A mountain-sized, crimson Soul Beast of Soul King rank charged out of the dense forest, white fur ringing its ankles.
Its eyes were blood-red, its killing intent towered to the heavens, and a terrifying, suffocating pressure radiated from its body.
The scent of Beast-Luring Incense clung to it with overwhelming intensity, driving it utterly mad!
Even though it could already understand human speech and possessed a measure of intelligence, under the influence of the Beast-Luring Incense, it was like being patted on the head by Nangong Wenya.
Except it did not become docile-it became even more savage!
"It's a ten-thousand-year Soul Beast, equivalent to a Soul King! Run!" Old Xu roared.
But the Soul Beast swept out a massive claw, unleashing a storm of Soul Power that hurled two Soul Grandmasters away, blood spraying from their mouths!
After landing that blow, it let out an excited roar, as though taunting them. It had not even struck with its full strength.
"This is bad!" Old Zhao's face went deathly pale. He turned toward Bibi Dong. "Miss Zhu, run! This beast is beyond you!"
"Go! It's a Blazing Demon Ape, around thirty thousand years old!"
"It loves to toy with its prey. Once it plays them to death, it tosses them to its young to play with!"
Ning Chengyi's gaze fell on the Blazing Demon Ape's feet, where he saw three layers of white down.
Each layer represented ten thousand years, and the paler the fur, the older it was!
Three layers meant thirty thousand years!
Just then, the Blazing Demon Ape roared again. An even more terrifying surge of Soul Power erupted, hurling the other three away as well!
Like kites with snapped strings, the three crashed toward the cliff's edge, landing just one step from the bottomless abyss!
"Uncle Zhao, take them down. Hurry."
Bibi Dong barked the order. This was their chance.
"I'll hold it off. Get out of here!"
The Soul Rings around Bibi Dong pulsed, and the pressure of a Soul Ancestor burst outward.
"Young man, come over here!"
The Blazing Demon Ape's attack had made it easy for the others to descend, but Ning Chengyi had been completely cut off.
"Go down!" Ning Chengyi said coldly, his eyes fixed on the surrounding Soul Beasts. Yet the ground shook more and more frequently.
"Roar!" The demon ape flew into another rage. The Soul Beasts under its command trembled, then launched a charge a moment later.
Meanwhile, Old Zhao and the others forced their injured bodies onward, descending along the rock face one after another without a moment's hesitation.
"Boom!" Seeing the prey already at its lips escape, the demon ape bent its knees and leaped with all its strength, descending like Mount Tai crashing down upon them!
Its eyes grew even more bloodshot, and a low, furious growl rumbled from its throat. "Watch out!" It was about to slam straight down on Ning Chengyi.
Zhu Qianxun's pupils contracted sharply, and she shouted a warning.
"First Soul Skill: Mystic Edge, Leveling Mountains!"
Ning Chengyi did not dare hesitate. This was an enraged strike from a Soul Beast of that level.
For a mere level-seventeen Soul Master like him, the slightest contact could mean death or grievous injury!
With his super armor active, Ning Chengyi narrowly evaded the strike, but the sound wave from its landing left him feeling as though all his internal organs had been knocked out of place. It was agonizing.
At that moment, Bibi Dong unleashed all her Soul Power without hesitation and darted forward like lightning.
Though the demon ape had lost its reason, it sensed the threat and immediately struck again, forcing her to defend with everything she had.
"Boom!"
Their Soul Power collided. Although Bibi Dong's cultivation had regressed, her body was still that of a genuine Titled Douluo. She was only forced back several steps and suffered minor injuries, a thread of blood spilling from the corner of her mouth.
"Let's go!"
Seeing that Old Zhao and the others had successfully withdrawn, Bibi Dong seized the opportunity as she retreated. With a sharp shout, she leaped toward Ning Chengyi to grab him and escape.
Just as she was about to reach Ning Chengyi...
The demon ape's fists came crashing down toward them like cannonballs, tearing through the air with a furious whistle.
The terrifying wind from its punches even distorted the space around them.
Bibi Dong and Ning Chengyi sensed the danger at the same time. Their eyes widened, and both unleashed their greatest power.
Ning Chengyi braced himself against the Desolation-Suppressing God-Breaking Spear and gripped its butt, bending the entire shaft into the curve of a bow.
"Hum!"
At that moment, a brilliant light abruptly erupted from within Bibi Dong as well!
Martial Soul, manifest!
Eight sharp, menacing spider legs rose beneath the cold, dark-purple phantom of the death spider emperor and stretched outward. Eerie purple light rippled across its jet-black carapace, and a bone-piercing chill of death swept through the air.
Martial Soul Possession!
Ning Chengyi's pupils abruptly contracted, and his entire body went rigid. Shock and disbelief churned in his eyes as he murmured.
"Qian Xun... is that you?!"
"Bang!"
Without the slightest hesitation, Bibi Dong seized Ning Chengyi's hand. "Go!" Two tremendous forces burst forth at once, violently flinging them away.
The terrifying force struck Bibi Dong's body, while Ning Chengyi gathered his strength into the spear shaft. The instant their hands joined, they used that force to launch themselves outward, plummeting down along the cliff.
"It's them!"
"Little Zhu!"
"Little Zhu!"
At the cave entrance on the cliff, everyone watched the two figures fall like kites with snapped strings, their hearts torn apart with grief.
"Old Zhu, we've failed you!"
"Old Zhu..." Tears streamed down Old Zhao's face, while the last few to descend covered their faces and wept.
Without Bibi Dong's intervention, they might have been the ones to die.
"We'll avenge them! The Fierce Wolf Group must die!"
"We'll report them to Spirit Hall as Evil Soul Masters. We'll make them repay this debt in blood!"
"That's right." For a moment, everyone in the cave seethed with righteous fury.
Meanwhile, Ning Chengyi held the badly struck Bibi Dong tightly in his arms. Despite her formidable physique, her strength no longer matched it, and the Blazing Demon Ape's blow had knocked her unconscious.
Moreover, Bibi Dong's body was growing increasingly flushed and hot.
What on earth happened? Why does she only have the strength of a Soul Ancestor?
Has she been poisoned?
Guesses flashed through Ning Chengyi's mind. The howling wind ceased, and a splash rang out as they struck the water.
"Hot! So hot..." Bibi Dong murmured in her unconscious state.
"Phantom Butterfly Spirit Tide!" Ning Chengyi summoned his second Martial Soul, but it did nothing. "Can this only cure my own poison?" At that moment, he began to panic.
He swam toward the bank, his mind racing as he tried to think of a way to save Bibi Dong from her current condition.
"So cold, so cold..."
Bibi Dong, who had been burning hot just moments earlier, was now shivering. She instinctively curled into Ning Chengyi's embrace, her whole body trembling as she swung between heat and cold.
"Damn it! Where in the Star Dou Great Forest are we?"
Holding the limp Bibi Dong as she curled in his arms, Ning Chengyi quickly scanned their surroundings. Following the river downstream, he suddenly spotted a place thick with vines. A large protruding rock offered enough shelter from the wind and rain, and with the vines, it could serve as a temporary dwelling.
With the Desolation-Suppressing God-Breaking Spear in hand and one arm around Bibi Dong, he cleared the place briefly, took a mat from his Storage Ring, spread it out, and gently laid her down.
He reached out to feel her forehead. Her temperature kept rising and falling, and her condition remained perilous.
"Damn it, could this poison be the reason for her diminished strength?"
His brows knitted tightly. He turned and hurried outside the cave entrance, tidied up the entire cave, then lit a fire, silently pondering the problem.
"Right, the secret notes!" Ning Chengyi suddenly remembered them. Perhaps they contained a description of this condition, but he found nothing.
"Cold, cold..." Seeing Bibi Dong curled into a ball, he said, "Forgive me." Then he approached, loosened her clothes, removed her soaking garments, and dressed her in his own.
"Hot..." But before long, she began crying out again.
Ning Chengyi realized how troublesome this was becoming, for Bibi Dong was now tearing at her clothes and moaning in unbearable pain.
"I'll try this first!"
Although the Phantom Butterfly had been useless, the enhancement from his second Martial Soul had already changed his own body. As he spoke, he cut himself and let his blood drip into Bibi Dong's mouth.
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