Soul Hunting Forest.
After Lin En and Niu Dazhuang entered the Soul Hunting Forest, the light around them grew much dimmer.
Towering trees stood upon the ground, their lush branches and leaves intertwining overhead, reducing the sunlight to dappled patches.
Niu Dazhuang walked at the front, his bull-like eyes wide as he surveyed their surroundings, his gaze full of vigilance.
The two explored deeper into the forest. About seven or eight minutes later, they encountered their first Soul Beast in the Soul Hunting Forest.
"Careful, it's a Wind Baboon!"
Niu Dazhuang shielded Lin En behind him, watching the Wind Baboon hanging from a vine ahead with wary eyes.
Bang-
The Wind Baboon leaped up and came hurtling down, fixing the two with a vicious glare.
"Judging by its size and muscle strength, it should be a Ten-Year Soul Beast, but we still need to be careful."
Seeing that it was only a ten-year Wind Baboon, Niu Dazhuang secretly breathed a sigh of relief and spoke to Lin En.
Lin En's expression remained unchanged as he said slowly:
"Teacher Niu, let me use this low-level Soul Beast for practice!"
"Come out, Sageross!"
Sageross turned into a streak of light and landed beside his feet, staring fiercely at the Wind Baboon.
But Sageross made no move, merely lowering its center of gravity as intense killing intent spread outward.
It was waiting for Lin En's instructions.
Lin En raised his hand and pointed at the Wind Baboon. "Sageross, use Anger, then follow up with Tackle!"
"Saa-"
Dark purple energy spilled out around Sageross's body, winding around its sharp claws and tail blade like mist.
Its eyes abruptly lit up with a dark red glow, and a low growl rumbled in its throat. Its whole body sank slightly, as though a force were rapidly swelling within its chest.
The surrounding air suddenly grew heavy, and even the light seemed to be partly devoured by the shadow energy surrounding it.
Driven by this energy, Sageross's strength continued to rise, ripples of shadow forming rings of visibly distorted force fields around its body.
The next moment, Sageross darted forward.
Its body moved at high speed as it charged at the Wind Baboon, its sharp claws leaving purple-black afterimages in their wake.
At that moment, Sageross resembled a wild beast wrapped in shadow energy.
Its presence was vicious and razor-sharp as its keen claw blades slashed savagely at the Wind Baboon.
"Roar-"
Enraged by Lin En's attack, the Wind Baboon pounded its chest with both arms. As it roared loudly, it suddenly opened its jaws wide toward Sageross.
At once, a ball of white light shot from its mouth, flying straight toward Sageross.
"Sageross, cut through it!"
Faced with the Wind Baboon's counterattack, Lin En did not hesitate for a moment and immediately gave the order.
For the past three months, he had been training Sageross and Ingkaros on the mountain behind Emperor Soul Village. Both had long since become adept at following his commands in battle.
"Saa-"
A sharp blade swept sideways, instantly cleaving the white light in two.
"Well done, Sageross. Use Tackle and tear it apart."
Lin En continued giving commands. Although it was only a ten-year Wind Baboon,
this was his first battle with Sageross, and they had to give it their all.
Without slowing, Sageross shot forward like a flash of darkness, swiftly closing the distance to the Wind Baboon before swinging its blade down.
Rrrip-
A vivid spray of blood blossomed in the air as the Wind Baboon was cleaved in two with a single slash.
Everything happened in the flash of a spark. Before Niu Dazhuang could even react, Lin En had already finished the battle.
"So strong. Is he really just a Soul Scholar?"
Niu Dazhuang's pupils suddenly dilated, his eyes widening like a bull's as he stared at it all, dumbstruck.
"Teacher Niu, let's go!"
With the battle over, Sageross returned to Lin En's side. After killing the Wind Baboon, it had become even more ferocious.
Its pupils were a dark red so vivid they seemed ready to drip, brimming with sinister menace.
"Y-yes!"
Niu Dazhuang shrank back a few steps from Lin En. What a ferocious creature. It felt as though merely looking at it a few more times would get him torn to pieces.
Lin En said nothing more about it.
The two continued deeper into the forest.
Half an hour later, the bushes ahead suddenly shook, and a black shadow flashed past.
Lin En reacted first, ordering Sageross to watch their surroundings.
His sixth sense detected an intense surge of killing intent rushing toward them.
Niu Dazhuang also sensed something amiss. Why had the light around them suddenly dimmed?
"Roar-"
A low roar reached them along with a faint bloody stench, and the trees swayed as though swept by a fierce wind.
"Careful, there's a powerful enemy!"
Before Niu Dazhuang had finished speaking, a striped tiger had already sprung out of the bushes.
It was a giant tiger, pitch-black all over except for the white 王-shaped marking on its forehead, with a body less than two meters long.
Though it was not large, it was exceptionally lithe and powerful.
"It's a Hundred-Year Ghost Tiger. Although it would be very suitable for your darkness-attribute Soul Ring... we're in danger!"
Niu Dazhuang's voice was bitter. He could not handle a Hundred-Year Ghost Tiger himself. Were they going to become its meal today?
"Sageross, tear it apart."
Ignoring Niu Dazhuang, Lin En focused all his attention on the Ghost Tiger.
For him, nothing was impossible!
"Saa-"
A low growl rose from Sageross's throat as it charged swiftly toward the Ghost Tiger.
There seemed to be no knowledge of fear in its eyes!
The Ghost Tiger roared as well. Green light instantly swelled as it collided with Sageross.
Renowned for its terrifying speed and attack power, the Ghost Tiger was one of the powerful Soul Beasts, exceptionally ferocious.
It would fight to the death against any opponent that dared invade its territory.
Because its speed was so terrifying, ordinary Soul Beasts were unwilling to fight it even if their cultivation was comparable.
The instant it collided with Sageross, the single Ghost Tiger actually became three.
Two rushed toward Sageross, while the last pounced at the two of them.
Niu Dazhuang did not hesitate either, letting out a low shout:
"Azure Bull, possess me!"
In an instant, a black halo appeared around him. His body swelled at a speed visible to the naked eye, his muscles becoming sharply defined, and two thick bull horns grew from his forehead.
"Ghost Tiger, have a taste of your Grandpa Niu's horn!"
Niu Dazhuang's eyes widened like bronze bells. Two Soul Rings, one white and one yellow, lit up beneath his feet, the second releasing a yellow glow.
The next moment, the horns on his forehead abruptly enlarged, and he rammed toward the Ghost Tiger like a great horned bull.
He had recognized it as the Ghost Tiger's innate ability, Shadow Clone.
"Saa-"
On the other side, Sageross struck down one with each bladed claw. Amid violent flashes of black light, they all turned into shadows and vanished.
Only the one attacking Lin En and Niu Dazhuang was the Ghost Tiger's true body.
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