Ah Rou looked at Xu Ran, who stood by her side, in a daze.
His back was straight, blocking all dangers as if he could shelter her from the storm and withstand all perils.
She had thought that Xu Ran was just an ordinary person with no significant strength. But how could someone who appears here be ordinary? Moreover, Xu Ran had recovered from his severe injuries in just a few days, something she, a hundred-thousand-year soul beast, couldn't do.
"Xu Ran, who exactly are you?" Ah Rou muttered as she looked at him, her eyes filled with awe.
There's no girl who doesn't wish for the man she likes to be a heroic figure, an immensely strong warrior. Although she did not demand these qualities, she was naturally even happier if Xu Ran turned out to be outstanding.
If she were stronger than Xu Ran, it would feel somewhat strange to her.
"Brother Ran is so powerful."
The stark contrast between Black Heart's enormous tiger paw and Xu Ran's human palm. This fight was not supposed to be in the same league of strength, yet Xu Ran still blocked it.
And Xu Ran seemed to do it with ease, showing no signs of strain.
A powerful hundred-thousand-year soul beast had attacked with all its might, yet it hadn't caused any injury to Xu Ran.
Moreover, Black Heart was the aggressor, while Xu Ran was defending passively, which meant Xu Ran had to withstand even greater pressure.
And this…
"How is that possible?"
"This just can't be!"
"I am not that weak. Even the grown-ups couldn't block my palm so effortlessly."
Black Heart staggered backward, pain throbbing from its palm. The intense pain was telling it that this was all real.
"Well done. Ah Rou, you really did find a good man. You colluded with a human powerhouse. You've committed a grave crime, betraying the Beast Clan. Do you want to die? If you're convicted, it won't be just you; Xiaowu and those two soul beasts will all be doomed," Black Heart said coldly.
Black Heart's gaze turned incredibly sharp.
"I don't need you to meddle in my affairs. I have not betrayed the Beast Clan; don't talk nonsense," Ah Rou's face turned pale, and she tightly grasped Xu Ran's hand, her heart filled with nervousness.
In these days, Xu Ran hadn't seen Xiaowu nor Tian Qing and Titan around this side.
After all, this was deep within Ah Rou's consciousness, and not the real world. For Ah Rou, it was as if she was in a dream that didn't include Xiaowu and the others.
Perhaps, at first, Xiaowu and the others were in Ah Rou's dream.
But after Xu Ran appeared, there was no longer any trace of Xiaowu and the others in her dream. Ah Rou wished to see herself as a maiden, her dream filled only with pure love, without anything else.
Ah Rou longed for nothing more than beautiful romance. Only the things she couldn't satisfy in reality would manifest in her dreams; she pursued them desperately, unwilling to let go.
"Whether you have betrayed the Beast Clan is not up to you to decide. Colluding with humans, you deserve to die. But right now, I need to deal with this human first before I settle the score with you," Black Heart said coldly, continuing to stare at Xu Ran, its body exuding an intense tiger's might.
In the Tiger Clan, the most powerful and evil should be the Dark Evil Tiger.
Black Tigers, however, could only be considered quite ordinary. Nevertheless, tigers are powerful predators, top of the food chain. Even common Tiger Clan bloodline beasts were looked up to by other soul beasts.
Black Heart's black fur bristled, and its aura grew even stronger.
This was a bloodline technique, which allowed an increase in strength in a short period of time.
"Heart Destruction Palm!"
Black Heart roared, unleashing its soul skill this time.
A tiger's paw without a soul skill and one with a soul skill differed in power by several times.
The fierce wind snapped the surrounding vegetation, oppressive in its terrible might.
Such a palm strike, even an average hundred-thousand-year soul beast might not be able to withstand it.
"Brother Ran, be careful." Ah Rou's heart tightened as she watched the assault by Black Heart; she felt as if it clutched at her heart. This was the well-known soul skill of the Black Tiger Clan, a palm strike she would find tremendously difficult to face herself.
The Soft-boned Rabbit Clan, not considered a powerful race in The Soul Beast Realm. Her attainment as a hundred-thousand-year soul beast relied more on opportunities. Without such chances, it would be almost impossible for someone from the Soft-boned Rabbit Clan to break through to a hundred thousand years.
"Don't worry, I've got everything under control."
"Let's not even mention this little black cat in front of us. Even if the strongest from the Aquipeia Forest came, I could keep you completely safe," Xu Ran said with a smile, his strength allowing him to dismiss anyone from Soul Land without concern.
When looking to the Divine Realm, only the five Divine Kings were worthy of his notice.
"Pfft. I believe in you. Brother Ran is the most formidable," Ah Rou said with a devastatingly charming smile. Hearing Xu Ran refer to the Black Tiger Clan Leader as a little black cat amused her. The formidable Black Heart was nothing compared to Xu Ran.
"Boy, you dare to look down on me?"
Black Heart's complexion turned even darker as he stared at Xu Ran, feeling a wave of humiliation and gritted his teeth in hatred.
To Black Heart, Xu Ran's stature seemed incredibly small, not even as large as its palm.
"Indeed, I do look down on you."
"You're seeking death!"
Enraged, Black Heart unleashed a powerful palm strike!
In this palm strike, Black Heart used all its strength!
Yet Xu Ran still remained unmoved as a mountain, slowly reaching out his hand and presenting a single finger.
"You insult me? You're courting death!"
"You dare belittle a hundred-thousand-year soul beast? I'll make you pay now!"
Black Heart scoffed coldly. No matter how strong Xu Ran was, such disregard for it meant he was fated to pay a price. After all, Black Heart was a hundred-thousand-year soul beast; how could its formidable soul skills be thwarted by a mere fingertip?
Impossible!
Even those ferocious beasts from the central region couldn't block its attack with just a fingertip. As strong as those beasts were, they had their limits—they too would expend some effort to take it down.
After all, a hundred-thousand-year soul beast was not weak.
But the next moment, its pupils constricted.
When Black Heart's tiger palm came into contact with Xu Ran's finger, it was like encountering an immense resistance. That thin finger was unexpectedly solid and unyielding.
This can't be possible!
"Aah!" Black Heart screamed as its giant paw was pierced through, creating a round hole from which blood spurted.
"Impossible. How can you, a human, be this strong?"
"Even the mightiest Pope of the human world cannot be this powerful. How can a human be such a strong being?" Fear crept into Black Heart's eyes.
Initially, it might not have taken Xu Ran seriously, but now that its full-powered strike was effortlessly blocked by Xu Ran and it had even been wounded, it finally understood. Xu Ran's strength was terrifying and far surpassed its own.
Such strength could only belong to someone as fearsome as the Black Dragon King Di Tian.
Only a powerhouse like that could dominate it so easily. It didn't know why such a terrifyingly powerful being would appear here, but it knew that if it didn't flee now, it might die.