Embrace

In the Star Dou Forest,

the Man Faced Demon Spider's eight legs blurred into afterimages as it fled desperately.

Two of the eight eyes beneath its abdomen, flickering with a dim purple glow, had been smashed apart, leaving blood and flesh in a mangled mess as purple-black fluid seeped out.

Even the carapace beneath its abdomen bore several cracks.

Its fear of that powerful human Soul Master clung to it like marrow-deep maggots.

The Man Faced Demon Spider, bloodthirsty by nature and regarded as an evil killer, had never imagined that one day, it too would be hunted,

and experience what it felt like to be prey.

The powerful aura left behind by the Titan Giant Ape had yet to dissipate, but it could no longer spare attention for such things.

Hunger... weakness...

Only two desires remained in its mind: escape and feed.

As it fled madly,

the Man Faced Demon Spider suddenly caught the scent of fresh flesh--

the scent of prey.

A human youth stood dozens of meters away, seemingly searching for something,

with his back turned toward it, utterly defenseless.

"Hiss..."

Anyone who could enter this place had to be a human Soul Master.

To Soul Beasts, human Soul Masters with Soul Power and Soul Rings were absolutely nourishing food. Devouring one could rapidly restore its injuries and stamina, and even increase its cultivation by years.

The scent of flesh continuously tempted and stimulated the Man Faced Demon Spider as its eight long legs advanced through the silence,

causing it to ignore everything else and focus all its attention on the youth.

Fifty meters... forty meters... thirty meters...

"Hiss..."

Its mouthparts could not help making faint trembling sounds.

For the bloodthirsty Man Faced Demon Spider, nothing was more exciting than tearing prey apart!

The youth finally turned around and saw it.

It could already imagine the youth's terror and screams in the next moment!

"Hiss hiss hiss!"

Unexpectedly, rather than being frightened, the youth was delighted. Smiling, he said, "I finally found you."

'...'

?

The Man Faced Demon Spider died.

It did not die peacefully.

It fell beneath the claws of three Two-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts.

Looking at the Man Faced Demon Spider's mangled corpse, Lu Shi sighed. If it had not desperately tried to drag him down with it before dying,

the Mandala Snake and the others would at least have left it an intact corpse.

It would not have ended up this miserable.

He tried placing the Man Faced Demon Spider into the Small World, and it worked as expected.

That meant living Soul Beasts should be able to enter as well.

Lu Shi said to the Thunder-Patterned Sacred Tiger, "I'll put the Man Faced Demon Spider in your Small World. When you return, help me find the Soul Bone hidden inside its body."

"Roar roar roar!"

The Thunder-Patterned Sacred Tiger rumbled from its throat and gladly accepted.

"Alright, come back quickly."

Lu Shi stroked each of their heads before putting them away in the Small World.

With the dust settled, Lu Shi let out a deep breath. The heavy weight in his heart finally lifted.

He had finally obtained the Eight Spider Lances...

He continued deeper into the Star Dou Forest.

About half an hour later, Lu Shi saw Xiao Wu hurrying back toward him.

Xiao Wu stared blankly at the approaching youth without blinking. It was as though her entire world had lit up; the sun and moon revolved, light and darkness alternated, and the stars in the sky raced so quickly that she could seemingly see their trails.

Countless memories flashed before her eyes—his smile, his gentleness, his protection...

They all surged into her heart. Her heart throbbed in her chest, filled to the brim, until even her breath became scorching hot.

The feelings she had suppressed for years completely erupted at that moment.

Xiao Wu could no longer endure it. Wind stirred beneath her feet as she threw herself into Lu Shi's arms, tears no longer held back. "I knew you wouldn't leave me!"

With tears like pear blossoms in the rain, she seemed determined to pour out all the grievances she had endured over the years.

Lu Shi did not answer. He merely held Xiao Wu quietly and let her cry.

After a long while.

After crying herself dry, two tear tracks remained on Xiao Wu's pretty face. She sniffled, looked into Lu Shi's eyes, and tears still clung to her lashes.

"Why can't we be together? What exactly is this reason that cannot be spoken of?!"

She did not care whether Lu Shi would be angry after hearing this. She only knew that she could no longer bear a world without him.

Lu Shi gently wiped the tears from Xiao Wu's cheeks. "Someone threatened me. A Titled Douluo wielding a hammer and possessing a Hundred Thousand Year red Soul Ring threatened me."

"He told me to stay away from you."

Xiao Wu's pupils suddenly contracted. A Titled Douluo with a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring?!

When Soul Beasts took human form, they only reached maturity at level sixty. Otherwise, Soul Masters at the Soul Douluo rank or above could directly see through their true forms.

If it was a Titled Douluo...

"At first, I didn't understand why. Why would a Titled Douluo seek me out? Why did he tell me to stay away from you?"

"Only now do I know the reason... Xiao Wu, are you human?"

Xiao Wu's face instantly turned deathly pale. Trembling, she forced out a smile. "Shi... Shi, what are you talking about? We grew up together. How could I possibly be a Soul Beast?"

Humans and Soul Beasts stood opposed to one another. The two could not coexist, and taking human form was her greatest secret,

a secret that could never be revealed.

Lu Shi shook his head. "I don't care who Xiao Wu is. Whether you're human or a Soul Beast, it doesn't matter what you are. I only know that you're the girl who silently watched over me for six years, who liked me for six years, the girl who wanted to defeat me but was ultimately saved by me..."

Xiao Wu's eyes grew moist as she gradually choked up and buried herself in Lu Shi's warm embrace once more.

"Before, I only suspected it. It wasn't until today that I truly became certain—you are a Soul Beast."

Even though she had been mentally prepared, Xiao Wu's body still trembled uncontrollably.

"Other than a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast taking human form, I can't imagine how you could leave the Titan Giant Ape's grasp without a single injury."

Another silence followed.

Pain appeared on Xiao Wu's face as she hugged Lu Shi. "Shi, I can't go back with you. Don't worry. Once I reach maturity, I'll definitely come back to find you."

Being secretly watched by a Titled Douluo could not possibly be a good thing.

To Soul Masters, nothing on a Soul Beast was more precious than its Soul Ring and Soul Bone. And the Soul Ring and Soul Bone of a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast could not even be described as ordinary priceless treasures.

Their value was enough to make an empire wage war.

Lu Shi shook his head again. "At first, I didn't understand that Titled Douluo's identity. Later, when I saw Tang San's hammer, I became certain that he and Tang San must be related—by blood."

"Either father and son, or grandfather and grandson."

Their hammers looked very similar.

Xiao Wu did not doubt him. She had seen Tang San's mysterious little hammer.

She thought about it seriously. A powerful martial soul either came through bloodline inheritance or mutation,

and Tang San's martial soul was not a mutation, which meant it could almost only be inherited through bloodline.

Previously, Lu Shi had filled her mind, and she had never considered such questions. Now that she looked at it,

it was simply terrifying.

"There are two ways for Soul Masters to obtain Soul Rings. One is hunting, and the other is sacrifice. Compared with hunting, having a Soul Beast sacrifice itself carries less risk, produces a stronger Soul Ring, and may even grant special abilities."

"That Titled Douluo can no longer absorb Soul Rings, but Tang San needs them. Perhaps his plan was to make the two of you develop feelings, then arrange for you to enter a hopeless situation and force you to sacrifice yourself."

Cold sweat streamed down Xiao Wu's back. She had never expected that she had long been caught in someone's scheme.

So Tang San's kindness toward her all these years had been solely to obtain her Soul Ring and Soul Bone!