Sudden Mutation

Tian'e and Walter stared at the core area of the Star Dou Forest with grave expressions.

"Old Crocodile, what is going on? Haven't these Beasts stayed out of the core area for hundreds of years? What's gotten into them today?"

Walter walked to Tian'e's side and whispered.

"How would I know? Let's just hope they aren't coming for us."

Tian'e replied in a low voice. His mind began to race; ever since he entered the Star Dou Forest, nothing he perceived had felt off. Could they really have just gone mad?

No! It was possible they were actually coming for them. Had his brain rusted from staying in the Worship Hall for too long?! The life energy attached to Xiaoshuang's Martial Soul had shocked even him; how could those Spirit Beasts, who were constantly facing their own life limits, remain indifferent?

Thinking of this, Tian'e immediately turned his head to look at Pullman and the three juniors.

"Pullman, take the three of them and run! Run as fast as you possibly can!"

Hearing Tian'e's shout, Pullman did not respond with his usual respectful tone; instead, he immediately activated his Martial Soul Possession.

Two massive wings appeared behind his back. As the primary lookout point against beast tides, the Platinum Bishop stationed by Martial Soul Hall outside the Star Dou Forest was always an Agility Attack System Spirit Master, and Pullman was no exception.

"Young Lady, forgive me."

He grabbed Tian Yao and Qian Ningshuang with each hand. Pullman signaled, and Qian Renxue stood behind him, wrapping her arms around his neck. At a time like this, there was no need for a mere Spirit King to be coy; escaping was what mattered.

Watching the figures of the three juniors and Pullman flying away from the Star Dou Forest, Walter breathed a sigh of relief.

"Old Crocodile, what do we do now?"

"Old Wo, did you leave your brain behind today? Why so many questions? Do I need to teach you what to do next? Naturally, we stall them for as long as we can. It doesn't matter if our two old bones are lost, but Xue'er and Shuang'er are the future hope of Martial Soul Hall."

Tian'e said with a huff.

"It's just been a while since I've had a fight, so I'm a bit nervous. I was just trying to lighten the mood."

Walter smiled as he pulled on his gloves. However, the warmth was gone from his smile, replaced by an inexplicable chill.

"From here on out, it's kill on sight!"

Ten threads of unknown material appeared at the tips of Walter's fingers, and his spirit rings—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, black—emerged. The aura of a level 94 Title Douluo was revealed in full!

At the same time, golden scales appeared on Tian'e's face. The vibrant red spirit ring that surfaced on his body was even more noble than Walter's black ones, and the aura of a level 98 Super Douluo surged forth!

"Black Dragon, what brings you here?"

Looking at the giant black dragon appearing before him, Tian'e looked indifferent.

"Human, hand over that girl who just obtained her Spirit Ring. Don't force my hand!"

Di Tian looked at the two figures. On his way here, he had already sensed everything that happened and understood who the life energy the Lord spoke of came from, as well as how vast and pure that energy truly was. Today, he was determined to have her!

"Since when did Spirit Beasts start being so long-winded? Didn't you always just charge in without thinking? Oh, you're injured, aren't you? Could it be that you're afraid?"

Glancing at the charred, massive wound on Di Tian's body, Tian'e spoke with biting sarcasm.

"Human, you are courting death!"

A black dragon claw slammed down violently. Just mentioning that wound made Di Tian furious—damn the gods of the God Realm!

"Martial Soul Avatar!"

A golden crocodile, no smaller than the black dragon, appeared on the spot and collided with the black dragon claw. At the same time, a thunderous voice erupted from the crocodile's maw.

"Old Wo, that bear is yours!"

"I am the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear!"

"No difference, it's all the same!"

Overwhelming threads wrapped around Xiong Jun as he charged toward Tian'e.

While Tian'e and Walter were locked in a fierce battle with the Spirit Beasts, Qian Ningshuang and the others had not escaped as Tian'e had hoped.

One had to remember that three Beasts had come, and only two had appeared so far.

Di Tian and the others were not stupid. If all three Beasts appeared at once, Tian'e and Walter would do whatever it took to intercept them. While they might not be able to hold them for long, it would certainly cost them a great deal of effort.

Instead of that, it was better for only two to appear on the surface, keeping each other occupied, while Qian Ningshuang was left to the third Beast.

In the distance, the four people fleeing through the air were suddenly struck down by an attack.

As the four of them crashed, a flock of birds in the forest took flight in alarm.

Qian Ningshuang stood up from Qian Renxue's embrace and checked their current state. Bishop Pullman had been the primary target of the attack; his head was bleeding, one arm hung limply—clearly broken—and he had multiple bleeding wounds on his body.

Qian Renxue's golden hair was disheveled, and she was covered in scrapes.

As for Qian Ningshuang and Tian Yao, they had been well-protected by Qian Renxue and Pullman during the fall and had no obvious injuries.

Fortunately, the source of the attack was likely wary of something and had not used full force; otherwise, there would be nothing left but four piles of mangled flesh.

Before the four could even recover, a Three-Headed Red Demon Mastiff appeared before them. It was clear that it was the source of the attack that had downed them.

"Young Lady, take the Second Young Miss and Miss Yao and go. I will hold it off."

Pullman stood before the three girls, clutching his broken arm. If he were afraid of death, he would never have been stationed at the Star Dou Forest.

"A Spirit Douluo, don't make me laugh."

Following the voice came a claw pressing down upon them.

"Stop!"

The claw truly froze in mid-air. Looking at the small blade pointed directly at its heart, Scarlet King fell silent.

As a Beast with three hundred thousand years of cultivation, it had sensed the scene of Qian Ningshuang testing her spirit skill while on its way here. Likewise, it understood just how important Qian Ningshuang was to their so-called Lord. If she were truly gone, it wouldn't just be a dog meat feast in the core area of the Star Dou Forest; every canine Spirit Beast would be wiped out from the Star Dou Forest entirely.

As for whether someone possessing such powerful Life energy could die from suicide, it dared not gamble. It saw clearly that the Life energy originated from Qian Ningshuang's Martial Soul, not from Qian Ningshuang herself.

Watching Scarlet King cease its attack, Qian Ningshuang let out a sigh of relief. She was not stupid; combining the original plot she had seen in her past life with the Abyss Flower, she could guess why this group of Spirit Beasts had mobilized so aggressively.

"It seems you have already guessed that we came for you. What do you want? As long as it is not a request to let you go, our Star Dou Forest will do everything in its power to fulfill it."

After a moment of silence, Scarlet King spoke up.

"Send them out of the Star Dou Forest, and I will go with you. Also, my two grandfathers! If even one of them is gone, I will commit suicide immediately!"

Qian Ningshuang stared vigilantly at the red three-headed dog. She was not a transmigrator who only cared about herself; her family and companions, who had spent six years with her, were in danger because of her. Trading her own life for their safety required no consideration at all.

What's more, if her guess was correct, she would simply be unable to return to the Martial Soul Hall in the future, not necessarily lose her life.

"Fine, I will go and have Di Tian and the others stop now. But you stay where you are and do not move. If you leave, you know the consequences."

Taking one last deep look at Qian Ningshuang, Scarlet King turned and bolted toward the direction where Tian'e and Di Tian were fighting.