Sun Wukong, Douluo Continent edition
"Hmm?"
In Qian Renxue's eyes, Xiao Yao had gone from an unruly youth to a rebellious one, and she could not help feeling playful.
"Of course, but this isn't farewell. It's see you again."
Once Xiao Yao and Xiao Wu had gone some distance, she said to Snake Lance and Pufferfish:
"Follow them."
"But, young master, we've already been out rather long this time. If we don't go back soon, it might arouse suspicion."
"Have that impostor stir up some trouble in Heaven Spirit City, then feign illness and refuse visitors to buy us some time."
"Yes."
Then she looked at Xiao Yao's retreating figure:
"Boy, you won't escape the palm of my hand."
At this point, Xiao Yao had established a connection with Qian Renxue.
But that was not enough. Xiao Yao needed to create an opportunity for Qian Renxue to "conquer" him.
Qian Renxue was proud by nature. Pinning her beneath him would be very difficult and might even backfire.
He might as well let her climb on top herself.
Xiao Yao had appeared before Qian Renxue with an unruly attitude, using a personality that was "cold outside, warm inside" to arouse her curiosity and desire for conquest.
But two people like that could not get along well together, so Xiao Yao needed to give Qian Renxue an opportunity.
To let her believe she already had him in the palm of her hand.
Xiao Yao and Xiao Wu returned to where they had left their carriage, but did not continue toward Heaven Dou City.
"Xiao Wu, are there any dangerous places nearby?"
Xiao Wu leafed through the map of Heaven Dou City they had bought:
"To the southeast, there's Vajra Canyon. A thousand-year Soul Beast, a Wild Vajra Ape, has made its lair there."
"Good. We'll go there."
The two drove toward Vajra Canyon. Xiao Wu furtively switched into her bunny girl skin and mustered all her spiritual power to look behind them, but unfortunately discovered nothing.
She could not help asking doubtfully, "Brother Xiao Yao, will they really follow us? I haven't seen anything."
Xiao Yao smiled. "Trust your own judgment. Besides, those two old men are Titled Douluo. It would be strange if you did spot them."
"Titled Douluo!!!" Xiao Wu exclaimed. She had only known that the two old men, one fat and one thin, were unusually powerful. She had never expected them to have reached the Titled Douluo level.
"Oh, they really didn't discover me!"
"I told you, no one in this world can discover your identity. You can freely enjoy everything the human world has to offer."
"Mm, all thanks to you, Brother Xiao Yao."
As they spoke, the two arrived at their destination, Vajra Canyon.
Straight, steep cliffs rose on either side, with only a two-meter-wide path between them.
Sections of the cliffs had crumbled away, exposing grayish-black metal within.
Xiao Wu explained, "This canyon is a deposit of a rare iron ore. Many kinds of metal-attribute Soul Beasts feed on it and like to claim an iron deposit as their territory."
"The owner of this iron deposit is a thousand-year Wild Vajra Ape."
Xiao Yao found that rather strange. "This is the first time I've seen a Soul Beast that doesn't live in a Soul Beast forest. Isn't this Wild Vajra Ape making itself very conspicuous, living so brazenly out here?"
"Wouldn't someone who needs its Soul Ring come straight here to hunt it?"
The rules governing the world of the Douluo Continent differed from those of other worlds. Situations found in other fantasy worlds, where a Soul Beast of ordinary strength dominated an area, basically did not exist here.
Xiao Wu smiled faintly. "That involves something special about Wild Vajra Apes. Their cultivation grows very slowly, nearly half as fast as ordinary Soul Beasts, but there's nothing special about their strength."
"That's because they have a piece of lifebound metal that holds half their cultivation. As long as that piece of lifebound metal remains, they won't die. Even if their bodies are killed, they won't drop a Soul Ring."
"Over time, humans came to think this kind of Soul Beast didn't produce Soul Rings, so they stopped bothering to hunt them."
Xiao Yao clicked his tongue in wonder as he listened. The Douluo Continent truly held every conceivable marvel. Even Soul Beasts like this existed.
Wait, from what Xiao Wu said, these apes could resurrect through their lifebound metal after dying.
How did they resurrect, then? Did they pop out of the metal?
Wouldn't that make them the Douluo Continent's version of Sun Wukong?
As his thoughts wandered, the two gradually made their way deeper into the canyon.
Beyond its initially narrow stretch, the canyon gradually widened.
After they had walked several hundred meters, the cliffs on either side were already dozens of meters apart.
"Watch out." With her stronger spiritual power, Xiao Wu detected the enemy's appearance sooner. She hurriedly pushed Xiao Yao aside and leaped in the opposite direction.
A dark shadow dropped down, smashing a deep crater with a two-meter radius into the rocky ground.
Xiao Yao held Fallen Heart Flame in his hand and condensed it into a long whip.
With a flick of the whip, he followed the resistance he felt and bound the Soul Beast within.
The dust cleared, revealing the Wild Vajra Ape in full.
It stood five meters tall, with its upper body alone accounting for three and a half meters. Its legs were not short, but they could not straighten, keeping it in a constant half-squat.
Its muscles were well developed, crawling over its upper body like coiling dragons.
Short, pitch-black fur covered its entire body except for the muscles of its chest, gleaming like obsidian in the sunlight.
The flaming whip wound around its right hand, and flames spread upward along it.
The intense burning made it roar in fury.
"Ugly brute, look here."
"Second Soul Skill, Charm."
Xiao Wu changed into her bunny girl outfit, a red glow rising in her eyes.
Red reflected in the Wild Vajra Ape's lantern-sized eyes. In its vision, a silver Wild Vajra Ape appeared before it.
A small bunch of flowers was tucked atop its head, and it was coquettishly preening and posing at him.
The Wild Vajra Ape wore a lecherous expression and reached out with its free left hand, trying to draw the flower-adorned ape into its embrace.
Unfortunately, its arm closed around empty air.
Xiao Wu seized the opportunity to jump onto its arm and dart upward, reaching the Wild Vajra Ape's face.
"First Soul Skill, Waist Bow."
Xiao Wu's attack split into two parts. The first was a visible flying kick aimed at the Wild Vajra Ape's eyes, which were brimming with hearts.
With her sharp heel and the amplification from Waist Bow, if this kick landed solidly, the Wild Vajra Ape would surely be blinded.
But that was not the most dangerous part. The greatest danger was the Soft Bone Charm Rabbit's trait after Martial Soul Evolution: every attack carried a spiritual attack.
An invisible little soul Xiao Wu likewise launched a flying kick at the Wild Vajra Ape's forehead. The thousand-year Wild Vajra Ape's soul had yet to undergo a qualitative transformation, so this strike could still inflict considerable damage.
Xiao Yao was not idle either. He activated Fallen Heart Flame's special property, igniting heart fire directly inside the Soul Beast's body.
The Wild Vajra Ape howled incessantly.
But it was a thousand-year Soul Beast, after all, and this canyon was its home ground. How could it surrender without a fight?
Its body sank, and rich fluctuations of Soul Power erupted from its entire steel body, neutralizing all of Xiao Yao and Xiao Wu's attacks.
It slammed its steel arms down against the ground. The powerful blast of air forced the two back while sending several rocks, each a full meter in diameter, flying upward.
(ง°皿°)ง⁼³₌₃⁼³₌₃⁼³₌₃
The rocks hurtled toward the two like cannonballs.