"Ohwooo!"
A sharp elbow strike came down. The Gale Demon Wolf let out a howl of pain, and the immense force sent it flying. It landed in the grass nearby and breathed its last, slowly dissolving into a mass of pure energy.
"Rustle!"
With a soft sound, the leaf before Na'er continued to drift downward, swaying as it landed on the ground. Na'er, however, stood frozen in place as if someone had cast a spell to hold her still.
"I don't understand!"
"I can't do anything at all..."
A moment later, Na'er's fair little face crumpled. Disbelief filled her beautiful eyes as she gazed at the dead Gale Demon Wolf and murmured.
She, Na'er, had been thoroughly trounced. In front of Jiang Xiu, she was like a raw recruit.
"Na'er, what are you mumbling about? Hurry up and call me boss."
After absorbing the Gale Demon Wolf's energy, the Soul Ring on Jiang Xiu's body had nearly reached the thousand-year mark. He looked at Na'er beside him and waved a hand before her eyes.
"A bet's a bet. From now on, you're my boss."
Na'er clenched her pearly teeth. Looking at Jiang Xiu, who wore a smile at the corner of his mouth, she steeled herself and spoke.
"Good. From now on, follow me."
Jiang Xiu nodded slightly, a gleam flashing in his eyes as he said with a smile.
He had deliberately controlled the number of kills from the start, all for that final strike. Na'er's intelligence was astonishing, but he had still managed to outwit her.
At this point, Jiang Xiu had also confirmed that Na'er had indeed inherited part of the Silver Dragon King's humanity, while Gu Yue, wherever she was, leaned more toward the Soul Beasts.
If Gu Yue found out I lost to a human child, wouldn't she laugh at me?
Na'er sighed inwardly, feeling rather embarrassed, but she could only accept reality.
Wait, if I'm Jiang Xiu's boss, he'll definitely help me in the future. And if Jiang Xiu is my boss, he'll definitely help me in the future too. Come to think of it, I'm not losing out.
Suddenly, Na'er thought of something and consoled herself. For now, all she could do was bet on Jiang Xiu's character.
"Hiss, hiss, hiss!"
Just then, a gigantic spider suddenly burst out of the ground. It looked extremely strange, its body a dark purple, with a hideous ghostly face on its abdomen. It was none other than the Man Faced Demon Spider, known as a miniature Nightmare among Soul Beasts.
It seemed to have been lying in ambush for a long time. Now, it hissed as it lunged at Na'er, who was only a short distance away.
"Whoosh!"
"Pfft!"
Na'er glared at the Man Faced Demon Spider with her beautiful eyes. Its whole body shuddered at once, overwhelmed by a tremendous pressure. Then the Silver Dragon Spear shot out and pierced its body, bringing the end of a legendary killer.
"Hmph! I may not be able to beat Jiang Xiu, but taking you down is a piece of cake."
Na'er gave a soft snort and refined the Man Faced Demon Spider's energy in an instant.
"Man Faced Demon Spider, oh, Man Faced Demon Spider. Why did you have to provoke her?"
Watching this, Jiang Xiu couldn't help but mourn the spider for three seconds. Two thousand years ago, the Man Faced Demon Spider counted as a high-quality Soul Beast. But in the era of Legend of the Dragon King, when bloodlines ruled, it was nothing more than a stray dog by the roadside.
It was only natural for Na'er to take it down like a grunt.
After Na'er finished absorbing the Man Faced Demon Spider's energy, the Hundred-Year Soul Ring on her body trembled faintly. A pale purple hue spread across it, and it successfully transformed into a Thousand-Year Soul Ring.
"Na'er, let's go. We'll keep hunting Soul Beasts."
Seeing Na'er's transformation, Jiang Xiu's gaze shifted. He then prepared to continue deeper into the dense forest. His spiritual power had now reached 210 points, enough to raise his First Soul Ring to a maximum of 2,000 years.
Most of the Gale Demon Wolf pack just now had been Ten-Year Soul Beasts. The energy they gave him wasn't much, but it had still brought his First Soul Ring's age to 990 years.
"Got it, boss!"
Na'er's spirits lifted, and she continued following Jiang Xiu. After using her own little trick of convincing herself she'd won, she felt that accepting Jiang Xiu as her boss wasn't so bad after all.
But when Na'er looked at the Shadow Monarch following beside Jiang Xiu, then at the Silver Dragon Spear in her hand, she suddenly realized the Silver Dragon Spear was too demanding to control. It wasn't as straightforward or as powerful as Jiang Xiu's Shadow Monarch.
"By the way, boss, what do you think of the Soul Beasts?"
Na'er asked tentatively. She absolutely couldn't forget her mission. After all, the fate of the countless clans of the Soul Beast Clan rested on her shoulders.
"The Soul Beast Clan has already fallen into decline. As far as I know, Soul Beasts only remain in Star Dou Great Forest and the depths of the ocean."
At this, Jiang Xiu's gaze shifted slightly, and he spoke softly, with a hint of regret.
The Spirit Pagoda had started with good intentions, and at first it really had reduced conflicts between the Soul Beasts and humanity. But human greed was limitless. The Spirit Pagoda had been like a dull knife chopping meat, quietly wearing away at the Soul Beast Clan's strength.
Meanwhile, human Soul Guidance Technology and powerful experts continued to emerge one after another. The Soul Beast Clan's decline seemed inevitable.
"What about the future?"
Na'er asked, her gaze full of hope.
"The future... If you can find another place suitable for them to live, perhaps they can rise again."
Jiang Xiu pondered, choosing his words carefully.
"I don't understand. Why does everyone keep talking about the decline of the Soul Beasts, as though the Douluo Continent is fated to bring disaster upon our Soul Beast Clan?"
Na'er pouted, her heart indignant.
"Of course, I've heard that in the distant past, the Dragon God of the Dragon Clan split into the Golden Dragon King and the Silver Dragon King. The Silver Dragon King inherited the Dragon God's wisdom and has now disappeared without a trace. Perhaps when she returns, she'll lead the Soul Beast Clan to restore its former glory."
Seeing Na'er's frown, Jiang Xiu's gaze flickered, and he smiled as he tried to comfort her.
"Really?"
"Of course. I swear by the Asura God and the Sea God Godhood—if the Soul Beasts can't rise again, may both Godhoods collapse!"
Seeing the delight in Na'er's eyes, Jiang Xiu spoke solemnly.
"No need to swear. Human, I suddenly think you're not so bad."
Na'er gave a soft snort, her steps growing lighter.
"What do you mean, 'human'? I'm your boss."
"Got it, boss!"
Na'er continued following beside Jiang Xiu as they headed deeper into the forest.
"I didn't expect Xiao Xiu's First Soul Ring to be such a precious time attribute."
Inside the circular metal room, Leng Yaozhu watched Jiang Xiu win the bet, her phoenix eyes filled with astonishment.
"Hahaha, pure luck, pure luck."
Seeing Leng Yaozhu just as shocked as he had been, Mu Ye laughed and modestly replied.
"At this rate, why do I feel like Na'er is going to give herself away?"
Leng Yaozhu gently shook her head as she watched the two walking side by side on the screen, thinking to herself. The more she thought about it, the more certain she became.
"Tower Master Leng, after this ascension, I plan to establish the Body Sect's headquarters on the street you gave me. Na'er and Xiao Xiu are the same age, so they'll have plenty of chances to interact and spar."
Unlike Leng Yaozhu, Mu Ye watched the pair on the screen with a faint smile and then spoke.
But before that, he had to bring over his eldest disciple, Jiang Xiu's senior brother.
"Sure."
Hearing this, Leng Yaozhu sighed inwardly. Of course she could see Mu Ye's little scheme, but she couldn't take back what she had said.
So be it. Let's leave it at that for now.
Meanwhile, in the distant Star Dou Great Forest.
Before the Lake of Life.
Several imposing figures stood there. The man at their head was tall, with black hair and golden eyes, and he radiated an intimidating pressure.
At this moment, however, they all looked respectfully toward a young woman hovering above the lake.
The young woman slowly opened her eyes, then gradually turned around.
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