Black Myth: The Legend of Tianpeng Seeking Demons

With the aftershocks still lingering, Zhu Feifei lay sprawled to one side, muttering to herself:

"Ouch, my legs! I almost broke them from running like that! Your Majesty, could we please not do such dangerous things next time?"

Queen Jingjue ignored his complaints, her gaze fixed on the strange tree before her. The Tree of Souls emitted a warm light, like a candle, yet deeper than the stars.

"This is... the Tree of Souls?" Queen Jingjue's voice was filled with disbelief. "It really exists!"

Zhu Feifei went over and, using his "try it first if you're not afraid of death" logic, directly picked a crystal-clear fruit and took a bite.

"Hey! This stuff is sweet and tender, and... wait a minute! I feel like I've grown taller!" Zhu Feifei stood up and compared her height. "Your Majesty, haven't I suddenly become a tiny bit more handsome?"

The Queen resisted the urge to roll her eyes and said irritably, "This fruit nourishes the soul and has absolutely nothing to do with your looks."

Zhu Feifei touched his face, looked at the Queen, and suddenly blurted out, "Why don't you eat a few? To improve your bearing, after all, the ancestors are watching." He gestured with his chin towards the collapsed secret chamber.

"Are you tired of living?" The queen slammed her scepter on the ground, and Zhu Feifei quickly shrank back.

"However, it's worth mentioning that this tree grew after the coffin collapsed." Queen Jingjue frowned. "The existence of this tree must be related to the soul seal of our ancestors."

As Zhu Feifei listened, he picked another fruit and put it in his mouth. But this time, his face suddenly changed, and he clutched his stomach, rolling on the ground: "Am I poisoned?! Oh dear, is this thing trying to kill me?!"

Queen Jingjue raised her head, a hint of worry flashing in her eyes, but then walked over and kicked him: "If you exaggerate any more, I'll believe you! The Soul Fruit isn't poisonous." She paused, staring at his ears, "However... your ears have become even more pointed."

Zhu Feifei touched her ears in horror and found that her originally normal ears had suddenly become as big as wild boar ears.

He howled in grief and indignation, "This isn't me growing taller, it's clearly me, the old pig, 'evolving' again! Am I really going to turn into a pig?!"

Queen Jingjue said coldly, "It seems that the power of this fruit has different effects on people with different constitutions." She then pointed at Zhu Feifei, "But you are quite fitting, after all, your nickname is 'Old Pig'."

"I'm not Old Pig! I'm Zhu Feifei! Zhu Feifei!" Zhu Feifei rolled around on the ground, but her ears showed no signs of returning to their original size.

Just as the two were arguing, a deep horn sound came from afar, causing the branches and leaves of the Tree of Souls to tremble slightly.

"What's that sound?" Queen Jingjue instantly became alert and raised her hand to condense a golden shield.

"I don't want to experience any more zombie resurrection!" Zhu Feifei shouted as she pulled a slightly worn dagger from her nine-bead bracelet. "This time, I can't be the only one to rely on!"

In the light, a figure wrapped in black gauze slowly emerged. His eyes were bloodshot, and his voice was hoarse and cold: "The Tree of Souls has finally reappeared... It seems my wait was not in vain."

The Queen of Jingjue coldly asked, "Who are you? Why have you come to the ancient city of Jingjue?"

"Who am I?" The figure in black veil chuckled deeply. "I am a soul hunter under the Shadow King's throne. The fruit of the Soul Tree is the perfect soul sacrifice I seek."

"Shadow King?!" Queen Jingjue's pupils contracted slightly. "That demon who takes pleasure in devouring souls actually sent you!"

"It seems you have some insight. However, those who hinder me from completing my mission will all meet a bad end."

Suddenly, a dagger gleaming with an eerie light appeared in the hunter's hand, pointing directly at the Tree of Souls.

"Wait! Not all the fruit from this tree is good!" Zhu Feifei suddenly shouted. "If you eat it, you might turn into a pig!"

The hunter frowned: "Nonsense!"

Before he finished speaking, he suddenly swung his dagger, and a cold wave burst forth in the air, heading straight for the Queen and Zhu Feifei.

"Protect the Tree of Souls!" Queen Jingjue instantly activated her shield, and golden light and shadow collided violently in mid-air, producing a deafening explosion.

"I, Old Pig, am not easily intimidated!" Zhu Feifei retorted, his nine-bead bracelet transforming into a strange long hook that snagged directly on the hunter's cloak. "Watch my Flying Pig hook!"

However, his movements were too exaggerated, and he didn't notice that he stepped on the skin of the Soul Fruit. He slipped and fell, and the long hook pulled him and the hunter down to their deaths.

The hunter stood up angrily and said viciously, "You're asking for death!" But he suddenly heard a soft sound under his feet and accidentally stepped on a fruit—his ears immediately perked up.

Zhu Feifei stared wide-eyed, stunned for several seconds, then suddenly burst into a wild laugh:

"Hahahaha! I, Old Pig, was right all along! Look at you, you've turned into a pig too!"

The laughter was deafening, as if it would overturn the entire valley.

Upon hearing this, the previously arrogant hunter instantly flew into a rage.

His face turned a purplish-blue, like a pig's liver, veins bulging on his forehead, and he roared:

"You bastard! How dare you humiliate me like this!"

However, he soon realized with horror that something was wrong—the power within his body was beginning to become uncontrollably disordered.

The powerful soul force bestowed upon him by the king was now running rampant like a wild horse, completely out of his control.

At this critical moment, the Queen of Jingjue, who had been waiting for an opportunity, seized the chance, quickly formed hand seals, and chanted incantations.

With a flash of dazzling light, a huge and complex sealing array appeared out of thin air, directly enveloping the soul hunter who had lost the ability to resist.

With a scream, the Soul Hunter was dragged into a huge underground fissure and disappeared from everyone's sight.

Although she had successfully dealt with this troublesome enemy, the Queen of Jingjue showed no sign of relief.

Instead, she frowned deeply and said worriedly, "The fact that the Shadow King's people would appear here can only mean that the existence of our Jingjue Ancient City has been completely exposed."

"Given the Shadow King's ruthlessness and vindictiveness, they will absolutely not let this go so easily..."

"I, Old Pig, don't think it's a big problem. We still have Soul Fruits!" Zhu Feifei twitched his pointed ears. "We can just grab some fruit and throw them over there, and they'll all turn into pigs!"

"Stop fooling around." Queen Jingjue glared at him. "While the Soul Fruit possesses immense power, it may also conceal greater dangers. We must find a way to truly control it."

Zhu Feifei pouted: "I'm just worried that if I eat a few more of these fruits, I'll grow a tail."

"Well, that's not necessarily true," the Queen said seriously. "Perhaps you'll grow hooves."

Zhu Feifei immediately covered her foot: "Is my foot okay? Don't scare me!"

Bathed in the light of the Tree of Souls, the two bickered as they left, while from the depths of the Tree of Souls, faint whispers echoed, seemingly warning of an even greater crisis approaching…