The Netherworld Jade Serpent Emperor's enormous body raced through the forest at astonishing speed. Ancient trees toppled and boulders shattered wherever it passed.
Yet Dai Weisi sat cross-legged atop the fearsome serpent's head, as steady as Mount Tai.
He was even at leisure enough to prop his chin on one hand and study the scenery rushing past below with interest.
"Tsk."
Dai Weisi raised an eyebrow.
"Old Poison, your Martial Soul Avatar is much steadier than I imagined."
Dugu Bo's muffled reply came from within the serpent's body:
"You flatter me, Master. This old servant's meager skills are not worthy of display before you."
His words were half flattery, half truth.
He wouldn't dare let his master have an uncomfortable ride.
Along the way, Dai Weisi sensed countless powerful presences.
There were demonic crocodiles lurking deep in the swamps and Ghost Vines coiled atop ancient trees. These Soul Beasts felt almost as strong as Soul Douluo to him; clearly, they too were Soul Beasts with more than fifty thousand years of cultivation!
But after sensing the terrifying pressure of a Titled Douluo emanating from the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor, every one of these powerful Soul Beasts chose to lie low and keep its distance.
However powerful they were, they were unwilling to casually provoke a top human expert who had intruded on their territory.
Like a red-hot branding iron, Dai Weisi's party burned a path straight through the Star Dou Great Forest's layers of defenses.
Zhu Zhuyun nestled close to Dai Weisi, feeling the steadiness and confidence he radiated, and much of the tension in her heart faded.
She looked at Zhu Zhuqing beside her, her face ashen and held aloft by Shi Mo Douluo, and a cold smile curled her lips.
Little sister, this is the difference between you and me.
You're still thinking about how to escape, while the man I chose can already take me through this forbidden land of Soul Beasts as if it were his own back garden.
Just then, the swiftly advancing Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor's enormous body jolted and came to a halt without warning.
Its massive head rose high, its faintly glowing eyes fixed on the depths of the dense forest ahead.
"Master,"
Dugu Bo said gravely.
"It's here. Its presence... is extraordinarily powerful!"
He didn't need to say it. A pressure as heavy as a mountain was already bearing down on them.
Even Shi Mo Douluo's stone-carved face, unchanged for ten thousand years, took on a grave expression. He silently set Zhu Zhuqing aside and stepped forward, placing himself in front of Dai Weisi and Zhu Zhuyun.
Heavy waves of Soul Power gathered around him, ready to form an impassable city wall at any moment.
"Rumble-rumble-"
The ground began to shake violently. Then an incomparably enormous black figure pushed through the dense forest and appeared before them.
What a terrifying giant ape it was!
It stood over a hundred meters tall, its entire body knotted with muscle, like a moving black mountain.
Its dark fur gleamed like metal in the sunlight, and flames of savagery and rage burned in its lantern-sized eyes.
The Titan Giant Ape! The king of the forest!
Merely standing there, the sheer sense of power it radiated was enough to make any Soul Master feel suffocated.
"A... a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast! The Titan Giant Ape!"
Zhu Zhuyun's voice trembled uncontrollably, and her face turned deathly pale in an instant.
Just seeing a legendary existence like this with her own eyes was enough to shatter her composure.
Zhu Zhuqing's reaction, however, was the exact opposite.
A startling light burst into her lifeless eyes, and she stared fixedly at the giant ape's broad shoulders.
A slender figure stood on those mountain-like shoulders!
The pink dress and long scorpion braid belonged to the very person she had longed for day and night, the one she believed could save her!
Xiao Wu!
It really is Xiao Wu!
The wild joy of finding life in a hopeless situation swept away all her pretense and despair in an instant, and her body trembled slightly with excitement.
She had waited until this moment!
She really had!
With the Titan Giant Ape and Xiao Wu here, I'll be saved!
I'll escape the control of that devil Dai Weisi!
"Roar-!!!"
The Titan Giant Ape pounded its solid chest and let out a roar that shook heaven and earth, proclaiming its absolute sovereignty over this territory.
The terrifying sound waves became a tangible shockwave, distorting the air around it.
"No matter who you are or what you came here to do,"
Xiao Wu said from the giant ape's shoulder, her voice clear but cold and commanding, "humans, get out of the Star Dou Great Forest at once!"
Zhu Zhuyun froze, utterly unable to comprehend the scene before her.
A girl who looked no more than a teenager could actually stand on the shoulder of a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast and speak in such a commanding tone?
Who was she?
Dai Weisi, however, acted as if he hadn't heard. He merely watched the undisguised elation on Zhu Zhuqing's face with amusement, the curve of his lips growing more mocking.
Hope?
What a wonderful thing.
Before he could speak, Xiao Wu's gaze passed over the others and fell on Zhu Zhuqing.
The cold authority on her face froze in place, then gave way to profound shock.
"Zhu Zhuqing?"
A hint of uncertainty crept into Xiao Wu's voice.
"How... how could it be you?"
She had never imagined they would meet again here, in this way!
Then Xiao Wu's gaze abruptly sharpened.
She keenly noticed that Zhu Zhuqing's face was unnaturally pale and that a faint, chilling trace of poison emanated from her. More importantly, the Soul Power in her body had been almost completely sealed, leaving her like a cripple!
Then she looked at the people beside Zhu Zhuqing: the handsome young man with an arrogant expression and the alluring woman nestled beside him...
Xiao Wu recognized them at once. Weren't they the Star Luo Empire's eldest prince and his fiancée, whom she had met at the Advanced Academy Elite Tournament?
They were enemies!
They were the ones who had harmed Zhu Zhuqing!
A towering blaze of anger erupted in Xiao Wu's heart, and the killing intent in her beautiful eyes was plain to see!
"Er Ming!"
Xiao Wu's voice was sharp and urgent.
"Kill them! Quick! Save Zhu Zhuqing!"
Upon receiving the command, the Titan Giant Ape naturally did not hesitate. Its enormous palm, as broad as a palm-leaf fan, shot up, stirring a terrifying wind that tore through the air as it slapped down at Dai Weisi's party!
If that blow landed, let alone bodies of flesh and blood, even a small mountain would be leveled!
The light of hope in Zhu Zhuqing's eyes blazed to its brightest!
But just as the massive palm was about to descend, an icy system notification suddenly rang out in Dai Weisi's mind.
[Ding! The host is facing a critical choice. God-Level Selection System activated!] [Choice one: under Shi Mo Douluo's cover, lead the group away from danger for the time being and retreat to the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest. Reward: Soul Power Level decreased by three levels!] [Choice two: join forces with Dugu Bo to meet the Titan Giant Ape's attack head-on and drive it back, displaying imperial majesty. Reward: one Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone Treasure Chest (can randomly yield a Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone for any body part, aged 10,000-99,999 years)!] [Choice three: ignore the Titan Giant Ape's attack and order Shi Mo Douluo to defend with all his strength. At the same time, forcibly drag Zhu Zhuqing before you in front of Xiao Wu and the Titan Giant Ape, and utterly crush her hope with thunderous means. Reward: one God-Given Soul Ring (can be added to any Soul Ring slot, with its age equal to the limit the absorber's body can withstand)!]