Zhu Zhuqing, having narrowly survived the calamity, felt her legs give way and slumped onto the leaf-strewn ground, panting heavily.
She lifted her pretty face and stared in utter shock at the young man before her, who had just withdrawn his Martial Soul.
The terrifying pressure from moments ago had been as deep as an abyss and as towering as a mountain. It had been absurdly powerful.
Before that aura, Dai Mubai's Evil-Eyed White Tiger from Shrek Academy and Ma Hongjun's Evil Fire Phoenix—
They were all pathetic trash, completely and utterly weak!
Who was this handsome, terrifyingly powerful young man?
Zhu Zhuqing's heart raced as she etched Qin Feng's tall figure deep into her mind.
Seeing that the danger had passed, Hu Liena stepped forward and looked Zhu Zhuqing up and down.
"You're far too bold, girl."
"You're not even a level-thirty Soul Grandmaster. How did you dare come all the way into the depths of this forest alone?"
"We're from Spirit Hall. My name is Hu Liena, and this is Qin Feng."
At the words "Spirit Hall," Zhu Zhuqing struggled to her feet and brushed the dirt from her leather outfit.
"Thank you for saving me."
"I'm a student at Shrek Academy. My name is Zhu Zhuqing."
"I encountered a Soul Beast attack on the outskirts of the forest and got separated from my teachers and classmates. I panicked and ran all the way here."
She casually made up an excuse, her expression still as cool as ever.
Hearing Zhu Zhuqing's words, Qin Feng was delighted.
Separated from them?
That was a pretty half-hearted excuse.
He knew perfectly well that Zhu Zhuqing had seen the revelations about Yu Xiaogang in the group chat and, disgusted by that fake Grandmaster, had run off on her own.
Going by how things were unfolding now—
Xiao Wu was a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast reincarnated. Once she reached level thirty, she would surely need an excuse to leave the group and form a Soul Ring on her own, so as not to expose herself.
Now Zhu Zhuqing had taken the opportunity to run off, too.
Well, well. Of all the female students at Shrek Academy, Ning Rongrong was probably the only one left.
And she was stuck wandering aimlessly through the forest with Yu Xiaogang.
But Qin Feng didn't mind in the slightest. Shrek's fate had nothing to do with him anyway.
"The depths of this forest are full of Ferocious Beasts that have lived for over ten thousand years."
"If you're headed the same way, why not come with us? We can look out for each other," Qin Feng suggested, looking at Zhu Zhuqing.
Zhu Zhuqing didn't refuse. She nodded decisively.
She was in terrible shape. If she encountered another high-level Soul Beast, she had no chance of surviving.
Following these two Spirit Hall prodigies, whose strength was unfathomable, was clearly the wisest choice.
The three of them rested briefly, then continued side by side toward the deeper parts of the forest.
However, as they ventured farther in, the surroundings began to change in an eerie way.
The dense woods, where they had still been able to hear a few birds singing, suddenly fell deathly silent.
The air grew oppressively heavy, and even the wind stopped blowing.
Then—
A violent, terrifying aura swept toward them without warning from the depths of the forest ahead.
A tangible gale whipped the leaves into a frenzy.
The ground beneath their feet began to shake violently, as if a powerful earthquake had struck.
Rumble!
With a thunderous crash, a dozen towering trees ahead were smashed in half by a brute force.
Amid the flying splinters, a massive creature, as large as a small hill, forced its way out of the woods.
It was a gigantic ant, its entire body covered in hard, dark-golden armor.
Its huge, dark-golden pincers gleamed with a frightening menace in the dim light.
Each step drove a deep crater into the ground beneath its heavy body.
When Hu Liena saw the monster in full, her foxlike eyes widened.
"Thousand-Junction Ant Emperor..."
Hu Liena's voice broke, thick with terror.
According to the records of Spirit Hall, judging by the dark-golden color of the giant ant's shell and the thickness of its armor—
This was unmistakably a terrifying existence with a cultivation of sixty thousand years!
Zhu Zhuqing, standing nearby, was even more frightened. Her face went deathly pale.
Though she was usually cool and composed, now her legs began to tremble uncontrollably.
This part of the Star Dou Great Forest wasn't even the true core region yet.
How could a ferocious Soul Beast of sixty thousand years suddenly appear here?
As the Thousand-Junction Ant Emperor advanced step by step, radiating an aura of destruction—
A despairing thought flashed through both Hu Liena's and Zhu Zhuqing's minds.
It was over!
The thunderous crashes rolled through the forest without end.
The ground beneath their feet shook like waves, as though a mountain were charging through the woods, sending out one muffled rumble after another.
The terrifying pressure of a sixty-thousand-year Soul Beast swept through the area like a tangible storm.
Hu Liena stood frozen, her breath caught.
Facing a legendary, ferocious creature of this caliber, she felt her hands and feet go cold, her legs as heavy as lead. She couldn't move at all.
Zhu Zhuqing was in even worse shape.
Her Soul Power was nearly depleted, and she was physically exhausted.
Under the impact of that destructive pressure, her legs gave way and she fell backward.
Worse still, the massive Thousand-Junction Ant Emperor was charging forward. It casually swung its enormous dark-golden pincers.
A violent gale rose and swept straight toward where Zhu Zhuqing had fallen.
If that fierce gust hit her, in her current condition, she would be dead or crippled.
Zhu Zhuqing closed her eyes in despair, her heart sinking into darkness.
At that life-or-death moment—
A tall figure darted forward like lightning.
Qin Feng didn't hesitate for an instant. Pushing off with his feet, he rushed straight to Zhu Zhuqing's side.
He reached out with his strong arm, wrapped it around the girl's slender, supple waist, and pulled her into his arms.
Beneath his touch was astonishing softness and smoothness.
In the rush of the movement, Qin Feng's thigh pressed tightly against Zhu Zhuqing's long, black-stockinged legs.
Their bodies were pressed close together. Her exaggerated curves made a striking impression, and the girl's delicate fragrance instantly filled his nostrils.
Qin Feng had no time to savor this unexpected reward. Holding Zhu Zhuqing, he retreated at speed.
He grabbed Hu Liena, who was frozen in place, and the three of them quickly withdrew from the danger zone.
Dust billowed ahead.
The Thousand-Junction Ant Emperor, as big as a small hill, paid no attention to the tiny humans.
It seemed to be chasing something. Swinging its six thick legs, it smashed open a path with brute force and charged toward the other end of the forest.
Only after the terrifying commotion had faded into the distance did the surroundings grow quiet again.
The three of them let out long sighs of relief.
Luckily, the Thousand-Junction Ant Emperor hadn't been after them. Otherwise, they would all have been in serious trouble today.