Over the next two days, the group continued searching the forest for Soul Beasts.
Tang San had just broken through to rank thirty and was eagerly anticipating his Third Soul Ring, but Lin Feng was in no hurry to venture deeper.
Naturally, he wanted a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring.
However, if searching for his own Soul Ring made him miss Tang San's Man Faced Demon Spider, all his waiting on this trip would have been for nothing.
That afternoon, Lin Feng suddenly stopped beside a tree root.
A few strands of grayish-white spider silk lay among the fallen leaves, extending down the slope ahead.
"Teacher Zhao, there's something here."
Rather than touching it, he released his own spider silk and lifted a small piece of the remaining web.
The silk was caked with dirt, yet proved remarkably tough when pulled.
Zhao Wuji approached to inspect it, then followed the traces down the slope and found a cave entrance concealed by dead branches.
Several shriveled Soul Beast corpses lay nearby.
"This should be a lair left by a spider-type Soul Beast."
Zhao Wuji observed it for a moment, his expression gradually growing serious. "To leave a web of this size, it's probably quite old. It may well be over ten thousand years old."
Lin Feng's gaze flickered.
"Don't get excited yet. There's no movement inside."
Zhao Wuji had everyone back away while he went forward to investigate. In the end, he shook his head.
"It isn't here. Whether it's out hunting or has moved elsewhere, we can't say yet."
Lin Feng committed the surrounding terrain to memory, then left with the group.
Before leaving, he also made an inconspicuous mark on a tree beside the path.
Those few strands of web were even tougher than his Soul Devouring Spider Web. If this Soul Beast also specialized in control, it would be worth considering carefully.
Still, a lair alone wasn't enough to determine whether it suited him.
If this Soul Beast would return, he could come back and take another look after dealing with the Man Faced Demon Spider.
The sky gradually darkened.
The group stopped in a relatively level patch of woodland, preparing to rest.
Lin Feng was refilling his waterskin when Zhao Wuji suddenly raised his head, his expression changing in an instant.
"Everyone, get behind me!"
At his low shout, everyone immediately stopped what they were doing.
Lin Feng put away his waterskin and looked ahead.
Two large trees slowly parted, and an enormous dark silhouette emerged from the forest.
It was a giant ape.
Its thick arms hung at its sides, its muscles like bulging rocks. Merely standing there, it blocked out a vast swath of the sky.
A pair of enormous eyes looked down at them.
"The Titan Giant Ape!"
Zhao Wuji's voice was strained.
Lin Feng held his breath as well.
He knew Er Ming would come, but when this Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast truly appeared before him, its oppressive presence was far beyond anything he could experience simply by imagining it from memory.
Finally!
Without hesitation, Lin Feng immediately completed Martial Soul Possession.
His Third Soul Ring lit up, emerald-green armor covering his entire body as the spider legs on his back spread out.
Er Ming's target was Xiao Wu, but that didn't mean he would care whether anyone else lived or died.
If Lin Feng took even a casual swat, all his scheming would come to nothing.
Zhao Wuji stood at the very front, forcibly suppressing his fear as he explained that they had only come to hunt for Soul Rings and would leave immediately.
The Titan Giant Ape ignored him.
His gaze swept over them before he raised an arm.
"Fall back!"
Zhao Wuji roared, the Soul Rings beneath his feet lighting up one after another. His body rapidly expanded as he transformed into a giant bear and charged forward.
Boom!
The two figures collided, and a savage blast of air instantly swept outward.
Lin Feng sank sharply, driving the spider legs on his back into the ground to steady himself. At the same time, he flung out two strands of silk, pulling back Oscar and Ning Rongrong as they were thrown toward broken branches.
"Don't retreat under the trees!"
He had barely finished speaking when a nearby tree snapped from the impact and crashed heavily onto the spot where they had just been standing.
Ning Rongrong's face turned pale, and she hurriedly followed them aside.
Lin Feng made no attempt to attack Er Ming, instead keeping constant track of Tang San and Xiao Wu's positions.
A battle like this was simply beyond his ability to intervene.
Among the trees in the distance.
As Yue Guan watched that enormous figure, his gaze had changed completely.
"There really is a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast!"
Golden light flashed at his fingertips, but Gui Mei caught his wrist first.
"First, get a clear look at who he's here for."
Yue Guan shifted his gaze.
After forcing Zhao Wuji back, the Titan Giant Ape actually reached out with his other hand, passing over the people in front to grab the girl in pink.
Tang San tried to pull Xiao Wu away, but his Blue Silver Grass snapped strand after strand before that immense strength.
The next moment, Xiao Wu was already in the giant ape's grasp.
Yet that massive hand, powerful enough to crush rock, clearly eased its force as it caught her, even avoiding the broken wood flying around them.
Gui Mei narrowed his eyes.
"It seems the relationship Lin Feng spoke of is most likely real."
Naturally, Yue Guan had noticed the abnormality as well.
Xiao Wu hadn't detected them earlier, much less tried to flee on her own. Now that another target had appeared of his own accord, this was precisely their chance to investigate the situation.
But if they acted now, not only would they fail to locate the other Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, they might not even be able to capture the one before them.
"I'll follow him. You stay here," Gui Mei said quietly. "Protect Lin Feng. Don't let anything happen to him."
Yue Guan nodded.
"Be careful. Don't follow too closely."
They wanted to establish the relationship between Xiao Wu and the giant ape, not have Gui Mei chase after him alone and risk his life.
"Let Xiao Wu go!"
Tang San rushed forward, several streaks of cold light shooting from his hands.
But the Titan Giant Ape had already turned away. Pushing off with both legs, his enormous body leaped into the forest and soon vanished behind the trees.
Gui Mei's figure faded in turn. Skirting the campsite, he pursued in the direction the giant ape had taken.
Zhao Wuji chased a few more steps before he could only stop.
His giant bear form dissipated. Clutching his chest, he wore a frighteningly grim expression.
He had brought his students out Soul Hunting, only to watch helplessly as a child was taken away!
Lin Feng retracted the silk holding the two of them, released Martial Soul Possession, and immediately looked toward Tang San.
Standing beside a broken tree trunk with reddened eyes, Tang San suddenly turned and grabbed Oscar.
"Give me a Mushroom Sausage!"
"Xiao San, what are you going to do?"
No sooner had Oscar asked than he saw Tang San's expression, and the rest of his words caught in his throat.
Tang San took the sausage and swallowed it. Transparent wings unfolded behind him, and he flew straight in the direction the Titan Giant Ape had taken.
"Tang San!"
Zhao Wuji raised his head, wanting to stop him, but it was already too late.
Lin Feng immediately went over to Oscar.
"Give me one too."
Oscar froze.
"You're going too?"
"I'll keep up with him. Save some sausages for Teacher Zhao."
Lin Feng took another Mushroom Sausage and swallowed it straight down.
"The flight effect only lasts a minute. Don't fly too far!" Oscar hurriedly reminded him.
Without revealing his right leg bone's ability, Lin Feng used the flight effect to rise into the air, keeping his eyes fixed on Tang San ahead.
Behind him came Zhao Wuji's voice, telling the others to gather close.
Lin Feng didn't look back.
He wasn't certain whether that Man Faced Demon Spider would still appear in its original location, but as long as he kept up with Tang San, he would have a chance to find it.
A golden figure swept silently through the forest, following far behind him.
And Lin Feng's gaze never left Tang San. He would never let him land the kill first and obtain the External Soul Bone!