"Xiaogang, do you want this Storage Soul Tool? We've known each other for so long, and I haven't bought you a gift yet. This is perfect, hmm, you can wear it on your waist, it looks really good."
Bibi Dong said, picking up the Storage Soul Tool and holding it against Yu Xiaogang's waist, considering how to make it look more aesthetically pleasing.
"How can I? I can't possibly let Dong'er spend money."
"It's alright, this much money isn't anything to me. Hey, you, the one called Flender, we'll take this belt with the Storage Soul Tool."
Bibi Dong generously produced a bag, filled with Gold Soul Coins that clinked heavily, and tossed it to Flender.
Flender, seeing the money, immediately took it, his face breaking into a happy expression, eyes squinting, the wrinkles around them deepening.
"Come on, Xiaogang. I'll put it on for you, and then we'll go and find out some information and hunt that Human-Faced Demon Spider King."
Yu Xiaogang couldn't refuse Bibi Dong and put on the Storage Soul Tool. As the two were about to leave, Flender called out to them from behind.
"Wait a moment!"
"Hmm? What is it? Do you need something?"
Bibi Dong turned her head and asked.
"I just heard you say you're going to hunt the Human-Faced Demon Spider King? Do you know that's a ten-thousand-year Soul Beast? Are you planning to use it for a Soul Ring?"
"So what? What's it to you?"
Bibi Dong's eyes flashed with killing intent, her voice becoming cold.
"Don't misunderstand! I'm also a Soul Master! I'm also new to Balza City. I heard there's a ten-thousand-year Corpse-Dance Crow Emperor in the forest. I just broke through to Soul Emperor level, and I'm missing a Soul Beast for my Soul Ring. The Corpse-Dance Crow Emperor is perfect for me. I've been scouting around here for the past few days, preparing to hunt it. If you're going too, how about we team up? You two just arrived here, right? You don't know the area. We can cooperate!"
Flender proposed, and Yu Xiaogang and Bibi Dong exchanged glances, their eyes filled with thought.
Logically, with Bibi Dong's combat strength, dealing with two ten-thousand-year Soul Beasts shouldn't be a problem. Whether or not to bring this guy along needed consideration. There was a chance Flender would become a burden.
"Hey! Why aren't you saying anything? Do you think I'm just talking nonsense? Fine, let me show you my Martial Soul. I am the Four-Eyed Owl Flender! Level 60 Soul Emperor!"
"Martial Soul Manifest!"
Flender said, activating his soul power, and an owl emerged from behind him, flapping its wings. The optimal two yellow, two purple, and one black Soul Ring configuration appeared.
"Hoo hoo hoo hoo..."
The owl gave a friendly call to Yu Xiaogang and Bibi Dong.
"How is it? Impressive, right? Having another Soul Emperor-level expert is a win for you."
Flender said proudly.
Seeing Flender promoting himself like this, Yu Xiaogang and Bibi Dong couldn't help but find it amusing. This guy was quite the extrovert. They wondered what his reaction would be if he knew Bibi Dong was a Title Douluo.
"How about we let him lead the way and go with us? With Dong'er here, his strength won't pose any threat to us."
Yu Xiaogang's last sentence was whispered to Bibi Dong, and Flender didn't hear it.
Bibi Dong thought for a moment and nodded in agreement:
"Alright, you lead the way, and we'll go with you."
"No problem. Let me pack up my stall. Right, who's getting a Soul Ring? Definitely this beautiful lady, right? Your soul power fluctuations are too low, and your cultivation is so weak. How can you be with such a beautiful woman and not be able to protect her?"
Flender said to the two while packing up his stall.
Bibi Dong and Yu Xiaogang exchanged a helpless look, deciding not to discourage Flender for now.
Flender finished packing up the stall and then took the two to a restaurant in the city for a meal. Of course, given his stinginess, Yu Xiaogang ended up paying for it.
After that, they left the city and went to the forest where the Human-Faced Demon Spider and the Corpse-Dance Crow Emperor were rumored to reside.
As the sky darkened, a chilling wind began to blow in the forest. Some Soul Beasts had finished foraging and were preparing to rest, while others had just come out to forage, getting ready for dinner.
At this time, no one came to the forest. For Soul Beasts, humans were still relatively weak. Soul Beasts were generally much stronger than human Soul Masters, and sometimes Soul Beasts would actively attack humans and Soul Masters. Those who weren't strong enough didn't dare to enter the Soul Beast Forest.
Flender's Martial Soul was the owl, also known as the Four-Eyed Owl, which has a great field of vision and sufficient vigilance and searching ability. With Flender's owl, they quickly sensed the aura of the Human-Faced Demon Spider King and the Corpse-Dance Crow Emperor.
"The Human-Faced Demon Spider King was the former overlord here, with a cultivation of forty thousand years. The Corpse-Dance Crow Emperor recently came from who-knows-where, and it has set its sights on this forest, wanting to settle down here. The Human-Faced Demon Spider King naturally wouldn't agree, so they often attack each other here to fight for territory. That Corpse-Dance Crow Emperor has a cultivation of thirty thousand years. It's rare for a Corpse-Dance Crow to reach this level, so I'm interested in it and want to get its Soul Ring."
Flender explained to the two while hiding in a low bush.
"Hmm, now that you mention it, it's strange. Corpse-Dance Crows eat corpses or control corpses. Their cultivation behavior is singular, and they rarely break through to the ten-thousand-year level unless they have eaten the flesh and blood of a powerful Soul Beast or Soul Master, absorbing their energy, and then grow to this level."
Yu Xiaogang also thought and pondered.
"Shh, don't speak, they're here!"
Flender warned them with caution.
The two hiding with him also became alert, watching. A sharp cry resounded through the forest, coming from the sky.
It was a black crow, huge in size, over twenty meters long, with wingspans of seven or eight meters. Its beak was long and dark purple, and its eyes were blood-red, and very large.
The Corpse-Dance Crow Emperor flapped its wings, creating a powerful wind that caused the trees to lean and some to fall.
"Hiss!!!"
"Caw caw caw!!!"
A small sound rang out, and before they even saw this creature, the surrounding trees and flowers had withered and turned black, the poison spreading. Eight sturdy spider legs moved, driving the Human-Faced Demon Spider King's body toward the Corpse-Dance Crow Emperor. The speed was extremely fast, and the Human-Faced Demon Spider King's abdomen was a terrifying human face, which writhed as it spat out Spider Silk.
"Caw caw!!!"
The Corpse-Dance Crow Emperor, seeing the spider coming, made a provocative sound, flying high into the air, and swooping down towards the Human-Faced Demon Spider King's back.
"Hiss!!!"
The Human-Faced Demon Spider King raised its small head, and a line of white Spider Silk shot out from its fangs, heading towards the Corpse-Dance Crow Emperor.
"Shua shua shua!!!"
The Corpse-Dance Crow Emperor flapped its wings, and blood-red crescent blades flew out, cutting the Spider Silk.
"Yi!!"
Just as the Corpse-Dance Crow Emperor was about to get close to the Human-Faced Demon Spider King, the Human-Faced Demon Spider King unexpectedly jumped away with its eight spider legs, landing on the ground far away, while a large Spider Web in mid-air was cast towards the Corpse-Dance Crow Emperor.
"Hiss hiss!!"
The spider's mouth opened, and green Demon Spider Poison Mist instantly spread.
The poison mist spread out, obscuring the Corpse-Dance Crow Emperor's vision, while the Human-Faced Demon Spider King hid in the poison mist, ready to ambush at any time.
The Human-Faced Demon Spider, by nature, is cunning and never attacks head-on. It relies on ambushes, and has injured the Corpse-Dance Crow Emperor many times. It is precisely because of this that it has held this forest as its territory.
"We'll take action as soon as one of them is injured. Listen for my signal."
Flender, hiding in the shadows, said.
The Human-Faced Demon Spider King, indeed, somehow circled around, appearing behind the Corpse-Dance Crow Emperor, its eight spider legs moving at an extremely fast speed, silently.
Two spider legs reached forward, and two Spider Webs shot out from behind the Corpse-Dance Crow Emperor, at the same time spider legs pierced out.
"Caw!"
The Corpse-Dance Crow Emperor noticed the Human-Faced Demon Spider King behind it, pretending not to notice, and just stood there, with its blood-red eyes turning back and forth, watching the Human-Faced Demon Spider King attack, and a red energy ball was secretly gathering in its mouth. It raised its wings, sweeping the Spider Web aside, then turned its head and fired the energy ball towards the Human-Faced Demon Spider King.
"Bang!!"
The Human-Faced Demon Spider King didn't expect the Corpse-Dance Crow Emperor to become so cunning this time, and, caught off guard, it was the first to be injured.
"Excellent! Attack!"
Flender said, and he dashed out, five Soul Rings shining, and released his fourth Soul Skill.
Four-Eyed Owl Soul Skill, Guardian of the Owl, activated!
Guardian of the Owl grants the user a protective shield that absorbs energy attacks, and then increases the user's attack.
ps: There were some errors in the timeline regarding Qin Ming earlier. I've made some minor changes. Qin Ming hasn't appeared yet, much less become a Soul Emperor. As for the question of Qin Ming being the youngest Soul Emperor on the continent, there are some discrepancies. According to the original work, Tang Hao, Tang Chen, Qian Daoliu, and others should have become Soul Emperors at a younger age than Qin Ming. I'll think about how to resolve this issue.