Chapter 128: Simon

“Haha, let me introduce myself. My name is Simon. In truth, I am a disciple of the Supreme Unity Sect. I came to the Phantom Forest this time to put pressure on the trial candidates and intimidate them. I never expected to break through here and draw down a tribulation of heavenly lightning, which is why I ended up like this.”

Simon smiled faintly and revealed his identity, leaving Chu Han even more astonished.

He had heard before that some sects accepted magical beasts as disciples. He had always assumed it was only a rumor. After all, magical beasts were not so easily subdued. He had never imagined that it was actually true.

For a magical beast, joining a sect as a disciple was far better than cultivating alone in the mountains or forests. Magical beasts generally had no cultivation manuals of their own, whereas as disciples of a sect, they could obtain proper techniques and advance their cultivation to a higher level.

Moreover, when they broke through their realms and endured heavenly tribulations, they could rely on the assistance of the sect, making the tribulation much easier and sparing them from struggling on the brink of life and death. This was an irresistible temptation to every magical beast.

Unfortunately, some unscrupulous sects lured magical beasts to them only to obtain the magical cores within their bodies.

As a result, magical beasts became even more wary of sects, and most of them were openly hostile toward them. This created a vicious cycle. Magical beasts like Simon, who were willing to place their trust in a sect, were exceedingly rare.

“So if I pass the trial, you’ll become my senior brother? Haha, greetings, Senior Brother.”

Chu Han spoke teasingly. The two of them immediately burst into laughter, and the distance between them narrowed considerably.

Afterward, Chu Han brought up the matter of Taotie. Simon had evidently been here for quite some time, so he should have known that the ancient ferocious beast was hiding in the Phantom Forest.

“That’s right. I know that the ancient ferocious beast Taotie is here. But the Supreme Unity Sect doesn’t know, and, to be more precise, no human knows. It’s a secret. If humanity found out, they would certainly send people to hunt Taotie down, and the losses would be catastrophic. Once Taotie was enraged and broke out of the Phantom Forest, it would become a disaster for the entire world.”

Simon nodded. He had considered the matter for a long time before finally deciding to keep silent. In his experience, no race was more arrogant and overconfident than humanity. Humans could not even begin to imagine how powerful Taotie truly was.

Chu Han nodded as well, expressing his agreement with Simon’s decision. If Taotie escaped the Phantom Forest, devastation would be inevitable. The entire world might even be destroyed. After all, there were nowhere near enough Celestial Venerables in the world now to oppose Taotie.

“By the way, what exactly does this trial involve? I still have no idea. I absolutely must enter the Supreme Unity Sect this time.”

Chu Han spoke softly and stopped discussing Taotie. Since Taotie was here and had no intention of leaving, they could deal with the matter later, when it eventually broke out of the Phantom Forest.

Simon then explained the contents of the trial. The candidates had to find the real exit from the Phantom Forest. Within the forest, they could not trust their eyes, because some paths were real while others were illusions created by the forest. If they entered one of those illusions, they might never be able to escape for the rest of their lives.

“Brother Chu, don’t worry. I’ll take you out of this cursed place. Since you saved my life, I’ll obey your every command from now on. If you tell me to fight someone, I’ll fight them. If you tell me to go somewhere, I’ll go.”

Simon threw his head back and laughed. As one of the examiners for this trial, his strength was naturally formidable. He also knew where the exit of the Phantom Forest was. More importantly, none of the trial candidates here could possibly match him.

Overjoyed by Simon’s promise, Chu Han immediately began treating his injuries. Several hours later, Simon was once again full of energy.

“Haha, climb on. I’ll take you out.”

Simon patted his sturdy shoulder. Chu Han smiled and leaped onto it. Having such a powerful bodyguard put him considerably at ease.

However, Chu Han told Simon not to leave just yet. He wanted to find Duanmu Meng’er first. He was still worried about her safety. She possessed something coveted by every trial candidate in the forest, although he did not know what it was. With so many magical beasts lurking nearby, the place was simply too dangerous for him to leave her alone.

Simon agreed and began racing through the Phantom Forest, while Chu Han slowly sensed for Duanmu Meng’er’s aura.

At that moment, Duanmu Meng’er was hiding inside a small thicket. After separating from Chu Han, she had discovered that Taotie had not pursued her. She had then gone searching for the exit, hoping to complete the trial.

The item in her possession was a Phantom-Breaking Stone, capable of dispelling the illusions of the Phantom Forest. It was extraordinarily precious, which was why all the participants were desperate to obtain it.

Wang Tian had already been eaten by Taotie, but Lu Fang had survived. Once he regained consciousness, he remembered the Phantom-Breaking Stone in Duanmu Meng’er’s possession and gathered a large group of powerful experts to search for her.

Although Duanmu Meng’er was very strong, she was no match for more than a dozen experts. After fighting for a while, she was wounded and forced to flee. The others pursued her relentlessly, leaving her no choice but to hide here and wait until they had gone before attempting to leave the Phantom Forest.

“Haha, so this is where you were hiding, little girl. Hand over the Phantom-Breaking Stone, and I promise I won’t kill you. How does that sound?”

Just then, her hiding place was discovered, and more than a dozen people surrounded her. Their leader had a sharp, simian face and a frail build. His name was Qiao Wang, but his strength was extraordinary. He ranked fifteenth on the Lesser King List and had reached the Eight-Palace Dao Palace realm, making him exceptionally formidable.

Duanmu Meng’er looked at the dozen or so people before her and bit her lower lip. She knew there was no way to resolve the matter peacefully. It seemed she would have to fight if she wanted to escape.

“Qiao Wang, even if I hand over the Phantom-Breaking Stone, I won’t be able to leave the Phantom Forest. I’ll only end up being eaten by a magical beast. What difference is there between that and you killing me? If you have the courage, fight me one-on-one. What kind of ability is it to gang up on a woman?”

Duanmu Meng’er shouted, clutching the Phantom-Breaking Stone tightly in her hand in case they tried to seize it by force. Her eyes had already turned seven-colored. Although she had been reluctant to use this technique, they had gone too far. To survive, she could no longer afford to hold back.

“Haha, I’m not stupid enough to fight you alone. With so many people on my side, only an idiot would agree to a one-on-one battle. Hand over the Phantom-Breaking Stone obediently, or we’ll have to do something embarrassing to you.”

Qiao Wang let out a lecherous laugh, and the people around him roared with laughter as well. Duanmu Meng’er’s face darkened with fury, and she was just about to attack.

At that moment, a gigantic figure descended from the sky and crashed directly into the crowd. Its massive body crushed three or four people to death on the spot. The sight of the enormous creature left Qiao Wang so terrified that he froze in place.

“What a bunch of cowards. Ganging up on a girl? You’re simply asking to die.”

The creature that landed on the ground was a colossal brown bear that could speak human words. It nearly scared Qiao Wang to death. Then the brown bear charged into the crowd and began slaughtering them. No one could withstand even a single attack. Its enormous paws swept through the group, instantly killing more than half of them.

In less than a minute, every one of the dozen men Qiao Wang had brought with him had met a gruesome end. Qiao Wang himself was seized by the brown bear, stuffed into its mouth, and viciously chewed. The sight sent a chill through Duanmu Meng’er.

The brown bear then turned and glanced at her, frightening her so badly that she hurriedly spun around and tried to run. Instead, she collided headfirst with a man’s chest, leaving her dizzy and disoriented.

“Meng’er, don’t be afraid. This brown bear is my big brother, Simon. We came to save you.”

The newcomer was naturally Chu Han, while the brown bear was Simon. Simon had sensed Duanmu Meng’er’s aura from far away, along with the auras of Qiao Wang and the others. Afraid that something might happen to her, he had rushed over to rescue her.