his head and gave Xie Xie a strange look.
Wang Jinxi's blow had genuinely left a dent in the shell. Yet Xie Xie's dozen or so slashes had left only a few shallow scratches.
"Let me." Tang Wulin released Jiang Mingyuan's hand and stepped forward. Somewhat embarrassed, Xie Xie moved aside.
Layers of golden scales grew over Tang Wulin's right hand. This wasn't the true Golden Dragon Claw; its piercing and destructive properties consumed a great deal of Soul Power. He was merely using the hardness of the Golden Dragon's scales to turn his hand into a drill.
Tang Wulin pressed his five fingers together and plunged them straight into the dent Wang Jinxi had made.
With a wet squelch, bright red blood carrying a raw, bloody smell spurted out. Though Tang Wulin quickly turned sideways, some still splashed onto his face and clothes.
The sharp pain in its back forced the Mossback Turtle to thrust out its head and twist its neck, trying to attack Tang Wulin. Wang Jinxi seized the opening and clamped his Bone Dragon Claw firmly around its neck. With a crack, he snapped it.
Its life force rapidly faded, and white energy poured out of its corpse.
"You absorb it. I'll keep watch," Jiang Mingyuan said.
The four immediately sat cross-legged to absorb the pure energy while recovering as much of their Soul Power as possible. Zhang Yangzi's little black eagle Soul Spirit stood beside its master, but every so often, it turned to look toward Jiang Mingyuan.
Jiang Mingyuan activated Martial Soul Possession as well. He flew up and made a small circuit above the forest. Only after confirming there were no obvious signs of Soul Beasts nearby did he land, reassured.
The Emerald Swan Soul Spirit perched elegantly on his shoulder, looking down imperiously at the little black eagle.
Jiang Mingyuan walked over to Tang Wulin and crouched down. Taking a handkerchief from his pocket, he wiped the blood off Tang Wulin's face.
When he stood up and turned his head, he discovered that the little black eagle had fluttered over behind him at some point.
Jiang Mingyuan smiled and held out his hand. The little black eagle landed steadily on it.
On branches not far away, several fluffy little round birds and some pretty birds whose names he didn't know perched on slightly higher twigs, their feathers gleaming delicately in the sunlight.
Drawn by the unique aura emanating from Jiang Mingyuan, they huddled together and chirped softly among themselves. Their clear, lilting voices were like the liveliest notes in the forest.