Caught Gaming at Midnight? Xiao Wu Was Stunned!

After finishing the roasted meat, night gradually deepened.

Yue Xi had long since become unbearably sleepy, so Xiao Wu carried her back to her little wooden cabin.

Feng Qie yawned and returned to his own room to sleep as well.

Xiao Wu lay in her bed, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.

Had there really been no gains today either?

Xiao Wu felt somewhat disappointed. Just as she was about to force herself to sleep, a faint sound suddenly reached her ears.

It was Lu Ming's voice.

"Zhu Mao, Feng Qie, Yue Xi, come to my room. We're having a meeting."

The voice was very soft, as though it had been transmitted directly through spiritual power. But as a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, Xiao Wu's senses were incredibly sharp, and she still caught that faint ripple.

A meeting? What kind of meeting were they having in the middle of the night?

Xiao Wu's sleepiness vanished at once.

The sleeping Yue Xi instantly woke up and quietly left her room. Xiao Wu also silently climbed out of bed, crept to the door, and pressed her ear against the crack.

Soon, she heard faint footsteps.

It was Zhu Mao, Feng Qie, and Yue Xi. They had all entered Lu Ming's room.

"Master, what is it at this hour?" Feng Qie's lively voice rang out, though he still sounded a little half-asleep.

"Shh, keep it down. Don't wake Xiao Wu," Lu Ming said in a low voice.

Xiao Wu's heart suddenly skipped a beat.

This guy's pretty considerate... No! They must be discussing something shady if they're hiding it from me!

She listened even more intently.

"I called you here to discuss our next plan." Lu Ming's voice turned serious.

"We've stayed in this valley for nearly half a month. Everyone has adapted to their new bodies, and my soul power has reached level twenty-two. It's time for the next step."

"The next step?" Feng Qie asked curiously.

Rather than answering directly, Lu Ming asked, "Feng Qie, you've been scouting the surrounding area these past few days. Tell us about the situation nearby, especially the stronger Soul Beast lords."

Hearing this, Xiao Wu unconsciously slowed her breathing.

She knew the real topic was coming!

Feng Qie cleared his throat and began his report. "Master, this valley is in a pretty good location, right at the boundary between the outer region and the mixed region of the Star Dou Great Forest. I've basically figured out all the surrounding Soul Beast territories."

"Three li east of our valley is a swamp. A two-thousand-year Ironback Crocodile lives there. It has thick skin and tough flesh, and it's not easy to deal with."

"Five li west is a rocky slope occupied by an eighteen-hundred-year Scarlet Flame Snake. It can breathe fire and has a violent temperament."

"Those two are both lone wolves, so there's nothing to worry about." Feng Qie sounded relaxed, clearly not taking the two Thousand-Year Soul Beasts seriously.

"The real trouble lies in Blackwood Forest to the south." Feng Qie's tone became slightly more solemn.

"A pair of brothers live there."

"The elder brother is a twenty-five-hundred-year Black-Armored Troll. It possesses tremendous strength and astonishing defense. The younger brother is a twenty-three-hundred-year Clawed Terror Demon. It's incredibly fast, and its claws can tear through steel."

"When those brothers join forces, even Soul Beasts over three thousand years old don't dare provoke them lightly. They are the absolute overlords of this region."

Black-Armored Troll? Clawed Terror Demon?

Xiao Wu silently repeated the two names to herself.

She had some impression of those two kinds of Soul Beasts. Both were known for their ferocity and love of battle. They really were tough opponents.

Was Lu Ming asking about them because he wanted to avoid them?

Xiao Wu guessed inwardly.

However, Lu Ming's next words completely overturned that thought.

"Very good." A satisfied smile entered Lu Ming's voice. "They'll be our first target."

"What?!" Feng Qie cried out in alarm. "Master, we're going to challenge those demon brothers? They're incredibly strong when they fight together!"

Outside the door, Xiao Wu nearly cried out in shock as well.

Has he gone mad?

Lu Ming only has level twenty-two soul power. Zhu Mao and Feng Qie may be strong, but how could they possibly defeat two ferocious beasts over two thousand years old that know how to cooperate?

They're going to their deaths!

Xiao Wu's heart involuntarily clenched for them.

She might have come to investigate Lu Ming, but after spending so many days with them, she had already developed a faint sense of belonging toward this little group. She did not want to see them throw their lives away for nothing.

Just as she was struggling over whether to rush in and stop them, Lu Ming's confident, steady voice rang out again.

"Strong? In my eyes, they're not worth mentioning."

The calm composure in his tone left Xiao Wu speechless.

How... could he be so confident?

"Master, you're not joking, are you?" Feng Qie's voice was full of disbelief. "Those are the Black-Armored Troll and the Clawed Terror Demon! I saw them from afar once. The Black-Armored Troll smashed a boulder weighing several tons into powder with one punch, and the Clawed Terror Demon isn't much slower than me even when I go all out. Can we... really do this?"

Outside the door, Xiao Wu also felt that this was simply an impossible task.

In Lu Ming's team, Zhu Mao and Feng Qie were the main combatants, Yue Xi provided support, and Lu Ming himself... What role could a level twenty-two Soul Master possibly play in a battle of this level?

What is he thinking? Does he have some trump card I don't know about?

The image of Lu Ming releasing his domain flashed through Xiao Wu's mind.

Could it be... he intends to use that strange domain?

"Feng Qie, it seems you still don't understand your own strength well enough."

Lu Ming's voice was unhurried and carried a peculiar guiding quality.

"Before I transformed you and Zhu Mao, you truly were only Thousand-Year Soul Beasts. But after the Formless Transformation, both your souls and bodies underwent a fundamental elevation. Do you think your current strength is still at the thousand-year level?"

"Uh..." Feng Qie froze at the question.

He only knew that he had grown stronger, but he had no clear idea exactly how much stronger he had become.

He only felt that the Thousand-Year Soul Beasts he once had to cautiously avoid could now be easily dealt with in a single encounter.

"Zhu Mao, you tell him." Lu Ming tossed the question to the silent assassin.

After a brief silence, Zhu Mao's dry, hoarse voice sounded.

"Can kill them."

Simple, direct, and filled with unquestionable confidence.

"That's right." Lu Ming laughed. "Each of you now possesses strength comparable to a Soul Beast over three thousand years old. Zhu Mao's assassination abilities can even threaten a four-thousand-year Soul Beast when he catches it by surprise."

"And you, Feng Qie, possess extreme speed and long-range harassment with wind blades, along with Yue Xi's healing support. The two of you together will have more than enough to deal with that twenty-three-hundred-year Clawed Terror Demon."

"As for that Black-Armored Troll with its astonishing defense..." Lu Ming paused before saying calmly, "Leave it to Zhu Mao and me."