Four days later.
Barak Kingdom, Soto City. A bustling night.
Salas, who had been waiting for two days for a good opportunity to kidnap Xiao Wu, finally got his chance today.
Wearing a hooded robe, Salas silently followed two people walking out of Shrek Academy hand in hand.
They were Tang San and Xiao Wu.
Under Xiao Wu's insistence, Tang San was taking her out to play tonight.
Salas followed them the entire time, silently waiting for them to enter a secluded area.
After nearly an hour, when the situation finally aligned with his plan, Salas came up behind them and knocked them both unconscious.
He then stuffed them into two separate sacks. Salas didn't activate his first soul skill—he was saving it for any emergencies that might occur tonight.
He simply slung the sacks over his shoulders and hurriedly left the place.
"If everything goes well, I'll be able to return before sunrise."
After giving Tang San a drug that would keep him unconscious for a long time, Salas placed him in a hotel room and left.
Salas felt helpless about having to kidnap Tang San along with Xiao Wu. But after two days of tracking her, he hadn't found any other chance to take Xiao Wu without drawing attention.
Even sneaking into the girls' cottage in Shrek Academy was impossible. It would've been perfect if Flender and the others actually slept at night… If Xiao Wu had fallen asleep, he could've taken her quietly and returned her before daybreak. But that wasn't possible after all. Soul masters rarely sleep—they mostly meditate to relieve fatigue.
So unless Salas could also hide Xiao Wu using his stealth technique, his actions would definitely be noticed by those nearby.
Unfortunately, Salas couldn't extend his mirroring stealth ability to another living being. Even turning objects into mirrors had prerequisites—they couldn't be too big or too heavy.
So he had no choice but to take action today, when Tang San and Xiao Wu went out to play.
Of course, since Tang San was with her, Salas had no option but to take him too. It was impossible to kidnap Xiao Wu without arousing Tang San's suspicion—better to knock them both out together.
Anyway, the sleeping drug Salas got from Dugu Bo would keep Tang San unconscious for at least two days.
...
With his Soul Douluo-level cultivation, crossing a hundred li (about 50 km) didn't take long. Within half an hour, traveling at full speed using his soul power, Salas arrived outside the Star Dou Forest.
But before venturing deeper, Salas sat in a lotus position and began recovering his soul power.
Although he was confident everything would go smoothly, it was still better to be in peak condition.
After fully recovering, Salas untied the sack and looked at Xiao Wu lying unconscious.
Eight spider lances appeared from Salas's back, tearing through his robe. Each lance gleamed coldly.
"This is my bargaining chip... Hehe." Without hesitation, Salas scratched Xiao Wu's thigh lightly.
The scratch quickly turned purple as the poison spread through her body.
Even though Salas had restrained himself to the limit, if he didn't extract the poison in time, Xiao Wu would die within ten hours.
"Everything is set… Now let's go. My two hundred-thousand-year soul rings, I'm coming for you," Salas muttered softly, full of excitement, and moved toward the core area of the Star Dou Forest.
This time, Salas didn't use his soul power excessively. He advanced at a relatively normal pace.
He knew that by now, the Sky Azure Bull Python and the Titan Giant Ape must've already sensed Xiao Wu's aura.
After sensing her current condition, they would definitely rush toward him at full speed.
Although the last time Xiao Wu met the Titan Giant Ape, she had told it not to approach her directly and only watch from afar—this situation didn't allow them to stay put.
It didn't take long. Within an hour, Salas saw two enormous soul beasts approaching.
One was a snake-like beast, hundreds of meters long, with a bull-like head and two horns. The other was the dozen-meter-tall Titan Giant Ape Salas had seen before.
As they neared him, the air thickened, and invisible pressure crushed down on Salas's shoulders.
"Hmph." Salas just waved his hand. That pressure wasn't enough to harm him in the slightest.
But the same couldn't be said for other soul beasts nearby. Some dropped dead on the spot, while the stronger ones barely escaped with their lives.
"Human! What have you done to this girl?" The massive Azure Bull Python, Da Ming, roared. Its voice was filled with fury, but it didn't dare attack Salas blindly.
Er Ming, however, didn't hesitate. With a furious roar, it charged straight at him.
To Da Ming's question and Er Ming's aggression, Salas responded by twisting Xiao Wu's neck slightly.
The furious Titan Giant Ape stumbled to a halt, barely keeping its balance.
"Oh? I wonder what's so special about this girl that makes two overlords of the Star Dou Forest so concerned?" Salas curled his lips, taunting Da Ming.
It didn't take long for Da Ming to grasp the hidden meaning behind Salas's words. It was clear—Salas knew Xiao Wu's identity.
"Damn human… What did you do to Sister Xiao Wu?" Er Ming shouted, punching the ground with his massive fist. The tremor was like an earthquake.
"Oh… 'Sister' Xiao Wu, is it? Sounds sweet. Do you see this purple color spreading across her body? What do you think I did?" Salas mocked.
"You… you poisoned her!" Er Ming bellowed, preparing to attack again.
Of course, that was impossible. Salas raised his hand, gripping Xiao Wu's neck again. The eight spider lances sprang out from his back, each one aimed at Xiao Wu's vital points.
"Hey, you stupid beast… Can't you act rationally? At least try to keep a calm front like your brother here," Salas sneered, breaking through Da Ming's composure.
"Let me tell you—this poison can't be cured by anyone but me. It comes from my external soul bone. See it?" Salas pointed at his lances. "You can try curing her if you want. But if you think killing me will save her, sorry—it's not possible."
Da Ming and Er Ming exchanged looks. The pain in their eyes was obvious.
"Human… What do you want? And how do you know Sister Xiao Wu is related to us?" Da Ming asked, its voice trembling with fear and sorrow, yet still laced with suspicion. There was no way a human should've known about them.
"Hehe… About two months ago, I saw a stupid gorilla wandering around the outer edge of the Star Dou Forest. Want to know what I saw?" Salas asked with a smirk. That alone was enough to silence Er Ming, who had been roaring furiously.
"A human girl, sitting on the shoulder of the forest's overlord, chatting with him happily. Want to know what else I saw that day? Hehe." Salas laughed heartily.
But his talking had another purpose—to ensure these two beasts wouldn't suspect Xiao Wu.
Even if they didn't think she had betrayed them, it was best to eliminate that doubt entirely.