"You little brat…"
Gu Rong chuckled dryly as he extended his right hand, not taking the incoming attack seriously at all.
But in the next instant, his instincts screamed danger. Without hesitation, he activated his third soul skill, conjuring a bone shield that floated in front of him.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Five blazing beams slammed into the shield, instantly erupting in explosive force. Firelight burst forth, filling the air with dazzling radiance and momentarily obscuring the battlefield.
Xu Yang's eyes flashed gold as he activated his Sun Golden Eyes, peering straight through the veil of flame to observe the result.
To his surprise, Gu Rong now held the bone shield in his hand—and it had five identical holes punched clean through.
Clearly, the shield had been pierced.
Gu Rong's expression darkened slightly. As a dignified Titled Douluo, and a defense-type one at that, he'd just had one of his soul skills penetrated by a Soul Ancestor's attack. If word got out, he'd become the laughingstock of the upper ranks.
With a surge of soul power, the five holes rapidly healed, restoring the shield to pristine condition.
Seeing this, Xu Yang immediately caught on.
He folded. Instantly.
Xu Yang quickly deactivated his Sun Golden Eyes, pretending he hadn't seen a thing.
But inside, he was thrilled. Even he hadn't expected this soul skill to be that powerful—strong enough to pierce through a Titled Douluo's defensive skill. Especially considering that Gu Rong had once used that same combination of his third and seventh soul skills to withstand the shockwave from Poison Explosion Art, which was akin to a small-scale nuclear blast.
The fact that this new skill could breach it was... absurd.
"Since that worked, I might as well test the other attack mode."
Even before the previous explosion's light had faded, the five miniature suns in the sky above began to shine even brighter. Their brilliance lit up the darkening sky, turning night into day.
Then—countless golden rays of light, as fine as needles, began falling like a celestial downpour, blanketing the skies as they rained down toward Gu Rong.
"Brat! Don't push your luck!"
A booming voice erupted from the light as a terrifying surge of soul power exploded outward. It obliterated the golden rain instantly, revealing an extremely annoyed Gu Rong beneath it.
"Grandpa Gu, come on—you're a Titled Douluo!" Xu Yang retracted his Martial Soul and smiled sheepishly.
"Hah! Hah! Hah!"
Dugu Bo, watching from the sidelines, couldn't help but laugh.
"Old Bone, a dignified Rank 97 Super Douluo, caught off guard and humiliated by a junior? Tsk, tsk."
"Damn it…"
Gu Rong's face turned even darker.
He had been so focused on dealing with Xu Yang that he forgot about the other old monster, Dugu Bo, standing right there. The intense light earlier might have concealed things from an ordinary Soul Master—but for someone like Dugu Bo, it was nothing. Clearly, his every move had been seen.
"By the way, where did Uncle Ning go?" Xu Yang quickly tried to defuse the awkward tension with a change of topic.
"Hmm… Uncle Ning went out to scout," Dugu Yan responded promptly, also sensing the shift in mood. "After all, we're deep inside the Star Dou Forest. There are a lot of ten-thousand-year soul beasts here. It's dangerous."
"Ah, I see. Uncle Ning's really got it tough."
"Mhm. He does!"
The two kept chatting back and forth, and before long, the awkward atmosphere dissipated. Gu Rong, to his credit, played along—snorting once and walking away to rest under a nearby tree.
Half an hour later, Ning Haiyan returned from his reconnaissance.
"Lord Gu, Elder Dugu," he reported solemnly. "The number of ten-thousand-year soul beasts nearby is increasing. It seems we've been discovered."
Gu Rong's expression grew grave.
"Haiyan, you'll protect Xu Yang and Yan'er. We move out—immediately. We're flying out of the Star Dou Forest tonight."
They had lingered too long. In the Star Dou Forest, staying in one place for too long was a critical mistake—especially with this many high-ranked soul beasts nearby. Many ten-thousand-year beasts, particularly those over fifty thousand years old, possessed intelligence equal to humans and harbored deep hatred for them.
That was exactly why Gu Rong had sent Ning Haiyan to scout.
Now that beast activity was intensifying, the only conclusion was that a beast tide might be forming.
Even as a Titled Douluo, Gu Rong wasn't confident he could guarantee Xu Yang and Dugu Yan's safety if surrounded by a group of enraged ten-thousand-year soul beasts.
While Dugu Bo could unleash a poisonous massacre… such large-scale slaughter would undoubtedly provoke the wrath of hundred-thousand-year soul beasts lurking deeper within the forest.
Although only one was publicly known—the Titan Giant Ape—it was well-known that there were others. Many were rare low- or mid-grade types like the Soft-Boned Rabbit, who stayed hidden due to bloodline limitations. But being low-profile didn't make them weak.
Any hundred-thousand-year soul beast was easily comparable to a Titled Douluo in strength.
That's why the only choice was to leave before the beasts fully gathered.
As for visibility at night—soul masters could easily channel soul power into their eyes to enhance vision, giving them night vision close to that of soul beasts. As long as they remained cautious, it wouldn't be a problem.