Titan Giant Ape, Er Ming Appears

"What is happening?!" Zhao Wuji's expression changed drastically as he stood up abruptly. His seven soul rings bloomed instantly, and the powerful pressure of a Soul Saint was released without reservation to reassure Xiao Qing and the others. At the same time, Zhao Wuji looked vigilantly toward the northwest, the direction from which the sound and tremors originated.

The terrifying pressure contained in that roar was enough to make even a Soul Saint like him feel a palpitation of the heart!

Xiao Qing reacted the fastest; the moment he heard the first roar, his heart sank.

This momentum was definitely not something an ordinary ten-thousand-year soul beast could cause! Having trained in the Sunset Forest and the Star Dou Forest for so long, Xiao Qing naturally had a clear idea of what level a ten-thousand-year soul beast could reach.

Excluding ten-thousand-year soul beasts, a name flashed through Xiao Qing's mind instantly—the Titan Giant Ape! The King of the Forest, a hundred-thousand-year soul beast, the brother of the Sky Azure Bull Python, and Xiao Wu's younger brother, "Er Ming"!

Thinking of this, Xiao Qing subconsciously cast a quick glance out of the corner of his eye at Xiao Wu, who was standing beside Tang San.

He saw that the moment Xiao Wu heard the roar, her delicate body trembled visibly. The smile on her face vanished instantly, replaced by an extremely complex emotion—shock, nervousness, and a hint of indescribable agitation.

She turned her head sharply toward the direction of the roar, her lips slightly parted as if she wanted to say something, but she forced herself to hold back.

Watching Xiao Wu's actions, Xiao Qing couldn't help but think to himself: Could it really be Er Ming?!

Because the time, location, and target soul beast for Oscar's soul ring hunt were different from the original story, the probability and timing of the Titan Giant Ape's appearance could theoretically have changed as well.

But with such terrifying power triggering such a large-scale soul beast riot, Xiao Qing could not think of any other possibility besides those hundred-thousand-year soul beasts from the depths of the forest.

"Teacher Zhao! This aura is definitely not something a ten-thousand-year soul beast could possess. There is a high probability that a hundred-thousand-year soul beast is present in that area!"

Xiao Qing's voice was urgent and certain; he had to make Zhao Wuji realize the severity of the situation immediately. "The direction of the disturbance is northwest, and the scope of the impact is approaching rapidly!"

"A hundred-thousand-year?!"

Everyone gasped, the color draining from their faces instantly. To these youths, none of whom were higher than a Soul Elder, a hundred-thousand-year soul beast was an irresistible natural disaster from legends!

Zhao Wuji's pupils contracted, but as an experienced Soul Saint, he suppressed the horror in his heart and shouted sternly:

"Xiao Qing, have your bird ascend immediately! Confirm the specific location, species, distance, and path of that hundred-thousand-year soul beast! Quickly!"

Without needing Zhao Wuji to say it, Xiao Qing had already communicated his intent to Thunder Feather.

Thunder Feather, which had been circling high above on alert, let out a clear, sharp falcon cry. With a flap of its wings, it pushed its speed to the limit, turning into a blue-purple bolt of lightning as it streaked toward the chaotic core area in the northwest.

Thunder Feather's speed was extremely fast, and it possessed excellent dynamic vision and high-altitude perspective; in this situation, sending it was the wisest decision.

The waiting time felt exceptionally long, each second stretched out by the panicked sounds of the soul beasts.

The chaos in the forest intensified. More soul beasts ran past them in a panic; some even crashed toward the camp in their desperation, but they were all scared off by the pressure released by Zhao Wuji.

The tremors became more and more obvious, and the terrifying roar grew clearer. Every time it sounded, everyone's heart tightened.

After only a few dozen breaths, Thunder Feather returned like a flash of lightning and landed in front of Xiao Qing. Relying on their mental connection, Xiao Qing quickly understood the situation ahead.

Xiao Qing's expression became extremely grave. He turned to Zhao Wuji and spoke rapidly: "Confirmed. It is the Titan Giant Ape! It is over fifteen meters tall, covered in black fur, and it is moving in our direction!"

"It is less than fifty miles away from us! It is moving at an incredible speed, and everything in its path is being directly smashed or flattened! Thunder Feather says it seems to be chasing something, or perhaps it was attracted by something?"

The Titan Giant Ape! The King of the Forest! It really was him! And he was truly heading in this direction!

Zhao Wuji felt a chill run from the soles of his feet to his scalp. Facing a hundred-thousand-year soul beast, even he, a Soul Saint, was simply not enough!

However, as a teacher of Shrek Academy, protecting the students and ensuring their safe evacuation was the top priority!

"All personnel, listen up! Abandon the camp! Evacuate toward the southeast at full speed immediately! Run as fast as you can! Do not look back! Do not scatter!"

Zhao Wuji's voice carried an unprecedented severity and urgency. He grabbed Oscar, who was still somewhat dazed, and looked at Ning Rongrong. "Ning Rongrong, give everyone a speed boost! Keep it up!"

"Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda, second: Speed!"

Although Ning Rongrong's face was pale, she displayed the poise of a successor to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect at this critical moment. The Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda shone brilliantly, and beams of colorful light landed precisely on everyone, including Zhao Wuji.

"Go!"

Zhao Wuji roared, taking the lead. He wrapped his arms around Ning Rongrong and Oscar, sprinting toward the southeast, the direction opposite to the Titan Giant Ape's approach.

Dai Mubai, Tang San, and the others did not hesitate; they followed immediately, pushing their speed to the limit.

As for Xiao Wu, before turning, she couldn't help but look back toward the northwest one last time, her eyes complex. Before she could look for long, Tang San grabbed her wrist and pulled her along as they ran.

Xiao Qing was in the middle of the group. While riding Xiao Feng, he kept observing Xiao Wu's reactions out of the corner of his eye while thinking rapidly.

The Titan Giant Ape was here for Xiao Wu; he was almost certain of that.

But the current situation was that they were all running away together. In the original story, the Titan Giant Ape rushed over directly to snatch Xiao Wu away. Would it do the same now?

Moreover, in the original story, they had the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent to provide them with a flight soul skill.

To be safe, Xiao Qing began to adjust his position in the group without leaving a trace, gradually moving toward the other side of the group, away from Xiao Wu.

If the Titan Giant Ape was truly coming for Xiao Wu, then theoretically, the further away he and the others were from her, the safer they should be.

At the very least, he wouldn't become the "fish in the moat" caught in the crossfire.

However, the development of events seemed to exceed Xiao Qing's expectations.

Just as they had run less than a mile, the roar behind them suddenly became incredibly clear and close, as if it had exploded right in their ears!

The terrifying pressure rolled in like a tangible sea wave, making it hard for everyone to breathe. Oscar and Ning Rongrong, whose cultivation levels were lower, even felt their legs go weak.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The Titan Giant Ape's heavy, thunderous footsteps approached rapidly.

Through their mental connection, Xiao Qing "saw" the image transmitted from high above by Thunder Feather: upon discovering that they were moving, the mountain-like Titan Giant Ape had suddenly increased its speed by a significant margin.

Xiao Qing understood that continuing to run in a straight line would certainly not work; he had to utilize the terrain of the Star Dou Forest to force the Titan Giant Ape to slow down, as that was their only chance to escape.

Xiao Qing immediately patted Xiao Feng's back gently, and sensing the command, Xiao Feng gradually began to decelerate until he retreated to Zhao Wuji's side.

Seeing Xiao Qing suddenly slow down and arrive at his side, Zhao Wuji immediately understood that something had gone wrong behind them!

"Teacher Zhao, that hundred-thousand-year Titan Giant Ape has increased its speed. At our current pace, it is only a matter of time before it catches up to us. We must make it slow down."

Zhao Wuji naturally understood what Xiao Qing meant.

"Very well, then you take the lead and continue running with them. I will stay behind and be responsible for causing some trouble for this big monkey!"

Xiao Qing had Ning Rongrong and Oscar ride on Xiao Feng, while he stood on Thunder Feather himself. This way, not only was he further away from Xiao Wu, allowing for more flexible movement, but Zhao Wuji also had no dead weight to hold him back.