"Sacrifice?!"
Upon hearing the human's demand, the Titan Giant Ape was first stunned in disbelief, then roared in a fury that shook the trees: "Despicable! You humans are all the same!"
"Despicable?"
Lin Mu sneered, his face full of cold mockery. "You attacked us just now, and every move you made was meant to kill. Did you consider showing mercy for even a second? If I hadn't been fast enough, I would already be a mangled corpse under your fists."
"Between Soul Masters and Soul Beasts, it has always been the law of the jungle. You've lived for a hundred thousand years, are you truly still so naive? Do you honestly expect me to trade her life for a fair reason?"
Hearing this, the Titan Giant Ape fell silent, its heavy breathing sounding like a bellows.
Undeniably, the human's words hit the mark. In the Star Dou Great Forest, power was the only rule. Moreover, they were not of the same race; there was no room for human benevolence or morality in a struggle for survival.
If it had been mistaken, this human might not have initially targeted Sister Xiao Wu, but now that he knew her secret, he held all the cards.
Thinking back to the long years they had spent together as siblings, a hint of agony and struggle flashed in the Titan Giant Ape's lantern-like eyes, finally settling into a long, helpless, yet resolute sigh.
It turned its massive head and gazed deeply toward the core area of the Star Dou Great Forest, as if bidding farewell to the Azure Bull Python in the Lake of Life through the endless canopy.
"Big Brother... for Sister Xiao Wu... I have no choice," the Titan Giant Ape murmured inwardly. It then looked down at Lin Mu and spoke with a thunderous, gravelly voice, "You must swear by your Martial Soul that you will never lay a hand on Sister Xiao Wu."
"I, Lin Mu, swear by my Martial Soul: as long as you sacrifice yourself for me, I will never harm Xiao Wu for the rest of my life. If I break this oath, may my Soul Power dissipate and my body be struck down by heaven and earth."
Seeing the Titan Giant Ape submit, Lin Mu's lips curled into a satisfied smile.
He had originally planned to hunt a seventy-thousand-year Soul Beast for his seventh ring, but unexpectedly, he had secured a 100,000-year Soul Ring, and a guaranteed 100,000-year Soul Bone to match.
Fortunately, this Titan Giant Ape was driven by emotion rather than logic; if it had been the cunning Azure Bull Python, things likely wouldn't have gone so smoothly.
"Sister Xiao Wu... this is the last thing I can do for you."
As soon as the words left its mouth, an incomparably powerful, vast, and soul-chilling energy erupted from the Titan Giant Ape's body!
A blinding yellowish-brown pillar of light shot into the sky, completely enveloping its massive form. Within the light, immense life energy and Soul Power surged toward Lin Mu like a thousand rivers flowing into a single sea.
Then, an incredibly deep, blood-red Soul Ring, carrying the unique, suffocating pressure of a 100,000-year-old Soul Beast, slowly began to condense.
"ER MING!!!"
At the same time, in the core area of the Star Dou Great Forest, a gigantic bull's head suddenly emerged from the Lake of Life, it was the Azure Bull Python, Da Ming.
Sensing the incredibly familiar energy fluctuation of a sacrifice, Da Ming's eyes were filled with horror and disbelief.
"How is this possible?!"
Da Ming was in shock. Er Ming was supposed to be looking for Sister Xiao Wu. How did he end up in a sacrifice? Even in mortal danger, given Er Ming's prideful personality, he would rather fight to the death. What kind of human could force him into this?
ROAR!!!
Gazing at the distant energy pillar, the Azure Bull Python was overcome with grief, letting out an extremely mournful roar. The sound waves swept across the forest, the sheer pressure forcing every Soul Beast for miles to prostrate themselves in terror.
On the other side of the forest, Tang San was carrying Xiao Wu, fleeing with all his might.
After taking the pills provided by Lin Mu, the toxins in Xiao Wu's system had been largely neutralized. The swelling on her shoulder had subsided, and her breathing was becoming steady. Her long eyelashes trembled as she slowly regained consciousness.
Suddenly, she snapped her eyes open, her heart clenching violently. An indescribable, heart-wrenching pain spread through her soul, as if a part of her existence had been torn away.
"Xiao Wu? What's wrong? Are you in pain?" Tang San noticed her distress and quickly stopped, looking at her with deep concern.
Xiao Wu shook her head blankly, clutching her chest. A nameless, overwhelming sadness choked her words. She could only stare back toward the depths of the forest, her eyes brimming with tears she couldn't explain.
Meanwhile, Lin Mu sat cross-legged on the ground, guiding the blood-red 100,000-year Soul Ring toward himself with his mind.
In an instant, energy containing a hundred millennia of cultivation surged into his limbs and meridians like a volcanic eruption.
"Ngh...!"
Lin Mu groaned, his body jolting violently. He had underestimated the sheer volume of energy in a 100,000-year ring; even with a voluntary sacrifice, the physical strain was immense.
Just as he felt his meridians might burst, an incredibly solid and lifelike phantom rose into the sky from behind him. It had a dragon's head, a deer's body, and was covered in divine, burning flames.
It was the mythical beast, the Fire Qilin!
Gradually, the flames around Lin Mu transformed into pure Qilin Fire. A domain quietly formed around him, and his physical attributes were comprehensively remolded. By a twist of fate, his Martial Soul had undergone a final, perfect transformation during this breakthrough.
Lin Mu's Soul Power surged at an astronomical rate!
'Level 71... Level 72... Level 73!'
Finally, the vibrant red Soul Ring solidified completely, hovering around Lin Mu and radiating a suffocatingly powerful pressure.
"That... was a close call."
After the absorption, Lin Mu felt a sense of power far exceeding anything he had known before. But he wasn't finished. His gaze fell on the remains of the Titan Giant Ape, where a Left Arm Bone was faintly glowing with yellowish-brown light.
"I almost forgot about this treasure."
Lin Mu used his Soul Power to retrieve the Titan Giant Ape Left Arm Bone. He brought it close to his arm, and the bone transformed into a stream of light, merging seamlessly into his body.
Because he already possessed the ape's Soul Ring, the bone fusion presented zero resistance. Under the renewed surge of energy, his Soul Power bottleneck shattered once more, leaping straight to Level 75!
"This power... is incredible."
Lin Mu exhaled a long, hot breath. He felt the terrifying strength in his left arm and the vastness of his Soul Power. Now, with a 100,000-year ring and bone, he truly possessed the combat strength to match a Titled Douluo. Coupled with the stats of his Hurricane armor, even a Super Douluo would find it difficult to catch him.
As the sky dimmed, Lin Mu stood up and stretched. "Absorbing a ring of this level really does take a long time."
He was about to leave when his enhanced perception picked up another fluctuation. He walked over to the carcass of the Man-Faced Demon Spider Tang San had killed. After a brief search, he found exactly what he expected: a dark purple external soul bone, shaped like eight miniature spider legs.
"The Eight Spider Lances... what a coincidence."
Lin Mu smiled. This was a powerful growth-type tool. Giving this to Tang San would ensure his disciple's strength continued to skyrocket, and keep the system rewards flowing.