Deep Within the Demon-Sealing Forest
A figure swiftly leaped through the forest, moving so lightly that when they landed on a branch, it only trembled slightly.
No sound!
As the figure jumped, it seemed to be scouting the surrounding area. After a few moments, the figure appeared in an open clearing where a group of people was gathered.
"There are no large soul beasts nearby. Two kilometers ahead, there's a golden chinchilla around a thousand years old."
The figure landed—it was Wang Feng!
After speaking, Wang Feng looked at his teammates in front of him.
There were three unfamiliar mercenaries and the employer of this expedition—a noblewoman and one of her attendants.
The noblewoman was named Lin Shan, an aristocrat from the nearby kingdom's capital. She had reached level 30 and had hired a team to enter the Demon-Sealing Forest to hunt a thousand-year-old soul beast.
The reward was quite high—one hundred gold soul coins per person!
Yes! Over the past year, Wang Feng had not only been attending the academy but had also frequently taken on jobs assisting nobles in hunting soul beasts. Of course, he was paid well for it. The earnings from these expeditions were quite profitable—at the very least, they were enough to support his grandmother so she wouldn't have to work anymore.
Additionally, this allowed him to hone his combat experience and skills.
"Golden chinchilla?" The leader of the mercenaries frowned slightly. "That soul beast is highly sensitive to scents. It has likely already detected us from two kilometers away."
At this moment, Wang Feng was wearing a black robe and a mask, and his voice was slightly hoarse to disguise himself.
Currently, he had reached level 20.
To be precise, he had reached level 20 after celebrating the New Year.
In fact, after reaching level 20, Wang Feng had spent the past few days in the hunting forest searching for a suitable soul beast for his second spirit ring—on his own.
However, he had yet to find a soul beast that suited him.
So, he temporarily halted his search and took on a job, deciding to wait for a better opportunity.
"The golden chinchilla has already detected us. If you rest at night, you're highly likely to be attacked by soul beasts," Wang Feng continued. "This is the inner part of the forest, and no one knows whether there might be higher-level soul beasts lurking around."
"I recommend temporarily retreating to the outer area, setting up camp there, and resting for the night."
The mercenary leader looked at Wang Feng. Upon hearing Wang Feng's words, he couldn't help but reevaluate the young man.
He hadn't expected this kid to be quite knowledgeable. At first, he had somewhat underestimated Wang Feng due to his young age, but now he felt he needed to reassess his judgment.
"No! We'll rest here. Otherwise, it will take too much time! We'll head back tomorrow!" Lin Shan declared while glancing at her attendant.
Her servant immediately began preparing the necessary items for camping.
Wang Feng frowned slightly and looked at Lin Shan and the attendant beside her, who was dressed in a long black cloak that concealed their figure.
This noblewoman was quite generous—hiring a team to hunt a thousand-year-old soul beast and offering one hundred gold soul coins per person.
If it weren't for his growing reputation, he probably wouldn't have been able to take on this commission.
Sigh... Fine. She's the one paying, so I have to follow her orders for now. Wang Feng sighed silently.
However, he couldn't shake off a strange feeling.
Lin Shan and the old attendant beside her seemed... suspicious. But Wang Feng couldn't quite put his finger on what was strange about them.
He suspected that the old servant accompanying Lin Shan was quite strong.
Possibly around level forty!
But that was what made it strange—if this old attendant was above level forty, then logically, there was no need to hire a team to hunt a soul beast.
Was she just handing out gold coins for free?
Was this just for extra security?
Over the past year, Wang Feng had accepted many soul beast hunting commissions.
Some were from noble children who also brought along attendants, but none had ever been like this!
A level forty-plus Spirit Master should be more than capable of handling a thousand-year-old soul beast, let alone one that was three or four thousand years old.
But if it was just for additional security, then it made sense.
With these doubts lingering in his mind, Wang Feng entered the tent that had been set up and began meditating.
Even though he had reached a bottleneck in his spirit power and couldn't increase it further, this had already become a habit.
The moon shone brightly in the quiet and peaceful night sky...
Suddenly!
A scream echoed through the dark forest!
Wang Feng's eyes snapped open. His body moved reflexively, darting out of the tent at high speed.
The moment he stepped outside, a horrifying sight greeted him.
Two mercenaries lay on the ground, their bodies writhing in agony. Piercing cries escaped their mouths, their faces filled with fear and confusion. But the most shocking thing was their hands—
Cleanly severed! Fresh blood still dripped from their wounds, staining the ground beneath them. Wang Feng narrowed his eyes, quickly analyzing the situation.
On the other side, Lin Shan and an old servant dressed in black stood calmly, as if nothing had happened.
The mercenary leader was held behind Lin Shan, his face pale and full of fear. He looked as if he had just woken up, completely clueless about what was happening.
"Did you do this?" Wang Feng asked warily, his body slightly tensed, ready for an attack.
However, Lin Shan did not immediately answer. Instead, he stared at Wang Feng with a confused expression.
"Master Mo, why isn't he affected by your spirit skill?" Lin Shan asked in a curious tone.
The old servant in black, called Master Mo, furrowed his brows, his eyes filled with confusion as he looked at Wang Feng. "That's impossible..." he muttered. "This boy is only a level 20 Spirit Master. My ability, Nightmare, should make anyone who falls asleep lose their consciousness and senses for a while. Even those three mercenaries, who are in the level 30s, were affected immediately..."
He continued in a serious tone, "It's impossible for someone to be immune to my nightmare. However, if he didn't sleep, my ability wouldn't work."
Hearing this, Lin Shan sighed, then looked at Wang Feng with both surprise and admiration. "Wow, how lucky you are. You didn't fall asleep..."
Wang Feng felt regret.
These two had seemed suspicious from the start. He should have canceled this commission earlier.
But now was not the time for self-blame.
He quickly sharpened his senses, surveying his surroundings. The two wounded mercenaries were still writhing in pain, while their leader stood frozen, seemingly too scared to move.
Without hesitation, Wang Feng grabbed a dagger from the side of one of the fallen mercenaries. He stood tall, staring at Lin Shan and the old servant with a cold gaze.
"Kid, do you still want to fight us?" Lin Shan smirked as he saw Wang Feng pick up the dagger. "Don't be foolish. You're just a support-type Spirit Master. No matter how strong you are, you won't be able to defeat Master Mo. Obediently follow us."
The moment he finished speaking, the old servant beside him suddenly released an overwhelming aura.
Four spirit rings appeared beneath his feet.
Yellow, yellow, purple, purple!
A Spirit Ancestor!
Wang Feng's eyes narrowed. Now, he was even more curious.
Why would these two need an escort to hunt spirit beasts if they were this strong?
Suddenly, a thought crossed his mind, making his eyes widen.
Could it be that they were doing this to cultivate spirit beasts?
He had heard rumors about this before. Some nobles specifically raised certain spirit beasts in hunting forests, then hunted them once they reached a certain age.
However, the growth cycle of spirit beasts was very long. Without a special method, it was impossible to cultivate them efficiently.
Recently, he had also heard about an even more horrifying method—using humans as food to accelerate the growth of spirit beasts. This method, though cruel, was becoming increasingly popular among certain nobles. Low-level spirit masters were forced to feed spirit beasts with their souls and energy, helping the creatures break through to the next stage more quickly.
At the time, Wang Feng had dismissed these rumors as nonsense.
But now...
He was experiencing it firsthand!
His heart pounded, not from fear, but from rage.
His eyes gleamed sharply. If his guess was correct, then Lin Shan and Master Mo had to be stopped—no matter what!