Douluo Continent: Heaven rewards diligence, Tang San's defenses are breached by liver damage.

Chapter 53 The law of the jungle prevails; the world is indeed cruel.

Half an hour later.

Qin Shan's forehead was covered in sweat, and the daffodils in her hand gradually lost their luster and slowly disappeared.

"My soul power is exhausted, and this is the extent of my healing for now."

Qin Shan's lips were slightly pale, and she looked completely exhausted.

"That's already very good, thank you very much, Teacher Qin."

Shui Lanxin and Leng Man carefully examined their bodies. Neither their internal injuries nor their fractures had been fully healed, but at least their mobility had been restored.

At least it can release its martial spirit, so it won't be at the mercy of others.

"Leave it to us next!"

Shui Lanxin slowly stood up, looking at the Titan Ape with a slightly wary expression.

She has probably realized the current situation by now, especially after seeing Lin Chuan holding Xiao Wu's shoulder tightly and carrying a knife in his other hand, clearly taking a hostage.

As expected, the situation was not as easy as it seemed on the surface.

"Xiao Chuan, let's leave the Star Dou Great Forest first!"

Not far away, a 100,000-year-old soul beast was closely watching. Shui Lanxin felt no sense of security at all; she hadn't experienced this kind of tension and fear in a long time.

Even if a 100,000-year-old soul beast is incredibly tempting, one must be alive to enjoy it.

"No rush, Dean Shui. We haven't achieved our goal yet. We can't just leave like this, having suffered in silence and accomplished nothing."

Lin Chuan shook his head slightly, not intending to leave now.

Shui Lanxin's expression immediately changed. "But Director Leng and I are both injured, and our combat effectiveness has been affected. If we encounter any situation, we could easily be in danger again, not to mention..."

He paused, glancing at Xiao Wu and the Titan Ape.

Although it wasn't explicitly stated, the meaning was quite clear.

"It's alright, you and Director Leng don't need to lift a finger. Isn't there a ready-made strongman over there?"

Lin Chuan gestured with his lip towards the direction where the Titan Ape was located.

Are you crazy?!

Shui Lanxin and Leng Man fell silent almost simultaneously, and the same thought popped into their minds.

Even though the Titan Ape didn't make a move, its aura was still quite terrifying. It had finally managed to take hostages and get them to temporarily give in, but you still want it to help you hunt soul beasts.

Don't die!

Lin Chuan clearly saw what the others were thinking, but he didn't think there was anything wrong with it.

Why not give it a try? What if it works?

Besides, it's troublesome to run back and forth, isn't it?

"Hey, Erming, right? Help us find a ten-thousand-year-old soul beast. I'll leave as soon as I finish absorbing the soul ring and then return Xiaowu to you."

Lin Chuan tried to speak to the Titan Ape.

"Roar--"

The Titan Ape let out a soft roar, its expression ferocious, revealing its sharp teeth.

"Don't get agitated. Let's discuss this together and reason things out first."

Lin Chuan shielded Xiao Wu in front of him, which made the girl roll her eyes again.

This guy, after all these years, how did he suddenly become so shameless?

Seeing that the Titan Giant Ape was only slightly agitated and did not immediately attack, Lin Chuan continued, "We were just passing by when we were attacked by you and the Azure Bull Python, and our Director Leng was seriously injured by you. We can't just let it go so easily. As compensation, asking you to help hunt down a ten-thousand-year-old soul beast shouldn't be too much to ask, right?"

"no!"

The Titan Ape roared and shook its head like a rattle drum.

"Don't be so stingy. I only want the spirit ring. You can take the spirit beast corpse back and eat it. It's killing two birds with one stone, and it won't go to waste anyway."

Lin Chuan still didn't give up and continued to deceive them.

However, the Titan Ape just kept shaking its head and refused to agree no matter what.

"Then we'll fight to the death," Lin Chuan said, holding the Night Shadow Blade to Xiao Wu's neck again, his neck stiff, striking a tough pose.

"Despicable humans!"

The Titan Ape was instantly enraged, its fur standing on end, and the oppressive aura intensified.

The three people standing to the side, including Shui Lanxin, looked nervous and were visibly shaken.

The situation reached a stalemate once again.

"Fine, fine, if you don't want to agree, then forget it."

In the end, Lin Chuan was the first to be defeated. As expected, relying on soul beasts to help hunt soul beasts was a bit too difficult, but it was still within expectations!

"Dean, Director, Teacher Qin, let's leave now!"

Upon hearing this, Shui Lanxin and the other two breathed a sigh of relief.

Facing a 100,000-year-old soul beast head-on is incredibly stressful!

"Xiao Chuan, I've always wanted to ask you, why didn't you attack me back then?" With the Titan Giant Ape leading the way, Xiao Wu seized the opportunity to ask.

This question had been weighing on her mind for years, and now she could finally speak her mind.

"Does it matter?" Lin Chuan asked noncommittally.

Xiao Wu nodded vigorously, "Very important!"

Seeing the girl's determined gaze, Lin Chuan immediately backed down. "The reason is simple: your spirit ring is not very compatible with my martial soul, and I can't absorb it. As for the spirit bone, to be honest, I am very tempted, but that would be too wasteful."

"Actually, my initial plan was to wait until I reached level 90 before talking about it, but now it seems a bit difficult."

Xiao Wu didn't seem surprised; she just frowned deeply.

"Is it really necessary to kill soul beasts? Can't humans and soul beasts coexist peacefully?"

Upon hearing this, Shui Lanxin and the other two also looked at Xiao Wu at the same time.

They never expected that someone would say something so naive.

"Of course not. On the surface, the conflict between humans and soul beasts is just that soul masters need to hunt for soul rings to break through. But even if soul masters don't need soul rings, they will still hunt soul beasts."

"Why can't the two sides coexist peacefully without daring to harm each other?"

Xiao Wu suddenly raised her head, her words somewhat hurried.

Lin Chuan turned his head and looked at her calmly. "The Star Dou Great Forest is the habitat of soul beasts, but can you guarantee that all soul beasts will not leave here and go to the human world?"

"This..." Xiao Wu was speechless for a moment.

Lin Chuan continued, "Nowadays, Soul Masters are outwardly more powerful, confining Soul Beasts to the forest, which, to put it bluntly, is called domestication. But if we don't do this and just watch Soul Beasts grow stronger, then this relationship will likely be reversed, and humans will be in grave danger under the attacks of Soul Beasts."

"Soul Masters can accelerate their cultivation by eating Soul Beast meat, while Soul Beasts can also increase their cultivation, survive, and evolve by eating humans and Soul Masters. This is the fundamental contradiction."

"Whether humans hunt soul beasts or soul beasts devour humans, neither side is wrong. They are just different races with different stances. The world is a jungle where the strong prey on the weak, and no one can change it."

Lin Chuan's words deeply pierced Xiao Wu's heart.

The girl wanted to refute him, but she had to admit that Lin Chuan was right.

"What did the soul beasts do wrong that we deserve to die?"

Lin Chuan chuckled softly and slowly shook his head.

"Soul beasts are not wrong, and not all soul beasts deserve to die. Unfortunately, in the dark, beauty itself is wrong. The strong prey on the weak, and reality is just that cruel."

Chapter 54 If I let you live, you're in for a lot of trouble!

Ultimately, it's all about desire.

Soul beasts possess territorial instincts and need to satisfy their hunger, while humans desire far more: immense power, wealth, high status, and even immortality.

Humans are born with disadvantages in physique, spiritual power, and lifespan. Their few advantages are unity and creativity.

Because of the limitations of the world, soul beasts inherently possess two treasures: soul rings and soul bones. This makes them destined to be coveted by soul masters, and there is no way to change that.

Just like tens of thousands of years later, even if the Spirit Pagoda is created, the number of soul beasts will still decline day by day.

Moreover, even without humans, soul beasts would still fight among themselves, and even among the same kind, different factions would inevitably emerge, leading to mutual slaughter.

Humans are the same; they will fight even without spirit beasts.

this is the truth!

……

Xiao Wu stood on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest, watching Lin Chuan and his group leave.