"Human, you are strong, and I am no match for you. But don't get ahead of yourself. The Aquipeia Forest isn't a place where you can come and go as you please," Black Heart spewed a threat before twisting its massive body, trying to flee.
It knew Xu Ran's strength far surpassed its own, and to be stubborn and tangle here any further would be courting death.
It was arrogant, but it wasn't an idiot.
To stubbornly hold one's ground against a superior opponent was merely hastening one's end. Having survived so many years in the Aquipeia Forest and attaining a "Cultivation Level" of a hundred-thousand-year soul beast, it was no fool. Seeking death was not on its agenda.
However, what it didn't realize was that it had already enraged Xu Ran. The moment it had ideas about Ah Rou sealed its fate.
Xu Ran's woman was not to be coveted by others.
"Thinking of leaving now, it's too late." Xu Ran said indifferently.
No sooner had his words fallen than Black Heart felt a weight like ten thousand pounds pressing on it, slowing it down suddenly as if it couldn't move even one step.
"What's going on?"
Black Heart's pupils shrank, the situation unfolding was bafflingly strange.
"You've been throwing punches for so long, now it's time for me to make a move." Xu Ran's voice remained unemotional, yet to Black Heart it sounded terrifying. Having witnessed what Xu Ran was capable of, it wanted nothing more than to flee, knowing it was no match for the man before it.
"My lord, I was wrong. Please spare me," it pleaded.
"Ah Rou is your woman, and you can do as you please with her. Just let me go like a fart," it begged.
"If I had known Ah Rou was your woman, how could I dare to trouble her? If I knew you were so powerful, I wouldn't have provoked you," it reasoned.
"A single night in springtime is worth a thousand gold, my lord. You should go and take care of the important matters with Ah Rou. I'll leave right now," Black Heart pleaded. It was truly panicked.
The shadow of death hovered over it.
It had lived for so long because of its keen sense for danger. At this moment, it found Xu Ran incredibly dangerous, even more terrifying than the fear the esteemed one of the Aquipeia Forest had instilled in it.
It didn't want to die!
"Ah Rou, plead for me, I realize now that I should never have troubled you both," Black Heart kept begging, beseeching.
Ah Rou was somewhat at a loss watching all this unfold.
In the past, although she was a hundred-thousand-year soul beast in the Aquipeia Forest, she was the weakest among them. Even some ten-thousand-year soul beasts with powerful "Spirit Beast Bloodlines" were stronger than her.
She was a Soft Bone Rabbit, a grass-eating soul beast, not adept at combat, living a life unprovoked.
Which is why the other hundred-thousand-year soul beasts always scorned her.
And now, a powerful hundred-thousand-year soul beast was pleading with her for mercy.
She knew, all this was because of Xu Ran.
It was Xu Ran's strength that had filled Black Heart with fear, causing it to act this way. Without Xu Ran, who knew what might have happened.
Considering this, Ah Rou's heart was filled with tenderness, as she looked at Xu Ran, she felt happiness. She had fallen for Xu Ran the moment she first saw him. Back then, she believed that no matter what Xu Ran's strength was, her heart would remain unchanged.
She wasn't one of those worldly women, who would harbor prejudice because Xu Ran was weak.
But now, how could she have imagined Xu Ran was not weak at all, in fact, he was much stronger than she had ever imagined.
In her memory, she had never seen someone as powerful as Xu Ran. Xu Ran had not even made his move yet, and a hundred-thousand-year soul beast had already started begging for mercy.
"Xu Ran, your strength…" Ah Rou couldn't help but feel somewhat ashamed of herself as she looked at Xu Ran. Xu Ran was truly wonderful, powerful, handsome and dashing, shining brightly. In his presence, she felt utterly ordinary.
She couldn't even begin to imagine what kind of extraordinary woman would be worthy of Xu Ran, such an outstanding man.
Perhaps, she wasn't worthy either.
"Don't think too much, no matter what, I will always be your Brother Ran," Xu Ran said. When Ah Rou's consciousness returned to her body, facing Xiaowu, he would also be with Ah Rou.
When two people truly love each other, nothing can prevent them from being together.
And Xiaowu was fine with it, able to accept his "Harem." When the time came to give Xiaowu such a surprise, she should be willing to accept it, right? And since Ah Rou loved him so much, it shouldn't be hard for her to persuade Xiaowu.
Xiaowu was not like Qian Renxue; she had a soft spot for flattery, easily accepting sweet words.
"Yes," Ah Rou nodded lightly in agreement. Feeling Xu Ran's tender affection, a wave of sweetness surged in her heart. She understood that in this lifetime, she had it made.
"You should die now!" Xu Ran turned his gaze toward Black Heart.
"Do you really want to kill me? Are you, a human, even worthy of killing me?"
"If you kill me, Ah Rou will have to be buried with me. Conspiring with humans to hunt a hundred-thousand-year soul beast, the crime is punishable by death!" Black Heart continued his final struggle. His expression turned incredibly twisted, evil.
As long as Xu Ran cared for Ah Rou, he would surely let him go.
Conspiring with humans was a grave sin.
"Conspiring with humans? Who said I am human?" Xu Ran's lips curled into a smile, his human bloodline might seem more prominent, but his spirit beast bloodline was not weak either. In fact, he was more like a soul beast than a soul beast itself.
Both the Ancestral Dragon and the Kylin could be called supreme soul beasts.
"You're a soul beast?" The shock in Black Heart's eyes was profound, and at that moment, he panicked.
Ah Rou watched Xu Ran in a daze, her heart pounding wildly. She had also thought Xu Ran was human, but…
She was immensely looking forward to it; if Xu Ran was also a soul beast, then they could be openly together in the future, without caring about others' gossip. Moreover, in the world of soul beasts, strength was revered, and with Xu Ran being so powerful, no one would dare disrespect her.
The most critical thing was, if Xu Ran were a soul beast, they would have a long life, allowing them to do many blissful things. Some things, done once, bring momentary joy, but done forever, bring continuous happiness.
"What do you think? Open your damn eyes and take a good look," Xu Ran said coldly.
A terrifying bloodline pressure emanated from Xu Ran's body, carrying the essence of the primeval age, which both Ah Rou and Black Heart found staggering.
Subsequently, Xu Ran's body transformed into a dragon over two to three hundred meters long.
The immense pressure of the Ancestral Dragon filled them with dread.
The level of the Ancestral Dragon was higher than that of the Dragon God. Even if the Dragon God were alive, facing the Ancestral Dragon would be staggering.
"Is there really such a powerful soul beast in this world?"
"I have actually provoked such a mighty existence. My crime is unforgivable."
Looking at Xu Ran's beastly form, Black Heart gave up struggling. It knew what a terrifying existence it was facing; even Di Tian didn't have such a fearsome aura. Having provoked such a being, its crime was indeed unforgivable.
"Snap."
The huge dragon claw came crashing down, and Black Heart's tiger body was flattened into a puddle of blood, which then evaporated and disappeared without a trace. The surroundings returned to a lush green scenery, as though nothing had happened.