booktalesy Chapter 6 The Mantis Stalks the Cicada, Unaware of the Oriole Behind
Chapter 6 The Mantis Stalks the Cicada, Unaware of the Oriole Behind
It is larger than a regular wolf, with jet-black fur and eerie green eyes that glow in the dark.
Ghost wolves are social animals, but this one was alone; it's unclear whether it was driven away by the pack or got separated from its pack.
Mingfei spent an entire day dealing with this wolf.
In their first encounter, he attempted a head-on kill.
But the Netherwolf was much faster than he had expected. It slashed at him with its claws, and he barely managed to block it with the Netherworld Sword. He was sent flying three meters away, and his arm went numb from the impact.
He immediately sank into the underworld, emerging thirty meters away to escape the pursuit of the Netherworld Wolf.
The second time, he tried to attack from behind.
But the Nether Wolf's senses were extremely sharp. Before his sword could even be thrust out, the wolf had already turned around, its eerie green eyes fixed on him.
The third time, he used two whole hours of patience.
He first made a sound with stones from a distance, luring the ghost wolf into a narrow ravine.
Then it emerged from the underworld and pierced the wolf's nape with a sword.
This time, he didn't fail.
The corpse of the eight-hundred-year-old Nether Wolf was taken into the Underworld, and the gray mist surged more violently than ever before.
Mingfei could sense that the underworld was greedily absorbing the wolf's remnant soul.
Something seemed to be breaking through the soil on that scorched earth.
No, it's not a plant, but something indescribable.
It's as if the underworld itself is "remembering" the aura of the Nether Wolf.
Mingfei leaned against the tree trunk, panting, looking down at the Hades Sword in his hand.
Of the eighteen dark runes on the sword, the first one seemed to have lit up slightly.
It was very faint; you couldn't detect it unless you looked closely, but Mingfei could sense it.
After absorbing the soul power of these soul beasts, the Hades Sword is slowly awakening.
His soul power is also increasing.
After five days of hunting, including more than twenty hundred-year-old soul beasts and the eight-hundred-year-old Netherworld Wolf, his soul power increased from level 20 to level 21.
Although there are no spirit rings yet, the total amount of spirit power is indeed increasing.
It's just that the speed is very slow. Perhaps it will soar after absorbing two spirit rings.
Mingfei gripped the Hades Sword tightly and looked into the depths of the forest.
The hundred-year-old soul beasts on the outskirts were no longer enough for him.
He needs a thousand-year-old soul beast.
A prey truly worthy of the Hades Sword's first spirit ring.
He stood up and walked deeper into the Sunset Forest.
In the cave behind him, there were still traces of where he had sat on the haystack.
But he doesn't plan to go back.
The hunting on the periphery was just a warm-up.
The real hunt has only just begun.
.....
The further you go in, the deeper the forest becomes, and the dimmer the light gets.
Mingfei stepped on a thick layer of decaying leaves, making almost no sound.
This is a skill he has practiced over the past few days—landing on the balls of his feet first, then slowly shifting his weight, each step as light as a cat's.
Although hunting century-old soul beasts did not bring him a soul ring, it allowed him to become familiar with the feel of the Hades Sword and taught him how to conceal his whereabouts in the forest.
The canopy of trees overhead grew denser and denser, blocking out almost all the sunlight.
Visibility in the woods dropped to twenty or thirty meters; beyond that, it was just a blurry, dark green expanse.
The air became damp and chilly, and with each breath, one could feel a cool sensation in their throat.
Mingfei stopped beside a fallen, dead tree, squatted down, and listened carefully for a while.
There's movement ahead.
It wasn't a soul beast—he'd heard about soul beasts quite a bit over the past few days.
Soul beasts don't walk so carefully; they are the masters of this forest and don't need to be polite to anyone.
These cautious, intermittent footsteps are human.
More than one person.
Ming Fei narrowed his eyes, shrank back behind the withered tree, and silently extended his spiritual power forward.
The Hades Sword granted him a much wider range of spiritual perception than ordinary soul masters, especially in this quiet environment, where any creature with soul power fluctuations was as clear as a torch in the dark.
three people.
The fluctuations in soul power were not strong, roughly between the second and third rings.
They were located about eighty meters to the southeast and were slowly moving to the northwest, seemingly along a stream.
Mingfei hesitated for a moment, then decided to follow and see.
It's not about making contact, but about understanding.
His understanding of Sunset Forest was still at a superficial level, and he had no idea what kind of spirit beasts or dangers he would encounter if he went deeper.
These people came to hunt soul beasts, and their routes, their goals, and how they dealt with dangers are all readily available references.
He slipped silently out from behind the dead tree, moving forward along the ground like a snake.
The underworld trembled slightly within his body, completely enveloping his aura, with not a trace of his soul power leaking out.
It took him ten minutes to cover the 80-meter distance.
It's not that it can't be faster, but that it's unnecessary.
These people aren't in a hurry, and neither am I.
He finally stopped behind a thicket of bushes and, through the gaps in the leaves, saw the three people.
Two adult men and one young woman.
The men were all wearing leather armor, with short knives hanging at their waists and packs on their backs; they were clearly experienced veterans who frequently ventured into and out of the forest.
The woman was dressed in a relatively neat and tidy outfit, her long hair was tied in a ponytail, and she held a slender sword in her hand—her weapon spirit should be of the agility-based type.
Three people were squatting by the stream, drinking water and talking in hushed tones.
Mingfei focused his mental energy on his ear and barely managed to catch a few words.
"...Head north, there are signs of ghost tigers appearing there..."
"...A thousand-year level is enough, don't be greedy..."
"...We need to evacuate before dark..."
Ghost Tiger.
Mingfei's ears perked up.
This was one of the goals he had considered before.
A thousand-year-old ghost tiger, a speed-type soul beast, excels in stealth and surprise attacks. The skills attached to its soul rings are most likely related to speed, stealth, and assassination, perfectly matching the Hades Sword's combat style.
He continued listening.
"...The one Old Chen and his group encountered last time was at least 1,500 years old. They couldn't even stop it among the four of them, and one of them even perished..."
"The Ghost Tiger is not easy to deal with. It is fast, has sharp claws, and is smarter than most soul beasts."
"That's why I called the two of you here. One to control, one to defend, and I'll take the lead in the attack."
The one speaking was the young woman.
Her tone was calm, but there was an undeniable certainty in it.
It seems she is the core of this three-person team.
Mingfei silently observed their equipment, positioning, and eye contact during conversation, mentally assigning a score to the team.
They have excellent teamwork and rich experience, but their strength ceiling is not high—two second-ring and one third-ring members. They have a chance of defeating the Thousand-Year Ghost Tiger, but it won't be easy.
If they succeed, he will be able to see Ghost Tiger's fighting style firsthand.
If they fail...
Mingfei suppressed the thought.
There was no need for him to intervene in their fight; whether he was helping or finishing off the enemy, it would expose him.
What he needs least right now is to be noticed.
......