It saw Gu Qingshan and Bibi Dong, opened its mouth, and let out a piercing shriek.
More monkeys scrambled out of the cave. In just a few breaths, the entire hillside turned white, packed wall to wall with monkeys whose golden eyes all fixed on the two intruders.
The Monkey King appeared last, emerging from the largest cave at the top of the hill. It was several times bigger than an ordinary monkey.
Its fur was golden, its eyes blood-red, and an oppressive aura rolled off it.
A Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast. There was no doubt.
"Qingshan, you take care of the little ones. I'll deal with the Monkey King."
Gu Qingshan swallowed a Blue Silver Leaf. A Thorn Shield formed in front of his left arm, dark red light flowing through the thorn patterns across its face.
His gaze swept over the white monkeys. There were more than a thousand of them; killing them all would take some time.
"Let's begin." With that, Gu Qingshan charged at the horde.
Bibi Dong vanished from where she stood. The next moment, she had appeared in front of the Monkey King.
"Death Poison Mist!"
A thick purple mist burst forth, spreading in every direction like a plague.
Wherever it passed, the grass and trees by the lake withered instantly.
As the poison mist engulfed the Monkey King, its body shuddered violently.
Fine traces of corrosion appeared across its golden fur. The Monkey King quickly retreated, escaping the mist.
Then it opened its mouth and let out a low roar.
At the sound, the white monkeys all rushed at Bibi Dong and Gu Qingshan.
One monkey leaped up, its sharp claws swiping at Gu Qingshan's throat.
Gu Qingshan raised his Thorn Shield and smashed it into a bloody pulp with Shield Slam.
Then, with a Heroic Leap, he plunged into the horde.
"Hey, you little punks! Get over here!"
He Taunted a large crowd of monkeys around him. As one, they crashed toward Gu Qingshan.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
In an instant, the monkeys burst apart in midair, turning into clouds of blood mist.
Amid the blood mist, wisps of pink vapor rose into the air.
The monkeys hurled themselves at him one after another, each bursting apart against the Thorn Shield's counterattack. The pink vapor grew thicker and thicker, spreading through the air like a gauzy pink veil draped over the hillside.
Gu Qingshan caught a whiff of the pink mist. It was cloyingly sweet.
The pink mist wasn't poisonous—or at least, they hadn't found any signs of toxicity so far.
Bibi Dong's voice came through the mist, slightly muffled, as if she were speaking underwater.
"Qingshan, the mist doesn't seem poisonous, but it should speed up blood circulation."
Gu Qingshan felt it too. His heart was beating a little faster than usual, but still within normal limits.
Bibi Dong wasn't reacting much either. Faster blood circulation was nothing to a Titled Douluo; an accelerated heartbeat during combat was a normal physiological response.
She didn't think much of it, while the mist continued to spread faster and faster.
Every monkey released pink mist when it died. Thousands of monkeys had perished, and the mist had grown so thick that it was starting to obscure their vision.
The cloying sweetness in the air grew stronger and stronger.
By the time Gu Qingshan reached Bibi Dong, the Monkey King had already fallen.
Bibi Dong's sword had pierced its heart, and a cloud of pink mist, larger than any released by the other monkeys, rose into the air.
The whole island was blanketed beneath a pink canopy.
"Qingshan, I'm going to absorb the Soul Ring. Keep watch over me."
"All right, Teacher."
As time passed, Gu Qingshan began to feel that something was wrong. His heartbeat and blood circulation had sped up considerably, and a trace of heat stirred deep inside him.
Oh no. The pink mist was poisonous—slow-acting!
He wondered whether Teacher could hold out. Absorbing a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring came with a powerful mental shock!
Bibi Dong was indeed in a terrible state. As she resisted the mental assault, the pink mist affected her too, and all sorts of desires battered her mind.
She finally managed to finish absorbing the Soul Ring. But the moment she relaxed, her body went limp, and she sank to her knees.
Her lovely face had inexplicably turned pink. Her breathing was much more ragged than before, her chest rising and falling violently.
"Teacher!" Gu Qingshan hurried to her side and crouched down, placing his right hand on her shoulder.
Bibi Dong jerked her head up. A pink, heart-shaped ring of light had appeared in her violet eyes. It was terribly strange.
"What..."
Gu Qingshan's mind raced.
The mist, the pink mist—it probably wasn't poison. It only intensified emotions, desires, and everything that had been repressed.
His own restlessness was proof. His emotions had been amplified.
Bibi Dong's emotions had been amplified too, far more severely than his.
She had too much bottled up inside her.
"Teacher, take a deep breath." Gu Qingshan's voice was steady.
Bibi Dong stared straight at him, the turmoil in her pupils growing more intense.
Her lips trembled as breathless sounds escaped her. A sheen of fragrant sweat covered her body.
Bibi Dong's gaze made Gu Qingshan's skin crawl.
What the hell, was this like eating Whale Rubber?!
Were these monkeys a bunch of deviants?
Bibi Dong's condition grew worse by the moment. Her whole body was burning hot, and she began to writhe uncontrollably.
Her black outfit was about to burst at the seams, her full, shapely figure displayed in all its glory before Gu Qingshan.
"...So hot... I feel awful."
Damn it, Teacher was clearly delirious.
Should he act like a beast, or be worse than one?
Before long, Bibi Dong could no longer hold herself back. She grabbed Gu Qingshan and pulled him toward her.
Far away, the waves surged, each one higher than the last.
In the end, Gu Qingshan chose to be a beast!
No one knew how long the mist lingered over the island. The sun moved from east to west, then sank below the horizon. Night fell.
The mist hid the stars and moon. It was so dark on the island that they couldn't see a hand in front of their faces. Only Bibi Dong and Gu Qingshan's breathing rose and fell in the darkness.
Bibi Dong never stopped trembling, and her breathing never settled.
The next day.
"Teacher, the mist has cleared."
Bibi Dong narrowed her eyes and said nothing. Her hand slid from Gu Qingshan's lapel and fell to her side.
"Qingshan... about what happened just now..." Her voice was hoarse.
Remembering what had happened, Bibi Dong felt her face flush and her heart pound.
How embarrassing!
Well, Qingshan had only been trying to save her!
They'd both been left with no choice!
Neither of them was at fault. It was those monkeys who were to blame.
And that scout who'd provided the information—he hadn't mentioned something this important!
Right. That was it!
Gu Qingshan gave her a faintly amused look. "Teacher, what happened just now? This disciple can't remember."
Bibi Dong looked at him and fell silent for a moment.
This was nothing like what had happened in that secret chamber back then. And Qingshan wasn't Qian Xunji.
So be it. It was fate.
She would let it be!
"Let's go. It's time to head back."
Before you continue