Ice-Armored Godzilla, Ghost Douluo's Sneak Attack!

A black shadow slowly condensed from the ground, revealing a gaunt figure with long black hair and a cold sneer playing on his lips.

"Hehehe!"

Ghost Douluo—Gui Mei.

He looked up in the direction where Ji Ye had disappeared, the sneer on his lips deepening.

"You certainly picked a good place for yourself. Deep in the Star Dou Forest, no one will ever find you, even if you die."

"If you want to blame someone, blame yourself for offending His Holiness the Pope."

As his words faded, his body dissolved back into a black shadow, merging into the shade on the ground as he pursued silently toward the depths of the forest.

Meanwhile, Ji Ye had already ventured deep into the outer perimeter of the Star Dou Forest.

His direction was clear; he was not wandering aimlessly, but searching for a specific type of spirit beast.

A ten-thousand-year spirit beast with spatial attributes.

Such beasts were extremely rare, with only a handful to be found across the entire continent.

Based on memories from his past life and information he had gathered in the Library Pavilion over the last few days, he had locked onto an area in the southeast of the Star Dou Forest.

It was said that traces of a spatial-attribute spirit beast had once appeared in that region.

Three hours later, he had crossed the outer perimeter and entered the mixed zone.

The level of spirit beasts here was clearly a grade higher, and the air was thick with the fluctuations of ten-thousand-year spirit power.

Occasionally, low roars and the thunderous sound of falling trees could be heard in the distance.

Ji Ye slowed his pace, spreading his mental perception as he walked, carefully sensing the fluctuations of spirit power in his surroundings.

He did not activate his martial soul, keeping his presence suppressed as much as possible while weaving through the shadows of the trees.

Just as he passed a dense thicket, a dry branch beneath his feet snapped with a crisp sound.

It wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear in the quiet forest.

The next second, the thicket to his left exploded outward as a massive figure lunged at him.

A giant spirit beast covered in frost.

The beast resembled a giant lizard, its entire body encased in deep blue, diamond-shaped ice armor, with bone-chilling white mist venting from its maw.

Wherever it passed, even the air was frozen into fine ice crystals.

The ice elemental aura it radiated was enough to freeze the very space around it.

An Ice-Armored Godzilla, a rare top-tier ice-attribute spirit beast. Judging by its size and pressure, its cultivation was at least thirty thousand years, and its ice attribute was nearing the level of Ultimate Ice.

According to unofficial records, there was once a hundred-thousand-year Ice-Armored Godzilla in the Star Dou Forest that had been a mortal enemy of the forest's overlord, the Titan Giant Ape; the two beasts had fought for tens of thousands of years over a rabbit.

Later, the hundred-thousand-year Ice-Armored Godzilla was defeated by the Titan Giant Ape in alliance with the hundred-thousand-year Sky Azure Bull Python.

It fled to distant lands.

Its whereabouts remained unknown.

While Ji Ye was momentarily stunned, the Ice-Armored Godzilla charged.

"Second Spirit Skill, Void: Inch-Distance."

Ji Ye quickly activated his second spirit skill to dodge the strike.

Ji Ye's figure vanished instantly under the Ice-Armored Godzilla's pounce, reappearing atop a large tree three zhang away.

The Ice-Armored Godzilla's massive body slammed into the tree, snapping the trunk with a loud crack as wood splinters and ice shards sprayed everywhere.

Ji Ye looked down at the giant beast covered in ice armor, his eyes shifting slightly.

His goal for this trip was a spatial-attribute spirit beast, not an ice-attribute one.

Since that was the case...

Ji Ye suddenly wanted to try something.

He put away his Void Sword and raised both hands, signaling that he had no hostile intent.

"Stop! I have no intention of making an enemy of you. I am very sorry for trespassing in your territory."

The Ice-Armored Godzilla raised its head, its ice-blue slit pupils fixed on him, a low rumbling sound vibrating in its throat.

It did not continue its attack, but it did not lower its guard either, its body crouching slightly.

Ji Ye jumped down from the tree, landing on a clearing a few zhang away while maintaining a safe distance.

"I didn't come here to fight you."

"Actually, I've heard of the Ice-Armored Godzilla's great reputation. Seeing you today, you truly are magnificent."

The Ice-Armored Godzilla's slit pupils shifted slightly, staring at him for several breaths before it lifted its head with a hint of pride.

It then let out a low, humming sound, as if in response.

It indicated that it could understand him.

Ji Ye was stunned for a moment.

It actually worked?

He tentatively took two steps forward.

"Can you understand me?" The Ice-Armored Godzilla nodded, letting out another rumble in its throat.

Ji Ye was somewhat surprised; the intelligence of a ten-thousand-year spirit beast was clearly far higher than he had imagined, and it seemed to harbor no great hostility toward him.

Ji Ye thought for a moment, then suddenly spoke up.

"How about... we become friends?"

The Ice-Armored Godzilla stared at him for a few seconds, then slowly lowered its massive head, its snout gently brushing against the palm Ji Ye had extended.

The touch was ice-cold, yet carried a gentle force.

Ji Ye smiled and reached out to pat its thick ice armor.

"My name is Ji Ye." The Ice-Armored Godzilla let out a low whimper, as if trying to pronounce his name; although the articulation was blurry, Ji Ye could feel its goodwill.

Just as he prepared to step forward and hug his new friend, a black shadow lunged out from the shadows to his side, carrying a chilling murderous intent as it struck directly at his back.

The speed was too fast—so fast that Ji Ye had no time to react.

He only felt a tingling sensation at the nape of his neck, and the chill of death instantly enveloped his entire body.

"ROAR--!"

The Ice-Armored Godzilla's reaction was faster than his own.

Its massive body shifted sideways in a sudden move, and it exhaled a thick wall of ice from its mouth to block behind Ji Ye.

It then pulled Ji Ye behind it, using its own back to shield him from behind the ice wall.

The next second.

The ice wall shattered into countless shards the moment it made contact with the black shadow.

The blow slammed heavily into the Ice-Armored Godzilla's back.

A dull, thunderous boom echoed out.

The Ice-Armored Godzilla let out a painful roar, its massive body stumbling forward a few steps. A large section of the ice armor on its back shattered, revealing the bleeding flesh beneath.

Yet it did not fall; instead, it turned around, shielding Ji Ye behind it, and opened its maw to blast a stream of bone-chilling cold air toward the black shadow.

Ji Ye scrambled up from the ground, his gaze locking onto the black shadow.

The shadow slowly coalesced into a human form: long black hair, a gaunt frame, and a cold, sinister smile hanging at the corners of its mouth.

Ghost Douluo, Gui Mei.

Ji Ye gritted his teeth.

It was him, as expected.

That old woman Bibi Dong—she acted indifferent on the surface, only to turn around and send a Title Douluo to kill him.

He took a deep breath, looking at Gui Mei, his voice laced with suppressed rage.

"Ghost Douluo, as a dignified elder of the Pope Hall, you are assassinating the Holy Son of Martial Soul Hall. Are you not afraid of the Grand Pontiff's retribution?"

Gui Mei chuckled, his voice raspy and low.

"Kid, that would only matter if the Grand Pontiff ever found out. Once you're dead, no one will know it was me who killed you."

"If you want to blame someone, blame yourself for offending someone you shouldn't have. His Majesty the Pope's orders—I have no choice but to obey."

He glanced at the Ice-Armored Godzilla, a hint of surprise flickering in his eyes.

"I didn't expect you to be able to make a beast take a blade for you."

Ji Ye didn't waste any more words.

He reached his right hand into the void, drawing out the Void Sword, its blade shimmering with intricate spatial patterns.

The four spirit rings beneath his feet lit up simultaneously.

Purple, purple, black, black—four rays of light swirled around his body.

His third spirit ring flared.

"Third Spirit Skill: Void: Absolute Domain."