The Second of the Ten Great Fierce Beasts

Xue Xiao Ran pondered for a moment, then moved closer to Xiao Hong Chen.

"When we were being chased by the wolf pack, do you think those Shrek teachers couldn't see us?"

"If we just leave them here, they probably won't kill us, but they might very well make us suffer a little."

"And one last thing: Wang Dong is my brother. I won't abandon him and run away alone."

Xiao Hong Chen seemed to give up with a sigh. He shrugged, sat down to one side, crossed his legs, and quietly began recovering his Soul Power.

Though he had suffered minor injuries during the chase, recovering his Soul Power was clearly the most important thing. Without it, he could not even use his most basic Toad Poison.

Xue Xiao Ran scattered powder around the area to repel soul beasts. Although it would have little effect on Ten-Thousand-Year soul beasts, doing so at least offered a small measure of peace of mind.

The group rested briefly. They did not even dare start a fire, so Huo Yu Hao's grilled fish was out of the question. Everyone hurriedly stuffed a few mouthfuls of dry rations into their mouths as they watched the sky grow darker and darker.

Living in the depths of the Star Dou Great Forest was a suicidal act.

Setting out to travel through the Star Dou Great Forest at night was equally suicidal.

That was why, despite their exhaustion and the bitter cold of the night, no one dared start a fire.

Because of his Extreme Ice, Xue Xiao Ran did not feel the slightest chill. The other students, however, had it much worse. Other than those with the highest Soul Power Levels, everyone else curled up with their knees hugged to their chests for warmth.

"I have to say, young people these days are truly far too bold."

A black-haired young man stood with his hands behind his back, observing the movements of the ten from afar. A hint of mockery curled at the corner of his lips.

Two long dragon horns grew from his head, and black light flowed over his entire body. He was clearly a soul beast after undergoing Humanoid Transformation.

"Should we kill them all?"

He held a cluster of unstable black light in his right hand. It seemed that with a mere thought, the black light would instantly appear above Xue Xiao Ran's group and shoot them all dead.

"They are still children. Let them go."

A gentle voice sounded from behind the young man, and the unstable black energy in his hand gradually faded away.

"But they are humans, after all."

The young man spoke stiffly, a sharp glint flashing through his eyes.

"Bi Ji, you saw it too. They only entered the depths of the Star Dou Great Forest by mistake because they had no other choice. They did not truly intend to kill us."

The green-haired woman smiled and spoke gently.

"Di Tian, you should restrain your temper as well. If you make a move, the old monsters of Shrek Academy will make a move too. No matter who wins or loses, the Star Dou Great Forest will be severely weakened."

No emotion showed on Di Tian's resolute face. Then he sighed softly. "The Imperial Auspicious Beast bestowed a small portion of her fortune upon one of those youths. Even if I wanted to act, for the future of the Star Dou Great Forest, I cannot kill them."

"That child met humans? Thank goodness she wasn't hurt."

Bi Ji let out a long breath of relief, then asked curiously, "I wonder which youth that child chose. I'm also curious which special young man received the Imperial Auspicious Beast's favor."

Di Tian sighed, his expression complicated.

He raised his hand and pointed from afar at the youth with short ice-blue hair and jade-green eyes, who was staring coldly in their direction.

"He discovered us?"

Seeing those cold eyes fixed straight on them, Bi Ji could not help letting out a quiet cry.

"We did not conceal our auras. It is only natural that we were discovered."

Di Tian snorted. He seemed rather displeased at being discovered by such a weak ant, then turned and left.

Bi Ji gave the youth a gentle smile before following Di Tian away.

Terrifying people.

Xue Xiao Ran withdrew his gaze, cold sweat still trickling down his back.

While cultivating within his Sea of Consciousness, the Ice Empress had suddenly warned him that someone was watching them.

Xue Xiao Ran immediately looked in that direction and saw a man and a woman standing there.

"They're actually two of the Ten Great Fierce Beasts."

The Ice Empress muttered softly, while Xue Xiao Ran returned their gaze with icy eyes.

Unexpectedly, even after receiving Xue Xiao Ran's provocation, the man and woman ultimately turned and left. Their faint, nearly imperceptible auras finally vanished.

"Who are those two?"

Xue Xiao Ran asked the Ice Empress within his Sea of Consciousness.

"They are Di Tian and Bi Ji of the Ten Great Fierce Beasts, ranked first and fourth respectively. They are husband and wife. Incidentally, I am ranked seventh, while the Snow Empress is ranked third."

"Ah... so they're soul beasts."

Xue Xiao Ran smiled.

"That's right. They were probably observing you in order to monitor your movements." The Ice Empress sighed. That was only to be expected.

"Between Di Tian and Uncle Cang Xue, who is stronger?"

"This... they do not seem comparable. Wolf King and the others have carried divinity within their bodies for a long time. Their cultivation long ago surpassed the legendary Million-Year level. If they were to fight, Di Tian would not be his match."

The Ice Empress answered honestly.

"I see." Xue Xiao Ran nodded.

"I'm going to cultivate. My cultivation speed is extremely fast within the Sea of Consciousness. In a few years, I may be able to successfully overcome my tribulation and become a Four-Hundred-Thousand-Year soul beast."

"Is that so? Then I need to work harder too."

Their conversation ended. Xue Xiao Ran resumed his breathing cultivation, while the Ice Empress entered the Sea of Consciousness to gather her cultivation.

The night passed quickly like this. Several people woke from the cold more than once, but in the end, they still did not dare start a fire and forced themselves back to sleep.

When Xue Xiao Ran woke again, his heart sank slightly.

Xiao Xiao had fallen ill.

Perhaps yesterday's desperate flight and the cold she had endured during the night had caused Xiao Xiao to begin coughing. Her face was pale as well.

Only Xue Xiao Ran, who could see the toxins within Xiao Xiao's body, noticed this condition.

When Xue Xiao Ran found Xiao Xiao washing her face alone by the river, one yellow and one purple soul ring flashed behind him, and he slowly walked over.

"You're sick."

He crouched beside Xiao Xiao, his jade eyes gazing at the clear river.

"I know." Xiao Xiao gave a weak smile and whispered, "But don't tell them. I'm afraid they'll worry about me."

Upon hearing this, Xue Xiao Ran could not help glancing sideways at Xiao Xiao. A trace of admiration and appreciation flashed through his eyes.

This little girl was impressive.

He silently marveled to himself, then, for once, spoke in a gentle voice. "I placed poison in your body to fight poison with poison. You'll feel very tired afterward, but as long as you sleep, you'll be mostly better when you wake up."

"Really? When did you poison me?" Xiao Xiao asked, her little mouth open in surprise.

"Just now," Xue Xiao Ran explained calmly.

"Thank you, Xue Xiao Ran. Hehe." Xiao Xiao smiled. "Sometimes, I really feel like you're my older brother."

"You have an older brother?"

Xue Xiao Ran felt speechless. He had only treated her normally, so why did she say he felt like an older brother?

"No. I mean, if I had an older brother, it would probably feel like this."

Xiao Xiao gave him a bright smile, then lay down on the grass behind her and fell asleep.

Why am I so popular with girls? Xue Xiao Ran doubted himself.

Could it really be because I'm as handsome as the author?