Thousand-Year Soul Beast!

Watching the wordless glances the two exchanged as they cleared the battlefield side by side, the small urge in Xiao Yi's heart to test them grew wildly like a vine.

Six hundred years, nine hundred years... where exactly were their limits?

So far, the oldest soul beast the two had killed was a Lie Yan Tiger nearly nine hundred years old!

If they faced a thousand-year soul beast, could they still remain this composed?

Xiao Yi wanted to see where their limits lay!

A flicker of interest crossed Xiao Yi's eyes as his steps quietly turned toward the depths of the forest.

The corners of his lips curled into a mischievous, meaningful smile.

He took a small pinch of dark red powder from inside his clothes-this was Frenzy Beast Powder, which could enrage carnivorous soul beasts.

With a light flick of his finger, the powder drifted on the wind into a crevice in the mountain. Xiao Yi turned and vanished into the shadows of the trees, leaving only his eyes visible, fixed on the mouth of the crevice.

Elsewhere, Su Yu and Hu Liena had just finished a drawn-out fight with a seven-hundred-year Gale Wolf.

The Gale Wolf had been extremely fast, and the two had expended considerable effort to subdue it. Fine beads of sweat covered their temples.

Just as they were about to catch their breath, Su Yu's expression suddenly sharpened. He grabbed Hu Liena's wrist and darted sideways with her!

"Brother Su Yu!"

Hu Liena cried out. Before her body could react, he had already pulled her several meters away.

Almost the instant they left, a dark shape slammed into the spot where they had been standing with a bang.

The impact gouged a shallow crater in the ground, sending dirt flying.

Having missed its strike, the dark shape slowly raised its head-it was an old tiger a full size larger than an ordinary tiger.

Its entire body was dark gold, its fur covered in black stripes. A pair of eyes as large as bronze bells stared fixedly at them.

Strangest of all was the tightly shut vertical eye between its brows, surrounded by faint ripples of purple soul power.

"A Golden-Eyed Tiger!"

Recognizing the soul beast, Hu Liena sucked in a cold breath and spoke in a low voice.

This kind of soul beast was best known for the vertical eye between its brows. Though not a rare species, it was renowned for its ferocity.

Golden-Eyed Tigers over a thousand years old were especially troublesome among soul beasts of the same level, as their vertical eyes could unleash beams of immense destructive power.

"Roar!"

The Golden-Eyed Tiger let out an earsplitting roar at them. Sound waves spread with an invisible pressure, making the surrounding leaves rustle.

Its limbs bent slightly and its muscles tensed, clearly ready to attack at any moment. Its dark golden fur gleamed dangerously in the faint forest light.

Su Yu shielded Hu Liena behind him, his gaze sharp as a blade as he quietly circulated his soul power.

"Judging by its size and soul power fluctuations, it's at least a thousand years old."

"Nana, watch out for the eye between its brows. That's the most dangerous part."

Hu Liena nodded and tightened her grip on the Short Blade at her waist. A faint purple gleam flickered in her eyes as she went on guard.

Roar!

The Golden-Eyed Tiger's furious roar sent fallen leaves whirling through the forest. Its massive body lunged at Su Yu and Hu Liena like an arrow loosed from a bow.

Its dark golden fur traced a sharp arc through the air, its claws tearing through the wind with a piercing whistle as they went straight for their faces.

"Wood Release: Hōbi Technique!"

Su Yu's gaze focused. Soul power erupted through his arms, and blue-green light flashed.

Several thick wooden vines instantly twisted and interwove, forming a heavy shield covered in grotesque demon-face patterns in the blink of an eye.

Bang!

The Golden-Eyed Tiger's claws slammed into the wooden shield with a deep, resounding crash.

The shield shook violently. Its demon-face patterns writhed and twisted as though alive, holding firm against the powerful blow.

Su Yu felt a tremendous force surge through his arms. Even the ground beneath his feet sank half an inch from the impact.

"Nana, now!"

Su Yu shouted the instant the force of the Golden-Eyed Tiger's attack was spent.

Hu Liena nimbly emerged from behind Su Yu, her timing perfect.

"First Soul Skill: Demon Fox Charm!"

The purple light in her eyes suddenly blazed like two dancing tongues of netherworld fire.

The Golden-Eyed Tiger's pounce visibly faltered. A brief dazed look flashed through its bell-sized eyes, and some of its ferocity faded.

Now!

Hu Liena flicked her wrist. The Short Blade in her hand sliced through the air with a sharp whistle, aimed straight at the tightly closed vertical eye between the Golden-Eyed Tiger's brows!

This was its most unusual feature, and also what everyone instinctively considered its weak point.

Clang!

A crisp sound rang out-not the dull sound of a blade entering flesh, but something more like metal striking metal.

The Short Blade struck the vertical eye's lid with precision, only to be knocked away by an invisible force.

It fell to the ground with a clatter, its edge even curling slightly.

"What?"

Hu Liena's heart jolted. She had not expected the vertical eye's defenses to be so astonishing.

The strike snapped the Golden-Eyed Tiger fully awake. Its daze vanished instantly, replaced by an even more savage fury.

It jerked its head, and the tightly closed vertical eye between its brows suddenly opened a crack, revealing a murky yellow pupil within. A scorching fluctuation of soul power began to gather!

"Watch out for its vertical eye's attack!"

Su Yu's expression changed slightly. He yanked Hu Liena behind him while simultaneously driving his soul power.

The demon-face patterns on the wooden vine shield lit up again, and the shield grew a little thicker.

The vertical eye between the Golden-Eyed Tiger's brows opened fully. A yellow beam shot out like a laser, bearing an aura of destruction as it hurtled straight toward them!

The muscles in Su Yu's arms tensed as he braced the demon-faced wooden shield with all his strength against the purple beam shooting from the Golden-Eyed Tiger's vertical eye.

The beam struck the shield with a sizzling hiss, its impact twisting and distorting the demon-face patterns on the surface.

Wood chips flaked away. The once-thick shield blackened and crumbled at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"Ngh-"

Su Yu gritted his teeth, veins bulging at his temples as his soul power poured into the wooden shield like a tide.

New wooden vines sprouted wildly from the broken sections and intertwined, instantly filling the gaps and restoring the shield that had been on the verge of collapse.

The Golden-Eyed Tiger was somewhat surprised to see its attack blocked.

"Wood Release: Thorn Killing Technique!"

Su Yu slapped both hands against the ground. Several thick wooden vines burst from the earth with sharp whistles.

They twisted like nimble snakes as they coiled toward the Golden-Eyed Tiger, their surfaces covered in spikes that gleamed coldly in the sunlight.

Clearly caught off guard by the speed of Su Yu's counterattack, the Golden-Eyed Tiger abruptly leaped backward to evade the two wooden vines coming at it head-on.

Unexpectedly, a vine curling in from the side struck beneath its ribs. It let out a low growl of pain, the savage light in its eyes intensifying.

The Golden-Eyed Tiger licked the whiskers at the corner of its mouth, its body weaving nimbly through the gaps between the dense vines at several times its previous speed.

Su Yu knitted his brows tightly, his hands constantly forming hand seals as he barked:

"Bind!"

The ground trembled again. More wooden vines surged in from every direction, weaving an impenetrable net that sealed off the Golden-Eyed Tiger's escape routes layer by layer.

Watching the net of wooden vines coming toward it, the Golden-Eyed Tiger opened its vertical eye. Purple soul power burned a gap in the net.