Second Brother had died. Da Ming had paid a terrible price to help conceal the Soul Beast aura around her, and had fallen into a deep sleep.
As for Xiao Wu, she was only a Soul Elder. There was no way she could be a match for Lan Minghua.
All she could do now was bury her hatred deep in her heart and wait for the right moment to strike.
After all, she still believed Lan Minghua hadn't discovered that she was a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast who had taken human form. She had plenty of time to wait for an opportunity.
Little did she know that Lan Minghua, a transmigrator, had already seen through her Soul Beast identity.
Everything the Sky Azure Bull Python had done had been completely useless against Lan Minghua.
Xiao Wu's identity as a Soul Beast had been exposed long ago.
After everyone left, Lan Minghua led Oscar and the others deeper into the forest.
Zhu Zhuqing jogged up and asked, "Master, what kind of Soul Beast would be best for my Third Soul Ring?"
"Don't rush. You'll find out soon enough."
Lan Minghua kept her guessing. He had already thought of a Soul Beast that would suit Zhu Zhuqing.
Zhu Zhuqing was very well-behaved and didn't ask any more questions.
Compared with Oscar, Zhu Zhuqing was far more sensible. They were worlds apart.
At the thought, Lan Minghua glared fiercely at Oscar.
Oscar was completely bewildered, his head full of question marks.
After they continued deeper into the forest for a while, the ground began to shake violently.
Lan Minghua looked up and said calmly, "Here it comes?"
"What's coming? A Soul Beast?" Oscar clung to Lan Minghua's leg like a frightened bird.
Just then, a massive black shadow plummeted from the sky, crashing down like a meteorite.
As a member of the Exotic Beast Family, Meng Yiran knew a great deal about many Soul Beasts.
When she got a clear look at the descending shadow, she cried out in alarm.
"That's the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger?!"
"Don't blink. The real show is about to begin."
Lan Minghua stepped in front of Oscar and the others and raised a hemispherical barrier.
Everyone looked up, wondering why the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger was falling from the sky.
The Dark Demon Evil God Tiger abruptly turned around, landing on all fours as the wings on its back suddenly beat.
The instant its wings moved, fierce winds howled. It managed to halt its fall by sheer force.
But then a shadow appeared above it—a human figure.
"Here comes the tiger-beating hero, Wu Song!"
"Tiger cub, don't run! Fight your grandpa Wu Song for another three hundred rounds!"
Wu Song's voice rang out like a bell. In the blink of an eye, he appeared above the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger.
In an instant, he slammed a punch into the tiger's head.
"ROAR!!!"
The Dark Demon Evil God Tiger howled in agony as blood sprayed from its head.
Its mountain-sized body then plunged toward the ground like a meteor.
Even as it desperately beat its wings, it couldn't slow its rapid descent.
"BOOM!!!"
The Dark Demon Evil God Tiger crashed to the ground, creating a massive crater.
The earth and sky shook, and a terrifying shock wave swept in every direction.
The trees within a hundred meters were uprooted.
The crater wasn't far from where Lan Minghua and the others stood. The shock wave battered the barrier with a roaring wind.
Inside the barrier, Oscar and the two girls stared in stunned silence.
The battle might not have been on the level of Lan Minghua's slap from earlier, but it was still the kind of fight you couldn't expect to see whenever you wanted.
"How powerful! Someone's actually hunting the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger!" Meng Yiran exclaimed.
Seeing her reaction, Oscar asked, "Fourth Junior Sister, is the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger really that powerful?"
Meng Yiran nodded and said softly, "Yes. The Dark Demon Evil God Tiger is a kind of evil Soul Beast. It can devour other Soul Beasts to grow stronger."
"According to legend, even with only ten thousand years of cultivation, it can contend with a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast. The story might be exaggerated, but there's no denying its strength."
Oscar and Zhu Zhuqing clicked their tongues in amazement.
Lan Minghua was also surprised. He hadn't expected Meng Yiran's Exotic Beast Family to have such a deep reserve of knowledge.
They even knew about the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger.
The Dark Demon Evil God Tiger before them was the same one from the original story, the six-ten-thousand-year-old Dark Demon Evil God Tiger.
It had fought the Titan Giant Ape and the Sky Azure Bull Python several times. Though it had lost every time, neither the Titan Giant Ape nor the Sky Azure Bull Python could kill it.
They could only join forces to drive it away.
If they'd fought it one-on-one, they might not have been a match for this Dark Demon Evil God Tiger.
That showed just how powerful it was.
Only, the one it had run into now wasn't the likes of the Titan Giant Ape or the Sky Azure Bull Python.
It was Wu Song, the tiger-beating hero!
Not long ago, Lan Minghua had finally figured out why Wu Song had come to the Star Dou Great Forest.
So he'd come for this Dark Demon Evil God Tiger!
Lan Minghua didn't step in to help. Wu Song didn't need his help.
In the crater, the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger shook its head and got back to its feet.
It was covered in wounds and drenched in blood, clearly having just endured a brutal battle.
Still, it had enough strength left to fight. Its abyss-like tiger eyes fixed on the figure in the sky as it roared.
"ROAR!!!"
The tiger's roar shook the forest!
In an instant, dark clouds gathered across the sky, and fierce winds howled.
A bolt of Dark Demon Evil God Thunder, containing wind, lightning, evil, and darkness, shot straight down from the sky toward Wu Song.
The black bolt of lightning resembled an enraged giant dragon, surging toward Wu Song with the power to destroy everything.
Wu Song looked up. A flash of exhilaration crossed his eyes, and he grinned.
A tiger like this was finally worth giving his all!
He swiftly drew the two Precept Knives from behind his back and hurled them at the Dark Demon Evil God Thunder.
The knives cut through the air in two streaks of cold light and collided with the Dark Demon Evil God Thunder.
In an instant, a deafening boom erupted in the sky, and blinding light burst forth, illuminating the entire forest.
Seizing the opportunity, the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger roared and transformed into a black shadow, shooting into the sky.
Its speed increased several times over. Like a streak of black lightning, it swiped a claw at Wu Song in midair.
Wu Song reacted swiftly, twisting aside to dodge the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger's attack while landing a punch squarely on its head.
The two battled fiercely in the sky, fists howling and claws flashing.
The two figures, one large and one small, clashed violently in midair. Black bolts of lightning struck the ground and slammed into the barrier Lan Minghua had raised.
But the lightning still couldn't break through the barrier, crackling against it with a sizzling sound.
Just then, Wu Song's roar rang out from the sky.
"Of all the tigers I've fought, none could surpass you! I, Wu Song, am willing to call you the strongest!"
"But your time is up!"
Wu Song Domain spread out. The aura around him surged, and a gigantic Dharma Form appeared behind him.
At that moment, he was like a war god, looking down at the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger.
Even so, the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger refused to yield.
It roared and swung its claws, sending blades of wind soaring toward Wu Song's colossal Dharma Form.
"Abomination, submit to your execution!"
Wu Song shouted, his voice echoing through the heavens as though it would shatter the very world.
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