This was not Tian Chen's first visit to the Soul Hunting Forest. He did not linger around its outskirts, instead heading straight for its heart with Meng Tao.
Perhaps because the end of the year was approaching, quite a few teams of commoner Soul Masters were hunting Soul Beasts in the Soul Hunting Forest.
Most were one-ring Soul Masters who had teamed up to help the Soul Scholars in their parties who had broken through rank ten obtain Soul Rings. Of course, even working together, their strength only guaranteed victory against ordinary Ten-Year Soul Beasts at best.
But even Ten-Year Soul Beasts were a decent choice for commoner Soul Masters.
This alone showed the gulf between the social classes on the Douluo Continent. If commoner Soul Masters chose to join Spirit Hall, however, Spirit Hall would take responsibility for all the Soul Rings they needed in their future cultivation. Thus, most commoner Soul Masters chose to join Spirit Hall.
Collecting a few Gold Soul Coins each month without having to worry about the Soul Rings needed to advance-wasn't that a sweet life?
These people cast all sorts of envious looks at Tian Chen and Meng Tao, who wore luxurious clothes and had extraordinary bearing. Still, they only watched from a distance. They knew their own place well enough and dared not entertain any crooked ideas.
The Hundred-Year Soul Beasts in the Soul Hunting Forest generally lived in its interior. To avoid wasting time, Tian Chen simply had Meng Tao carry him through the air toward the forest's center.
With Meng Tao deliberately concealing his presence, Tian Chen discovered his first target.
It was a Scarlet Fire Monkey with a little over a hundred years of cultivation, a fairly good fire-attribute Soul Beast. Most fire-attribute Soul Masters would choose this kind of Soul Beast for their first Soul Ring.
This was because this kind of Soul Beast possessed a reasonably powerful innate skill-Fireball.
Meng Tao's Martial Soul was a bird of prey called the Iron Armored Falcon, a high-grade flying Martial Soul.
Under Martial Soul Possession, the wings formed from his arms now spanned nearly five meters. Tian Chen sat cross-legged on Meng Tao's back, looking down at the Scarlet Fire Monkey below.
Only after drawing a little closer did Tian Chen discover that his target was not a lone Scarlet Fire Monkey, but an entire troop.
This Hundred-Year Scarlet Fire Monkey was the Scarlet Fire Monkey King of the troop.
Though, with only around a hundred years of cultivation, calling it a monkey king was giving it rather too much credit.
Apart from this leading Scarlet Fire Monkey, which had a hundred years of cultivation, the others were merely small fry with around ten years of cultivation. Tian Chen hardly thought much of them.
Let's go! Just get it done!
Tian Chen straightened his clothes and put his outer layer of silvery-white fox fur into his Soul Tool, revealing a black training outfit.
Only after making sure everything was in order did he give Meng Tao his instructions.
"Meng Tao, get close to the monkey troop, then put me down."
"Yes, Young Master Tian!"
Meng Tao naturally would not refuse. As an agility-attack Soul Emperor, he could rush over to support Tian Chen in an instant if Tian Chen could not hold out.
He still wanted to cling tightly to Tian Chen's thick thigh, so he certainly would not say anything that might make Tian Chen dislike him.
As they drew closer and closer to the troop of Scarlet Fire Monkeys, Tian Chen could practically feel the scorching heat radiating from their bodies.
To tell the truth, this was his first time facing a fire-attribute opponent.
Finding a suitable moment, Tian Chen jumped straight off Meng Tao's back, instantly completing Martial Soul Possession while still in midair.
He landed heavily on the ground, sending flurries of accumulated snow into the air.
With their territory invaded, the Scarlet Fire Monkeys all roared at Tian Chen. Ultimately, these Soul Beasts with only ten years of cultivation were not particularly intelligent.
Their first reaction upon seeing Tian Chen was actually to attack.
Even Ten-Year Scarlet Fire Monkeys stood at least around a meter and a half tall, making them no smaller than Tian Chen after Martial Soul Possession.
Wisps of heat rose from their scarlet fur, and flickers of fire glimmered faintly inside their hideous, foul-smelling mouths.
Facing an assault from over a dozen Scarlet Fire Monkeys, Tian Chen did not become overconfident. His will moved with his thoughts.
The Yellow Soul Ring pulsing beneath his feet instantly lit up.
His first Soul Skill-Golden Crocodile Possession-activated instantly.
The golden scales on Tian Chen's body seemed to have been plated with a layer of golden light, glittering beneath the sun.
His sharp crocodile claws exuded a keen edge, while the pair of strange vertical pupils produced by Martial Soul Possession stared fixedly at the Scarlet Fire Monkeys lunging toward him.
A simultaneous hundred-percent increase in attack, defense, and strength-this was the effect of Tian E's first Soul Skill. Moreover, as his Soul Power increased, its duration grew longer as well. With his current Soul Power at full capacity, he could maintain it for as long as five minutes.
It could be said that Tian Chen was now nothing short of a nightmare for Soul Masters and Soul Beasts of his level. Apart from sustained speed being a weakness, he had no other weaknesses left.
The fate of these Scarlet Fire Monkeys that did not know life from death was therefore easy to imagine.
Every time Tian Chen brought a crocodile claw down, a Scarlet Fire Monkey was torn straight in half.
A crocodile's strength was unquestionably among the very best of all Martial Souls.
Amid this troop of Scarlet Fire Monkeys, Tian Chen was like a wolf among sheep. It was a completely one-sided slaughter.
Tian Chen could not be bothered to keep wasting time on these Ten-Year Scarlet Fire Monkeys.
Kill their leader first.
His crocodile tail, covered in bony spikes, slammed forcefully against the ground, instantly launching Tian Chen in front of the Scarlet Fire Monkey.
Clamping its arms in his claws, he let the fireballs continually spewing from its mouth strike his golden scales. His legs and crocodile tail exerted force together, and his entire body began spinning rapidly in midair.
He once again unleashed the Death Roll he had previously used against the Diamond Tiger. This Scarlet Fire Monkey's defenses were far weaker than the Diamond Tiger's, and Tian Chen tore its arms clean off without much effort.
The thick crocodile tail behind him, around two meters long, smashed the head of the still-struggling Scarlet Fire Monkey to pieces.
Brothers, send some recommendation votes my way, hehe.