Ghost Douluo fell silent for a moment.
He recalled the terrifying scene on the Sky Curtain just now, when Xiong Jun had casually torn through space and smashed a mountain. Beneath his black robe, his body stiffened slightly.
"Reporting to Your Majesty."
"If we're talking about sheer destructive power and defense, this Ferocious Beast... has probably surpassed the limits of what a human can achieve."
"Even Second Worship Golden Crocodile Douluo would likely..."
Ghost Douluo didn't finish.
But everyone present understood what he meant.
Golden Crocodile Douluo was a Level 98 Peak Douluo and the second-most important figure in the Spirit Hall's Worship Hall. His strength was exceptional even across the entire continent.
Aside from Grand Worship Qian Daoliu, no one could surpass him.
And yet.
Before that evolved Xiong Jun, Golden Crocodile Douluo's vaunted Golden Crocodile King Martial Soul probably wouldn't gain the slightest advantage. It might even be torn to pieces by those terrifying claws.
"Indeed."
Bibi Dong sighed softly.
"Even Golden Crocodile isn't a match."
"If Qian Daoliu doesn't step in, then no one in all of Spirit Hall can suppress a Soul Beast ranked only eleventh."
As she spoke, a deep wariness flashed in Bibi Dong's eyes.
And that was only the eleventh.
What about the top ten?
How many more monsters like these were hidden in Star Dou Forest?
And just how powerful was Beast God Di Tian, who had remained out of sight for so many years?
"The Soul Beast Clan has accumulated a terrifying amount of power."
"We used to think that human Soul Masters, with our wisdom and Soul Tools, had already reached the pinnacle of the continent."
"Now it seems we were only fooling ourselves."
Bibi Dong tightened her grip on her scepter.
Her knuckles whitened slightly with the force.
"Especially that Venti."
"He gave opportunities not only to humans, but to Soul Beasts as well."
"If these Soul Beasts keep growing, the balance of power on the continent is going to be turned completely upside down."
Ghost Douluo kept his head lowered, not daring to respond.
A contest at this level was beyond the reach of a mere elder like him.
Just as the master and servant were weighed down with troubled thoughts—
The sky changed again.
The firmament, which had just settled, was suddenly swallowed by a layer of eerie, dark green.
Unlike the violent, bloody aura that had accompanied Xiong Jun's appearance,
this time the aura was cold and viscous, thick with a nauseating, corrosive stench.
The bright sunlight was blotted out.
The whole world seemed to plunge from daylight into a gloomy swamp.
Countless human Soul Masters felt dizzy. It was a sign that their spiritual power was being corroded.
"It's happening again."
Bibi Dong abruptly looked up, her eyes fixed on the Sky Curtain.
"The top ten..."
"Is it starting already?"
Above them, on the Sky Curtain.
Dark green clouds churned and twisted, gradually coalescing into the phantom of a towering tree.
It was no ordinary tree.
Its trunk was a sickly blackish brown, its bark like cracked dragon scales, covered in countless ghastly white eyes.
Every eye rolled incessantly, radiating an eerie light that seemed to seize the soul.
Its crown blotted out the sky, and what hung down in place of leaves and branches were countless writhing vines like venomous snakes.
Simply looking at the phantom made one's skin crawl.
Golden words from the ranking slowly appeared against the sinister backdrop.
[Strength Ranking · Tenth Place]
[Name: King of Ten Thousand Monsters]
[Race: Demon Eye Magic Tree (530,000 years of cultivation)]
[Affiliation: Star Dou Forest · Core Area · Fifth among the Ten Great Fierce Beasts]
[Martial Soul (Body): Eye of Ten Thousand Monsters, Corrosive Poison Vine]
Deep in Star Dou Forest.
Not far from where Xiong Jun had vented his rage, a once-lush stretch of woods suddenly withered.
All its life force was stolen in an instant.
The ground split open.
A strange tree, not especially tall but radiating an intensely sinister aura, slowly rose from below.
A huge eye on its trunk snapped open.
There was no pupil in that eye, only an endless vortex, as if it could devour every soul.
It was the strongest control-type Soul Beast in Star Dou Forest.
The King of Ten Thousand Monsters!
"Ke ke ke..."
A strange laugh, like the screech of a night owl, came from inside the trunk.
"That fool Xiong Jun has nothing but brute strength, and he still only ranked eleventh."
"In the end, I'm the one with the upper hand."
The King of Ten Thousand Monsters spoke in a hoarse, grating voice, thick with scorn.
An aberrant Plant-type Soul Beast, it had once been an exceedingly weak Demon Eye Magic Tree.
But by a twist of fate, it had devoured a treasure of heaven and earth—an Immortal Herb.
It had gained not only extraordinary intelligence, but also the terrifying ability to command all trees and corrode all things.
Among the fierce beasts of Star Dou Forest, its combat strength might not reliably surpass Xiong Jun's when he was fully unleashed. But thanks to its unpredictable methods and extremely high cultivation age, it had always ranked above him.
The Sky Curtain displayed its evaluation.
[Evaluation: The strategist and control core of Star Dou Forest. Though its true form is frail, it seized the chance to devour an Immortal Herb and defy fate. Its poison corrodes Soul Power and spiritual power, while its tree eyes can discern the weaknesses in people's hearts. It is a hunter in the dark forest, and the most dangerous schemer. Its overall strength ranks among the top ten.]
Seeing the evaluation, a trace of satisfaction showed in the King of Ten Thousand Monsters' single eye.
"Schemers?"
"I like that title."
"What use are fists alone in a world where the strong prey on the weak?"
"You need brains."
Then—
The reward for tenth place descended.
[Reward for Making the List]
[One: Origin Evolution: Bestowed with "Death Qi of Senluo," evolving the corrosive toxins within the body into the "Law of Withering." Any who come into contact with it will have their life force severed, beyond all healing.]
[Two: Bloodline Ascension: The Demon Eye Magic Tree's true form evolves into the "Thousand-Eyed Demon Tree Emperor," and its spiritual power realm rises to the peak of the "Spirit Domain Realm."]
[Three: Cultivation Increase: Adds 40,000 years of cultivation.]
Boom—!
A pillar of light, so dark green it was almost black, struck the King of Ten Thousand Monsters' true form.
"Ahhh—!!!"
A piercing scream rang out, but barely concealed within it was wild joy.
The King of Ten Thousand Monsters' true form began to grow at a frenzied pace.
Its once withered bark became as hard as black obsidian.
Where there had once been only dozens of eyes on its trunk, hundreds and thousands of evil eyes now split open and emerged, packed tightly together!
With every eye that opened, the surrounding space twisted strangely.
At the same time—
A gray, lifeless current spread outward from it.
Everything it passed, whether rock or soil, instantly crumbled into ash.
The Law of Withering!
This was no longer an ordinary toxin. It was a destructive force that had reached the level of laws.
"Power..."
"So this is the power of laws?"
The King of Ten Thousand Monsters lashed out with its countless vines, feeling the terrifying force inside it, powerful enough to change the color of heaven and earth.
Its spiritual power spread outward like a tide.
In an instant, it covered half of Star Dou Forest.