Just as Captain Luo and his five companions threw the balls, rings of Soul Rings began appearing around them. They stared fixedly at the enormous figure in the powder, ready to attack at any moment.
Once the grayish-white powder had dispersed somewhat, Captain Luo roared, "Attack!"
At once, the six unleashed their Soul Skills at the Purple-Patterned Thunder Spirit Butterfly in the dust, as though they cost no Soul Power at all.
The Purple-Patterned Thunder Spirit Butterfly flew into a rage. Purple lightning poured down from the sky like rain, its broad barrage blanketing the entire lightning zone.
Lightning exploded, sending dirt and rocks flying. The violent power of the lightning charred and shattered the ancient trees nearby.
The more the Soul Hunting team fought, the more alarmed they became. The power of this Soul Beast's lightning and the depth of its Soul Power far exceeded what they knew of a 2,500-year Soul Beast!
Damn it, that brat tricked us! Captain Luo grew even angrier.
The Soul Beast before them had already lost more than half its strength after laying its eggs and had inhaled so much anesthetic besides. That it still possessed such strength made it clear that it could not possibly be only 2,500 years old, as Lu Yu had claimed.
The aftereffects of the battle gradually subsided. Once the dust had cleared somewhat, Lu Yu looked at the Purple-Patterned Thunder Spirit Butterfly, covered in wounds, then turned to Lin Tian.
"That should be enough. Let's go over!"
Lin Tian nodded and followed Lu Yu.
Before the two could get close, the Purple-Patterned Thunder Spirit Butterfly swayed and fell headfirst to the ground. Most of the purple patterns on its body had dimmed, and the antennae on its forehead were still trembling.
The battle was over. The members of the Soul Hunting team panted heavily, all bearing injuries, and each of them had a fire burning in his heart-the anger of having been deceived.
Captain Luo caught his breath and looked up at the place where they had first spotted the Purple-Patterned Thunder Spirit Butterfly. Lu Yu and Lin Tian were gone, so he hurriedly looked around.
Only then did he see the two already walking toward his group. The moment he saw Lu Yu, he could no longer suppress his anger and strode toward him, his face furious.
"You little bastard, how dare you trick me? This Soul Beast is definitely more than 2,500 years old-at least 3,000! If you don't give me a reasonable explanation, don't even think about walking out of this forest today."
"What? Three thousand years? Captain Luo, are you sure you didn't see wrong?" Lu Yu immediately looked shocked and stared at Captain Luo in disbelief.
"Why the hell would I lie to you? Explain yourself, now! Or else..." Captain Luo glared viciously at Lu Yu.
"Impossible, impossible!" Looking panic-stricken, Lu Yu went around Captain Luo and hurried over to the Purple-Patterned Thunder Spirit Butterfly to check its age.
Watching Lu Yu's performance, Captain Luo was uncertain for a moment. Could the brat really have made a mistake? Did he think it was a 2,500-year Soul Beast?
With acting like that, Oscar shouldn't give Lu Yu sausages. He should melt down Gold Soul Coins and cast Lu Yu a little golden statuette.
After looking for several minutes, Lu Yu confirmed that the Purple-Patterned Thunder Spirit Butterfly was around 3,800 years old, exactly as he had expected. He was very satisfied.
But he didn't let it show on his face. Lu Yu took several shaky steps backward, muttering things like "impossible" all the while!
"Captain, what's wrong with the brat?" a team member asked, moving up beside Captain Luo.
Captain Luo didn't answer, but much of the anger had faded from his face, and his gaze toward Lu Yu was no longer as fierce as before.
Seeing this, Lin Tian's heart skipped a beat. He hurried forward to support Lu Yu.
"Lu Yu, what's wrong with you?"
Lu Yu seemed to come to his senses only then. He gripped Lin Tian's shoulders and pulled him in front of himself, letting Lin Tian shield him from Captain Luo and the others.
Lu Yu kept his voice very low, but every word was firm. "Lin Tian, listen to me. This Soul Beast is 3,800 years old. If you absorb it, there's a very good chance your body won't be able to withstand it."
Lin Tian swallowed, taking his eyes off Lu Yu's face to look at the Purple-Patterned Thunder Spirit Butterfly, which was still trembling on the ground.
"Lu Yu, I refined two pieces of Whale Rubber. What's the limit I can withstand?"
"Around 3,500 years!" Lu Yu answered with certainty.
When Lin Tian said nothing, Lu Yu released his shoulders. Regret and apology returned to his face as he walked toward Captain Luo, one step at a time.
"Captain Luo, I'm terribly sorry. My skills weren't good enough, and I misjudged the Soul Beast's age. Please accept these 2,000 Gold Soul Coins as compensation for all of you."
As he spoke, Lu Yu took a small cloth pouch from his Storage Soul Tool. It contained exactly 2,000 Gold Soul Coins, no more and no less. Lu Yu had prepared them all beforehand.
Seeing the self-reproach on Lu Yu's face, and the 2,000 Gold Soul Coins in his hand, Captain Luo turned to the other five members. The resentment had vanished entirely from their faces, and they were staring eagerly at the little cloth pouch in Lu Yu's hand.
Captain Luo shook his head helplessly at the eager looks on his teammates' faces. If they were no longer holding it against Lu Yu, what else could he, their captain, say?
"Forget it. We won't hold this against you!"
Captain Luo let out a long breath and accepted the Gold Soul Coins from Lu Yu. At that moment, he felt his teammates' gazes grow even more eager.
Captain Luo turned and glared at them, then looked back at Lu Yu.
"Kid, we're all injured now. We can't continue..."
Before Captain Luo could finish, he felt a fluctuation of Soul Power and looked up at the Purple-Patterned Thunder Spirit Butterfly in surprise.
He saw that Lin Tian had summoned his Martial Soul and was saying in a low voice, "First Soul Skill-Thunderclap Break!"
Captain Luo was about to stop Lin Tian from killing the Soul Beast indiscriminately, but it was too late. Lin Tian brought his staff down, smashing in the Purple-Patterned Thunder Spirit Butterfly's head casing.
The Purple-Patterned Thunder Spirit Butterfly let out a wretched wail. Soul Power rapidly leaked from its body and gathered into a purple Soul Ring above its corpse.
Seeing this, Lu Yu knew Lin Tian had made his choice, and the corners of his mouth rose slightly.
When the Soul Ring appeared, Captain Luo deflated like a punctured ball and turned away. What could he do? He had just accepted 2,000 Gold Soul Coins from them; he couldn't very well criticize them now.
"Lin Tian! You..."
Lu Yu rushed over anxiously, but Lin Tian raised a hand to stop him.
"Lu Yu, I want to try!"
Lin Tian's gaze was utterly resolute, a smile on his lips. Those few words had nearly exhausted all his strength.
Lu Yu said no more. He stepped forward, took out a sausage, and handed it to Lin Tian. "This sausage can heal injuries. Keep it in your mouth, and if you can't hold on, swallow it."
Looking at the sausage in his hand, Lin Tian thought of something and suddenly asked, "Is it his?"
Lu Yu nodded in tacit confirmation.
Lin Tian promptly stuffed the sausage into his mouth, then sat cross-legged and took deep breaths to steady his mind.
Lu Yu gave the Purple-Patterned Thunder Spirit Butterfly a long look. His eyes shifted, and he turned and went over to Captain Luo.
"Captain Luo, my friend is going to absorb the Soul Ring and doesn't want to be disturbed. Sorry for the trouble, but could you all stand guard outside and make sure no one comes near?"
Captain Luo opened his mouth, then closed it weakly. He left with his teammates, who were looking at Lin Tian as though he were already dead, and went to stand guard outside against any other Soul Beasts or people who might come to cause trouble.
Once their retreating figures had disappeared from sight, Lu Yu turned to look at Lin Tian, who was sitting cross-legged on the ground.
"Brother, you'll definitely succeed!"
(P.S. Sigh~ all right, it really does seem like no one's reading. No one responded about the External Soul Bone I mentioned yesterday either. I'm a little disappointed!)