Deep within the poisonous miasma, the feeling of being watched lingered. Feng Xiaotian turned, his gaze sweeping over the dark green miasma behind him. Zhong Yue's phantom tortoise shell shielded Bai Yu, while Feng Lingtian stood with his back against the rock wall, several phantom Feng Ling plumes flickering at his fingertips. All four faced the depths of the poisonous miasma-from the moment they entered, they had known they were not alone.
A black shadow shot out of the miasma, aiming straight for the back of Feng Xiaotian's neck. Feng Xiaotian flicked a wind blade behind him. It struck something hard with a piercing scrape. The thing was knocked backward and landed on the dead leaves-a lizard, dark green all over, with a row of bone spurs along its spine. So it was a Mist Lizard. It could briefly hold its breath within this poisonous miasma and ambush prey with its stabbing tongue. No wonder it had been so difficult to detect.
Before the Mist Lizard could roll over, Feng Xiaotian's second wind blade was already upon it. He swept past with Gale Flash Step, and with a flash of the wind blade, the Mist Lizard was severed in two. Feng Lingtian unleashed his feather blades at the same time, sealing off its retreat into the miasma.
The miasma returned to deathly silence.
"...Are there any more?" Bai Yu kept her voice very low, her fingertips still resting on her wind chime.
Feng Xiaotian glanced at the severed Mist Lizard on the ground, then closed his eyes and sensed his surroundings for a moment. "No."
After resting briefly, Feng Xiaotian turned toward the outside of the poisonous miasma again. The pack of Soul Beasts outside had yet to disperse-more than a dozen paced along its edge, low whines rumbling in their throats. Although the enormous jade-eyed beast was gone, the medicinal scent on their own bodies kept the remaining Soul Beasts from leaving just like that.
Feng Xiaotian's gaze swept slowly over the beasts before settling on a Rending Wind Wolf King. It was slightly smaller than the other Soul Beasts, but its frame was exceptionally broad, and its forepaws were nearly twice the size of its hind paws. Whenever its claw tips sliced through the air, they produced a piercing howl of wind. Feng Xiaotian stared at those enormous claws for a long time-this kind of rending attack was precisely what he currently lacked. If his fifth Soul Skill took that direction, his explosive power at close range could rise considerably.
"Around thirteen thousand years." Feng Xiaotian withdrew his gaze and looked at the other three. "I've decided. We'll hunt it for my fifth Soul Ring."
Feng Lingtian followed his gaze. "How do we fight it?"
"Lure it in. The poisonous miasma will suppress its speed." Feng Xiaotian crouched and drew several lines in the mud with his toe. "Lingtian, seal off its retreat with your feather blades. Zhong Yue, take the first hit head-on-its claw strikes are heavy, but your tortoise shell can withstand them. Bai Yu, use your Bells to disrupt its judgment. Don't let it lock onto a target."
All three nodded.
Feng Xiaotian stood and walked out of the miasma's cover, stopping at its edge. The Rending Wind Wolf King immediately raised its head, fixing its emerald eyes directly on him. Without drawing his blade, Feng Xiaotian raised his right hand. His first Soul Ring lit up, and Wolf Assault · Wind Blade skimmed past the Rending Wind Wolf King's ear and struck a tree trunk behind it.
The Rending Wind Wolf King let out a low roar, driving off with all four limbs as it charged at Feng Xiaotian. Just as its forepaws were about to cross the edge of the poisonous miasma, Feng Xiaotian took one step back-just far enough to retreat into it.
The Rending Wind Wolf King instinctively hesitated. The dark green miasma made its instincts scream, but the human's provocation was too direct. The wolf king's pride overcame its fear. It charged inside.
"Zhong Yue!" Feng Xiaotian called.
Zhong Yue's first Soul Ring lit up, and his phantom tortoise shell instantly solidified to its utmost, meeting the Rending Wind Wolf King's first pounce head-on. Its enormous claws slammed into the shell, and five rending bursts of wind pressure exploded at once-Zhong Yue's feet plowed two deep furrows through the ground, and the shell's glowing patterns shook violently, but he did not retreat half a step.
Bai Yu's second Soul Ring lit up. Wind Chime · Gale-the Bell's sound landed precisely on Feng Xiaotian. He felt his whole body lighten, his movements abruptly quickening. Bai Yu's first Soul Ring lit up immediately afterward, and Wind Chime · Clear Heart fell upon Zhong Yue, steadying his mind after the wolf king's oppressive presence had thrown it into turmoil.
"Now!" Feng Xiaotian shouted in a low voice.
Feng Lingtian's third Soul Ring lit up, and five Wind Plume · Feather Blades shot forth at his call, fanning out from the side. Three wind blades sealed off the left, while two intercepted the right. The Rending Wind Wolf King instinctively leaped upward, straight into the position Feng Xiaotian had anticipated.
Feng Xiaotian's third Soul Ring lit up. Gale · Wolf Rush activated, turning him into a straight streak of gale-force wind that slammed into the Rending Wind Wolf King's flank. The impact knocked it half a step sideways. Before it could steady itself, Feng Xiaotian's first Soul Ring lit up again, and Wolf Assault · Wind Blade smashed into its face from the front, forcing its head up and leaving its chest completely exposed.
The final blow. Feng Xiaotian loosely curled the five fingers of his right hand, compressing all his Soul Power to its limit and gathering it at his fingertips into an extremely fine piercing point. It was his Self-Created Soul Skill, Break the Surface at One Point. Back when he had taught Cheng Luo this move at the academy, Cheng Luo had pestered him with questions for three whole days before grasping its fundamentals. Feng Xiaotian himself, however, already knew its execution by heart. Propelled by Gale Flash Step, his figure became an afterimage, his fingertips cutting precisely into the weakest gap in the Rending Wind Wolf King's throat.
The Rending Wind Wolf King let out a brief, mournful howl, and its enormous body crashed to the ground. An ink-black Soul Ring rose from its corpse.
Feng Xiaotian sat cross-legged, took out a bottle of Foundation-Fortifying and Essence-Nurturing Powder, and tipped his head back to swallow it. Closing his eyes, he guided the black Soul Ring into his body. The instant the Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring entered him, a heavy Soul Shock surged into his consciousness. This was not his first encounter with Soul Shock-he had tasted it when the Wind Demon Wolf King for his fourth Soul Ring broke through to ten thousand years at the last moment. This time, the residual medicinal potency of the Mundane-Cleansing Origin-Fortifying Pill protected his meridians, and his Soul Power circulated without the slightest obstruction. Before the shock could fully erupt, he suppressed it through experience. He did not withstand it head-on; he channeled it.
An hour later, Feng Xiaotian opened his eyes. The black Soul Ring circled steadily around him. He sensed the Soul Power within his body-he had reached rank fifty-two. The vast power of the Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring had pushed his Soul Power to a new level.
Feng Xiaotian raised his right hand and loosely curled his fingers. Soul Power circulated through the newly absorbed black Soul Ring, and a phantom wolf claw slowly formed at his fingertips. Five wind trails spread from them, accompanied by fine rending sounds. His fifth Soul Skill, Wolf King · Wind-Rending Claw-this strike's penetrating power was fiercer than that of any of his previous moves. After experiencing it for a moment, he lowered his hand. The phantom dispersed, and he stood.
Bai Yu offered him a waterskin, and Feng Xiaotian took it and gulped down a mouthful. Zhong Yue withdrew his tortoise shell and rubbed his numb shoulders. Leaning against the rock wall, Feng Lingtian nodded at Feng Xiaotian.
"All our objectives are complete." Feng Xiaotian put away the waterskin, took the map from inside his robe, and spread it out again. "Let's find a route and get ready to leave."
Before he had finished speaking, an extremely faint sound suddenly came from outside the poisonous miasma.
It was not a Soul Beast. It was footsteps-human footsteps. They were approaching the poisonous miasma from the direction of the slope.
All four held their breath at once. Outside the poisonous miasma, the packs of Soul Beasts had already dispersed. At a time like this, who else would be heading toward the poisonous miasma?
Feng Xiaotian slowly tightened his grip on the blade at his waist.