"I didn't expect the Bone Palm to evolve."
Cheng Xiao was greatly surprised; the effect was far too powerful.
Looking at the already bright sky, Cheng Xiao felt anxious and stopped trying. He stood up and waved his hand, and fifteen shadow soul beasts, including the Terrorclaw Bear, hid in the shadows beneath his feet.
As for the remaining soul beasts that had been mistakenly summoned, Cheng Xiao dismissed them.
"Sorry, rest in peace!"
There was no limit to the number of shadows he could summon, but he could only store twenty. He had already planned five locations in case he encountered a more powerful shadow at some point in the future, so that he wouldn't miss an opportunity due to a lack of available space.
"Time to go!"
Cheng Xiao exhaled a breath of turbid air and then prepared to head out of the Star Dou Great Forest.
"Whoosh—whoosh—"
Suddenly, the sound of wind breaking came from behind, and three figures darted out.
"Tang San, where are you going?"
"What are you doing here?"
Two low shouts rang out, and Cheng Xiao stopped in his tracks. It was one of the two servants beside Zhu Zhuqing.
They had woken up early this morning to find Cheng Xiao missing, and only then did they realize that this kid was probably up to something!
So they quickly followed the trail, only to find themselves at the den of the Terrorclaw Bear.
Looking at the corpses of spirit beasts scattered on the ground and the lifeless Terrorclaw Bear, they finally realized that this young man had perhaps never been telling the truth from the very beginning; his goal had always been the Terrorclaw Bear!
Zhu Zhuqing stared intently at Cheng Xiao's retreating figure, her cold face devoid of the smile from the previous night, replaced by deep disappointment.
So, everything he said yesterday was a lie. Could it be that the others really couldn't be trusted?
Was she destined to face those two alone, no matter how unwilling she was, to accept that fate?
A pang of sorrow rose in Zhu Zhuqing's heart.
"Tang San, come back to the Zhu Manor with us. Considering you've admitted your mistake, the clan leader might be lenient," the elder man said in a deep voice, his eyes dark and his body radiating a powerful aura.
Regardless of whether this kid had gained anything from here, they had to capture him first. If he hadn't gained anything, that was one thing, but if he was lucky enough to find a soul bone…
Hmph, a commoner, wanting to possess a soul bone? More importantly, it was their Zhu family who killed that soul beast.
Anyone who dared to use their Zhu family as a mantis hadn't even been born yet!
"Forget it," Zhu Zhuqing waved her hand, somewhat disheartened. "Let him go."
Since he didn't want to stay, then so be it.
Zhu Zhuqing sneered inwardly. What martial soul perception, what martial soul fusion technique—it seemed the books weren't entirely accurate.
A meeting of minds?
Ha, if a meeting of minds were possible, why would that person change his mind and run off to some unknown academy? "
Hmph, if we truly understand each other, why does he speak nothing but lies and deception? "
She had to rely on herself; there was no one else she could depend on. Zhu Zhuqing looked up at the sky, suppressing her grievances.
"But what if there were soul bones..." the older servant said urgently.
"Soul bones? How many years have you cultivated? How many soul bones have you seen?" Zhu Zhuqing turned to leave.
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"I'm sorry, Second Miss, I cannot comply this time." The older man cupped his hands, his eyes lowered, but his expression was cold.
Zhu Zhuqing, about to leave, suddenly stopped, her brows furrowing slightly, her cold gaze shooting towards the defiant man: "You dare defy me?"
"I'm sorry, Second Miss, I only obey the clan leader's orders."
Given the current situation, the eldest young lady, Zhu Zhuyun, would undoubtedly win, and Zhu Zhuqing would surely lose power in the future. He had little need to curry favor with a young lady with no future. The Zhu family's rules dictated that they could only serve one person.
Moreover, he was the clan leader's confidant; he only needed to obey the clan leader's orders and consider the clan head's interests.
The young man before them was clearly acting strangely. Even if they didn't interrogate him, they couldn't let him leave like this. Otherwise, if he were to leave with that potentially existing "soul bone," the clan leader would surely punish him.
Having said that, the older servant turned his gaze to Cheng Xiao: "Tang San, come back with us!"
"Tang San, I advise you to wake up and not make a mistake!" another person warned. "Since you've already pledged allegiance to the Second Miss, if you obediently come back with us, perhaps we can spare your life."
Both the Star Luo Empire and the Heaven Dou Empire on the continent practiced a system of noble fiefdoms. Pledge of allegiance to a noble wasn't as easy as Cheng Xiao thought. While it offered some protection, it also brought many restrictions.
If one betrayed their allegiance, either empire could use it as a pretext to issue an arrest warrant. And the other empire would accept such a warrant!
Because this was a betrayal of the entire continent's noble system, all the nobles would be enraged. They wouldn't allow anyone to disrupt the order they had painstakingly established.
Seeing that Cheng Xiao still didn't move, the two channeled their soul power. One raised six soul rings beneath his feet, and the other five. The continuous flow of soul power created a more tangible pressure, overwhelming Cheng Xiao, no longer as casual as their previous words.
Cheng Xiao turned around and saw the soul rings beneath their feet, his tension immediately easing. He had been calculating whether to go back with them, whether his strength was a match for theirs. If they were Soul Saints, he would have a hard time escaping.
But now, these two were only Soul Emperors and Soul Kings.
So… go back with them? Ha!
"Tang San, Tang San, tsk..." Cheng Xiao's lips curled up, his eyes completely devoid of yesterday's humility, replaced by a ruthless glint, giving off a sense of hawk-like cunning. "Chirp chirp chirp chirp, it's really annoying!"
"Listen up!"
"I'm not called Tang San!"
Cheng Xiao snapped his fingers, and then, the shadow beneath his feet began to grow wildly, baring its fangs and claws like a demon connecting with the shadows of the trees on the ground.
Immediately, one after another, ferocious shadow spirit beasts crawled out from the shadows under the shocked gazes of the three.
"This, what kind of spirit skill is this?!" One of them was intimidated by the aura of the fifteen shadow spirit beasts, fear welling up in his heart, causing him to take a step back.
Zhu Zhuqing's cold and pretty face also showed astonishment. Her pupils shrank, staring intently at the fifteen ferocious spirit beasts, her heart trembling, her hands and feet unable to stop shaking.
"A soul bone! It must be a soul bone skill!" The older man exclaimed in shock and anger, "Don't be afraid, he's only a Soul Master. How long can he activate a skill! Take him down, you must take him down!"
"Besides!" Cheng Xiao glanced at him contemptuously, grinning to reveal his gleaming white teeth, his anger blazing as he swung his hand down: "I've been putting up with you guys for far too long!"
"Roar!"
In the next instant, fifteen soul beasts roared in unison, creating a deafening sound that shook the entire forest. Countless weaker soul beasts were terrified and fled, trembling in their nests, too afraid to show their faces. Many birds also fled in panic.
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