The Azure-Sky Cow-Python's azure eyes suddenly became evasive, and Ye Zhiqui's thoughts quickly turned, allowing him to guess what it was thinking.
When a person's eyes are shifty, it means they are hesitating, and this holds true for soul beasts as well.
Ye Zhiqui pondered for a moment, then said, "Daming, personally, I don't like to kill. What I most want to see is soul beasts and humans coexisting peacefully."
A look of disdain immediately appeared in the Azure-Sky Cow-Python's pupils. It felt that this human boy was very hypocritical. "Do you take us soul beasts for fools? If that's truly what you want to see, then why are you here asking us to help you hunt a 100,000-year soul ring?"
Ye Zhiqui shook his head and denied, "Soul beasts are like humans; some evil people deserve to die, and some evil beasts deserve to die. I merely took their soul rings to enhance my own strength. If one day I become the strongest in the Douluo Continent, I will certainly use my own methods to change the awkward situation between humans and soul beasts. But for now, I can't do such a thing. I must go further on the path of becoming stronger, and this path is destined to be stained with blood; some sacrifices are inevitable. A great man does not bother with trifles; a single divine skill is achieved over a pile of bones. Do you understand?"
The Azure-Sky Cow-Python fell silent after hearing Ye Zhiqui's words. A voice in its heart told it that this boy was boasting, merely trying to trick it and Erming into being his thugs.
But when it saw Ye Zhiqui's arrogant eyes, which refused to yield to the rules of heaven and earth, while he spoke these words, it couldn't help but feel an urge to try and believe him, even though this human, in its eyes, was still very weak.
The Azure-Sky Cow-Python hesitated for a long time before slowly saying, "Forty li to the east of here, there's a black forest where a 100,000-year-old One-Horned Evil Dragon is hiding. A long time ago, it caused trouble in the Star Dou Great Forest and was injured and driven away by me and Erming working together. Later, it often bothered Erming when he went out to play alone, relying on its ability to fly. I can't go with you this time, or it will escape."
"Forty li." Ye Zhiqui raised an eyebrow. This creature was so arrogant, relying on its ability to fly, that it came right to Daming and Erming's doorstep.
For soul beasts, forty li really wasn't far; they could get there in almost no time.
If it weren't for Daming and Erming, two 100,000-year soul beasts, living by the Lake of Life, this One-Horned Evil Dragon would probably have directly seized their territory.
"That's the one then." Ye Zhiqui hardly hesitated. Although its ability to fly made him feel a bit tricky, it wasn't impossible to fight.
"Awoo~ Awoo!" At that moment, Erming suddenly let out a few excited roars. It lifted Xiao Wu, who was on its shoulder, by the back of her collar and placed her on the ground, then turned and leaped dozens of meters away, disappearing into the mist with Ye Zhiqui in the blink of an eye.
Xiao Wu stomped her foot in anger, standing where she was. This little brother was too much; he actually abandoned her.
"Daming, hurry. Take me there." Xiao Wu urged impatiently.
However, Daming didn't listen to her this time. It shook its head and whispered, "Sister Xiao Wu, your strength is too weak after transforming into human form; you can't withstand the aftershocks of a 100,000-year soul beast battle. If I take you, that cunning One-Horned Evil Dragon will probably run away if it senses two 100,000-year soul beasts approaching. Honestly, I don't think they'll gain anything from going there this time; the One-Horned Evil Dragon isn't that easy to deal with."
Daming gazed in the direction Ye Zhiqui and the Titan Giant Ape had left, shaking its head helplessly.
In fact, it knew the locations of some other 100,000-year soul beasts, and they were much easier to deal with than the One-Horned Evil Dragon. However, in Daming's opinion, those soul beasts were all well-behaved, just staying in their lairs and cultivating silently. Daming couldn't bring itself to cause trouble for no reason.
On the other side, the Titan Giant Ape was moving at high speed. Its way of traveling was a bit peculiar, like a frog leaping, covering nearly a hundred meters with each jump. Its speed was very fast, and the endless green landscape flashed by beneath it.
Ye Zhiqui used the Flying Thunder God Technique to appear on top of the Titan Giant Ape's head. This position allowed him to see further, and even if the Titan Giant Ape landed, it would keep him at the height of the treetops.
The endless sea of trees lay prostrate beneath his feet, with only a few occasionally prominent ones slightly obstructing his view.
Seeing the world from within the forest and seeing it from outside the forest were two completely different concepts, like sitting in the clouds, giving one the illusion that everything in the world was within sight.
At this moment, Ye Zhiqui's clothes were flapping loudly in the strong wind generated by Erming's high-speed movement, his long hair dancing freely behind him. The strong wind, carrying the scent of grass and wood, hit his face, but instead of hurting, it made him feel very refreshed.
At this moment, Ye Zhiqui suddenly had the idea of getting himself a mount. Unfortunately, he couldn't find the Summoning Jutsu in the system store, which Ye Zhiqui found a bit regrettable.
However, upon closer thought, Summoning Jutsu required first going to a certain place and signing a contract with the beasts there before being able to summon them.
The soul beasts of Douluo didn't seem to fit this rule very well.
It was also strange that, besides not being able to find Summoning Jutsu, Ye Zhiqui hadn't seen other powerful and heaven-defying ninjutsu for the time being, such as Otsutsuki Toneri's Silver Wheel Reincarnation Explosion and Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion, etc. These should also belong to the Naruto system of ninjutsu, right?
However, the system didn't sell them? Ye Zhiqui didn't think this kind of jutsu would be so strong that the system couldn't record it, so there were only two possibilities:
One, his system was too crappy; two, his system still had the potential to upgrade, but he didn't know when it would.
Ye Zhiqui himself was more inclined towards the second guess. After all, a system, whose origin was mysterious and unfathomable, was destined not to remain crappy.
Time slowly passed as Ye Zhiqui pondered.
Not long after, Ye Zhiqui noticed a change in the trees in a distant area.
The originally endless green dense forest now looked as if someone had dabbed a spot of ink on it. Every giant tree had completely changed its appearance; their trunks and leaves had turned a dark black, with faint black mist lingering on them, revealing a hint of eeriness.
If Ye Zhiqui were to go down to the ground, he would find that the ground here was also emitting black mist. If a horror movie were to be filmed here, it would probably save on special effects costs.
This black forest covered an area of about several kilometers in diameter, forming a circle. The black and green at the edges formed a stark contrast; one side symbolized vibrant life, while the other was a dead zone, so quiet that not a sound could be heard.
Seeing this, Ye Zhiqui couldn't help but frown. A soul beast that could directly affect the surrounding environment was definitely a powerful existence. This change in the environment was likely related to the characteristics of that soul beast.
If he hadn't heard Daming say that he and Erming could work together to drive this soul beast away, Ye Zhiqui would have suspected that old guy Ditian was hiding here.
Erming didn't think as much as Ye Zhiqui. When it reached the border of this black forest, it showed no intention of stopping, skillfully rushing towards the center of the black forest. From its appearance, it seemed to have come here to fight quite often?
At this moment, Erming was excitedly roaring "Awoo~ Awoo~" all the way, as if afraid the owner of this place wouldn't know it had arrived.
"Roar~!"
In the center of the black forest, a muffled roar shook the heavens. Black air currents, accompanied by the angry roar, emanated outwards, seemingly in response to Erming's provocation.
Soon, a black shadow, no smaller than Erming, suddenly shot into the sky and flew rapidly towards Ye Zhiqui and Erming.
Although it was deep night, with the eyesight of his Sharingan, Ye Zhiqui could still clearly see that this was a tyrannosaurus-like soul beast, somewhat resembling the Western dragons from Ye Zhiqui's previous life.
The most striking feature was the single horn on its head, thick as a thigh at the base, with a dark black color, and its tip gleamed with a cold light under the moonlight, more than two meters long. If it were to gore someone, they would probably die instantly. Even a giant beast of the Titan Giant Ape's size would likely have a hole punched through its flesh with one thrust.
On its back were a pair of similarly black fleshy wings, emitting a metallic sheen, and its body was covered in black scales the size of fists, shimmering with black light.
This was an entirely pitch-black sub-dragon type soul beast, with faint black mist lingering around its body. As it flew, it left a long trail of black mist behind it.
"So this is the One-Horned Evil Dragon, it seems pretty cool." Ye Zhiqui's eyes lit up as he looked at this soul beast. How great it would be if he could capture it as a mount! Unfortunately, he currently lacked soul rings, so he'd better go catch Ditian later. He believed Ditian's appearance should be even cooler than this one!
The One-Horned Evil Dragon landed dozens of meters in front of the Titan Giant Ape, its black-mist-emitting eyes looking at the Titan Giant Ape, and then it glanced at Ye Zhiqui on its head. When it saw Ye Zhiqui's outermost red 100,000-year soul ring, it couldn't help but be stunned.
"Roar~!" The One-Horned Evil Dragon roared at the Titan Giant Ape, its expression seemed to be questioning, and Ye Zhiqui heard anger in its roar.
"Awoo~ Awoo~!" The Titan Giant Ape clapped its hands on its chest, making a loud "thump-thump" sound. Then, it performed an action that left Ye Zhiqui dumbfounded: the Titan Giant Ape suddenly turned around, lifted its butt, and wiggled it from side to side at the One-Horned Evil Dragon.
This is… begging for a beating, no, this is outright provocation! It seems Er Ming holds a deep grudge against this guy, but wouldn't making such a gesture affect your reputation as a 100,000-year soul beast?
Even Ye Zhiqui, standing on Er Ming's head, felt a bit embarrassed. What kind of bizarre provocation was this?
However, the Demonic Uniclaw Dragon on the opposite side instantly erupted in fury, two long streams of black gas spewing from its nostrils.
"Roar~" The Demonic Uniclaw Dragon, with its comically short yet powerfully built legs, charged forward with a thundering rumble, crashing through everything in its path. Trees in front of it were either snapped in half or swatted away by a single wing, leaving a long trail through the dense forest. This corner of the forest looked as if a dog had licked it clean.
Er Ming, with its back to the dragon, revealed a hint of smugness in its eyes. Er Ming was only afraid of the dragon flying; whenever it took to the air, Er Ming had no way to deal with it. Close-quarters combat, like now, was what Er Ming enjoyed most.
Seeing the Demonic Uniclaw Dragon charge forward like a mindless brute, Er Ming executed a nimble turn, letting out a roar of its own, its mouth wide open in excitement as it rushed forward.
The two colossal beasts closed in on each other in the blink of an eye, their massive bodies colliding with a resounding thud.
A dull impact, accompanied by a transparent shockwave, spread outwards, traveling a great distance.
Fortunately, this area was the territory of a 100,000-year soul beast, and other soul beasts dared not approach. Otherwise, the battle between two 100,000-year soul beasts could very likely cause fleeing soul beasts to form a beast tide.
The two beasts engaged in close-quarters combat, palms and claws clashing, testing each other's strength. The battle instantly became white-hot.
The Demonic Uniclaw Dragon's horn, located on its head, was the hardest part of its body. With both sides' claws restricted by the other, it unhesitatingly lowered its head slightly, aiming its horn directly at Er Ming's throat.
Er Ming's movements were much simpler; it leaned more towards human-like attack methods, but with more brutality.
"Awoo~!" Er Ming roared excitedly, tilting its head slightly, narrowly avoiding the horn aimed at its throat. It then leaned its head back slightly before suddenly thrusting its forehead towards the back of the slightly lowered Demonic Uniclaw Dragon's head.
The heads of the two giant beasts collided, the sound like a beating drum, echoing far and wide. The Demonic Uniclaw Dragon staggered from the impact. Er Ming's amber pupils suddenly showed a hint of triumph. Taking advantage of the Demonic Uniclaw Dragon's unsteady stance and dispersed strength, Er Ming, who had been using both legs to stabilize itself while exerting force, suddenly lifted one leg and stomped it heavily onto the Demonic Uniclaw Dragon's toes.
At this moment, the Demonic Uniclaw Dragon's black pupils widened. Ye Zhiqui even saw tears welling up in its eyes. Needless to say, that stomp must have been incredibly painful.
However, that wasn't the end of it. After Er Ming delivered the first stomp, it lifted its foot again and stomped a second time.
"Roar~~~" The Demonic Uniclaw Dragon, with tears in its eyes, revealed a look of resentment. If one were to look at its claw now, they would find that the toes on one of its feet had been flattened.
The enraged Demonic Uniclaw Dragon opened its mouth, and a stream of black flames spewed towards Er Ming's head. Before it even got close, Ye Zhiqui felt a scorching, foul-smelling stench assault him, and his skin tingled with a faint stinging sensation.
"Awoo?" Er Ming was stunned. Why was this beast not playing fair? We agreed on close combat, and you're using dragon breath?
At this moment, Er Ming immediately wanted to pull back its paw to dodge. After all, being hit by dragon breath was no joke. Its skin was thick and tough, so it wouldn't die, but its fur would probably all be burnt off. However, Er Ming tried to pull its paw back forcefully but found it couldn't move.
Its paw was firmly gripped by the Demonic Uniclaw Dragon's claw. At this moment, the Demonic Uniclaw Dragon's eyes revealed a sense of vengeful pleasure.
You can stomp on my toes, so isn't it fair if I spit at you?
Just as Er Ming was whimpering, preparing to endure the attack, Ye Zhiqui, standing on its head, brought his hands together in front of his chest. The hexagonal pinwheel in his pupils spun wildly, a stinging sensation came, and two lines of blood, like tears, overflowed from the corners of his eyes and dripped down.
"Susanoo - Armored!"
Ye Zhiqui calmly let out a soft cry. As his voice fell, a faint purple glow twisted and diffused, rapidly spreading from the junction of his feet and Er Ming's head. The speed of the spread was extremely fast; for every inch the purple glow spread, pieces of deep purple Susanoo armor swiftly covered it.
At this moment, the Demonic Uniclaw Dragon's black flames finally arrived, engulfing Er Ming's upper body in the blink of an eye. In that instant, the Demonic Uniclaw Dragon suddenly released Er Ming's paw, spread its wings, and soared into the sky. Black flames, accompanied by black mist, continuously poured down from its dragon mouth, covering an entire section of the forest below. The center of the black flames was Er Ming's position, with black mist swirling all around, making everything indistinct.
Only a harsh sizzling sound could be heard coming from the surrounding trees. These black flames not only possessed scorching high temperatures but also seemed to be corrosive. Any tree trunk that came into contact with even a trace of the black flames would instantly be corroded, forming a large hole. This entire area looked as if the apocalypse had struck, with countless trees toppled and the ground in utter disarray.
At the center of the black flames, the flames pooled together like magma, continuously flowing downwards from a high mound. At that spot, where the Titan Giant Ape originally stood, its beastly silhouette was now completely submerged and invisible.
The Demonic Uniclaw Dragon, flying in mid-air, closed its upper and lower jaws, a hint of confusion appearing in its massive black pupils.
It had fought this monkey many times before, but each time, the monkey would instantly use its soul power to shake off the black flames the moment they touched it, never allowing them to stay on its body for more than a second. What was happening this time? No movement for so long?
The Demonic Uniclaw Dragon certainly didn't believe it had been directly scalded to death. This old opponent was not that weak; its attack at most would only make the monkey a bit disheveled.
Just then, from the magma formed by the black flames, a dazzling purple light suddenly pierced through the surface, like the first ray of dawn from the east!
The Demonic Uniclaw Dragon's massive black pupils contracted. It quickly flapped its wings and continued to fly higher. It sensed a conspiracy. This monkey had been submerged in its "spit" for so long without emerging, it must be brewing some powerful move it didn't know about. Now, its guess was indeed correct. It had fought Er Ming dozens of times, big and small, and had never seen the Titan Giant Ape use any technique with purple light.
The Demonic Uniclaw Dragon flew over a hundred meters high before stopping. At this position, it felt very safe, giving it enough room to react to any situation. After its mind was somewhat at ease, the Demonic Uniclaw Dragon looked towards the Titan Giant Ape's position, a hint of smugness in its eyes. Even if you unleash a powerful move, you still can't fly. What good is it if you can't hit me?
"Awoo!"
Just then, Er Ming below suddenly let out an excited roar. Centered on it, a circle of black energy instantly spread out, and the black flames clinging to its body were instantly shattered into countless specks, as if vaporized.
At this moment, Er Ming's figure was completely revealed. The dazzling purple light suppressed the surrounding darkness, and the originally pitch-black forest was illuminated brightly.
At this time, Er Ming's entire body was covered by the purple Susanoo armor, even its eyes were protected by a translucent layer. Its colossal body looked like a giant amethyst, dazzling and eye-catching.
Above Er Ming's head, Ye Zhiqui was half-crouching, his face somewhat pale, but the joy at the corner of his mouth was undisguised.
Susanoo - Armored Er Ming! Success!
Initially, Ye Zhiqui had only tried it out of curiosity, as Er Ming was a living creature. What he didn't expect was that this idea succeeded on the very first try. It's just that, perhaps because it was attached to an external object, the consumption of soul power and pupil power was a bit high, basically draining all the soul power in his body.
Ye Zhiqui drew some soul power from the nine Tailed Beasts' origins within his body to fully cover Er Ming.
As for the Susanoo armor, not only was the Demonic Uniclaw Dragon in the sky curious, but even Er Ming, protected within it, raised its front paw and looked at it repeatedly, occasionally touching it a few times, happily bouncing around a few times, and letting out strange cheers.
In Ye Zhiqui's eyes, the current Er Ming was probably as happy as his husky from his previous life suddenly getting a new outfit, bouncing and jumping, completely unable to stay still.
"Er Ming, I'll send you to the sky. Get ready to take it down," Ye Zhiqui said calmly, glancing at the Demonic Uniclaw Dragon flying in the sky, showing no intention of coming down.
"Awoo?" Er Ming instinctively wanted to scratch the back of its head, but suddenly realized that the back of its head was covered by the Susanoo armor, so it couldn't scratch it.
While Er Ming was pondering how Ye Zhiqui would send it to the sky, Ye Zhiqui, on its head, suddenly placed a hand on its forehead.
Ye Zhiqui's eyes were fixed on the Demonic Uniclaw Dragon flying in the sky. After calculating the distance...
Flying Thunder God, activate.