Han Feng watched as Han Dang and the others charged ahead. A mere hundred meters was nothing—it wouldn't even slow them down. In just a few moments, they would be right in front of the Flame Lord.
Seeing this, Han Feng finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Looks like Mom's fourth spirit ring is in the bag.
"Meow~"
Suddenly, Han Feng froze.
In the middle of the mixed zone of the Star Dou Forest—a place crawling with thousand-year spirit beasts—he actually heard a soft, delicate meow?
Perplexed, Han Feng turned in the direction of the sound. A dozen meters behind him sat a tiny red-furred kitten, no larger than a human palm, gazing timidly at him. Its fiery coat was unbelievably adorable—if the cat lovers from his previous life saw it, they'd probably be bleeding from the nose by now.
Han Feng felt something was off. How could such a cute little kitten appear in the mixed zone of the Star Dou Forest?
Was it a spirit beast?
But it didn't look threatening at all.
Han Feng wasn't much of a cat person, though he did find it endearing. Still, he didn't approach recklessly. He just gave the kitten a gentle smile and raised a finger to his lips in a silent gesture, then turned to head back.
But just as he shifted his gaze away, he caught—perhaps just a flicker—a hint of displeasure on the kitten's face. Then, in an even softer, sweeter voice:
"Meow~"
Han Feng paused, dazed. It was as if he'd been enchanted. He turned back, eyes locked onto the kitten again.
Seeing his resistance fade, the kitten curled its lips in a satisfied smile. A faint pink shimmer passed through its vertical pupils. Han Feng stood rooted in place, completely mesmerized. Step by step, he approached the kitten, gently picked it up, and began stroking its fur, rubbing it fondly.
The kitten nestled into his arms with a blissful expression, occasionally glancing up at him before lazily settling in, clearly enjoying the affection.
BOOM!
Just as the kitten was about to close its eyes in comfort, an explosion rang out from the battlefield ahead. The kitten's expression twisted into anger. It glanced anxiously at Han Feng. Seeing he remained entranced, it let out a human-like sigh of relief before turning a sharp, murderous gaze toward the source of the noise.
Flames surged in the distance—far more intense than what the Flame Lord had displayed.
Han Dang and the others had already reached the Flame Lord. The beast didn't sit still—it threw a powerful punch at Han Dang's Xuan Armor Shield, sending out a deafening bang.
The kitten's pupils darted between the Flame Lord and the four humans. Killing intent flashed in its eyes, but it didn't act. It seemed afraid that any movement might wake Han Feng. Suppressing its fury, it leapt onto his shoulder, licked his cheek, and let out another soft mewl.
Han Feng, like a puppet on strings, began walking away—still cradling the kitten in his arms.
Only once the sounds of battle had completely faded behind him did he stop. The kitten curled back into his arms, tail swishing contentedly as it resumed enjoying his touch.
Meanwhile, the battle had already concluded.
Under the assault of Chen Sheng's Sky Halberd, the Flame Lord had been pushed to the brink. It was barely clinging to life.
With their leader defeated, the surrounding Flame Wraiths scattered like frightened birds.
Han Dang had used up a considerable amount of spirit power. Wu Fan and Chen Sheng were both visibly drained as well. All three deactivated their spirit-attached states.
Zhang Lingling stepped out from behind Han Dang, and he smiled at her gently.
"Go ahead, honey. It's time to absorb your ring."
Taking a deep breath, Zhang Lingling didn't hesitate. She approached the weakened Flame Lord, ended its life with a single strike, and watched as a brilliant purple spirit ring rose from its body.
Wu Fan and Chen Sheng each gave the body a quick look—no sign of a soul bone. They didn't mind. They simply took their positions guarding Zhang Lingling, restoring their spirit power while ensuring her safety as per their agreement.
Zhang Lingling, now a Rank 40 Spirit Ancestor, found absorbing a 5,000-year ring to be smooth. She soon passed the most dangerous phase.
Han Dang, seeing that everything was going according to plan, exhaled in relief and began walking back to where Han Feng had been left.
But when he arrived at the designated spot—Han Feng was gone.
At first, Han Dang assumed the boy was just hiding. Annoyed, he grumbled—but as he continued looking and still didn't see him, his expression turned serious.
He began frantically searching the area within a dozen meters, overturning every leaf and stone. He found nothing—except for a few strands of red fur, which he paid no attention to.
He had no idea—had Han Feng wandered off to play, or was he in danger?
If he was in danger, why had there been no sound?
He closed his eyes and activated his third spirit skill, which allowed him to sense the vitality of whoever held his shield. Han Feng was still alive—his life force was strong and vibrant.
Relieved, Han Dang cursed under his breath.
"Stupid brat's always causing trouble! Just wait till you get back—I'll teach you a lesson! "
Han Dang's third skill couldn't track a location, but it did alert him if the shield bearer was in mortal danger. Since Han Feng's life force was stable, he assumed the boy had simply run off on his own.
If Grandmaster were here, however, he wouldn't have been so calm. He would've recognized immediately that the red fur on the ground belonged to an Infernal Flame Cat—and judging by the color, it likely had over 10,000 years of cultivation.
The Infernal Flame Cat was a unique spirit beast. No matter how powerful, it always appeared in the form of an innocent-looking kitten. And its intelligence was astonishing—once it reached the 10,000-year mark, it had the mental capacity of a 15- or 16-year-old human teenager.
These cats had the peculiar habit of approaching only specific humans—those they deemed beneficial or harmless. If they felt affection for someone, they would reveal themselves and use a charm-based ability to lure the person into a trance for intimate bonding—casually referred to as "cat-whispering."
During this process, the Infernal Flame Cat subtly rewired the person's subconscious. Within a day—or at most, a few weeks—the victim would be mentally altered, turning into a devoted cat slave, completely loyal to the cat and forgetting everyone else.
At that moment, Han Feng had clearly been targeted by a ten-thousand-year-old Infernal Flame Cat.
While it wouldn't harm his life, once he became a cat slave, he'd no longer be himself. He would forget Han Dang and Zhang Lingling—remembering only the cat.
But Han Dang had no idea. In over 20 years as a spirit master, he had never seen or even heard of a soul beast with charm-based skills.
Still, Han Dang wasn't totally at ease. This was the Star Dou Forest, after all—danger lurked everywhere.
He glanced back at Zhang Lingling, still deep in spirit ring absorption, and hesitated. His expression twisted in a mix of worry and duty.
In the end, he chose to stay.
After all, he believed Han Feng had just run off to play and would return soon. The boy had both the Retaliation Flame Ring and the Black Shield—nothing short of a full-scale soul beast attack could hurt him.
But Zhang Lingling?
He didn't trust Wu Fan and Chen Sheng alone to guard her.
While Han Dang thought Han Feng was running wild somewhere, Han Feng hadn't moved at all. He stood dazed in place, hugging the Infernal Flame Cat in his arms as it stretched lazily in contentment.
The cat's pupils sparkled as it grinned mischievously. It leapt onto his shoulder, licked his earlobe playfully—and to its delight, Han Feng shivered.
His ears were extremely sensitive. The dazed look in his eyes faltered as the cat continued its teasing.
But what the cat failed to notice was that… Han Feng's confusion was fading.
CRACK!
CRACK! CRACK!
"MEOW?!"
Suddenly, white bone material burst from Han Feng's face, rapidly forming a bull-headed mask. The Infernal Flame Cat cried out in shock and leapt away in a panic.
The aura around Han Feng changed completely. Gone was the warmth that had drawn the cat in—what remained was cold, savage, and utterly violent.
He now radiated the ferocity of a raging beast.
The cat's fur bristled as it yowled.
"Meow!"(Who are you?! Where's my cat slave?!)
"ROAR!"
Han Feng—or rather, Bull-Masked Han Feng—responded with a mindless roar. It wasn't human, nor was it beast speech. The cat didn't understand a word, but it could tell—this was not the same person.
He looked like Han Feng, yes—but only in body. The spirit inside was something else entirely.
"Meow!"(What did you do to my cat slave?! Give him back!)
"ROOOOAR!!"
Bull-Masked Han Feng let out another furious roar. His volatile soul power surged outward, shaking the trees around them.
"Meow!"(Give him back or I'll fight you!)
Maybe it was her imagination, but the Infernal Flame Cat thought she saw a mocking grin on the bull mask's face. He raised the black shield Han Dang had given him and charged straight at her!
The Infernal Flame Cat wasn't about to go down quietly. Its tiny legs tensed—and in a flash, it unleashed a terrifying burst of power, lunging to strike!
"HNGHH!"
But the moment she got close, the Retaliation Flame Ring activated, sending blazing fire surging toward her. It hadn't triggered earlier because she hadn't shown aggression—but now?
Now, it burned.
Still, the Infernal Flame Cat was a fire-element beast. The flames only slowed her for a second before she shrugged them off.
But one second was all Bull-Masked Han Feng needed.
By then, he was already in front of her.
PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/Shinazuki