"Respected King of the Forest, we have no intention of offending you. If this is your territory, we are willing to withdraw immediately," Zhao Wuji said. Facing the Titan Giant Ape, he dared not make any sudden movements. He could only try his best to make his tone respectful, speaking in a deep voice.
He knew that the Titan Giant Ape could understand human speech, especially a specimen as powerful as the one before him. Its cultivation clearly exceeded ten thousand years—it was likely even the legendary hundred-thousand-year level. He truly could not think of any soul beast more powerful than this.
The Titan Giant Ape did not acknowledge Zhao Wuji's words. It simply performed a simple action that sent everyone's hearts into their throats: it took a single step forward. Though it was just one step, given its gargantuan size, that single stride drastically closed the distance between itself and the Shrek Academy group.
Zhao Wuji's mind was racing. The only thought repeating in his head was, 'What do I do? What should I do?! Can someone tell me what the hell I'm supposed to do?'
This was a Titan Giant Ape, and he was just a small Rank 70 Soul Saint. He was only in his fifties! 'I admit I might have been a bit arrogant before, and maybe I spoke a bit too loudly, but I can change! You big lug, at least give me a chance to turn over a new leaf!!!'
Zhao Wuji felt helpless, but helplessness was all he had. Although he prided himself on his strength and rarely met his match among those of the same rank, he knew clearly that the terror of this ape far surpassed the Unrivaled Dragon-Serpent couple they had encountered earlier. He would rather face a Titled Douluo than face this King of Soul Beasts.
Of course, that was just a thought. If a real Titled Douluo actually attacked him, aside from kneeling and calling them "daddy," he could only pray they killed him quickly so he wouldn't feel the pain. Before this ape, Zhao Wuji knew he'd struggle just to save his own skin, let alone protect the others.
But at this moment, how could he retreat? He wasn't alone; he had students. It wasn't purely out of a desire to protect them, but rather the knowledge that if he fled and let them die, he wouldn't survive the aftermath anyway. Several of these students had backgrounds that were simply too high.
Tang San was the son of the Clear Sky Douluo—a man who had beaten Zhao Wuji to a pulp without even using a Martial Soul. Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing were royalty and high-ranking nobility from the Star Luo Empire; even if they lacked power now, the Emperor would likely kill Zhao Wuji if he found out his son had been abandoned.
Then there was the girl who had just joined the end of the line. If she died, the combined strength of Dragon Duke and Serpent Woman was comparable to a Titled Douluo. 'I have to fight whether I want to or not. Life is exhausting!'
After these thoughts flashed through his mind, Zhao Wuji gritted his teeth and shouted. "I'll hold it back! Everyone, eat Oscar's mushroom sausages and leave immediately! I won't be able to last long, so you must move fast!"
With that, Zhao Wuji took a deep breath. His seven rings flared with brilliant light as he charged toward the Titan Giant Ape. The first, second, third, and fifth rings—four different colors—lit up simultaneously. Facing such a powerhouse, the "Motionless Bright King" Zhao Wuji immediately unleashed four of his seven soul skills.
The light was blinding. His first skill, Motionless Bright King Body, protected him, while his third skill, Gravity Control, centered on himself and blanketed the ape. His fifth skill, Gravity Crush, worked in tandem with the control to restrict the ape's movements as much as possible. Simultaneously, he swung his massive palms.
His second skill, Vigorous Vajra Palm, was pushed to the limit. Powerful energy fluctuations erupted. Zhao Wuji's legs acted like compressed springs; he leaped into the air with such force that the ground beneath him cracked and buckled. He lunged at the ape, pouring every ounce of his soul power into the strike.
After Zhao Wuji charged, Dai Mubai's voice rang out, filled with determination—though he was stealing a glance at Zhu Zhuqing out of the corner of his eye. Noticing the gaze, Zhu Zhuqing turned to look at him, and Dai Mubai's body jolted as he unleashed his power.
"Tang San, cover the others' retreat! I'm going to help Teacher Zhao!" Dai Mubai commanded, letting out a tiger's roar as he sprinted forward. He knew the ape was strong, so he didn't just summon his White Tiger Martial Soul; he immediately activated his strongest third skill, White Tiger Vajra Transformation.
Secretly, Dai Mubai thought, 'Since Teacher Zhao is in the front, there shouldn't be much danger if I just show my face. Ideally, I'll get a little bit injured, then I can rightfully lay my head on Zhuqing's lap.' On the surface, however, he looked like a charismatic leader sacrificing himself for the team.
His already robust body expanded further under the White Tiger's influence. His muscles bulged so much that his shirt tore apart, revealing a terrifying silhouette. Most strikingly, black horizontal stripes appeared across his skin, making him look like a hairless tiger. His paws grew larger, the blades extending from them turning a bright gold. Most uniquely, he was bathed in a layer of intense golden light, as if he had been gilded. His blood-red eyes shone with bloodlust, exuding the dominance of the King of Beasts.
With his attack and defense boosted, Dai Mubai charged. Zhao Wuji aimed for the ape's head, while Dai Mubai targeted the massive forelimbs supporting its weight.
As Dai Mubai rushed out, Tang San said nothing. He simply patted Ma Hongjun's shoulder and followed. His meaning was clear: "You handle the task Boss Dai assigned." Tang San also targeted the forelimbs, but while Dai Mubai focused on damage, Tang San focused on entanglement.
Blue Silver Grass gushed out frantically. He launched a "Mother-style Entanglement" directly at the ape's limbs, seeking to restrict its movement. Tang San knew the Titan Giant Ape wasn't just about power and defense; despite its size, its speed was horrifying.
Zhu Zhuqing's figure vanished the moment Tang San moved. She wouldn't leave; she was already leaping through the trees, searching for an opening to strike. Ma Hongjun muttered something under his breath but didn't lag behind. His two rings shone, and purple flames erupted around him. His second skill, Bathing Fire Phoenix, protected him while boosting his first skill, Phoenix Fire Wire. A thick stream of purple flame erupted from his mouth. However, the guy was cunning—he aimed specifically for the ape's lower abdomen.
Xiao Wu moved almost simultaneously with Zhu Zhuqing, choosing a different tree to leap from. A battle against a high-defense, high-attack opponent was her greatest weakness, yet she charged forward without hesitation. Curiously, she looked somewhat relaxed, though no one noticed her expression in the chaos. Oscar didn't charge, but he frantically repeated his soul incantation—"I have a mushroom sausage"—preparing the escape tools for everyone.
Gu Xuan watched the scene silently from beside Gu Rong. Gu Rong had no intention of interfering yet. Firstly, he didn't know these people and had no obligation to save them from a 100,000-year-old soul beast. Secondly, he had discovered a transformed soul beast among the humans! What a stroke of luck!
Taking down the Titan Giant Ape might be difficult, but capturing a transformed beast would be as easy as turning over a hand. Gu Rong stayed hidden to see the relationship between the ape and this transformed girl before moving in to snatch her away.
Unlike Gu Rong, Gu Xuan was staring at the Shrek team in surprise. Besides the original six and Zhao Wuji, there was one extra person. It was a girl who had summoned her Martial Soul—a snake-headed blade. Two yellow rings circled her body. She wasn't attacking, but stayed behind to guard Oscar.
'Meng Yiran?' Gu Xuan was internally shocked.
(End of Chapter)
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