Titan Giant Ape Descends—Have You Gotten Used to Me Bailing You Out?

The ground trembled so violently that no one could keep their footing. Ancient trees ahead toppled in swaths, their trunks cracking with ear-splitting noise.

The Titan Giant Ape emerged from the darkness.

It was simply too enormous. Every step it took made the ground heave violently.

Flender's face went deathly pale. He grabbed Oscar beside him and pulled him backward.

"Don't look up! Back away!"

No one could move.

That overwhelming pressure nailed everyone to the spot. Even a Soul Saint-level powerhouse like Zhao Wuji was instantly drenched in sweat. Ning Rongrong's legs gave out, and she collapsed onto the ground, unable even to scream.

The Titan Giant Ape lowered its head and glanced at the corpse of the Phoenix-Tailed Cockscomb Snake, letting out a heavy snort. It raised its massive hand and reached straight toward the group.

Its target was Xiao Wu.

Tang San panicked.

"Xiao Wu!"

He frantically channeled his soul power. More than a dozen Blue Silver Grass vines burst from the ground, weaving into a massive net in midair that blocked the giant hand.

The Titan Giant Ape did not even pause.

One huge finger flicked casually.

The giant Blue Silver Grass net instantly shattered, broken vines flying everywhere.

The backlash of soul power struck him. Tang San groaned, blood dripping from his chin. Gritting his teeth, he channeled his soul power again, this time wrapping every remaining strand of Blue Silver Grass around Xiao Wu's waist and desperately pulling her back.

He could not move her at all.

The Titan Giant Ape was absurdly fast. Its giant hand closed around Xiao Wu and effortlessly clenched her in its grasp.

The Blue Silver Grass in Tang San's hands snapped completely.

He lost his balance and crashed hard into the mud, his knee slamming into broken stones and turning into a bloody mess. He did not care about the pain at all, staring fixedly at Xiao Wu in the air.

Xiao Wu struggled twice within the giant hand, but it was useless. She turned to Tang San, her lips moving, but her voice was completely drowned out by the giant ape's low roar.

The next second, the Titan Giant Ape turned and strode away.

After three steps, its enormous body vanished completely into the darkness.

"Xiao Wu!!"

Tang San's cry was heart-wrenching. Supporting himself on the ground, he climbed to his feet and staggered toward where the giant ape had disappeared.

Zhao Wuji grabbed him by the back of the collar and pinned him in place.

"Don't go! If you chase after it, you're just throwing your life away!"

Tang San flung off Zhao Wuji's hand like a madman, his fists hammering into Zhao Wuji's chest.

"Let go of me! It took Xiao Wu! Are you blind?!"

Zhao Wuji took two punches without moving, his tone hard.

"I'm not blind! But what the hell can you do if you go now? One slap from it, and you won't even leave behind an intact corpse!"

Tang San's knees buckled, and he dropped heavily into the mud. His fists were clenched tight, his nails digging into his flesh as blood dripped steadily down.

Everyone else around them was terrified senseless.

Ning Rongrong sat on the ground, gasping for breath as tears streamed down her face. She did not even dare make a sound while crying. Oscar hurriedly made two Recovery Sausages and handed them to Tang San and Zhao Wuji, his hands shaking so badly he could barely hold them. Dai Mubai slid down against a tree trunk, his White Tiger Martial Soul having long since retreated into his body from fear. Ma Hongjun plopped down into the mud and did not recover for a long while.

Before absolute strength, Shrek's group of geniuses did not even have the courage to make a move.

Yu Xiaogang sat limply in the mud, clutching his hair with both hands, his face frighteningly pale.

"My Ten Core Competencies of Martial Souls states it clearly: hundred-thousand-year soul beasts absolutely never leave the central regions of a forest. They have their own territories, and the soul power density at the outskirts cannot possibly meet their needs!"

Yu Xiaogang looked up at the pitch-black forest, his voice completely breaking apart.

"Why did it come out? How could it come out? This defies the rules!"

Flender walked over and yanked Yu Xiaogang to his feet.

"Forget your damn rules! Someone's been taken, and who are you reciting that nonsense to?!"

Yu Xiaogang froze from the shout, his lips trembling as he could not get out a single word.

He shoved Flender away, staggered over to Tang San, and gripped Tang San's shoulders with both hands.

"Little San, calm down. There'll be a way!"

Tang San abruptly shook off Yu Xiaogang's hands.

He said nothing, but something sharp and piercing appeared in his bloodshot eyes.

He had always believed his Blue Silver Grass was resilient enough. He had always regarded his teacher's theories as truth. He had always been convinced that as long as his calculations were precise enough, his chain of control would not fail.

That giant ape had crushed all his pride with a single finger.

The camp fell into chaos.

Flender and Zhao Wuji went to check the others' injuries, while Yu Xiaogang remained crouched beside Tang San, trying to persuade him.

Tang San ignored everyone. Slowly, he raised his head, his gaze passing over the scattered campfires before stopping beneath a tree some distance away.

Chen Xuan leaned against the trunk, tossing that dull gray pebble in his hand. His expression was no different from when he had first entered the forest.

Calm.

Tang San swayed to his feet and walked step by step to Chen Xuan.

"Why didn't you use that time-stopping skill of yours...?"

Tang San's voice was extremely hoarse, filled with anger he could not suppress.

Chen Xuan caught the falling pebble and closed it in his palm.

"Meditation Seal." Chen Xuan looked at Tang San. "It can only be used once a day. I used it earlier to save Ning Rongrong."

Tang San's breathing stopped for half a beat.

Chen Xuan continued.

"By the time I rushed over, it had already grabbed Xiao Wu. Even if I could still use it now, what could I do in half a second in that black-and-white world? Run over and punch it?"

Tang San clenched his back teeth.

"You had a way, at least..."

"What way did I have?" Chen Xuan cut him off without ceremony. "I'm level eleven. It's a hundred-thousand-year soul beast. If I rushed in, the result would be the same as yours—I'd be crushed into pulp."

Tang San fell silent.

Chen Xuan pocketed the pebble.

"Tang San, you're not angry because I didn't save Xiao Wu." Chen Xuan took a step forward. "You're angry because you'd already assumed that 'Chen Xuan always has a way.' So when you saw Xiao Wu get taken, your first thought wasn't that the giant ape was too strong. It was why I hadn't stepped in."

Tang San opened his mouth, but could not force out even half a word.

"I'm not your safety net." Chen Xuan's tone was soft. "You shouldn't get used to relying on me. After all, you heard it just now. Your teacher said it himself—I was never part of your chain of control."

Chen Xuan walked past Tang San and headed toward his bedding.

Tang San stood frozen in place, his face alternating between pale and livid.

Flender adjusted the glasses on his nose and glanced at Chen Xuan's retreating back. He said nothing, but he understood perfectly well.

Chen Xuan's words had cut Tang San deeply, but every sentence was the truth. A captain who relied on others to bail him out could never become a true core.

From the depths of the forest, in the direction the Titan Giant Ape had gone, not a single sound could be heard anymore.

The camp was so quiet it made everyone uneasy.

Zhao Wuji looked at Tang San kneeling on the ground before hesitating for a moment and speaking.

"Boss Flender, what do we do now?"

Flender took a deep breath.

"Wait. We'll decide after daybreak. If we chase in now, we'll all die."

Chen Xuan had already returned to where he was resting. He lay on the moisture-proof mat, placed the pebble beside his pillow, and closed his eyes.

He said nothing.

But his mind was racing.

When that giant ape had appeared, its pressure had indeed been terrifying. But Chen Xuan had keenly noticed one detail. When the giant ape held Xiao Wu, its movements had been extremely gentle.

That gentleness was absolutely not how a predator treated food.

Besides, the giant ape could have turned everyone here into pulp with a single slap, yet it had only taken Xiao Wu. It had not even looked twice at anyone else.

Soul beasts had their own logic as well. A hundred-thousand-year soul beast was no less intelligent than a human.

It had gone to such trouble to leave its territory, killed no one, eaten no one, and only taken away one young girl.

If this was hunting, that giant ape would have starved to death long ago.

There was only one explanation: Xiao Wu knew that giant ape.

Chen Xuan turned over, hiding his face in the shadows cast by the tree canopy.

He decided to keep that thought buried in his stomach for now.

Since it had come to pick someone up, Xiao Wu would be fine. As for how Tang San would lose his mind and how much Yu Xiaogang's theories would continue to collapse, Chen Xuan was happy to watch from the sidelines.

Tomorrow was sure to be lively.