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**
Xiao Lin and the others were able to sense that something was amiss—a lingering sense of dread. Naturally, veterans like Su Yuntao, who were seasoned by many battles in the Soul Hunting Forest, could also sense the wrongness in the air.
Once Xiao Gui had hurriedly changed into dry clothes, Xiao Lin and the group moved at their maximum speed, rushing toward the exit of the Soul Hunting Forest. Generally, the entrance of the forest served as its exit.
With the experienced Captain Wang Neng leading the way, the group managed to cover half the distance in just half a day. If no accidents occurred, they would be out of the forest in another few hours.
Suddenly, Tang San sensed something wrong.
He immediately reached out to stop Xiao Lin and Xiao Wu.
"Wait, something's wrong. I smell blood."
Tang San's words sent a jolt of alarm through everyone.
At this moment, Wang Neng and his men didn't stop to wonder why Tang San's sense of smell was better than that of Beast Martial Soul masters; they simply went on high alert alongside Xiao Lin's group.
The twilight was fading, and evening was fast approaching.
A powerful sense of incongruity and unease washed over everyone present. Only Xiao Lin, relying on his delayed reaction speed and the constant protection of his Vajra Imperishable soul power, felt nothing unusual.
"It's not just blood. There's also the scent of Snake Repellent Powder."
Once Tang San spoke with certainty about the faint odors in the air, Su Yuntao stepped forward and performed his Martial Soul Possession.
To preserve combat strength, previously only Shi Dan, with his War Chicken Martial Soul, and Xu Yi, with his Lazy Pig Martial Soul, had remained in their possessed states.
Hearing Tang San's report, the entire group halted, waiting for Su Yuntao's Lone Wolf to track the scent. After his Lone Wolf possession, Su Yuntao's body expanded significantly. The protruding wolf-like nose above his mouth sniffed the air.
Moments later, Su Yuntao frowned.
"The shifting air definitely carries the scent of blood and Snake Repellent Powder. There's even a heavy stench of rotting corpses."
Hearing this, Wang Neng didn't care about wasting soul power and immediately underwent Martial Soul Possession as well.
As his muscles bulged, he transformed into a demi-human Tiger. His sturdy physique and arms—far stronger than Su Yuntao's—provided a measure of comfort to the frightened Xiao Gui.
Xiao Lin, who harbored no doubt toward Tang San, silently moved to the very back of the formation to guard their rear. He lightly flicked a bit of dirt off his bamboo armor, producing a crisp, metallic ring upon contact.
"This is an emergency. Rather than waiting for death, we should go to the source of that blood scent. It's better to know exactly who is messing with our heads."
Xiao Lin stood at the rear, his Horned Dragon Staff already gripped firmly in his hand as he shielded Tang San and Xiao Wu.
As long as he was there, no one could harm them from behind.
"I agree. We should check it out," Su Yuntao nodded, supporting Xiao Lin's idea.
Generally speaking, if a soul beast is full, it rarely chooses to attack human soul masters.
Since this feeling of being watched had persisted for so long, they would never be able to rest peacefully at night without figuring out where this unknown fear was coming from. Humans choose to huddle together in groups precisely to find peace of mind.
Of course, they could try to leave the forest under the cover of night, but traveling the Soul Hunting Forest in the dark was even more dangerous. It was difficult to move quickly while simultaneously keeping an eye on soul beasts behind and venomous insects underfoot.
Soon, the group followed the scent of blood to the site of the rotting corpses.
During the trek, Tang San leaned in close to Xiao Lin's ear and whispered: "Brother Lin, my Blue Silver Regeneration Bracelet can only support four people for ten minutes. Besides the two of us and Xiao Wu, I can only provide it to Brother Tao."
As Tang San whispered this, Xiao Lin could clearly see a hint of hesitation in his eyes.
If things became desperate, Tang San might not even want to heal Su Yuntao. His Blue Silver Regeneration Bracelet merely granted teammates a bit of healing and a transfer of soul power; if he gave it to too many people, he would be drained dry.
"It's fine. If necessary, prioritize protecting yourself and Xiao Wu. Don't worry about me."
Xiao Lin didn't have much to say regarding Tang San's choice.
The fact that Tang San even considered Su Yuntao showed he was loyal enough. One couldn't expect Tang San to selflessly sacrifice all his abilities to the point of putting his own life at risk.
"Keep a close eye on Xiao Wu. Don't let anything happen to her."
If Xiao Wu accidentally died and dropped a one hundred thousand year soul ring and soul bone, it might cause the team to descend into internal strife.
Speaking of Xiao Wu, Xiao Lin was also curious: as a transformed one hundred thousand year soul beast, could she still utilize any of her original power? If she couldn't, then transformation was simply too dangerous...
Xiao Lin shook his head, deciding that in their secret base, he should talk more about how Tang San's choice of life-force soul rings was intended for resurrection.
This might ensure that if Xiao Wu eventually sacrificed herself, the soul ring and bone would go to him or Tang San, making it easier to revive her later.
Regarding Xiao Wu, Xiao Lin maintained his stance: he didn't covet her soul ring or bone. Invincible Golden Body wasn't truly invincible; in the future, it might not even provide more defense than Xiao Lin's own soul power.
Dispelling his wandering thoughts, the group quickly arrived at the spot reeking of death.
"This is the place where my Blue Silver Grass sensed something wrong."
Tang San's words made Xiao Lin focus.
This location was quite far from where they had obtained their soul rings.
Did the unease really stem from here?
"Huh? Isn't this Wang Fugui and Captain A'Wei?"
As an old hand who made his living near the Soul Hunting Forest, Su Yuntao recognized the corpses at a glance.
Xiao Lin frowned.
Although Wang Fugui had been arrogant, they had been traveling with two hunting teams—a configuration no weaker than their own. If even they had met with an accident, things were serious.
Xiao Lin looked around and found at least five corpses.
Three of them looked as though they had "committed suicide" by being shot in the back.
"One-hit kills. The enemy's attacks are extremely swift, fast, and powerful."
Xiao Lin already had a basic hypothesis.
Right then, Tang San frowned and stepped forward to actively inspect the state of the bodies. Meanwhile, Xiao Wu and Xiao Gui were so terrified they hid behind Xiao Lin.
"The wounds on the corpses are large—bloody holes about the size of a baby's fist. Yet, there is very little bleeding. All the bodies appear somewhat shriveled," Tang San analyzed after flipping a corpse over.
"Most importantly, they were all killed in a single strike, losing their combat capability instantly. Their faces are pale green, indicating poisoning, yet they also show signs of asphyxiation."
"Furthermore, there are signs of the bodies being gnawed on by large insect mouthparts, but it seems the attacker only took a few shallow bites of each and then stopped."
As Tang San spoke, his brow furrowed deeper.
As a member of the Tang Sect, even he found this poisoning phenomenon bizarre.
The Tang Sect had poisons that caused asphyxiation, but these victims didn't even seem to have had the chance to resist. It was as if a tiger carried the venom of a cobra—it didn't need the venom to win, yet it possessed the ability and used it anyway.
"Bullet Bee. This type of poisoning is characteristic of a Bullet Bee—specifically, a solitary one."
"Given the situation, I suspect this Bullet Bee doesn't have a seven-hundred-year cultivation, but rather over a thousand years. Its immense attack power allows it to kill weaker enemies in one hit without even needing its poison."
Xiao Lin's heart grew heavy.
If it was a thousand-year Bullet Bee, he had to worry about whether Tang San and Xiao Wu might lose their lives here.
"The fact that it leaves the corpses without eating them suggests it isn't hunting for food. Instead, it looks like it's killing for sport—slaughtering."
"A mutation? Has the Bullet Bee mutated? Like a Man-Faced Demon Spider, does it enjoy cruel slaughter?"
As he spoke, Xiao Lin led Xiao Wu and Xiao Gui to Tang San's side, his brow tightly knit.
The situation was truly grim.
Had that Bullet Bee been stalking them for half the day?
**
Hello everyone,
Thank you for your support! If you enjoy my work, you can check out my Patreon—there are 60+ early access and exclusive content. I update 5 advanced chapter from Monday-Saturday
www.patreon.com/c/FanficTranslator
I truly appreciate it!