"A beast tide? How is that possible!"
Meng Chen was dumbfounded too.
Generally speaking, a beast tide would only erupt in the Star Dou Great Forest when excessive hunting occurred.
Ever since Spirit Hall and the two great empires had issued laws forbidding the indiscriminate hunting of soul beasts, the Star Dou Great Forest had gone many years without a beast tide.
Unless some rare being in the Star Dou Great Forest had been hunted down by humans.
Had something happened to the Three-Eyed Golden Lion?
Meng Chen snuffed out that thought as soon as it surfaced.
Impossible!
She had, at most, five thousand years of cultivation right now. Di Tian would never let her out of his sight. Forget hunting her-humans couldn't even catch a glimpse of her.
Meng Chen had the Flying Eagle Soul Emperor carry him into the sky, where he carefully surveyed the surroundings.
Soon, he noticed something strange about the beast tide.
"Wait... that bull's bellow?!"
Meng Chen heard a bull's bellow drifting faintly from an extremely distant place.
There was no shortage of bovine soul beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest, but Meng Chen could think of only one whose bellow could command the beasts.
The forest emperor of this era-the Sky Azure Bull Python!
So it had started this beast tide?
Why? For Xiao Wu?
Sky Azure Bull Python: "Sister Xiao Wu is back. Who's going to pick her up?"
Titan Giant Ape: "Drinking can wait. I'll go!"
Man Faced Demon Spider: "Hunting can wait. I'll go!"
Mandala Snake: "Shedding can wait. I'll go!"
Dark Demon Evil God Tiger: "Pick her up, my ass! I'll eat the whole lot of you!"
The more Meng Chen thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.
Who besides that rabbit could provoke such a huge reaction from the Sky Azure Bull Python?
The Flying Eagle Soul Emperor brought Meng Chen back down. His gaze was grave; soul hunting was no longer a concern. They had to escape this beast tide first.
Meng Chen said, "Let's get out of here quickly. That beast tide is heading our way."
The Flying Eagle Soul Emperor nodded and pointed toward a direction clear of the beast tide, based on his observations from the sky. The group immediately retreated that way.
Yet from the very direction he had indicated, a long, fat creature bearing nine rings of golden markings was racing toward them. It was unmistakably a giant, plump silkworm.
However, his jade-white body was covered in charred patches and numerous red, swollen areas, and his life force was extremely unstable.
"Good heavens! Someone was clearly keeping that damned bull occupied, so how did it still discover me? I'd hidden myself so well!"
"Damned bull, you've swallowed so much of my natural energy. Couldn't you turn a blind eye and let me go?"
"And that big gorilla really hits hard! Luckily, my spiritual power was strong enough to deflect much of the force. Otherwise, my perfect body would've been hammered flat!"
"I absolutely cannot let them capture me again. I have to find a human and put my plan into action!"
"A human! A human! Where on earth is a human suited to me?"
The giant, plump silkworm spread his spiritual power across an unknown distance. Suddenly, his body trembled, wild joy surged through him, and he looked toward Meng Chen.
"Why does that aura feel so familiar? It seems so much like that person's. How is that possible?"
"But this human child's spiritual power is such high quality! It's very weak, but its quality is even greater than mine!"
"Hehehe, I choose you-my perfect host..."
Meng Chen's group swiftly threaded their way through the dense forest. The Flying Eagle Soul Emperor flew overhead, occasionally glancing toward the beast tide. He was immensely relieved to confirm that it had not shifted toward them.
"This beast tide came out of nowhere. Thank goodness we noticed it early, or we'd have been in trouble."
The Wolf Soul Emperor, who was clearing their path, destroyed the trees blocking the way, still shaken by the close call.
They might have had two Soul Emperors, but even a Titled Douluo would struggle to escape a beast tide. One careless mistake could cost them their life.
Meng Chen followed closely behind the Wolf Soul Emperor. Although he was not a soul master, his physical prowess was no weaker than a Soul Elder's, and he did not fall behind.
"Young Master Chen, let's leave the forest as quickly as possible. We can come back to hunt once the beast tide is over."
The Wolf Soul Emperor glanced back and spoke to Meng Chen. Meng Chen nodded. They could hunt soul beasts anytime; safety mattered more.
Then the Wolf Soul Emperor asked the Flying Eagle Soul Emperor to determine the way out of the forest.
The Flying Eagle Soul Emperor beat his wings, about to soar into the sky, when his body suddenly shuddered. He fell from midair and crashed into the woods ahead.
It was not just the Flying Eagle Soul Emperor. Everyone except Meng Chen-even the Wolf Soul Emperor-swayed and collapsed onto the ground.
In that instant, Meng Chen detected a strange spiritual power invading his Sea of Consciousness, trying to render him unconscious as well.
"Who's there? Come out!"
Meng Chen abruptly raised his head and growled furiously. His sharply defined black-and-white eyes suddenly turned golden, blazing as brilliantly as the scorching sun!
"Don't be angry, don't be angry. I only put them to sleep. I didn't hurt them."
Suddenly, a youthful voice sounded beside Meng Chen's ear. At the same time, three or four meters ahead of him, a fissure opened in the ground at a speed visible to the naked eye.
A golden-white glow flickered faintly within the fissure. Wisps of icy cold seeped out, and the surrounding temperature began to drop noticeably.
As the fissure continued to widen, it soon reached more than five meters across.
At last, the source of the golden-white light revealed himself. It was a round, fleshy-looking head more than a meter in diameter. He wriggled slowly out of the ground, his body stretching over seven meters long.
His entire body was translucent, the color of white jade. Although he had emerged from the soil, there was not a speck of dirt on his smooth skin. A soft glow flowed beneath his skin, and a pair of tiny, glittering golden eyes sat on his head.
Most peculiar of all, starting half a meter behind his head, a golden ring encircled his body at regular intervals. From head to tail, there were nine golden rings in total.
The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm!
Meng Chen recognized the plump white-and-gold silkworm at first glance, astonishment filling his heart.
Wasn't this giant, plump silkworm supposed to be beneath the Lake of Life at this point, serving as a power bank for Di Tian and the others?
How had he escaped?!
Wait! Could the beast tide they'd just encountered have been started not to welcome Xiao Wu, but to capture this giant, plump silkworm?
Meng Chen had already pieced everything together.
Seeing Meng Chen standing stunned, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm assumed the human had been dazzled by his perfect body and smugly wriggled again.
"Human, you're captivated by my body, aren't you? I spent plenty of natural energy remodeling it. Countless soul beasts have pursued me to get their hands on my body, but I never agreed."
"First, let me introduce myself. I am the embodiment of heroism and chivalry, the king of kings among soul beasts, blessed with both wisdom and beauty-a peerless powerhouse with 900,000 years of cultivation, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, who set the record for the greatest soul beast age on the Douluo Continent. Yes, you can call me Brother Sky Dream!"
When Meng Chen said nothing, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm continued his smug self-praise.
"Surprised? Excited? You're the first human ever to see my true body."
"Other humans haven't even heard of my illustrious name, let alone seen me."
"But fate has brought us together, so I'm willing to give you a chance. As long as you agree to become my host, I'm willing to sacrifice myself to you and become the first Wisdom Soul Ring in the continent's history!"
Before you continue