Hiding behind a large tree, ready to watch a good show, Tang San and his two companions were dumbfounded as the soul beasts scattered in all directions in front of Xu Ran.
All three faces were dumbfounded.
Weren't these soul beasts here to find Xu Ran?
Why did they suddenly run away?
"Teacher, could your potion powders have expired? What's going on?" Tang San said, befuddled. Clearly, these soul beasts had been ready to trample Xu Ran, but in the next moment, without even approaching Xu Ran, they just ran away.
"That can't be possible. Maybe something on Xu Ran's person that soul beasts hate caused them to flee?" Yu Xiaogang was also completely dumbfounded. The potion powders he painstakingly researched were supposed to be reliable, so there shouldn't have been any issues.
After studying soul beasts for so many years, he knew their habits very well. The aura emanating from Xu Ran was extremely vile, capable of stirring up the savage side within the soul beasts, making them constantly think about trampling over Xu Ran.
But now, he couldn't understand at all!
"These soul beasts look more like they're fleeing in panic. Could it be that Xu Ran is really that strong?"
"But even if a Titled Douluo were to arrive here, given the mortal relationship between humans and soul beasts, so many soul beasts wouldn't flee from just one human."
Seeing this scene, Tang San and his companions were so startled that they turned pale, feeling an ominous premonition in their hearts.
At this moment, numerous soul beasts were scattering away from Xu Ran, creating a frenzy as if they were escaping for their lives, among them many powerful soul beasts with thousands of years of "Cultivation Level."
"Grandmaster, Young Master, don't scare yourselves. Maybe those soul beasts were scared away by the Huanhuan Yuan (Joyous Monkeys)," Titan suggested.
"The Soul Beast Clan has a strict hierarchy. The Huanhuan Yuan clan should be considered among the strongest here. Therefore, they might want to monopolize Xu Ran for themselves, which would explain why they drove the other soul beasts away," Titan analyzed.
"Right, so many Huanhuan Yuan stayed back, and that's the reason! You scared me to death; I thought Xu Ran had some ability that could instill fear in these soul beasts," someone said.
"Haha. Isn't this even better? With so many Huanhuan Yuan taking turns, they are enough to make Xu Ran pay the most painful price," Yu Xiaogang laughed heartily, dancing excitedly as he patted the large tree beside him.
What is a Huanhuan Yuan (Joyous Monkey)?
It is quite literally as its name implies; only through union, can there be joy.
This is a type of exceedingly terrifying soul beast, not strong in might but with myriad tricks up their sleeves. Powerful Soul Masters who encountered this type of soul beast over the past thousand years would act immediately to exterminate them; thus, they are nearly extinct. However, Xu Ran was unlucky to have come across this dreadful type of soul beast.
...
"Lord, what would you have us do?" the chief of the Huanhuan Yuan trembled as he looked at Xu Ran. They still didn't know that Xu Ran was an Auspicious Beast, only that Xu Ran's strength was formidable and his oppressive aura intense.
"Deal with those three for me without killing them," Xu Ran said as he turned to look in the direction of Tang San and his group, a meaningful smile on his face.
Battling him in Aquipeia Forest, what were they thinking?
In the human world, they might have had a slight chance. But coming to him, an Auspicious Beast and Ancestral Dragon, in a place where soul beasts gathered was simply courting death, wasn't it?
"Humans?" The chief of the Huanhuan Yuan looked puzzled but also somewhat thrilled as he glanced at Tang San and his group.
"We guarantee we will complete the mission," the chief of the Huanhuan Yuan promised.
Meanwhile, beneath the same large tree.
Tang San leaned against the back of the large tree, stealthily poking his head out to look in Xu Ran's direction, acting all sneaky. He was filled with anticipation, wondering how Xu Ran would deal with these Huanhuan Yuan—over twenty of them, each strong and well-built.
Such a group of creatures, if they appeared in the outside world, would undoubtedly cause a sensation. And now they were about to confront Xu Ran; it was easy to imagine, Xu Ran was about to be in trouble.
"Xu Ran, you didn't see this coming, did you? Bullying me, you were bound to pay a painful price," Tang San said, looking at Xu Ran with a bit of excitement in his eyes.
This time, with the teacher's assistance, he finally managed to set up Xu Ran.
Once he recorded Xu Ran's humiliating plight later and gave a copy to each of Xu Ran's women, they would immediately despise Xu Ran and break up with him.
Especially Xiaowu—if Xiaowu learned of Xu Ran's plight, her attitude towards him would sour. Then, with a bit of maneuvering on his part, wouldn't Precious Xiao Wu find her way back to his side?
He had it all figured out; in his heart, Precious Xiao Wu was the one he truly loved.
Once he killed Xu Ran, he would be able to get Xiaowu, and as for the others around Xu Ran, he could just play with them at will.
"Tang San..." Xu Ran smiled and exchanged a glance with Tang San.
Tang San froze, and the smile on his face abruptly ceased, and he even shuddered violently.
Why did Xu Ran look so happy? Encountering a terrifying soul beast like the Huanhuan Yuan, shouldn't he be crying bitterly?
Could it be...
Impossible.
Absolutely impossible.
Tang San stepped back several steps, his eyes filled with deep panic.
Because when he had just made eye contact with Xu Ran, he had also seen the way those Huanhuan Yuan were looking at him. Currently, the troop of Huanhuan Yuan was watching him with a malevolent gaze that looked extremely horrifying.
More importantly, even though these soul beasts were looking at him with an incredibly eerie gaze, they didn't seem to make any moves towards Xu Ran.
In an instant, he understood.
They had been tricked again; the Huanhuan Yuan wasn't here for Xu Ran, they were here for them.
"Teacher, run, run quickly, it'll be too late if you don't run now."
"Quick, escape, or there'll be no integrity left."
Tang San felt a chill on his back, thinking of the soul masters who were recorded in the books that got caught by the Huanhuan Yuan and taken to their caves; the mere thought of their fate was terrifying.
He, Tang San, was still a virgin, had never even touched a woman, how could he suffer such tragic events?
No, absolutely not!
"Xiaosan, what's going on? Why the run? Aren't you going to watch Xu Ran's show?" Brock said in confusion, not understanding why Tang San had such a scared expression on his face.
But the next moment,
the "bang bang bang" sound rose, with the ground shaking constantly, a group of Huanhuan Yuan were running towards them.
"Damn it!"
Brock turned his head and immediately his body went limp from fright, because he saw a group of strong, vigorous Huanhuan Yuan running straight at him.
"Xiaosan, save me!" Brock screamed in agony, as an average man he couldn't run fast and was instantly grabbed by a powerful Huanhuan Yuan.
"Ah ah ah, no, I, Brock, shouldn't meet such a tragic end."
"I want to go find Dong'er, precious Dong'er, come save me. Dong'er, don't you love me?" Brock cried out in panic, one of his legs seized by a Huanhuan Yuan, no matter how he struggled, he couldn't break free, just tossing out a few large, deep pits on the ground.
Brock was in utter despair, his eyes bloodshot.
This was completely unscientific.
Why were these soul beasts not going after Xu Ran but coming after them?
They had intended to scheme against Xu Ran just once, and had never expected such an outcome.
Caught by a Huanhuan Yuan, with no chance of survival, nor a chance of a swift death, Brock would rather die than live with such humiliation.
"Ah ah ah, Dong'er, save me. Xiaosan, quickly save your teacher!"
Brock's mournful cries made both Titan and Tang San feel especially creeped out, their faces pale with terror, and they didn't dare to stop. They just took to their heels and ran for the outside.
Being caught by other soul beasts, at worst, they'd be eaten. Being caught by this type of soul beast, they didn't dare think about it, such an ordeal was something they definitely did not want to witness.