Star Luo Empire Royal Secret Guard

Late at night.

The forest was far from quiet. Insect chirps, bird calls, and even the roars of soul beasts rose and fell one after another.

No fire was lit in the hastily set-up camp, lest it draw the attention of soul beasts.

After simply eating some steak, lamb legs, chicken, duck, fish, shrimp, vegetable salad, fruit, and red wine, the group returned to their respective tents.

After all, the fierce battle with the Scaled Armor Beast had left everyone physically and mentally exhausted.

At this moment, inside Yu Xiaogang's tent.

Marx and Yu Xiaogang sat together, their shadows stretching diagonally beneath the dim yellow candlelight.

On the small table before them sat a jug of wine, two cups, a plate of beef, and a plate of peanuts.

They had bought all of it at the market outside the Soul Hunting Forest, including one tent for each person. Little Gold Man Zhou Chen had paid for it all.

"...I feel like I'm living in a dream. A six-year-old child is actually stronger than me, a Soul Ancestor!"

Marx took a small sip of wine. Already slightly drunk, he said absentmindedly, "I really want to know what kind of reclusive family could possibly raise such a genius!"

Hearing this, Yu Xiaogang shook his head and said, "I don't know either. Zhou Chen has never mentioned it. But his family's foundation is indeed extremely deep. I was able to break through only because of pills their family gave me! I heard those pills came from a place of divine inheritance."

"Divinity?"

Marx was suddenly startled, then nodded in realization.

Like most ordinary people, whenever faced with an unbelievable miracle, Marx instinctively attributed it to a divine miracle.

However, Marx soon sensed something was off. "Xiao Gang, why would the family behind Zhou Chen give you pills?"

"This..."

Yu Xiaogang hesitated before saying quietly, "I joined the force that their family openly controls and pledged my service to them. As for the rest... forgive me, but I cannot reveal it."

"I understand."

Marx nodded, but his heart instantly burned with excitement.

He realized that perhaps the reclusive family behind Zhou Chen was no longer content with obscurity. They wanted to reenter the world and expand their influence.

Yet to expand their influence, their direct descendants alone would certainly not be enough. They would also need a large number of peripheral members. Yu Xiaogang had likely been allowed to join because that reclusive family was in desperate need of manpower!

And since Yu Xiaogang could join, then he, Marx, could as well!

With that thought, Marx raised his head and looked at Yu Xiaogang. "Xiao Gang, you know that I've always been a commoner soul master. I never had many cultivation resources, and now I'm nearly fifty, yet I'm only a Soul Ancestor. If I want to advance any further, I'm afraid my only choice is to seek refuge with a great power... So, I also want to serve that reclusive family. Please introduce me."

Yu Xiaogang froze for a moment, then understood.

Marx's thoughts were only natural. Hadn't he himself been unable to resist the temptation and ultimately joined the Purple Micro Palace?

Moreover, Marx had been his old friend for many years. When Yu Xiaogang had fallen on hard times, Marx had taken him in and made him a guest instructor at Notting Academy. Whether out of sentiment or reason, he ought to agree to Marx's request.

Thus, Yu Xiaogang nodded. "All right. I'll speak to Zhou Chen tomorrow."

Then, he raised his cup and clinked it against Marx's. The two drained their cups in one go.

Yet neither of them noticed that outside the tent, Hu Liena, with her graceful figure and stunning beauty, was silently eavesdropping on their conversation under the protection of a soul bone that concealed her aura and blurred sight...

At the same time.

At the edge of the Soul Hunting Forest.

Several dozen men in black painstakingly evaded the Heaven Dou Empire army's patrols, crossed a ten-meter-high iron fence, and successfully slipped into the Soul Hunting Forest.

Normally, quite a few people sneaked in this way. They were all unaffiliated soul masters with neither money nor influence, or those who bore grudges against Spirit Hall but still wanted to hunt soul rings to advance.

But these several dozen black-clad men not only wore identical clothing and moved with disciplined precision, they also faintly exuded astonishing killing intent!

They were clearly expendable agents that only a major power could cultivate!

After entering the Soul Hunting Forest, the black-clad men gathered together, seemingly to discuss some plan.

"His Majesty sent us Royal Secret Guards here and gave us two plans. The first is to recruit that little genius into our Star Luo Empire before anyone else discovers him. The second is to kill him if recruitment fails!"

"But according to intelligence sent by the covert agents we planted within Spirit Hall, Spirit Hall has already discovered that little genius. They even made a portrait of the child. We simply don't have the strength to compete with Spirit Hall for talent..."

"Then now, we can only carry out His Majesty's second plan—kill that genius, lest Spirit Hall's power grow even stronger and threaten our Star Luo Empire. Do you understand?"

"Understood! For Star Luo!"

Several dozen black-clad men shouted in low voices in unison.

"Good!"

The leader of the black-clad men nodded in satisfaction. "Find that child immediately, then kill him!"