Black Giant Ape

Half a year had passed since Wang Xiaofeng thoroughly crushed some weak opponents at the Great Spirit Arena.

Over those six months, Wang Xiaofeng had continuously refined moves such as Heavy Impact and Mount Tai Pressure.

With the data from his previous battles, Wang Xiaofeng had also figured out that once the Gourd hardened, combined with the propulsion provided by compressed Soul Power, it could unleash destructive force comparable to a Soul King using a Ten Thousand Year Soul Skill.

That day, after finishing his cultivation and getting up to stretch, Wang Xiaofeng heard the sound of a gong ringing through the academy.

"Didn't we have a class just two days ago?"

Wang Xiaofeng found it strange. According to Shrek's habits, they might not even have one class a week. Consecutive classes were simply impossible. Could there be some urgent matter requiring everyone to gather?

"Xiaofeng, hurry up! The dean won't go easy on you if you're late!" Oscar shouted from outside. He had no desire to experience Flander's punishment.

When Wang Xiaofeng and Oscar arrived at the Training Field, they found that aside from Flander, all of Shrek's teachers and students had already assembled.

Once Zhao Wuji saw that everyone was present, he said solemnly, "We've gathered everyone this time because a Beast Tide is coming!"

"A Beast Tide?" Seeing the worried expressions on the other teachers' faces, Wang Xiaofeng could not help asking, "What's a Beast Tide?"

Douluo Continent had Beast Tides too? How had he never heard of them?

"A long time ago, the Empire slaughtered Soul Beasts like mad for Soul Bones. The Soul Beasts deeply hated humans as well, so wars frequently broke out between the two sides. Back then, Beast Tides were extremely common."

"I heard that the Empire later reached an agreement with the powerful Soul Beasts, so there hadn't been a Beast Tide for a very long time. It's normal that you haven't heard of them."

Zhao Wuji explained, "Apparently, a Hundred Thousand Year Skyvoid Eagle flew over the Star Dou Great Forest this time. It unintentionally frightened quite a few Soul Beasts, causing some of them to flee the Star Dou Great Forest."

Wang Xiaofeng was somewhat shocked. A Hundred Thousand Year Soul Beast! A Hundred Thousand Year Soul Beast that existed only in books, without even a portrait, had actually appeared in reality.

"Didn't Spirit Hall and the Empire send anyone to deal with it?" Oscar asked.

"The Kingdom's army has been stationed there for some time already. That fellow Flander, along with the heads of the other academies, was forcibly conscripted by the Kingdom."

"As for Spirit Hall, they wouldn't miss any Hundred Thousand Year Soul Beast, even one that was merely passing by." Zhao Wuji smiled disdainfully.

"No matter how tight the defenses are, there will always be gaps. Our academy isn't far from the Star Dou Great Forest, so we must be prepared to fight at any time."

That said, no one was too nervous. The academy was more than five hundred kilometers from the Star Dou Great Forest. Even if something went wrong, the stationed Soul Masters would have enough time to react and deal with those Soul Beasts.

Zhao Wuji assigned patrol shifts for Wang Xiaofeng and the other three at night, and everyone dispersed.

Time slowly passed. For several consecutive days, there was no sign of any Soul Beasts, and Wang Xiaofeng gradually returned to his usual rhythm of life.

That night, Wang Xiaofeng happened to be patrolling with Ma Hongjun. He was responsible for the northern and eastern sides of the village, while Ma Hongjun covered the opposite directions.

As he walked, the surroundings suddenly seemed to fall silent. The chirping of insects had vanished. A chill rose in Wang Xiaofeng's heart.

Wang Xiaofeng immediately summoned his Martial Soul. Three Soul Rings floated up and down, emitting a faint glow in the darkness.

"First Soul Skill, Absorption."

Just as he activated his Soul Skill, a sharp whoosh tore past his ear. Wang Xiaofeng instinctively turned his head and saw a huge figure.

Wang Xiaofeng did not dare let down his guard. He poured Soul Power into his Martial Soul, and the Gourd in his hand instantly enlarged, blocking the front of his body.

"Combination Soul Skill, Adamantine Defense."

Boom!

An immense force surged through the Gourd. Wang Xiaofeng's expression changed. He did not dare continue blocking it, withdrawing his strength and using Flash Step to dodge aside. The five-hundred-jin Gourd was sent flying.

Still, Wang Xiaofeng had used the Gourd's sturdy defenses to block the first wave of attacks.

With that brief chance to catch his breath, Wang Xiaofeng finally got a clear look under the moonlight at what had attacked him.

It was a two-meter-tall ape. Its entirely black fur glimmered faintly beneath the dim starlight and moonlight, while a pair of fist-sized eyes shone with a blood-red gleam.

Because the night was too dark, Wang Xiaofeng could not immediately tell what kind of Ape Soul Beast it was. But judging by that immense strength, it was at least a thousand-year-level Soul Beast.

The giant ape let out an angry roar, apparently furious that it had failed to crush the human before it with a single punch. Without giving Wang Xiaofeng a chance to rest, it leaped into the air. Its massive body descended from above, bearing down on him.

Wang Xiaofeng avoided its edge rather than confronting it, using Flash Step to evade.

After all, Zhao Wuji was still at the academy. The sounds of battle here must have already carried over. There was no need to clash head-on with a Soul Beast.

However, Wang Xiaofeng seemed to have forgotten that apes ranked among the most agile creatures.

Wang Xiaofeng had barely dodged the Black Giant Ape's landing strike when the resulting shockwave hurled him away.

Wang Xiaofeng hurriedly used Flash Step to adjust himself. But when he looked up, the Black Giant Ape had already sprung in front of him, its right hand clenched into a fist as it smashed down.

"Third Soul Skill, Defense Amplification."

Wang Xiaofeng only had time to apply the enhancement to himself before the giant ape hammered him into the ground. Even with the boosts from his First Soul Skill and Third Soul Skill, Wang Xiaofeng could not help coughing up blood.

The Black Giant Ape landed on the ground. Seeing Wang Xiaofeng's miserable state, it beat its chest as though it were quite pleased with itself.

"You're getting a little too cocky, Big Guy."

Wang Xiaofeng rose to his feet and summoned his Gourd Martial Soul again, silently pouring Soul Power into it.

The Black Giant Ape seemed to sense a trace of danger and charged fiercely at Wang Xiaofeng.

"The charging time is still a little too long."

Wang Xiaofeng used Flash Step to evade the Black Giant Ape's attacks, but controlling three things at once was still somewhat difficult for him. Before long, the Black Giant Ape found an opening and landed a solid uppercut, sending him flying into the air.

And while Wang Xiaofeng was airborne, the Gourd in his hand finally finished charging.

"You had a pretty good time beating me up, Big Guy. Now it's my turn."

"Combination Soul Skill, Heavy Impact."

The Gourd in Wang Xiaofeng's hand enlarged under the force of his will, and the compressed Soul Power instantly blasted out from its mouth.

A massive black shadow flashed past. The Black Giant Ape had no time to react before the Gourd slammed heavily into it, instantly smashing a deep crater into the ground.

Wang Xiaofeng landed from the air and stood where he was, silently recovering his Soul Power. The huge Gourd in the crater gradually vanished after losing its Soul Power support.

After waiting for a while and sensing no signs of life from within the crater, Wang Xiaofeng went over to take a look. The Black Giant Ape had already been smashed into a mosaic.

A strange fluctuation of Soul Power within that mosaic caught Wang Xiaofeng's attention.

"My luck can't be this good, can it?"

Wang Xiaofeng casually picked up a branch from the ground and, suppressing his disgust, rummaged through the mosaic.

Before long, he found a crystal-clear bone inside. The exquisite bone emitted a faint glow. Wang Xiaofeng had never seen a Soul Bone before, but he swore to the heavens that this had to be the legendary Soul Bone.

"Xiaofeng, are you okay?"

Hearing someone call out to him, Wang Xiaofeng hurriedly stored the Soul Bone in his Soul Tool. Turning around, he saw Ma Hongjun running over from the distance.

"Xiaofeng, you were attacked here too?" Ma Hongjun said breathlessly.

"What? Were you attacked by Soul Beasts too?"

"Yeah." Ma Hongjun steadied his breathing before saying, "A pack of Netherworld Wolves appeared out of nowhere, along with some other Soul Beasts, and ran into the village. Teacher Zhao is leading the other teachers to eliminate the Soul Beasts. Big Boss Dai and Oscar are protecting the villagers. I saw there was some commotion over here, so I came to check it out."

"Come on, let's head back too. It's too dangerous to be out here alone."

Wang Xiaofeng and Ma Hongjun returned to the village. Not long afterward, Zhao Wuji finished clearing out the area around the village.

But no one dared relax their vigilance. Zhao Wuji arranged for the teachers to take turns keeping watch through the night.

The night grew deeper.