"You!"
Xiao Wu's face showed a mix of embarrassment and sadness.
No matter what, Tang San was the first person she had met after entering the human world.
If Tang San hadn't attacked Zhu Qing, things wouldn't have turned out this way between them.
"Tell me, if I tell Ma Hongjun that you're also a soul beast, do you think he'd still stay by your side?"
A mocking smile appeared on Tang San's face.
"But don't worry, Xiao Wu. Even if you're a soul beast, I won't reject you."
His expression softened with affection.
He thought these words would move Xiao Wu's heart, but to his surprise, a look of disgust appeared on her face.
"You're not the Third Brother I once knew."
"The person I knew wasn't this shameless, and he would never take advantage of someone in distress."
Her tone was calm, but the clear disgust on her face completely enraged Tang San.
"Yes, I've changed."
"But have you ever asked yourself why?"
"If it weren't for Ma Hongjun, we wouldn't have ended up like this."
Tang San trembled with anger.
But his fury quickly vanished the moment he noticed the Azure Bull Python standing behind Xiao Wu.
"Sister Xiao Wu, let me kill him."
Da Ming stared at the small human in front of him, murderous intent flashing in his eyes.
At that moment, Tang Hao, who had been knocked back earlier, returned to stand in front of the group. His expression turned grim as he looked at the Azure Bull Python.
If the Giant Ape was the king of the Soul Beast Forest, then the Azure Bull Python was its emperor.
It was a creature far stronger than the Giant Ape.
Tang Hao had only managed to defeat the Titan Giant Ape before due to sheer luck and experience.
But facing the Azure Bull Python? Even if his strength hadn't declined, he'd have considered retreating.
Now, Tang Hao knew his strength was waning—and escape was no longer an option.
"Tian Meng, can you control the Azure Bull Python?"
Tang San anxiously reached out with his mind, hoping for a solution.
Tian Meng replied with excitement.
"Brother, I brought this kid here today under the Co-Lord's orders. Please show mercy and let him live."
"It seems the Co-Lord has other plans for him."
The Tianmeng Ice Silkworm's voice echoed in the Azure Bull Python's mind.
The great beast hesitated but recognized that anyone who knew of the Co-Lord's existence could not be an ordinary soul beast.
"What do you want?" the bull python asked telepathically.
"This kid's father has already burned his life force. He won't last much longer and will soon fall into a deep coma."
"The Co-Lord ordered him to be taken to the Lake. He must have a purpose for that. All we need to do is keep the boy here."
Tian meng Ice Silkworm said calmly.
The Azure Bull Python fell silent, then gradually restrained its killing intent.
With a flick of its enormous tail, it swept up Tang Hao and Tang San.
Tang Hao had tried to send Tang San away again, but the Azure Bull Python gave him no chance.
Its direct strike had seriously injured him.
Now, both Tang Hao—battered and broken—and the weakened Tang San were powerless against the emperor of the forest.
"Xiao Wu, ask it to let me go."
Tang San looked up at Xiao Wu. He knew her soft heart wouldn't allow her to watch him die.
Xiao Wu opened her mouth to speak, but the Azure Bull Python beat her to it.
"Sister Xiao Wu, he was assigned by the Co-Lord. We have no choice."
The moment Xiao Wu heard the word "Co-Lord," her expression grew serious.
Her gaze flickered for a moment, but in the end, she said nothing. She turned and looked at the Titan Giant Ape beside her.
"Er Ming, are you okay?"
Xiao Wu asked with concern.
"It's alright, Sister Xiao Wu. Just a minor injury—I'll recover soon."
One of the Giant Ape's arms had completely fallen limp.
But to him, it was nothing serious. With his terrifying regenerative powers, he would heal in no time.
News of the Tian meng Ice Silkworm's actions quickly reached Di Tian.
When Gu Yuena heard that Tang San had successfully been brought to the Lake and that Da Ming and Er Ming had already secured him, a trace of surprise appeared on her face.
"Those two little ones?"
She remembered seeing them once, tens of thousands of years ago.
"Yes, that region belongs to the two brothers now. If Tian Meng hadn't acted, Tang San would've been killed by them already."
Di Tian looked a bit embarrassed—he had completely forgotten about that.
Gu Yuena nodded, then vanished without a trace.
"What did I say? The Soul Beast Forest is extremely dangerous, and you let Xiao Wu and Gu Yuena go soul beast hunting alone?"
"Do you even care about them at all?!"
Liu Erlong shouted in anger.
She hadn't expected Ma Hongjun to allow the two girls to separate from the group.
Even she and Flander had a hard time dealing with so many ten-thousand-year soul beasts.
She didn't even dare imagine what would've happened if Xiao Wu and Gu Yuena had gotten into trouble.
Ma Hongjun lowered his head and endured her scolding, his face twisted in a bitter smile.
He had done so much for Xiao Wu.
He never expected Teacher Erlong to get so angry—it seemed like she was about to explode.
Flander, however, remained calm.
After learning that Gu Yuena had gone with Xiao Wu, his suspicions grew stronger.
Gu Yuena's background was mysterious. During their last trip to the forest, Hong Jun had brought her back from its depths.
Since then, Flander had never seen her take action. Even during team battles, she had remained calm and composed.
Flander guessed that when Haotian Douluo appeared and a mysterious expert intervened, it must have been Gu Yuena.
"Alright, Erlong. The kids have their own plans. We shouldn't interfere too much."
Flander tried to defuse the situation.
Unexpectedly, Liu Erlong turned her fury on him instead.
"And you! You're the dean of the academy! How could you be so irresponsible? You let them wander into the Soul Beast Forest unsupervised."
"If anything happens to Xiao Wu, who will take responsibility?!"
Liu Erlong looked like she was about to explode. None of them had given her a moment's peace.
Ma Hongjun, still lowering his head, suddenly sensed something and his expression changed.
He had just received a message from Gu Yuena.
She instructed him to leave the group and reach a specific location immediately.
Though he didn't know what Gu Yuena's intentions were, he trusted that she would never harm him.
"Teacher Erlong is right. Let's split up and search the area."
"Since they're hunting soul beasts, they probably haven't gone far."
Ma Hongjun suggested calmly.
Dai Mubai and the others nearby thought it over and nodded in agreement.
That was indeed the best course of action right now.