Once Dugu Yan had completely familiarized herself with her new abilities, Han Li took her hand, bid farewell to the two Title Douluos, and resumed their soul-hunting journey.
They were now in the central area of the forest, where soul beasts were mixed. Without the protection of the two Title Douluos, even Han Li was on high alert. He didn't want to end up like a certain Immortal Emperor who met his demise by accidentally stepping on a bug.
Overall, their journey went smoothly. Having the spiritual power of a Soul Sage was advantageous, as his detection range was large, allowing him to avoid many dangers in advance. Even in situations where avoidance was impossible, Han Li handled them efficiently.
Using spiritual attacks infused with ice elements, he could slow down soul beasts' thoughts upon first contact. Then, he would mark them with his Corrosive Haze and calmly shoot arrows enhanced with elemental and armor-piercing power, precisely targeting their eyes. The ice-fire mixed elements would explode inside their heads, ending the battle swiftly.
Han Li's attack style was clean, precise, and violent, focusing on delivering a powerful final blow. His efficiency left Dugu Yan, who followed behind him, in awe.
Even Guang Ling and Dugu Bo, who were observing secretly, nodded approvingly. Although Han Li's techniques were still somewhat immature, he was beginning to show the demeanor of a strong warrior.
As they continued to advance, the soul beasts they encountered grew stronger. Eventually, they encountered a pack of fire hyenas, giving everyone a clear demonstration of Han Li's combat prowess.
The fire hyena pack was encountered unexpectedly in a valley within the forest. Han Li and Dugu Yan had already bypassed their lair, but just as they were about to leave the territory, they ran into a few returning from a hunt.
The hyenas had sharp senses. Despite Han Li and Dugu Yan hiding quickly, they were still detected.
Han Li acted immediately, but due to the distance between the soul beasts, some of them managed to howl, alerting the rest of the pack. A large number of fire hyenas then rushed at them.
The fire hyena pack wasn't weak; it included a nearly 20,000-year-old alpha and four over-10,000-year-old guards. Once soul beasts reach 10,000 years, they start to develop significant intelligence.
Seeing only Han Li and Dugu Yan, and sensing their relatively weak auras, the hyenas charged madly.
In the soul beast community, fire hyenas aren't considered particularly strong—in fact, their strength is often among the weakest in their tier. However, they rely on their numbers and fearless fighting style to hold considerable territory.
Led by the alpha, the entire pack howled as they charged.
Seeing this, Han Li instructed Dugu Yan to fly high, but he did not retreat. He recalled relevant information and positioned himself just beyond their attack range.
Using the advantage of his range, he continually gave the hyenas false hope while harassing them with wide-area ice arrows. This enraged them but prevented the alpha from closing in quickly. Meanwhile, Han Li began sniping the alpha's guards.
After taking down two 10,000-year-old fire hyenas and several 8,000-year-old ones, the alpha went berserk. Ignoring Han Li's harassment, it enveloped itself in flames and charged directly through his attacks.
Just as the alpha thought victory was within reach, Han Li smiled and triggered the cold poison within it. Coupled with the thought-slowing effect of his spiritual attacks, he shot a milky-white arrow into its howling mouth, causing an explosion in its heart.
The invincible alpha fell.
However, the battle was far from over. The fall of the alpha drove the fire hyena pack into a frenzy, and they began charging at Han Li with no regard for their lives.
Han Li had no intention of showing mercy to the fire hyenas. He still hadn't fully tested his combat capabilities. As the pack looked on in despair, he flew up into the air, retracted his martial soul, and, after a brief compression of his soul power, threw a red-and-white lotus flower into the center of the battlefield.
The lotus flower paused briefly before exploding among the pack. With just this one strike, nearly thirty soul beasts were left immobilized. Their remaining bodies presented a beautiful sight, with ice crystals and flames coexisting. [Han Li copy Xiao Yan's signature move.]
This single blow completely shattered the fire hyena pack's will to fight. Some of the younger fire hyenas instinctively started to flee frantically, and their actions influenced the others. Soon, the once united pack disbanded, fleeing in different directions.
Once there were no more soul beasts in sight, Han Li descended from the air. After checking and confirming there were no soul bones present, he quickly left the scene with Dugu Yan.
Although his spiritual power consumption was manageable, his soul power had dropped to less than a third. This was due to the high density of his soul power, which made it relatively easy to break through the defenses of fire hyenas with combat power between a Soul King and Soul Emperor. However, the arrows he used to ensure the kill of the Fire Hyena Alpha, as well as the final Ice Crystal Fire Lotus he threw, were major soul power consumers. These two attacks alone had consumed nearly half of his soul power.
After distancing themselves from the area, Han Li finally relaxed. Then, to Dugu Yan's surprise, he decisively chose to use the "Great Summoning Spell."
When Guang Ling and Dugu Bo appeared, Han Li nodded to the three of them, sat down cross-legged, and began to recover his soul power.
"Is it strange?" Guang Ling asked Dugu Yan, who was still in a daze, with a smile.
"It is a little. Just thinking about how Xiao Li dispersed a pack of fire hyenas on his own and then turned around to call for his teacher, feels, well, a bit incongruous," Dugu Yan expressed her true thoughts.
"Hahaha, you'll get used to it. This is the real Xiao Li. For him, face value is nothing compared to safety, which is his highest priority," Guang Ling chuckled, remembering past events.
"Han Li's approach is correct. Only by doing so can one live longer and better in the soul master world. Yan Yan, you need to remember this," Dugu Bo took the opportunity to give his granddaughter a lesson.
"Yes, I understand, Grandpa," Dugu Yan nodded obediently.
"Indeed, but this kid is really strong. He nearly wiped out that fire hyena pack on his own. If he encounters a soul beast that isn't a fast-flying type, he might even have a chance to kill a regular 30,000-year-old soul beast," Dugu Bo sighed as he watched Han Li recovering his soul power.
"Don't say that. His soul power is still too weak, which holds him back. His burst capability is decent, but overall, he's just average," Guang Ling commented.
At this moment, Guang Ling modestly spoke on behalf of Han Li, but the slight curve of his lips betrayed his true feelings.
"Tch, anyone who didn't know better would think you're praising yourself," Dugu Bo remarked, giving Guang Ling an annoyed look.
"He's my disciple."
"You..."
"He's my disciple."
"…"
Seeing that he couldn't win the argument, Dugu Bo simply shut his mouth, moved over to his granddaughter, and started whispering to her, occasionally glancing in Guang Ling's direction.
After about an hour, Han Li opened his eyes from his meditation; he had fully recovered.
Noticing the trio chatting nearby, he stood up and walked over to them.
"All set?" Guang Ling asked, looking his energetic disciple up and down.
"Yes, I'm good."
"The nest of the Greenshadow Godly Eagle is not far from here, just on a mountain to the east. I checked it out earlier; there are three of them—two adults and one young. One of the adults left the nest recently. There's an 18,000-year-old one left, which is just right for you. So, what do you think? Want to handle it yourself, or should I take care of it?" Guang Ling teased.
"You should do it. The Greenshadow Godly Eagle is too fast. While I can handle the attack, you can ensure a one-hit kill. If it escapes while I'm getting close, who knows how long we might have to wait. Besides, my combat abilities have already been tested. The soul beast Sister Yan needs is on the other side of the forest. We need to hurry; I don't want to stay in this forest longer than necessary. The Sunset Forest has already given me enough nightmares."
Han Li decisively shook his head, declining his master's suggestion.
"Hey, you sure know how to slack off. Up to now, you haven't captured a single soul beast for your soul rings by yourself," Guang Ling teased.
"Can't help it; my master is just too powerful," Han Li shrugged, immediately flattering his teacher.
"Did you learn that, Yan Yan? See, your grandpa will teach you a life lesson through Han Li today: shamelessness and flattery are essential traits for becoming a strong person," Dugu Bo joked.
Dugu Yan covered her mouth and giggled, not responding as she knew her grandpa was kidding.
"You old poison, now you're making fun of me. Little girl, let me teach you something: the gaze of a strong person also holds power. Watch closely."
After speaking, Guang Ling stood up, glanced at Dugu Bo, suddenly exerted his soul power to suppress him, and then swiftly made his escape.
"I'll go catch the Greenshadow Godly Eagle. You stay here and protect these two."
It wasn't until Guang Ling's figure disappeared that Dugu Bo stiffly moved his body, muttering, "You sly Guang Ling, using soul power to suppress me and stop me from talking. Just you wait."
Han Li and Dugu Yan exchanged a glance and smiled softly. They had grown accustomed to this "friendly interaction" between the two during their journey.
In less than the time it takes to burn an incense stick, as the three of them were chatting idly, Guang Ling descended directly from the sky.
Judging by his expression, he seemed to be in a good mood. The trio followed his gaze and saw that both of his hands were full—one holding a giant blue eagle and the other carrying a fiery red snake.
"Got lucky, with an unexpected bonus. The young lady's soul ring doesn't need to be specially acquired from the other side anymore."
As Guang Ling spoke, he threw the soul beast in his hands to the ground in front of them.
"Is that a Fire Feather Snake?" Dugu Bo glanced at the weakly breathing snake soul beast on the ground and exclaimed in surprise.
"Yes, didn't I tell you earlier that one of the big ones had left the nest? When I got there, it had just returned, carrying the Fire Feather Snake in its mouth. Since it wasn't dead yet, I brought it back as well."
"No idea where that eagle found it. Fire Feather Snakes are much rarer than Fire Scale Snakes, and they can fly, making them extremely resilient. Yet, it got caught." Guang Ling sighed.
"Six thousand five hundred years, which is a bit older than the six thousand years we originally discussed." Han Li assessed the Fire Feather Snake's age and looked at Dugu Yan.
"Don't worry, it's fine. Grandpa tested my body's tolerance last night. Xiao Li, did you forget that I absorbed this?" Dugu Yan cheerfully displayed the wings on her back.
"Oh, right," Han Li slapped his forehead. He had forgotten about the physical enhancement from the external soul bone because he had slept through the night and didn't witness Dugu Yan absorbing the soul bone.
"Okay, then this will do. The Fire Feather Snake is more suitable for you than the Fire Scale Snake. Whether it's the dual boosts to speed and flame or its wide-range attack capability, it's quite advantageous." Han Li instinctively analyzed the benefits of the soul ring.
"It doesn't matter, obtaining any one of these is not a loss." Dugu Yan blinked and looked at Han Li with a thoughtful expression.
"What's up, Sister Yan?"
Her gaze made him a bit uneasy.
"Well, I was just thinking. In the past, we relied on luck to get soul skills, even if they were from soul beasts identified by predecessors. But I heard from Senior Guang Ling that you always get the soul skills you most desire. Could you try blessing me?" Dugu Yan's expression was very serious.
"Blessing? How do I bless?" Han Li was a bit baffled.
"Like this."
Dugu Yan walked over to him, took his hand, and placed it on top of her head. She then closed her eyes, her lips moving slightly as she silently prayed for the soul skill she wanted to acquire.
Han Li found it both amusing and exasperating. Superstitions shouldn't be encouraged, but he didn't move his hand. Fine, let her do her thing. Who knows, it might work.
A minute later, Dugu Yan opened her eyes, bowed to him seriously, and then took the Fire Feather Snake away. With Dugu Bo guarding her, she moved to the side to start absorbing the soul ring.
"Alright, Xiao Li, you should start too."
Guang Ling, who had been watching their antics with amusement, finally spoke, pointing to the Greenshadow Godly Eagle on the ground.
"Okay."
Han Li didn't waste time. He summoned his martial soul and sent an arrow to end the eagle's life. Watching the dark soul ring appear, he sat down to absorb it.
The process of absorbing the soul ring was very smooth, so much so that Han Li felt no pressure at all. Once he had skillfully absorbed the energy from the soul ring, he stood up decisively, waiting for the appearance of wings.
Yes, he was that confident.
Alright, he admitted he was showing off.
Sure enough, the moment he stood up, his clothes at the back were suddenly torn open. A pair of massive green eagle wings extended from below his shoulder blades, kicking up dust that made him cough.
"Hahaha!"
Guang Ling couldn't help but laugh, clearly enjoying the sight of his disciple in an embarrassing situation.
"Master."
Han Li shot him a resentful look, only then realizing his upper body felt a bit chilly.
When the wings had extended, not only had they torn his clothes at the back, but the immense force had also pulled the front of his shirt. Now, his shirt was hanging down from his waist, dragging on his pants.
"Looks like with these wings, I'll need custom-made clothes from now on."
Han Li muttered in slight frustration.
"Alright, stop showing off. The young lady over there is almost done too. Go change your clothes. Hmm, wear that backless outfit you don't like. Add a cloak over it for now, but you'll probably have to reveal your wings again soon."
Guang Ling reminded him with a smile.