Suddenly, Dugu Feng's expression changed.
"Trouble—a powerful presence is approaching."
Near this colossal tree, his two Emerald Dragon Snakes remained hidden and vigilant. Their tiny forms were nearly invisible in the forest, making them undetectable even to Titled Experts. From their perspective, only two massive figures could be seen racing toward their location with clear intent.
"Devour it all!" Dugu Feng pushed his Core Pearl to its limits, completely absorbing the energy from the Eight Spider Lances. In the next instant, he felt an overwhelming pressure—gravity.
Dugu Feng immediately thought of the Titan Giant Ape. Who else could it be? Had they been on the surface, this gravitational force would have crushed him and Old Scorpion instantly. But they were nestled within the roots of this massive tree, already over a hundred meters underground.
"Retreat!" Dugu Feng forced out the word with difficulty. Simultaneously, a ripple of white energy surged forth, enveloping both Old Scorpion and himself.
"Boom!"
The sound of violent tremors echoed from above—the tree was being uprooted. Old Scorpion didn't dare hesitate for even a second. A moment's delay, and escape would be impossible.
His Earth Escape Divine Power was an ability tied to the earth, yet the attacker's gravity-based power also manipulated the same element. Beads of sweat formed on Old Scorpion's forehead.
Then, his eyes lit up with realization. If this enemy was here to rescue Tang San, then wasn't he the perfect shield?
Old Scorpion seized Dugu Feng with his left hand and Tang San with his right, then hurled Tang San upward through the tree roots. A vicious smirk crossed his face—he doubted the enemy would dare unleash destructive force now.
Immediately after, a surge of gray Soul Power enveloped him and Dugu Feng. As his fifth Spirit Ring flashed, the two plunged deeper underground.
The gray energy around Old Scorpion flickered erratically—his Earth Tunneling Soul Skill was being heavily impeded by the gravitational force. Even with the boost from Dugu Feng's Slaughter God Domain, the escape was grueling.
Aboveground, the Titan Giant Ape, the Sky Blue Bull Python, and Xiao Wu had arrived.
The Titan Giant Ape was the one attacking. Their targets were buried over a hundred meters underground. A brute-force approach risked harming Tang San, so the Titan Giant Ape's gravity control was the only option.
Its Domain—Gravity Swamp—allowed it to manipulate gravitational intensity within its range. Its power far surpassed Zhao Wuji's gravity manipulation, which only affected a few meters underground. The Titan Giant Ape's influence extended dozens, even hundreds, of meters.
"Still struggling?" The Titan Giant Ape's lantern-like eyes gleamed. If he let the targets escape, he'd lose face in front of Xiao Wu.
Suddenly, he sensed an energy rising toward the surface. He prepared to amplify his Soul Power to suppress it.
"Wait! They're using Tang San as a shield!" the Sky Blue Bull Python roared.
Xiao Wu's heart clenched. Tang San couldn't be harmed! She had invested so much effort into securing him as her backer—where would she find another suitable candidate if he died?
The Titan Giant Ape instantly understood and immediately eased the gravitational force.
But the next moment, the enemy's fluctuations were already fading into the distance.
At the same time, it sensed a faint energy fluctuation descending downward.
The Titan Giant Ape hurriedly caught this energy fluctuation—it must be Tang San.
Finally, its massive forelimbs fiercely grabbed the tree roots, and with a tearing motion from its shoulders, it directly uprooted the giant tree, performing a scene akin to the Titan Giant Ape pulling a willow tree from the ground.
Accompanying the uprooted tree was a figure.
"Third Brother!"
Xiao Wu, perched on the Titan Giant Ape's shoulder, cried tears of joy.
She leaped down and caught Tang San as they landed on the ground.
Seeing that Tang San had been rescued, the Titan Giant Ape nearby no longer held back.
Its enormous body stood upright, its overwhelming aura stirring waves across the ground.
Black energy currents sank into the earth.
It exerted its Gravity Mud technique to the limit, attempting to control the underground space.
But the enemy's presence was no longer confined underground—two identical auras had appeared several kilometers away.
The Titan Giant Ape froze.
"What's going on?"
These three auras made it impossible to determine which one was real.
While it hesitated, it completely lost track of any traces—the enemy had escaped far too quickly.
"Big Brother, can you sense them? When Tang San was still underground, I could only detect two energy fluctuations, one large and one small. Just now, I sensed three."
The Titan Giant Ape asked.
The Sky Blue Bull Python shook its head. "If even you can't sense them, I certainly can't. The moment they fled, I only detected a peculiar aura—another Domain skill. Their escape was concealed by a Domain ability, making them nearly impossible to track underground."
The Titan Giant Ape could only sigh in resignation.
The most important thing was that Tang San had been rescued. As for revenge, their relationship with Tang San wasn't close enough to risk their lives avenging him.
"Third Brother..." Xiao Wu called out twice in succession.
Tang San's eyes remained tightly shut, showing no signs of waking. His body was limp, devoid of any strength.
After Xiao Wu embraced him, his body curled into a ball, occasionally trembling.
When Dugu Feng absorbed the energy of the Eight Spider Lances, a portion of Tang San's vitality had also been drained.
Dugu Feng had no energy to distinguish whether he was absorbing vitality or the Eight Spider Lances' power.
Tang San looked utterly wretched.
Xiao Wu immediately activated her Martial Soul Avatar, channeling her Soul Power into Tang San's body.
Yet, after a long while, Tang San still showed no response.
Xiao Wu quickly composed herself.
"Er Ming, take me back. Oscar and Rongrong both have healing abilities. And Dean Flender and the others have medicinal supplies!"
Without hesitation, the Titan Giant Ape lifted Xiao Wu onto its shoulder again and dashed away at full speed.
Once they neared Flender and the others, Xiao Wu carried Tang San back to the camp alone.
Soon, Flender was the first to spot Xiao Wu.
He hadn't rested a wink this entire time.
If something happened to Tang San, how could he face Haotian Douluo and Xiao Gang?
Haotian Douluo might even smash him to pieces in a fit of rage.
Only Xiao Wu's earlier determination had been his last lifeline.
Now, seeing Xiao Wu holding Tang San, the anxiety in Flender's eyes vanished instantly.
"Rongrong, Oscar, hurry! Prepare to treat Xiao San!"
Flender's deep voice boomed across the camp.
After going through so many events, the other members of the Shrek Five Monsters were still reeling from shock.
Hearing Flender's roar, they crawled out of their tents one after another.
"Dean, what happened to Tang San?"
The dazzling Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda spun out from Ning Rongrong's palm. At this moment, she still hadn't sensed Xiao Wu's approach.
Oscar quickly followed up by making Recovery Big Sausages.
(End of Chapter)