The air in the Soul Hunting Forest was thick with a faint, earthy smell. Tang San slowly opened his eyes and let out a long breath. He could feel that faint trace of Soul Power had finally settled within him. At a thought, a pale white ring of light rose from beneath his feet. Against his tattered gray clothes, it looked especially cheap and shabby.
Forget it. The Blue Silver Grass First Soul Ring isn't much use to me. I still have the Clear Sky Hammer Martial Soul, and this Soul Ring did help me break through the first stage of the Mysterious Heaven Skill. Tang San tried to numb himself with lies so he could accept this ridiculous reality.
The Mysterious Heaven Skill, which cultivated inner breath, was one of the six martial arts recorded in the Tang Sect's Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record. The other five were the Mysterious Jade Hand, which tempered the hands into blades; the Purple Demon Eye, which saw through the mortal world; the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, which let one come and go without a trace; Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon, which controlled and seized objects; and the Hundred Variations of Hidden Weapons, whose shots never missed.
These corresponded to the five dimensions of "body, eyes, mind, breath, and spirit" in Daoism. The first five all served the final one—the Hundred Variations of Hidden Weapons. Only with a solid foundation could one catch an enemy off guard with hidden weapons in battle.
"Little San, did it work?" Yu Xiaogang hurried over, barely able to conceal his eagerness. "Quick, release your First Soul Skill. Let your teacher see the results of the Martial Soul Mimicry Theory."
Tang San nodded and held out his right hand. As Soul Power flowed into the slender Blue Silver Grass, it thickened a little, but still had the shriveled texture of Lone Bamboo.
"First Soul Skill, Bind."
Tang San uttered a low cry. A few thin blades of grass slid along the ground toward a small tree in the distance. They wobbled their way up the trunk and wound around it sparsely twice, looking utterly lifeless.
The smile on Yu Xiaogang's face froze. He walked over and tentatively gave the grass a tug. It snapped with ease in the hands of this useless Soul Grandmaster.
"This... this power..." Yu Xiaogang coughed awkwardly twice and hurriedly explained, "It's only your First Soul Ring, and its age is indeed a little low. But it's fine. As long as the toughness is there, you can build on it later. Your control should have reached one hundred and ten points now."
Tang San stared at the pale white Soul Ring, humiliation nearly drowning him. As a disciple of the Tang Sect, when had he ever suffered such indignity? He even wondered whether Old Jack, the village chief of Holy Soul Village, had dropped a better Soul Ring than this!
Just then, the temperature in the forest plummeted.
"Boom—!"
A tremendous impact shook the heavens. Then a massive black shape crashed down through the treetops.
"Ah!" Xiao Wu shrieked. She recognized the giant before her at once: Titan Giant Ape Er Ming. She froze on the spot.
Seeing the enormous creature standing before Xiao Wu, Tang San instinctively used the Soul Skill he had just obtained.
"Xiao Wu!" Tang San cried. "First Soul Skill, Bind!"
The few pale strands of grass drifted feebly toward Er Ming's enormous, millstone-like ankles. Er Ming merely gave his leg a slight shake, and the Blue Silver Grass burst into scraps that scattered through the air. It hadn't even held him up for a second.
Er Ming let out a low growl, swept Xiao Wu into his arms with one huge hand, then sprang away in a gust of wind and vanished into the depths of the forest.
"Third Brother!" Xiao Wu called through the wind, though confusion clouded her eyes.
Tang San screamed Xiao Wu's name and tried to chase after them, only to find Yu Xiaogang blocking his way.
"Little San, it's dangerous! Don't chase them!" Yu Xiaogang was scared half to death. Even his pants underneath were soaked.
"How is this possible? Titan Giant Apes only live by the Lake of Life in the Star Dou Great Forest. That place has nothing to do with here!"
"What is a Titan Giant Ape? Why did it take my Xiao Wu?" Tang San was frantic. If anything happened to Xiao Wu, he'd never find another girl so easy to fool.
"According to Spirit Hall's previous investigations, only two Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts remain in the Star Dou Great Forest. One is that Titan Giant Ape. The other is the Sky Azure Bull Python, with the head of a bull and the body of a snake."
"If Xiao Wu has fallen into its hands, I'm afraid she's done for. We'll look around in a bit. If we can't find her, we'll just head back." Yu Xiaogang sighed, silently pronouncing Xiao Wu dead.
"Er Ming! What are you doing? Didn't I tell you I was safe here? It's only been a few months since I left, and you couldn't wait to come find me?" Xiao Wu pouted and pounded on Titan Giant Ape with her little fists, venting her frustration.
"Sister Xiao Wu, I'm taking you somewhere. Hold on tight so you don't fall." Er Ming showed no sign of stopping. He kept running toward the distance.
By the Lake of Life.
A silver portal glimmered with a gentle light as Er Ming landed steadily with Xiao Wu.
Xiao Wu staggered to her feet. When she looked up ahead, she froze.
Four people stood beside the rippling lake. Gu Tian and Gu Yue were strolling across the grass, holding Na'er's hands. Behind them stood Gu Yuena. The aura of divinity she radiated made the Soft Bone Rabbit essence inside Xiao Wu tremble uncontrollably.
"Er Ming... why did you bring me here?" Xiao Wu hid behind him, her voice trembling. "That person... who is she?"
Gu Yuena turned her head. Her purple pupils held the cool detachment of someone who had seen through the ages.
"Xiao Wu of the Soft Bone Rabbit Clan, you shouldn't have gone to the human world." Gu Yuena's voice was cool and melodious. "I am the ruler of the Soul Beast Clan, the Silver Dragon King Gu Yuena. And the one beside you..." She glanced at Gu Tian.
Gu Tian stepped forward, and a hint of his nine-colored Dragon God pressure leaked out. That supreme presence, towering over every beast, made Xiao Wu collapse onto the grass.
"I am Gu Tian, heir to the Dragon God Bloodline." Gu Tian looked into Xiao Wu's ruby-red eyes, his tone turning serious. "Xiao Wu, do you think Tang San is someone you can trust with your life?"
Xiao Wu froze. She instinctively covered her chest and stubbornly said, "Third Brother treats me well. He promised to protect me."
"Protect you?" Gu Tian sneered and turned to Er Ming. "Er Ming, did you sense Tang Hao's presence over there just now?"
Er Ming nodded heavily. His thunderous voice echoed across the Lake of Life. "I did. That man called Clear Sky Douluo was hiding in the shadows the whole time. He only hurried after us when I deliberately let my presence show."
Gu Tian turned back to Xiao Wu, who looked utterly incredulous, and began his assault on her heart.
"Xiao Wu, you're too naive. What kind of man is Tang Hao? He's a gambler who could even scheme against his own wife. His lover Ah Yin—that Blue Silver Emperor—was forced to sacrifice herself as part of his scheme and eventually became his Ninth Soul Ring. Tang San is his son. Do you really think it was just a coincidence that he showed up beside you?"
"N-no... it can't be." Xiao Wu shook her head frantically. "Third Brother doesn't know I'm a Soul Beast. He's never hurt me, either."
As a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast herself, Xiao Wu naturally knew the Blue Silver Emperor Ah Yin. Her mother, Da Wu, and Ah Yin had once been close friends. The Blue Silver Grass Clan passed its bloodline down through a single line; only one Blue Silver Emperor could exist at a time within the entire clan. Ah Yin was a Blue Silver Emperor who had lived for a full hundred thousand years, and held a pivotal position in the Star Dou Great Forest.
"He may not know, but Tang Hao does." Gu Tian pressed on relentlessly. "You're a Soul Beast who's taken human form. Before reaching level seventy and obtaining your Martial Soul Avatar, you can be discovered by a Titled Douluo. Tang Hao sent you to Tang San so he could claim your Soul Ring and Soul Bone. When Tang San needs a Soul Ring, Tang Hao will expose your identity. At that point, what do you think Tang San—the good son who worships Tang Hao—will choose?"
"And if we assume the worst, your trip to the Soul Hunting Forest to find your First Soul Ring may have been Tang Hao's scheme all along. If I hadn't shown up, you'd already have become a Soul Bone by now. A Soul Bone from a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast is a temptation few can resist."
Xiao Wu was completely at sea. Gu Tian's conspiracy theory had turned her understanding upside down. Still clinging to a final shred of hope, she tried to argue in a small voice, "Third Brother's surname is Tang, but he... he might not be Tang Hao's son."
Gu Tian heard her out and curled his lips into a teasing smile. It seemed he had managed to fool Xiao Wu. She didn't fully believe him, but that didn't matter. Prejudice was the child of ignorance, and the moment suspicion arose, guilt was already established.
Gu Tian could already picture the day he'd be riding a rabbit and unable to get down. Just the thought made his heart flutter!
"His Clear Sky Hammer Martial Soul, which he never dares show, is proof enough. Give me time, Xiao Wu. I'll let you see the truth with your own eyes."
"But for now, gather your First Soul Ring here. Once you've absorbed it, I'll personally take you back, so you can tear off that false mask yourself in front of the father and son."
Xiao Wu looked at the vast Lake of Life, then at Gu Yuena, who stood nearby with a complicated expression. Her heart was full of fear and doubt, but she didn't dare resist. All she could do was obey.
On the altar by the Lake of Life, the flow of life energy gradually subsided. Xiao Wu slowly opened her eyes, and a bright, deep-yellow Soul Ring rose from beneath her feet. Bathed in the abundant life force, her first Soul Ring had crossed the four-hundred-year threshold and reached the seven-hundred-year level.
"Did it work?" Gu Tian asked with a smile as he stepped forward.
"Mm." Xiao Wu nodded, her expression complicated.
"Show me your First Soul Skill," Gu Tian suggested.
Xiao Wu took a deep breath. A flash of red flickered in her eyes.
"First Soul Skill, Waist Bow!"
Her body vanished from the spot in an instant, leaving a pink blur in its wake. The next moment, she appeared beside a tree so large it would have taken two people to encircle it. With a loud crack, the sturdy old tree snapped clean in two under the force of her sudden kick. The break was as smooth as a mirror.
Since she had just used her Soul Skill, Xiao Wu's pant leg had naturally slipped down a little, revealing a smooth, pale calf.
"Your Soul Ring's shade is so deep, I'm afraid it's already reached seven hundred years!" Gu Tian studied the deep-yellow ring beneath Xiao Wu's feet.
Of course, he definitely wasn't using the excuse to stare at Xiao Wu's legs. Ahem—Gu Tian was a gentleman, after all.