Bei Bei and Tang Ya Witness the Godslayer

The outskirts of the Star Dou Forest.

Gu Qiu'er looked at Lu Yuan beside her and asked softly, "Lu Yuan, where are we going next?"

With his hands behind his head and a lazy, casual expression, Lu Yuan said, "No idea. Let's find a human city to settle down in for now and see what's interesting."

"I see... all right."

Xiao Xiao, standing nearby, smiled sweetly, her eyes curving into crescents. She immediately suggested, "Brother Lu Yuan, Sister Qiu'er, how about we go to Wutan City first? You can visit my home while we're there!"

Lu Yuan nodded. "Sure. You haven't gone home yet this year, have you? It's a good chance to see your parents. Otherwise, once we start roaming all over the continent, it'll be even harder to find opportunities to return home."

Xiao Xiao nodded vigorously, her eyes filled with anticipation.

Lu Yuan suddenly stopped, reaching out to pull the two girls beside him close as he lowered his voice.

"Someone's coming from up ahead."

The atmosphere instantly grew tense.

Gu Qiu'er's crimson eyes turned cold. With a disdainful snort, she said, "They must be human Soul Masters here to hunt Soul Beasts! Lord Bear and the other Ferocious Beasts patrol every day, yet there are always fools who fear death and refuse to learn their lesson!"

"They're only trying to grow stronger," Lu Yuan said. "On the path of a Soul Master, one must continuously obtain Soul Rings and break through one's realm to gain the means to stand in this world. Naturally, some people will take desperate risks."

Xiao Xiao focused her senses and identified them. "One Soul Elder and one Quasi-Soul Elder. Neither has much cultivation."

Gu Qiu'er gave a scornful laugh, her face full of contempt. "With such meager cultivation, they dare enter the Star Dou Forest alone without anyone protecting them? They truly don't know their own limits."

Before she had finished speaking, two young figures emerged through the trees and walked toward them.

They were none other than Bei Bei and Tang Ya, who had come to find Tang Ya's third Soul Ring.

Bei Bei cautiously swept his gaze across their surroundings and quietly warned the girl at his side, "Xiao Ya, be careful. The outskirts of the Star Dou Forest have become increasingly dangerous lately. Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts have been appearing often, and quite a few Soul Masters have met with misfortune in recent years."

"Let's quickly find a suitable third Soul Ring for you and head back early."

Tang Ya smiled brightly and vivaciously. "Got it, Bei Bei. Don't worry!"

The moment she finished speaking, she spotted the three figures not far ahead. Her eyes immediately lit up, and she cried out in surprise, "Hey! There are people ahead!"

The young man was tall and handsome, while the two girls were sweet and dazzling in their own distinct ways. All three possessed extraordinary bearing, far surpassing ordinary passersby.

Tang Ya's eyes were full of amazement as she exclaimed, "Wow... so handsome, so beautiful!"

Bei Bei's gaze instinctively fell upon Gu Qiu'er, whose peerless beauty and frosty bearing left him briefly dazed. A trace of astonishment flashed through his heart.

But in the next instant, he came back to his senses and silently shook his head, warning himself.

No. Xiao Ya is the only one in my heart. I absolutely cannot be distracted!

Yet when he saw Tang Ya so openly praising another man's looks, an inexplicable sourness rose within him.

Bei Bei immediately stretched out an arm to shield Tang Ya behind him. Staring warily at Lu Yuan and the others, he asked in a deep voice, "Who are you people?"

Xiao Xiao instantly put her hands on her hips and snapped back without backing down, "Shouldn't you introduce yourselves before questioning others?"

Bei Bei frowned slightly, his tone carrying a hint of pride. "We're from Shrek Academy. And you?"

Gu Qiu'er was about to speak when Lu Yuan gently stopped her with a raised hand.

Lu Yuan casually gave them a name. "We're from the Abyss Cult."

"The Abyss Cult?"

Tang Ya tilted her head slightly, her face full of confusion, before unconsciously pursing her lips.

"Just hearing that name tells me you aren't good people!"

Lu Yuan's face darkened. Raising a brow, he retorted, "Have you heard of us before? Or have you personally seen us commit evil, murder people, and bring disaster upon a region?"

Tang Ya choked up at once. She guiltily lowered her head and stammered softly, unable to offer any rebuttal.

"Since you haven't, what right do you have to slander others for no reason based on a name alone?"

Lu Yuan pressed her step by step, his tone oppressive.

Tang Ya was completely rendered speechless, her cheeks faintly flushing red.

Seeing this, Gu Qiu'er immediately sneered and crossed her arms over her chest.

"So this is what Shrek Academy produces. You have nothing but the title of the continent's number one academy, yet not the slightest bit of manners. You casually slander others the moment you open your mouths. How laughable."

Bei Bei's face instantly turned livid. Fury surged within him, but he forcibly suppressed it.

The three before him possessed steady temperaments and restrained auras. Though they appeared young, they were unfathomable, clearly no ordinary Soul Masters. He had no way of gauging their true strength.

He did not wish to make enemies without cause, so he could only force down his anger and warn coldly, "Shrek is the continent's number one academy. We will not tolerate your wanton slander!"

"I see that you're still young. You're probably planning to participate in Shrek's admissions and seek enrollment, aren't you? With attitudes like yours, you aren't worthy of taking even a single step into Shrek!"

"Pah! Who cares about your lousy academy?"

Xiao Xiao's face was full of disdain.

"The continent's number one academy, really? Then why did I hear that Shrek Academy's students are crammed into a single dormitory building, with over four hundred people fighting over one toilet?"

"With conditions this terrible, you still have the nerve to call yourselves the continent's best? What a joke!"

"You!"

Bei Bei was instantly at a loss for words, his face shifting from green to white. In his rage, he grew even angrier.

That was because every word Xiao Xiao had said was true!

In the end, Bei Bei could only grit his teeth and leave behind a harsh warning. "Fine! Very good! I hope none of you ever set foot in Shrek for the rest of your lives!"

With that, Bei Bei refused to stay any longer. He grabbed Tang Ya and angrily turned away, quickly disappearing down the forest path.

Watching the two leave in a hurry, Lu Yuan said, "Come on. Follow them."

Gu Qiu'er looked at him with a puzzled expression, tilting her head. "Don't you always hate people from Shrek? Why follow them?"

Lu Yuan smiled and explained, "That's one matter, this is another. Hate is hate, but my intuition is accurate. If we follow them, we might gain something unexpected."

Gu Qiu'er sighed helplessly and spread her hands. "Fine. Since you insist, this lady will reluctantly accompany you on this trip."

The three concealed their auras and silently disappeared into the forest, following the two figures ahead at a measured distance.

After following them for quite some time, they discovered another frail young man.

Even Gu Qiu'er could not help laughing.

"How did this trash get in? Are Lord Bear and the others' patrols completely useless? Even a level-ten Soul Scholar got in!"

"Follow him," Lu Yuan said.

"Huh?!"

Gu Qiu'er and Xiao Xiao looked at each other.

Another hour passed.

The three witnessed the famous godslaying scene involving the Ten-Year Wind Baboon.

Gu Qiu'er was dumbfounded. She had thought he had some skill if he dared enter the forest, but he could not even defeat a Ten-Year Wind Baboon!

"Lu Yuan... he looks like he's about to be beaten to death by that Wind Baboon?"

"Should we... save him?"

Lu Yuan shook his head. "Why save him? He's weaker than a beast, yet he wants a Soul Ring? If he dies, it'll already be generous of me not to kick him twice!"

Gu Qiu'er asked in confusion, "Then why are we following him?"

"Wait a little longer. I have a feeling something good should appear soon."

"Hey!"

Gu Qiu'er's eyes widened. "He can actually kill it in return?"

In a clearing within the forest, Huo Yuhao held the White Tiger Dagger, panting heavily.

Before him lay the corpse of the Ten-Year Wind Baboon. He was hesitating over whether to absorb its Soul Ring.

Suddenly, a voice rang out.

"Wuwuwu, at last, this brother has encountered a human with spiritual attributes. What a pity this brother cannot shed tears, or I would surely be crying my eyes out."

The ground suddenly trembled and split open with a massive crack.

Then, a round, plump head emerged. Its body was fleshy and over a meter in diameter, wriggling out as its length stretched beyond seven meters.

"This..."

Huo Yuhao stared at the Soul Beast that had suddenly appeared before him. He quickly raised the White Tiger Dagger in his hand, his face full of panic.

"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid. This brother is..."

"Big-Headed Silkworm!"

Gu Qiu'er cried out in shock. "How did he get out?!"