After entering the Soul Hunting Forest, Lu Yu expertly took a packet of pitch-black powder from his bundle. It was Hundred-Year Soul Beast dung that he had bought for 10 Silver Soul Coins.
Although he was only hunting on the outskirts, he still needed to take the necessary precautions. He had already died once, and he had no desire to die again so soon.
"I've used it plenty of times, but it still stinks!"
Lu Yu opened the paper packet, and a pungent, fishy stench instantly spread, rushing straight into his nose. Holding his breath, he sprinkled the Soul Beast dung over himself.
Once he was done, he brushed the remaining powder from his hands and rubbed them on the grass. Then he looked up at the silent Soul Hunting Forest.
"That kid's got some skills!"
Led by his tall, thin underling, Jin Erhu arrived at a damaged gap 200 meters from the Soul Hunting Forest guards' perimeter. It was the very passage Lu Yu had smashed open with the Ruyi Staff earlier.
The gap was sized to fit Lu Yu, allowing him to climb in and out with ease, but for Jin Erhu and his four burly companions, it was especially narrow and cramped.
Jin Erhu raised a hand, signaling all his underlings to step back, and shouted in a low voice, "Martial Soul Possession!"
The ferocious phantom of a tiger appeared behind him. Jin Erhu's body instantly swelled, growing several sizes more muscular, with layers of muscle bulging across his frame. Two Soul Rings, one white and one yellow, circled steadily beneath his feet.
Jin Erhu then bent low to the ground and widened the passage bit by bit, working along the gap Lu Yu had smashed open. Every movement was exceptionally careful and gentle, keeping the noise down for fear of drawing the Soul Hunting Forest guards stationed on the outskirts.
Only Soul Masters carrying Spirit Hall's special Soul Hunting permits could enter through the Soul Hunting Forest's official entrance. Ordinary people who wanted to enter the forest without permission could only sneak in like this.
Meanwhile, deep inside the Soul Hunting Forest.
Lu Yu kept low as he moved carefully between the trees, searching meticulously for signs of Soul Beasts lurking nearby.
Great Sage, who was lying on Lu Yu's shoulder, suddenly reached out a monkey paw and slapped him hard on the chest. His monkey eyes tightened as he turned to look behind them, his gaze full of wariness.
Sensing Great Sage's warning, Lu Yu stopped dead. He immediately bent down, lowering his center of gravity as he quickly scanned the dense woods around them. Only after confirming that nothing was moving nearby for the moment did he speak, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Great Sage, what did you find?"
Great Sage made no sound. He simply nodded hard and pointed a slender monkey paw precisely in the direction Lu Yu had come from.
"Someone's behind us?"
Murmuring under his breath, Lu Yu quickly slipped behind a thick ancient tree and poked half his head out, looking solemnly back the way he had come through the woods.
Twenty minutes earlier.
Jin Erhu had completely widened the narrow gap Lu Yu had smashed open. The group bent down and slipped through the passage one after another, successfully sneaking into the Soul Hunting Forest.
The undergrowth was thick, making it impossible to tell which way Lu Yu had gone. Jin Erhu looked around, then turned to Tu Ka beside him and gave an order in a deep voice.
"Tu Ka, use your Martial Soul to see where that kid is. He only entered the forest a short while ago, so he definitely can't have gone far."
"Understood, boss!" Tu Ka answered at once.
Tu Ka immediately channeled his Soul Power to summon his Martial Soul. Two Soul Rings, one white and one yellow, rose from beneath his feet.
A gray-black bird with fine cracks across its wings appeared in midair. It circled once, then spread its wings and soared upward, steadily widening its search.
Seven or eight minutes later, the crack-patterned bird circling high overhead finally returned.
"Well? Any sign of that kid?" Jin Erhu strode forward, a touch of urgency in his voice.
"Boss, the target's in that direction, about a thousand meters from here!"
Tu Ka nodded firmly and pointed straight into the dense woods to the left. In the image relayed by his Martial Soul, there happened to be a child and a monkey in that area.
"Good! Hurry, follow me. That kid caught several Soul Beasts, so he must have money!"
Greed flashed in Jin Erhu's eyes. With a sweep of his hand, he led the way forward.
At the mention of money, the eyes of his four underlings instantly reddened, and they hurried after him.
"Stop!"
As they advanced, Jin Erhu suddenly raised a hand in a stop signal, ordering everyone behind him to halt at once.
Jin Erhu slowly crouched down, pinched up a little black powder left on the ground, and brought it to his nose. After sniffing it briefly, he immediately recognized what it was.
"It's processed Soul Beast dung powder!"
Jin Erhu's gaze darkened. He quietly warned the others behind him, "That kid's somewhere nearby. Everyone, watch your surroundings!"
The four underlings nodded and acknowledged him. They all bent forward, lowered their centers of gravity, and stepped lightly, taking care not to make the slightest unnecessary sound.
Before long, Lu Yu, hiding behind the ancient tree, clearly spotted five furtive figures moving between the trees.
"Who are these people?"
Lu Yu frowned deeply, full of questions. Ordinary Soul Masters entered the Soul Hunting Forest through the official guarded entrance. These five could not possibly have reached this area through the main entrance.
A chilling suspicion instantly took shape in Lu Yu's mind: these people must have snuck into the Soul Hunting Forest through the gap he had smashed open! That was why they had run into him by such a coincidence.
Either they were poachers who had also trespassed into the forest, or they were criminals who had followed him all the way here, intending to ambush and rob him!
Looks like someone has finally set their sights on what I've gained from my frequent trips into the Soul Hunting Forest lately.
A cold light flashed in Lu Yu's eyes, and he had already made his decision. If I've been your target from the start, then don't blame me for showing no mercy!
Lu Yu watched intently for a moment. After confirming that the five were still a safe distance away, he suppressed his presence, made every movement light, and nimbly climbed the thick ancient tree, settling firmly on a branch.
From his vantage point, Lu Yu could finally see exactly how many people were below: a full five!
This is going to be difficult!
Lu Yu crouched on the branch, his gaze fixed on every move Jin Erhu's group made below as he silently considered how to deal with them.
Just as Lu Yu was weighing his options, hesitating over whether to advance or retreat, Jin Erhu happened to turn toward Tu Ka.
The moment Lu Yu saw Jin Erhu's face clearly, the hesitation in his eyes vanished, replaced by bone-chilling killing intent.
Lu Yu had been torn between lying low and facing them head-on, but now only one thought remained in his mind-how to finish off this gang of villains for good!
While hunting in the Soul Hunting Forest during this period, Lu Yu had heard plenty of rumors about them. Jin Erhu, the man before him, was a notoriously vicious bully and bandit in the area around the Soul Hunting Forest.
In the past, Soul Masters had often paid Jin Erhu and his men to help them hunt Souls, but once the group found a Soul Beast, they would demand a higher price on the spot. If their employer refused to pay more, Jin Erhu and his men would turn back halfway through and walk away.
Besides that, Jin Erhu and his men also frequently intercepted other Soul Hunting teams and forcibly demanded their valuables. If they were not paid, they would cause trouble as they pleased, interfering with the others' hunts.
It could not possibly be a coincidence that a gang with such a long record of misdeeds had deliberately followed him.
Since these people have set their sights on me, even if I can escape today, I won't be able to enter the Soul Hunting Forest with peace of mind afterward!
Lu Yu's gaze was bone-chillingly cold as his mind raced, quickly working out the best battle plan.
Of Jin Erhu's five-man group, four were Two-Ring Soul Grandmasters and one was a One-Ring Soul Master. With Lu Yu's current fighting strength, he was by no means incapable of putting up a fight. He was even confident he could defeat them in one strike.
All that confidence came from the weight of his Second Martial Soul, the Ruyi Staff. The staff now weighed a full thousand jin.
Even with that advantage, his opponents were still five Soul Masters. Either he would not strike at all, or, once he did, he had to kill with one blow and leave Jin Erhu and his men no chance to react!
Having thought through all the pros, cons, and tactics, Lu Yu bent down, drew Great Sage from his arms up to his ear, and quietly explained the battle plan in detail.
When Great Sage heard it, his eyes lit up, and he nodded repeatedly. He had fully grasped everything Lu Yu had arranged.
After confirming that Great Sage understood him, Lu Yu set him on the branch, then summoned the Ruyi Staff and placed it in his hands to wield.