Chapter 65: Emerald Swan

By a lakeside deep within the Star Dou Great Forest, a fierce battle erupted between a group of soul beasts and a party of soul masters.

More than a dozen soul beasts of various species surrounded a soul beast that looked like a swan with emerald green feathers. They faced off against over twenty soul masters, all of whom had released their martial souls. Their soul rings were all around the four- and five-ring level.

At the rear of the soul masters stood a bold-looking woman clad in leather, commanding the group.

"Kill that Thorn Earth Dragon no matter what!"

The leather-clad woman pointed at the dragon-type soul beast in the center of the soul beast group, currently being healed by the Emerald Swan.

"Yes, Your Highness! But right now, these soul beasts are under the Emerald Swan's command. Winning this won't be easy. The strongest among them seems to be a soul beast that just crossed the ten-thousand-year threshold!"

A Soul King spoke solemnly.

The woman referred to as "Your Highness" bore a striking resemblance to Zhu Zhuqing, especially in figure, though her hair was short.

Zhu Zhuyun narrowed her eyes at the Emerald Swan in the middle of the soul beasts.

She had originally been chasing after Zhu Zhuqing, but was ambushed by the Thorn Earth Dragon halfway and had a jade token—gifted to her by Davis—stolen. That forced her to change direction and confront the Emerald Swan here.

Though the Emerald Swan was only a thousand-year soul beast, the beasts guarding her were powerful.

One of them, a Ground Berserk Bear, had even surpassed the ten-thousand-year mark!

'Something's wrong… run!' Zhu Zhuyun suddenly shouted.

The next moment, a sharp spike suddenly shot up from the ground beneath a Soul King standing diagonally in front of her. It pierced through his crotch and emerged from his chest. Blood sprayed in all directions!

The Soul King's eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at the snake-like head that had suddenly emerged from the earth.

"It's a ten-thousand-year Vertebra Serpent!!!" a soul master shouted in terror.

The soul masters quickly regrouped around Zhu Zhuyun. Only two Soul Kings remained; the rest were all four-ring Soul Sects. The soul beasts took the opportunity to surround them.

"Roar…!" The Ground Berserk Bear growled coldly, its fierce gaze fixed on them.

The Vertebra Serpent dove back into the ground.

Zhu Zhuyun and the others were on high alert. Two soul beasts just over ten-thousand-years, and both were formidable!

The Vertebra Serpent in particular was nicknamed the 'Assassin from Beneath.'

Now surrounded on all sides, the threat of total annihilation loomed over them.

"Your Highness, if it were just the Ground Berserk Bear, we'd still have a decent chance at winning. But now that the Vertebra Serpent's involved, we need to consider retreat. We'll have to give up on retrieving the jade token…" one of the Soul Kings said gravely.

Zhu Zhuyun gave a grim nod and cursed, "It's all that little bastard's fault!"

Just as she finished speaking, another bone spike shot up beneath the Soul King who had just spoken.

The Soul King had been prepared and dodged to the side. His spear instantly thrust into the ground, letting out a muffled bang, but he was still struck in the shoulder by the serpent's tail spike.

He had traded injury for survival—and paid dearly for it.

The Vertebra Serpent dove back into the ground and reappeared behind the group. Its skull was covered by an exoskeleton—earlier, the Soul King's spear had struck that exact spot, sparing it from death.

Now the two ten-thousand-year soul beasts had surrounded the humans from both front and rear!

The injured Soul King retreated to Zhu Zhuyun's side and whispered, "Your Highness, we can't fight anymore. Forgive my impertinence, but I will take you and escape immediately. The others will stall them and we'll regroup elsewhere…"

Zhu Zhuyun's expression changed. What he meant, essentially, was that the others would sacrifice their lives to buy her time.

Though she had been raised in the royal family, asking innocent men to die for her still made her uncomfortable.

"Can't we escape together?"

Zhu Zhuyun asked bitterly.

The injured Soul King replied via voice transmission, "That's impossible. If we hesitate now, we'll all be wiped out. Dying to protect the Princess Consort is our honor…"

His voice was steady, as though he had already cast aside the thought of death.

Zhu Zhuyun knew that these were royal death guards—trained to give their lives for the sake of the empire.

But even so…

"I can help you kill these soul beasts and resolve your crisis. However, I want the Emerald Swan left for me… how about it?"

Suddenly, a voice echoed in their ears.

Amid the tension, expressions shifted across the group.

"Who's there…?" the injured Soul King asked in a low voice.

They couldn't tell, but the voice actually came from the Blue Silver Grass beneath their feet. The rustling leaves mimicked human speech.

"Just answer whether you agree. I'll help you," the voice said again.

The injured Soul King hesitated for a moment, then looked at Zhu Zhuyun. "That man is hiding. I don't think we should trust him. He's probably here to take advantage of us."

"If any of you die, I'll come out and draw away the soul beasts," the voice added.

"Do as he says!" Zhu Zhuyun immediately decided.

While they were speaking, the Vertebra Serpent once again vanished into the ground.

The earth behind one Soul Sect began to subtly bulge.

"Spear Soul King, watch your eight o'clock. I'll say the word, and you strike… Leopard Cat Soul King, be ready to flank the Ground Berserk Bear… Shield Soul Sect, move forward…"

The voice issued clear, methodical commands to everyone.

They could all hear him plainly.

The injured Soul King's eyes revealed a hint of doubt.

In this situation, he didn't believe that someone hiding in the shadows could really turn the tide. But they had no better option—at worst, he would flee with the Princess Consort the moment things went south.

Zhu Zhuyun's bright eyes scanned the surroundings, searching for the mysterious voice's origin.

Then, everything exploded into action!

A bone spike burst from the ground behind one Soul Sect.

At the same moment—

"Now!!"

The commanding voice roared out.

The dozen or so soul masters sprang into motion!

The Leopard Cat Soul King immediately charged at the Ground Berserk Bear, engaging it in a frontal clash.

Following the mysterious orders, he somehow managed to temporarily suppress the bear, despite being weaker.

The bone spike emerging from the ground was suddenly tangled in a mass of Blue Silver Grass that shot up from the earth. It was bound in place, giving the Soul Sect time to escape. As instructed, he drew his bow and loosed an arrow straight at the Emerald Swan.

Nearby, a stalk of Blue Silver Grass grew a meter tall.

The injured Soul King activated three soul rings. His spear surged with dark energy and pierced the base of that stalk.

Hiss hiss…!

The ground violently trembled. The exposed tail of the snake froze—no longer moving.

The Soul King beamed and hurried back to Zhu Zhuyun's side. "His plan worked!"

The other Soul Sects surged forward like blades, driving toward the soul beasts' center and the Emerald Swan.

The soul beasts immediately abandoned Zhu Zhuyun and rushed back to protect the swan.

At that moment, the Blue Silver Grass near the Emerald Swan shot up and wrapped around its body. The Soul Sect's arrow pierced one of its wings, drawing a shriek of pain.

A second arrow followed, striking its throat.

The Emerald Swan… was dead!

Two streams of green light slowly rose from its corpse—one transformed into a soul ring, the other into a soul bone.