Hunting the Cackling Monster

The sky was clear, the white clouds lingered, and a gentle breeze blew through.

In the tranquil Magic Beast Mountain Range, three streaks of light—two red and one yellow—suddenly shot into the sky. The terrifying aura spread like a tidal wave, causing countless magic beasts' fur to stand on end. Without a moment to think, they fled toward the outskirts in a frenzy.

Instincts for survival warned them that any hesitation could mean death!

This was only for the higher-tiered beasts; the lower-tiered ones were completely suppressed by the aura, unable to move, trembling in place.

Above the sky, three figures abruptly burst forth, launching their combat skills without any hesitation.

"Soul Serpent Sword Burst!"

"Fiery Seal!"

"Black Tortoise Fury Qi!"

Having learned from a young man that their target was a heavily injured Dou Ancestor with a formidable background, the trio showed no restraint. Their opening attack was an all-out effort.

Though not their ultimate skills, the techniques unleashed were still powerful.

The combined strike of the three high-tier Dou Emperor was formidable and awe-inspiring. Even though Chen Guan was hiding several hundred meters away with a puppet in front of him for protection, the residual force from the attack caused his face to pale slightly.

Such an assault would surely give even a true Dou Ancestor pause.

Chen Guan's gaze fell upon the mountain where the Soul Hall Protector was hiding, which shattered with a deafening boom, shaking the earth.

As the dust and debris settled, the once towering mountain had been completely leveled, leaving only a crater tens of meters wide, as if struck by a meteorite.

Ignoring the devastated landscape, the four quickly scanned the area, more concerned about whether their target was alive.

"Cough, cough..."

A weak voice emerged from the rubble, followed by a sudden explosion of stones. A figure in a tattered black robe wavered into the air like a weightless paper doll.

The figure looked extremely disheveled.

The black robe that had concealed his form was now in tatters, caked in dirt, revealing a hollow, ethereal body beneath.

Seeing this, Chen Guan was calm, but Queen Medusa, Jia Xingtian, and Fa Ma narrowed their eyes.

This person was in a soul form!

"Cough, cough. A strong serpent clan member, Queen Medusa?"

"A Dou Emperor with fire and earth attributes, the Alchemist Guild's Fa Ma, and the imperial Jia Xingtian?"

Although phrased as questions, the tone was certain.

Clearly, this Soul Hall Protector had some knowledge of the surrounding major powers of the Jia Ma Empire.

The fluctuations in his aura rose and fell like a heart monitor, and at one point, it nearly dropped below the Dou Emperor level. It was hard to imagine that this person had once been a Dou Ancestor.

"Truly a case of a tiger fallen to the plains, harassed by dogs. Medusa, Fa Ma, Jia Xingtian, I am a Protector of the Soul Hall, and you dare to..."

Already gravely injured and now ambushed, the Soul Hall Protector understood that escaping through sheer strength would be nearly impossible. He immediately tried to reveal his identity, hoping to intimidate the trio and find an opportunity to escape.

At this moment, he couldn't bother to question how these people had found him or why they were attacking him.

However, he wasn't given a chance to catch his breath; the three in the sky had already completed their new combat techniques while he was still babbling.

"So much nonsense!"

"Triple Soul Chain!"

Realizing that the three were determined to kill him, leaving no room for negotiation, the Soul Hall Protector didn't dare delay. With a shout, his black robe exploded, and the Triple Soul Chain shot towards the trio.

Clearly, he wasn't entirely foolish; while provoking them with words, he had also been preparing in secret.

Unfortunately, in his current state, even one-on-one with any of the three would be difficult, let alone facing all three simultaneously.

Forcing himself to use a secret technique only made his already faint soul form more translucent.

Adding insult to injury, as he confronted the three in the sky, a powerful, unfamiliar spiritual force suddenly emerged from behind, delivering a blow that nearly dispersed his soul.

Soul Technique!

The Soul Hall Protector's heart was filled with horror, his eyes widened in disbelief.

As a soul form, this soul technique wounded him as badly as the attacks from the other three, if not worse.

At that moment, despair surged within him.

If it were only the three in the sky, he might still have a slim chance to escape. But with a hidden opponent wielding such a powerful spiritual force, all hope was extinguished.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The Triple Soul Chain was swiftly overwhelmed by the trio's assaults, unable to display its true power. The combat skills did not relent and continued toward the Protector.

No way out above or below, wolves in front and tigers behind—he was trapped in a hopeless situation.

The Soul Hall Protector was in utter despair, unwilling to accept his fate. How could he die in such a remote place?

Filled with resentment, the Soul Hall Protector let out a final, crazed scream.

"If I go down, I'm taking you with me—Soul Explosion!"

Using this move, even if the three Dou Emperor in the air stopped attacking, the Soul Hall Protector would face one of two fates: either becoming a mindless soul entity, entirely at the mercy of others, or being completely annihilated on the spot.

However, the move's power was indeed terrifying. Even in his severely weakened state, it unleashed an attack comparable to that of a Dou Ancestor, shattering the incoming combat skills and sending a terrifying shockwave rippling toward the trio.

Facing the Soul Hall Protector's desperate counterattack, Medusa, Jia Xingtian, and the others dared not be careless.

Though they had never fought together before, the three displayed impressive coordination at that moment.

None of them chose to confront the attack head-on; they all withdrew quickly to avoid its deadly force.

With their keen perception, they knew that the Soul Hall Protector's current state made this move akin to self-destruction.

The opponent was already doomed. There was no need for them to risk themselves by fighting recklessly.

Thus, the three retreated thousands of meters, and only then did the terrifying shockwave dissipate entirely.

The so-called desperate move was like a brilliant firework before death—glorious on the outside, but hollow within—ultimately harming no one, save for causing a few drops of cold sweat.

Chen Guan, hidden at the rear, now took action. The soul fire net he had prepared dropped down like a sack, enveloping the weakened and defenseless soul form, ready to take him away.

The hunt had been a complete success, and even Chen Guan couldn't help but smile in satisfaction.

"Thought you could pull a fast one on me? Think again!"

From afar, Medusa and the others flew over, each showing different expressions upon seeing the soul form trapped in the net of soul fire.

Medusa now understood why the young man had been so confident earlier.

Soul techniques, these hard-to-defend sneak attacks, could catch anyone off guard, even her. She wasn't particularly skilled in spiritual power.

Meanwhile, Jia Xingtian and Fa Ma crouched down beside the shrinking soul form, just like the young man, and even poked at it out of curiosity.

"Incredible. A soul form with such strength... At full power, we would have had to flee."

"Indeed. But why isn't it moving? Did it blow itself into a stupor?"

"This little thing looks quite peculiar now."

"It's moving! It's moving!"

Medusa: "..."

(End of Chapter)

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