Evenly Matched?

Yu Xiaofeng spun through the air and dazedly glanced behind him. The sight nearly scared him out of his wits, and he hurriedly gathered Soul Power beneath his feet again. With one foot stepping on empty air, he flipped himself around and stopped.

Looking at the massive tree behind him, nearly as thick and rugged as the Titan Giant Ape, Yu Xiaofeng let out a sigh. "That was close. I almost lost my life."

"This thing is way too thick. If I'd crashed into it, even if I didn't die, I'd have been knocked out for ten days or half a month."

Gazing at the Titan Giant Ape a thousand meters away, Yu Xiaofeng shot forward again and muttered, "Er Ming, I figure we can fight to a draw."

"Tang San will be getting his soul ring soon. I still need to go mess things up, so I don't have time for you. That's enough, all right?"

As he spoke, Yu Xiaofeng had already arrived a hundred meters before the Titan Giant Ape.

The Titan Giant Ape had no idea what Yu Xiaofeng was thinking. It merely sensed someone approaching, glanced at Xiao Wu, then immediately turned and charged toward Yu Xiaofeng.

A furious roar thundered beside Yu Xiaofeng's ears. Looking at that enormous figure, he suddenly felt an urge to go all out.

Er Ming stomped, sending wave after wave of shockwaves rippling outward as it vented its displeasure.

Though Er Ming could not speak human language, it was thinking:

You despicable human, you actually dare trouble my little princess? Your Monkey Grandpa will smash you to death.

Xiao Wu had tasked it with protecting her from harm and interference so she could condense her third soul ring.

Now that Yu Xiaofeng had appeared and disturbed Xiao Wu, how could this possibly end peacefully?

The instant the stomp ended, Er Ming threw out his powerful right arm for the first time and punched toward Yu Xiaofeng.

"Damn it, I'm not trying to date her! Why are you so pissed off? You're seriously coming at me? You think I'm afraid of you?"

As Yu Xiaofeng cursed, he kicked off fiercely. With his feet repeatedly stepping on empty air, he landed atop Er Ming's right arm.

A fierce gale came howling in, twisting Yu Xiaofeng's face. He sneered. "Fourth soul skill, Soul Devouring Strike."

Green light slowly gathered in Yu Xiaofeng's right hand. The next second, he slapped his right hand against Er Ming's right arm and sneered, "Let's see how you fight me now."

"Urgh..."

"Roar..."

Piercing pain made Er Ming cry out miserably. Its eyes flashed with savagery as it charged Yu Xiaofeng again.

It discovered that half of its Soul Power had suddenly vanished, leaving it with only half its strength. It was furious—furious, furious.

After unleashing Soul Devouring Strike, Yu Xiaofeng's face instantly turned pale. But after Er Ming's Soul Power flowed back into him, he recovered, and his own Soul Power even seemed to increase slightly.

As Yu Xiaofeng retreated rapidly, he sighed. "What a waste. So much Soul Power leaked away. Looks like I can only absorb the maximum amount of Soul Power my body can endure."

"Have a taste of my Spirit Power Balls."

Three Spirit Power Balls condensed from Soul Power appeared before Yu Xiaofeng. He shouted, "Universal Attraction!"

Er Ming's charging body was instantly hurled high into the sky. It found itself unable to control its own body, and its fury surged once more.

Seizing the chance, Yu Xiaofeng sent the three Spirit Power Balls smashing toward Er Ming and shouted, "Fourth soul skill, Radiant Dragon Candle Omen!"

The Spirit Power Balls were not particularly fast, but they seemed to gain power as they traveled. At the exact instant Er Ming was about to break free of Universal Attraction's restraint, the three Spirit Power Balls struck its body.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

A miserable scream like thunder rang out, followed by the booming crash of Er Ming's body slamming into the ground.

Yu Xiaofeng was just about to use Universal Attraction again when he discovered blood flowing from his mouth. As his body flew backward, his pupils suddenly contracted.

Er Ming's furious second punch was already coming at him. To his shock, he realized Er Ming had just punched him. How had that happened?

How was it so fast?

"The Spirit Power Balls are such a scam..."

Yu Xiaofeng discovered that the Spirit Power Balls had taken away a full third of his Soul Power.

But he knew this was not the time to think about that. At that critical moment, his fierce desire to survive made him unleash three soul skills at once, pouring them out without holding anything back.

"I'll fight you to the end..."

"Divine Realm Shield, Universal Attraction, Almighty Push!"

The instant Divine Realm Shield activated, Universal Attraction and Almighty Push were unleashed together. It was his first time using them this way, and the effect was explosively good.

Er Ming only felt its body being thrown uncontrollably into the air again. Then a terrifying cloud of dust surged more than thirty meters high, and a raging heatwave smashed toward the defenseless Er Ming.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Yu Xiaofeng grinned viciously as he tried to steady himself, but Er Ming's heavy punch suddenly broke through Almighty Push and struck him directly.

Yu Xiaofeng spat out a mouthful of blood. A smile remained on his savage face as he looked at Er Ming, swallowed by Almighty Push. "I promised them I would bring Xiao Wu back safely. How can I fall here?"

"Roar..."

Yu Xiaofeng let out an angry roar. He knew Er Ming would not harm Xiao Wu, and he knew Xiao Wu was condensing her soul ring, but for some reason, his blood was boiling. There was only one sentence in his mind now.

I will definitely bring Xiao Wu back safely.

He had somehow gotten carried away in the middle of the fight. (This game is too damn toxic. Once you start fighting, you get worked up. Don't tell me you've never gotten worked up—I don't believe it. When things get toxic, I don't even recognize myself. If you mess me up, I'll send it right back... Come on, let's hurt each other.)

With his Soul Power fully unleashed, several tomoe appeared in his eyes, adding a sinister air to his already striking gaze.

"Meanwhile."

With Oscar's help, Tang San and the others used Flying Mushroom Sausage to race through the sky at full speed, searching everywhere for traces of Xiao Wu.

Yet at this crucial moment, Tang San was stopped by a Man Faced Demon Spider. Yu Xiaofeng could no longer interfere with Tang San's affairs. He vaguely sensed an invisible force manipulating everything.

Looking at the ruined landscape after Almighty Push's rampage, Yu Xiaofeng finally saw Er Ming's enormous figure.

Er Ming was covered in wounds. Half-kneeling on the ground, it looked up at the equally battered Yu Xiaofeng in the sky. Then it suddenly grabbed a thick broken log nearby and charged at Yu Xiaofeng.

Yu Xiaofeng said in surprise, "Are you telling me that you couldn't beat me earlier because you didn't have a stick?"

"Or are you trying to say, 'Old Sun has arrived'?"

What Er Ming was actually thinking was, If you control me again, with such a thick stick, your Monkey Grandpa can swing it and beat you to death.

(I laugh every time I read this awkward exchange.)

How could Yu Xiaofeng know what it was thinking? He immediately unleashed his most powerful soul skill, Planetary Devastation.

"Er Ming, taste my strongest attack! Second soul skill, Planetary Devastation!"

As he spoke, Yu Xiaofeng summoned Vajra Gourd Baby as well.

"Fight, fight, fight!"

His feet stepped on empty air again as his body flickered. Planetary Devastation's bombardment erupted in repeated explosive blasts.

The ground continuously shattered with booming explosions, blasting toward Er Ming's body. Er Ming leaped up and swung the stick in its hand.

"Whoosh..."

A fierce gust instantly threw Yu Xiaofeng off balance. He sneered. "You little brat, a monkey is still a monkey. You fell for it."