"I have no money left," the middle-aged man squeezed out these suppressed words.

The faces of the other members of the Soul Hunting Squad darkened immediately. The fifth brother clenched his left fist and punched his right palm, making a dull thud that seemed to strike the middle-aged man's heart as well. In the increasingly tense atmosphere, the fifth brother said with displeasure, "Mr. Yu, are you deliberately playing tricks on us brothers and wasting our time?"

"A disciple of the Blue Lightning Tyrannosaurus Rex Clan wouldn't have money?"

"No means no!" Mentioning the "Blue Lightning Tyrannosaurus Clan," the middle-aged man's face darkened, three yellow soul rings rose from his feet, and a yellow-green phantom as large as a small mountain appeared behind him.

Its entire body is covered in a green, armor-like shell, resembling the head of a lizard. Several spikes of different sizes extend from the back of its head, neck, and shoulders, and there is also a ring of smaller spikes at the end of its tail. Its tall, upright body is surrounded by dark brown, diagonal triangular markings. Its hands and feet all have three claws, making it look like a hybrid of a lizard and a dragon. It is the martial soul of the middle-aged man, a mutated earth fire dragon.

Upon seeing the middle-aged man reveal his martial soul, the other members of the Soul Hunting Team frowned in unison, their faces showing vigilance. Rings of similar color rose from beneath their feet, all of them at the Soul Master level.

Luo Jin, the captain of the five-ring Soul Kings, narrowed his eyes. The Soul King-level pressure pressed down heavily on the middle-aged man who seemed ready to fight to the death. He said calmly, "Mr. Yu, don't be so nervous. I know you can't come up with such a large sum of money right now, but we can pay in installments, a little bit each month, right?"

The middle-aged man sneered: "Heh, we clearly agreed on the terms of the employment, but now you're trying to raise the price on the spot. Which Soul Master can complete the selection of Soul Rings in a day or two after entering the Soul Beast Forest? You've been running a mercenary Soul Hunting Team for so long, do you think you don't know? All this talk is just to make me spend more money!"

"Let me tell you, I'm putting my words right here!"

"I have no money, but I won't give you my life!"

In the last second before he finished speaking, the first yellow hundred-year soul ring rippled out. The middle-aged man stomped his feet on the ground, and energy-mimicking dragon beast horns grew from his forehead. His arms were covered with a green, armor-like shell, and his body swelled two or three times its original size. He charged towards the densely wooded path as if making a desperate gamble.

"roar--!"

A furious roar erupted from the beast-like martial spirit, and two burly, power-type soul masters from the Soul Hunting Squad, as if anticipating this, blocked the middle-aged man's path.

Like the middle-aged man, they simply used the spirit possession ability of their beast spirits to block and stop the middle-aged man's seemingly aggressive attack.

"You're really asking for trouble." The fifth brother sneered, his eyes already filled with murderous intent as he looked at the stubborn middle-aged man.

Luo Jin, the captain of the Soul Hunter Squad, approached with unhurried steps. He patted the cheek of the middle-aged man, whose hands were held tightly down, with the cold, rain-dampened blade of his short dagger. He smirked and said, "So what if you're a direct disciple of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan? The Soul Master world is a dog-eat-dog world. You won't be spared just because you're a direct disciple of one of the three major sects. Now, no one will come to save you."

“I’m also very interested in the direct descendants of the Blue Lightning Tyrannosaurus Clan.”

The girl's sweet voice pierced through the drizzling rain and reached everyone's ears.

The moment the last note faded, an even more terrifying pressure, like a sudden storm, swept over them all.

A sharp roar reverberated through his brain, shattering all his thoughts. Tiny black stars danced before his eyes. A mouthful of bloody sweetness choked him, making the two power-type Soul Masters who were restraining the middle-aged man feel dizzy. They unconsciously loosened their grip, their faces turning deathly pale, a stark contrast to the crimson blood spilling from the corners of their mouths.

Even Captain Luo Jin, a Soul King, was startled like a frightened bird, instantly unleashing his Martial Soul and Soul Rings, his fearful gaze sweeping behind him.

Who is it?!

Even he, a Soul King, didn't notice at all!

The middle-aged man, whose arms had been broken during the restraint and who was temporarily unable to move due to the pain, turned his head blankly, trying to look towards the source of the sound, even though he was not targeted by the pressure.

It was a young girl, about six months old, with delicate features like a doll in a shop window. She had long, slightly curly, silver-white hair and wore a low-key black outfit. She stood between two other men in black with their faces covered by black veils.

Besides the two people beside the girl, there were four other men dressed in black robes standing on the broad, uneven branches of the sword tree, looking in their direction.

The calmness in their eyes was like watching ants crawling on the ground, not stirring any ripples in their hearts.

"Who are you?!"

The look in their eyes, as if they were looking at ants, caused Luo Jin's expression to change drastically when his gaze met that of the Dark Soul Guards. He suppressed his surging blood and held the short dagger in front of him defensively, asking warily.

Qian Yuelong smiled brightly: "A person who stands up for justice."

Before the last note had even faded, the black-clad Soul Masters standing on other branches turned into streaks of black afterimages in Luo Jin and his companions' sight.

The group's expressions changed drastically, and they quickly circulated their soul power to attach to their bodies and strengthen their defenses.

However, how could they, who were only Soul Masters, possibly be a match for three Soul Saint level experts and one Soul Emperor level expert?

"Clatter!"

"Sizzle!"

The sound of bones breaking and the sound of sharp weapons piercing flesh rang out almost simultaneously.

As warm blood was mercilessly flung onto the ground, seven freshly made corpses fell slumped onto the muddy, damp earth.

Luo Jin, who was still panting, had his pupils contract wildly. He looked down in disbelief as the claw that looked like some kind of beast was pulled out of his chest.

Luo Jin spat out a mouthful of blood mixed with fragments of internal organs, his knees slammed heavily to the ground, his eyes wide open, and he collapsed to the ground. His chest heaved with resentment before flattening completely.

What happened?

The middle-aged man who was very close to Luo Jin remained in the form of a martial spirit possessed, wiping the bloodstains on his cheek with a blank expression, his brain still not reacting.

After swiftly eliminating the eight-person squad, the four who hadn't even blinked when actually killing looked respectfully at Qian Yuelong's location.

"Hmm, the world of Soul Masters is indeed a dog-eat-dog world."

Under the watchful eye of the middle-aged man, Qian Yuelong calmly took out a cloak from her soul tool and put it on. Then, in the stunned gaze of the middle-aged man, she leaped and landed lightly.

The large raindrops falling from the sky landed on the black cloak, but strangely, they didn't leave any wet marks; instead, the hem of the cloak fluttered gracefully in the wind.

Qian Yuelong was quite satisfied with the "Moonlight Veil" she had secretly put on her cloak.

The main material of "Moonlight Veil" is mermaid silk, which is said to be waterproof and has a concealing effect, making it perfect as a raincoat.

Standing five meters away from the circle of corpses, Qian Yuelong leisurely looked at the middle-aged man who was still in shock and asked with a smile:

"Hire us for 4000 gold soul coins. We'll find you a suitable soul beast with around 5000 years of cultivation. Would you be willing to hire someone else?"