Just as Qian Renxue charged at the Nether Tiger, Cheng Xiao, who had activated his stealth skill, silently arrived at the side of the dead Three-Eyed Demon Ape. He glanced back at the Ghost Tiger, who was tangled with Qian Renxue, and then extended his hand toward the Three-Eyed Demon Ape's corpse.
"Arise!"
he commanded in a low voice, his eyes flashing with dark purple light. As his Shadow Power surged from within, a sorrowful cry erupted from the corpse of the Three-Eyed Demon Ape.
"Ahhhhh..."
Following the sorrowful wail, a beastly roar echoed. Cheng Xiao's gaze remained steadfast on the body of the Three-Eyed Demon Ape. In the next moment, a beast shrouded in black mist burst out from the corpse.
The shadow of the Three-Eyed Demon Ape immediately recognized its master. With intelligence beyond its level, it made a gesture akin to a bow towards Cheng Xiao.
Cheng Xiao nodded slightly. The Three-Eyed Demon Ape was the only ten-thousand-year soul beast among his shadow soldiers. Moreover, its level was even higher than that of the nine-thousand-year-old Nether Tiger, ranking at the knight level. Clearly, its potential far surpassed that of the Nether Tiger.
The Nether Tiger was currently only at the elite level, while the weaker thousand-year soul beasts were usually at the ordinary level.
Just then, a sharp sound suddenly pierced through the air from behind. A golden light streaked through the sky, shooting directly at Cheng Xiao.
Ruler's Authority!
Cheng Xiao murmured in a low voice. As he turned around, the sacred sword aimed at his back deviated from its original trajectory and flew off to the side, disappearing into the forest.
"Just a Soul Elder at level 30, yet you could avoid my attack?" Qian Renxue's face showed a slight change upon witnessing this scene.
Her cultivation had already reached the six-ring Soul Emperor level, so she naturally saw through Cheng Xiao's strength at a glance. But when she noticed the black mist-enveloped Three-Eyed Demon Ape behind him, her gaze turned sharp.
Noticing Qian Renxue's change in expression, Cheng Xiao's mind raced, and the Three-Eyed Demon Ape behind him immediately understood. It looked toward Qian Renxue, who had killed it while it was alive, and let out an ear-splitting roar of anger.
"Not good!" Seeing the Three-Eyed Demon Ape roar, Qian Renxue immediately sensed something was wrong. Just as she was about to release her soul skill, a sudden dizziness struck her.
The roar of the Three-Eyed Demon Ape had a mental disruption ability. After it released its mental roar, it was already too late for Qian Renxue to use her soul skill to defend.
Seeing that Qian Renxue was temporarily stunned, Cheng Xiao summoned the Ghost Tiger, immediately mounted it, and fled. As for the Three-Eyed Demon Ape, it turned into a black mist and merged into Cheng Xiao's shadow.
In the blink of an eye, Cheng Xiao, riding the Nether Tiger, had disappeared from Qian Renxue's sight.
A moment later, when Qian Renxue's mind cleared, a surge of anger rose in her heart. Her four wings spread out from her back, and golden feathers gently fell into her hand. She gazed in the direction where Cheng Xiao had vanished, biting her lip. This was the first time she had been played like this, and certainly the last! With a slight tremble of her back, her enormous golden wings shot out, and with a light tap on the ground, she soared into the sky, leaving a trail of golden feathers.
As her body ascended into the air, a layer of golden light flickered in Qian Renxue's eyes. Following the dark aura left by Cheng Xiao, she quickly gave chase.
"Run all you want. Let's see whether you can escape faster than I can catch up!"
...
After a mad dash, Cheng Xiao finally reached the edge of the forest and breathed a sigh of relief. Along the way, he hadn't sensed Qian Renxue's divine aura, so he assumed she had given up.
The Nether Tiger's speed gradually slowed, and Cheng Xiao leaned against a large tree to rest. Looking at the soldiers within his shadow, a smile crept onto his face.
Luckily, the Three-Eyed Demon Ape had become a shadow soldier; otherwise, tonight's efforts would have been in vain.
After resting for a while, just as Cheng Xiao was about to get up and continue, a golden feather slowly floated down from the sky, followed by a mocking voice.
"Run, why did you stop?"
Hearing the voice, Cheng Xiao immediately looked up. Floating in mid-air, bathed in golden light, was Qian Renxue. Her golden eyes were locked onto Cheng Xiao below, their gazes meeting in the night sky, sparking a sense of confusion.
"What's going on? Why does my Seraphim Martial Spirit react in his presence?" Qian Renxue mused as she looked down at Cheng Xiao.
"If you stop flying, I'll start running again," Cheng Xiao said calmly.
"I have to admit, you're quite bold." Qian Renxue flipped gracefully in the air and landed softly on the ground.
"What do you plan to do? Kill me?" Cheng Xiao asked, tightening his grip on the two short swords in his hands.
"Kill you?" Qian Renxue frowned slightly. Although this boy had tricked her earlier, the fact that her Seraphim Martial Spirit reacted to him piqued her interest.
Looking at the wary boy in front of her, Qian Renxue chuckled, "We have no enmity between us. I chased you because you played a trick on me. If you tell me your name, perhaps I'll change my mind."
"Cheng Xiao," he answered.
"Cheng Xiao?" Qian Renxue was taken aback. Cheng? That was unexpected. There were no notable clans or sects on the continent with the surname Cheng.
"What about you? What's your name?" Cheng Xiao asked in return.
After contemplating for a moment, Qian Renxue smiled. "Qian Xue."
"Senior Qian Xue, I've given you my name. Can I leave now?" Cheng Xiao asked, feigning innocence.
Qian Renxue shook her head slightly and said, "The Star Dou Forest is dangerous. It's risky for you to leave alone. I have a proposal. Since I've obtained my sixth soul ring, and you've gotten what you wanted, how about we leave the forest together?"
"I guess I can't refuse then." Hearing this, Cheng Xiao reluctantly put away his daggers.
Seeing Cheng Xiao so compliant, Qian Renxue was momentarily stunned, then asked with a smile, "Cheng Xiao, where are you from?"
"Just an unknown village."
"A...village?"
"Yes, just a village. By the way, Senior Qian Xue, your surname is quite rare. Where are you from?"
"The capital of the Heaven Dou Empire. I live in the imperial city."
"Oh, I heard there are many advanced soul master academies there. The most famous one is...Heaven Dou Royal Academy, right?"
"What, you want to join Heaven Dou Royal Academy?"
Just as Qian Renxue finished speaking, a powerful aura suddenly exploded above them. An eerie voice echoed through the air.
"Boy, it took me quite some effort to find you…"