Chapter 218: Satisfying Smack
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A pitch-black soul ring rose into the air. Even before absorption began, Ye Tianchen could faintly sense the ferocity of the residual soul contained within.
But Ye Tianchen showed no fear. After consuming the whale glue that Liu Erlong had melted and heated, his body radiated a scorching heat.
With sharp eyes fixed on the Ghost-Crying Mantis's soul ring, Ye Tianchen exuded a chilling blade intent. He then sat cross-legged, raising his Tianchen Ice Dragon Blade.
Man and ring became one as an intense battle of souls unfolded.
The corpse of a top-tier spirit beast was a rare treasure. Taking advantage of this lull, Liu Erlong collected the limbs of the Ghost-Crying Mantis, intending to bring them back for Ye Wen.
It was a pity—such a powerful spirit beast hadn't dropped any spirit bones. Otherwise, Liu Erlong had been looking forward to seeing Ye Wen's surprised expression.
At this moment, the group gathered around to protect Ye Tianchen during his absorption process.
However, Xiao Wu and Dugu Yan didn't dare get too close. As Ye Tianchen absorbed the soul ring, blade energy unconsciously radiated from his body, carving deep grooves into the ground.
After a while, Ye Tianchen was still locked in combat with the residual soul within the soul ring. His face twisted in strain—it seemed this mere 70,000-year-old Ghost-Crying Mantis was incredibly fearsome. Even in its residual state, it posed a significant challenge to Ye Tianchen, a child of god.
But seeing that Ye Tianchen's breathing had stabilized, there shouldn't be any major issues moving forward. Aside from Liu Erlong, the others relaxed and began wandering around, hoping to discover some treasures.
Suddenly, Ah Rou, who had been searching for medicinal herbs, changed expressions and looked toward the distance. The ground beneath her feet was already trembling slightly.
As the member of the group with the strongest spiritual power, Rou Rou sensed the immense strength of the approaching presence.
Glancing at Liu Erlong, who was guarding Ye Tianchen, Ah Rou decided to confront the newcomer alone.
At this moment, a kilometer away, a figure as large as a small mountain was rapidly heading toward Ye Tianchen's location.
Its massive frame was covered in muscles as hard as rock, and its jet-black fur gleamed under the sunlight. On its thickly muscled arms were bracers made of hardened stone. At a glance, it resembled a colossal gorilla.
The newcomer was none other than the current undisputed king of the Great Star Dou Forest—the 100,000-year Titan Ape, Erming.
As one of the top combat species among spirit beasts, the Titan Ape wasn't just a powerhouse in terms of brute strength; it also possessed the ability to manipulate gravity. A 100,000-year Titan Ape could even rival a 200,000-year fiendish beast.
Seeing Ah Rou rushing toward him, her feathered attire reminiscent of days gone by, Erming's face lit up with joy.
Don't assume that being a top-tier species makes life easy in the Great Star Dou Forest. During their youth, even these apex predators were often hunted by powerful ten-thousand-year spirit beasts.
This was one reason why top-tier spirit beasts were so rare. Moreover, not all spirit beasts lived in groups, and various other factors led to orphaned younglings.
Daming and Erming had both been abandoned due to various circumstances and were later adopted by Rou Rou as young spirit beasts.
After tens of thousands of years together, Erming had become not only Xiao Wu's second most devoted admirer but also something of a mama's boy.
Having not seen Ah Rou for years, Erming had long been eager to reunite.
Just as Erming was about to enthusiastically greet Ah Rou, she suddenly kicked him squarely in the chest, sending him sprawling to the ground.
!?(3[ノ____ノ]
What's going on? Mom just kicked me!
I'm so confused!?
For someone as tough-skinned as Erming, Ah Rou's attack hadn't actually hurt much. It just left his slow-witted brain struggling to process what had happened. He even had the leisure to lie there and scratch his head.
Seeing that she had successfully stopped her foolish son from causing trouble, Ah Rou let out a soft sigh of relief.
"Erming, are you alright? That kick probably didn't hurt, right?" Rou Rou asked with a hint of concern.
After all, this was her beloved child—she rarely ever laid a hand on him.
Roar~ Roar roar~
Erming lay on the ground, whimpering pitifully. But Ah Rou's expression darkened.
She smacked him lightly on the head.
"How many years has it been, and you still haven't learned the common language of Douluo Continent!"
Roar~
Erming whined in response. He hadn't bothered to learn since he never needed it anyway.
Faced with this simple-minded son of hers, Ah Rou could only sigh. The Titan Ape race was mostly muscle-headed—learning was simply not their strong suit.
Aside from academics, however, the Titan Apes had maxed out nearly every other aspect of their natural talents.
Xiao Wu, thanks to Ye Wen's divine powers masking her identity, hadn't even been recognized by Tang Hao as the same 100,000-year spirit beast girl from years ago.
Ah Rou, on the other hand, had transformed into human form. Unless she revealed herself through combat, even a Title Douluo wouldn't be able to tell. However, after entering the Great Star Dou Forest, she had unconsciously loosened her restraints, allowing traces of her aura to leak out. This had been detected by Erming, who resided deep within the forest, prompting him to come searching.
Ah Rou and Erming began conversing where they stood. If Erming joined the group with his massive size, he would surely disturb Ye Tianchen's soul ring absorption, potentially causing complications. It was better to wait until Ye Tianchen finished absorbing the soul ring before bringing him over.
Erming's life over the years had been as monotonous as it had been for thousands of years prior—he either slept or fought other spirit beasts.
Listening to Ah Rou recount her life in Tianxing Territory over the years, envy flickered in Erming's eyes.
After a while, Ah Rou sensed that Ye Tianchen had finally completed the refinement of his fifth soul ring. She then called Erming over.
With the enhancement of her four-character battle armor, Liu Erlong was practically invincible in the Great Star Dou Forest at this moment. Thus, she didn't feel particularly alarmed by Erming's arrival, especially since Ah Rou was perched on his shoulder—a clear sign that he was one of their own.
Among the group, Xiao Wu's reaction was the most pronounced. Over the years, she had gone from initial fear to gradually integrating into Ye Tianxin's circle. She had shed her once reckless and domineering personality and now carried a refined elegance reminiscent of Ah Rou.
Seeing Xiao Wu, his older sister whom he hadn't seen in years, Erming was overjoyed and began making excited grunting noises.
The others nearby were utterly baffled. How were these two communicating? Their exchange sounded like gibberish—a complete mismatch of languages.
This trip's objective had been successfully accomplished. Ye Tianshui's fifth soul ring was arranged separately, with its target located in the far northern icy plains.
Watching Ah Rou and Xiao Wu prepare to leave, Erming's eyes were filled with reluctance.
Finally, Erming seemed to make a decision. He let out a long, resounding roar toward the sky.
From the depths of the Great Star Dou Forest, the enormous head of the Azure Bull Python emerged from the lake, its gaze complex as it stared into the distance.
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