Chapter 42: The Purple Flame Owl Beast

At the foot of the circular mountain valley, the three members of Spirit Hall's Golden Generation finally managed to climb over the ridges and arrive at the barren wasteland Fang Chang had passed through earlier.

"Wait," Hu Liena extended her hand, stopping Yan, who was eager to step into the wasteland. The area's abrupt appearance made her uneasy.

Before she could formulate her next plan, a gray figure emerged from the ground in the wasteland.

The fourteen eyes of the three humans and the spider in the gray figure's gaze met midair, and they could all sense the hostility in each other's eyes.

Elsewhere in the forest, Fang Chang, having finished devouring the Four-Eyed Golden Horned Snake, continued wandering. His chosen route ran along the edges of the forest's outer ring, deliberately avoiding the central regions.

As he moved, he suddenly heard the sounds of a fierce battle in the distance. Hesitant at first, his curiosity eventually got the better of him, and he cautiously approached the source of the commotion.

Fang Chang was careful. He avoided using his "Leap" skill to rush forward and instead crept through the underbrush, keeping his body low.

His eight eyes darted around like searchlights, scanning for potential threats. Any unusual movement caused him to freeze and activate his "Concealment" skill. Only after a few minutes of silence did he resume his cautious advance.

What should have been a brief half-mile trek took him over ten minutes.

As Fang Chang got closer, the sounds of battle grew louder. He could now distinguish birdlike screeches, the clash of hard objects, and even human shouts mixed in.

Finally, he reached a sloping riverbank. Hidden behind tall grass, he peered out and spotted the scene of the fight: three human soul masters battling a 7,300-year-old Purple Flame Owl Beast.

Species: Purple Flame Owl Beast (Devourable)

Soul Power: 7,300 years 

HP: 2,953/3,300 

Strength: 600 

Attack: 599 

Defense: 538 

Speed: 701

From the stats alone, the Purple Flame Owl Beast was noticeably stronger than the 5,000-year-old Four-Eyed Golden Horned Snake Fang Chang had fought earlier.

This beast, however, was far from being an easy opponent. Unlike the snake, which Fang Chang had encountered in a severely weakened state, the owl beast was still relatively healthy.

Its opponents were also formidable: three Spirit Hall soul masters, dressed similarly to the one who had previously ambushed Fang Chang. All three were Soul Elders, with soul power levels of 46 and 43.

Typically, soul beasts of this level were stronger than human soul masters, but the owl beast still struggled to handle the three-on-one fight.

Fortunately for the beast, its ability to fly gave it a distinct advantage. Hovering low over the river valley, it launched purple fireballs at its human adversaries, who had no means of flight or effective ranged attacks.

The three soul masters were forced to hide behind a large boulder, waiting for an opportunity to counterattack.

"Where's Brother Yan? He said he'd join us after killing that Four-Eyed Golden Horned Snake!" one of the soul masters cursed.

Fang Chang perked up. "Brother Yan? Four-Eyed Golden Horned Snake? Could they mean the guy who ambushed me? Well, he's not coming back."

"Do I look like I know?!" snapped the highest-ranked of the three, a 46th-level Soul Elder, his tone filled with frustration.

As a powerful assault-type beast soul master, he was confident he could defeat the Purple Flame Owl Beast in a direct confrontation.

But the current situation forced him to stay on the defensive, unable to fully utilize his abilities.

His teammates—a support-type soul master and a melee weapon soul master—were equally unprepared for this kind of aerial combat.

Their only hope had been their missing teammate, whose martial soul, a longbone bow, was ideal for ranged attacks. Yet, there was no sign of him.

"Brother Qi, should we retreat? This isn't getting us anywhere," the third soul master finally spoke, his tone wavering.

"No!" the leader, Qi, gritted his teeth, his eyes filled with determination. "We've already spent half the night fighting this thing. We're not leaving empty-handed."

"I'll draw its attention. You go find Brother Yan and get him here!"

Without waiting for a response, Qi sprang into action. He darted out from behind the boulder, picking up a rock and hurling it at the hovering owl beast.

The Purple Flame Owl Beast was momentarily distracted, turning its attention to Qi. Its belly contracted, and five purple fireballs shot toward him.

Qi quickly activated his martial soul and scrambled forward, dodging as best he could.

His martial soul—a pink deer—manifested in a rather comical form. Despite his burly frame, the pink antlers atop his head and the fluffy pink tail hanging behind him made him look ridiculous.

His teammates, though accustomed to this sight, couldn't suppress their laughter.

A fireball struck Qi, burning a large hole in his clothes and filling the air with the smell of charred fabric.

"Are you idiots done laughing?! Get moving! Do you think this doesn't hurt?!" Qi bellowed, his face contorted with pain.

The soul master assigned to find Brother Yan snapped out of his daze and dashed into the forest. He unwittingly headed in Fang Chang's direction.

Hidden among the shrubs along the man's path, Fang Chang lay in wait, fully concealed. His eight eyes gleamed with anticipation as the human approached, unaware of the impending danger.

Name: Liu Neng

Species: Human

Soul Power: 43rd-level Soul Elder

Martial Soul: Fire Stick

"Still manageable," Fang Chang thought, noting the man's combat capabilities.

Liu Neng's careless sprint betrayed his complacency. After hunting seven soul beasts in a row without incident, the group had grown overconfident.

As Liu Neng drew closer, Fang Chang's muscles tensed. Just as the human was about to pass by, Fang Chang sprang into action.

Three spider legs shot upward, impaling Liu Neng's chest, abdomen, and thigh.

Liu Neng barely had time to summon his martial soul. His scream echoed through the forest before he collapsed.

"Number two," Fang Chang murmured as he retracted his bloodied legs.