After eating the sausage Oscar gave him, Tang San dashed off without a backward glance, charging in the direction the Titan Giant Ape had vanished.
Zhao Wuji instinctively wanted to stop him, but when he recalled the savage look in Tang San's eyes, he slowly lowered his hand.
'Xiao Wu, I'm sorry. I'm only a Soul Saint. Even if I tried to stop him, I'd just be throwing away another life.'
Zhao Wuji paused in thought, then turned to the Shrek group and said, "Most Soul Masters who encounter the Titan Giant Ape don't even leave a corpse behind. The only reason we're alive today is because, surprisingly, it didn't intend to kill us. None of us want to see Xiao Wu hurt, but what's done is done. Don't blame yourselves too much."
Seeing everyone still looking anxiously in the direction Tang San had gone, he explained, "Xiao Wu just got taken. It's natural for Tang San to want to chase after her. Don't worry too much. The Titan Giant Ape just passed through, so there shouldn't be any overly dangerous soul beasts in the forest right now."
After hearing this, everyone gradually withdrew their gazes and fell into a long silence.
No one knew whether it was because Yu Tianming had scared Zhao Wuji out of his wits, or because the Titan Giant Ape had acted so swiftly, but Zhao Wuji hadn't even attempted to protect Xiao Wu.
Zhao Wuji didn't realize that this small moment of hesitation would cause Tang San to bear an unforgettable grudge against him.
———
While the Shrek group entered the outskirts of Star Dou Forest, Yu Tianming had already arrived in the forest's central region.
At this moment, the tall, thin elder Dugu Bo walked on Yu Tianming's left, casually asking, "Do you really think we'll catch the Sky Azure Bull Python alone?"
Yu Tianming smiled, "Who knows? We'll wait a few days and see. If it keeps sticking with the Titan Giant Ape, then we'll just take them both down."
His tone brimmed with confidence, clearly not taking either of the two forest overlords seriously.
Seeing Yu Tianming's attitude, Yu Yuanzhen tried to persuade him, "Don't underestimate a hundred-thousand-year soul beast. Any beast that's reached that level has an incredibly powerful bloodline. If we don't find a chance soon, we'll just wait a few more months. Waiting a few years for a hundred-thousand-year ring is still worth it."
Just as he finished speaking, he seemed to think of something and added, "Check again if any other fierce beasts are awake. If they gang up on us, it'll be certain death."
All the great sects knew that terrifying beasts lurked deep in Star Dou Forest. None would enter the core without careful preparation.
Their confidence today came from Yu Tianming's powerful sensing ability, ensuring no fierce beasts were active nearby.
Yu Tianming confidently said, "All the fierce beasts I'm sensing are still asleep. And as you know, in the last few millennia, only a handful of hundred-thousand-year beasts have ever shown up in the Star Dou Forest."
His confidence reassured both Yu Yuanzhen and Dugu Bo. Their grim expressions eased slightly, and they set aside their worries for the time being.
After a moment, Dugu Bo suddenly thought of something and looked to Yu Yuanzhen, asking, "Isn't the Sky Azure Bull Python just a big snake? Why does it have dragon blood? I think it'd be better for Yan Yan's ninth soul ring instead of Tianming's eighth."
Yu Yuanzhen shook his head, "That's where you're mistaken. The Sky Azure Bull Python might not sound like a dragon, but as one of the forest overlords, it's said to carry strong Azure Dragon blood. Its buffalo-like head is actually a mark of that lineage."
Hearing this, Dugu Bo nodded. The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan had a long heritage and were considered experts in dragon-type soul beasts because their soul rings had to be drawn from draconic creatures.
While the idea of a bull head signifying dragon blood sounded odd, hearing it from the clan leader Yu Yuanzhen gave Dugu Bo ninety percent certainty.
Listening quietly to the two elders, Yu Tianming thought to himself, 'Grandpa really has sharp eyes. In the original story, the Sky Azure Bull Python transforms into an Azure Dragon after Tang San becomes a god. Other than freaks like the Silver Dragon King or Gold-Eyed Black Dragon King, it's the perfect choice for my eighth soul ring.'
Suddenly, in his electromagnetic sense, the Titan Giant Ape left the forest's central area and moved toward the Shrek group's location.
Yu Tianming quickly warned, "The Titan Giant Ape has left. The Sky Azure Bull Python is now near the core edge. No time to waste. Let's go!"
Hearing this, Yu Yuanzhen's eyes lit up. He immediately soared into the sky and shouted, "What are we waiting for? Tianming, lead the way. Let's go hunt it now!"
Yu Tianming and Dugu Bo also took flight, and the three of them rushed toward the forest center.
The trees on the outskirts were already dozens of meters tall, but in the center, trees hundreds of meters high were everywhere. Under their thick canopy, the forest was as dark as night.
Unfazed by any lurking soul beast hunters, the trio flew low and soon reached the edge of the core area.
Several kilometers away, a massive serpent over thirty meters long coiled atop a giant tree. Given the scale of both tree and serpent, it resembled an ordinary viper coiled on a small tree when viewed from afar.
The serpent's body was a deep azure blue—the color of the sky right after heavy rain. Though a bit too bright for a snake, the hue blended perfectly into the lush greenery of the forest.
When they saw its enormous head—at least four meters wide—and the powerful buffalo-like horns, the trio immediately recognized it as the Sky Azure Bull Python.
It, too, noticed them hovering nearby and instantly realized they were all Title Douluo.
Raising its head warily, its muffled voice rumbled, "You Soul Masters have reached the core of the Star Dou Forest. One step further, and I won't be so polite."
Yu Tianming laughed, "Then we won't go further. But I'll need to borrow your soul ring."
As soon as he finished, his Slaughter God Domain, sixth soul skill Forbidden Magic Wave, and soul bone skill 'Wind-Luring Mist' activated simultaneously. Brilliant white light spread across the dark forest.
Dugu Bo and Yu Yuanzhen didn't hesitate. They also activated their martial spirits and released their signature techniques.
Dugu Bo, a control-type Title Douluo, used his strongest control skills: his eighth soul skill, Time Freeze, and his head soul bone skill, Medusa's Gaze. Time Freeze was an area skill, unavoidable. Medusa's Gaze, while not targeted, amplified the petrifying effect when combined.
Under this layered control, the Sky Azure Bull Python only managed to release its Slowing Domain before being instantly frozen in place.
Yu Yuanzhen's Dragon Transformation soul skills were fully active, pushing his attack power to the limit. As his ninth black soul ring shone brightly, he roared, "Ninth Soul Skill, True Dragon's Wrath – Thunder Shakes the Heavens!"
In an instant, nine massive thunder dragons, formed of soul power and lightning, roared into existence.
Even with the Slowing Domain active, Yu Yuanzhen's attack was so fast that the dragons struck within half a second, slamming into the bull python.
The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon martial soul boosted both attack and lightning power. His ninth soul skill perfectly combined these strengths. On contact, the thunder dragons burst into dazzling blue lightning, completely engulfing the serpent.
A few breaths later, the thunder faded and the light dimmed.
The Sky Azure Bull Python's once vibrant scales were now scorched black. Its enormous body twitched under lingering sparks. The Slowing Domain it had cast faded away—it was on the verge of death.
Dugu Bo had seen Yu Yuanzhen fight before, but not against an eighty-thousand-year beast. Only now did he grasp the sheer destructive force of his attack.
'So this is the power of the continent's strongest beast martial soul.'
Yu Yuanzhen was clearly pleased with the results. Stroking his beard, he looked quite smug.
Each of his Dragon Transformation skills doubled his power. With five of them active at once, that was a 500% boost—an utterly monstrous output.
Because of the excessive damage, Yu Yuanzhen's only worry in battle was accuracy and pursuit. Working with a control specialist like Dugu Bo allowed him to attack without distractions. Delighted, the tall elder laughed and said, "Tianming gets a hundred-thousand-year soul ring, and I feel I've broken through my bottleneck at level 98. What a lucky day!"
The Sky Azure Bull Python, barely alive, hung from a massive branch. Its charred body fused with the scorched wood, a ghastly sight.
Not wanting it to suffer further, Yu Tianming casually formed a golden-red orb and sent it into the creature's tire-sized eye. Though it looked casual, the orb was a manifestation of his fifth soul skill, imbued with divine power.
Even with its powerful body, the orb sank into its head like red-hot iron into snow.
A faint cry escaped the serpent, and a brilliant red soul ring emerged before Yu Tianming.
Elsewhere in the forest's core, near the Lake of Life, the Silver Dragon King sighed softly, then closed her eyes once more.
At the forest's edge, the Titan Giant Ape and Xiao Wu suddenly stiffened. Their faces changed as they rushed toward the Sky Azure Bull Python.
Back in the core, Yu Tianming wasted no time. Sitting cross-legged on the python's head, he began absorbing the ring. With prior experience absorbing a 200,000-year god-bestowed ring and having undergone the Dragon God's baptism, he completed the process in just half an hour.
After absorbing the ring, he didn't rush to leave. A flick of his finger sent a surge of blood out of the python's corpse, drawing a bluish-green right arm bone into his hand. Without hesitation, he pressed it to his arm.
Moments later, the bone fused with him in a flash of light.
Opening his eyes, Yu Tianming stood up and smiled, "Grandpa, I've got good news—I've reached level 90. I'm almost a Title Douluo now."
Yu Yuanzhen wasn't surprised, knowing Tianming had been chosen by a god.
Flying over, he asked what he really cared about, "How are the soul skills you got from the Sky Azure Bull Python?"
"I got two powerful ones. The first is Slowing Light Wave. It can be cast as a domain or condensed into a beam. You saw the domain version just now. The beam is like Senior Dugu's Medusa's Gaze—whoever it hits can't move, like they're turned to stone."
Yu Yuanzhen nodded. He had just seen firsthand how vital control skills were—without them, full attacks weren't possible. This soul skill suited Tianming well.
"The second one is called True Dragon Calms the World. It's a guaranteed hit. It ignores space and directly infuses elemental power into the target. With my elemental strength, very few people could survive it."
His two new skills were similar to Tang San's—one control, one offense.
But unlike Tang San's plant-based martial soul absorbing a beast ring, Tianming's dragon-lineage perfectly matched the Sky Azure Bull Python, granting him stronger, more conceptual skills: one slowed time, the other ignored space.
(End of Chapter)
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