"Soul beast spotted ahead! It's a Lightning Saber-Toothed Leopard, heading in our direction—estimated age between 3,000 and 4,000 years!"
Not long after stepping into the Star Dou Great Forest, the lead team—Bi Yuntao and the sharp-nosed hound-type soul master—spotted a suitable target.
The employer was delighted and immediately issued the order to prepare for battle.
"Everyone, release your martial spirits!"
Bi Yuntao reacted swiftly, giving his tactical command.
In an instant, dazzling soul rings flared to life—white, yellow, and purple lit up the surrounding forest.
The team composition was as follows:
The employer: Rank 30+ Soul Elder (three rings)
Bi Yuntao: Rank 33 Soul Elder
The remaining four, including Chen Feng, were Grand Soul Masters with two rings each.
However, Chen Feng's second soul ring was purple, far too eye-catching. Even though this wasn't the first time he had activated his martial spirit in front of the others, it still drew glances of awe.
When the full strength of the group was gathered, their power surged like a wave.
The Lightning Saber-Toothed Leopard, though fast, had failed to sense their aura in time.
Caught off guard, it couldn't veer off course and had no choice but to charge straight through.
"Perfect timing!"
Bi Yuntao stepped forward boldly, bellowing as he swung his massive spiked mace. His third soul ring lit up, activating his strongest attack immediately.
At the same time, he shouted:
"Boost me!"
Whoosh—
Behind him, the female soul master's second soul ring glowed yellow. A small hand drum appeared in her hands, and with a light tap, a burst of energy surged into Bi Yuntao's body.
Enhanced, Bi Yuntao's aura intensified. His muscles bulged, splitting his sleeves as his strength peaked.
Boom!
His mace collided with the Lightning Leopard's most lethal weapon—its saber-like fangs.
The sheer force of the impact knocked Bi Yuntao back several meters.
Even with the boost, he coughed up blood, nearly overwhelmed by the shock.
But the leopard didn't fare well either. One of its razor-sharp fangs cracked, and its body trembled, pausing midair for a moment.
It recovered quickly.
And rather than continue the fight, it twisted mid-leap, dodging the hound soul master's attack, and bounded away, leaping more than ten meters in a single stride.
"After it!"
Everyone sprang into action—how could they let it escape?
Only Chen Feng held back.
Though his martial spirit was active, his brow furrowed.
Instead of giving chase, he stepped backward, pulling away from the pursuit.
"Strange…"
His heightened spiritual sensitivity had picked up something the others missed.
That leopard didn't fall into their ambush because of poor awareness—
It had already been fleeing in panic.
It was running from something—something terrifying.
But this was the outer edge of the Star Dou Great Forest.
Soul beasts above ten thousand years were incredibly rare.
A 3,000–4,000-year-old soul beast like that was practically a local overlord.
So who—or what—was chasing it?
Soul beasts were extremely territorial. When faced with invaders of equal power, they would rather fight than flee.
Just as Chen Feng was lost in thought—
A sudden, mountain-like pressure swept in from the distance.
The aura didn't belong to any soul master. Though still far away, it was suffocatingly intense—pure, primal, and impossibly ancient.
"Damn!"
Shocked, Chen Feng immediately withdrew, deactivating his martial spirit and suppressing his aura as much as possible.
He dove behind a boulder, crouching low.
The terrifying aura was approaching too fast—there wasn't even time to warn the others.
And then, it appeared.
A massive figure, as towering as a mountain, entered their field of vision.
This time, no one needed to be told.
Everyone saw it.
"H-Heavens…"
"What… what is that?!"
Bi Yuntao collapsed to the ground, all resistance gone.
Everyone else was also crushed to the ground by an invisible weight, as though the sky itself had fallen.
They couldn't even lift a finger.
"Titan Giant Ape!"
Chen Feng recognized it instantly.
One of the true overlords of the Star Dou Great Forest!
According to the timeline, Zhao Wuji had brought the Shrek Seven Devils into the forest around this time to hunt for Tang San's third soul ring.
The Titan Giant Ape had indeed left its territory back then, drawn by the aura of Xiao Wu, who was secretly a 100,000-year soul beast in human form!
Boom—
The Titan Giant Ape walked forward.
It was like watching a moving mountain. Every step sent tremors through the trees, flattening thick, ancient branches like twigs.
The good news: it wasn't here to attack them specifically.
The bad news: it wasn't bothering to suppress its aura either.
Even without malicious intent, its pressure alone was enough to crush them alive.
Splurt. Splurt.
Like a walking natural disaster, the Titan Giant Ape stepped over the team.
It didn't touch them.
It didn't have to.
The sheer pressure was enough to rupture their organs.
Bodies burst open without warning.
Dead. Instantly.
Chen Feng had remained far enough back to survive, but even so, he was left dizzy and disoriented, nearly blacking out.
As for the Lightning Leopard, it was flung through the air like a broken rag doll and slammed into the ground, unconscious and almost crushed to pulp.
To the Titan Giant Ape, these people were ants.
It had no interest in their lives or deaths.
Thump. Thump. Thump…
Its heavy footsteps faded into the distance.
Only now did Chen Feng feel like he had cheated death.
In his previous life, he wouldn't have even blinked at the Titan Giant Ape.
But now, he was just a Grand Soul Master.
How could he not feel fear?
"Hoo…"
Waiting until the behemoth had completely vanished, Chen Feng slowly rose to his feet and ran to check on the others.
But…
It was no use.
A group of Rank 20–30 soul masters had stood in the path of a 100,000-year soul beast.
There was only ever going to be one outcome.
"Sigh…"
Chen Feng let out a long breath.
This wasn't something that could be blamed on anyone.
Their luck had simply run out.
Even he had barely escaped—how could he have saved anyone else?
All he could do was offer them a quiet prayer:
"Amitabha."
"Wuliang Tianzun."
"Amen."
After a solemn moment of silence, Chen Feng turned to follow the Titan Giant Ape's trail.
If it was heading toward Xiao Wu, then Tang San's hunt for the Eight Spider Lances must be about to happen.
He had to stop it before it was too late.
But just as he was about to set off, he paused.
Strength comes first.
The Lightning Saber-Toothed Leopard, despite its injuries, was still in good condition.
It was a good match for his Seven Kill Sword martial spirit.
3,000–4,000 years was a bit high for a third ring, but not impossible, depending on the soul master.
Chen Feng's rings had all been age-boosted, and his body had been tempered by the Shura God's trial.
Compared to others of the same rank, his soul power was denser, his body tougher.
He could do it.