Thunder Breath, Thunderclap Flash!

Tang San understood the meaning conveyed by Zhao Wuji's bear eyes.

But that truly hadn't been what he meant just now.

He had been using his Purple Demon Eyes to scout the road ahead for Zhao Wuji all along. The moment he saw Yu Mingfei, he had instinctively told Zhao Wuji.

"No, Teacher Zhao, that's not what I meant..."

Tang San's attempted explanation suddenly caught in his throat.

Ahead stood a stranger who felt strangely familiar.

Behind them was the terrifying King of the Forest, relentlessly pursuing them for reasons unknown.

And at his side were his classmates, his sister, his roommates, and his teacher.

He had made his choice.

Compared to the people beside him, Yu Mingfei's inexplicable sense of familiarity was utterly insignificant.

Soul Power surged, and another Blue Silver Grass appeared.

"What I mean is... conserve your Soul Power. I'll do it!"

For Xiao Wu, for the Shrek Seven Devils!

First Soul Skill, I command you! Bind!

Under Tang San's control, the Blue Silver Grass shot straight toward Yu Mingfei.

Thud!

But the distance was too great. It only struck the wicker basket, as though offering a greeting.

Yu Mingfei mobilized all his Soul Power and fled with all his might.

Suddenly, the wicker basket on his back jolted. The unexpected minor impact nearly made him lose his balance.

He hurriedly glanced back, catching sight of a blue blade of grass falling from the corner of his eye.

Blue Silver Grass?

Tang San?

They're trying to attack me?

A nameless fury instantly surged into his heart.

Yu Mingfei's face twisted as he once again squeezed some Soul Power and life force from the Blue Silver Emperor right leg bone.

I can't outrun that monkey, so you think you can outrun me?

You all want me dead, but I refuse to die!

Yu Mingfei suddenly threw out his chest, drawing in a huge breath of air.

So what if it's a trash Martial Soul? First Soul Skill, Acceleration! Open!

A Hundred-Year Soul Ring appeared around Yu Mingfei. The Soul Power and life force squeezed from the Soul Bone all poured into it, causing it to blaze brightly.

In an instant, his speed increased by several more notches! His legs left afterimages as he once again widened the gap between himself and the Shrek group.

Not enough! Not enough!

Yu Mingfei roared inwardly.

This isn't enough to keep me alive.

I need to be faster! Faster!

His blood accelerated, rushing into his heart before being pumped back out.

Driven by an inexplicable thrill, Yu Mingfei felt the tendrils of his consciousness stretching through his body.

His pupils dilated. His already sharp senses began to grow even keener.

The wind blowing toward him...

The tremors of the earth...

The moisture in the air...

The pulsing of blood within his body, the expansion of his alveoli, the opening of his pores...

And the execution of Soul Power...

A drumbeat began to sound beside his ears.

[Because the flaws of the Acceleration Soul Skill were obvious, clever you combined Soul Power execution, breathing cycles, and human bodily functions, eliminating the Soul Skill's flaws and enhancing its effects. Congratulations, you have invented Thunder Breath!]

From that moment onward, Yu Mingfei's breathing changed.

With Soul Power and his body working in tandem, this unique breathing method expanded his alveoli to their limits, increased the efficiency of gas exchange, and supplied his body with far more oxygen than before.

Under Zhao Wuji and Tang San's astonished gazes, Yu Mingfei's sole Soul Ring radiated a brilliance no Hundred-Year Soul Ring should possess.

"What? He only has one Soul Ring! He hasn't even reached level twenty?"

Zhao Wuji was so shocked that he had no time to think further.

Ahead, a quiet murmur rang out.

"Thunder Breath, Thunderclap... Flash!"

Thoom—

The air tore apart.

Before the horrified eyes of the eight Shrek members, Yu Mingfei instantly erupted with inhuman speed.

Dense Soul Power exploded from within him, turning his entire body into a blurred afterimage.

He once again widened the distance between them.

He was accelerating! And he was accelerating continuously!

In the blink of an eye, he vanished from their sight.

"What the f—..."

Above Zhao Wuji's head, Zhu Zhuqing, who had witnessed Yu Mingfei's explosive burst, used all her strength to choke back the curse in her throat.

"Is that the speed of a Soul Master below level twenty?"

She herself was an Agility Attack Soul Master. She knew perfectly well that this was absolutely not speed a one-ring Soul Master should possess!

This guy was simply absurd!

"Oh my god, am I seeing things? That speed... does he really have only one Soul Ring?"

Cradled in the bear paw, Ning Rongrong murmured blankly.

Even Zhao Wuji could hardly believe it. His two bear eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets, and in his momentary distraction, his steps slowed for an instant.

"Ah! Tang San—"

From Zhao Wuji's shoulder, Xiao Wu's cry snapped Tang San back to his senses.

"Xiao Wu, what's wrong?"

"Teacher Zhao, this is bad! Xiao Wu, she—" Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun shouted at the same time.

But Tang San was hanging from Zhao Wuji's chest, and because of his position, he could see nothing.

Anxious, he withdrew the Blue Silver Grass wrapped around Zhao Wuji's neck, grabbed the Great Strength Vajra Bear's chest fur, borrowed strength several times, and flipped onto his shoulder.

But all he saw was Xiao Wu's figure growing farther and farther away, caught in the Titan Giant Ape's hand.

"Xiao Wu!" Tang San roared, immediately preparing to jump from the Great Strength Vajra Bear's shoulder to chase after her.

"Tang San! Calm down!" Dai Mubai held him down with all his strength.

"Xiao Wu is in danger! How can I calm down? Let me go!"

Tang San struggled incessantly.

"Idiot! Jumping down there is suicide!" Zhao Wuji had already recovered. Seeing Tang San's impulsive state, he roared, "The Titan Giant Ape has left, but the Beast Tide is still behind us!

"If you want to die, don't drag everyone else down with you!"

Tang San's body stiffened. Under Dai Mubai's restraint, he stopped struggling.

"Tang San, calm down!"

"Once we escape the Soul Beast Tide's range, we'll look for her together!"

The others all tried to persuade him.

Tang San's eyes were bloodshot as he stared at the direction in which the Titan Giant Ape had departed, gritting his teeth viciously.

Zhao Wuji's hoarse voice rang out.

"Hold on tight. Without the Titan Giant Ape leading them, the Soul Beasts won't chase us for no reason.

"I'll turn right and run in another direction, away from the Beast Tide's range."

Following Zhao Wuji's instructions, the seven of them tightly grabbed the fur on the Great Strength Vajra Bear's body.

But Zhao Wuji was still uneasy and added another warning.

"Mubai, hold Tang San down. Don't let him do anything reckless."

Several kilometers away, Yu Mingfei had broken out of the Shrek group's sight with the burst of Thunder Breath.

But he did not dare stop.

This distance was far from safe.

Yu Mingfei's condition was far from good.

He had only just comprehended Thunder Breath before forcing it into a full-power burst.

Small streams of blood flowed from his mouth and nose. Countless capillaries had ruptured throughout his body, giving his skin an unnatural flush. His chest rose and fell rapidly, and every breath sounded like an old bellows, with waves of harsh wheezing spilling from his throat.

His steps began to grow heavy. Even with the Blue Silver Emperor right leg bone constantly releasing life force to repair his body, it could only ease part of the pain.

"I...

"Cannot... Die!"

Yu Mingfei spoke in broken fragments, activating his Word Spirit. Another surge of strength emerged from his body, joining the right leg bone in accelerating his recovery.

I can't stop. I need to run farther, at least.

I can't keep running straight. To the right, change direction!

The exhilaration brought by his high-speed burst had yet to fade, and Yu Mingfei forced himself to think.

I need to find somewhere safe.

It can't be on the ground. Most of the Soul Beast Tide consists of land-dwelling Soul Beasts.

It has to be in the trees.

And I need to observe... avoid stumbling into the territory of flying Soul Beasts.

Maybe underground could work too? It wouldn't be the first time I buried myself...

After comprehending Thunder Breath, the effects of the Acceleration Soul Skill were no longer limited to a single breathing cycle when activated.

Instead, it took effect alongside his breathing and the flow of blood through his body.

As long as Yu Mingfei continued breathing and his blood continued flowing, Soul Power would be continuously consumed to provide acceleration.

The intensity of Thunder Breath's operation determined the degree of acceleration.

He could not use an extreme burst like the one before again anytime soon.

If he forced it, then even with the Blue Silver Emperor right leg bone's Soul Skills [Wildfires cannot burn it all; spring winds blow and it grows again] and [Word Spirit: Cannot Die], he would lose the ability to move while his body repaired itself.

At this moment, Yu Mingfei was driving his body entirely through willpower.

Yet the sense of danger in his heart remained.

Ever since his World-shattering Wisdom had comprehended the three great Meditation Methods of [Earth], [Flowing Water], and [Whirlpool], his Sensing of the environment had grown stronger by the day.

This almost prophetic sense of danger had allowed Yu Mingfei to avoid many perils in the wilderness.

The earth continued to shake, growing increasingly violent. Even the air itself became restless.

Yu Mingfei no longer had the strength to make any expression.

Even without looking back, he could hear the continuous rumbling behind him.

It was the sound of countless animals running in a mass.

Among them were two rhythms, one ahead of the other. The first was steady and clear, while the latter was chaotic and immense.

He had heard the same sounds not long ago.

At this time, on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest, there could be no one else besides them.

Shrek!