"Boss, there's someone in the bushes over there."
The obese middle-aged man smelled the scent of others; he pointed to the grass behind the rock, where Yu Yan and Xiao Wu were hiding.
Hearing this, the other three poachers who had come out of the Soul-Hunting Forest immediately summoned their Spirits and prepared for battle.
The masked leader's Spirit was a large black dog, with two spirit rings: one white and one yellow.
The robust young man's Spirit was a long staff, also with one white and one yellow spirit ring.
The old man's Spirit was a mass of dark shadows, and his spirit rings were likewise one white and one yellow.
The old man attacked first. The white spirit ring encircled the dark shadow, and several black darts split from it, flying toward the bushes behind the rock.
In the bushes, realizing they could no longer hide, Yu Yan and Xiao Wu retreated simultaneously, dodging the black darts.
"Everyone, we are just passing through and have no intention of starting a conflict with you. How about we act as if we never met today?"
Having retreated and found his footing, Yu Yan proposed a non-combat solution.
Given the spirit ring configurations of the four opponents, Yu Yan, who had already mastered a Martial Soul Fusion Skill, was not intimidated at all.
Thus, he didn't immediately pull Xiao Wu to run away; instead, he stood there calmly, hoping both sides would take a step back.
A step back brings peace, but a step forward leads to bloodshed on the spot. He hoped they would seize the opportunity and not be ungrateful.
Hearing Yu Yan's proposal, the four poachers glanced at each other. The masked leader took a few steps forward and to the side: "I'm sorry, little kid. Your suggestion is indeed good, but we're in a business where our heads are on the line; we can't afford even the slightest mistake."
Through eye contact, the four confirmed that Yu Yan and Xiao Wu's strength certainly wouldn't be too great. Four against two—the advantage was clear. They planned to finish off these two little ones to prevent any accidents.
The few steps the masked leader took to the left faintly blocked Yu Yan's escape route in that direction.
The old man took a few steps to the right, faintly blocking the escape route on the right.
"Is there really no possibility for both sides to take a step back?"
Yu Yan summoned his Spirit and spirit ring, making one last proposal. He truly didn't want to kill anyone.
As Yu Yan prepared for battle, Xiao Wu also summoned her Spirit and spirit ring, readying herself. She was no mere ornament who would just stand by and watch.
While asking this, the Ice and Fire Twin Fish Martial Soul spun rapidly between Yu Yan's hands, forming a head-to-tail connection.
Seeing that these two little kids were only First Ring Spirit Masters, the four poachers immediately relaxed quite a bit. They couldn't imagine any reason why they would lose.
"Boss, why waste words with them? Just attack and be done with it."
The robust young man with the long staff handed the Spirit Cat in his arms to the obese middle-aged man, then brandished his staff and charged at Yu Yan and Xiao Wu.
"Second Brother, take it easy. These two kids have good talent; maybe they can be sold for a good price too."
As the robust young man charged with his staff, the masked leader thought of another profitable business.
"First Soul Skill: Strength Amplification."
"Second Spirit Ability: Momentum-Breaking Strike."
The robust young man nodded. The two spirit rings landed on his long staff one after another. Following the convention of the Douluo Continent by announcing the skill names, he smashed the staff toward Yu Yan with the force of Splitting Mount Hua.
As a poacher who constantly lived on the edge of life and death, he would never hold back just because the opponent was young.
Since the opponent had gone all out, Yu Yan certainly had no intention of holding back. The first spirit ring Martial Soul Fusion Skill, Ice Fire Vortex, was activated when the young man's staff was only a meter away from him.
The powerful suction of the ice and fire energy vortex disrupted the robust young man's offensive rhythm. Once the force truly took hold, he was sucked into the growing Ice Fire Vortex.
The robust young man resisted desperately, but it was in vain.
A continuous stream of ice spikes pierced through the robust young man's body, bringing forth splatters of blood; the scorching fire energy burned him until he smelled of charred flesh.
From being swept into the Ice Fire Vortex to his death, it took less than three seconds.
"Xiao Wu, don't let them get close to me, and keep an eye on them so they don't escape."
After instructing Xiao Wu, Yu Yan controlled the vortex to fling out the robust young man's body, and then the Ice Fire Vortex surged toward the old man who had been the first to attack them.
Receiving Yu Yan's instructions, Xiao Wu applied Comprehensive Amplification to herself and leaped toward the masked leader.
Seeing the robust young man's corpse fly out of the vortex with their own eyes, the relaxation on the faces of the remaining three vanished instantly. They looked in horror at Yu Yan, who had unleashed the Ice Fire Vortex, unwilling to believe that such a terrifying attack could be released by a First Ring Spirit Master.
Immediately after, the Ice Fire Vortex closed in on the old man, while Xiao Wu reached the masked leader and assumed an attacking stance.
Watching the approaching Ice Fire Vortex, the old man fearfully activated his Second Spirit Ability. The dark shadows turned into threads interwoven in front of him, becoming obstacles in the path of the Ice Fire Vortex.
Having finished his preparations, the old man ignored his two temporary teammates and turned to flee.
The shadow threads did indeed affect the Ice Fire Vortex's progress to some extent, but only slightly.
Wanting to end the battle quickly, Yu Yan increased his spirit power output. The Ice Fire Vortex's size—three meters high and one meter wide—remained unchanged, but its rotation speed doubled.
For a rotating attack like the Ice Fire Vortex, rotation speed was equivalent to power.
With its rotation speed doubled, the Ice Fire Vortex tore through the shadow threads with unstoppable force, chasing after the old man who couldn't run fast due to his age.
Hearing the noise and feeling the suction behind him, the old man looked back to find the Ice Fire Vortex only three meters away.
The old man activated his Second Spirit Ability again. One end of the shadow threads tied to several towering trees nearby, while the other end tied to himself. Securing himself in place, the old man circulated his spirit power, preparing to withstand the Ice Fire Vortex behind him.
The masked leader activated his Spirit Abilities one after another, wanting to escape.
Xiao Wu, however, was like a maggot on a bone. Whenever the opponent tried to leave, she would appear in time to block him; when he tried to attack her, she would retreat just in time to dodge.
The obese middle-aged man holding the Spirit Cat vividly demonstrated the saying "each flies for himself when disaster strikes" while his two companions were in a bitter struggle; he didn't hesitate for a moment to turn and leave.
However, due to his slow speed, he was caught by Xiao Wu, who delivered a flying kick that broke one of his legs, completely stripping him of his ability to leave.
"No!!"
A scream that didn't sound like an old man's erupted from the Ice Fire Vortex. The shadow threads securing the old man were severed by the vortex. Having lost his balance, the old man held on for over ten seconds before meeting the same fate as the robust young man.
Having achieved a double kill and becoming famous in this single battle, Yu Yan waved his hand, and the Ice Fire Vortex quickly surged toward the final battlefield.
Xiao Wu, who was fighting the masked leader, threw a punch with all her might and then performed three or four consecutive backflips to reach Yu Yan's side. Immediately after, the arriving Ice Fire Vortex enveloped the masked leader.
Before his spirit power was exhausted: Triple Kill—Shocking the World!!