The black mist left behind after the Mandala Snake's defeat slowly dissipated into the air. Xiao Chen stood where he was, his gaze sweeping across the barren grassland around him.
Even a Mandala Snake with three thousand years of cultivation could not withstand a single blow from Wither. It had been dealt with in less than three breaths.
Since a Mandala Snake had appeared here, there probably weren't any other Soul Beasts around. Staying here to hunt would accomplish little besides wasting time.
Xiao Chen was just about to set off on foot to find Na'er when his gaze suddenly fell on Wither beside him, and a mischievous idea sprang to mind.
Wither was his Martial Soul anyway, so riding his own Martial Soul was perfectly reasonable, right?
Once the thought occurred to him, Xiao Chen hesitated no longer and immediately acted.
Xiao Chen gathered his strength and leaped onto Wither's central skull.
The next second, Wither carried him steadily into the air.
Standing atop Wither, Xiao Chen looked down over the entire Primary Spirit Ascension Platform.
"Sure enough, flying is much more convenient than traveling on the ground!"
Compared to feeling his way along the ground, searching from this bird's-eye view was ridiculously efficient.
Xiao Chen controlled his Wither Martial Soul to fly at a steady speed at low altitude, scanning the stretches of forest below and inwardly marveling at his own ingenuity.
As he flew over an open clearing surrounded by dense woods, a jumble of beastly roars rang out.
Xiao Chen's gaze abruptly sharpened. He instantly pinpointed the source of the sounds and looked closely, spotting Na'er trapped in the middle of a surrounding pack of beasts.
At that moment, Na'er stood alone in the center of the clearing, every retreat to her front, back, left, and right completely cut off.
More than twenty Wind Baboons surrounded her so tightly that not even water could have seeped through.
Wind Baboons could be counted among the most useless Soul Beasts on the Douluo Continent. They had even been able to battle the Spirit Ice Douluo as a child ten thousand years ago.
At the very center of all the Wind Baboons stood a leader Soul Beast far larger than an ordinary Wind Baboon.
It had a powerful body, with violent Soul Power swirling around it. It was unmistakably a Wind Baboon King with a thousand years of cultivation.
Trapped by a group of lowly Soul Beasts that were no more than ants in her eyes, Na'er's delicate little face was filled with frustration.
She was a being who possessed thirty percent of the Silver Dragon King's origin power-one half of the Dragon God.
If only that stingy Gu Yue hadn't forcibly placed a seal on her when she had just split off and knew nothing.
Would she have fallen so low that a bunch of Wind Baboons found everywhere could pin her down like this? The thought left Na'er both embarrassed and furious.
Frustration surged in her heart. Na'er's clear silver eyes narrowed slightly, and the petulance in her heart turned into fierce fighting spirit. No longer deliberately holding back her strength, she decisively activated her Martial Soul's Soul Power.
"Silver Dragon's Wrath!"
Her clear, sweet shout rang throughout the clearing, and draconic might abruptly erupted from her small body.
Pure, immense silver Soul Power swept in every direction, instantly forming three keen, chilling Dragon Blades that tore through the air and swept toward the surrounding beasts closing in!
Pfft, pfft, pfft!
Three light sounds of air being pierced rang out in succession. The three Wind Baboons at the very front, attacking the most fiercely, had no time to dodge. The condensed Dragon Blades instantly pierced their bodies, and all vitality within them collapsed in an instant.
The three figures turned into specks of spiritual energy that entered Na'er's body.
But Na'er's attack intimidated the pack for only a moment.
Rather than becoming afraid and retreating, the remaining twenty-odd Wind Baboons were thoroughly enraged by the violent commotion of battle and their companions' deaths, growing even more vicious and frenzied.
The thousand-year Wind Baboon leader in the center raised its head and let out a savage roar that shook the woods.
In an instant, all the Wind Baboons leaped up together, lunging at her from every direction. Their sharp claws and fangs sliced through the air with rushing whistles.
The dense barrage of attacks completely sealed off every space Na'er could dodge into, giving her no chance to catch her breath, adjust, or gather strength.
Suddenly faced with the frenzied assault of over twenty Wind Baboons, with a thousand-year Soul Beast overseeing them and adding pressure, Na'er floundered in panic. She froze where she stood, unsure how to respond.
As the fierce, vicious pack of Wind Baboons rushed toward her, Leng Yaozhu in the monitoring room was already planning to take Na'er offline from the Spirit Ascension Platform.
A sense of danger instantly enveloped her whole body. Na'er's little face paled slightly, and she blurted out, "Oh no!"
At that critical moment, when her life hung by a thread, a sudden change erupted high overhead!
Countless cold, pitch-black Wither skulls materialized out of thin air, densely packed as they rained down like a meteor shower. Carrying pure destructive power, they slammed with unerring accuracy into the tightly clustered pack of Wind Baboons!
Boom, boom, boom-!!!
An unbroken series of deafening explosions rang out, making the entire clearing tremble slightly.
Black mist imbued with destructive power instantly blanketed the woodland. Violent aftershocks of Soul Power rampaged freely, whipping up dust and fallen leaves across the ground.
The dozen or so Wind Baboons on the outer edge had no time to react. Struck head-on by the explosions from the Wither Heads, their bodies burst apart on the spot, killing them instantly without even a chance to struggle.
And those Wind Baboons that had luckily dodged the Wither Heads' explosions and rejoiced at escaping disaster still could not escape the black mist produced by those explosions.
The pitch-black mist spreading through the air clung tightly to every Wind Baboon's body like a festering infection attached to the bone.
Gray-black withering patterns spread rapidly across their bodies at a rate visible to the naked eye, mercilessly stripping away their vitality and frantically breaking down the Soul Power within them.
In just a few breaths, every Wind Baboon, including the strongest among them, the leader with a thousand years of cultivation, had its vitality completely exhausted. Their bodies stiffened and crashed to the ground, utterly dead, without the slightest movement remaining.
The Wind Baboon pack that had been so menacing moments ago was completely wiped out.
They turned into spiritual energy and entered Xiao Chen's body, successfully pushing his Soul Spirit past the thousand-year mark.
This sudden, swift, and decisive rescue left the still-shaken Na'er utterly stunned, standing blankly where she was.
She instinctively raised her eyes toward the sky, where the black mist was gradually dispersing.
Beneath the clear daylight, the boy stood quietly atop the pitch-black skull of his Martial Soul, his clothes fluttering gently in the wind, his figure graceful and upright.
It was Xiao Chen!
Na'er's formerly anxious, unsettled heart began fluttering like a little deer. Her silver eyes suddenly lit up with a dazzling brilliance, and all the panic and frustration in her heart were swept away, leaving nothing but surprise and elation.
With a slight shift of thought, Xiao Chen controlled Wither to descend slowly, then landed lightly on the ground, coming to a steady stop in front of Na'er.
His feet had only just settled when a warm, petite figure threw herself at him.
Na'er opened her fair, tender arms and hugged Xiao Chen's arm tightly, pressing her little face affectionately against his sleeve. Her soft, sweet voice brimmed with joy. "Big Brother Xiao Chen! You're finally here!"
Looking at Na'er, so full of dependence on him, Xiao Chen's head filled with question marks.
Was this really the Silver Dragon King?
Hiss... Na'er wasn't turning into a little love-addled girl, was she? This wasn't right!
From what he had observed over the past few days, Na'er should have had the Silver Dragon King's memories.
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