Douluo: Soul-Breaking spear

Chapter 86: The Tracking Bee

After Yang Potian unleashed his mental attack, he quickly asked, "Father, how was it? What level do you think my attack reached?"

His father, Yang Zhentian, looked both surprised and excited. "Son, that attack was truly impressive. Judging by its strength, it's at least on par with a peak-level Soul King, maybe even stronger. Most Spirit Emperors specializing in mental attacks would find it hard to match that. However, you should use this ability as a hidden trump card. As a Battle Soul Master, possessing mental attack capabilities might attract unwelcome attention. People could assume you have a head soul bone skill, and that might lead to danger."

"With your attack's power, it would take a head soul bone of at least 10,000 years to replicate. Use this skill when it'll catch opponents off guard—it could turn the tide of a battle."

"I understand, Father. Based on that, do you think I'm ready to absorb a ten-thousand-year soul ring?"

Zhentian nodded. "In theory, yes. Your physical strength and mental fortitude are comparable to a high-level Soul King."

"Great! Then let's go track down that Ironfeather Tiger Hawk."

After a brief rest, they returned to the site where the Ironfeather Tiger Hawk had battled the Titan King Bear. Zhentian took out a small jade box from his soul guide, revealing a live soul beast—a Tracking Bee.

Curious, Potian asked, "Father, when did you get a soul guide that can store living creatures? And how did you come by a Tracking Bee?"

Zhentian responded nonchalantly, "I picked it up at a recent auction. I've wanted a soul guide like this for a long time, but they're usually too costly. This time, though, I decided it was worth it. It might look simple, but this soul guide can store up to 40 cubic meters of live creatures. It cost me 1.1 million gold soul coins."

Potian was left speechless. His father was known to be quite frugal and didn't typically carry that kind of money. Could it be that he used the million gold coins he'd taken from Potian earlier to buy this soul guide? Potian had been wanting one for himself but hadn't found the time or opportunity to get one. And now his father had one, likely bought with his own money—what a twist!

Zhentian ignored Potian's reaction and brought a small vial of medicinal powder to the Tracking Bee's antennae. The bee inhaled the scent and then flew off in search of the Ironfeather Tiger Hawk.

The bee was about the size of a chicken egg and had decades of cultivation. Many large factions used Tracking Bees to follow trails; these bees had an excellent sense of smell, making them perfect for tracking.

Potian suddenly asked, "Father, is there any way to evade a Tracking Bee or to avoid being tracked by high-level soul masters?"

Zhentian raised an eyebrow, wondering what his son was planning to do that would require such evasive techniques. But he answered thoughtfully, "Remember those Concealment Herbs you collected from the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well? They can mask one's presence from soul beasts. Or you could stay close to something that naturally emits strong energy."

"Your grandfather and I both carry Concealment Herbs with us to obscure our soul power levels. They work well for most tracking, but avoiding a Titled Douluo would be nearly impossible."

"A Titled Douluo? Father, I wouldn't dare provoke one. I just wanted to know, that's all."

Zhentian gave him a stern look. "It's good to be cautious. Titled Douluo have extremely refined senses. Concealment Herbs can't completely mask your energy from them. However, you could use an item with a powerful energy signature, like the Redfire Stones we often carry, or even a soul beast's corpse."

Potian mentally took note of these suggestions for future use.

The two of them then followed the Tracking Bee at a safe distance. Although the bee could track the Ironfeather Tiger Hawk's scent, it seemed intimidated by the powerful aura of its prey and flew slowly.

Finally, after a long search, the Tracking Bee led them to a towering mountain. The scent of medicinal herbs here was significantly stronger than at the battle site, detectable even to Potian.

When they neared the mountain summit, Zhentian recalled the Tracking Bee and signaled Potian to start moving stealthily. Both of them switched to green, leaf-patterned clothing to blend in with their surroundings.

"Potian, we need to be extra cautious now. Birds of prey like hawks are incredibly observant, and the Ironfeather Tiger Hawk combines the keen senses of a hawk with the strength of a tiger. If it spots us, it'll likely abandon its nest, making it difficult to track again."

"Understood, Father. I'll be careful."

But as they got closer to the summit, Zhentian suddenly motioned for Potian to halt and led him to a hidden spot where they waited silently.

Zhentian carefully observed the mountaintop, finding no traces of soul beast energy. Perhaps the Ironfeather Tiger Hawk was out hunting, or it had moved its nest entirely. Tigers were known for their strong territorial instincts, and beasts like them rarely allowed other soul beasts to encroach on their domains.

The two of them waited the entire day without any sign of the Ironfeather Tiger Hawk's return.

Potian eventually broke the silence, "Father, could it have abandoned its territory or... maybe it died?"

"Unlikely. I injured it, but not fatally. Plus, its flying speed would make it difficult for other soul beasts to attack. Let's wait a bit longer."

After another half-day, a tiger-like screech pierced the sky—the Ironfeather Tiger Hawk was back. It swooped down to its nest, and from the looks of it, its injuries had mostly healed.

A 10,000-year peak soul beast, the Ironfeather Tiger Hawk's resilience and ability to recover from wounds was impressive.

(End of Chapter)

If you can, you can subscribe to support me

patre*n.com/Franklin1