"Hiss."
The Man Faced Demon Spider felt a flicker of fear as it gazed into Qin Ye's enthralled eyes, its eight spider spears instinctively retreating two steps.
"What's wrong? Scared?"
Qin Ye took a step forward, exerting an overwhelming pressure on the Man Faced Demon Spider.
Soul beasts had an instinctive sense for the powerful, just as a bear that had never seen a hunting rifle would not provoke a human holding a gun.
Merely seeing Qin Ye standing there told the Man Faced Demon Spider that he must have some means of killing it. The feeling Qin Ye gave it was far too confident.
"Hiss."
The Man Faced Demon Spider wanted to flee. The flames Qin Ye breathed were practically the natural bane of insect-type soul beasts like itself. On top of that, its severe injuries had drastically reduced its speed, so it probably could not defeat this human anytime soon.
Just as the Man Faced Demon Spider began considering an escape route, the heart demon completed the final ritual.
Qin Ye stared straight at the Man Faced Demon Spider, a dazzling light flashing in his blood-red pupils.
"Heart Demon Interference."
Bzz!
The Man Faced Demon Spider's consciousness instantly plunged into darkness. A moment later, the dark space around it had become a sea of fire.
"Hiss."
The Man Faced Demon Spider looked around but could not find a single exit.
By chance, it spotted a figure amid the sea of flames: Qin Ye, holding a butcher's blade.
"Hiss!"
The Man Faced Demon Spider desperately spat out venomous webs, but within this blazing space, all its struggles were utterly powerless.
The webs burned to ash in midair. In the blink of an eye, Qin Ye had walked up to the Man Faced Demon Spider with his butcher's blade.
The Man Faced Demon Spider was about to raise its spider spears to resist when it discovered that black shackles had somehow bound its legs, leaving its entire body unable to move.
"Now the attacker and defender have traded places."
Qin Ye raised the butcher's blade in his hand and swung it down with all his strength!
Crack!
The Man Faced Demon Spider's soul shattered like a mirror, and its broken consciousness was forcibly blasted out of that space. When it returned to reality, it had completely lost the strength to struggle.
The Man Faced Demon Spider felt utterly powerless, its legs weak. Even moving once was an impossible wish. Finally, filled with endless resentment, it met its destined death.
Shluk!
Qin Ye plunged his blade into the Man Faced Demon Spider's head, ending its life.
A moment later, a brilliant purple soul ring faintly emerged-the Man Faced Demon Spider's Thousand-Year Soul Ring.
"Finally dead. Let's see whether it dropped a soul bone."
Qin Ye ignored the soul ring outright. A mere Thousand-Year Soul Ring did not deserve to occupy one of his soul ring slots. Unless something unexpected happened, his second ring was reserved for Zhu Zhuqing. Her corruption value was currently the highest, the closest to 100.
Therefore, the most profitable strategy was to bind his second soul ring to Zhu Zhuqing.
"Found it!"
On the Man Faced Demon Spider's back, Qin Ye finally discovered the hard Eight Spider Lances soul bone.
The purple soul bone gave off a deep glow, looking like a withered bone that had soaked in a pool of poison for ages. Eight sharp spider spears lay retracted within the eight holes on its back, and every one of them was undoubtedly coated in deadly poison.
Qin Ye immediately removed the soul bone and placed it in his Soul Tool Ring. With nobody nearby to stand guard, recklessly absorbing it would be extremely risky.
"I'd better find somewhere safe to absorb it after I get back. Finding Xiao Wu comes first."
Qin Ye checked the direction of his pursuit again, then destroyed the Man Faced Demon Spider's soul ring before swiftly departing.
Before long, Qin Ye sensed the Titan Giant Ape's powerful, imposing aura. Its pressure was like a mountain; merely approaching left him struggling to breathe.
"Is that Xiao Wu up ahead?"
Qin Ye stood on a broad path the Titan Giant Ape had destroyed, surrounded by the crushed remains of trees. The Titan Giant Ape, an overlord among beasts, stood like a statue before Xiao Wu as she condensed her soul ring, guarding her and staring at Qin Ye with hostile eyes.
Qin Ye stayed where he was, making no rash moves.
At this distance, the Titan Giant Ape could crush him like an ant whenever he wished. Unless Qin Ye could copy a heart demon at the Titled Douluo level, he would never last even one exchange against the Titan Giant Ape.
With one punch from the Titan Giant Ape, Qin Ye would probably have to bid this beautiful world farewell forever.
The Titan Giant Ape stared fixedly at Qin Ye, likewise making no major movements.
Before closing her eyes, Xiao Wu had specifically instructed Er Ming not to hurt her friends if they came after her. Not wanting to anger Sister Xiao Wu, Er Ming had no intention of attacking.
Gradually, as time passed, Xiao Wu's third soul ring fully formed. Her pink eyes, enchanting enough to captivate all who saw them, slowly opened, holding the purity and innocence unique to a young girl.
"Brother Ye!"
The moment Xiao Wu opened her eyes, she saw Qin Ye facing off against Er Ming. Without another word, she ran toward him.
Xiao Wu easily slipped past Er Ming without being stopped and threw herself straight into Qin Ye's arms.
Seeing this, Er Ming glared at Qin Ye in displeasure, blasting thick mist from his nostrils to express his discontent.
"Brother Ye, did you come to save me? Don't worry, I'm fine. I really never imagined you'd be so determined to rescue me."
Xiao Wu tightened her arms slightly around Qin Ye, afraid that the person before her might be an illusion.
Qin Ye reached out and gently stroked Xiao Wu's hair. "As long as you're all right. Xiao Wu, you're my little sister. No matter what happens, I could never abandon you. That's my duty as your big brother."
Watching the pair flaunt their affection, Er Ming finally became furious. After roaring at the sky twice, he left outright, returning to the depths of the Star Dou Great Forest.
Along the way, Er Ming struck every soul beast he saw, treating them as punching bags to vent his fury. One punch for each, his blows shook the entire depths of the forest. The soul beasts passing through truly suffered a terrible stroke of bad luck.
"Xiao Wu, that Titan Giant Ape didn't seem to want to hurt you. Could it be that he knows you well?"
Qin Ye's question struck at Xiao Wu's deepest secret, and her gaze kept darting away.
"I..."
Xiao Wu's rabbit ears drooped. After a fierce inner struggle, she finally raised her head slightly and looked at Qin Ye with earnest eyes.
"Brother Ye, there's something I want to ask you."
"If-and I'm only saying if..."
"If I weren't human, but a soul beast, would you still accept me as your little sister, Brother Ye?"
There was a trace of hesitation in Xiao Wu's eyes, along with a hint of expectation. She eagerly awaited Qin Ye's answer. Whether he accepted her or not, she wanted a definite reply.
"Xiao Wu."
Qin Ye suddenly tightened his arms, holding Xiao Wu firmly against his chest.
"You'll always be my little sister. No matter what you become, I could never abandon you. That's our promise."
Qin Ye loosened his arms slightly and lowered his gaze, studying Xiao Wu's breathtaking face.
With his left hand around Xiao Wu's slender waist and his right gently stroking the long hair down her back, Qin Ye spoke, his eyes brimming with affection.
"Xiao Wu, it's just the two of us here. I have a question for you too."
"Do you... like me?"
The heart demon martial soul quietly slipped into Xiao Wu's body, continually stirring her emotions.
Qin Ye had a feeling that once they passed this hurdle, Xiao Wu's corruption value would undergo a qualitative breakthrough.
Before you continue