Chapter 94: The Flaming Hyena Pack and the Ice Fire Lotus
Once Dugu Yan fully adapted to her new abilities, Han Li took her along to bid farewell to the two Titled Douluo and resumed their soul hunt.
They were now deep within the core of the mixed zone of the forest. Without the protection of the Titled Douluo, Han Li heightened his vigilance to the maximum. He had no intention of ending up like a certain "Immortal Emperor" who perished just because he accidentally stepped on a bug.
Overall, their journey went smoothly. The advantage of having Soul Sage level spiritual power was the ability to scan a vast area, allowing them to avoid unnecessary conflicts. If they couldn't avoid a confrontation, Han Li had other means to ensure an easy victory.
By infusing his spiritual attacks with ice elements, he could slow down any soul beast's thoughts upon first contact. Then, with Eagle Eye marking his target, he would fire an arrow enhanced with both elemental energy and armor piercing properties, striking directly through the beast's eye. The fusion of ice and fire would then detonate inside the creature's head, instantly ending the fight.
Clean. Precise. Violently efficient. Every preparation was made for that one final explosive strike.
This was Han Li's current combat style highly effective and surgical.
Watching him in action, Dugu Yan's eyes sparkled with admiration.
Even the two Titled Douluo, hiding in the shadows, nodded approvingly. While still young and unpolished, Han Li was already displaying the aura of a future powerhouse.
As they advanced, the soul beasts they encountered grew stronger. But it wasn't until they ran into a Flaming Hyena pack that they truly witnessed Han Li's full combat prowess.
The encounter happened unexpectedly in a valley. Han Li and Dugu Yan had originally bypassed the pack's territory, but just as they were about to leave the area, they ran into a group of returning hunters from the pack.
With their keen sense of smell, the hyenas detected them despite their best attempts to remain hidden.
Han Li attacked first, but since the enemy group was scattered, a few still managed to let out warning howls. Moments later, a massive force of Flaming Hyenas surged from their den, launching a coordinated attack.
This pack wasn't weak its leader was a nearly 20,000 year old Flaming Hyena King, supported by four lieutenants that had just surpassed the 10,000 year threshold.
Soul beasts at this level possessed a high degree of intelligence. Recognizing that Han Li and Dugu Yan were young and relatively weak, they didn't hesitate to charge in.
Flaming Hyenas were not particularly strong on their own. In fact, among soul beast species, their individual combat ability was near the bottom for their tier.
Yet they thrived due to their numbers, teamwork, and relentless fighting style.
Under the Hyena King's command, the entire pack howled as they lunged forward.
Seeing this, Han Li immediately instructed Dugu Yan to take to the skies. However, he himself didn't retreat. Instead, he deliberately stayed just beyond their attack range, carefully studying their movements.
By taking advantage of his long range attacks, he lured them forward while continuously harassing them with wide area ice arrows, enraging them while preventing the Hyena King from closing the distance.
At the same time, he began picking off the Hyena King's lieutenants.
After eliminating two of the 10,000 year old hyenas and several weaker 8,000 year old ones, the Hyena King entered a berserk state.
Ignoring Han Li's harassment, it activated a powerful flame cloak, charging through his attacks to get within striking distance.
Just as the Hyena King thought it had secured victory, Han Li smiled and detonated the latent cold poison within its body.
A spiritual attack disrupted its already slowed thoughts, and in that brief opening, a milky white arrow pierced through its open maw, detonating directly in its heart.
The Hyena King fell.
But the battle was far from over.
The sight of their fallen leader sent the remaining Flaming Hyenas into a frenzy. They abandoned all sense of self preservation, madly swarming Han Li in a suicidal charge.
But Han Li had no intention of letting them off easily.
He still needed to test the full extent of his combat abilities.
Before the desperate pack could reach him, he took to the air, deactivating his martial soul.
As he compressed his soul power, a red and white lotus appeared in his hand.
He tossed it into the center of the battlefield.
After a brief pause, the Ice Fire Lotus erupted.
In a single explosion, nearly thirty soul beasts were wiped out.
Their remains lay frozen and ablaze at the same time, a beautiful yet eerie sight.
That single attack broke the will of the remaining Flaming Hyenas.
The weaker ones instinctively began to flee, triggering a ripple effect across the pack.
Moments later, the once unified pack collapsed as the survivors scattered in different directions.
Once he confirmed there were no more threats, Han Li landed and quickly checked the battlefield.
Unfortunately, there were no soul bones.
Without wasting time, he immediately led Dugu Yan away from the area.
His spiritual power consumption was manageable, but his soul power had dropped to less than a third of its total reserves.
Breaking through the defenses of five soul beasts ranging between the Soul King and Soul Emperor level wasn't difficult, but the specialized arrows he had used against the Hyena King, coupled with the final Ice Fire Lotus attack, had consumed nearly half of his soul power.
Once they were safely away, Han Li finally allowed himself to relax.
Then, under Dugu Yan's confused gaze, he decisively activated his "Grand Summoning Spell."
When Guang Ling and Dugu Bo appeared, Han Li simply nodded at them, sat down, and began meditating to restore his soul power.
"That's a bit strange, isn't it?"
Guang Ling chuckled as he turned to Dugu Yan.
"It is a little odd. Seeing Han Li single handedly wipe out an entire Flaming Hyena pack, only to immediately call for his teacher afterward… it feels a bit, um, out of place."
Dugu Yan expressed her honest thoughts.
"Hahaha, you'll get used to it. That's just who Han Li is. To him, pride is worthless safety always comes first."
Guang Ling couldn't help but laugh at the thought.
"Han Li did the right thing. That's the mindset a soul master needs to survive and thrive. Yan Yan, remember this well."
Dugu Bo took the opportunity to give his granddaughter some valuable advice.
"Mm, I understand, Grandpa."
Dugu Yan nodded obediently.
"Still… that kid is seriously strong. He nearly wiped out an entire Flaming Hyena pack on his own. If he faces a normal 30,000 year old soul beast that isn't a high speed aerial type, he might even have a chance of taking it down."
Dugu Bo sighed in amazement as he watched Han Li recover.
"Don't exaggerate. His soul power is still too shallow it's his biggest weakness right now. His burst damage is decent, but overall, he's just okay."
For once, Guang Ling was the one being modest on Han Li's behalf.
However, the slight smirk on his face betrayed his true thoughts.
"Tch, anyone who doesn't know better would think you were bragging about yourself."
Dugu Bo rolled his eyes.
"He's my disciple."
"Y "
"He's my disciple."
"…"
Realizing he wouldn't win this argument, Dugu Bo gave up and turned to whisper with his granddaughter occasionally glancing back at Guang Ling as if plotting revenge.
(End of Chapter)
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 20 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/cortez10