As Er Ming pursued him, it kept releasing its Gravity Control Domain. An invisible force spread outward from its body, covering an area hundreds of zhang across.
Gu Qingshan felt far heavier than usual. Each leap took more effort than the last.
He could only kite Er Ming by constantly blinking around.
An hour later, he had finally drawn it far enough away.
So Gu Qingshan sent a telepathic message to Bibi Dong. "Teacher, go help Elder Chrysanthemum and the others. It'd be best if you could knock the Sky Azure Bull Python unconscious. I can handle things here alone."
"Once I've killed the Titan Giant Ape, come over and absorb its Soul Ring. After you've finished, we'll kill the Sky Azure Bull Python."
Bibi Dong hesitated. "Can you really manage on your own?"
After all, in a one-on-one fight, it was difficult for humans to kill Soul Beasts over a hundred thousand years old.
Gu Qingshan urged her, "Don't worry!"
Bibi Dong took a long look at her disciple, who was facing off against the Titan Giant Ape, then turned and hurried toward Chrysanthemum Douluo and the others.
Seeing that the human had finally stopped, Er Ming leaped eagerly into the air and swung a fist at Gu Qingshan.
"Copper Wall and Iron Bastion."
"Defensive Stance."
"Martial Soul Avatar."
Gu Qingshan brought himself to peak condition and raised his shield to block.
Boom!
Er Ming's fist slammed into the shield. The tremendous force sent Gu Qingshan skidding backward, his legs carving two long tracks into the ground.
Er Ming, meanwhile, flipped through the air and was hurled away. More than a dozen wounds appeared on its body, and it was badly injured.
It climbed to its feet and stared at Gu Qingshan, standing not far away. Its black pupils were filled with confusion.
Why? When it hit this human, why was it the one that got flung away?
There was something strange about this human!
In its tens of thousands of years of life, it had seen countless human Soul Masters and witnessed their Soul Skills, Soul Bones, and Martial Souls. But it had never seen anything that could reflect damage like this.
It wouldn't accept this!
It refused to yield!
Roar!
Er Ming roared at the sky again. Its eyes turned pure gold, its pupils disappearing until only two blazing golden flames remained.
"Titan Avatar."
Er Ming transformed into an ancient Titan Giant Ape. All its abilities increased fivefold, its strength increased tenfold, and even a casual movement made space tremble and the air grow still. Its defenses were nearly invincible.
"Human." Er Ming's voice rumbled like thunder.
"You deserve to die!"
It raised its right hand, palm upward, and spread its five fingers.
A massive orb of energy quickly formed. Then Er Ming blasted it forward.
"Titan Sky Cannon."
The Titan Giant Ape's most powerful single-target attack. It gathered all its strength into a single point, then unleashed it at an unimaginable speed.
The power of this cannon was enough to erase a mountain from the earth and blast a new lake into the heart of the Star Dou Great Forest.
That should finally kill this loathsome human!
The next second, the energy orb slammed into Gu Qingshan's shield.
Crack!
The shield shattered.
The instant it broke, the shockwave from the energy orb struck Gu Qingshan. He was blasted dozens of zhang away and sprawled on the ground, blood pouring from the corner of his mouth. He was gravely injured.
Er Ming was in even worse shape. Its 120% damage reflection ignored defense, ignored levels, and ignored all damage reduction.
Its right arm was almost completely severed below the shoulder, hanging on by only a little skin.
The gravely wounded Er Ming was finally afraid. This human was a monster.
The harder it fought him, the worse its own injuries became. If it kept going, it would beat itself to death.
It struggled to climb out of the ground and turned to flee.
Seeing Er Ming trying to run, Gu Qingshan wasn't about to let it have its way.
"Second Soul Skill: Taunt."
"Hey, you little punk! Get over here!"
Er Ming's body suddenly stiffened and stopped.
It turned around against its will, then raised its fist despite itself.
Er Ming's eyes widened, its dark-golden pupils filled with terror.
No. No, don't make me fight anymore. I'll die.
But its body wouldn't obey. Under Taunt, all of Er Ming's independent will was suppressed, leaving only one command: attack that human.
Its fist finally crashed into the Thorn Shield that had formed again.
Boom!
Er Ming collapsed, gravely wounded and on the verge of death.
Gu Qingshan struggled to sit up and sent a telepathic message to Bibi Dong. "Teacher, hurry over and finish it off."
On the other side, the battle by the Lake of Life had reached its fiercest point.
Most of Da Ming's serpentine body rose out of the water, its massive form standing above the lake like a pillar reaching to the heavens.
Its scales shimmered with an azure sheen beneath the sun. Its jaws gaped open as Sky Azure Annihilation Thunder gathered deep in its throat again and again. One azure beam after another shot from its mouth, each powerful enough to level a small mountain.
Yue Guan and Gui Mei kept dodging, both of them suffering injuries of varying severity.
Just then, Bibi Dong's figure darted out of the woods and landed on the lakeshore.
"Elder Chrysanthemum, Elder Ghost."
"Release your Martial Soul Fusion Skill!"
Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo exchanged a glance and nodded together.
They raised their hands at the same time. Golden light and deep-blue light surged from their bodies, interweaving, merging, and spinning in the air until they formed a translucent field of energy that enveloped the Sky Azure Bull Python.
Their Martial Soul Fusion Skill: Polar Static Domain.
Da Ming's body instantly froze. Its pupils were fixed mid-contraction, its jaws locked open. Everything came to a stop.
Bibi Dong thrust her left hand forward. A torrent of purplish-black poison mist poured out, seeping into Da Ming's scales, muscles, and bones.
A moment later, Da Ming toppled onto the lakeshore. Its serpentine body lost all support and drooped limply.
Bibi Dong instructed Yue Guan and Gui Mei, "Keep watch over the Sky Azure Bull Python here. Wait until I've absorbed the Titan Giant Ape's Soul Ring."
"Yes, ma'am!"
By the time Bibi Dong arrived, the battle had been over for a while.
She said nothing, only glancing at Gu Qingshan, who had already recovered quite a bit. After all, he had the Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone, a Soul Bone on the level of a cheat.
Gu Qingshan urged her, "Teacher, absorb the Soul Ring first. I'll stand guard."
Bibi Dong nodded and didn't hesitate any longer. She drew her sword and thrust it into Er Ming's chest. The dying Er Ming twitched a few times, then breathed its last. A blood-red Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring emerged.
Her second Martial Soul, the Soul-Eating Spider Emperor, appeared, surrounded by three black Soul Rings.
Bibi Dong sat cross-legged and began absorbing the Titan Giant Ape's Soul Ring.
Gu Qingshan had already collected the Soul Bone dropped by the Titan Giant Ape. He planned to fuse with it after returning to Spirit City.
A day later, Bibi Dong opened her eyes. A flash of brilliance passed through her purple gaze, and her aura was far stronger than it had been the day before.
Bibi Dong stood and looked at Gu Qingshan. "Let's go to the Sky Azure Bull Python."
During the day Bibi Dong spent absorbing the Soul Ring, the Sky Azure Bull Python had tried to self-destruct several times, but Yue Guan and Gui Mei had interrupted it each time with the Polar Static Domain.
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