The battle had lasted over an hour, and the miasma over the marsh grew thicker, making even breathing laborious. The giant python's stamina was gradually draining, while Tang Feng and Tang Yun's coordination grew increasingly seamless.
Tang Feng and Tang Yun, one attacking and one defending, one close and one at range, steadily wore down the giant python. Every strike of Tang Feng's Clear Sky Hammer left a deep dent in its scales.
Tang Zheng and Tang Lan kept it pinned down, preventing it from escaping.
Finally, when Tang Feng smashed the giant python's vital spot seven inches below its head with his hammer, it let out a piercing, agonized shriek, and its enormous body crashed to the ground.
"Brother Yun, finish it off!" Tang Feng said excitedly.
Tang Yun roared and brought his hammer down on the crown of the giant python's head. It immediately stopped breathing, and a purple Soul Ring slowly rose.
"Hahaha! We did it!" Tang Yun cried excitedly.
Tang Zheng immediately urged him in a stern voice, "All right, regulate your breathing for a moment, then hurry and absorb the Soul Ring. The disturbances from such a long battle might attract other Soul Masters!"
Tang Yun nodded, then sat cross-legged and regulated his breathing for half an hour before beginning to absorb the Soul Ring.
Two hours later, once Tang Yun had finished absorbing the Soul Ring, the four quickly left the marsh.
At that moment, across the marsh, amid an impenetrable thicket.
A pair of dark eyes, like those of a hunting viper, quietly watched the battle through gaps between layers of branches and leaves.
The man wore a fitted black outfit beneath a dark purple robe. A gold-trimmed Six-Winged Angel emblem was embroidered on its hem-the symbol of Spirit Hall.
Intricate golden patterns adorned the robe's collar and cuffs, indicating that he held at least the status of a Soul Emperor.
He was an operative of the covert division of Spirit Hall's Heaven Dou Temple, codenamed Shadow Serpent, who specialized in intelligence gathering and surveillance.
Shadow Serpent held his breath and focused, a ruthless glint flashing through his eyes as he silently calculated, All four have the Clear Sky Hammer Martial Soul. They must be direct-line disciples of the Clear Sky Sect. To think they dared leave the mountain without permission to hunt Soul Beasts. If I report this information, the bishop will surely reward me handsomely.
He carefully adjusted his breathing, suppressing his Soul Power fluctuations to a minimum for fear that the four would notice him.
Only after Tang Yun had finished absorbing the Soul Ring and left the marsh did Shadow Serpent slowly rise from the thicket. His movements were slow, like a viper's. A cold, sinister smile curled his lips, and his figure vanished like a phantom into the depths of the forest.
The main hall of the Martial Soul Temple in Heaven Dou City.
The resplendent hall was decorated with the utmost extravagance.
A mural of Angel Descent covered the enormous dome. Six white jade pillars supported the hall, their shafts carved with intricate Angel God Statues.
In the bishop's office of the Martial Soul Temple, a middle-aged man in a Platinum Bishop's robe sat behind a desk.
His eyes held a sinister arrogance. He was Salas, the Platinum Bishop of Heaven Dou City's Martial Soul Temple.
Salas gently swirled a glass of red wine as he listened to the report from Shadow Serpent, who knelt prostrate before him.
"Your Excellency, in the miasma-covered marshes of western Sunset Forest, I discovered four suspected direct-line disciples of the Clear Sky Sect."
"All four possess the Clear Sky Hammer Martial Soul. Two are Soul Emperors, one has just broken through to Soul Elder, and the youngest is still a One-Ring Soul Master."
Salas sprang to his feet and said viciously, "The Clear Sky Sect! What a Clear Sky Sect! They actually dared hunt Soul Beasts right under Spirit Hall's nose!"
He paced back and forth, his expression dark as deep water, rapidly calculating, If we can catch them all in one net and capture one alive as evidence, His Holiness the Pope will have grounds to move against the Clear Sky Sect...
Salas stopped, a ruthless glint flashing through his eyes. "Shadow Serpent, you have done well. I will personally report this matter to His Holiness the Pope. You may withdraw."
"Yes!" Shadow Serpent respectfully withdrew.
Salas pondered for a moment, then said coldly, "Summon all operatives to the main hall immediately to discuss this matter."
Half an hour later, in the covert division's council chamber at Heaven Dou City's Martial Soul Temple.
Four covert operatives in fitted black outfits beneath dark purple robes knelt on one knee, awaiting Salas's instructions. Salas sat in the seat of honor, a large map of Sunset Forest spread before him.
Salas commanded with cold authority, "Pass on my orders. Dispatch three teams immediately, each led by a Soul Douluo."
"The first team, codenamed 'Falcon': destination, the miasma-covered marshes of western Sunset Forest. Search for traces of the Clear Sky Sect remnants. They must be captured alive."
"The second team, codenamed 'Venomous Serpent': objective, cast a net across heaven and earth around the outskirts of Sunset Forest. Seal every entrance and exit to prevent the targets from escaping."
"The third team, codenamed 'Dark Moon,' will remain on the outskirts, ready to provide support at any moment. Once the targets are located, immediately encircle them. We must catch every last Clear Sky Sect remnant in one net!"
"As you command!" the four covert operatives answered in unison before swiftly withdrawing.
Meanwhile, on the third day after hunting the Iron-Armored Giant Python, Tang Feng and his three companions arrived at a silent valley.
"Something's wrong with this place," Tang Lan said quietly, his gaze sweeping over the silent valley. "It's too quiet. Not even insects or birds are calling. A powerful Soul Beast must be entrenched here, frightening all the others away."
The four cautiously made their way along the valley's edge. A faint sense of oppression hung in the air.
Suddenly, Tang Lan, who was leading the way, stopped dead, his pupils abruptly contracting.
At the far end of the valley, an enormous bear was lazily basking on a sunlit slope.
Dark golden fur covered its entire body, gleaming like metal in the sunlight, as though it wore a suit of natural armor.
It stood over three meters at the shoulder, its powerful body as massive as a mountain, its limbs as thick as century-old trees.
Most terrifying of all were its enormous paws, each bearing five sharp claws over a foot long. They flashed with a cold gleam, as though capable of rending anything apart. Dark golden scales covered its paws, setting it entirely apart from ordinary bear-type Soul Beasts-a sign of an ancient bloodline.
"That's... a Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear!" Tang Feng lowered his voice, which trembled slightly with excitement. "Judging by its size, it only has a little over nine hundred years of cultivation, but its combat strength rivals that of a high-level thousand-year Soul Beast! An existence like this can only be encountered by chance, not sought out!"
Tang Zheng and Tang Lan exchanged glances, delight likewise flashing in their eyes. "This truly is your destined encounter. Even if a top-tier Soul Beast like this hasn't reached a thousand years, the quality of its Soul Ring far surpasses that of an ordinary thousand-year Soul Beast. Its attributes are also extremely compatible with the Clear Sky Hammer Martial Soul."
Tang Lan also nodded approvingly. "It looks like we really got lucky this time. Still, this kind of Soul Beast has astonishing combat strength. We must handle it carefully."
The four quickly spread out to surround it. Tang Feng drew a deep breath, his palms damp with sweat and his heart racing with excitement.
The Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear seemed to sense danger and abruptly opened its eyes, revealing a pair of dark golden pupils, cold and full of majesty.
It let out a low roar that echoed through the valley, making the leaves rustle. An enormous paw slammed into the ground, shattering the hard rock and leaving deep claw marks.
"Attack!" Tang Zheng barked, and all four attacked at once.
Tang Zheng and Tang Lan struck first. Six Soul Rings-yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black-lit up, and their Clear Sky Hammers, wrapped in Soul Power, smashed fiercely toward the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear's flanks.
The Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear roared furiously and swung its enormous paws, meeting the two Clear Sky Hammers head-on with a deafening crash. Waves of air churned, throwing dust into the sky.
Seizing the opening, Tang Feng charged from the front. He raised his Clear Sky Hammer high, Soul Power surging, and smashed it toward the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear's head.
But the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear reacted with incredible speed. Its other enormous paw swept across, colliding head-on with Tang Feng's Clear Sky Hammer.
The tremendous impact numbed the web between Tang Feng's thumb and forefinger and sent him staggering several steps back. He was inwardly shocked. This Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear's strength far exceeded his imagination.
"We can't meet it head-on!" Tang Feng swiftly adjusted his tactics, darting like a phantom as he circled the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear, searching for an opening.
The Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear roared again and again, its enormous paws whipping up fierce gusts with every swing, yet it could never strike the nimble figure.
Tang Zheng and Tang Lan drew the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear's attention. The four coordinated ever more seamlessly. Though the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear was powerful, it gradually fell into a disadvantage under their combined assault.
Yet the battle proved far more difficult than they had imagined. The Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear's defenses were astonishing. Their Clear Sky Hammers left only shallow marks when they struck its body.
Its counterattacks, however, were incomparably fierce. Every sweep of its enormous paws came with a whistle that tore through the air. The slightest carelessness could leave any of the four injured.
"This beast is too tough!" Tang Zheng panted, fine beads of sweat already seeping from his forehead.
"Don't rush. Its stamina is draining too. Hold on for another quarter of an hour, and it will definitely reveal an opening," Tang Lan analyzed calmly.