"Over there? Come on, I'll show you the fusion skill of my Martial Soul with your martial uncle's."
Guang Ling finally showed some interest and eagerly prepared to rush over.
Then, he was grabbed by the scruff of his neck by the expressionless Azure Luan, awkwardly stopping in his tracks.
"Xiao Li told you on the way not to approach rashly. Have you forgotten the records in the Martial Soul Hall? Are you looking to die?"
Azure Luan stared at Guang Ling for a long time before speaking indifferently.
Guang Ling lowered his head like a child who had done something wrong, not daring to retort, and secretly signaled to Han Li with his eyes, asking him to plead on his behalf.
It's true what they say: there's always someone who can restrain you.
Even though Guang Ling was currently the strongest among them, he didn't dare talk back to Azure Luan, behaving more obediently than even in front of Qian Daoliu. His actions made the others unable to suppress their laughter in their hearts.
Even Han Li couldn't help but shake his head but had no intention of pleading for him.
Unlike hunting other soul beasts, this time, if they were careless, it could truly be fatal. They couldn't contend with the Dark Devilgod Tiger's cheating ability.
Even Han Li himself wasn't sure if, once pulled into the life-and-death arena, his semi-divine level martial soul would be degraded to its original state by the arena's power.
If it reverted to its original state, even if the Dark Devilgod Tiger turned into a small tiger, he wouldn't be entirely confident in winning, even though he had just returned from the City of Slaughter.
Not to mention, with the protection of the Evil God, the Dark Devilgod Tiger would be in its complete state.
Although he knew the Divine Realm wouldn't just watch him die like this, it wasn't certain they would care about the people around him. If they died, they died.
"It was my mistake. From now on, I'll listen to you."
Seeing the situation, Guang Ling lowered his head and apologized, his posture extremely humble.
Azure Luan shook his head but said nothing, instead turning his gaze to Han Li.
Receiving the signal, Han Li looked over at Dugu Bo and the three girls.
"Grandpa, you stay here with them and wait. It's best not to approach. The danger is too high, and I can't guarantee complete safety during this hunt."
"By the way, give me some of your poison. Sister Yan, you too, and let's enhance it with the Snow Swan Kiss."
As always, Han Li made meticulous preparations.
Seeing that he had made his decision, the others silently nodded and did not voice any objections.
Dugu Bo gave a portion of his poison to Dugu Yan, who carefully took out a snow-white herb resembling a swan's neck from her soul guide space. After making brief contact with its wings, she directed it into an ice box in Han Li's hand.
Han Li quickly closed the box, didn't put it into his wristband, but instead transformed it into an ordinary-looking arrow, which he carried on his back.
"Alright, Master, Martial Uncle, let's go."
Han Li took a deep breath and looked at the two of them.
"Be careful."
Those remaining couldn't help but remind them.
"Don't worry, I won't take any risks. I'll drag it to death if I have to."
Han Li waved to the people behind him and led his master and martial uncle toward the direction where they had previously detected the anomaly.
The three of them suppressed their auras and stopped on the branch of an ancient tree nearly two kilometers away, using the leaves to conceal their presence.
(Tang San has been mentioned to have a one-way sensing range of 1500 meters, so this has been slightly enhanced here.)
"Based on the records and your observations, this should be a place where it can't detect us immediately," Azure Luan lowered his voice and spoke seriously.
He calculated this based on his spiritual power and his sensitivity to wind elements, overestimating the Dark Devilgod Tiger to the greatest extent.
"This is also the optimal attack range for our Martial Soul fusion skill without losing power while fully concealing our aura fluctuations. At most, we can extend it by another three hundred meters," Guang Ling added, becoming very meticulous once in battle mode.
"Yes, that's sufficient. To be safe, I'll lure it into the air later and draw its attention, disrupting its spatial sensing abilities. When I use the arrow on my back to attack, you two should strike immediately. Remember, if I don't use it, no matter how critical the situation becomes, do not attack," Han Li thought for a moment before speaking earnestly.
He always remembered that the Dark Devilgod Tiger Tiger had a skill similar to teleportation, which could be used both on the ground and in mid-air. For a foolproof plan, he needed to trick this skill out first.
"Three strikes, our maximum power attacks in a short period. If we don't kill it, we retreat immediately. We can't be sure if the skill we have will be enough to kill it, so we'll try again in two days," Azure Luan referred to the Evil God Protection skill that the Dark Devilgod Tiger once had according to the records in the Martial Soul Hall. The two days were the cooldown period for his and Guang Ling's Martial Soul fusion skill.
"Alright."
Han Li agreed decisively. The reason he had the two of them hide and launch a sneak attack was to prevent this situation.
With the plan set, Han Li stopped hesitating. He quickly flapped his wings and left the spot, approaching the targeted area from another direction.
Ahead, a Flame Tiger covered in scars was being relentlessly driven towards the Dark Devilgod Tiger Tiger by Han Li.
Its body was smeared with blood, its tail half-severed, and it was charred black in places, with lingering frost on its forelimbs.
Suddenly, as it entered a certain area, it smelled a strong scent of blood and felt the surrounding light dim.
It uneasily glanced at the sky, which was cloudless. At that moment, an attack imbued with strong elemental energy and soul power struck from behind again.
The Flame Tiger had no time to think. After swiftly dodging, it continued to sprint forward, with the threat of death looming behind it, leaving it no room to stop.
"Roar!"
A low growl came from the front side of the Flame Tiger, causing it to shudder slightly, but also sparking a glimmer of hope in its heart.
There was a fellow of its kind here, and stronger than it was. Though it was reluctant, in the face of survival, it was more willing to submit. The human soul master behind it had to die.
"Roar!"
Its speed increased slightly as it sent a message, hoping this fellow tiger would help it deal with the human behind it.
However, when it passed the obstruction ahead, it abruptly stopped and, without hesitation, turned back, preferring to confront Han Li head-on rather than stay here.
Unfortunately, it was too late. A giant hook shot out like lightning, piercing the Flame Tiger's body. Its body withered visibly, and then its head was bitten off.
At the same time, Han Li entered the dark forest, cautiously watching the direction where the Flame Tiger had disappeared. For a moment, he found himself unable to advance or retreat.
Plop.
A mangled body, no longer recognizable as a tiger, was thrown out, landing not far from Han Li.
As the corpse hit the ground, an even larger tiger emerged from behind the obstruction ahead, its eyes filled with mockery and greed, staring intently at Han Li.
It was a giant black tiger, entirely jet-black without a single blemish, with red eyes exuding a sinister aura. Its body was over eight meters long, with two pairs of equally black wings folded at its sides.
Its muscles bulged, suggesting a weight of over three thousand pounds. The "king" character on its forehead was also black, but unlike its fur, it was a dark, misty black.
Most striking was its tail, much longer than that of ordinary tiger soul beasts, standing erect and composed of countless bones, with a huge barb at the tip, glistening with a sinister light.
Now, it was still dripping with blood, unmistakably belonging to the Flame Tiger from earlier.
Instinctively, Han Li took a few steps back, warily drawing his bow and aiming at the Dark Devilgod Tiger, glancing behind him as if checking for an escape route.
Noticing his actions, the Dark Devilgod Tiger took a slow step forward, its instincts telling it that the human before it was a great nourishment. If it could devour him, its strength would surge.
It did not rush to attack but started circling Han Li, not drawing closer, seemingly enjoying the thrill of toying with its prey.
The massive evil god hook on its back slowly rose, swaying gently. Each movement created a series of twisted, strange halos in the air.
With each step forward, the gray aura around it spread, causing the surrounding plants to part as if terrified of its presence.
"This damned thing is cautious," Han Li cursed inwardly, but he did not dare to relax his vigilance.
Suddenly, as the Dark Devilgod Tiger took another step, Han Li swiftly fired an arrow at it.
A pair of green wings sprouted from his back, lifting him into the air, seemingly preparing to escape.
The Dark Devilgod Tiger had been wary of his movements. Almost simultaneously with Han Li's shot, it moved as well, its giant tail hook sweeping towards the arrow, while dozens of black and red light blades shot from its sides, carrying a strong corrosive aura towards the airborne Han Li.
Sensing the wind behind him, Han Li had to abandon his original flight path, flapping his wings to gain altitude again. He conjured the same number of arrows in his hand and shot them towards the light blades.
Below, the Dark Devilgod Tiger, after sweeping away the arrow with its tail, had an increasingly excited look in its eyes.
Even from this brief contact, it could sense the strong elemental power in Han Li's attack, which had even slightly injured its tail.
But this also proved that devouring this person would bring immense benefits.
In mid-air, the arrows and light blades collided, causing an explosion that briefly dispersed the surrounding gray mist.
However, the Dark Devilgod Tiger no longer maintained the gray field.
The gray field was originally for concealing its aura and trapping prey. Now that the prey was in front of it, the field was no longer necessary.
"Roar!"
A roar mixed with excitement and a mental attack sounded. The Dark Devilgod Tiger crouched slightly, spreading its wings and launching itself at Han Li in the air.
It was determined to devour this human.