"Yeah, we're just talking as brothers—why are you butting in?"
Dai Mubai rolled his eyes in annoyance.
"You guys…"
Tang San glared at the two of them, his expression dark as he clenched his teeth tightly.
Very good. Very good. You two are dead.
"Shut up! We don't even know what's going on with Hongjun yet."
Ning Rongrong's beautiful eyes brimmed with murderous intent as she and Zhu Zhuqing shot fierce glares at the group.
The little witch had built up significant authority before, so naturally, Dai Mubai and Oscar didn't dare provoke her. Tang San also fell silent.
But inwardly, he had already added Ning Rongrong's name to his personal death list.
"Alright, enough arguing."
Flander waved his hand irritably, ready to say more when his expression suddenly changed. His gaze snapped toward the depths of the jungle.
ROAR——!!!
A deafening roar ripped through the night sky. Massive black shadows leapt through the forest like moving mountains, each step shaking the earth violently.
"Oh no! It's that damn chimpanzee! Run!"
Zhao Wuji quickly shouted at the others, but before he could finish, a longer, deeper roar echoed from the forest.
MOO—!
A colossal figure—like a snake with a bull's head—hovered in the sky, exuding an aura even more terrifying than the Titan Giant Ape.
"That's…"
Flander's face turned ghostly pale. A fear and despair unlike anything he had ever known gripped him, leaving him feeling as if his soul had escaped his body.
"The Titan Giant Ape… and the Azure Bull Python."
"Two hundred-thousand-year soul beasts!"
BOOM!!!
Smoke and dust billowed, completely blocking out the sunlight.
Even the most experienced soul beast masters outside the Star Dou Great Forest could never have imagined seeing such a terrifying scene in their lifetimes.
But the doomsday they had feared didn't arrive.
The two kings of the forest weren't attacking at random—they seemed to be chasing something urgently. In fact, they were even avoiding other creatures along their path, either intentionally or unintentionally.
At their incredible speed, they reached their destination almost instantly.
By the edge of a clear spring, Xiao Wu slowly regained consciousness. As she opened her eyes, she saw two massive, vaguely familiar figures reaching out toward the boy wrapped in scarlet-gold flames.
"Don't touch him!!"
Her eyes turned bloodshot as three soul rings instantly appeared around her. She vanished on the spot, reappearing five meters away to block the hand reaching for the boy.
But a massive tail gently stopped her in mid-air, followed by a deep and helpless voice.
"Xiao Wu, have you forgotten? You're no longer a hundred-thousand-year-old soul beast."
Xiao Wu was stunned. She looked up sharply, finally seeing the two figures clearly. Her expression changed in shock.
"Da Ming? Er Ming? What are you doing here?!"
"Of course it's because of him."
The Azure Bull Python gazed at her with large eyes full of affection and longing. It had missed her deeply. It gestured toward the boy lying unconscious.
"With Brother Hongjun?"
Xiao Wu's expression became tense. She looked at the two soul beasts pleadingly.
"Da Ming, Er Ming, this person is very important to me—more important than anything. Please… don't hurt him."
"Hoo-hoo!"
The Titan Giant Ape pounded its chest and seemed to say something. When Xiao Wu understood, her face changed dramatically.
"What?!"
She stared at the giant ape in disbelief and turned to the Azure Bull Python.
"You said… the co-leader wants to see Brother Hongjun? But why?!"
If… if that person is involved…
Her entire body began to tremble, despair filling her eyes.
"I'm not sure," the Azure Bull Python replied. "But I suspect it has something to do with this."
It pointed its tail at the vast, fiery phoenix shadow emanating from the boy, a silhouette that reflected the stars in the sky. As the bull python looked at the shadow, a flicker of awe crossed its face.
That aura—it made even him tremble.
"Yes, but…"
Xiao Wu muttered, her voice tinged with despair.
"How can this be? Brother Hongjun… he's just a human…"
"Little Miss Wu."
The Azure Bull Python's voice turned serious.
"We only came here because we sensed your presence. Otherwise, the ones inside would've come."
Seeing the helpless confusion in Xiao Wu's eyes, the bull python hesitated but continued:
"Don't worry. I don't think he's in any danger. If he were, the order we received wouldn't have been to bring him back—it would have been to kill him on the spot."
Upon hearing this, a spark of life returned to Xiao Wu's dull eyes. She clutched the Azure Bull Python's scales tightly and asked, her voice full of hope, "Really?!"
If Brother Hongjun were to die, she wouldn't want to live either.
But as long as there was a sliver of hope, she wanted to take him away from here—no matter what.
"I'm not completely sure," the bull python replied, "but the chances are high."
It looked again at the blazing figure in front of them.
The red-gold flames surged even more intensely, and the fiery silhouette became increasingly clear.
The aura radiating from it grew stronger and stronger.
Warm. Fierce. Burning.
Right now, Ma Hongjun's consciousness was immersed in a world of fire. Yet, he didn't feel any pain.
He had no idea how much chaos he had caused outside. All he knew was that, compared to the unbearable agony he felt during his first transformation, this time felt surprisingly… easy.
Inside the world of red-gold flames, the boy curiously examined his flame-formed body.
"Am I in the spiritual world now?" he muttered.
Ma Hongjun wanted to move but couldn't. Both his physical and spiritual forms seemed to be undergoing a mysterious transformation.
"This is troublesome… I hope I didn't scare Xiao Wu too much."
After several failed attempts to move, he sighed helplessly.
Originally, he had only wanted to surprise Xiao Wu—but he never expected that this second martial soul evolution would involve the spiritual world itself.
That's right—this was his second martial soul evolution.
Back when he and Xiao Wu had confirmed their love, the system had notified him that he had completed the final step in reversing her fate. His ultimate reward had already been issued.
Upon realizing what had happened, he had immediately resented the system.
If that act was required to complete the mission, then without that perfect opportunity and his own stroke of inspiration, wouldn't the mission have failed?
But when he saw the final reward, all his resentment vanished.
10,000 evolution points!!!
An enormous fortune—completely unprecedented.
If he had tried to earn them through normal means, who knew how long it would have taken?
Could it be… that having a harem really is the path of the king?
Because just then, Ma Hongjun remembered several women deeply tied to the main plot—Ning Rongrong, Zhu Zhuqing, Qian Renxue, Bibi Dong… and many more.
If only—
Cough!
It's not because I'm greedy or lustful! This is all for the sake of helping them escape their destined fates!
Wiping the imaginary drool from his mouth, Ma Hongjun shook his head and forcibly pushed away those distracting thoughts.
Because in that moment, he sensed the sea of flames within the spiritual world finally respond.