Chapter 62: The Chang Tiger, Ma Xiaotao's Fury
By the time everyone finished handling all the matters and returned to the temporary camp, it was already late at night.
The night in the Star Dou Great Forest was far more clamorous than the outside world imagined.
Desolate and vigorous roars of ten-thousand-year Soul Beasts rose and fell in the distance, while the rustling of insects and the cries of unknown birds and beasts in the nearby darkness were incessant.
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Even the most frightening horror movie was nothing compared to this.
Since the original camp had already been cleared once by Ma Xiaotao, Han Ruoruo and the other two only needed to pitch their tents.
"This is the Mixed Zone. Ten-thousand-year Soul Beasts generally don't divide territories here, but there are plenty of wandering thousand-year Soul Beasts, so we still need to take turns keeping watch," the experienced Han Ruoruo arranged.
"Ming'er, Chu Qingtian, and I have just been through a battle, and our Soul Power has been consumed. So, Lin Xuan, you and Xiaotao will take the first watch, and the three of us will take the second half of the night."
"No problem," Lin Xuan nodded.
Han Ruoruo said no more. Each of them crawled into their tents and began to recover their condition as quickly as possible through meditation.
Outside the tents, the campfire was cautiously extinguished, considering that most Soul Beasts were not afraid of fire like ordinary wild animals and might even be attracted by the light.
The only light source left was the cold, frost-like bright moonlight filtering through the gaps in the lush foliage.
Lin Xuan lightly leaped onto a thick and stable branch, sat down with his back against the trunk, and closed his eyes to rest.
Inside the Spiritual Sea, seeing that they had reunited with Han Ruoruo and the others, the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm felt safe and secure. It muttered, "Finally, I can have a peaceful sleep," and sank back into dreamland.
Beneath the tree, Ma Xiaotao also had her eyes closed, leaning against another large tree.
But she had not entered a state of meditation.
The inexplicable feeling of stifled frustration in her chest had not been relieved, and she could not truly calm down.
The moonlight cast a blurred shadow of Lin Xuan's silhouette from the branch, landing right at her feet.
Silence persisted, with only the breathing of the forest itself echoing.
Finally, Ma Xiaotao opened her eyes and looked directly at the shadow above her head.
"Hey, Lin Xuan."
On the branch, Lin Xuan didn't open his eyes, merely responding flatly.
"Hmm?"
Under the tree, Ma Xiaotao pursed her lips. It seemed the next words were a bit difficult for her to say, but she eventually asked.
"Do you... have some kind of problem with me?"
Anyone hearing this would find the question random and even a bit abrupt.
But based on her observations throughout the day, there was almost no extra interaction between her and Lin Xuan aside from necessary mission communication.
It would be fine if Lin Xuan were like this with everyone, but it just so happened that he was only like this with her.
Was it her own problem? Ma Xiaotao didn't think so, so she wanted to ask Lin Xuan to see whose problem it really was based on his answer.
Hearing this, Lin Xuan couldn't help but want to laugh.
Don't you have any self-awareness about your own temper?
If I had acted more enthusiastic and proactive, I'm afraid you would have another arrogant'stay away from me' look on your face right now.
Lin Xuan was not only a genius himself, but he had also seen many geniuses.
For proud geniuses like Ma Xiaotao, proactively approaching them often backfired; maintaining an appropriate distance was more likely to sustain a relatively equal and harmonious relationship.
However, Ma Xiaotao did not know what he was thinking.
In her simple perception, since she had lowered her guard and asked proactively, the other party should give a clear answer.
She tilted her head back, staring intently at the figure on the branch, waiting for a response.
Just as Lin Xuan was pondering how to answer this slightly awkward question, a large number of Shikigami suddenly lost contact in his perception!
Those were the hundreds of Tu Tu scattered around the camp as mobile sentry points.
And just now, nearly a hundred Tu Tu in a straight line to the north were completely annihilated at the same time, like candles snuffed out by an invisible giant hand!
Lin Xuan's tightly closed eyes snapped open.
"A Soul Beast is charging here from the north at high speed! It's extremely fast!"
"A Soul Beast attack? Where, where?"
Han Ruoruo, Wu Ming, and Chu Qingtian immediately emerged from their tents, standing ready, but all they could see was darkness.
Lin Xuan didn't speak, but his gaze grew increasingly solemn.
"Eight thousand meters... seven thousand meters... five thousand meters... three thousand meters!"
In just a dozen seconds, all the Tu Tu along the five-thousand-meter path were annihilated!
At this distance, the field of vision finally began to change.
"Rumble—!!!"
In the distance, large swaths of trees were trampled as if by an invisible giant, collapsing in rows to both sides with a crash!
The dull thuds and the crisp sounds of breaking trees blended into a heart-pounding roar. The ground vibrated perceptibly, as if some gargantuan creature was brutally smashing through all obstacles and charging straight toward them!
"This commotion... doesn't seem like something an ordinary ten-thousand-year Soul Beast could cause!" Cold sweat dripped from Chu Qingtian's forehead, his voice tight.
"Don't bunch up! Spread out! Watch for evasive maneuvers!" Han Ruoruo shouted sharply.
The five of them reacted extremely fast, their figures flickering in different directions simultaneously to open up distance. They formed a fan shape facing the direction of the impact, Soul Power surging as each prepared for battle.
"Boom—!!!"
The last stretch of dense forest blocking their view disintegrated under the violent force, wood chips and dust rising in a swirl.
Without the cover of branches and leaves, the cold moonlight poured down unreservedly, illuminating the path that had been forcibly carved out and the giant shadow at the end of the path radiating a monstrous, ferocious aura!
It was a giant tiger over ten meters in size!
Its yellow and black stripes glinted with a cold luster under the moonlight. Its muscles bulged like rising mountains, and its limbs landed as steadily as peaks, each step making the earth tremble slightly.
However, when everyone's gaze fell upon its body, their breath hitched, and a chill instantly crawled up their spines!
Surrounding the giant tiger's body were a dozen translucent phantoms of various shapes!
There were hideous wolves, coiled giant pythons, and fierce birds with spread wings... They were lifelike, even retaining some of their characteristics and pressure from when they were alive.
But those hollow, lifeless eye sockets told everyone that these phantoms were already departed souls!
"It's actually... a Chang Tiger!" Han Ruoruo gasped, her voice filled with unbelievable shock.
She began to explain in a low voice at a very fast pace.
"This is an extremely rare type of tiger Soul Beast that is also intensely hated by other Soul Beast groups! It doesn't have the top-tier bloodline talent and multiple attributes of the Dark Demonic Evil God Tiger, but its innate Soul skills allows it to control the souls of the creatures it kills, turning them into its own to enhance itself or directly command them in battle!"
"Because of this, its existence is even more feared and loathed by other Soul Beasts than the Dark Demonic Evil God Tiger! Logically, there shouldn't be many more of these Soul Beasts than there are Dark Demonic Evil God Tigers. How did we happen to run into one!"
These words made everyone's skin crawl, and they also understood why this Soul Beast was so unwelcome.
After all, no one wanted their soul to be enslaved by their enemy after death.
But then, Han Ruoruo frowned again, wondering aloud.
"Wait... looking at the size and pressure of this Chang Tiger, its cultivation age is definitely over fifty thousand years! A Chang Tiger of this level should have hunted countless Soul Beasts and controlled at least a hundred souls. Why are there only a dozen or so around it? And looking at the solidity of these souls, they also seem..."
She didn't finish her sentence, but the meaning was already clear.
The condition of this Chang Tiger seemed a bit off, one might even say... a bit weak?
Hearing this, Wu Ming's eyes lit up, and a burning battle intent surged.
"Who cares why! Fewer souls mean it might be weak or have exhausted itself! Isn't this the perfect chance to take it down?"
"Exactly."
Lin Xuan's voice rang out calmly, his gaze locked onto the giant tiger that had slowly stopped and was looking over warily.
"This is the one."
Their target was instantly unified!
At this moment, the Chang Tiger clearly noticed the five human Soul Masters blocking its path.
Ferocious light flickered in its giant amber eyes, and a low roar rolled from its throat, vibrating the air.
But it showed no sign of attacking immediately; its massive body turned slightly, as if it wanted to bypass this group of obstacles and continue on its original journey.
It didn't want to get involved?
"Want to leave? Too late!"
Wu Ming was the first who couldn't hold back. Her Golden Crow True Fire transformed into a small sun, crashing down with a scorching aura! She struck the first blow of the battle!
Han Ruoruo's Golden Pliable Cord shot out like a spirit snake, Binding toward the Chang Tiger's hind legs from another direction.
Chu Qingtian turned into a flash of lightning, moving with incredible speed as he tried to distract its vision.
Lin Xuan clapped his hands together again, and a high-pressure water jet sprayed out.
"Hundred Convergence: Blood Pierce!"
Of everyone, Ma Xiaotao had the strongest reaction.
Scorching Phoenix Flames erupted wildly from her body, the terrifying temperature causing the void to warp slightly.
"I finally swallowed my pride and asked the question, and you just had to interrupt me... Damn it!"
"I'm going to kill you!"
Killing intent surged in Ma Xiaotao's eyes, almost solidifying. Bathed in fire, the crimson flames outlined magnificent Phoenix Wings as she soared into the night sky!
The six Soul Rings beneath her feet shone brilliantly in the light of the flames, with the first, second, and third Soul Rings lighting up simultaneously!
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