Han Feng watched as Han Dang and the four of them charged forward. The short distance of just a hundred meters was not enough to stop them, and they were about to reach the Crimson Flame Lord.
Seeing this, Han Feng let out a sigh of relief.
It seems that Zhang Lingling's fourth soul ring is secure now...
"Meow~"
At that moment, Han Feng suddenly froze—amid the dangerous soul beasts in the mixed area of Star Dou Forest, he actually heard a soft, delicate "meow" sound?
With confusion, Han Feng turned his gaze toward the sound, only to see a small cat, about the size of a human palm, timidly watching him from about ten meters behind. Its fiery red fur looked extremely cute. If any cat lover from his past life saw it, they would probably be overwhelmed with excitement!
Han Feng found it a little strange. How could such a cute little cat appear in the mixed area of Star Dou Forest?
Could it be a soul beast?
But this little cat doesn't seem to have any offensive capabilities...
However, Han Feng wasn't a cat lover, and though he liked the little cat, he didn't act recklessly. Instead, he smiled gently at the cat, put his finger to his lips in a shushing gesture, and was about to turn back.
Han Feng was unsure if it was just his imagination, but the moment he turned away, the little cat seemed to show a hint of displeasure. Then, there was a more charming "meow~," and Han Feng froze again, as if under a spell. He turned back to the little cat.
Seeing that Han Feng didn't resist this time, the little cat smiled in satisfaction. A pink glow flashed in its vertical pupils. Han Feng stood there in a daze, and under the cat's expectant gaze, he carefully walked toward it, gently picking the cat up. He stroked its fur, rubbing it continuously.
As Han Feng petted it, the little cat's face showed an expression of enjoyment. It looked at Han Feng again, then lazily laid in his arms, allowing him to continue.
"Boom!"
Just as the little cat was about to close its eyes, a loud crash suddenly came from the front. The little cat immediately became furious. It first nervously looked at Han Feng, and seeing no sign of him waking up, it let out a sigh of relief. Its fierce gaze then turned toward the front, where flames surged—much stronger than the Crimson Flame Lord!
Ahead, Han Dang and the four of them had already reached the Crimson Flame Lord. Naturally, the Crimson Flame Lord wouldn't sit idly by. It punched Han Dang's Xuanjia Shield, producing a deafening sound.
The little cat's vertical pupils shifted between the Crimson Flame Lord and Han Dang's group, its eyes filled with murderous intent. But worried that it might wake Han Feng, it reluctantly retracted its hostility. The cat leapt up, jumped onto Han Feng's shoulder, extended its tongue, and licked his face. The soft meowing sound echoed again, and Han Feng, like a puppet, carried the little cat and walked away from Han Dang and the others.
It wasn't until the sounds of Han Dang's group were completely gone that Han Feng stopped. The little cat returned to his arms and began enjoying his petting again, its tail swaying in contentment.
On the other side, Han Dang's group had soon gained the upper hand. Under the assault of Chen Sheng and Tian Ge, the Crimson Flame Lord was now breathing heavily, barely holding on.
With the Lord defeated, the Crimson Flame Ghosts scattered like birds and beasts.
Han Dang's soul power had been greatly depleted, and so had Wu Fan and Chen Sheng. They had all removed their martial soul possessions. Zhang Lingling walked out from behind Han Dang. Han Dang smiled gently at her and said, "Dear, go ahead and absorb the soul ring!"
Zhang Lingling took a deep breath, not bothering to be coy. She walked up to the Crimson Flame Lord and swiftly dealt the finishing blow. A bright purple soul ring ascended from the Crimson Flame Lord's body.
Wu Fan and Chen Sheng glanced at the Crimson Flame Lord's corpse and quickly determined that there were no soul bones, so they positioned themselves in front and behind Zhang Lingling, protecting her while recovering their soul power, as per the agreement.
Zhang Lingling, being a 40th-level Soul Master, had no trouble absorbing a 5,000-year soul ring. She quickly passed the most dangerous period.
On the other side, Han Dang noticed Zhang Lingling was well into the absorption process and was about to relax when he noticed that Han Feng was missing.
At first, Han Dang thought that Han Feng was just hiding well, but after swearing under his breath, he still couldn't find Han Feng. Slowly, he realized the situation was more serious.
Han Dang frantically searched the area within a few meters but found nothing except a few strands of red fur that he hadn't paid attention to. There weren't even any footprints!
Han Dang couldn't understand whether Han Feng had just run off to play or if something dangerous had happened. If it was danger, why was there no sign of it?
After closing his eyes and carefully sensing, Han Dang could still feel that Han Feng's life force was intact, which made him angrily mutter, "That troublesome kid is always getting into trouble! Wait until I find you; I'm going to deal with you!"
Han Dang's third soul skill allowed him to protect the shield bearer, and it also enabled him to sense their life status. Although he couldn't track Han Feng, Han Feng's life force was quite strong, so Han Dang assumed Han Feng's disappearance was due to his own mischievousness.
If the Master were here, he would certainly recognize the red fur Han Dang had ignored. It was clearly the fur of a Fire Spirit Cat, and judging by the color, it was likely at least 10,000 years old!
The Fire Spirit Cat is a very special soul beast. Regardless of its age, its appearance always resembles a harmless little cat. It has a high level of intelligence, and once it reaches 10,000 years, it possesses the intellect of a 15- or 16-year-old human. Moreover, Fire Spirit Cats are known to form bonds with specific humans.
They use their natural abilities to first determine whether a human is beneficial or harmless to them. If the human poses no threat or offers benefits, the cat will then observe them. Once the cat confirms that it likes a human, it will appear and use its charm to lure that person away, interacting with them in an affectionate manner—often referred to as "petting the cat."
During this process, the Fire Spirit Cat subtly alters the human's subconscious. This process can take anywhere from one to two days, or up to ten or fifteen days, before the human becomes its devoted "cat slave."
Clearly, Han Feng has caught the attention of a 10,000-year Fire Spirit Cat, which has taken him away. While there's no immediate danger to his life, once he becomes a "cat slave," he will no longer be the same person.
If Han Feng turns into a cat slave, he might even forget Han Dang and Zhang Lingling, remembering only the Fire Spirit Cat. Han Dang, unaware of how dangerous the situation is for Han Feng, couldn't be blamed for not being concerned. After all, he had never heard of a Fire Spirit Cat and had never encountered a soul beast with a charm ability in his more than twenty years of being a Soul Master!
But even so, Han Dang couldn't help but worry. This is the Star Dou Forest, filled with dangers. However, after glancing at Zhang Lingling, who was still absorbing the soul ring, a conflicted look crossed his face...
In the end, Han Dang chose to stay with Zhang Lingling. After all, he believed Han Feng was just being mischievous, and would eventually come back. With the protection of the Fire Ring and the Black Shield, Han Feng would usually be safe. But Zhang Lingling...
Han Dang couldn't bring himself to leave her under the watch of Wu Fan and Chen Sheng.
Meanwhile, while Han Dang thought Han Feng was off playing, Han Feng was, in fact, standing motionless, holding the Fire Spirit Cat in his arms. The cat was lazily stretching in his embrace.
The Fire Spirit Cat's vertical pupils shifted, and it gave a mischievous smile, jumping onto Han Feng's shoulder and licking his ear. Han Feng, still in a daze, shivered at the sensation, and the cat's eyes narrowed in delight.
The Fire Spirit Cat continued licking his ear, and the more Han Feng trembled, the more the cat enjoyed it.
However, what the Fire Spirit Cat didn't realize was that as it interacted with Han Feng, the dazed look in Han Feng's eyes was gradually fading...
"Crack! Crack, crack!"
"Meow!"
Suddenly, white bone-like structures appeared on Han Feng's face, quickly forming a cow-shaped mask. The Fire Spirit Cat was immediately startled and cried out, jumping back!
At that moment, Han Feng's aura completely changed. The warmth and closeness the Fire Spirit Cat had felt before disappeared, replaced by an overwhelming coldness and hostility, like a wild, combative soul beast!
The Fire Spirit Cat's fur stood on end, and it questioned, "Meow!" (Who are you!? Where is my cat slave!?)
"Roar!"
In response, only an irrational roar echoed from Han Feng, sending shockwaves through the surrounding trees!
"Meow!" (What did you do to my cat slave!? Give him back!)
"Roar, roar, roar!"
The bull-headed Han Feng only roared in response, his violent soul power bursting out and causing the surrounding trees to shake and rattle!
"Meow!" (Give him back to me, or I will fight you!)
The Fire Spirit Cat seemed to notice a sneer on Han Feng's bull head. Han Feng raised the Black Shield given to him by Han Dang and charged at the Fire Spirit Cat!
The Fire Spirit Cat, of course, wouldn't just sit there. It kicked off with all four legs, unleashing a tremendous force as it attacked Han Feng!
"Boom!"
But as soon as the Fire Spirit Cat approached, the Counterattack Fire Ring reacted, fiercely surging toward the cat. Although the Fire Spirit Cat wasn't actively attacking Han Feng earlier, it had now launched an offensive, triggering the Fire Ring's full power.
Though the Fire Ring was formidable, the Fire Spirit Cat was a fire-type soul beast, and the flames from the Fire Ring were only able to momentarily halt its advance before being easily overcome.
That brief second was enough. During that time, the bull-headed Han Feng reached the Fire Spirit Cat!