The giant bird impatiently shook its body, trying to throw Chu Qing off, but he clung to it for dear life and refused to let go.
Helpless, the giant bird spread its wings and flew into the distance. Once it reached its nest, it would eat them both!
Tang San couldn't catch up. All he could do was watch helplessly as the giant bird carried away his beloved Xiao Wu.
Ning Rongrong tearfully looked toward her Brother Chu Qing. She hurried over to Zhao Wuji and asked anxiously, "Teacher, what kind of Soul Beast is that? Why did it suddenly appear here? Brother Qing and Xiao Wu..."
Zhao Wuji's expression was grave. He had never seen such a terrifying Soul Beast either. Judging by its cultivation, it had to be a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast.
"This Soul Beast is called Li Zhu. It's one of the legendary top-tier Soul Beasts. Its entire body is scarlet, and its eyes are like the sun. When it appears, a crimson glow shines from its body, making the night as bright as day. Most terrifying of all is its ability to teleport through space. It can manipulate space at will and move hundreds or even thousands of miles in an instant. It's an extremely rare Soul Beast across the entire Douluo Continent, and this one must have passed the ten-thousand-year mark." Flender spoke slowly, his face grave.
"Then, Dean, does that mean Chu Qing..." Rongrong's eyes blurred with tears.
Flender nodded gravely. With a ten-thousand-year Soul Beast that could manipulate space, even he—or a Titled Douluo, for that matter—couldn't track it down easily.
Their lives were now in the hands of fate.
Meanwhile, the scarlet giant bird carried the two of them dozens of miles away in an instant, arriving at a cliff in the Star Dou Great Forest. The mountain was extremely tall, and a cave opened in its sheer face.
It seemed Li Zhu planned to take them to its nest before killing them.
Chu Qing's expression tightened as he searched for the best moment to strike.
Li Zhu was a space-type Soul Beast with fire-based power as well. It was practically one of the ideal Soul Rings for Chu Qing. But this Li Zhu had already reached the ten-thousand-year level, making it a formidable opponent.
According to the books, this bird was exceedingly rare, and its ability to manipulate space made it impossible to predict or track. It was extremely difficult to deal with. But it had one weakness: its claws.
Li Zhu's massive claws were hard as iron and could release a paralytic toxin into its prey. However, while gripping prey, its claws couldn't tear open space. That made this the perfect moment to kill it.
It was dangerous; one careless move could injure Xiao Wu. But this was also his only chance to save her.
There was no time to lose. Chu Qing immediately channeled his Soul Power, and a pair of wings made of flame appeared at his sides. He broke free from Li Zhu and took flight.
Li Zhu's sharp eyes flashed with surprise. Having lived for over ten thousand years, it had already gained some intelligence and could make its own judgments.
Fire God Domain! Unleash!
A mass of black flame surged over the giant bird, completely engulfing it.
Caught off guard, Li Zhu hadn't expected such a small human to have the courage to attack it head-on.
Its gaze locked onto Chu Qing. In an instant, two blinding beams, bright as the sun, shot from its eyes at him.
Chu Qing didn't dare let his guard down. He channeled all his Soul Power to block, then cut open a rift in space, barely managing to withstand the giant bird's attack.
Then, seizing the brief pause between Li Zhu's attacks, he launched a counterattack.
First Soul Skill! Flame Devouring Heaven Burning!
Second Soul Skill! Flame Split Wave!
Several thick pillars of fire burst from the ground beneath the forest near the mountain peak. They shot skyward, hurtling straight toward Li Zhu.
Li Zhu couldn't dodge in time. Its two enormous wings were blasted to pieces.
Its flames were already top-tier, but before the Void Devouring Flame, they were no match at all.
It could have set Xiao Wu aside and escaped right then. A single rift in space would have taken it far beyond Chu Qing's reach.
But it wasn't willing to give up. The pride of a ten-thousand-year Soul Beast wouldn't let it retreat.
Chu Qing seized the moment and kept attacking. As the battle went on, his control over his Soul Power grew more and more refined.
Before long, Li Zhu could no longer hold out. It was beaten to the brink of death.
Its grip weakened. Chu Qing saw his chance, quickly flew over, and caught Xiao Wu just as she was about to fall.
Xiao Wu's scorpion braid had come completely undone. Her fair skin had turned bright red, her lips were cracked, and she seemed to have been poisoned.
Chu Qing didn't dare let his guard down. He scanned the surroundings, decided Li Zhu's cave would do, and temporarily laid Xiao Wu there.
He carefully checked Xiao Wu's breathing. She was panting like an ox. Then he took her fair hand and felt her pulse. It was still strong, so she wasn't in immediate danger.
Chu Qing breathed a sigh of relief. He looked around the cave. Though the outside was exceptionally damp, the inside was warm and dry, with straw covering the floor. It was quite comfortable. He left Xiao Wu there for the moment, then took the Aromatic Silk Beauty from his Storage Ring to help dispel the poison.
But Chu Qing had forgotten that the Aromatic Silk Beauty not only failed to help those already poisoned, it also attracted powerful Soul Beasts.
Chu Qing spread his wings and quickly flew to the dying Li Zhu. His flames formed a blade, and in an instant, he ended its life.
A black Soul Ring lit up. Chu Qing controlled the Void Devouring Flame and slowly began refining it.
The Void Devouring Flame excelled at devouring, especially when it came to other fire-type Soul Beasts. So even though Li Zhu was a ten-thousand-year Soul Beast, Chu Qing absorbed it without any pressure.
If anyone had witnessed this, they would have been too shocked to speak. A ten-thousand-year Soul Beast as his third Soul Ring? It was unheard of! And not just any Soul Beast, but a powerful and rare Li Zhu!
It was one of the legendary divine beasts, able to shoot flames from its eyes and tear apart the sky with a single movement of its massive claws! It was even said to rival the legendary Golden Crow!
Yet this divine bird had been defeated by Chu Qing with such ease, and he absorbed its third Soul Ring just as effortlessly.
Before long—after only half an hour—Chu Qing opened his eyes. His pupils had turned gold, and the light in them shone as brilliantly as the sun!
He had inherited Li Zhu's divine ability.
Chu Qing had no time to test it. As soon as he finished absorbing the Soul Ring, he flew straight to Li Zhu's nest. He didn't feel much for Xiao Wu, but he didn't want her to die so easily either.
He stepped into the nest, and the sight of Xiao Wu made him start in shock! Under the Aromatic Silk Beauty's influence, Xiao Wu's poisoning hadn't improved at all. It had only gotten worse!
Before, Xiao Wu's skin had merely been pale with a flush. Now her whole body was bright red, and pain showed in her eyes.
She frantically tore at her clothes, howling in agony. When she saw Chu Qing arrive, she leaped onto him in a single bound, her eyes misty with desire. "Chu Qing, I want you..."