A shadow slowly coalesced above the ground, taking the shape of a gaunt man with long black hair and a cold sneer at the corner of his mouth.
"Keheh heh heh!"
Ghost Douluo—Gui Mei.
He looked up in the direction Ji Ye had disappeared, and the sneer on his lips deepened.
"You picked a fine place for yourself. Deep in the Star Dou Forest—even if you die, no one will find you."
"If anyone's to blame, it's you for offending His Holiness the Pope."
As soon as the words left his mouth, his body turned back into a shadow and melted into the darkness on the ground, silently pursuing Ji Ye deeper into the forest.
Meanwhile, Ji Ye had already ventured deep into the outer reaches of the Star Dou Forest.
He knew exactly where he was going. He wasn't wandering aimlessly; he was searching for a particular Soul Beast.
A Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast with a spatial attribute.
Such Soul Beasts were extremely rare. There were only a handful across the entire continent.
Drawing on memories from his previous life and the materials he had found in the Library Pavilion over the past few days, he had narrowed his search to an area southeast of the Star Dou Forest.
According to reports, traces of a spatial-attribute Soul Beast had once been found there.
Three hours later, he had crossed the outer reaches and entered the mixed zone.
The Soul Beasts here were clearly a level stronger, and the air was thick with the Soul Power fluctuations of Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts.
Every so often, he heard a distant growl or the crashing thud of trees falling.
Ji Ye slowed down and spread out his spiritual perception, carefully sensing the Soul Power fluctuations around him as he walked.
He didn't activate his Martial Soul. Instead, he kept his presence suppressed as much as possible and weaved between the trees.
As he passed a dense thicket, a dry branch snapped beneath his foot.
It wasn't loud, but in the stillness of the forest, the crack rang out clearly.
The next second, the bushes to his left exploded outward, and a massive figure lunged at him.
A gigantic Soul Beast covered in frost.
It looked like a giant lizard, its body clad in deep-blue, diamond-shaped ice armor. Pale, frigid mist poured from its mouth.
Wherever it went, even the air froze into tiny ice crystals.
The aura of ice it gave off was so powerful it seemed to freeze space itself.
Ice-Armored Godzilla, a rare, top-tier ice-attribute Soul Beast. Judging by its size and imposing aura, it had cultivated for at least thirty thousand years. Its ice attribute was already close to the level of Ultimate Ice.
According to unofficial historical records, there had once been a hundred-thousand-year Ice-Armored Godzilla in the Star Dou Forest. It had been the sworn enemy of the forest's overlord, the Titan Giant Ape. The two Soul 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 and the hundred-thousand-year Sky Azure Bull Python working together.
It fled to distant lands.
And vanished without a trace.
While Ji Ye was still stunned, the Ice-Armored Godzilla had already charged at him.
"Second Soul Skill, Void: Inch-Distance."
Ji Ye quickly used his second Soul Skill to dodge the attack.
As the Ice-Armored Godzilla pounced, Ji Ye's figure abruptly vanished and reappeared atop a tree thirty feet away.
The Ice-Armored Godzilla's massive body crashed into the tree, snapping its trunk with a crack. Splintered wood and ice shards scattered everywhere.
Ji Ye looked down at the giant beast covered in ice armor, his expression shifting slightly.
His goal on this trip was to find a spatial-attribute Soul Beast, not an ice-attribute one.
Even so...
Ji Ye suddenly felt like trying something.
He put away the Void Sword and raised both hands to show he meant no harm.
"Stop! I have no intention of fighting you. I'm very sorry for trespassing on your territory."
The Ice-Armored Godzilla lifted its head and fixed its icy-blue, slit-pupiled eyes on him. A low rumble rose from its throat.
It didn't attack again, but it didn't let down its guard, either. Its body stayed slightly lowered.
Ji Ye jumped down from the tree and landed in an open space several yards away, keeping a safe distance.
"I didn't come here to fight you."
"Actually, I'd heard of the Ice-Armored Godzilla's fearsome reputation. Now that I've seen you in person, you really are handsome."
The Ice-Armored Godzilla's slit pupils shifted slightly. It stared at him for several seconds, then raised its head with a touch of pride.
It let out a low whine, as though answering him.
It seemed to understand what he was saying.
Ji Ye froze for a moment.
That actually worked?
He tentatively took two steps forward.
"Can you understand me?" The Ice-Armored Godzilla nodded and rumbled again.
Ji Ye was a little surprised. As expected, Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts were far more intelligent than he'd imagined, and this one didn't seem to hold much hostility toward him.
Ji Ye thought for a moment, then suddenly spoke.
"How about... we become friends?"
The Ice-Armored Godzilla stared at him for a few seconds, then slowly lowered its enormous head and gently touched its snout to Ji Ye's outstretched palm.
Its touch was cold, but its pressure was gentle.
Ji Ye smiled and patted its thick ice armor.
"My name is Ji Ye." The Ice-Armored Godzilla let out a low whine, as if repeating his name. Its pronunciation was indistinct, but Ji Ye could sense its goodwill.
Just as he was about to step forward and give his new friend a hug, a shadow suddenly shot out from the darkness behind him, wrapped in a murderous, icy aura and aimed straight for his back.
It was too fast—so fast Ji Ye had no time to react.
The back of his neck prickled, and the chill of death engulfed him in an instant.
"Roar!"
The Ice-Armored Godzilla reacted even faster than he did.
Its massive body shifted sharply to the side, and it spat out a thick wall of ice behind Ji Ye.
Then it pulled Ji Ye behind itself and turned its back to shield him, standing in front of the ice wall.
The next second...
The ice wall shattered into countless shards the instant the shadow struck it.
The attack slammed into the Ice-Armored Godzilla's back.
A deep, muffled boom rang out.
The Ice-Armored Godzilla let out a pained roar and staggered forward several steps. A large section of ice armor on its back had shattered, exposing the bloody flesh beneath.
But it didn't fall. Instead, it turned around and shielded Ji Ye, opened its mouth, and sprayed a stream of pale, freezing mist toward the shadow.
Ji Ye scrambled to his feet and fixed his gaze on the shadow.
It slowly took on a human form: a gaunt figure with long black hair and a cold smile on his lips.
Ghost Douluo, Gui Mei.
Ji Ye gritted his teeth.
So it really was him.
That old woman Bibi Dong had acted as if nothing was wrong, then turned around and sent a Titled Douluo to kill him.
He took a deep breath and looked at Gui Mei, his voice tight with suppressed anger.
"Ghost Douluo, as an elder of Pope Hall, are you not afraid the Grand Pontiff will punish you for assassinating the Holy Son of Spirit Hall?"
Gui Mei smiled, his voice hoarse and low.
"Kid, that'll only matter if the Grand Pontiff finds out. Once you're dead, no one will know I killed you."
"If anyone's to blame, it's you for offending someone you shouldn't have. I have no choice but to obey His Holiness the Pope's orders."
He glanced at the Ice-Armored Godzilla, surprise flickering in his eyes.
"I didn't expect you to have a beast take the hit for you."
Ji Ye didn't waste words.
He reached into the void with his right hand and drew out the Void Sword. Fine spatial patterns shimmered along the blade.
All four Soul Rings at his feet lit up at once.
Purple, purple, black, and black—the four lights revolved around him.
His third Soul Ring blazed.
"Third Soul Skill, Void: Absolute Domain."
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