"Luo, luo!!"
"Luo, luo... luo, luo!!"
Hearing the cries, Lin Nuo immediately ended his meditation. He turned to look, only to find Yu Xiaogang still sleeping soundly.
Lin Nuo's fury instantly blazed three feet high. I'm risking my life out here with you, and you're actually sleeping!
Unsure why Luo Sanpao was barking so wildly, he slapped Yu Xiaogang across his scarred face.
Jolted awake by the pain, Yu Xiaogang opened his eyes in confusion. Seeing Lin Nuo before him, he had no idea what was going on.
"Still sleeping! Something's coming!!"
Hearing Lin Nuo's voice along with Luo Sanpao's barking, Yu Xiaogang sprang up in alarm.
"Luo, luo!!"
Luo Sanpao's cries grew louder and louder. Lin Nuo and Yu Xiaogang stared intently at the distant bushes shrouded in darkness.
Both men tensed, ready to fight at any moment. Had they not feared that fleeing would leave them too vulnerable, they would have run for it outright.
The distant woods rustled. A heavy stench of blood swept toward them on the wind and pierced their nostrils, making both their hearts tighten.
Knowing that whatever was coming would be no easy opponent, Lin Nuo immediately activated Martial Soul Possession, ready to unleash his Soul Skills at any moment.
"Luo... luo!"
As though sensing the approaching creatures were almost upon them, Luo Sanpao hid behind Yu Xiaogang in fright.
With a crack, the bushes shook violently, and two leopard-shaped figures slowly emerged from the shadows.
The two leopards were powerfully built, their dark gray coats covered in fine, dusky markings. The muscles of their limbs were taut, their sharp claws extended, and their green, slit-pupiled eyes fixed firmly on the two men.
"Damn it! Swiftshadow Leopards. These beasts are astonishingly fast, and they're no fools, either."
Lin Nuo hurriedly told Yu Xiaogang beside him, "Xiaogang, these two beasts aren't much! But their incredible speed puts me at a bit of a disadvantage."
"If the thousand-year one ties me down, watch out for that two-hundred-year one yourself!"
Yu Xiaogang quickly agreed. With his strength as a near-Soul Elder, he could easily handle a mere two-hundred-year Soul Beast.
While the two men spoke, the beasts gradually closed in.
"What? These damned beasts!"
Seeing both beasts advance toward him together, Yu Xiaogang cursed in fury. Had they decided he was easy prey and wanted to kill him first?
"Roar, roar-"
The dark markings on the hundred-year Swiftshadow Leopard flashed, and it charged at him at a speed almost impossible to follow with the naked eye.
Lin Nuo furrowed his brows. "Xiaogang, it's coming! Watch yourself!!"
If he intervened now, even the slightest pause would give the thousand-year Swiftshadow Leopard an opening to ambush him.
What he needed to do now was keep his eyes on the thousand-year Swiftshadow Leopard. As for the rest, Yu Xiaogang would have to rely on himself!!
Yu Xiaogang had come from a great clan, after all, and his reactions were anything but slow. He put on the mask tucked inside his clothes, then snorted coldly. "A little two-hundred-year kitty dares to bother me? Sanpao."
Luo Sanpao growled, then inhaled with a sound like a howling hurricane. His already fat belly expanded at an astonishing rate, making him look like a steadily inflating ball.
Yu Xiaogang waved a hand, sending one of the yellow rings around him flying onto Luo Sanpao, and shouted solemnly, "Fart like thunder, Earth-Shattering Luo Sanpao!"
Luo Sanpao's dull blue eyes suddenly lit up. The yellow ring around him seemed to become a curtain of light, and his round body abruptly bounced upward, rising an astonishing five meters. He turned in midair, and a thunderous boom erupted.
Yu Xiaogang watched the battlefield without blinking. Along with that boom, a yellow dome of light suddenly burst outward, engulfing the charging Swiftshadow Leopard with thunderous might.
The Swiftshadow Leopard inside the yellow dome was briefly bewildered, but as it breathed, it suddenly realized what was wrong!
Felines already possessed an exceptionally keen sense of smell, and this Swiftshadow Leopard was even more extraordinary.
Inside the yellow dome, the hundred-year Swiftshadow Leopard's nostrils twitched as it slowly drew in the surrounding air. An unfamiliar odor that made it question its very existence shot straight into its nose.
At the pungent stench, its fur instantly stood on end, its back arched, and tears streamed uncontrollably from its green, slit-pupiled eyes.
"Good! Sanpao, keep it up!!"
Seeing that the attack had worked, Yu Xiaogang excitedly ordered Luo Sanpao to press the advantage.
"Cough... hack-"
Seeing Luo Sanpao about to release more poison gas, the Swiftshadow Leopard fought back its dry heaves and swiftly leaped out of his farting range.
It had to be said that Luo Sanpao's poison-gas attacks were especially effective against Soul Beasts with a keen sense of smell.
The wind carried the stench toward the thousand-year Swiftshadow Leopard. Irritated at first, it then used its tail to fan the air, keeping the poisonous gas away.
Lin Nuo secretly rejoiced at the sight. For the first time, he felt that Yu Xiaogang had done something splendid.
Seeing the Swiftshadow Leopard distracted, Lin Nuo realized his opportunity had come and rushed in to seize the initiative.
"Third Soul Skill: Rock Bear Claw!"
Lin Nuo shouted as his third Soul Ring lit up. Yellow-brown Soul Power flowed around his palms, condensing into a pair of sharp claws, and he slashed at the Swiftshadow Leopard's waist and abdomen.
Lin Nuo had timed his attack perfectly and landed a solid wound on the Swiftshadow Leopard. Yet its sheer speed still allowed it to avoid a fatal blow.
Lin Nuo knew his attack had not been fatal, but wounding his opponent was already a success.
Besides, his Rock Bear Martial Soul excelled at both offense and defense, so he had no fear of the Swiftshadow Leopard breaking through his defenses. Now that it was wounded, he could wear it down to death.
The wounded Swiftshadow Leopard grew even more ferocious, desperate to bite the human before it to death.
Keeping his eyes on his opponent, Lin Nuo said, "Xiaogang, your opponent's enraged. Hold on. I'll finish off this Soul Beast soon."
With that, he swiftly advanced to fight it at close quarters, unleashing Soul Skills as though they cost nothing.
Yu Xiaogang paid little heed to Lin Nuo's words. He had the little Swiftshadow Leopard before him firmly under his thumb.
The little Swiftshadow Leopard was thoroughly sickened by Luo Sanpao. Poison gas that hurt beasts was bad enough, but his farts even produced shock waves, blasting it away before it could get close.
With no other option, the little Swiftshadow Leopard could only face him from a distance and wait for an opportunity.
As the stalemate continued, it was Yu Xiaogang's turn to grow anxious.
In the distance, Lin Nuo fought with ever-increasing ferocity and looked ready to finish his battle, while Yu Xiaogang still could not take down the Soul Beast before him.
Yu Xiaogang therefore began taking risks, attacking the hundred-year Swiftshadow Leopard fiercely.
The little Swiftshadow Leopard endured its nausea and kept retreating to maintain its distance.
Watching the Swiftshadow Leopard give ground again and again, Yu Xiaogang grew increasingly carried away, never noticing that he was approaching Lin Nuo's battle.
In the distance, Lin Nuo had battered the thousand-year Swiftshadow Leopard into a bloody mess. But when it noticed the little one's approach, an idea immediately struck it, and it began edging toward the other leopard as though by chance!
Lin Nuo had used Rock Bear's Wrath and Rock Bear's Will from his first Soul Ring and second Soul Ring. Caught in a berserk state, he failed to notice the Swiftshadow Leopard's intentions.
As the two battles steadily converged, the thousand-year Swiftshadow Leopard sensed that Yu Xiaogang had entered its attack range. It immediately activated its innate ability and charged at Lin Nuo, making a show of staking everything on a desperate attack.
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