Criminals return to the crime scene after an incident. Cheng Xiao did return, but as a family member to collect the body.
This was truly difficult for him; he painstakingly shed tears and wailed over the corpse.
On the other side, Zhu Mo frowned, his gaze falling on Cheng Xiao before returning to his own. He asked in a deep voice, "Are you sure? Did you search carefully?"
"Reporting to the clan leader, we did search. One of them had his arm severed at the shoulder and is missing." The servant paused, then whispered, "Perhaps someone knew he possessed a soul bone and set an ambush."
Although most of the seven people's fatal wounds were caused by soul beasts, they all had stab wounds, the angles of the cuts extremely ruthless, clearly the work of a seasoned killer. Moreover, they had observed the decomposition of the bodies; the time of death for the group should have been within the past day.
Zhu Mo was silent for a while, then sighed softly. His reluctance to let the young man leave was driven by subtle motives.
Some harbored doubts, questioning the boy's words; but most were driven by greed, coveting the soul bone. They simply couldn't instill this in their daughters, so they masked it with pity.
He had hoped to obtain a soul bone today—though young and useless to him, its skill was considerable, perfect for his two daughters.
Unfortunately, despite his careful planning, someone else had beaten him to it.
"Sigh..."
Zhu Mo sighed softly. Perhaps it was fate. He glanced at Zhu Zhuqing, who stood aloof and cold. If he gave the soul bone to Zhuqing, perhaps it would offer her some hope, change her temperament, and prevent her from becoming so lifeless at such a young age.
"Alright, take that boy with you, let's get ready to go," Zhu Mo gestured with his lips.
"Yes."
In just a short while, Cheng Xiao had thought through all the sad things from the past eleven years plus his entire life in order to squeeze out a few tears. For example, there was a friend of his who had been pursuing his first love for years, never even holding hands, only to have her stolen away and go to a hotel a few days later...
Anyway, he felt really sorry for that friend.
"Why hasn't anyone come to comfort me yet? I can't hold it in anymore..." Unable to think of any more tear-jerking scenes, Cheng Xiao began to get anxious.
Suddenly, Cheng Xiao felt a chill run down his spine for some reason. Confused, he glanced up while wiping his eyes and met Zhu Zhuqing's gaze, who was leaning against a tree.
Zhu Zhuqing looked at Cheng Xiao with an indifferent expression, her eyes sharp and detached, as if observing Cheng Xiao's clumsy acting.
Cheng Xiao's heart skipped a beat under her gaze, and he held back his tears. Had she noticed something?
He quickly lowered his head and continued to wail, but no tears came out, and he just wailed at the top of his lungs.
"Can you stop looking!" Cheng Xiao cursed inwardly, feeling Zhu Zhuqing's unwavering gaze. Was this woman a cat? Her eyes were so eerie, as if she could see right through people and ghosts.
Fortunately, this didn't last long. Someone found him at Zhu Mo's signal.
"Hey, kid, stop howling. Pack up and get ready to leave."
Cheng Xiao "choked up," sniffling, "But, but I haven't collected the remains of my elders yet."
Zhu Mo frowned. His previous patience was only for the sake of the soul bone; now that it was gone, he lost interest.
He couldn't wait for the kid to collect the corpses, could he? How long would that take? He still needed to find a suitable soul beast for Zhu Zhuyun; he didn't have time to waste here.
"Since you've become a soul master, life and death are commonplace. This is the Star Dou Great Forest. You're carrying a bunch of dismembered corpses; the blood will attract soul beasts. Don't drag us down with you if you're looking for death!" The servant waved impatiently. "Hurry up! We don't have time to wait for you."
Cheng Xiao was not about to agree so easily. He had long wanted to take this opportunity to separate from them. If they didn't want him, wasn't that perfect?
"No! If you want to leave, then leave!" Cheng Xiao quickly shook his head.
"You brat, you won't listen to reason, will you?" The servant glared at him fiercely. "If you don't..."
Cheng Xiao ignored him completely, walked straight to Zhu Mo's side, and cupped his hands, saying, "Senior, thank you for your protection today. However, my uncles have protected me since childhood, and I don't want them to be left to rot in the wilderness. Perhaps we should part ways here." "Although
this place is dangerous, even if I die here, I will collect their remains. I hope Senior will grant my request!"
Zhu Mo's patience had run out, and he was too lazy to say anything more. Seeing Cheng Xiao's determination, he waved his hand: "Since you insist, we won't try to persuade you further. Be careful..."
Just as Cheng Xiao's heart was filled with joy upon hearing this, a roar suddenly echoed through the forest.
"Roar!"
The giant bear, covered in wounds, tore through the massive tree blocking their path and appeared before them. Its scarlet eyes were fixed on Cheng Xiao, and its ferocious mouth spewed a foul stench. Its chest heaved, as if it were enraged beyond measure.
The Terrorclaw Bear, carrying a fierce aura, charged towards Cheng Xiao. Despite its massive size, the bear was incredibly fast, closing the distance to the group in the blink of an eye.
"That mad bear again?"
Zhu Mo frowned. His mood was already somewhat sour from the soul bone, and now, seeing this crazed Terrorclaw Bear, an inexplicable anger rose within him.
"You guys go first."
Zhu Mo grabbed Cheng Xiao by the collar and threw him behind him. Eight soul rings appeared at his feet, and the Dark Spirit Cat attached itself to his body.
He told everyone to leave first; this bear was troublesome when it went berserk, and a fight could potentially injure his two daughters.
"Damn it, did they have to cause trouble now?"
Cheng Xiao was furious. He had put on such a show all this time just to separate himself from these people. Finally, they reached the end, only to be ruined by a bear!
"No way, I'm not leaving! I want to collect the corpses!" Cheng Xiao stubbornly refused to go.
"Hmph! If you want to die, then stay!" At this point, no one could persuade him anymore. Since this kid was looking for death, let him be...
Cheng Xiao breathed a sigh of relief, finally able to get rid of them.
"Go!"
A cold voice suddenly rang out, and a black shadow flashed before his eyes, trying to grab him and escape together. Cheng Xiao reacted quickly, grabbing the grabbing hand and trying to dodge it.
"Hmm?"
Just as their fingers touched, the two seemed to sense something, looking up at the same time, an incredulous expression appearing on their faces, their eyes filled with surprise and doubt.
"Boom!"
Zhu Mo clashed head-on with the Terrorclaw Bear. The Terrorclaw Bear was knocked back by a single move, several wounds appearing on its body, blood splattering, but this did not frighten the Terrorclaw Bear in the slightest. Instead, it aroused its ferocity, charging forward fearlessly.
"They really are tough!" Zhu Mo sneered, glancing out of the corner of his eye to see Zhu Zhuqing and the boy standing there, stunned. He immediately shouted, "What are you standing there for? Get out of here!" "
Get out of here!"
Zhu Zhuqing grabbed Cheng Xiao without saying a word and ran off with him. Cheng Xiao frowned, hesitated for a moment, and then let him go.
[Seventh Soul Skill - Spirit Cat True Form!]
Zhu Mo stomped his foot, instantly transforming into a giant Netherworld Spirit Cat. The spirit cat was quite ferocious, hissing and flashing as it passed the Terrorclaw Bear. In an instant, two hideous claw marks appeared on the Terrorclaw Bear's body.
One claw mark was on its chest, tearing apart its strong defenses and exposing its ribs, even revealing the beating heart between the ribs; the other was on its hind leg, tearing apart its steel-hard muscles.
Although the Terrorclaw Bear was ferocious, daring to fight even ten-thousand-year-old soul beasts when it went berserk, it still couldn't withstand a Soul Douluo's attack.
"roar!"
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The Terrorclaw Bear let out a mournful roar and collapsed helplessly to the ground.
The Netherworld Cat vanished, and Zhu Mo reappeared. He glanced at the struggling Terrorclaw Bear on the ground, then flashed to catch up with Cheng Xiao and Zhu Zhuqing, who were lagging behind.
Seeing the two holding hands, Zhu Mo couldn't help but frown, but he didn't show any displeasure in this situation.
Forcibly separating the two, Zhu Mo carried one in each hand and quickly caught up with the others.
The Terrorclaw Bear behind him tried to get up, but its hind legs gave way, and it collapsed again. Watching the group flee into the distance, it could only rage helplessly from behind.
"Father, why didn't you kill that mad bear?" Once they were out of the Terrorclaw Bear's pursuit range, Zhu Zhuyun vented her dissatisfaction.
Zhu Mo shook his head: "It won't live long."
His attack had already severely injured it. In this perilous Star Dou Great Forest, even the fiercest Terrorclaw Bear couldn't escape being targeted by other soul beasts.
He didn't want to get bogged down in a fight. Having spent so much time in the military, he knew how terrifying the potential unleashed at the moment of death could be. He already had a hidden ailment, and if he really pushed that mad bear too far, it might self-destruct before dying, triggering its ailment. If the Star Luo Empire found out, the Zhu family would be in a passive position.
Moreover, that Terrorclaw Bear was only three thousand years old, not suitable for Zhu Zhuyun. Killing it would at most allow him to find a soul bone.
But the chance of finding a soul bone was so small, the effort wasn't proportional to the reward. It was better to continue bleeding it out, letting it die at the hands of other soul beasts. After Zhu Zhuyun obtained a soul ring, he could collect the body and look for a soul bone on the return trip tomorrow.
After all, soul beasts wouldn't eat soul bones.
Cheng Xiao's body trembled. Not long to live? Then wouldn't that mean… An uncontrollable greed grew from the bottom of his heart.
A soul ring from a three-thousand-year-old Terrorclaw Bear, or even the shadow of a three-thousand-year-old Terrorclaw Bear!
This temptation made Cheng Xiao's heart flutter.
"Thank you for your protection, senior. But now that my elders have passed away, I haven't even had time to collect their bodies. I am deeply grieved and it is inconvenient for
me to travel with you. It would be best if we parted ways here," Cheng Xiao said, cupping his hands. Zhu Mo raised his eyes, slightly displeased. He was already in a bad mood, and this kid always had to create trouble for him at times like this.
"You..."
Just as he was about to speak, Zhu Zhuqing, who had rarely spoken, suddenly stepped forward and said, "I want to go back."
"Go back?" Zhu Mo was annoyed. "It's almost time for you to go back? I brought you out this time so you could learn how to distinguish the age of a soul beast and observe your sister absorbing soul rings. This is the best soul ring selection that my Zhu family has tried for many years, and you..." "
I've already memorized the best soul ring combination. As for how to distinguish the age, I probably don't need to worry about that," Zhu Zhuqing said coldly. "I don't think I'll live to see that day."
Zhu Mo was speechless, his face extremely ugly. Zhu Zhuqing's words had brutally torn apart the family rules, leaving him unable to answer.
When had he ever wanted such rules? No matter what, he was the father of two daughters. How could he bear to watch them kill each other? Unfortunately, this rule was not one that Zhu Mo could abolish.
"Father, just let her go. She's just a burden anyway," Zhu Zhuyun sneered, glancing sideways at Zhu Zhuqing. She couldn't stand Zhu Zhuqing's deadpan expression, as if the whole world owed her something.
"Go, go, go!"
Frustrated, Zhu Mo waved his hand impatiently, casually pointing at the two servants: "You, and you, take her back."
"Yes!"
Zhu Zhuqing didn't hesitate at all, turning to leave, and the two servants immediately followed.
"Aren't you coming?"
Passing by Cheng Xiao, Zhu Zhuqing suddenly stopped without warning.
Cheng Xiao pointed to herself, full of questions.
"Together, for safety." Zhu Zhuqing's words were concise and to the point, seemingly unwilling to say a word more.
"Let's go!"
Just as she was about to doze off, someone offered her a pillow. Cheng Xiao was overjoyed.
Compared to a Soul Douluo, a little girl and two servants would be much easier to escape!
Watching the four figures leave, Zhu Zhuyun pouted, looked at Zhu Mo, and teased, "That girl didn't learn anything else, but she certainly learned your good-natured nature perfectly."
"Say less," Zhu Mo glared at her irritably, but didn't reprimand her.
"Hehehe..." Zhu Zhuyun smiled and hugged Zhu Mo's arm, "Father, don't be angry, don't worry, I'll persuade Weiss to spare that girl's life later..."
——Following
an ice sculpture, even sitting by the fire, Cheng Xiao could feel an unfathomable chill in the air.
However, considering the Zhu and Dai families' cult-like inheritance methods, it was understandable that she would develop such a habit at such a young age.
Night fell, and tomorrow they could completely leave the Star Dou Great Forest.
But Cheng Xiao didn't want to leave just yet. The power of the Terrorclaw Bear was undeniable. Even if he couldn't obtain its Soul Ring, he wanted to try to summon its Shadow to serve him.
It's important to know that a three-thousand-year-old Terrorclaw Bear, if it fought desperately, could rival a ten-thousand-year-old soul beast. And to deal with a ten
-thousand-year-old soul beast, at least a six-ring Soul Emperor would have a chance! Three thousand years was the limit of his Shadow Summoning ability, but it offered the opportunity to raise his strength ceiling. Combined with the other fourteen Shadow Soul Beasts, it would make him unafraid of Soul Emperor level experts.
Such a good opportunity was extremely rare, and he couldn't help but be tempted!
The flickering firelight reflected Cheng Xiao's shifting thoughts.
How could he escape?
"I must act tonight, otherwise, it might be too late by tomorrow." His gaze subtly swept over the three people.
"What's your name?" Suddenly, a voice devoid of warmth rang out.
Cheng Xiao's eyes darted around: "I don't change my name, I'm Tang San." When traveling
, one should be cautious.
He didn't think his lie was flawless. If Zhu Mo belatedly realized something was amiss and followed the name, he would be greeted by Tang Hao, the youngest Title Douluo.
"Martial Soul?" Zhu Zhuqing didn't introduce herself, seemingly questioning him.
"..." Cheng Xiao was somewhat helpless. He had used his soul skill before, and no one would believe he was using Blue Silver Grass.
"It's inconvenient."
Zhu Zhuqing frowned, but wasn't annoyed.
"Do you know about Soul Fusion Techniques?"
Cheng Xiao nodded: "I've heard a little about them."
"The prerequisite for using a Soul Fusion Technique is Soul Sensing." Zhu Zhuqing spoke softly, but didn't continue, her eyes fixed on Cheng Xiao.
Cheng Xiao's heart skipped a beat. Could it be...?
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