Amaterasu

Star Dou Great Forest, outer region

The vegetation was dense, flowers and grass flourished, and hundred-meter-tall trees stood on both sides.

Wang Xiao and Huo Yuhao walked along a shaded forest path.

After chatting for a while and getting to know each other, their relationship had improved considerably.

"Yuhao, if you and your father acknowledge each other in the future, and someone asks you to take the Dai surname, would you let go of all your grudges?" Wang Xiao asked pointedly.

"Impossible. I'll never forgive him for the rest of my life!"

Huo Yuhao's heart was filled with hatred. He said coldly, "I'll always be Huo Yuhao. I only take my mother's surname. After Mom died, I had no family left."

"Very good. Remember what you said today." Wang Xiao patted his shoulder approvingly.

In the future, Tang San would train this kid like a dog. Then, for various reasons, he would eventually forgive Dai Hao and change his surname back to Dai.

Wang Xiao believed that wrong was wrong. Even if there had been extenuating circumstances, it could not change the fact that Huo Yun'er had died.

Besides, if Dai Hao, as the one in power, had truly loved his wife, he would have visited personally long ago instead of asking the servants about her.

The two walked for a long time but were still wandering around the outskirts. The Star Dou Great Forest was simply too vast.

"By the way, Brother Wang, were you ambushed? Why were you floating in the river for so long?" Huo Yuhao asked curiously.

Who else could it be besides the system?

Of course, Wang Xiao did not say that. He casually replied, "It's a long story, so I won't tell it. Also, don't call me that. It sounds weird."

The moment he finished speaking, a huge commotion suddenly came from ten meters away. The grass there shook violently, as if something was about to emerge.

"Brother Wang, danger!" Huo Yuhao's entire body trembled as his Spirit Eyes stared fixedly behind the grass.

Having returned to his teenage years, Wang Xiao's body was already far beyond what it had once been. The instant the sound rang out, his eyes transformed into a three-tomoe pattern.

He could naturally activate the Mangekyō, but having only just crossed over, he had yet to learn how to refine chakra. Using Mangekyō abilities now would be no different from burning through his body's potential.

"It's here."

Before the words had faded, the bushes exploded. A giant ape burst out amid scattered flowers, baring its fangs and claws as it charged madly at them.

"It's a Ten-Year Wind Baboon." Wang Xiao recognized the soul beast at once.

The future God of Emotions, Huo Yuhao, had nearly been solo-killed by this baboon.

The giant ape had a mouth full of fangs and a terrifyingly ferocious face. It was as large as an adult tiger. Huo Yuhao had never seen such a scene before and froze in place, forgetting to run.

"Move!" Seeing the Wind Baboon about to reach them, Wang Xiao raised his leg and kicked Huo Yuhao squarely in the butt.

Huo Yuhao cried out in pain and was sent flying by the tremendous force, plunging headfirst into bushes over ten meters away.

"How did I kick him that far?" Wang Xiao stared in astonishment. He had not even used any strength.

With no time to think, he slid forward, passing almost beneath the Wind Baboon's belly and dodging its pounce.

Bang!

A thick tree trunk was grazed by the beast's paw and exploded on the spot, scattering splinters everywhere. Its strength was truly terrifying.

Wang Xiao felt that his movements had become much more agile and had been considering fighting it head-on. But upon turning around and seeing that sight, he immediately took off running without another word.

Huo Yuhao was running too, but he clutched one side of his butt as tears welled up in his eyes.

"Brother Wang, go easier next time. My butt's already red."

Wang Xiao's mouth twitched. How could he have known his strength had increased so much? Even he found it unbelievable.

The two sprinted wildly through the forest, but two legs could not outrun four. The Wind Baboon was getting closer and closer.

"Brother Wang, you said you'd protect me. You must have some powerful trump card, right? If you keep hiding it, we'll get caught," Huo Yuhao shouted as he ran.

This kid was sharp.

"Now that you mention it, there really seems to be something in my sea of consciousness." Wang Xiao's thoughts stirred, and his forehead suddenly lit up as a streak of red light flew out.

The light was only the size of half a bean, but when it landed in his hand, it became a large red scroll over a meter long.

"Holy crap, a Sealing Scroll!" Wang Xiao gaped. The cheap ninjutsu gift pack he had picked at random had actually dropped top-tier loot!

The techniques recorded inside were enough to shake the entire soul master world.

He opened the scroll while running, and one forbidden technique after another gradually appeared.

"Flying Thunder God, Multiple Shadow Clone, Eight Gates, Impure World Reincarnation, Eight Trigrams Sealing..."

Wang Xiao stared for several seconds. Everything remained normal, and the imagined method of directly receiving the knowledge never happened.

"Fine, I still have to comprehend them myself." He was completely out of options.

At first, Huo Yuhao had been excited, thinking Wang Xiao had pulled out some world-destroying weapon. But it was just a lousy scroll, and he nearly broke down.

His newly acknowledged big brother was way too unreliable.

"I refuse to believe that I can start at the peak and still lose to a beast. I might as well jump off a building."

Wang Xiao suddenly came to a stop. He was done running. A real man fought with real blades and fists.

However, Huo Yuhao was truly unlucky.

The Wind Baboon did not even glance at Wang Xiao. It suddenly leaped up, opened its huge fang-filled mouth, and pounced on Huo Yuhao.

Wang Xiao had been ready to risk his life. Left with no choice, he turned back and kicked Huo Yuhao in the butt again.

Huo Yuhao wailed as he was sent flying more than ten meters again. He crashed into a tree, fell down, and landed face-first in the dirt.

Wang Xiao wanted to say that he really had not done it on purpose.

Huo Yuhao clutched his other buttock, tears streaming down his face from the pain. This time, both sides of his butt were swollen.

The Wind Baboon kicked off the tree trunk and used the momentum to pounce back.

It let out a shrill roar, seemingly furious that Wang Xiao had ruined its grand plan.

"Beast, you came at the perfect time!"

Rather than dodge, Wang Xiao ran forward to meet it.

Just as he was about to crash into its foul-smelling maw, he dropped onto his butt and slid beneath its belly.

"Take this!"

Wang Xiao aimed at the Wind Baboon's groin and threw a full-force punch.

"Roar!"

The Wind Baboon's groin exploded on the spot, becoming a bloody mess as it threw back its head and let out a miserable scream.

Bang!

The enormous force blasted it into the air, sending it seven or eight meters high before it crashed heavily to the ground and kicked up a cloud of dust.

Yet the Wind Baboon did not die. Instead, the injury made it even more frenzied, and its beastly eyes turned scarlet red.

"Roar!"

It let out a long, miserable howl, turned around, and charged madly at the closest target—Huo Yuhao.

Wang Xiao immediately panicked. Why was this kid lying on the ground? Why was he not running?

He charged forward as well, but they were at least fifteen meters apart. He would not make it in time.

Huo Yuhao struggled to his feet. After being kicked twice in the butt in succession, his legs had gone weak, and he had no strength left to take a step.

Seeing the Wind Baboon reach him, he howled in despair.

"Brother Wang, I was wrong! I never thought you'd be so heartless. A few words, and you're trying to get me killed!

"I'll never badmouth you in my head again."

Wang Xiao's face darkened. So this kid, who looked so innocent, had actually been talking trash behind his back.

Even so, he could not stand by and watch Huo Yuhao die.

But the distance was too great. Even with all his strength, there was nothing he could do.

"No choice. I can only use this!"

Wang Xiao fixed his gaze on the Wind Baboon. The next second, the three tomoe in his left eye moved, spinning at extreme speed before gradually merging into a pattern of nine starbursts.

"Amaterasu!"