Chu Qing was taken aback. He hurriedly restrained Xiao Wu with one hand and laid her on the pile of dry grass nearby. He might not have been a gentleman, but he didn't want to take advantage of someone in distress, either. What he wanted was Xiao Wu's wholehearted submission, in body and soul.
He recalled what the Soul Beast Illustrated Handbook said about Li Zhu: "Li Zhu is lustful by nature. When it sees one of its own kind, it immediately mates with it, and most of its descendants have impure bloodlines. Its giant claws are poisonous and contain immense power of Karma Fire. Anyone struck by them will be consumed by desire. If they cannot relieve it in time, they will surely explode and die."
Chu Qing scratched his head. No wonder Xiao Wu was acting so wildly. He immediately took the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass from his Storage Ring, thinking that its frigid power might be able to dispel the fire poison in Xiao Wu's body.
He leaned closer to Xiao Wu, intending to feed it to her. A flicker of clarity appeared in Xiao Wu's eyes. "Chu Qing, it's no use. I know about Li Zhu. The Immortal Herb's medicinal power might help, but it definitely won't take effect before the poison does. I'll explode and die, so..."
Before she could finish, the desire she had managed to suppress flared up once more. Her soft, pale hand caressed Chu Qing's face again.
Using the last of her reason, she pressed close to Chu Qing's ear and struggled to speak. "I... want... this."
Chu Qing could only give in.
Meanwhile, Tang San looked anxious. He didn't want to lose Xiao Wu just like that. He activated his Purple Demon Eye and used Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track to chase after her, but a Man Faced Demon Spider blocked his way.
This time, he went all out and immediately launched into battle, determined to kill the Man Faced Demon Spider as quickly as possible and then search for Xiao Wu.
An hour later, Xiao Wu let out a sharp, ringing cry, and her eyes instantly cleared.
Chu Qing was drenched in sweat, his face flushed. It seemed he was exhausted, too.
Xiao Wu blushed. The pink clothes she'd been wearing were already torn to shreds, so she hurriedly took out her Soul Tool and changed into a green outfit.
Chu Qing, on the other hand, felt no embarrassment at all. He'd been treating a patient and saving her life. How could he let shame keep him from doing his duty?
Only then did he carefully examine his body. After three years of building up his strength, his Soul Power had finally broken through to level 37.
Chu Qing smiled and was just about to speak, hoping to ease the awkwardness, when a roar sounded. He hurried to the cave entrance and looked down.
His expression instantly turned grave. At some point, a full ten Soul Beasts, each seven or eight thousand years old, had attacked!
In an instant, he remembered the effect of the Aromatic Silk Beauty and hurriedly put it away in his Storage Ring.
"Damn it! How could I forget about that?"
At the same time, three of the ten Soul Beasts had already scrambled up to the entrance.
Chu Qing said nothing. He summoned his Martial Soul and prepared to attack. The Void Devouring Flame he conjured had changed again. Its illusory form had grown more solid, and within the black flames, the void flickered in and out. Space seemed to flash between every cluster of fire.
Anyone familiar with spatial powers would have been astonished to see it. Was this flame devouring the void?
Before, Chu Qing had only been able to cut open a small section of space and move several dozen meters. Now, his ability to manipulate space had advanced another level. He could create rifts in the void at will, and flames could emerge from any direction through different spaces. The Soul Power consumed was minuscule, while the effect was tremendous—his control had reached a level of exquisite precision.
Watching the young man before her, Xiao Wu couldn't help smiling. She would never let Chu Qing die in the Star Dou Great Forest. After all, this was her territory!
"Third Soul Skill! Flowing Fire Void Escape!"
In an instant, countless spatial rifts opened around the three Soul Beasts. Countless strands of Void Devouring Flame burst from them and attacked the beasts from every direction.
Caught off guard, the three Soul Beasts were knocked back to the ground.
But Chu Qing's expression remained grim. He'd taken down three, but seven more Soul Beasts, each nearly ten thousand years old, were about to attack.
He'd been about to strike again. His Soul Power was still plentiful, and he thought he could just barely hold his own against them. But to his surprise, the seven Soul Beasts abandoned their attack and hurriedly fled.
Only the three Soul Beasts Chu Qing had knocked down remained. They hadn't chosen to stay; they'd been too badly injured to run.
Chu Qing's expression stayed grave. He opened his eyes wide and spread his spiritual sense, golden pupils shooting out two beams of light as he searched the area.
After refining Li Zhu's Soul Ring, Chu Qing's eyes had gained tremendous power. Not only was his ability to investigate exceptional, but he could also launch fire attacks like Li Zhu. Most impressive of all was his spiritual power. He faintly sensed that the Emperor Realm spiritual state the Void Devouring Flame had once possessed was slowly recovering.
A mountain-sized giant ape charged from the distance. It stood around fifteen meters tall, and its lantern-sized eyes were filled with killing intent as it stared fixedly at Chu Qing.
Chu Qing's expression tightened. A Titan Giant Ape?
Xiao Wu stepped forward at just the right moment. "Er Ming, thank you for helping us. He's my friend. Don't hurt him."
Only then did the Titan Giant Ape withdraw its killing intent. It glanced disdainfully at the three Soul Beasts, each eight thousand years old. They were already trembling with fear, unable to flee.
The Titan Giant Ape's eyes filled with murderous intent. It would never spare anyone who tried to hurt Xiao Wu. With one light step, it crushed the three Soul Beasts to death like ants.
Chu Qing looked astonished, and at the same time, he secretly lamented the waste. With strength like that, being sacrificed to Tang San was truly a shame.
Chu Qing said, "Er Ming, I know you can understand me. You saved my life, so I have a word of advice for you: stay away from Spirit Hall. Something major will happen in the future. You should avoid them as much as possible."
Er Ming looked puzzled and turned its lantern-sized eyes toward Xiao Wu. Xiao Wu said, "Er Ming, Chu Qing would never harm us. He's a good person. You've rescued me, so go back now. I'm fine, so don't worry."
Only then did the Titan Giant Ape give a slight nod before turning back toward the heart of the forest.
Chu Qing said, "Let's go, too. We've been gone for a while. Your 'Brother Three' must be worried about you by now."
Xiao Wu's expression faltered. Before, she would have been eager to get back to Tang San, so he wouldn't worry. But now, she wasn't in the least bit anxious. In fact, just thinking about leaving him made her feel lighter all over.
She didn't respond to that. Instead, she said, "All right, let's head back. Rongrong and the others have probably been waiting anxiously, too."
"Right." Chu Qing realized Rongrong must be frantic by now. He immediately circulated his Soul Power and cut open a spatial rift, then held a hand out to Xiao Wu. "Let's go!"
Xiao Wu looked at him in confusion, unsure what he meant.
Chu Qing said, "This spatial rift passes through the void. You have to hold my hand. Getting lost in the void is no joke."
Xiao Wu blushed and reached out to take Chu Qing's hand. Even though they'd already been intimate, she still wasn't used to such a familiar gesture as holding hands.