"How strong are these Wolf Raiders?""
Upon hearing Tang San's question, Liang Yao quickly replied, "Reporting to Third Young Master, these Wolf Raiders aren't particularly strong. Most are around the strength of 20th to 30th-level Soul Masters. They frequently attack villages, plundering women, but their numbers and unity make them terrifying. A group of five hundred Wolf Raiders is enough to overwhelm an army of ten thousand."
Unlike Liang Yao, who carried some fear toward the Wolf Raiders, Tang San's expression was filled with doubt. The strength of these Wolf Raiders was pathetically weak.
Soul Masters were an extremely rare profession. Most people who awakened their Martial Souls couldn't become Soul Masters, so those who failed to become Soul Masters but had offensive-type Martial Souls often chose to join the military.
Generally, a well-equipped soldier could match a one-ring Soul Master in strength but would never defeat a two-ring Soul Master.
Liang Yao wasn't particularly strong, so his fear of the Wolf Raiders stemmed more from their brutality and numbers. However, in Tang San's eyes, these Wolf Raiders were weak. A single Soul Saint could slaughter five hundred of them effortlessly. Moreover, the Wolf Raiders themselves knew their weakness, which was why they never dared attack human cities, only targeting remote villages without Soul Masters outside city walls.
Standing on higher ground, Tang San turned to look back at the village that had been attacked by the giant earthworms. The distance between the outpost and the village wasn't short—it had taken them half a day to walk here.
"This outpost was destroyed some time ago. Why did the giant earthworms attack the village only now, after such a long delay? Moreover, the outpost was attacked by Wolf Raiders, but the village was assaulted by a swarm of giant earthworms. The kingdom didn't receive any feedback from its outpost—why was there no reaction at all? Could something have happened to the kingdom? These Wolf Raiders are so weak; they've always only targeted villages. Yet now, they dare provoke the kingdom, attacking outposts and killing kingdom soldiers? Aren't they afraid of the kingdom sending powerful Soul Masters for retaliation?" The more Tang San thought about it, the more something felt off. These events didn't logically connect, yet they seemed related—and all had happened.
Not to mention Spirit Beasts—even Soul Masters entering Spirit Beast Territory to hunt feared retaliation from Spirit Beasts. Even when hunting for Soul Rings, they had to do so stealthily, either alone or with similarly powerful Soul Masters. If a Soul Emperor or Soul Saint helped lower-level Soul Masters hunt Spirit Beasts, a single misstep could attract a ten-thousand-year Spirit Beast, leading to everyone's death.
Yet now, Spirit Beasts were the first to provoke the kingdom—this truly defied common sense.
"The herb-gathering mission is suspended. The rest of you stay here. Liang Yao, come with me. I need to investigate whether something has happened in the Five Wood Basin. If a ten-thousand-year Spirit Beast Tribe has truly appeared, our Clear Sky Sect cannot allow this medicinal herb garden to fall into the hands of Spirit Beasts without a fight." Tang San issued orders one after another.
Though the Five Wood Basin wasn't as stable an asset as Clear Sky City's industries, it was still one of the Clear Sky Sect's private properties. The annual output of medicinal herbs and spiritual plants was extremely important.
As the young sect master, Tang San naturally had the duty and responsibility to protect the sect's assets. After his assessment, he might even dispatch Soul Saints or even a Soul Douluo to handle the situation.
"I-I understand, Third Young Master," Liang Yao replied, shrinking his head instinctively. He regretted being so impulsive earlier—now he'd caught the Third Young Master's attention and was being dragged into Spirit Beast Territory.
Liang Yao led the way as they traversed the undulating mountain ranges of Five Wood Basin, which sprawled like giant dragons coiled across the earth. After passing the outpost, the occasional roars of tigers, chirps of insects, and calls of birds echoed faintly around them.
Strangely, Liang Yao wasn't frightened by these sounds—he heard them every time he came here.
"Third Young Master, the footprints have disappeared."
Following the tracks of the Wolf Raiders, Liang Yao reached the edge of the mountain range. Pushing aside the obstructing foliage, the compressed sense of physical space suddenly expanded. The view, previously blocked by the mountains, abruptly opened up as if they had stepped into a colossal bowl cradled by the earth.
Below the basin, shadowy figures walked upright on two legs, moving back and forth as if transporting something.
"Third Young Master, those are the Wolf Raiders," Liang Yao whispered, hiding behind Tang San.
Tang San channeled his Soul Power into his pupils, activating his Purple Demon Eyes, and gradually discerned the appearance of the Wolf Raiders.
There were only about forty or fifty of them, each with a burly physique, standing as tall as grown men. The most peculiar feature was their gray hair and thick body fur, making them look like savages. Their lips protruded outward, revealing canine teeth several times larger than those of an ordinary human.
The Wolf Raiders seemed to be carrying something toward the other side of the basin.
"That's odd. There are fewer Wolf Raiders than expected. Could the rest be on the other side of the basin?" Liang Yao squinted, counting their numbers. The count didn't match what he knew about Wolf Raiders.
Tang San narrowed his eyes slightly and said in a low voice, "It's not that there are few—they've been slaughtered."
"S-Slaughtered?!" Liang Yao's heart jolted.
With his Purple Demon Eyes, Tang San could see more clearly. These Wolf Raiders looked dispirited, devoid of the ferocity and bloodlust Liang Yao had described. If anything, they resembled defeated prisoners of war.
Moreover, all of them were busy transporting goods, acting like laborers—completely different from Liang Yao's account.
"These Wolf Raiders weren't the ones who breached the kingdom's outpost. They've been enslaved, forced to loot and transport supplies. The ones who attacked the outpost and slaughtered the soldiers were other Spirit Beasts." Tang San scanned the basin below before his gaze settled on a higher section—there, he found the true culprits.
The sight of those figures resolved all contradictions.
Insectoids! Insect Soul Beasts!
Several crimson giant locusts, each a meter long, fluttered their wings in the barely visible darkness. Their forelimbs had evolved into serrated blades, their wing casings covered in molten patterns, and their six hind legs ended in hooked suction cups.
"So it was Insect Soul Beasts attacking the villages. The masterminds behind this are the Insectoids," Tang San muttered, locking onto them. He was certain the basin had now been occupied by Insect Soul Beasts.
The biggest difference between Insect Soul Beasts and other Spirit Beasts was their reproductive capability. Insect Soul Beasts were highly aggressive because they required vast resources to sustain their terrifying reproduction rate. Even within Spirit Beast Territory, they were considered anomalies—disliked even by other Spirit Beasts.
"Scarlet Flame Blade Locusts, with a cultivation of a thousand years at most, not exceeding six thousand years. I'm not afraid of their numbers, but they're actually enslaving Wolf Raiders?"
For some reason, Tang San felt a strange sense of unease rising in his heart. He had a vague feeling that something was quietly happening, something the entire Soul Master world remained completely unaware of. No one even realized that a crisis had already arrived.
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