Chapter 218: Bang! The Dashing Guy

Chapter 218: Bang! The Dashing Guy

As the dark spirit ring rose from the Ghost Cry Mantis's remains, Ye Tianchen sensed a hint of residual ferocity within it, despite not having started the absorption yet. But he was undeterred. After swallowing the melted whale gel Liu Erlong had prepared, his body radiated heat. He stared intently at the Ghost Cry Mantis's spirit ring, the blade intent emanating from his body as he sat down cross legged with the Ice Dragon Blade upright before him. Man and ring merged, and an intense soul battle ensued.

Meanwhile, Liu Erlong seized the Ghost Cry Mantis's remains, knowing that the corpse of such a formidable creature would be valuable to bring back to Ye Wen. She'd hoped to find a spirit bone among the remains, but none appeared. Even so, she hoped Ye Wen would be pleased with what they had collected.

The others gathered around to guard Ye Tianchen. Xiao Wu and Dugu Yan, however, kept a cautious distance, as blade energy radiated from Ye Tianchen as he absorbed the ring, leaving deep cuts in the ground.

As the soul battle continued, Ye Tianchen's expression turned grim. Although it was only a seventy thousand year old mantis, the Ghost Cry Mantis's spirit residue was proving fiercely difficult to subdue, making this absorption a true struggle for the young son of a god.

Seeing his energy gradually stabilize, the group relaxed a bit, and except for Liu Erlong, who kept a close eye on him, the others began to explore the area, hoping to find any hidden treasures nearby.

While foraging for herbs, Ah Rou's expression changed, sensing tremors underfoot. As the most spiritually sensitive of the group, she recognized an immense presence approaching. She looked to Liu Erlong, who was guarding Ye Tianchen, and decided to intercept the newcomer alone.

Roughly a kilometer away, a massive figure, resembling a small mountain, charged in their direction. Broad and muscular, its fur was glossy black and shone under the sunlight. Its enormous arms, sheathed in rock like armor, gave it an appearance similar to a gigantic gorilla.

This was none other than the current King of the Star Dou Forest, the hundred thousand year old Titan Giant Ape, Er Ming. As a member of one of the top combat races among spirit beasts, the Titan Giant Ape boasted both exceptional strength and gravitational control, making a hundred thousand year Titan Giant Ape as formidable as a two hundred thousand year beast.

As he spotted Ah Rou in the distance, her feathered robe fluttering in the wind, Er Ming's face lit up with joy. For top tier spirit beasts, survival in the Star Dou Forest wasn't as easy as it might seem juveniles were often hunted by powerful ten thousand year beasts. Er Ming and his brother Da Ming had been left on their own as young beasts and were raised by Ah Rou. After so many years apart, Er Ming, a "mama's boy" at heart, had longed to see her again.

With excitement, Er Ming rushed over to greet Ah Rou but was met with a firm kick that sent him toppling backward.

(!?) (3[ノ____ノ]

"What just happened? Did Mom just kick me?"

As Er Ming lay on the ground, perplexed, he scratched his head in confusion. Being thick skinned, Ah Rou's kick hadn't hurt him much, though it did throw him off balance. In fact, he was calm enough to reach up and scratch his head as he processed what had just happened.

Seeing she'd managed to stop her "silly son" before he caused trouble, Ah Rou sighed in relief. "Er Ming, are you all right? That kick wasn't too hard, was it?" She spoke with a motherly concern.

With a sorrowful roar, Er Ming whined while lying on the ground, prompting Ah Rou to give him a light smack on the head. "How many years has it been? And you still haven't learned the common language of the Douluo Continent?" she scolded, her tone half amused, half exasperated.

Er Ming whimpered, clearly reluctant. He seldom needed to speak, so he'd never felt the need to learn.

For Ah Rou, the stubbornness of her simple minded son was endearing, even if the Titan Giant Ape's head was likely filled with muscle rather than brains. While his race excelled in almost every other talent, learning languages wasn't one of their strengths.

Years of being around Ye Wen had concealed Xiao Wu's spirit nature, such that even Tang Hao couldn't recognize her as a ten thousand year old spirit beast in human form. But Ah Rou, being a shapeshifter herself, relaxed her guard after entering the Star Dou Forest, unintentionally releasing traces of her aura, which Er Ming had picked up on, drawing him to her.

Ah Rou and Er Ming chatted, with Ah Rou deciding not to bring him to the group yet. His size could distract Ye Tianchen from his spirit ring absorption, which could be disastrous.

Er Ming shared how, in recent years, his life had become dull, either sleeping or sparring with other spirit beasts. Hearing Ah Rou describe her life in Tianxing Academy, his eyes filled with envy.

After a while, Ah Rou sensed that Ye Tianchen had finally completed his fifth ring absorption and signaled Er Ming to follow her back to the group.

With her four word battle armor, Liu Erlong was effectively unstoppable in the Star Dou Forest. She watched Er Ming approach, Ah Rou perched on his shoulder, clearly indicating he was an ally.

In the group, Xiao Wu was the most affected. Over the years, she had outgrown her previous fear, becoming an integral part of Ye Tianxin's circle and adopting a calmer, more mature demeanor. At the sight of her old friend, Xiao Wu's face lit up, and Er Ming responded in kind, roaring cheerfully.

The rest of the group, however, exchanged bewildered looks, struggling to comprehend their conversation. The "chicken and duck" talk was completely unintelligible to anyone else.

The team's goals were accomplished, and they planned to head north for Ye Tianshui's fifth ring in the Extreme North. However, seeing Xiao Wu and Ah Rou preparing to leave again, Er Ming's eyes were filled with reluctance. Eventually, he let out a deep, determined roar.

In the distant Star Dou Forest core, a massive figure stirred. The Azure Bull Python, Da Ming, lifted his colossal head above the lake's surface, a complicated expression in his eyes as he looked into the distance.

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