Zhao Wuji shouted and immediately rose to his feet.
The Star Dou Great Forest was relatively quiet at night.
Few Soul Masters chose to travel after dark.
But it should never have been this quiet. They couldn't hear even a single insect chirping.
Something was seriously wrong.
"What's wrong, Teacher Zhao?"
Ma Hongjun was completely bewildered. Weren't they about to rest?
Zhao Wuji scanned their surroundings intently and said gravely, "It's too quiet!"
"There's only one possible reason for silence like this-a high-level soul beast is nearby!"
"What? A high-level soul beast? Aren't we on the outskirts of the forest?"
Zhao Wuji's words made the students blanch.
The soul beasts on the outskirts were all young. A high-level soul beast was unlikely to appear here.
Lin Xiao narrowed his eyes slightly. Unless something unexpected happened, Er Ming was coming.
The moment Xiao Wu stepped into the Star Dou Great Forest, Er Ming would have sensed her.
After several years apart, Er Ming would certainly want to see his Sister Xiao Wu.
Things were about to get interesting.
He immediately ordered the Sword Immortal Clone to stand by.
Once he confirmed Tang San's direction, the clone would get there first and slaughter every Man Faced Demon Spider!
He also needed to pick up his own pace and meet Xiao Wu before Tang San did.
"System, use the Soul Bone Upgrade Card!"
[Ding! Soul Bone Upgrade Card successfully used. Wind-Thunder Twin Wings' age increased to thirty thousand years!]
An increase of twenty thousand years?
It wasn't the maximum, nor was it the guaranteed minimum. A fairly middle-of-the-road increase.
Not bad.
The other students remained on guard, ready for a soul beast to appear at any moment.
Before long, the ground began to tremble, and a chaotic rush of footsteps drew closer.
In the blink of an eye, a vast number of soul beasts appeared around the camp.
There were so many that Zhao Wuji's face turned white.
Had he been alone, escaping would certainly have been no problem.
But with a whole team in tow, many of his students might die.
Before he could think of a response, the soul beasts rushed straight past the camp, running like mad.
"They... aren't attacking us?"
Oscar scratched his head.
Had the soul beasts come out in the middle of the night to get together and run a marathon?
The others gradually relaxed as well. As long as the beasts weren't attacking the camp, they were safe.
Yet Zhao Wuji didn't relax in the slightest. Instead, his expression grew even graver.
"If this many soul beasts are fleeing, the high-level soul beast behind them must be extraordinary!"
"It could be tens of thousands of years old!"
A soul beast tens of thousands of years old?
Everyone's heart clenched.
A soul beast at that level could easily wipe out their team.
Even though Zhao Wuji was a Soul Saint, he would still be no match for a soul beast tens of thousands of years old.
It seemed they were in danger.
Among the group, Xiao Wu wore a slightly strange expression.
She glanced at Lin Xiao several times, wanting to speak but holding back.
Lin Xiao noticed and turned to smile at her.
That smile put Xiao Wu completely at ease.
Lin Xiao had come from the future. He surely knew what was about to appear.
After they waited a while longer, the ground shook more violently.
The thunderous thud, thud, thud felt like a massive hammer pounding against their hearts.
Suddenly, the sky went completely dark, every ray of moonlight blocked out.
An enormous creature appeared before them, blotting out the sky like a small mountain.
Everyone looked up, their pupils trembling and their faces pale.
Even Zhao Wuji, a Soul Saint, was trembling slightly now, sweat pouring from him.
"The king of the forest, the Titan Giant Ape!"
"Why... why would he be on the outskirts?"
Zhao Wuji's voice trembled.
Tang San and the others were startled.
This was the first time they had seen Zhao Wuji so terrified.
He was a Soul Saint. Could he really not deal with this soul beast?
Ning Rongrong covered her mouth and gasped. "The Titan Giant Ape? A hundred-thousand-year soul beast?"
A hundred-thousand-year soul beast!
Those words weighed on their hearts like a massive boulder.
As far as they knew, hundred-thousand-year soul beasts stood at the very pinnacle of all soul beasts.
The legendary hundred-thousand-year soul beasts possessed the power to destroy heaven and earth.
With one standing before them, were they really going to die?
Even Zhao Wuji couldn't withstand a single punch from the Titan Giant Ape.
After all, even Titled Douluos would take a detour when they saw a soul beast like this. They wouldn't dare provoke him.
"Everyone, stay quiet and back away slowly."
Zhao Wuji lowered his voice.
Their best option now was to avoid attracting the Titan Giant Ape's attention. Otherwise, all of them would die.
But just as they were about to retreat, the Titan Giant Ape lowered his head and fixed his gaze on their group.
ROAR!!!
Suddenly, the Titan Giant Ape threw back his head and roared.
The enormous roar made their ears ache, and they all clapped their hands over them.
The terrifying wave of sound whipped up a hurricane, sending trees crashing down.
"Esteemed Titan Giant Ape, we mean no harm. Please allow us to leave."
Once the roar ended, Zhao Wuji summoned his courage and bowed with his hands clasped.
Hundred-thousand-year soul beasts possessed extraordinary intelligence. He had to humble himself; perhaps they would still have a chance to survive.
But the Titan Giant Ape had finally made it here. How could he possibly retreat without achieving his goal?
His right hand reached straight toward them.
"Run!"
The instant Zhao Wuji saw him move, he shouted.
At the same time, he unleashed one Soul Skill after another, hoping to slow the Titan Giant Ape down.
Yet everything in the path of Er Ming's palm was smashed to pieces.
Zhao Wuji spat out a mouthful of blood and was sent flying more than ten meters before he stopped.
Tang San and the others each used their abilities, trying to evade Er Ming's palm.
But at that moment, Er Ming suddenly grabbed Xiao Wu, then turned and raced into the depths of the forest.
Er Ming left as swiftly as he had arrived.
None of them had even managed to react.
By the time they came to their senses, Er Ming had already vanished from sight.
Only then did Tang San seem to realize something.
"No! Xiao Wu!!!"
He threw back his head and roared, then immediately used Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track to chase in the direction Er Ming had gone.
"Damn it! That reckless brat! After him!"
Zhao Wuji gritted his teeth. He hadn't expected Tang San to rush out at a time like this.
Wasn't he courting death?
A sharp glint flashed in Lin Xiao's eyes. Now that he had confirmed the direction, he could begin.
He contacted the Sword Immortal Clone and had it follow Tang San's route.
Tang San raced onward, his mind filled with his plan to save the damsel.
A possibility occurred to him.
Xiao Wu was a hundred-thousand-year soul beast who had taken human form. Could the Titan Giant Ape who had appeared know her?
If they knew each other, he would surely be safe going to her rescue.
He might even gain the friendship of a hundred-thousand-year soul beast and obtain another hundred-thousand-year Soul Ring and Soul Bone in the future.
What a bargain!
Meanwhile, the rest of the team followed Zhao Wuji.
Just then, Lin Xiao suddenly said, "Teacher Zhao, I'll go find Xiao Wu first."
"What? You..."
Zhao Wuji's eyes widened, but before he could say anything else, Lin Xiao had already summoned the Wind-Thunder Twin Wings.
Everyone stared, transfixed, as the dazzling Wind-Thunder Twin Wings appeared.
Then Lin Xiao beat his wings and soared into the sky, becoming a streak of light that vanished from everyone's sight.
"What... what was that?"
"It looked like a Soul Bone?"