Titan Giant Ape, Er Ming

"Brother, did you bring me here for this reason?" Xiao Wu asked.

"Yes, that was indeed one reason. But don't you want to go home?" Ning Qiu nodded and asked.

"Go home?" Xiao Wu was moved.

"Go home?" Old Jack looked astonished.

"Brother, may I ask what you want to do?" Xiao Wu asked curiously.

"I'm going to Lake of Life, the place you call Star Lake," Ning Qiu replied.

"Star Lake?" Xiao Wu froze for a moment. Seeing Ning Qiu nod, she immediately asked, "What are you going to Star Lake for?"

"I need to meet that one," Ning Qiu answered.

"Which one?" Xiao Wu's expression darkened.

"That one," Ning Qiu repeated.

"Which one do you mean?" Xiao Wu asked again.

"A very, very long time ago, legend said that a silver sun fell from the sky. That silver sun illuminated the entire Star Dou Great Forest. Some guessed it was a Stone from Beyond the Heavens. Others guessed it was the light emitted by a soul beast."

"You want to see the Lord?"

Before Ning Qiu could finish, Xiao Wu could not help interrupting him.

Ning Qiu nodded.

"This..." Xiao Wu hesitated.

As a soul beast, she had a duty to protect the Auspicious Beast. Once she betrayed the Auspicious Beast, she would become a traitor to all soul beasts. Soul beasts everywhere would turn against her.

"Don't worry. I'm only a level-twenty, one-ring Soul Grandmaster right now. With my current abilities, could I possibly threaten her?" Ning Qiu smiled.

Xiao Wu said nothing and merely looked at Ning Qiu.

Forget Xiao Wu's Lord—even a ten-thousand-year soul beast within the Star Dou Great Forest could kill Ning Qiu as he was now.

"What do you want with the Lord?" Xiao Wu asked curiously.

"You'll know when the time comes. With my abilities, I can't enter even the mixed zone, much less the core region of the Star Dou Great Forest. You have some friends here, right? Call them out and have them take me into the core region to meet your Lord."

Xiao Wu looked at Ning Qiu without immediately answering. Only after a long while did she release her Soul Power.

"What exactly are you talking about?"

Off to the side, Old Jack could no longer sit still. Looking from Xiao Wu to Ning Qiu, he asked curiously, "You mentioned going home just now. What did that mean?"

"Grandpa Jack, haven't you already figured it out? If so, why ask?" Ning Qiu smiled.

"You mean Xiao Wu is a soul beast that took human form?" Old Jack asked in shock.

Ning Qiu nodded.

That was also why Ning Qiu had brought Old Jack here alone. This trip would inevitably expose Xiao Wu's identity as a soul beast.

"It is said that soul beasts face a great tribulation every hundred thousand years. Only by surviving it can they continue living for another hundred thousand years. If they fail, they can only take human form and cultivate anew. I never thought that, in my lifetime, I would see a soul beast from legend that had taken human form." Old Jack's eyes widened as he stared at Xiao Wu in disbelief.

As for Ning Qiu, his gaze remained fixed on Old Jack. There was shock in Old Jack's eyes, but not the slightest trace of burning greed.

"Grandpa Jack, she's a hundred-thousand-year soul beast. Aren't you tempted at all?" Ning Qiu asked.

"If I were younger, I would have been greatly tempted. But after serving as village chief for decades, the heart I had in my youth has long been worn away. I had nearly forgotten that I was once a level-fifty-six Soul King. I'm old now, with one foot in the grave. Even if I obtained a hundred-thousand-year soul ring and soul bone, what would it change? My martial soul and talent would still be this poor. I'm destined never to become a Soul Douluo or a Titled Douluo in this life." Old Jack seemed to murmur to himself.

"Grandpa Jack, I need you to keep Xiao Wu's identity as a soul beast a secret for me," Ning Qiu said solemnly.

"Mm. Don't worry, I'm not that muddleheaded yet. I'll keep this secret for you. Who would have thought that Holy Soul Village had a soul beast among its villagers? I hear that after soul beasts take human form, their talent can rival that of some top geniuses. Perhaps our village will produce a Titled Douluo someday. What should our village be called then?" Old Jack smiled warmly.

Ning Qiu shook his head.

Old Jack was getting on in years. Nagging had become part of his character.

"Grandpa Jack, you really kept it from us. I never expected you to be a level-fifty-six Soul King," Ning Qiu said admiringly as they waited.

"Hehe, that was when I was young. No need to mention it, no need to mention it. You must keep this secret for me as well," Old Jack reminded him.

"Mm, Grandpa Jack, I will," Ye Xuan said.

While they waited, quite a few groups of soul masters passed by. They merely looked at Xiao Wu, Old Jack, and Ning Qiu with surprise, however, and did not try to rob them as that previous soul master had.

After more than half a day had passed, two towering trees suddenly began to slowly part to either side. A massive figure silently emerged from between them.

"This..."

Old Jack stared at the giant creature, as though even his breathing had stopped.

The enormous creature before them was like a mountain. Its entire body was covered in dark black fur that glimmered faintly beneath the sunlight. Though it moved on all fours, its shoulders alone were more than seven meters wide. If it stood upright, it would surpass fifteen meters in height.

From the outside, it looked like a giant black ape. Apart from its lantern-sized eyes gleaming with a yellow crystalline luster, its entire body was pitch-black. If it moved at night, it would be difficult to spot its body at all.

Yet this enormous creature had seemed to appear out of nowhere just now. It had made no sound whatsoever as it moved. That was the truly frightening part.

Furthermore, the huge creature before them was covered in muscles more terrifying than granite. Each bulging muscle resembled a small hill.

"This... this is the Titan Giant Ape."

As a soul master, Old Jack had heard of the Titan Giant Ape's fearsome reputation.

The Titan Giant Ape was absolutely an overlord-level existence. No soul beast dared to offend it. Even a mere hundred-year Titan Giant Ape could contend with a ten-thousand-year soul beast. Its terrifying strength, speed, defense, and attack power were self-evident.

"Don't be nervous. This is Er Ming. Er Ming, these are my human friends." Xiao Wu walked to the Titan Giant Ape's side and touched it. The Titan Giant Ape was like a pet, thoroughly enjoying Xiao Wu's caress.

"Er Ming, we need you to take the three of us to Star Lake." Xiao Wu explained their purpose.

Star Lake?

At the mention of Star Lake, the Titan Giant Ape's pupils widened and its nerves tensed to the limit. It looked at Xiao Wu with a wary gaze.