The so-called "Crushing Effect" was a branch of destructive power. While its pure destruction paled in comparison to the raw force of annihilation, the agony it caused far surpassed it. Destruction was clean—quick and painless. But being crushed was a slow torment; the pain lingered and intensified with every moment.
The Vajra Baboon's hand burst open. A hole more than half a meter wide blasted through its left palm, sending blood and flesh flying in all directions.
Roaring in agony, the Vajra Baboon howled toward the ceiling. Its hands were massive—each palm around 1.5 meters wide—and now one bore a gaping wound nearly half its size. The sheer pain caused its entire arm to spasm uncontrollably.
By Gu You's nature, he was never one to show mercy. Once he struck, it would be absolute.
Landing hard on the ground, Gu You shot forward like a rocket. His Purple Emperor Devourer Claw tore through the Vajra Baboon's defenses with brutal ease.
Overwhelmed by pain and threatened by mortal danger, the Vajra Baboon went berserk.
Its eyes turned entirely blood-red, and its golden fur seemed to ignite, darkening into a deep crimson. Its aura became violent and unstable. It had already lacked intelligence, but now, in its berserk state, what little sense it had was obliterated.
No longer feeling the pain in its hand, it began swinging its arms wildly, its massive body hurling itself toward Gu You without hesitation or strategy.
Its size swelled again, towering more than twelve meters tall. Each movement of its colossal limbs caused the air itself to explode with force.
But what use was it?
Before absolute power, everything crumbled.
Gu You's Purple Emperor Devourer Claw suddenly expanded in the Vajra Baboon's vision. Five enormous claws slashed forward, penetrating the beast's body without mercy.
In an instant, flesh tore apart, blood erupted, and the entire metallic chamber was drenched in gore.
Xu Xiaoyan couldn't bear to look. Her face went pale as she tightly shut her eyes.
The others didn't look much better. The scene was too gruesome for words.
Only Yuanen Yehui's expression remained calm. Her Titan Giant Ape martial soul was actually excited, stirring something within her as well.
The Vajra Baboon and Titan Giant Ape were ancient enemies. In the distant past, the Vajra Baboon had once served under the Titan Giant Ape, the entire species falling under its rule. But then, an anomaly emerged.
A Vajra Baboon with intelligence.
While individual Titan Giant Apes were stronger, the Vajra Baboon population vastly outnumbered them. That single intelligent baboon took advantage of a temporary dispersal of the Titan Giant Ape tribe to incite a rebellion. Leading the strongest among its kin, it severely injured a large portion of the Titan Giant Ape clan. Thus began a war between two legendary soul beast races.
That war shook the entire soul beast world. Both species stood near the very top of the soul beast hierarchy.
Though the Titan Giant Ape was a top-tier beast and the Vajra Baboon a step below, its sheer numbers made the war cataclysmic—like planets colliding.
The war lasted centuries. Eventually, the Titan Giant Apes, after suffering immense losses, slew the intelligent Vajra Baboon. Without a leader, the rest of its species faltered and fell. Though the Titan Giant Apes emerged victorious, they paid a heavy price. Their glory faded, and they fell from the apex of the soul beast world. Though still kings of the forest, they never recovered their former dominance.
Such was the deep hatred between these two clans. It was no exaggeration to call it a blood feud that spanned millennia.
In the age of abundant soul beasts, if the two met, it was guaranteed to be a battle to the death. Even if a Vajra Baboon knew it couldn't win, it would still throw itself into the fight.
And now, Yuanen Yehui had inherited the Titan Giant Ape. Naturally, some instincts followed. Just like how Gu You, when he first encountered the Silver Dragon Spear, instinctively rejected it and nearly went berserk.
"Twelfth floor cleared. You may now choose to absorb the Vajra Baboon soul spirit, or continue." The system voice echoed around them.
Yuanen Yehui strode to Gu You's side.
They exchanged a brief nod before she walked to the golden interface and tapped on the image of the Vajra Baboon.
Gu You extended his left hand. A swirl of golden soul power gathered in his palm, then floated after her.
A mass of dark-golden light formed over her shoulder. The golden glow seemed resistant, clearly struggling to merge. But Yuanen Yehui remained perfectly still. No matter how it struggled, the golden light couldn't break free from her.
Gu You turned to the others.
"From here on, it's only going to get harder. You can all leave if you want."
Xie Xie opened his mouth to argue, but Gu Yue stopped him.
"Trust him." She locked eyes with Gu You for a moment.
"What's with all this trust talk? It's not like you won't be able to watch from outside. I want to see what the ten-thousand-year soul beasts at the top of this tower are like. Maybe one will be worth absorbing." Gu You laughed heartily.
"Then we'll watch from outside." Yue Zhengyu's tone became serious. He definitely wanted to see what kind of monster a hundred-thousand-year soul beast really was. He also wanted to study Gu You. In his mind, Gu You was beyond the realm of mere geniuses. Even the term "monster of Shrek" wasn't enough to describe him.
Two hours later, a beam of light descended on Yuanen Yehui. At her feet, a ring of light expanded—her ten-thousand-year soul ring successfully absorbed!
The group said their goodbyes to Gu You. When they reappeared, they were back at the metallic door where they had entered.
Leng Yaozhu was already waiting, smiling warmly.
"Each of you is a genius of Shrek. To have ten-thousand-year soul rings at your age is impressive. If any of you wish, the doors of the Spirit Pagoda are open. You'll receive the best resources we can offer, and it won't interfere with your education at Shrek."
The group looked at each other in surprise. Yuanen Yehui stepped forward first.
"I'll join."
Xie Xie stared at her in shock, then shook his head. He had other allegiances.
"I'll join too." Yue Zhengyu said calmly. Though his Sacred Family had always been close with Shrek and the Tang Sect, he was a bit of a rebel. He still hadn't joined any organization even now.
(End of Chapter)
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