"Shh!"
At the front of the group, the scout suddenly turned around, placing a finger over his lips to signal silence.
Everyone instantly tensed up, exchanging wary glances.
The squad leader whispered, "What is it? What's going on?"
One of the scouts kept his eyes ahead, while the other looked back at the group, then ahead again, before gesturing for them to come forward.
Lin Fan and Davis exchanged a glance and carefully stepped up.
As they reached a small hillock and crested its rise, the sight before them left them utterly speechless.
Floating motionless in midair was an enormous simian soul beast.
Its entire body was wrapped in a strange blue glow, suspended as if in deep meditation, unmoving.
Below it, a bizarre blue crystalline stone radiated eerie light, humming with strange energy.
"Titan Giant Ape!"
The squad leader blurted out in shock.
Everyone turned to glare at him. Realizing his blunder, he quickly clapped his hand over his mouth. The entire group held their breath, eyes fixed on the terrifying beast.
But the Titan Giant Ape remained suspended in midair, eyes tightly shut, showing no signs of waking.
Only then did the group breathe a sigh of relief.
They cautiously stepped forward, staring at the levitating behemoth, awe and disbelief in their eyes.
"Isn't that the Titan Giant Ape—ruler of the Star Dou Forest? What's it doing here?!"
Heads shook all around. No one had an answer.
The two scouts jogged over beneath the floating colossus, craning their necks for a closer look.
Up close, it appeared completely frozen in place—its massive body radiating a crushing pressure, yet utterly still, like a living statue held in stasis.
Then one of the scouts turned around and called out, "Relax, everyone! It seems to be dead—there's no movement at all!"
But the group didn't relax.
Instead, horror overtook their expressions as their eyes locked onto something behind the scouts.
The squad captains immediately summoned their martial spirits.
A piercing shout rang out across the area:
"Everyone, on guard!!"
"What?!"
The two scouts turned, confused—and what they saw nearly caused their souls to flee from their bodies.
The Titan Giant Ape's eyes… were open.
Those massive, copper-colored eyes were now glaring at them—filled with fury and savage intent. A monstrous, unrestrained aura erupted like a tidal wave.
A terrifying pressure spread in all directions—the force of a hundred-thousand-year soul beast's wrath unleashed in full.
The two scouts closest to it were the first to feel its unfiltered rage.
"ROOOOAAAAAR!!"
The Titan Giant Ape let out a deafening roar that seemed to shake the heavens.
Lin Fan's face went pale.
"Impossible…" he whispered.
Judging by its aura—this was no longer a mere hundred-thousand-year soul beast.
It had reached two hundred thousand years!
How could this be?!
It had only recently left the Star Dou Forest, and yet… its power had leaped to an entirely new level.
At this point, an average Titled Douluo would barely survive a single exchange against it.
What happened to it?
The others fared no better—faces pale, bodies trembling, staring at the now fully awake Titan Giant Ape.
"Protect His Highness!"
The Star Luo Empire's squad leader shouted as eight soul rings burst forth behind him:
Yellow, Yellow, Purple, Purple, Black, Black, Black, Black.
A textbook-perfect soul ring configuration. The brilliance of his rings lit up the forest.
The other elite guards also summoned their martial spirits and soul rings—all similarly flawless in composition. The dazzling display brought a flicker of reassurance to their anxious hearts.
Meanwhile, Lin Fan frowned and subtly tugged Davis back with him, quietly retreating behind the others.
No one noticed their movements—everyone's attention was locked on the looming behemoth.
But Lin Fan's gaze wasn't on the ape.
He was watching the cloaked figure from the Heaven Dou Empire—the one presumed to be a quasi-Titled Douluo.
While everyone else had released their martial spirits and soul rings… this person hadn't moved at all.
He simply stood at the front, calmly staring up at the Titan Giant Ape.
Lin Fan's heart sank with caution.
"This mission… is filled with hidden masters."
After all, what kind of quasi-Titled Douluo would dare face the Star Dou Forest's apex beast without flinching?
Unless… he had the power to back it up.
The Titan Giant Ape surveyed the group, then—shockingly—revealed a faintly human-like sneer. A mocking, disdainful expression twisted across its massive features.
Its copper eyes glinted with scornful amusement.
"Humans… Have you come here to die?"
Its voice echoed in their minds, projected directly through mental power.
The two captains exchanged a glance, but neither dared to reply.
Then, the cloaked figure slowly stepped forward, facing the beast directly.
He tilted his head upward, and a mocking, arrogant voice drifted out from beneath the hood:
"You dumb monkey. We're obviously here for your soul ring and soul bone. What, did you think we came to catch up? Heh… heh… heh."
The entire group took a collective step back, their throats tightening, eyes glued to the Titan Giant Ape.
Both captains were silently cursing the man to death.
"Who the hell is this lunatic? Can't he read the room?"
The Star Luo captain glared daggers at his Heaven Dou counterpart—his stare like a drawn sword, making the latter's spine stiffen with discomfort.
The Heaven Dou captain forced an awkward smile, shaking his head like a rattle.
"I swear, I have no idea who this guy is!"
He'd received orders to include the cloaked man last-minute. He didn't know his identity, nor where he came from.
And now he was mentally swearing at both the man and the Star Luo captain.
"Damn it! Since when did the Star Luo Empire get so strong?"
They were technically of equal rank, but the energy radiating from Star Luo's experts was clearly on another level.
"If it comes down to a fight… we'll lose."
But then, something completely unexpected happened.
The Titan Giant Ape… didn't go berserk.
Instead, a trace of caution appeared in its massive eyes.
It began to study the cloaked man more closely.
A low, rumbling voice echoed in everyone's minds:
"Human… Who are you?"
Seeing this, Lin Fan nearly laughed out loud.
****
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