Cosmic White Ape

"What Soul Beast's territory is this?"

Wang Chen and Wang Tianyi hid in the shadows, poking their heads out as they stared at the nest-like structure in the tree, their eyes full of surprise.

That bird's nest was enormous, likely large enough to hold ten adults. Wang Tianyi had never seen anything like it, and he examined it with great curiosity. Wang Chen, however, had noticed how much better the environment here was than elsewhere. Not far away lay a small lake, with several large trees growing beside it. Clear scrape marks covered their trunks, likely left by some unknown Soul Beast sharpening its claws or scratching its back. Judging by the height of those marks, the creature had to stand over five meters tall!

This really was a fantasy world. It was completely different!

Wang Tianyi was brimming with excitement when a foul, fishy gust suddenly swept over from afar. The stench nearly knocked him unconscious! It was like socks buried in a filthy ditch for decades, stuffed with legendary nine-turn intestines that retained their original flavor, coated in bread crumbs moldy for twenty years, then deep-fried in oil made from the juice of a skunk's fart...

It stank! An utterly unbearable stench!

Wang Tianyi had never imagined that the Cosmic White Ape, with such an imposing name, would look like this.

Before the eyes of the father and son, Wang Chen and Wang Tianyi, stood a Soul Beast over six meters tall. Its entire body was packed with bulging muscles, and amid its snow-white fur, its apple-red buttocks and livid blue face were especially eye-catching. Two sharp fangs, like daggers, protruded past its lips. One look was enough to tell that this Soul Beast was no gentle creature.

The Cosmic White Ape! A top-tier ape-type Soul Beast famed for its strength and speed. Yet its true trump card lay in its name: Cosmic! Cosmic White Apes were born with a unique talent known as Heaven-Earth Reversal. When injured, their strength increased dramatically, and the longer they fought, the fiercer they became. As a result, nine out of every ten Cosmic White Apes ever discovered bore injuries year-round.

The Cosmic White Ape before them was no exception. Two distinct puncture wounds marked its right arm, and blood had dyed its fur red. On closer inspection, there was even a faint purple tint to it. It had clearly been poisoned, and part of that foul stench came from the venom.

"This is... a Cosmic White Ape?"

Wang Chen's pupils contracted. This type of Soul Beast was rare, and he had not expected to encounter one in the Soul Hunting Forest. He recognized it because his third Soul Ring had come from a seven-hundred-year-old Cosmic White Ape! During his travels across the continent years ago, he had encountered such a rare Soul Beast and nearly emptied his family's coffers to hire people to help him hunt it down. Judging from its size, the Cosmic White Ape before him was around six hundred years old. But in its poisoned state, its strength could absolutely rival that of a thousand-year Soul Beast.

"What a pity. If it were a little younger, that would be perfect!"

Wang Chen sighed and was about to take Wang Tianyi away. But in the next moment, he noticed that his son was staring intently at the Cosmic White Ape, his eyes filled with desire.

"Tianyi, stop looking. That Cosmic White Ape has already exceeded the limit for a first Soul Ring. If you want it, you can hunt it after you break through to level twenty!"

"No! Father, I've read many of the books in your collection. One of them stated that the upper limit of the Soul Rings a Soul Master can endure is related to the strength of their body! After awakening my Martial Soul, my body became far stronger than that of an ordinary level-ten Soul Warrior. This white ape exceeds the limit by two hundred years, but I'm confident I can absorb it!"

How could Wang Tianyi possibly let meat that had reached his mouth slip away? This six-hundred-year white ape had been selected by the system for him. It was an exceptionally suitable match. And he had also obtained an External Soul Bone! It had not even needed to be absorbed, directly merging into his body in complete fusion.

With the power of that External Soul Bone, Wang Tianyi's physical strength was astonishing. Even his spiritual power had improved enormously, since this External Soul Bone was a head bone. As for the power it contained...

All he could say was that the Eight Spider Lances were trash!

But Wang Tianyi would never reveal such an inexplicable trump card. So, he began showing off Martial Soul theories he had read about in novels from his previous life. His arguments were logical and well-supported, and with his sharp tongue, he soon persuaded Wang Chen.

"Well... fine! It's only a hundred-year Soul Beast. Even if you can't absorb it later, with your father's Soul Power Level, I can forcibly interrupt the process!"

Wang Chen reluctantly agreed. The main reason was that his son's talent far exceeded that of ordinary people. He had personally sensed those two extraordinary Martial Souls. Just a trace of their aura had made him feel fear, so their quality had to be incredibly high!

Even so, Wang Chen remained deeply worried.

But their most urgent task was to deal with the Cosmic White Ape. If Wang Tianyi could absorb such an exceptional Soul Beast, his future would be limitless.

"Stay here and watch your father hunt your first Soul Ring!"

The Wrought-Iron Staff flashed with a cold gleam as Wang Chen charged forward in a single stride! The first and third Soul Rings beneath his feet lit up at the same time. Gripping the end of the Wrought-Iron Staff with both hands, he leaped high into the air, his body bending like a drawn bow before he smashed the staff down with tremendous force!

"First Soul Skill, Spellbreaker!"

"Third Soul Skill, Wrought-Iron Divine Staff!"

A Soul Elder-level expert had gone all out from the very start! The crushing blow came straight down at the six-hundred-year Cosmic White Ape. The white ape let out an enraged roar. It had sensed Wang Chen's arrival, but Wang Chen was too fast for a hundred-year Soul Beast to evade. The hard Wrought-Iron Staff struck the Cosmic White Ape squarely on the head, and its towering body visibly sank downward as nearly half its skull was smashed apart.

Wang Tianyi, hiding nearby, stared wide-eyed. What beautiful staff technique!

Although Wang Chen's Soul Power was ordinary, his many years of martial training had given him an extremely mature set of staff techniques. The severely wounded Cosmic White Ape roared in shock and fury. Its livid face and fur had been dyed red with blood, yet the aura around its body continued to rise. Under such circumstances, the Cosmic White Ape did not hesitate to engage Wang Chen in a desperate fight.

Wang Chen handled it with remarkable ease. He chopped, swept, lifted, thrust, and struck. The Wrought-Iron Staff danced like a flower in his hands. Combined with his Soul Elder-level cultivation, the Cosmic White Ape soon fell into a disadvantage.

Why else would Wang Chen be called so seasoned? His attacks had constantly targeted the Cosmic White Ape's two hind legs, and every now and then he even threw in an incredibly vicious upward strike between its legs. The Cosmic White Ape's lower body suffered devastating injuries. Even if it wanted to flee, it could not!

In the end, the Cosmic White Ape collapsed to the ground with resentment filling its eyes. It was clearly taking in more breath than it let out.

"Tianyi, come here!"

Wang Chen panted lightly and tossed Wang Tianyi a short blade, signaling for him to finish the white ape. This was a test for a six-year-old child. The path of a Soul Master was destined to involve bloodshed. Wang Chen had originally wondered whether his son would hesitate for a long time, but...

"Father, do you think this Soul Beast would taste better roasted or boiled?"

The white ape's blood had dyed Wang Tianyi completely red, but he was bursting with excitement. There was not the slightest fear on his face. He was even considering how to cook this enormous Soul Beast in the most satisfying way.

This was highly abnormal, whether for a six-year-old child or an ordinary person from a previous life. Perhaps even Wang Tianyi himself had not realized that his personality had already been influenced by his two Transcendent God-Tier Martial Souls.

After all, how could the proud Great Sage and the unruly Six Ears ever give rise to fear?