"ROAR—ROOOAR!"
Deep within the forest, the furious bellows of an ape resounded.
Even from a great distance, the tremors in the ground could be felt.
Ning Rongrong darted through the woods, leaping onto a sturdy tree branch to catch her breath. She glanced behind her.
"You really think I'm prey? If I'm being polite, I'll call you a Titan Giant Ape. If not, you're just a zoo monkey."
Three days and nights of pursuit—did this thing really think she, Ning Rongrong, had no temper?
Three days ago, she had used Kyōka Suigetsu to deceive the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King before teleporting far away to the mainland.
She didn't know which forest this was, but…
Her arrival point happened to be a cave—apparently the home of the giant ape now chasing her. The moment she stepped out, she was met with a six-to-seven-meter-tall ape blocking the entrance.
Did it know how it felt to barely escape death, only to be greeted by a giant monkey?
Her heart could only scream: "What the hell?!"
She was a civilized person! She hadn't taken so much as a needle or thread from it—she'd just accidentally trespassed! Was there a need to chase her for three days and nights?!
After barely escaping the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King, she was already exhausted. Yet now, she had to deal with a Titan Giant Ape.
Did it know how devastating this was for a frail support-type Soul Master?
She'd almost thought it was game over.
Fortunately, this Titan Giant Ape wasn't the "Er Ming" from the Star Dou Great Forest.
Even if they were related, it was probably a distant connection—if at all.
The Douluo Continent of this era wasn't like the expanded world of later series. There were countless soul beast forests, and it wasn't unusual for a Titan Giant Ape or two to appear in some remote mountain area.
Based on Ning Rongrong's discerning judgment, this Titan Giant Ape was likely between 3,000 to 6,000 years old.
In the original records, it was said that a hundred-year Titan Giant Ape could rival a ten-thousand-year soul beast. But who knew if that was true?
Still, this six-to-seven-meter-tall ape was indeed stronger than the average ten-thousand-year soul beast.
If nothing else, its muscular physique, thick hide, and sheer weight made it a force most soul beasts couldn't withstand.
Thus, the chase continued.
Ning Rongrong consumed spirit herbs from her storage pouch, and after three days, she had finally recovered.
She wasn't at her peak—Kurumi had fallen into a deep sleep after their joint escape from the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King.
But it didn't matter.
Ning Rongrong wasn't some helpless support-type Soul Master who couldn't function without a Dark Devilgod Tiger. The young sect master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Sect was plenty strong on her own!
As she paused to catch her breath, the Titan Giant Ape bulldozed through the forest like a living wrecking ball.
Its six-to-seven-meter frame wasn't overly conspicuous among the trees, but the chilling aura it emitted sent nearby soul beasts trembling.
A thousand-year Titan Giant Ape wasn't a thousand-year Blue Silver Grass—this thing was terrifying.
"Sigh… If I can't shake it off, then I'll just have to send it to the afterlife."
She didn't know if this Titan Giant Ape had a dog's nose, but no matter how many times she lost it, it always caught up within an hour or two.
Unfamiliar with the forest and lacking time to plan, she still hadn't escaped after days of running.
But judging by the soul beasts she'd encountered—mostly thousand-year and hundred-year, with the occasional ten-year—she was likely nearing the forest's outskirts.
As Ning Rongrong and the Titan Giant Ape played their game of cat and mouse, many soul beasts fled in terror, fearing they wouldn't escape with their lives.
Meanwhile, deep in the forest…
A group of young soul masters hunting for soul rings heard the Titan Giant Ape's roars and saw the panicked soul beasts. Curiosity flickered in their eyes.
"Teacher Wang Teng, something seems wrong in the Blazing Wind Forest. These soul beasts are fleeing for their lives."
A well-proportioned young woman turned to her Soul Sage instructor, her face etched with confusion.
Wang Teng, a sharp-chinned man with double pupils, shook his head.
"I'm not sure. I've been to the Blazing Wind Forest many times. There shouldn't be any overly powerful soul beasts here—especially not in the outer regions where we are."
He gazed into the distance, thick brows furrowing slightly before relaxing into a smile.
"Don't worry, Huo Wu. Your teacher is, after all, a 72nd-ranked Soul Sage. Even if something happens, I can ensure your safety."*
The Blazing Wind Forest did have ten-thousand-year soul beasts, but it wasn't as dangerous as the Star Dou Great Forest.
A Soul Sage like him could handle any unexpected situations.
"Teacher, should we leave for now?" Feng Xiaotian suggested cautiously.
"Oh? Brother Feng, scared?" Huo Wushang clapped Feng Xiaotian's shoulder.
Feng Xiaotian rolled his eyes and brushed off Huo Wushang's hand.
"If it weren't for Huo Wu wanting to help you hunt a soul ring, I wouldn't be sticking around with you."
"Heh." Huo Wushang leaned in and whispered, "Is that so? I can hear someone's ulterior motives loud and clear."
"I'm giving you an opportunity here. After all, the Divine Wind and Blazing Fire Academies are one now."
"If you say that, I might get sad. And if I'm sad, Huo Wu will be upset. And if she's upset…"
"Brother Feng, you get it, right?" Huo Wushang nudged him with an elbow, wearing a "we're both men, I know what you're thinking" expression.
Feng Xiaotian: "..."
"Could you two not flirt in front of me?" Huo Wu's eyelid twitched.
Ever since the Divine Wind and Blazing Fire Academies merged, these two had grown way too close.
They were always whispering to each other—and Huo Wushang, as her older brother, didn't even bother hiding it from her!
The Douluo Continent was open-minded, sure. Some nobles in the Heaven Dou Empire were downright debauched.
But—but!
Huo Wushang, did you have to go this far?
Was your bromance with Feng Xiaotian so important that you had to flaunt it in front of your little sister?
Huo Wu sometimes thought she was shameless, but compared to these two, she still had some dignity left.
Suddenly, a sharp pressure seized their attention.
Aside from Wang Teng, the double-pupiled Soul Sage, Huo Wu and Huo Wushang—both possessing fire-attribute martial souls—were the first to sense the scorching heat emanating from the forest depths.
"How… how is this possible?!"
Huo Wu stared in shock at the distant sky.
The fiery aura radiating from there actually made her, the possessor of the "Fire Shadow" martial soul, feel an intense suppression.
As soul masters, even young ones, they understood the hierarchy of martial souls.
Undoubtedly, a battle was raging there—and the other party also wielded a fire-attribute martial soul, one that surpassed her "Fire Shadow" in rank.
Above the forest, the sky burned like the setting sun dipping below the horizon.
Waves of scorching air slowly spread outward.