Tang San's brows were tightly furrowed.
Then his gaze immediately began searching the Titan Giant Ape's body.
Soon, he spotted the pink figure who had weighed so heavily on his heart atop the Titan Giant Ape's broad shoulder.
Xiao Wu!
Xiao Wu was sitting on the Titan Giant Ape's shoulder, looking down at the fissure ahead, seemingly lost in thought.
But in Tang San's eyes-
Xiao Wu was definitely under this brute's control!
She might even be swallowed whole in the very next instant!
"Brute, let Xiao Wu go!"
Tang San's heart burned with anxiety.
But he did not act rashly, because he knew that once he exposed himself, he would face certain death against so many high-level Soul Beasts.
I have to land the first shot!
Tang San drew a deep breath and slowly reached into his clothes.
He took out an exquisite metal cylinder.
This was the strongest single-target Hidden Weapon he could currently make, the Silent Sleeve Arrow.
Not only had its arrowhead undergone special forging, but it had also been coated in a mixture of deadly Mandala Snake and Man Faced Demon Spider venom.
Even a thick-skinned Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast would be instantly paralyzed if struck in a weak spot.
As long as I blind its eyes, I can use the Flying God Claw to take Xiao Wu away in the chaos.
Tang San silently calculated his moves.
He was extremely confident.
Tang Sect Hidden Weapons were all about striking when least expected.
A brute was a brute, after all. How could it possibly defend against the crystallization of human ingenuity?
Just as Tang San steadied his breathing and prepared to trigger the Hidden Weapon's mechanism-
He had no idea.
That group of Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts ahead, along with those two hundred-thousand-year Ferocious Beasts-
Were desperately suppressing their breathing, terrified of making the slightest sound and disturbing the being underground.
Tang San's gaze sharpened, and his finger abruptly pressed the mechanism.
Whoosh!
The Silent Sleeve Arrow shot through the air, heading straight for the Titan Giant Ape's eye.
Faced with the incoming Hidden Weapon, Er Ming did not even dodge. He merely lowered his eyelid slightly.
Clink!
A crisp metallic impact rang out.
The finely forged steel arrowhead slammed into Er Ming's eyelid without even severing an eyelash, shattering on the spot into several pieces of scrap metal that fell to the ground.
Er Ming did not care at all about an attack that barely scratched an itch.
But that crisp clink made the hearts of Da Ming, the Sky Azure Bull Python, and Er Ming, the Titan Giant Ape, violently seize!
They were not afraid of Tang San.
They were afraid the sound of that lump of metal striking would disturb the being underground!
"Brother?!"
Sitting on Er Ming's shoulder, Xiao Wu spotted Tang San in the bushes and immediately cried out in surprise.
Seeing his first strike fail, Tang San instead sneered.
"Thick hide, just as I thought. Try my Godly Zhuge Crossbow!"
Both his hands reached toward his waist as he made to draw an even more lethal mechanical Hidden Weapon.
At this sight, Da Ming and Er Ming became utterly frantic.
Unable to spare Tang San any attention, Da Ming hurriedly brought his enormous bull's head close to Xiao Wu.
There was no anger in his eyes, only endless anxiety.
"Sister Xiao Wu, hurry and make him stop!"
Da Ming transmitted his voice through Soul Power, his voice trembling.
Xiao Wu froze.
She had initially thought Da Ming and Er Ming had suddenly snatched her away because something unexpected had happened.
Yet now, the two brothers' eyes were clearly filled with urgency and pleading.
"Da Ming, Er Ming, you..." Xiao Wu likewise answered through Soul Power.
"Sister Xiao Wu, how could we ever hurt you?" Da Ming hurriedly explained.
"We brought you here because a tremendous upheaval is about to happen here."
Da Ming glanced at the enormous fissure ahead, awe showing in his eyes.
"As you suspected, an unimaginable being sleeps down there."
"He is the origin of our Soul Beast Clan, the true Ancestor of True Dragons spoken of in legend!"
Xiao Wu's eyes widened, and she covered her mouth with her small hand.
Er Ming also leaned closer and transmitted in a deep, rumbling voice:
"Sister Xiao Wu, that great being's power transcends heaven and earth. The entire Douluo Continent rests on his back!"
"As long as we serve him sincerely, when he awakens..."
"Perhaps Auntie can be brought back to life!"
"And our Soul Beast Clan will never again have to be hunted by humans for Soul Rings!"
Bring Mom back to life!
Those words were like a heavy hammer slamming into Xiao Wu's heart.
Since taking human form, her greatest obsession had been her mother's death.
Now Da Ming and Er Ming were telling her that the being underground could not only change the fate of the entire Soul Beast Clan, but even resurrect her mother?
Xiao Wu's breathing instantly quickened, and her eyes reddened at once.
Meanwhile, Tang San could not hear the Soul Beasts' transmitted conversation at all.
He only saw the two hundred-thousand-year Ferocious Beasts bringing their enormous heads close to Xiao Wu and thought she was trapped in a hopeless situation, about to be swallowed whole.
"Brutes! Don't you dare hurt Xiao Wu!"
Tang San's eyes were bloodshot as he abruptly raised the Godly Zhuge Crossbow and aimed at Da Ming's eye.
He firmly believed that as long as he showed the courage to fight to the death and made enough of a commotion, he could rescue Xiao Wu in the chaos.
Just as he was about to pull the trigger-
"Brother, stop!"
Xiao Wu suddenly turned around and shouted sternly at Tang San.
Tang San froze, the finger resting on the mechanism abruptly stiffening.
He looked at Xiao Wu, his eyes full of incomprehension.
"Xiao Wu, come over here! Your brother will take you away!"
Tang San gritted his teeth, looking utterly righteous.
"Even if it costs me my life, I will never let these two brutes hurt you!"
Although Xiao Wu was touched by his words, she felt even more anxious.
She understood the gravity of the situation all too well.
If Tang San kept provoking them with such reckless disregard for his life, making an even greater commotion with that scrap metal-
And truly disturbed the being underground-
Never mind saving her mother; the entire Star Dou Great Forest, along with Tang San himself, would instantly turn to ash!
"Brother, leave."
Xiao Wu drew a deep breath and forced her tone to become resolute.
Tang San stood rooted to the spot as though struck by lightning.
"Xiao Wu... what are you saying?"
"I'm telling you to leave!" Xiao Wu bit her lip and hardened her heart.
"Da Ming and Er Ming are my friends. They won't hurt me."
"Besides, I belong in the Star Dou Great Forest in the first place. I can't go with you."
Tang San was utterly dumbfounded.
To save Xiao Wu, he had recklessly slipped into the inner region, not even caring about his own life.
He had thought he was a lone hero, the only hope of saving Xiao Wu.
Yet not only was Xiao Wu refusing to leave with him, she was driving him away?
"Xiao Wu, are they threatening you?" Tang San refused to believe it, stubbornly keeping the Godly Zhuge Crossbow raised.
Looking at the ridiculous Hidden Weapon in Tang San's hands, Xiao Wu grew increasingly anxious.
What did these little iron rods amount to before Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts, before that unimaginably enormous true dragon?
If he didn't leave now, it really would be too late!
"No one is threatening me!"
"Tang San, are you leaving or not?!"
Xiao Wu abruptly raised her voice, even calling him directly by name.
"You'll only be a burden to me if you stay here!"
"Hurry up and leave with those useless lumps of iron of yours! Don't come looking for me again!"
At those words, Tang San felt the blood surge violently in his chest.
"A burden..."
He looked at Xiao Wu's resolute eyes, his mind utterly blank.
The Tang Sect Secret Arts he took such pride in.
His resolve to stake his life.
In Xiao Wu's eyes, they had actually become a burden? A pile of useless lumps of iron?
Tang San stood there, utterly desolate, as though all his strength had been drained away, barely able to hold the Godly Zhuge Crossbow in his hands.
Tang San stood there, utterly desolate.
He stared intently at Xiao Wu, trying to find the slightest trace of coercion on her face.
But to his despair, he found none.
There was only resolve in Xiao Wu's eyes, and even a trace of disdain for him.
"Fine... I'll leave."
Tang San gave a bitter, wretched laugh, his voice hoarse.
The Hidden Weapons he took such pride in had been derided as scrap metal.
His determination to risk his life to save her had been called a burden.
For someone as fiercely proud as Tang San, this was harder to bear than death.
He gave Xiao Wu one last look, then turned away, dragging his heavy footsteps as he staggered into the dark forest.
Watching Tang San's forlorn back disappear from sight, Xiao Wu could no longer hold back. Large tears streamed down her face.
I'm sorry, Brother San...
She silently spoke those words in her heart.
But she did not regret it.
Just then, Da Ming and Er Ming suddenly shuddered all over and once again pressed their enormous bodies against the ground.
Xiao Wu hurriedly wiped her tears away and followed the two Ferocious Beasts' gazes toward the enormous fissure ahead.
Deep within the fissure, a faint golden glow slowly rose above the flowing golden blood.
There was nothing aggressive about this glow.
It simply drifted quietly out through the crack and spilled over the surrounding land.
The next instant, a miracle occurred.
The bushes destroyed by the fierce winds and collision of Soul Power just moments earlier actually sprouted tender green branches again in the blink of an eye!
Those withered, dead trees grew into towering giants at a speed visible to the naked eye!
Even Xiao Wu herself, the instant she came into contact with that golden glow-
Found that her Soul Power, which had been stuck at a bottleneck in the thirties, actually broke through without the slightest resistance!
Merely being brushed by a little golden light drifting up from underground had made her level break through!
Xiao Wu's eyes widened. She was utterly astonished.
Everything Da Ming had said was true!
As long as that being awakened, bringing her mother back to life would certainly be no dream!
Meanwhile.
Spirit City, the Worship Hall.
Qian Daoliu knelt before a Six-Winged Angel statue dozens of meters tall, trembling all over.
Bibi Dong stood behind him, her face deathly pale and her eyes filled with unwillingness to accept it.
Ever since seeing that ancient stone tablet in the library and learning that the entire world was nothing more than dirt on that colossal creature's back-
These two powerhouses who stood at humanity's pinnacle had suffered a complete collapse of their convictions.
"Great Enshrined, can we really do nothing but wait here to die?"
Bibi Dong gritted her teeth, her voice steeped in despair.
"If he truly awakens, the entire Douluo Star will be destroyed!"
"We must find a way to save ourselves!"
Qian Daoliu gave a bleak laugh and slowly rose to his feet.
"Save ourselves?"
"With what? Are you going to use those spider legs of yours to pry this planet loose?"
Bibi Dong was left speechless by his retort.
Qian Daoliu drew a deep breath and abruptly turned around, a trace of madness flashing through his aged eyes.
"Human strength truly cannot accomplish it."
"But we still have the gods!"
"As the Angel God's representative in the mortal world, I can burn my life away to send my Divine Sense directly to the Angel God in the Divine Realm!"
"As long as a god is willing to intervene, there will surely be a way to suppress even an ancient monstrosity, or even erase it!"
At these words, a spark of hope rekindled in Bibi Dong's eyes.
That's right, the gods!
They were supreme beings who had created the rules of the Douluo Continent!
As long as the Angel God descended, the tide could surely be turned!
"Please perform the rite, Great Enshrined!" Bibi Dong stepped back half a pace and lowered her head slightly.
Without hesitation, Qian Daoliu bit through the tip of his tongue and spat a mouthful of blood essence onto the Angel Statue before him.
Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, red!
Nine Soul Rings erupted at once, and he poured the Soul Power within him, which was infinitely close to that of a god, into the statue without reservation.
"Great Angel God!"
"Your people face utter annihilation. I implore you to unleash your divine might and save Douluo Star!"
As Qian Daoliu's voice rang out,
the Six-Winged Angel statue, which had stood silent for countless millennia, suddenly burst with waves of golden divine light!
A vast, oppressive might that truly belonged to a god instantly enveloped all of Spirit City!
Bibi Dong was overjoyed, trembling all over with excitement.
The god had answered!
The Angel God was truly about to descend!
The divine light grew ever brighter, and an ethereal yet majestic golden figure slowly took shape above the statue.
It was none other than a wisp of the Angel God's Divine Sense!
Old tears streamed down Qian Daoliu's face in his excitement. He prostrated himself flat on the ground, ready to receive the god's decree.
"My believer, why have you summoned me, even at the cost of burning away your life?"
The voice was ethereal and vast, carrying an unquestionable, supreme divinity.
Qian Daoliu did not even dare lift his head. Trembling all over, he faithfully reported everything that had happened beneath the Star Dou Great Forest, along with the records on that ancient stone tablet.
"Great god, that monster is simply too enormous. The entire Douluo Continent rests on its back!"
"If it truly awakens and turns over, the whole world will be destroyed!"
Qian Daoliu pleaded through tears, his tone full of entreaty.
Yet after hearing Qian Daoliu's tearful account, the Angel God's Divine Sense hovering in the air fell briefly silent.
Then a burst of scornful laughter actually rang out through the hall.
"Ignorant mortals."
The Angel God's voice carried a lofty arrogance.
"All living beings in this world operate under the rules of the Divine Realm."
"A body larger than a star? Carrying a continent on its back?"
"Such a crude illusion, one that cannot withstand the slightest scrutiny, has frightened you into this state?"
At the god's rebuke, Qian Daoliu froze where he lay on the ground.
An illusion?
Bibi Dong, standing nearby, grew even more anxious.
She had seen those scales stretching beyond sight and that flowing golden blood with her own eyes!
"Great Angel God, that was absolutely no illusion!"
Bearing the vast weight of divine might, Bibi Dong gritted her teeth and spoke up in warning.
"A single drop of that monster's blood can crush the void, and even the Great Enshrined's divine artifact was easily shattered by its outer shell. How could this possibly be an illusion?"
The Angel God's Divine Sense in midair tilted its head slightly and cast a glance at Bibi Dong.
That gaze was filled with indifference and disdain.
"Rakshasa's inheritor, you have no right to speak here."
The moment those words fell, Bibi Dong's face paled. She felt a terrifying pressure settle on her shoulders, forcing her straight down onto one knee and leaving her unable to utter another sound.
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