Battle with Erming, Bringing Xiao Wu Back to the Worship Hall

The Titan Giant Ape strode forward, each step causing the ground to tremble, though its pace had slowed compared to moments ago, clearly having left the previous area and entered a safer zone.

Ji Ye accelerated, his figure carving an arc through the air as he circled around to the front of the Titan Giant Ape.

He then descended slowly onto the canopy of a giant tree, folded his wings, and looked down at the behemoth before him.

The Titan Giant Ape came to a halt.

Its two lantern-like eyes narrowed slightly, fixed on the grey-clad youth standing atop the tree canopy.

In its palm, Xiao Wu also looked up, and the moment she saw Ji Ye, she froze.

"Ji Ye?" Her voice carried a note of surprise.

"How did you catch up?"

Ji Ye did not answer her; instead, he looked at the Titan Giant Ape, the corners of his mouth curling slightly.

"Truly worthy of being one of the overlords of the Star Dou Forest, the hundred-thousand-year Titan Giant Ape, Erming."

Xiao Wu's pupils constricted sharply.

How did he know the name Erming? She had never told anyone, not even Tang San.

Her breathing quickened, and a sense of unease surged in her heart.

"Erming, put me down." Xiao Wu struggled for a moment, and the Titan Giant Ape hesitated for a split second before loosening its grip.

Xiao Wu jumped from its palm to the ground, stood before Ji Ye, and looked up at him.

"What exactly are you trying to do?"

The smile at the corners of Ji Ye's mouth deepened.

"Don't you think this is a perfect opportunity to take you back to Martial Soul Hall?"

Xiao Wu's face turned deathly pale in an instant.

She took two steps back, bumping into the Titan Giant Ape's leg, her body trembling slightly.

"You... what did you say!"

"I said," Ji Ye's voice was calm, "I am taking you back to Martial Soul Hall."

Xiao Wu bit her lip, tears welling up in her eyes.

She looked into Ji Ye's calm eyes and suddenly felt like a mouse being stalked by a cat, unable to escape no matter how she ran.

Her lips trembled, and the words were squeezed out through her teeth.

"Erming, kill him."

The Titan Giant Ape threw its head back and hammered its chest, raising its massive fist high as it let out a roar at Ji Ye.

Ji Ye stood his ground, not dodging.

A transparent spatial barrier manifested before him.

The Titan Giant Ape's sound wave was channeled directly into another dimension.

A flicker of confusion crossed Erming's golden eyes, which immediately turned into rage.

It slammed its massive fist upward, striking the transparent spatial barrier with immense force once more.

With a muffled boom, Ji Ye's figure dissipated on the spot.

The next instant, he appeared on Erming's shoulder, the translucent Void Sword already in his hand.

Squelch!

It pierced silently into the gap of Erming's shoulder blade.

There was no blood and no wound, yet Erming let out a heaven-shaking roar.

Clearly, the strike was agonizing, as if an invisible blade were churning within its bone joints.

"ROAR—!"

Erming swung its hand violently toward its own shoulder, but Ji Ye had already vanished.

The next second, he reappeared behind its knee, striking again, sliding the blade into the joint gap.

Squelch!

Erming's knee buckled, and its massive body lurched, snapping several large trees.

Xiao Wu stood not far away, watching Erming's agony, her eyes instantly reddening.

"Erming!!!"

Erming shook its head, its golden eyes locked onto the flickering grey figure in the air, a roar of fury rumbling in its throat.

"ROAR!"

It raised its right fist and slammed it down toward Ji Ye's direction, the wind of the punch carrying the force of a thousand jun, moving with incredible speed.

This time, Ji Ye did not dodge.

His third soul ring lit up.

"Third soul skill."

"Void: Absolute Domain." As Ji Ye's voice fell, a spherical space with a diameter of ten zhang centered on him twisted violently.

The moment Erming's fist smashed into the domain, its trajectory was forcibly twisted. The point of impact shifted by several zhang, slamming into the open ground to Ji Ye's left. The ground caved in, forming a deep pit as gravel scattered everywhere.

Erming was stunned for a moment.

What was going on?

Had its eyes deceived it?

Erming did not believe it and swung again, only to be twisted away once more.

It swung again, and again it missed.

It clearly saw the human standing right there, yet its fists could never land a hit.

Ji Ye's figure flickered incessantly within the domain, appearing in a different position each time, and every appearance was accompanied by a thrust of the Void Sword.

Shoulder joints, elbow joints, knee joints, wrist joints—every strike pierced accurately into the gaps between the bones. There were no wounds and no bleeding, yet Erming suffered significant internal damage.

Erming's roars grew more frequent and more painful.

Its movements began to slow, and the piercing pain in its joints made it impossible to throw a full-force punch.

It knelt on one knee, its massive body crushing the shrubs beneath it, its breathing as heavy as a bellows.

Xiao Wu could finally bear it no longer.

She rushed forward a few steps, tears rolling from her eyes, her voice choked with sobs.

"Stop! Ji Ye! Don't hurt Erming anymore!"

Ji Ye halted in mid-air, looking down at her.

The tip of the Void Sword still hovered above the back of Erming's neck.

"Oh?"

Xiao Wu's lips trembled, her voice hoarse.

"I... I will go with you. Please, stop fighting."

Erming lifted its head with great difficulty, a low whimper escaping its throat.

"Xiao Wu, no... you can't..."

"Don't worry, Erming."

Xiao Wu wiped the tears from her face, forcing a smile.

"If he really wanted to kill me, he would have done it long ago."

A flash of anger and unwillingness crossed Erming's massive golden eyes. Its fists clenched and unclenched, but its body could no longer hold up; the pooled blood in its joints made it nearly impossible to stand.

Ji Ye retracted the Void Sword, descended from the air, and stood before Xiao Wu.

He reached out and ruffled the top of her head, his fingers running through her hair with a gentleness he hadn't shown before.

"That's more like it."

Xiao Wu bit her lip, not pulling away.

Ji Ye turned to glance at Erming, who was still kneeling on one knee, then looked at the devastated forest around them before fixing his gaze back on Xiao Wu.

"Let's go."

He took hold of Xiao Wu's wrist and turned to walk in another direction.

That path bypassed the location of the Shrek group and avoided the territory of the Man Faced Demon Spider; it was a secluded trail leading toward the outer edge of the Star Dou Forest.

Erming remained kneeling, its massive golden eyes fixed firmly on the direction in which the two had vanished.

A low, resentful roar rumbled in its throat, but it was in too much pain to stand up again.

Ji Ye led Xiao Wu through the dense forest, the fallen leaves crunching beneath their feet.

Xiao Wu kept her head down, letting him pull her along without a word.

Ji Ye was in no hurry, walking at a leisurely pace.

After walking for a while, Xiao Wu suddenly spoke.

"Moving this slowly, aren't you afraid Erming will catch up?"

"It won't be able to catch up."