Zhu Zhuqing

The next day, Liu Xinghan emerged from the tent with two dark circles under his eyes.

Hu Liena, on the other hand, was in exceptionally high spirits!

The group continued searching for the Ancient Demon Tree. If Chrysanthemum Douluo had not insisted that one existed within the Jade Forest, Liu Xinghan himself might have given up already.

"Seems like there's a battle over there!" Ghost Douluo suddenly looked to the right.

His unique martial soul gave him exceptionally powerful senses; even Chrysanthemum Douluo could not compare to him in that regard.

"Let's take a look!"

The group immediately set off.

Within the dense forest, a figure staggered forward in a desperate escape. Behind her, a large swarm of fist-sized butterflies was pursuing her.

"It's a little girl."

Liu Xinghan stared at her. She was a young girl dressed in black. Despite her tender age, her figure was astonishingly developed, curving in all the right places. She must have started developing in the womb...

"They're Ghost Face Demon Butterflies!"

Liu Xinghan was just about to ask Chrysanthemum Douluo to save her when the latter suddenly cried out in delight. His figure shot forward, and with a casual palm strike, he killed the entire swarm of butterflies before bringing the little girl back.

The little girl had barely recovered from her fright when she was suddenly grabbed and taken away. She was terrified, and her already fragile nerves immediately broke. She burst into loud sobs.

Chrysanthemum Douluo frowned and asked directly, "Little girl, where did those butterflies chasing you come from?"

The little girl did not answer and continued crying.

Seeing this, Liu Xinghan hurried over and comforted her. "Little sister, stop crying. You're safe now. We won't hurt you."

The little girl glanced at Liu Xinghan and gradually stopped crying.

Seeing this, Liu Xinghan immediately repeated what Chrysanthemum Douluo had asked.

The little girl sniffled, pointed in a direction, and said, "Over there. My family and I came to obtain spirit rings, and we encountered a tree. That tree was covered in these butterflies. They attacked us like crazy, and I got separated from my family."

Upon hearing this, Chrysanthemum Douluo immediately said with delight, "Just as I thought. Let's go over there. Little girl, lead the way."

At those words, terror appeared on the little girl's face. "Don't go there. There are thousands upon thousands of those butterflies there. It's very dangerous."

Chrysanthemum Douluo asked, "Your family is still over there, right? Don't you want to save them? As long as you lead us there, I can save your family."

Only then did the little girl realize that while she had been saved, her family was still being besieged by the butterflies. Her expression immediately changed, and she urged, "Then let's hurry!"

The group immediately set off.

Liu Xinghan asked curiously, "Grandpa Chrysanthemum, did you find the Ancient Demon Tree?"

Chrysanthemum Douluo nodded. "Ghost Face Demon Butterflies are mysterious creatures that parasitize Ancient Demon Trees. They are not living beings, but special soul entities that can be regarded as ghosts."

"Wherever there are Ghost Face Demon Butterflies, there must be an Ancient Demon Tree!"

"I see!"

Liu Xinghan suddenly understood.

Thinking that they were about to find the Ancient Demon Tree, Liu Xinghan's heart grew excited as well.

Led onward by Chrysanthemum Douluo and the others, the group quickly arrived at the place the little girl had described.

At this moment, the battle was still ongoing.

Four soul masters were surrounded by Ghost Face Demon Butterflies. Though they were not soul beasts, their numbers were immense, and they possessed strength comparable to soul beasts. The strongest among the four soul masters was only a five-ring Soul King. Facing thousands upon thousands of Ghost Face Demon Butterflies, they were naturally no match.

Liu Xinghan's gaze landed on a large tree almost immediately.

The tree stood dozens of meters tall, with a massive crown. It was entirely black, from its branches to its leaves. It looked completely out of place amid the verdant surroundings, exuding an exceptionally eerie aura.

Is this the Ancient Demon Tree?

No wonder its name contained the word "demon." At a glance, the tree gave off an unsettlingly strange feeling.

After searching for it for so many days, they had finally found their target. Chrysanthemum Douluo could not be bothered with nonsense. He simply wanted to end this quickly, so he acted at once!

Two Yellow, Two Purple, and five black spirit rings rose in succession. A terrifying aura belonging to a Titled Douluo erupted in an instant!

A beautiful chrysanthemum appeared in his hand—his martial soul, the Miraculous Silk Reaching Heaven Chrysanthemum.

His First Spirit Ring lit up.

Chrysanthemum Douluo lightly swung his martial soul, and countless golden petals shot forth. Like sharp blades, they completely enveloped the area where the Ghost Face Demon Butterflies had gathered.

First Spirit Skill, Petal Storm.

The petals danced through the air.

Once the petals vanished moments later, everyone looked again. There was no trace of the Ghost Face Demon Butterflies left. So many Ghost Face Demon Butterflies had been completely annihilated in such a short time.

Moreover, the four soul masters were completely unharmed. Chrysanthemum Douluo's attack had clearly avoided them perfectly!

"What terrifying strength!"

Liu Xinghan stared at the scene in shock.

Chrysanthemum Douluo truly deserved his status as a Level Ninety-Five Super Douluo. Not only was he immensely powerful, but his control over his soul skills was also exquisitely precise.

"Thank you, Your Excellency, for saving our lives!"

The people Chrysanthemum Douluo had rescued finally came to their senses. Seeing the nine soul rings around him, they were instantly shocked and hurried over to bow in thanks.

"So this is what a Titled Douluo is like?"

The little girl who had led them here also stared at Chrysanthemum Douluo in astonishment.

Though she was still young, she knew that a soul master with nine soul rings was a legendary Titled Douluo. That was the goal of her life!

After casually striking the Ancient Demon Tree and severely injuring it, leaving it unable to fight, Chrysanthemum Douluo withdrew his martial soul and warned, "All right, leave quickly. This is already the central region of the Jade Forest. It is not a place you should be."

The group hurriedly nodded. Having accidentally entered the central region this time, they would all have died here if Chrysanthemum Douluo had not saved them. Naturally, they did not dare linger any longer.

Before leaving, the little girl in black turned back to glance at Liu Xinghan and called out, "Thank you for saving us. If you have the time, come visit our Zhu Family. My home is in Star Luo City. My name is Zhu Zhuqing!"

"Star Luo City, the Zhu Family, Zhu Zhuqing?"

Liu Xinghan's body suddenly trembled.

He had never expected that this little girl in black would actually be one of the Shrek Seven Devils from the original story.

By the time he came back to himself and looked again, Zhu Zhuqing and her group had already vanished completely into the dense forest.

Seeing Liu Xinghan's strange expression as he stared intently in the direction Zhu Zhuqing's group had left, Hu Liena demanded, "Junior Brother, what are you looking at? Don't tell me you like that little girl called Zhu Zhuqing?"

Liu Xinghan was immediately taken aback.

Turning his head, he saw his Senior Sister watching him suspiciously. Helplessly, Liu Xinghan said, "Senior Sister, you're overthinking it. I've only met her once—how could I possibly like her? Besides, she's just a little kid right now. What is there to like?"

After hearing that, Hu Liena thought for a moment and nodded. "That's true!"

Liu Xinghan gave Hu Liena an odd look. After spending so much time together, he had noticed that Hu Liena seemed to be growing increasingly possessive of him. She always liked sticking close to him.

Could she have fallen for me?

Liu Xinghan's heart jolted. Hu Liena was six years older than him. If she really liked him, should he accept her—or reject her?

If he rejected her, would his Senior Sister be terribly hurt?