"Is there a human scent?"
Er Ming had been sitting idly, listening to Sister Xiao Wu describe the human world with great curiosity.
But the moment he sensed the presence of humans, his eyes instantly sharpened.
This was the heart of the Star Dou Great Forest. Humans rarely appeared even on its outskirts, let alone this deep inside. Their presence here was absolutely abnormal.
"Sister Xiao Wu, Big Brother, I'll go check it out. If humans really came here, I'll tear them apart so they don't disturb us again."
Er Ming stood up and stretched his massive frame.
"Go," Da Ming said calmly. "This is no place for humans. If they refuse to leave, kill them."
His tone was steady, completely unconcerned about a few human intruders.
Xiao Wu remained silent. Because of Brother Hongjun and the Shrek Seven Monsters, she didn't harbor much hatred toward humans anymore.
Still, she knew that there would always be a boundary between soul beasts and humans—and these humans had clearly crossed it.
Far away.
Tang Hao moved carefully through the forest, scanning his surroundings with sharp vigilance.
Oddly, they had encountered no soul beasts so far. Not even a trace.
Given his years of experience, this was extremely suspicious.
They were deep inside the Soul Beast Forest—home to countless powerful soul beasts.
But after such a long journey without meeting even one, only one conclusion made sense:
They had entered the territory of an exceptionally powerful soul beast. That would explain why no other creatures dared live nearby.
They were lucky—so far.
Tang San, on the other hand, was filled with excitement.
"Yes, it's right ahead! I can already sense the aura of my true body!"
"Feel it carefully," Tian Meng's voice echoed in his spiritual sea. "Even one-third of my main body will massively boost your strength!"
Every word Tian Meng spoke stirred Tang San's excitement further.
"Tian Meng, can you sense any danger around us?"
Even in his excitement, Tang San stayed alert. This was a forest full of deadly threats—he had no intention of dying here.
Before Tian Meng could reply, a towering figure appeared in front of them, like a mountain rising from the earth.
Tang Hao's pupils contracted sharply the moment he saw the muscular giant.
"Titan Giant Ape!"
With a low growl, only one thought flashed through Tang Hao's mind: Run!
Er Ming glared at the two weak humans, pounded his massive chest, and let out a deafening roar.
He was enraged. How dare these humans step into his territory?
"Run!" Tang Hao barked, summoning his Clear Sky Hammer into his hand.
Seven soul rings glowed around him—only seven.
Grabbing Tang San, he turned and sprinted with astonishing speed.
A bloodthirsty gleam flashed through Er Ming's eyes. His pupils turned blood-red, his killing intent surging.
With a roar, he exploded into motion—faster than Tang Hao and filled with the pride of a forest king. He would not let these invaders escape.
Tang Hao quickly realized he couldn't outpace the Titan Giant Ape. Worse, the beast had no intention of letting them go.
A grim light flashed in Tang Hao's eyes. He glanced at Tang San—then suddenly stopped.
"Listen to me. I can't beat this Titan Giant Ape. You need to get out of here. Don't ever come back. Just go finish your training at the Royal Academy."
At the edge of death, he had no time for sentiment.
Does he hate him?
Of course not. He's still his son. Tang Hao blamed only his own lack of strength for bringing them to this point.
Does he not resent him?
That was impossible. If Tang San hadn't insisted on coming to the Star Dou Great Forest, they wouldn't be in this crisis now.
But it didn't matter anymore. This was fate. He had done his best to raise Ah Yin's child. The rest was up to Tang San himself.
With a roar, he used all his strength to hurl Tang San into the distance.
The force of it made Tang San disappear almost instantly.
With his son gone, Tang Hao turned to face the beast. The pressure of Haotian Douluo filled the air.
So what if he was weaker now?
Even when he was only a Soul Sage, he was stronger than many Titled Douluo.
With the Clear Sky Hammer in hand—even if he had just one arm and one leg left—his fighting spirit remained indomitable.
Activating the Killing God Domain, Tang Hao glared coldly at the colossal monster.
Er Ming saw one of the humans flee. He snorted in rage and fixed his blood-red gaze on Tang Hao.
With a deafening roar, he leapt forward, his massive body descending upon Tang Hao like a collapsing mountain.
Tang Hao immediately activated his seventh soul skill and struck upward with the Clear Sky Hammer.
The two forces collided, releasing a shockwave of devastating power.
But Tang Hao didn't have the strength to hold his ground—he was flung backward, crashing into the earth.
Blood trickled from his mouth.
He had thought he could hold on longer… but his strength had weakened far too much.
Still, he stood up again, wiping the blood from his lips, his eyes growing colder and fiercer.
If he was going to die here today, he'd make sure the king of the forest remembered him.
So no one could ever say that the Clear Sky Clan was weak.
"I hope you can withstand this blow."
A crimson light began to radiate from Tang Hao's body.
He started to burn his own life force.
His spirit power, originally only in the seventies, began to surge.
Level 80...
85...
90...
When he reached his peak once more, Tang Hao stopped.
Now, he resembled a blood-drenched war god. His entire body emitted a deadly aura.
The red light surrounding him thickened like fog, encasing him completely.
His eyes were blood-red—so dark, it seemed as if actual blood might drip from them.
Er Ming hadn't expected this human to suddenly rise to the level of a Titled Douluo.
And more than that—it actually felt danger.
As powerful as it was, ordinary Titled Douluos couldn't pose a threat to it.
But its instincts warned it: this human is different.
Still, it had no intention of backing down.
Those who trespass—must die.