Er Ming hadn't had time to think things through when Jiang Li dragged him into the courtyard.
But the instant his massive body truly crossed the threshold, an indescribable sensation surged toward him from all directions, like an invisible hand clamping around his heart.
A vicious, baleful aura.
A vicious, baleful aura so dense it was almost tangible.
Every inch of air in the courtyard seemed steeped in countless gallons of blood, and every speck of dust bore the memories of millions of killings.
As a Titan Giant Ape, Er Ming was already a ruler among the Star Dou Forest's inhabitants. In his hundred thousand years, he had witnessed countless battles and personally ended the lives of who knew how many Soul Beasts and humans.
He had thought himself long since immune to the so-called aura of slaughter.
But at that moment, he realized just how terribly wrong he had been.
That vicious aura was utterly unreasonable. It pierced straight through his fur and seeped into his meridians, like countless fine needles of ice stabbing deep into his bones.
A primal, savage lust for slaughter began to grow madly in his heart, threatening to swallow his reason whole.
Just as his consciousness was about to be completely consumed by the vicious aura, a gentle presence spread from Jiang Li beside him.
It wasn't forceful, but it firmly enveloped Er Ming, shutting out the vicious aura as it clawed and snapped at him.
Er Ming's reason surfaced once more.
He gasped for breath, his fur soaked with a layer of cold sweat, unconcealable terror filling the depths of his eyes.
He had nearly gone mad from the vicious aura after spending only a brief moment in the courtyard.
Yet the young man before him, who looked barely past twenty, had lived in this very environment for a full hundred thousand years.
What kind of taboo existence was he?
The entire cultivation system of Douluo Continent seemed to have completely failed when it came to this man.
And he had noticed what Jiang Li said. Jiang Li had said, "my Xiao Wu."
No wonder.
No wonder Aunt Xiao Rou had sounded so certain before she left.
He was Sister Xiao Wu's father.
With this great master here, Sister Xiao Wu would absolutely be safe this time.
Even if Spirit Hall brought out every Titled Douluo it had, even if Pope Bibi Dong personally made a move, as long as this man stepped forward, none of it would be a problem.
The more Er Ming thought about it, the more excited he became. An almost foolish grin even spread across his face.
Spirit Hall could never dream that they had provoked such a taboo existence!
"Er Ming."
A warm voice pulled him out of his excitement.
Jiang Li had somehow made his way over to the stone table in the courtyard. One hand rested on its surface as he watched Er Ming calmly.
"I'm asking you something."
Er Ming finally came back to his senses and gave a fierce nod of his enormous head. "My lord! I'm Sister Xiao Wu's friend! Is there anything you need me to do? Just say the word!"
Jiang Li nodded in satisfaction. "Of course. I want you to go save Xiao Wu."
Er Ming: "..."
He opened his mouth, his enormous body frozen in place, confusion and disbelief written all over his furry face.
"Me? Save Xiao Wu?"
He asked instinctively, his voice full of bewilderment.
If he had the ability to rescue Xiao Wu from Spirit Hall, would he have come here to ask for help?
What kind of place was Spirit City? A den of dragons and tigers, packed with Titled Douluo!
Just thinking about it gave him and Da Ming goosebumps. There was no way they could bring Xiao Wu back through their own strength.
But Jiang Li didn't give him a chance to object.
Er Ming's vision blurred.
The black-clad young man vanished from beside the stone table, as if he had evaporated into thin air.
The next instant, a warm palm was already resting on top of his head.
So fast.
So fast that Er Ming hadn't seen a single movement. So fast that his hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast senses couldn't catch even a trace of an afterimage.
He hadn't even had time to react before a scorching energy poured from that palm into his body, rushing down his meridians and erupting through his limbs with countless patterns like streaks of lightning.
A brand-new power suddenly took shape within him, like a star igniting and blazing to life deep in his dantian.
Thunderlight Palm.
The three characters naming the skill were so plain they were almost shabby, but when the true power of the skill appeared in Er Ming's mind, the entire ape froze.
One palm strike, and thunder rolled across the heavens.
The power of the world's thunder converged in his palm, forming a palm print that crashed down with enough force to destroy the heavens and the earth.
Thunderclouds spanning ten thousand li would stir at its call; bolts of lightning a thousand zhang long would obey its command.
More terrifying still, he didn't even need to strike at close range. He could release it from afar!
From hundreds of zhang away, he could press down with one palm and make heavenly thunder explode among the enemy ranks. Who knew how many people one strike could crush to death?
A low gulp sounded in Er Ming's throat.
What the hell kind of skill was this? Was it even from Douluo Continent?
He had lived for a hundred thousand years and seen countless Soul Skills. He had fought human Titled Douluo and crossed paths with the ancient Soul Beasts of the Star Dou Forest.
But he had never seen such unreasonable power.
What Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Skills? What Hundred Thousand Year Soul Rings? Before this move, they were little more than children's toys.
Even the elusive Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear would be nothing but a little brother before this palm strike!
Before Er Ming could recover from his shock, he heard Jiang Li muttering above his head.
"The skill's in place, but the body's still a bit weak."
Weak?
Er Ming opened his mouth, feeling a little indignant.
He was a Titan Giant Ape, one of the peak Soul Beasts when it came to strength. One punch from him could snap a mountain ridge, and one stomp could split the earth.
Across all Douluo Continent, there were hardly any Soul Beasts that could match his physical strength.
But then he remembered who had said it. Jiang Li. He obediently shut his mouth again.
Fine. Before this great master, he was indeed a bit weak.
Jiang Li paid no heed to Er Ming's complicated expression.
As a Beast Tamer, strengthening individual beasts was what he excelled at most.
Over the past hundred thousand years, he had revived and strengthened countless Soul Beasts in the underground space, forging them from ordinary creatures into weapons of war capable of fighting Abyssal creatures head-on.
Soul Beasts were beasts, too.
And any beast was within the scope of his abilities.
Jiang Li flipped his wrist, and a skeleton appeared out of thin air in his palm.
It was a deep, dark gold, every bone radiating a pressure that made the heart tremble.
A cold, ancient, and evil aura clung to it, like the remains of a demon unearthed from some forbidden Abyss.
The Demon Emperor Bone.
A treasure gathered from deep within an Abyssal fissure. Made from the bones of an Abyssal Demon Emperor, it had finally become a forbidden relic after a hundred thousand years of tempering and refinement by Jiang Li.
It could withstand the full-force strike of a Limit Douluo without suffering the slightest damage.
More terrifying still, the bones retained some of the Abyssal Demon Emperor's traits from when he was alive.
A natural affinity for the aura of slaughter, an extreme dulling of pain, and a profound awakening of battle instincts.
Even if these bones were put into a pig, they would give a Titled Douluo a headache.
"Er Ming, come here. I'll strengthen your body!"
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