"Sky Dream, I still have these four Ice Attribute Magic Cores, but I can't give them to you."
"First, I need to keep one or two in reserve, in case something unexpected happens and I suddenly need them."
"Second, we're heading to the Extreme North to fuse with that Soul Beast. It wouldn't be right to show up without a proper gift."
Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's eyes lit up at that.
A moment later, it fell quiet. Huo Yuhao wanted to give the things to Ice Empress, and Sky Dream had no objections.
As for Yuhao wanting to keep one or two in reserve, then so be it.
After speaking, Huo Yuhao continued onward.
Sky Dream thought for a moment, then asked, "Hey, tell me what's going on. Which instructor are you trying to save?"
Huo Yuhao didn't hesitate. "That has to stay confidential. Keep quiet and watch what I do."
After hearing that, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm didn't ask anything else. It and Huo Yuhao focused on sensing their surroundings.
Meanwhile, elsewhere...
Seven or eight li from Huo Yuhao, in another part of the outskirts of Star Dou Forest.
"Yang Wei, your Martial Soul is Green Bamboo, and you've reached level twenty. You're ready to obtain your Second Soul Ring."
"I want to make your Green Bamboo more explosive, so I'd like to find you an ape-type Soul Beast. Do you have any objections?"
Mu Jin spoke to the student standing before her, who looked rather frail.
Yang Wei was one of the students in Mu Jin's class. His talent wasn't outstanding; it was merely average.
However, he came from a well-off family in the Heaven Dou Empire.
Hearing this, Yang Wei hurriedly nodded. "Teacher Mu Jin, I'll do whatever you decide. I'll definitely listen."
Mu Jin nodded and led Yang Wei farther along the forest's outskirts.
There was no need to venture deeper into the forest to obtain a Second Soul Ring. She was confident she could keep both herself and her student safe.
Following behind Mu Jin, Yang Wei couldn't help recalling what had happened in class the day before.
Mu Jin had been lecturing from the podium about the history of Shrek Academy. Whenever she talked about Tang San, she liked to sit down.
Yang Wei happened to sit in the front row. His pen kept falling under his desk, seemingly by accident, and each time he bent down to pick it up.
Whenever he did, he could see Mu Jin's butt from that angle.
Of course, he'd wanted to get a better look, but he'd never managed to.
That was mainly because Mu Jin's trousers were fairly modest, too.
Yang Wei had been a little disappointed, but this time, he was determined to seize his chance.
His gaze grew heated. He liked sneaking peeks like this; it made him feel so excited.
Time slipped by as Yang Wei trailed behind her, secretly watching.
But he didn't get to keep it up for long.
After walking seven or eight hundred meters, Mu Jin suddenly stopped.
At that very moment, up ahead...
A giant ape burst through the undergrowth in a thicket of brambles, roaring...
Its entire body was covered in coarse, matted black fur that reeked of decay.
Its eyes were small and red, filled with a sinister, evil gleam. Its huge mouth stretched almost to its ears, and nauseating green drool dripped from its lips.
The moment it saw Mu Jin's curvy figure, greed flashed in its eyes, and it grew even more frenzied.
"This is... a Lust Demon Berserk Ape!"
Mu Jin's brows furrowed slightly at the sight.
As its name suggested, the Lust Demon Berserk Ape was violent by nature and had a grotesque appetite for sex.
It would assault anything with an opening, male or female—plant, Soul Beast, or human.
But Mu Jin soon gave a cold snort and released her Soul Rings: two yellow, two purple, and two black.
As an instructor at Shrek Academy, Mu Jin naturally had the strength to back her position.
In an instant,
the Lust Demon Berserk Ape cowered. It was only a Soul Beast with five or six hundred years of cultivation, and couldn't withstand the Soul Power pressure radiating from Mu Jin. Its eyes were full of wariness.
Mu Jin turned to Yang Wei and said, "This Lust Demon Berserk Ape has six hundred years of cultivation. Given your current physical condition, absorbing it as your Second Soul Ring would be your limit."
"It may look disgusting, but its strength and explosive power are decent. Are you ready?"
Yang Wei hurriedly came to his senses. "All right, Teacher Mu Jin. I'll do as you say."
Without hesitation, Mu Jin unleashed her first Soul Skill, "Explosive Shock Fist." Vast Soul Power gathered around her fist, faint flashes of lightning flickering as she surged forward with unstoppable force.
At the same time, the phantom of a Martial Soul appeared behind Mu Jin: a massive Iron-Eating Bear.
The Iron-Eating Bear's fur was glossy black, its muscles bulged, and its limbs were thick and powerful. Its paws were broad and razor-sharp...
In an instant, Mu Jin was right in front of the Lust Demon Berserk Ape.
"First Soul Skill—Explosive Shock!"
With a boom,
Mu Jin struck the Lust Demon Berserk Ape in the throat. Her fist cut through the air, and the force of it seemed to tear the air apart.
With a crack,
the ape was sent flying more than ten meters. It crashed through a tree, then collapsed onto the ground, barely alive.
Mu Jin turned to Yang Wei and said, "You deliver the final blow."
Without hesitation, Yang Wei took a dagger from his Storage Soul Tool and moved to finish off the Lust Demon Berserk Ape.
But just then, Mu Jin sensed something. Her expression changed abruptly. She grabbed Yang Wei by the shoulder and sped backward.
But Mu Jin was still a moment too late.
In an instant, a Lust Demon Berserk Ape with around twenty thousand years of cultivation appeared before her.
This one was even larger than the previous ape. Its fur bristled like black steel spikes, a pair of batlike wings grew from its back, and its half-foot-long claws gleamed with a frigid light.
On top of that, seven or eight more Lust Demon Berserk Apes appeared, surrounding Mu Jin and Yang Wei. Even the weakest among them had two or three thousand years of cultivation.
Mu Jin's brows knitted tightly. She knew she wasn't a match for them.
"Yang Wei, run. I'll hold them off."
Without hesitation, Mu Jin told him to flee first. She planned to use one of her trump cards; perhaps then she'd have a sliver of a chance to escape.
But the moment Mu Jin turned around, she saw that Yang Wei had already taken advantage of the apes watching her and no one guarding their rear to bolt.
In the blink of an eye, he vanished, no longer looking the least bit frail.
Seeing this, Mu Jin had no time to dwell on it. The Lust Demon Berserk Ape leaped at her, its massive body tracing an arc through the air. It opened its fang-filled maw, its claws flashing coldly, and charged at Mu Jin in her Martial Soul Avatar form...
Mu Jin drew a deep breath as Soul Power surged around her. She roared, "Sixth Soul Skill—World-Shaking Void-Shattering Claw!"
In an instant, the phantom of the Iron-Eating Bear behind her grew more solid and roared at the sky, its cry shaking the wilderness.
Mu Jin's claws were enveloped in dazzling purple-gold light, radiating a terrifying aura.
They whistled through the air. Wherever their force reached, trees were sliced cleanly in half.
A Lust Demon Berserk Ape with more than three thousand years of cultivation took the attack head-on. Its huge body was sent flying dozens of meters, crashing through more than ten trees and gouging a deep furrow in the ground.
The other apes didn't retreat. Instead, they were thoroughly enraged. They roared, their fur standing on end, and lunged at Mu Jin with bared claws and fangs.
Mu Jin wasn't afraid. Her figure darted through the pack as she fought them fiercely...
Before you continue