Chapter 76: The Scumbag Giant Earth King, Fury of the Pink Queen

Word Count: 2,965 Words

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"Spirit bone!"

Chu Qingtian's sharp eyes immediately spotted the spirit bone in Ling Bai's hand. He leaned over and jokingly said, "Ling-ge, remember to share the half with me!"

"Don't worry, you won't be left out!"

Ling Bai replied with a smile. Before setting off, the four of them had an agreement to avoid disputes. Whoever delivered the final blow to a spirit beast would keep any spirit bone that dropped. The owner of the spirit bone would then compensate the other three with 50% of its market value as a reward for their efforts.

Although Ling Bai wouldn't be absorbing this 70,000-year Scorching Sun Fire Dragon torso spirit bone himself, he had several close friends with fire attributes whom he could gift it to at an appropriate time in the future.

Stowing away the Scorching Sun Fire Dragon's spirit bone, Ling Bai drew out the Angel Sword and called Chu Qingtian over to share the spoils.

As a folk saying on the Douluo Continent goes: A dragon in the sky...

... is dragon meat on the ground!

This Scorching Sun Fire Dragon had a cultivation level as high as 70,000 years; it was an extremely rare and valuable nourishing ingredient. Its dragon teeth, dragon scales, dragon horns, dragon blood—each was a priceless treasure.

The two happily set about dismantling the corpse. In no time, the spirit beast was divided into four portions, just enough for each person to have one.

"You two are quite efficient."

Han Ruoruo had quietly awakened at some point. Her beautiful eyes, as dark as the starry night, curved into a smile with a hint of amusement flickering within.

"Elder Sister, have you cleared the fire energy from your body? Shall I help cleanse it again with my holy attribute?" Ling Bai asked with concern.

"No need." Han Ruoruo shook her head gently. "I've already neutralized the fire energy from the Scorching Sun Fire Dragon, but I sustained internal injuries and need to rest quietly. It's best if I avoid combat for a while."

"I'm sorry, Elder Sister..."

Han Ruoruo had been injured while forcibly controlling the Scorching Sun Fire Dragon. Ling Bai couldn't help feeling apologetic. Moreover, Wu Ming had been sneak-attacked and was seriously injured. With their strongest combatant Han Ruoruo also injured internally, they might be forced to end their hunting trip early this time.

"Getting injured is commonplace for Spirit Masters."

Han Ruoruo waved her hand dismissively, appearing carefree and unbothered. She then decided, "Once Ming'er returns, we'll leave the Star Dou Forest."

Her thoughts aligned with Ling Bai's. It was indeed too dangerous for them to stay in Star Dou Forest given their current condition.

A short while later, Wu Ming returned from the distant forest. She had treated her wounds and changed into a red outfit that made her look both stylish and neat. This caused Chu Qingtian to steal glances at her from time to time.

Wu Ming fully agreed with Han Ruoruo's suggestion. The Inner Courtyard's 'Active Volcano' still had some sense before erupting.

The four of them set off immediately. Ling Bai and Chu Qingtian stepped up and displayed their manliness. The former scouted ahead while the latter guarded the rear, unceremoniously placing the two women in the center for protection. Han Ruoruo and Wu Ming exchanged a subtle glance, noticing the amusement in each other's eyes.

They traveled through the starry night until dawn when the four finally stopped at a clear lake situated at the border between the Core Region and the Hybrid Region of the Star Dou Forest. A layer of misty fog rippled across the lake's surface, and the air was exceptionally fresh and pleasant.

"Let's rest for a while. Take the opportunity to recover your spirit power and eat something to replenish your strength."

Han Ruoruo instructed everyone. When traveling through the Star Dou Forest, it was necessary to maintain at least 80% of one's spirit power at all times to avoid being caught off guard by sudden spirit beast attacks. Once they left the Core Region, with the combined strength of the four, there were hardly any spirit beasts in the Hybrid Region that could threaten their lives.

Ling Bai took out a type of black steamed bun from his Storage Spirit Guidance Device. It was a specially formulated food from Shrek Academy that contained various medicinal ingredients to promote satiety and spirit power recovery. Shrek students usually brought these as their staple food when traveling.

Just as they were filling their stomachs, a rustling sound suddenly came from nearby, accompanied by a faint, barely audible humming sound. They instantly became alert and, after exchanging glances, slowly approached the source of the sound.

In the forest not far from the lake, large swaths of trees had toppled over and lay crisscrossed on the ground. The underbrush seemed to have been intentionally cleared by some creature, creating an open space.

Four pairs of eyes peered through the gaps between the trees toward the clearing. They saw two spirit beasts tightly entwined with each other, one on top of the other. The one on top was a massive scorpion with a pale blue body. Its joints emitted a scorching aura, and its tail, composed of five bony segments, was raised high.

"A 50,000-year Giant Earth King!"

Wu Ming's eyes instantly lit up. The Giant Earth King was a powerful fire-attribute spirit beast, and its age perfectly matched her requirements.

Chu Qingtian's expression also became extremely excited when he saw the spirit beast beneath the Giant Earth King. It was a scorpion about half the size of the Giant Earth King but much more beautiful in appearance. Its body, seemingly forged from blue-purple gemstones, radiated light in all directions. Its slender purple tail was intimately entwined with the Giant Earth King's scorpion tail.

A 10,000-year Purple Lightning Scorpion, lightning attribute, specializing in speed.

They had been planning to leave the Star Dou Forest, but suddenly, fortune smiled upon them. The Giant Earth King and the Purple Lightning Scorpion had delivered themselves right to their doorstep!

Wu Ming's beautiful eyes were fixed unblinkingly on the two spirit beasts in their strange position. She asked in confusion, "By the way, what are they doing?"

Han Ruoruo cleared her throat, looked up at the sky, and pretended not to have heard. Ling Bai stared intently at the ground as if something fascinating was there. By the time Chu Qingtian reacted, it was too late; Wu Ming's fist, the size of a sandbag, was already in front of his face.

"The two spirit beasts are..."

Chu Qingtian was sweating profusely, his brain frantically searching for words that could pass the censor to describe that activity.

"Creating baby scorpions, striving hard for new life!"

Chu Qingtian thought he was quite clever, but to his surprise, Wu Ming froze for a second upon hearing this, and then her fair face visibly flushed red.

Ling Bai and Han Ruoruo couldn't help but feel both amused and exasperated upon seeing this. Come on, sis, two scorpions are just doing what they like to do, why are you blushing?

Wu Ming buried her reddened face in her arms and said in a muffled voice, "In broad daylight, engaging in such indecent acts, they really need to be taught a lesson!"

"They haven't noticed us. We can't miss this perfect opportunity."

Han Ruoruo made a prompt decision. Although she and Wu Ming were injured, the spirit power of the two scorpions wasn't particularly high. With the element of surprise on their side and a significant advantage, there was no reason not to seize this chance for Wu Ming's and Chu Qingtian's spirit rings.

In the early morning, the temperature in the Star Dou Forest was relatively low, and the air near the lake was rich with moisture. The mist was cold and damp. Everyone suppressed their auras and slowly approached the two spirit beasts. When they were less than five hundred meters away, Ling Bai raised his hand to halt their advance and said in a low voice:

"A group of spirit beasts is approaching—they number in the thousands. It seems they're coming for those two fellows."

After their encounters with the Bright Sky Demon Leopard and the Fifteen Ton Ant King, everyone had absolute trust in Ling Bai. Han Ruoruo thought for a brief two seconds before deciding, "Let's stay as we are and observe."

A strange wind blew from the side just as she finished speaking. The previously fresh white morning mist suddenly turned pink. The eerie pink mist carried a faint sweet scent that somehow made one want to indulge in it.

"It's poisonous."

Ling Bai activated the Angelic Domain and said, "Everyone stay within the domain's range and don't step out."

Everyone could clearly see that a layer of brilliant golden shield now surrounded their bodies. No matter how dense the pink mist became or how the wind blew through the forest, the pink color could no longer penetrate within a ten-meter radius of them.

Ling Bai recognized the source of the poisonous mist and spoke up, "It's the Ecstasy Poison emitted by Pink Ladies. The amount released by a single one is far from lethal. However, Pink Ladies are gregarious spirit beasts. At the very least there are hundreds, and at most thousands or even tens of thousands. When the Ecstasy Poison exhaled by these Pink Ladies combines, it's potent enough to excite a Spirit Emperor rank Spirit Master to death."

"Not only that," Han Ruoruo added, "Pink Ladies are ordinary spirit beasts with low combat power, but once their cultivation breaks through a thousand years, they evolve into Pink Madams. Upon reaching ten thousand years, they further transform into Pink Queens, the rulers of the Pink Lady species. Judging by the density of this poisonous mist, there must be a 10,000-year Pink Queen leading this group of Pink Ladies!"

The swarm of Pink Ladies quickly rushed over. They were translucent pink scorpions about two feet long crawling on the ground. A faint pink-colored gas continuously gathered above their heads.

From deep within the poisonous mist came a shrill cry. A pink silhouette swiftly darted over. It was an enormous Pink Lady, not much smaller than the 50,000-year Giant Earth King. Its deep pink body was covered with a layer of fine diamond-shaped scales, and six dark red eyes on its head flickered with an eerie cold light.

Pink Queen, 30,000 years of cultivation!

Upon seeing the Giant Earth King and the Purple Lightning Scorpion mating in a missionary position, the Pink Queen opened her large mouth and spewed a dense cloud of poison toward the Purple Lightning Scorpion.

However, something that made the Pink Queen's eyes nearly pop out happened. Seeing the attack on the Purple Lightning Scorpion, the Giant Earth King immediately flipped over and shot a torrent of flames from the hook on its tail, burning the poisonous mist to nothing.

"Chichi!"

A human-like expression of utter disbelief appeared in the six eyes of the Pink Queen. Tears began to well up, like a pitiful wife witnessing her husband's infidelity firsthand.

"Chi!"

The Giant Earth King lowered its gaze, unwilling to look at the Pink Queen. The Purple Lightning Scorpion, however, coiled its scorpion tail around the Giant Earth King's tail in loops, blatantly telling the Pink Queen: 'That's right, we've done everything. What can you do about it!'

"Well, well, so it turns out that the Purple Lightning Scorpion is the mistress, caught red-handed having an affair with the Giant Earth King by the original partner, the Pink Queen!" Ling Bai commented sharply.

Chu Qingtian's mouth dropped open. "What the... Even the spirit beast world can be this melodramatic!"

Han Ruoruo shook her head helplessly. The world is degenerating; even the hearts of beasts are no longer what they used to be!

Wu Ming's reaction was particularly intense. She growled in a low voice, "That scumbag Giant Earth King deserves to die a horrible death!"

For the Pink Queen to have grown to 30,000 years of cultivation and lead a tribe, she naturally wasn't someone to swallow her anger in silence. She immediately commanded her over a thousand Pink Ladies to surround and attack the two, determined to wash away her humiliation with blood!

Lightning enveloped the beautiful blue-purple body as the Purple Lightning Scorpion transformed into a phantom. Bringing with it countless dazzling electric bolts, it charged into the Pink Lady swarm, initiating an indiscriminate and bloody slaughter against the predominantly 100-year Pink Ladies.

The Pink Queen disregarded everything else and locked onto the figure that had accompanied her for ten thousand years. Carrying an overwhelming hatred transformed from endless love, she fiercely rammed into the Giant Earth King.

But no matter how strong the Pink Queen was, she ultimately couldn't match the top-level fire-attribute Giant Earth King. Intense flames erupted, and with it at the center, the air within a radius of several dozen square meters became completely distorted. Its two front pincers suddenly hammered the ground, and the distorted air instantly generated a strong shockwave that forcibly immobilized the Pink Queen. Then, the ground cracked open, and a huge pillar of magma shot skyward, engulfing the Pink Queen's body.

Giant Earth King's Innate Spirit Skill: Magma Ground Strike!

Ling Bai had seen this spirit skill before. Ma Xiaotao's fourth spirit skill, Phoenix Roar Air Strike, was derived by absorbing the Innate Spirit Skill of the Giant Earth King, and after making it her own, it was a very powerful explosive follow-up attack.

Boom——

The Pink Queen crashed heavily to the ground. Her once crystalline translucent body had completely turned a horrifying dark red, emitting an unpleasant burnt smell. Occasionally, slight spasms would occur. A deep-black 10,000-year spirit ring floated up.

On the other side, the Purple Lightning Scorpion had also dealt with the Pink Lady swarm. More than half of the Pink Ladies had perished, and only a few lucky ones managed to escape, barely clinging to life. Corpses were strewn everywhere in the forest, the scent of blood filled the air, and yellow and purple spirit rings could be seen all around, resembling a purgatory on earth.

Witnessing such a violent and bloody scene, a desire deep within the Giant Earth King's heart resurfaced. It yanked the Purple Lightning Scorpion close and nuzzled intimately.

Giant Earth King: Baby, let's go another round!

Purple Lightning Scorpion: Oh, you naughty thing!

The two spirit beasts drew closer and closer, finally engaging in passionate lovemaking right amidst the blood of the Pink Ladies, oblivious to the world around them!

Ten Thousand Blades Radiant Glory!

Control Ring!

Golden Crow Primordial Fire Combustion!

Thunderstorm!

The two beasts were utterly shocked, never expecting a sudden ambush. The Dazzling Golden Rope's Control Ring struck first with strong control; the Seraphim's Ten Thousand Blades Radiant Glory dealt damage to lower their health; then the Golden Crow and Berserk Lightning Leopard each finished off one with low health. Their coordinated combo flowed seamlessly, and the two 10,000-year spirit beasts didn't put up any effective resistance at all. The Giant Earth King didn't even have time to pull out!

Two 10,000-year spirit rings floated up simultaneously, spreading rings of deep black light.

The Giant Earth King and the Purple Lightning Scorpion—RIP!

The two 10,000-year spirit beasts used their bloody lesson to prove one thing: whether human or spirit beast, being overcome by lust makes one extremely vulnerable!

"Do you understand the moral behind the Giant Earth King's death?" Wu Ming gently asked the two boys.

Ling Bai clasped his hands over his heart, his face compassionate. "Being a scumbag never ends well."

"×2!" Chu Qingtian nodded furiously.

"Wrong. Scumbags will die without an intact corpse!"

With that said, Wu Ming burned the Giant Earth King with a handful of Golden Crow Primordial Fire and sat cross-legged to absorb the spirit ring, leaving Ling Bai and Chu Qingtian looking at each other.

Seems like she's hinting at us…

Not sure—let us think about it later!

Wu Ming and Chu Qingtian began absorbing their spirit rings, while Ling Bai and Han Ruoruo stood guard to protect them.

"Elder Sister, we're only missing your spirit ring now," Ling Bai said regretfully. The chances of encountering an 80,000-year spirit beast outside the Core Region were nearly zero.

"Haha, this time I'd rather not encounter one."

Han Ruoruo appeared calm. If the four of them were to run into an 80,000-year spirit beast with a powerful bloodline right now, there was a definite risk of being wiped out.

"…Elder Sister, what if things don't go as we wish?" Ling Bai's expression suddenly twisted.

"You mean... we can't be that unlucky, right?"

Han Ruoruo's red lips parted slightly as she glanced at Wu Ming and Chu Qingtian, who were still absorbing their spirit rings. The two of them would need at least another hour. The worst-case scenario had occurred.

"The cultivation of the approaching spirit beast surpasses even that of the Scorching Sun Fire Dragon!"

The two stood protectively in front of Wu Ming and Chu Qingtian. A few seconds later, a blue figure gracefully appeared.

It was a majestic and valiant male lion, over five meters tall at the shoulder. Its four paws tread upon the empty air, seemingly unaffected by gravity. Its pale blue mane was as clear and bright as lake water, reflecting myriad brilliant colors under the sunlight. From each shoulder grew a blue tentacle that swayed continuously with the wind.

Han Ruoruo gritted her teeth. "Innately controls water—the Azure Sky Lion Beast. That means the lake should be its territory, and now the master has returned home..."

Ling Bai gnashed his teeth. "Those two damned scorpions actually came to someone else's territory to have a tryst!"