Encountering the Ten-Thousand Year Ghost Tiger, Drawing My Sword to Help

Yan and Xie Yue exchanged a glance, shockwaves surging through their hearts.

A twenty-level, one-ring Soul Grand Master, killing the Goliath Ant King?

That was simply impossible.

If the Goliath Ant King had truly been slain by Sun Sheng...

Then for the two of them, it was undoubtedly a death knell.

Especially for Yan.

He was the one who had blocked Sun Sheng's retreat with a single punch, forcing him into the swarm of Goliath Ants.

If Sun Sheng were allowed to grow strong...

That would be disastrous.

If he came seeking revenge, wouldn't they have nowhere to flee?

Hiss!

At that thought, Yan sucked in a sharp breath, regret gnawing at him.

He shouldn't have been so reckless.

Still, he refused to believe Sun Sheng had done it.

Someone must have appeared to lend a hand, killed the Goliath Ant King, and rescued him.

Or else, Sun Sheng had already died to the Goliath Ant King and fallen into its belly.

But then a powerful Soul Grand Master passing by had struck it down.

Yes!

That had to be it.

The more Yan thought about it, the more unsettled he became, until he simply refused to accept reality.

After all, in his understanding, it was impossible.

"He's fine. He has to be fine."

"Brother, let's search nearby. Maybe we can still find him."

Hu Liena's expression flickered, and she immediately left the spot, beginning to look around.

But Sun Sheng had already left long ago, leaving no trace behind.

How could she possibly find him?

"Little sister, it's getting late. We should hurry back and report."

"If Sun Sheng is fine, he'll show up again for sure."

"If it really comes to that, we can send people to search after we return to Martial Soul Hall."

Xie Yue followed Hu Liena the whole way, finally unable to bear it and persuading her gently.

"That's right, Sister Liena. His Holiness the Pope is still waiting for us."

Yan also hurried over to chime in.

"Right. I'll go back and ask Teacher for help."

Hu Liena's eyes blazed with sharp light as she rushed off on the return journey.

Once she was far away, Yan walked over to Xie Yue's side and asked in a low voice, "Xie Yue, do you think the Goliath Ant King was killed by that brat Sun Sheng?"

Xie Yue pondered for a moment, then shook his head and replied, "Impossible. A twenty-level, one-ring Soul Grand Master—no matter how skilled his methods, he couldn't have that kind of ability."

"I don't think so either. Someone must have passed by and struck it down."

"The question is whether that brat Sun Sheng is even alive."

Hearing Xie Yue's answer, Yan felt a weight lift from his heart.

"Whether he's alive or not has nothing to do with us. Right now, Little Sister is starting to suspect the two of us did it on purpose. We'd better keep our distance from her for a while."

"Given time, she'll forget on her own."

"I wonder what tricks that Sun Sheng used to make Little Sister so infatuated with him."

"Truly baffling."

Xie Yue frowned deeply; clearly, he too harbored some wariness toward Sun Sheng.

"Mm, fine. Let's catch up quickly."

Yan nodded and dashed off at full speed, with Xie Yue close behind.

Deep within the inner circle of the Star Dou Great Forest, Sun Sheng was lost.

He had wanted to turn back and retrace his steps.

But the paths in the Star Dou Great Forest all looked the same, and before long, he had lost his way.

Helpless, he had no choice but to pick a direction at random and press forward.

Little did he know, his chosen direction was straight toward the core zone.

Bang! Boom! Crack! Clang!

Sun Sheng didn't know how long he'd walked when faint, unusual sounds reached his ears, catching his attention.

Curious, he crept closer.

Before long, he spotted two people locked in battle with a massive black tiger. Its forehead bore a white "king" pattern, its body over five meters long, its shoulder height a full two meters. Though enormous, it moved with startling agility. Five or six human corpses lay nearby.

"Ghost Tiger!"

"And a Ten-Thousand Year Ghost Tiger at that."

Hidden in the shadows, Sun Sheng was shocked at the sight of the pitch-black beast.

The Ghost Tiger's speed and attack power were terrifying—one of the most formidable Soul Beasts, ferocious and equipped with the innate ability Shadow Clone.

It would fight to the death against any intruder daring to invade its territory.

Its speed was so extreme that even Soul Beasts of similar cultivation avoided conflict with it.

Even powerful Spirit Masters were reluctant to engage, giving it a wide berth.

"Oh, it's them!"

Sun Sheng was slightly surprised to see the two people fighting the Ghost Tiger.

One was the Burly Man who had treated him decently when he first entered the Star Dou Great Forest.

The other was the Sharp-Faced Man.

Both were now heavily injured, and the Ghost Tiger was no better off—its body covered in wounds, blood streaming freely.

"Old Li, this Ghost Tiger's too fast. We should retreat now," the Burly Man gasped, dodging a sudden attack.

"No. I finally found a suitable Soul Beast. I can't just leave."

"This Ghost Tiger's badly hurt. If we hold on a little longer, we can kill it."

"I won't be satisfied walking away like this."

The Sharp-Faced Man, seeing the Ghost Tiger also gravely wounded, couldn't bear to give up.

"But..."

The Burly Man felt himself at the end of his strength. Dragging this out any longer, even if the Ghost Tiger didn't kill him, he'd collapse from exhaustion.

"No buts. Succeed or die—there's no room for hesitation."

The Sharp-Faced Man gritted his teeth. His fourth Purple Soul Ring flashed, and he transformed into a cat-like shadow, charging at the Ghost Tiger.

He was going all in.

But fate didn't favor him.

The Ghost Tiger activated its innate ability Shadow Clone, instantly killing him.

"Old Li..."

The Burly Man's face went pale as he saw the Sharp-Faced Man's heart pierced by the Ghost Tiger's claw. He cried out in shock.

The Ghost Tiger had already locked onto him and lunged.

The Burly Man scrambled to defend himself.

He dodged the Ghost Tiger's claws, but its tail caught him, slamming him into a massive tree nearby. He spat blood, gravely wounded and unable to fight further.

The Ghost Tiger lunged again.

"Thousand-Jin Strike!"

At that moment, Sun Sheng, still hidden, struck. His Million-Year Spirit Ring and Thousand-Year Spirit Ring lit up simultaneously, triggering the Goliath Right Arm Spirit Bone's skill. Timing it perfectly, he brought his staff crashing down.

The Ghost Tiger suddenly sensed an overwhelming staff force surging toward it. Startled, it tried to retreat.

But Sun Sheng had already locked it down with his Seal skill. He wouldn't let it escape.

The Ghost Tiger, feeling bound by a powerful force, immediately used Shadow Clone, transferring the binding to its clone, breaking free.

By then, the Ruyi Jingu Bang had already descended.

Unfortunately, Sun Sheng's strike hit the Ghost Tiger's Shadow Clone.

Still, the blow was so powerful that even hitting the clone sent the real Ghost Tiger flying, snapping several trees in its path.

Already at its limit and gravely wounded, the Ghost Tiger collapsed nearby, too weak to rise, barely clinging to life.

"Big brother, are you alright?"

Sun Sheng ignored the Ghost Tiger and went to check on the Burly Man's injuries.

In his eyes, this man's character was decent enough to be worth saving.

If he could use this chance to make the man follow him, that would be a good outcome.

As long as he killed the Ghost Tiger and absorbed its spirit ring, he'd effectively have a Spirit King-level subordinate by his side.

Ding! Congratulations, host has triggered a random quest: Recruit this man.