[DD]: 45

Suddenly, an unusual sound came from the darkness ahead.

Without hesitation, Dugu Yan's first soul ring flared up, and a dark red beam of energy shot directly toward the source of the sound. It exploded instantly, igniting the surrounding trees and illuminating the area.

Under the light of the fire, Dugu Yan fixed her gaze on the scene. There was nothing—absolutely nothing.

Her attack had missed.

Just as this thought flashed through her mind, she heard a rustling sound from the darkness to her left, louder and clearer than before.

Was it a snake? Or some other arthropod?

The knowledge she had acquired finally provided the feedback she needed at this critical moment.

The next second, she decisively left her original position, quickly running toward the spot she had just attacked. Another beam of lava shot toward the approximate location of the sound on her left.

Still unclear about what kind of soul beast the enemy was, she could only confirm that the place she had attacked before was safe. Staying in her original position was undoubtedly the worst choice.

Another explosion lit up the surrounding trees, but Dugu Yan still did not see her opponent.

The enemy moved very quickly. This was the information she could confirm from her two attacks.

In that case, she decided to ignite everything around her.

Under such circumstances, any attempt by the enemy to cross this natural barrier would inevitably result in them being burned by the flames. Additionally, it would improve her visibility, allowing her to further identify the enemy's location and identity.

With this plan in mind, Dugu Yan unleashed her lava beams without restraint, setting the entire area around her ablaze. Finally, she saw the enemy's form.

At the edge of the fire circle was a large spider, continuously circling, seemingly looking for a suitable gap to break through.

Under the gradually brightening firelight, Dugu Yan examined her enemy.

This spider was covered in a gleaming black carapace, significantly different from common spider spirit beasts. Its body was enormous, with a main body diameter exceeding one and a half meters and eight spear-like legs each over three meters long.

A spider? Although she couldn't fully identify the species, spider-type soul beasts typically relied on venom and web-spraying attacks, making them weak against fire.

This realization filled Dugu Yan with confidence.

Great, now she needed to identify its species, find its weaknesses, and adapt her tactics based on its attack methods.

With this thought, Dugu Yan's first soul ring lit up again, and dark red beams began bombarding the spider at the perimeter.

Hidden in the darkness, Han Li nodded approvingly at Dugu Yan's response.

So far, her performance has been decent. Although somewhat conventional, it adhered to the typical academy-style combat—steady and reliable. The victory was only a matter of time.

Perhaps it was his overly optimistic thoughts, but just as this notion crossed his mind, the situation on the field changed dramatically.

Maybe annoyed by Dugu Yan's relentless attacks, combined with the surrounding flames it despised, the spider stopped dodging. It came to a sudden halt.

Enduring one of Dugu Yan's attacks directly, the spider, now ablaze, gathered strength in its eight long legs and leaped straight toward the center of the fire circle.

Yes, in that situation, it jumped.

Its unexpected move not only widened Han Li's eyes in the darkness but also caused Dugu Yan to pause momentarily.

However, she quickly recovered.

No matter the type of spider soul beast, their soft abdomen was always a common weak point. She didn't know what had driven this spider to act so irrationally, but such an opportunity couldn't be missed.

She immediately aimed at the descending spider and unleashed her full firepower.

Her second and first soul rings flashed in succession, and a significantly thicker dark red beam shot rapidly toward the aerial target.

At that moment, she finally identified its species—this was a Man Faced Demon Spider.

On the underbelly of the leaping spider, white markings were contrasting sharply with its black body. These white markings formed a fierce human face.

From its underbelly, eight small eyes glowed with a faint purple light, glaring at Dugu Yan from mid-air.

Seeing Dugu Yan fire another of the hated flames at it, the spider wasn't to be outdone. Its abdomen contracted slightly.

The next second, a large white web coated with a faint blue-purple liquid shot out from its abdomen, colliding with the dark red beam in mid-air.

Upon contact, an explosion occurred, with fragments of the spider web, now aflame, raining down on the battlefield below.

Seeing this, Dugu Yan frowned slightly. A blood-red flame rose from her body, enveloping her completely and incinerating the falling remnants.

However, this action caused her to miss the best opportunity for an attack.

With a loud "boom," the Man Faced Demon Spider, still ablaze, landed, kicking up a cloud of dust.

For some reason, this spider harbored an intense hatred for Dugu Yan. Even now, it didn't take the chance to deal with the flames on its body.

Instead, it reared up again and shot another venom-coated web at Dugu Yan.

With no time to dodge, Dugu Yan had no choice but to stand her ground. Wrapped in her blood-red flame, she chose to counter the attack with her soul skills.

Seizing the moment, the Man Faced Demon Spider quickly maneuvered its eight long legs in a flashy S-shaped pattern, dodging Dugu Yan's subsequent attacks while swiftly closing in on her.

Seeing the crazed spider ignoring its injuries just to get closer, Dugu Yan sighed and lightly flapped the wings on her back, lifting off from the ground.

But even so, the Man Faced Demon Spider below refused to give up.

After its last web attack missed, it still ignored the flames on its body, continuously leaping up from below, trying to reach Dugu Yan in mid-air.

This bizarre behavior, combined with the increasingly intense flames on its body, created a peculiar scene in the soul beast forest.

At this moment, Han Li and the two Titled Douluo flew up from the shadows, joining Dugu Yan in mid-air, their expressions strange.

The group silently watched the Man Faced Demon Spider below, still jumping up like a flea, trying to attack, not knowing what to say.

Especially Guang Ling and Dugu Bo, who prided themselves on their extensive knowledge and experience. They had seen all sorts of situations.

But encountering a soul beast like this Man Faced Demon Spider, which refused to flee, ignored its injuries, and seemed determined to die unless it killed its target, was a first for them.

In the silence, Guang Ling turned to Dugu Bo and said, "This girl is visiting the Star Dou Forest for the first time. Could it be that you did something here before, making this Man Faced Demon Spider hold such a grudge and come after her?"

Hearing this, Dugu Bo's face twitched involuntarily. He despised Guang Ling's habit of blaming him whenever something went wrong.

"Don't say that I've never encountered a Man Faced Demon Spider until now. Even if I had, do you think it could survive from me? Or are you suggesting that the Man Faced Demon Spider can lock onto enemies through bloodlines? Yan Yan's Martial Soul has evolved, and her aura is completely different from before."

Guang Ling didn't mind his rebuttal and casually replied, "Well, apart from that, I can't think of any other reason why a Man Faced Demon Spider, known for its cunning, would ignore its injuries just to attack the girl."

"Why not? Maybe it's the big reward Xiao Li mentioned earlier, the one he told Yan Yan not to rush into getting the soul ring for." Dugu Bo reflexively countered.

After speaking, both he and Guang Ling paused, turning to look at Han Li, who had remained silent.

Even Dugu Yan, feeling somewhat frustrated by the battle, brightened up and turned to him.

Seeing all three sets of eyes on him, Han Li felt like a thousand alpacas were running through his mind.

He had a hunch this might happen when Guang Ling started blaming Dugu Bo, but he didn't want to admit that this was the opportunity set up for Yan Yan. It just seemed too far-fetched.

Who would deliver such a blatant opportunity, disregarding even the basic rules of soul beasts?

Taking damage without fleeing, acting as if it must be killed today.

It felt like playing a low-quality online game where he was the Leviathan P2W player, and the game company would customize the storyline according to his preferences as long as he paid more.

But looking at the Man Faced Demon Spider below, now barely able to jump and its aura weakening, he could only suppress his complaints and say:

"Maybe. Anyway, let's go down and take a look. Sister Yan, extinguish the flames first. Let's not let it die yet; we need to study it."

Hearing his words, the three others could only nod. After all, they were also very curious about what was going on with this Man Faced Demon Spider.

The four of them descended together and stopped a short distance away, enduring the stench of burnt flesh as they looked at the spider, which was still scratching at the ground with its long legs but could no longer stand up.

The spider was still glaring at Dugu Yan, occasionally letting out roars, though it was unclear if it was expressing anger or simply pain.

"It is persistent to the end."

Guang Ling couldn't help but praise its unyielding spirit.

The other three glanced at him speechlessly and then returned their gaze to the soul beast before them.

"If this spider is Yan Yan's opportunity, we can't just let her choose it for her third soul ring, can we? If it were before, that might be different. But now, it's only a bit over two thousand years old, and its attributes aren't quite suitable. It would be a waste of a soul ring."

Dugu Bo shook his head vigorously. Clearly, he didn't think this creature was suitable for his granddaughter's third soul ring.

"Can't you have a bit more foresight? Why are you so fixated on the soul ring? Couldn't it be a soul bone instead?"

Guang Ling gave Dugu Bo a disdainful look and then turned to Han Li as if seeking his opinion.

"I think Master has a point, but even if it were a soul bone, over two thousand years is still a bit low." Han Li first affirmed Guang Ling's suggestion and then added, "Aren't you two forgetting that we're missing three people here?"

"Three people, soul bones."

Dugu Bo muttered to himself, his eyes suddenly lighting up.

"That's right, those three people. If it's true, then this could be a major gain for us."

"You all wait here. I'll go bring them over right away. Man Faced Demon Spider, you have to hang in there a bit longer, don't die on us."

With that, he didn't bother to explain further and quickly sped off to where the three fallen soul masters were being held.

"How could I forget about that?"

Guang Ling, seeing his reaction, was momentarily stunned before slapping his forehead in realization. His gaze toward the Man Faced Demon Spider changed as if he were looking at a treasure.

"Xiao Li, what's Grandpa and the others up to?"

Only Dugu Yan seemed a bit confused. She walked up to Han Li and asked in a low voice.

"It's good news, Sister Yan. If our guess is right, you'll soon get a very powerful soul bone."

Han Li replied with a smile but didn't elaborate further, preferring to keep the surprise for later.

Dugu Bo returned quickly, which was expected since they were already nearby for protection.

He brought the three fallen soul masters, wrapped in his soul power, and tossed them onto the clearing in front of them.

As they got up from the ground, Han Li glanced at them and pointed to the one whose body strength was recorded as the highest in the documents.

"You, come here. Next, I'll lift your soul power restriction, and then you go and kill it. If you can successfully absorb the soul ring, I'll give you a way out and throw you into the Slaughter City. Whether you live or die after that is up to you. How about it?"

The soul master candidate looked at him, spat at him, and snarled, "Pah, you scum from the Martial Soul Hall, if you want to kill me, just do it. I don't know what you're planning, but if you think I'll do your bidding, you can forget it. I'd rather..."

He didn't finish his sentence because his neck was snapped instantly. Han Li also tossed a bright little fireball at his fallen body.

Yes, he had named this skill "Fire Bullet."

Seeing the soul master candidate turned to ashes beside them, the other two swallowed hard, lowered their heads and remained silent.

Even they wanted to live.

"Alright, now that there's one less competitor, the same conditions apply. Which one of you will step up?" Han Li asked the other two with a friendly smile.

"I will. I'm at level forty."

The remaining soul master candidate quickly spoke up before the other soul elder could.

"Alright, then you."

Han Li casually tossed a pill to him and pointed to the near-death Man Faced Demon Spider.

Without hesitation, the candidate caught the pill and swallowed it. In less than a minute, the soul power fluctuations around him had returned.

Feeling his strength restored, he initially wanted to express his excitement but, seeing the four pairs of eyes on him, he suppressed his laughter. Not daring to wait any longer, he approached the Man Faced Demon Spider.

In the next second, his Martial Soul appeared in his hand—a long whip exuding a bloody scent. His third soul ring lit up, and the whip straightened, slicing through the air with a sharp sound, and pierced the spider's brain through its eye.

After a few feeble struggles, the Man Faced Demon Spider finally lost its life. In its last moments, it twitched one of its legs in the direction of Dugu Yan.