"I killed it."
Lin Feng made no attempt to evade the question. He raised his right arm, which had transformed into a spider leg, and pointed at the broken trees around them.
"It ambushed us. Were we supposed to ask whose prey it was first?"
Meng Yiran's expression darkened.
"First the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent, and now the Man Faced Demon Spider. Do you have to keep stealing my Soul Beasts?"
"You agreed to give up the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent after the contest." Lin Feng looked at her and said evenly, "This spider charged at us on its own. We weren't following you around, so how was that stealing?"
Meng Yiran was about to speak again, but the old man beside her raised a hand to stop her.
"Boy, what's your name?"
"Lin Feng."
Meng Shu's gaze swept over his Soul Rings before turning to the corpse on the ground.
Besides the wounds they had inflicted, the spider had several fresh holes pierced by spider legs. Webs and Blue Silver Grass remained scattered around them. There had indeed been a fierce battle.
But seeing the Soul Beast he had chosen for his granddaughter killed yet again naturally left him displeased.
"You think saying it attacked first is enough to brush this aside?"
"What would you have us do, then, senior?"
Lin Feng did not lower his head. "The Soul Ring has already appeared. Surely you can't expect me to bring it back to life and hand it to your granddaughter to kill again?"
Meng Shu's grip on the Dragon Staff tightened slightly.
Just then, hurried footsteps came from the woods behind them.
"Senior Dragon Duke!"
Zhao Wuji arrived with Dai Mubai and the others. They had pursued them for a stretch using Mushroom Sausages, then finally found this place by following the broken branches and sounds of fighting.
Seeing both Lin Feng and Tang San there, he first breathed a sigh of relief, then stepped forward to stand protectively beside them.
Chao Tianxiang explained what had happened. After hearing her out, Zhao Wuji could not help inwardly groaning.
How had they run into them again?
"The children were rushing to rescue someone. When they were attacked along the way, they had to defend themselves," Zhao Wuji said gravely. "They weren't chasing after you to steal your prey. Punishing them for this would hardly be reasonable, senior."
Meng Shu did not respond. Instead, he walked over to the spider's corpse and bent down to examine it for a while.
"Two thousand years..."
He lifted aside a curled spider leg and carefully inspected the shell on its abdomen, his brow gradually furrowing.
The spider had fled so quickly earlier that he had focused solely on pursuing it and actually underestimated its age.
"Grandpa?" Meng Yiran hurried forward.
"This one is already over two thousand years old. It isn't suitable for you."
Meng Yiran froze.
She had spent so long pursuing it for her third Soul Ring, only to learn now that even if it had not been killed, she could not have safely absorbed it.
Meng Shu straightened and looked at Lin Feng again.
Though the Man Faced Demon Spider had already been injured, he was still quite surprised that a boy with only three Soul Rings had managed to kill it.
Moreover, those two purple Soul Rings were by no means an ordinary configuration.
Continuing this dispute would accomplish nothing for his granddaughter's Soul Ring, beyond letting him vent his anger through a fight.
Recalling the commotion from the giant ape in the distance earlier, Meng Shu finally withdrew his Dragon Staff.
"Zhao Wuji, keep an eye on your students. You won't always be this lucky in the forest."
With that, he turned and left with Chao Tianxiang and Meng Yiran.
Only after the three figures disappeared did Zhao Wuji turn to Lin Feng and Tang San.
"You two certainly ran fast!"
But Tang San asked anxiously, "Teacher Zhao, is there any news of Xiao Wu?"
Zhao Wuji's expression dimmed. He was about to shake his head when a familiar voice suddenly came from the side.
"Brother!"
Tang San spun around.
Not far away, a pink figure was running toward them.
"Xiao Wu!"
He rushed forward and pulled her into his arms. Only after confirming that the person in his embrace had truly returned did his taut body finally relax.
Zhao Wuji also hurried over, repeatedly asking how she had escaped.
Xiao Wu caught her breath and explained, "That Titan Giant Ape carried me a long way. Then it suddenly heard a bull's bellow, dropped me, and ran off on its own."
"A bull's bellow?" Zhao Wuji frowned deeply.
Xiao Wu nodded, then said she had been knocked unconscious by the shock. After waking up, she discovered that her Soul Power had broken through rank thirty. There were also Soul Beasts nearby that had been injured by the shock, so she took the opportunity to obtain her third Soul Ring.
As she spoke, three Soul Rings-two yellow and one purple-rose from beneath her feet.
Ma Hongjun's eyes widened.
"You got carried off and managed to make a breakthrough while you were at it?"
Everyone was both surprised and delighted. Tang San had even less interest in questioning those details. All that mattered was that Xiao Wu had returned safely.
Lin Feng stood beside them without exposing her.
He knew perfectly well how she had obtained that third Soul Ring.
As for that bull's bellow, if Zhao Wuji pondered it carefully, he would probably imagine the depths of the forest to be even more terrifying.
In the distance, a dark figure silently landed beside Yue Guan.
"That giant ape really didn't hurt her. On the contrary, it protected her the whole time," Gui Mei said in a low voice. "I didn't dare get too close. Once she parted from the giant ape, I followed her back."
"What about the other one?"
"I didn't see it."
Yue Guan glanced at the students, who had gathered together again, and slowly nodded.
"At least we've confirmed one of them. Keep an eye on this girl for now. Don't rush into the depths."
After exchanging information, the two concealed themselves once more.
After resting for a night, the group began moving toward the outer reaches.
After the incident with the Titan Giant Ape, Zhao Wuji had no intention of letting the students wander around any longer. If they found a suitable Soul Ring for Tang San, they would take it. If not, they would head back first.
It was not until the following afternoon, as the group passed a hollow in the woods, that Tang San suddenly stopped.
A patch of dark blue-green vines wound around the tree trunks. The moment a dead branch beside them touched a vine, the rapidly tightening tendril twisted it apart.
"Soul Locking Vine." Tang San crouched down to examine its bark and roots. "About twelve hundred years old. Teacher Zhao, I'd like to choose this one."
"Are you sure?"
Tang San nodded.
The vines of this kind of Soul Beast were extremely tough and would keep tightening after wrapping around their prey, making it just right for strengthening Blue Silver Grass's control capabilities.
Lin Feng did not interject.
Tang San knew how to choose a suitable Soul Ring for himself. There was no need for Lin Feng to force an obviously unsuitable Soul Beast on him just to put him at a disadvantage.
Zhao Wuji pinned down the main root, and Tang San located the core and delivered the final blow.
A purple Soul Ring slowly rose.
This time, no one came running out to fight over it.
More than four hours later, Tang San opened his eyes, his third Soul Ring hovering steadily around him.
"Third Soul Skill, Constricting Lock."
Several strands of Blue Silver Grass wrapped around a rock ahead, then abruptly tightened, carving several cracks into its surface.
Zhao Wuji nodded after watching. The effects of this Soul Skill were indeed suited to Tang San's control path.
Then he turned to Lin Feng.
"You're the only one left now. You refused to absorb that Man Faced Demon Spider earlier. Are you still set on a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring?"
"Yes." Lin Feng nodded. "But I'd like to go back and take a look at that nest first."
"You can look, but even if you find it, you're not allowed to act rashly," Zhao Wuji said gravely. "Killing it is one thing. Whether you can withstand its Soul Ring is another."
Lin Feng voiced his agreement, his gaze sweeping over Tang San as the corners of his lips lifted slightly.
He had his third Soul Ring now, but no Eight Spider Lances.
This trip hadn't been for nothing after all.
Next, it was time for his own fourth Soul Ring.
He turned to look back the way they had come, recalling the spider nest where he had left those carved marks.