The King of the Forest Descends! Er Ming, Your Entrance Fee is a Bit Steep!

The night in the Star Dou Forest should have been fraught with hidden dangers, yet it usually followed a certain tranquil rhythm.

However, on this night that should have been filled with stars, a terrifying aura capable of making one's soul tremble suddenly descended.

Like a sudden tsunami, it swept across the entire outer perimeter of the forest in an instant.

"BOOM—!"

Trees in the distance collapsed in swathes like fragile stalks of straw, and the heavy sound of impact, accompanied by the violent trembling of the earth, approached from afar.

The air seemed to solidify, and the chirping of insects and birds in the forest fell silent all at once, leaving only the sound of footsteps like muffled thunder, each one landing heavily on everyone's hearts.

"This... this aura..."

Dragon Duke Meng Shu, who had been protecting Meng Yiran while preparing to find a place to rest, saw his face turn as pale as paper in an instant.

His perception as an eighty-first-level Spirit Douluo was screaming in alarm, telling him that the entity approaching was a terrifying existence he could not possibly contend with.

"This old woman has never seen such heavy gravitational pressure! Could it be... that King of the Forest?!"

Snake Granny Chao Tianxiang's voice trembled, and the snake-headed staff in her hand creaked from her tight grip.

"Grandpa, Grandma, what on earth is that?"

Meng Yiran's delicate body shook; she had never seen her grandfather, who had always stood tall and indomitable, display such an expression of utter terror.

"Go! Run!"

Meng Shu didn't even bother to greet Su Yun; he grabbed Meng Yiran, unleashed his full spirit power, and turned into a blur as he fled frantically toward the edge of the forest.

In the face of such suppression at the level of life itself, pride and opportunities were all nonsense.

Meanwhile, Tang San was also scared witless.

He stared fixedly at the behemoth slowly emerging from the darkness. It was a giant ape resembling a mountain of black rock, its knotted muscles shimmering with a metallic cold light under the moonlight, and its lantern-sized eyes glowing with a wild, violent red light.

"Titan Giant Ape..."

Tang San swallowed hard; due to his extreme nervousness, he felt as if his heart were about to jump out of his throat.

But the corner of his eye caught sight of Xiao Wu beside him, and the paranoia and desire to perform in his heart twisted into a form of heroism amidst his fear.

He tremblingly pulled the Zhuge Divine Crossbow from the Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges at his waist; it was the most powerful hidden weapon he currently possessed.

"Xiao Wu... don't be afraid! I have a hidden weapon! I will definitely be able to get you out of here!"

Tang San gritted his teeth and forced himself to stand straight, trying to find a trace of admiration on that small, pale face.

However, Su Yun appeared exceptionally calm at this moment.

He leaned against an ancient tree, his left hand elegantly waving that folding fan.

Under the terrified gazes of Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing, he leisurely summoned that black diary and let his pen dance across the slightly glowing paper.

[Tsk tsk, that big dummy Er Ming finally arrived.]

[I guess he hasn't seen his Big Sister Xiao Wu in too long and missed her, so he rushed out of the core area in such a hurry.]

[Look at this commotion; how much public property did he destroy? How many flowers and plants did he trample? He really has no environmental awareness at all.]

[What is Little San trembling about over there with that broken slingshot? 'I'll block it'? You're going to block it with your head? Er Ming could blow you back to Holy Soul Village just by passing gas.]

[But this is fine, the classic scene is about to unfold. Later, I'll 'reason' with Er Ming and take the opportunity to visit his 'lakeside villa' in the core area.]

The diary content synchronized in real-time.

Ning Rongrong had already been so scared she wanted to crawl into a crack in the ground, but when the copy in her arms lit up, she froze.

"Er Ming? Big dummy? Big Sister Xiao Wu?"

Ning Rongrong turned her head stiffly to look at Xiao Wu, who was wearing a worried expression.

Zhu Zhuqing also finished reading the diary, and her previously tense body instantly relaxed.

She looked at Su Yun with an extremely complex gaze.

This man actually knew the King of the Forest?

And judging by his tone, it was as if he were evaluating a simple-minded neighbor.

Xiao Wu finished reading the diary, and the heart that had been hanging in her throat finally settled.

What she feared most was Er Ming acting recklessly and hurting Su Yun, or accidentally revealing her identity without knowing the truth.

Now that she saw Brother Su Yun had seen through everything long ago, a hint of sweetness and adoration flashed in her bright, lively eyes.

"ROAR--!"

The Titan Giant Ape let out an earth-shattering roar, its massive palm slamming into the ground and kicking up another storm of dirt and stone.

Its huge eyes scanned the crowd, finally fixing firmly on Xiao Wu.

"Su Yun! Take Xiao Wu and run! I'll hold it off!"

Tang San suddenly let out a roar, pulled the trigger of the Zhuge Divine Crossbow, and sixteen crossbow bolts whistled toward the giant ape's chest with a piercing shriek.

"Clang, clang, clang..."

Not even a spark was produced; those bolts landed on Er Ming's skin, which was tough enough to withstand meteorites, and didn't even count as a scratch.

Er Ming didn't even feel any pain; it simply felt that the little fly jumping around before its eyes was annoying and prepared to swat it to death with one slap.

"Tang San, are you done with your performance?"

Su Yun's lazy voice rang out abruptly, carrying a majesty that pierced through the void.

He stepped forward, blocking Tang San's path.

"Su Yun, have you lost your mind! Get out of the way! It will kill you!"

Tang San roared from behind, though in his heart, he was thinking darkly:

Yes, just rush over there and get crushed to death!

As long as you die, Xiao Wu will be mine!

However, the scene that followed completely shattered Tang San's perception and became a nightmare he would never be able to comprehend for the rest of his life.

Facing the shadow falling like a mountain, Su Yun did not release his martial soul to defend himself; instead, he activated the [Simulation Soul Skill] rewarded by the system.

In that moment, the aura on Su Yun's body changed.

He was no longer the gentle, jade-like young nobleman, but a god radiating an ancient, primordial aura, reigning over all worlds, and even transcending the laws of the Star Dou Forest!

This aura could only be sensed by high-level soul beasts.

In Er Ming's eyes, this human before it was no mere soul master.

This was a divine beast that had taken human form, or perhaps even the legendary ruler of the God Realm!

Er Ming's massive body stiffened abruptly.

That slap, suspended less than three meters above Su Yun's head, could not descend no matter what.

Its eyes revealed a hint of human-like astonishment and confusion, and perhaps even a trace of instinctive fear.

Su Yun's lips curled upward as he transmitted his voice directly into Er Ming's mind through his divine sense:

"Big guy, I'm a friend of Xiao Wu's. Stop acting; I know you're here to pick her up. You can take her, but you have to take me along too. Otherwise, I'll tell Sister Xiao Wu that you tried to stomp me to death just now, and I'll make sure she never talks to you again."

Er Ming: "???"

This human not only saw through it but was also threatening it?!

Yet, the aura on him was truly terrifying—a hundred times more majestic than Da Ming's!

Taking advantage of Er Ming's daze, Su Yun tapped his toes, his figure moving like a streak of golden light. With extreme grace, he bypassed the heavy air pressure and landed steadily on the Titan Giant Ape's shoulder, which was as broad as a plain.

He sat on Er Ming's shoulder and waved at the stunned crowd below:

"Xiao Wu, come on up. This big guy looks fierce, but it seems to like us quite a bit. It says it wants to invite us to be guests in its territory."

Xiao Wu pursed her lips and smiled. Channeling her soul power, she moved like a light butterfly, leaping along the giant ape's arm until she reached Su Yun's side.

"Brother Su Yun, are we really going?"

Xiao Wu played along with the act.

"Of course. Who would dare refuse an invitation from the King of the Forest?"

Su Yun smiled and patted Er Ming's ear, sending another message through his divine sense:

"Let's go, to the Lake of Life in the core area. Stop scaring the kids here."

Er Ming nodded obediently, even forming a soft barrier of soul power on its shoulder to prevent Su Yun from falling off.

"No! Xiao Wu! Su Yun!"

Tang San let out a heart-wrenching howl from below.

He watched as the girl he loved took the initiative to jump onto the monster's shoulder and leave with the person he hated most.

The double blow of being abandoned and feeling utterly powerless made Tang San's eyes turn blood-red, and he crushed the Zhuge Divine Crossbow in his hands.

Sitting high above, Su Yun looked down at Tang San, who appeared like an ant, and wore a textbook winner's smile.

"Tang San, no need to see us off. We're going to the core area for a feast, so you can just stay here and eat dirt. See you later!"

As his voice faded, the Titan Giant Ape let out a low roar. Its massive body soared into the air, and with a few bounds, it crossed thousands of meters, disappearing into the depths of the dark forest with the two of them.

"No--!!!"

On the outskirts of the Star Dou Forest, only Tang San remained, kneeling in the chaotic mud. He pounded the ground with his fists, beating his chest and stamping his feet, crying like a child who had lost his entire world.

[Ding! Intercepted a major turning point for Shrek: The 'abduction' of Xiao Wu.]

[Due to the host's extremely arrogant behavior and the removal of the female lead, Tang San's mental state has completely shattered. Luck points -1500!]

[Congratulations to the host for receiving the reward: God-level physique enhancement. Due to being within the range of the Lake of Life, reward: All-attribute absorption speed increased by 300%!]

Su Yun felt the whistling wind in his ears and looked at Xiao Wu, who was snuggled up against him. He felt wonderful inside:

"The Douluo Continent of this life is only just starting to get interesting!"