Breakthrough! Level thirty-seven!

Chu Qing was startled and quickly pinned Xiao Wu down with one hand, placing her on a pile of hay nearby. Though he was no gentleman, he had no desire to take advantage of someone in such a state; what he wanted was Xiao Wu's complete surrender, both body and soul.

He recalled the entry on Li Zhu in the Soul Beast Illustrated Handbook: "The Li Zhu is lascivious by nature. Upon seeing one of its own kind, it immediately engages in mating, often resulting in impure bloodlines for its offspring. Its giant claws are venomous and contain a vast amount of Karma Fire; those struck by it are overcome with intense lust. If not relieved in time, the victim will surely explode and die."

Chu Qing scratched his head. No wonder Xiao Wu was in such a delirious state. He immediately retrieved the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass from his Storage Ring, thinking that its extreme cold might be able to dispel the fire poison within her.

He leaned in close to Xiao Wu, intending to feed it to her, but he saw a flicker of clarity in her eyes. "Chu Qing, it's useless," she said. "I know of this Li Zhu. The medicinal power of this Immortal Herb might be effective, but it will never act fast enough to stop the poison from taking hold before I explode. So..."

Before she could finish, the lust she had momentarily suppressed flared up again, and her fair, delicate hand once again caressed Chu Qing's face.

Using the last of her reason, she pressed against Chu Qing's ear and struggled to whisper, "I... am willing."

Chu Qing had no choice but to comply.

On the other side, Tang San wore an anxious expression. He did not want to lose Xiao Wu so easily. He activated his Purple Demon Eye and employed the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, attempting to pursue them, only to have his path blocked by a Man Faced Demon Spider.

He fought with all his might, immediately engaging in a fierce battle, intent on killing the Man Faced Demon Spider quickly so he could go in search of Xiao Wu.

An hour later, following a sharp, long cry from Xiao Wu, her eyes instantly regained their clarity.

Chu Qing was drenched in sweat and his face was flushed; he looked thoroughly exhausted.

Xiao Wu's face turned red. Her small pink garment had long since been torn to shreds, and she hurriedly took out her Soul Tool to change into a green outfit.

Chu Qing, however, felt no embarrassment; after all, when treating a patient, how could one avoid the doctor?

Afterward, he carefully examined his own body. After three years of steady accumulation, his soul power had broken through to level 37.

Chu Qing smiled and was just about to speak to ease the awkward atmosphere when a roar echoed out. He quickly walked to the cave entrance and looked down.

His expression turned grave in an instant. He didn't know when it had happened, but a full ten soul beasts, each seven or eight thousand years old, were attacking!

In a flash, he remembered the effect of the Aromatic Silk Beauty and hurriedly tucked it away into his Storage Ring.

"Damn it! How could I have forgotten about that!"

At the same time, three of the ten soul beasts had already begun to climb up to the entrance.

Chu Qing said nothing, simply summoning his Martial Soul to prepare for battle. He noticed that the summoned Nihility Devouring Flame had changed; the phantom had become more realistic, and within the black flames, the void flickered in and out of existence. Between each cluster of fire, space seemed to blink.

If anyone familiar with space-type abilities were here, they would surely be shocked—was this flame actually devouring the void?

If the previous Chu Qing could only manage to simply slice a piece of space to move a few dozen meters, his ability to manipulate space had now reached a new level. He could create void rifts at will, and each cluster of flame could emerge from various points in space. With minimal soul power consumption and high returns, his control could be described as nothing short of masterful.

Xiao Wu watched the young man before her, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. She wouldn't let Chu Qing die in the Star Dou Great Forest; after all, this was her home turf!

"Third Soul Skill! Flowing Fire Void Escape!"

Countless spatial rifts were instantly carved out around the three soul beasts, and from them, countless sub-flames of the Nihility Devouring Flame shot out, attacking the beasts from every direction.

Caught off guard, the three soul beasts were instantly struck and fell to the ground.

But Chu Qing's expression remained tense. Although he had downed three, there were still seven more soul beasts, each nearly ten thousand years old, preparing to attack.

He had intended to continue the assault, as his soul power was still sufficient to barely put up a fight, but he was surprised to see the seven soul beasts suddenly abandon their attack and flee in a hurry.

Only the three soul beasts previously struck down by Chu Qing remained where they were; it wasn't that they didn't want to run, but they had been so severely wounded that they couldn't move.

Chu Qing's gravity did not diminish. He opened his eyes wide and released his divine sense, two beams of sharp light shooting from his golden pupils as he scanned the surroundings.

After refining the Li Zhu's soul ring, Chu Qing's eyes had been greatly enhanced. Not only was his detection ability outstanding, but he could also launch fire attacks like the Li Zhu. Most notably, his mental capacity had improved; he faintly felt that the Emperor-level mental state of the original Nihility Devouring Flame was slowly recovering.

In the distance, a giant ape the size of a mountain approached. It stood about fifteen meters tall, and its lantern-sized eyes were filled with murderous intent, locked firmly onto Chu Qing.

Chu Qing's expression tightened. A Titan Giant Ape?

Xiao Wu stepped out at the right moment and said, "Er Ming, thank you for this. This is my friend; do not hurt him."

The Titan Giant Ape then withdrew its killing intent, glancing contemptuously at the three eight-thousand-year-old soul beasts. Those three beasts were already trembling, wanting to flee but unable to escape.

The Titan Giant Ape's face filled with murderous intent—he would never let anyone who intended to harm Xiao Wu go. With a light stomp, the three soul beasts were instantly crushed like ants.

Chu Qing looked on in astonishment, while secretly feeling a sense of regret. Such powerful strength, only to be sacrificed for Tang San—it truly shouldn't be.

Chu Qing spoke up: "Er Ming, I know you can understand me. You saved my life, and I have one piece of advice: stay far away from Martial Soul Hall. In the future, great events will occur; try to avoid them as much as possible."

Er Ming looked puzzled, his lantern-sized eyes turning to Xiao Wu. Xiao Wu said, "Er Ming, Chu Qing would never harm us. He is a good person. You saved me, so go back now. I am fine, don't worry."

The Titan Giant Ape nodded gently and turned back, rushing toward the heart of the forest.

Chu Qing said, "Let's go too. We've been gone so long, I imagine your 'Third Brother' must be worried about you by now."

Xiao Wu's expression faltered. In the past, she would have been impatient to return to Tang San's side to keep him from worrying, but now, she felt no urgency at all; in fact, being away from him made her feel a sense of relief.

She didn't respond to his comment, instead saying, "Alright, let's head back. I imagine Rongrong and the others have been waiting anxiously."

"Indeed." Chu Qing thought that Rongrong must be frantic by now, so he immediately channeled his soul power, tearing open a spatial rift, and reached out a hand toward Xiao Wu: "Let's go!"

Xiao Wu looked at him, confused.

Chu Qing explained, "My spatial rift travels through the void. You must hold my hand, otherwise, getting lost in the void is no laughing matter."

Xiao Wu blushed and reached out, grabbing Chu Qing's hand. Although they had already shared an intimate encounter, she still felt unaccustomed to the closeness of holding hands.