Meanwhile, under the relentless pursuit of the assassin soul-hunting squad sent by Davis, Dai Mubai had no choice but to flee into the nearest branch of the Star Dou Forest.
His only hope was to make it through the Star Dou Forest and reach the Heaven Dou Empire.
Whether it was the branch of the Star Dou Forest or the actual forest itself, both were incredibly dangerous, filled with powerful soul beasts.
But Dai Mubai had no other option.
As just a Spirit Grandmaster, the power gap between him and his pursuers was too wide. If he relied solely on running, it was only a matter of time before the assassins caught up with him.
To survive, he had to use the soul beasts in the forest to slow down the soul-hunting squad, buying himself precious time to escape.
And so, despite the heavy toll, Dai Mubai pressed on, cutting through the branch of the Star Dou Forest and entering its outer regions.
If he could just make it through this outer perimeter, he would reach the border between the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire.
Once he reached a city in the Heaven Dou Empire, the soul hunting squad would never dare to continue their pursuit.
...
Just as Dai Mubai reached the outer region of the Star Dou Forest and was about to cross into the borderlands between the two empires, on the other side, Tang San and his companions were also leaving the outer regions of the Star Dou Forest, heading back toward the branch forest along the empire's border.
"Third Prince, stop running! Die like a man, and we'll at least let you keep some dignity!"
In the dim forest, Lin Lie, the Soul Elder leading the assassin squad, sneered as he hurled golden energy orbs at Dai Mubai, his voice dripping with mockery.
Beside him, Soul Elder Zhou Bao, a ghostly panther spirit master, joined in the taunts.
"Give it up, Third Prince. You've been running for hours. Your strength and spirit power must be waning. How many recovery herbs do you have left? And that beast-attracting incense you've been using, how much more of that can you spare?"
"Second Spirit Ability: Toxic Spider Web!"
Another member of the soul-hunting squad, a control-type spider spirit master, shouted as he unleashed a dark purple web at Dai Mubai.
If the web caught him, not only would it restrain him, but the poison would instantly paralyze him, making him easy prey.
Gritting his teeth, Dai Mubai kept shoving herbs into his mouth, swallowing them whole to replenish his spirit power. Activating his first spirit ability, White Tiger Body Barrier, he desperately dodged the incoming attacks.
But no matter how hard he fought, Dai Mubai was still just a Spirit Grandmaster.
Though his Evil Eyes White Tiger martial spirit was powerful, and he had an optimal spirit ring configuration, he could easily handle lower-level Grandmasters, even Spirit Elders. But this was different.
Against an entire squad led by a Spirit Elder, with the weakest among them being a Spirit Grandmaster, there was no chance for him to stop and fight.
To pause meant certain death.
"Second Spirit Ability: Golden Needle Storm!"
Behind him, the Golden Porcupine Spirit Master shouted, unleashing a barrage of golden needles toward Dai Mubai.
His second spirit ring flared with light, as countless spirit energy needles formed, raining down like a storm on Dai Mubai.
Despite his best efforts to dodge, Dai Mubai couldn't avoid them all. Several needles struck him, piercing through his White Tiger Body Barrier.
He groaned in pain as more wounds were added to his already battered body.
"I can't take this much longer. If I don't use my last beast-attracting incense, I'm dead for sure!"
Clenching his teeth through the pain, Dai Mubai reached into his storage soul tool to grab the final beast-attracting incense.
If he could hurl it toward his pursuers and ignite it, the incense's unique scent would draw nearby soul-beasts to the area.
The scent was nearly impossible to wash off, and if it stuck to the soul hunters, it would buy him precious time to flee once more.
"Ghost Claw!"
Just as Dai Mubai reached for the incense, a shadowy figure lunged at him with a fierce roar. Zhou Bao, the Ghost Panther Spirit Elder, slashed at Dai Mubai's lower body!
Though his spirit and ring configuration were inferior to Dai Mubai's, with his lower-level Ghost Panther spirit and white-yellow-yellow rings, Zhou Bao's goal wasn't to kill Dai Mubai outright.
His mission was to slow him down, nothing more.
After all, Davis had given two options: kill Dai Mubai and bring back his head, or neuter him and bring back... something else.
Killing Dai Mubai to fulfill the task was straightforward enough. But castrating him would also get the job done.
For a prince, losing the ability to pass on his bloodline would mean the end of any claim to the throne.
For Zhou Bao, castrating Dai Mubai would be even better, as he would get the credit for completing the mission solo, and the reward would be massive!
"No!"
Seeing Zhou Bao aiming for his lower body, the exhausted Dai Mubai suddenly found a burst of energy. Panicking, he dodged away from the strike, barely avoiding the brutal attack.
As a prince who had recently seen a glimmer of hope to ascend the throne, and as a man who enjoyed his... extracurricular activities, Dai Mubai couldn't bear the thought of being neutered.
After taking several more hits in the process, Dai Mubai finally managed to land a blow on Zhou Bao, forcing him to cough up blood and retreat.
Taking advantage of the moment, Dai Mubai threw his last beast-attracting incense toward the soul hunters, igniting it with his White Tiger Light Wave.
The incense exploded into a cloud of yellow dust, and its pungent fragrance quickly spread through the forest, engulfing the soul-hunting squad.
Immediately, the surrounding forest erupted with noise as nearby soul beasts, attracted by the incense, began to stir.
Seizing the opportunity, Dai Mubai fled once more, though he knew it wouldn't last long. Among the soul hunters was a tracking specialist with a dog martial spirit.
Eventually, Dai Mubai was caught again, with no tricks left to play. Cornered at the edge of a towering waterfall, he found himself with no escape.
Now, death loomed from all sides.