Sky Full of Needle Rain

Xue Qinghe nodded and gave Yuan Luo a smile.

That smile made Yuan Luo shudder all over. The man before him was ruthless enough to poison three princes to death. Could there be a blade hidden within that smile?

"Cough, cough! I never expected Brother Xue to be so humble. Perfect—Brother Xue, try my cooking!"

Looking at the rabbit before him, Yuan Luo split it in two and handed half to Xue Qinghe.

"Then thank you, Luo-di!"

The moment Xue Qinghe took a bite, his eyes widened as he stared at the rabbit meat before him.

After swallowing the meat in his mouth, he even unconsciously licked his lips.

The roasted meat was tender and juicy. One bite revealed none of the dryness he had expected; it was fragrant and succulent, with a lingering aftertaste.

The flavor had thoroughly soaked into the meat. Even as the Crown Prince, he had never eaten anything so delicious.

"Luo-di... this of yours?"

"Huh? Is it not good?"

"No, no, it's delicious! How did you make this?"

Xue Qinghe took another fierce bite of the meat and stared at Yuan Luo with shining eyes.

"Ahahaha, it's nothing. I just added a common seasoning. Nothing special."

Yuan Luo explained briefly, and then the two continued eating rabbit meat.

That evening, lying in the tent Xue Qinghe had given him, Yuan Luo wondered whether he should run away.

Earlier, Xue Qinghe had said he would help him hunt for a Soul Ring, but that would expose him.

And being at two rings at only eight years old was far too unbelievable.

Even Tang San was only level seventeen now and would probably break through at nine.

Maybe I should run!

The moment he decided, Yuan Luo took a deep breath and tried to keep quiet.

There were still two guards keeping watch outside. As long as he slipped out from the back, no one would notice.

Yuan Luo quietly opened the tent and looked at the two men seated in front. They were boredly propping up their chins and staring ahead, completely unaware that Yuan Luo had already come out.

"Hehe, the timing, terrain, and people are all on my side!"

The surroundings were silent, with only the occasional crow call adding to the desolate night.

Yuan Luo took off his shoes and walked barefoot.

After only a few dozen meters, Yuan Luo heard the faint sound of running water from the woods beside him. Startled, he quickly looked over.

Soon, the sound of water stopped, followed by the sound of someone pulling up his pants.

A refined young man in a white-and-gold robe appeared.

Their eyes met, especially with Yuan Luo still holding a pair of shoes in his hand.

"Uh... Brother Xue, it's you!"

Yuan Luo burst into laughter. As long as he was not embarrassed, the embarrassed ones would be them.

Xue Qinghe froze, seemingly unsure where to put his hands.

He covered his mouth and coughed lightly before looking at Yuan Luo.

"Luo-di, what are you doing?"

Yuan Luo could neither put down the shoes nor keep holding them. In the end, he simply kept carrying them.

"I had to pee, so I came out to relieve myself. I was afraid of disturbing your sleep, and walking barefoot is quieter."

"Mm, then I'll head back first!"

Xue Qinghe only wanted to return as quickly as possible. Without even turning his head, he left.

Yuan Luo stopped pretending, put on his shoes, and casually walked away.

Once he was a hundred meters from the camp, he used his Soul Power and dashed away at top speed.

"System, use the Swift Travel Card!"

The next second, Yuan Luo's feet were covered in white light, and his speed increased fivefold.

His body nearly could not keep up with the speed of his feet.

After a few seconds of adjustment, Yuan Luo ran in a perpendicular direction. This route more or less circled around the outer region of the Star Dou Great Forest. Otherwise, if he ran into the inner region, he would be done for.

He sighed as he ran. He had not used this Swift Travel Card for half a year. He had originally intended to save it for a dangerous moment, yet he had ended up using it for this.

Still, it did not matter. If he was caught while running away, things would become serious.

It was like spending money to buy peace of mind. He did not regret it much anyway. Besides, he still had a Teleportation Card, which could truly save his life.

Only when the effect of the Swiftwind Card vanished did Yuan Luo stop. He was now like a drowned rat.

His whole body was drenched in sweat, which dripped from his hair.

He casually found a tree, sprinkled some Insect Repellent Powder around it, and fell asleep.

The next day!

Yuan Luo cautiously watched his surroundings, using both his eyes and ears.

He also held a golden longsword in his hand.

"There!"

Suddenly, Yuan Luo's eyes turned solemn. The muscles in his right hand tensed as he swung the longsword.

"Sssh!"

Behind him, blood splattered onto the ground.

The black shadow vanished from behind him, then appeared before him, to his left, and to his right.

It kept circling Yuan Luo without pause.

It was a Swift Shadow Cat, with roughly one to two thousand years of cultivation. Yuan Luo could not determine the exact amount.

From the moment he first saw the cat, Yuan Luo had not seen it again. He could only catch glimpses of its afterimage.

"Damn it! Did it have to be this fast?"

Yuan Luo gritted his teeth. A Golden Blade appeared in his left hand, while Golden Light flared from his right hand before transforming into countless Golden Needles.

The Golden Needles spun rapidly around Yuan Luo. To an outsider, they looked like a golden halo.

"Go!"

At his command, all the Golden Needles shot outward in every direction.

Thunderous explosions rang through the air.

One innocent tree after another was left riddled with wounds.

Animals caught in the crossfire were pierced through as well.

This strike consumed more than half of Yuan Luo's Soul Power. It was an all-around attack called Sky Full of Needle Rain.

A few seconds later, a black cat fell from a tree. Its head had been pierced by a Golden Needle. Its eyes had already dimmed, yet they remained wide open, unwilling to close even in death.

A purple Soul Ring emerged from its body, making its final contribution.

"Little kitty, of all people, you had to provoke me. What a pity cat meat does not taste good. Otherwise, I'd turn all your black fur golden."

Without looking at the Soul Ring, Yuan Luo continued onward. The age of this Soul Ring was quite good, but it did not suit him.

Swift Shadow Cats generally provided Wind Attribute Soul Rings. He intended to obtain a wind attribute one for his sixth Soul Ring.

As he continued forward, the environment suddenly changed. The trees seemed to have become greener.

Their height had also shrunk to only four or five stories tall, and some trunks were covered in vines.

The place was utterly quiet, like a pure paradise.

Could this be the territory of some Soul Beast?

Curious, Yuan Luo began walking along this Green Corridor. After traveling several thousand meters, he came upon a strange sight.

The trees ahead were covered in Blue Silver Grass. As the most common plant, Blue Silver Grass should not have been able to grow so long.

Ordinary Blue Silver Grass was only one millimeter thick, yet the Blue Silver Grass before him had a diameter of two centimeters.

Sure enough, at the very center, a Blue Silver Grass as thick as an arm grew vigorously, while the entire surrounding ground was covered in Blue Silver Grass.

"This is... Thousand-Year Blue Silver Grass?"

Yuan Luo was shocked by the sight before him. Blue Silver Grass could reach a thousand years of cultivation outside its own clan grounds?

Yuan Luo knew that somewhere in a hidden location stood a ninety-thousand-year Blue Silver Grass—the place where Tang San would later awaken his Martial Soul.

That place was protected by the Blue Silver King, allowing its people to reach thousand-year or ten-thousand-year cultivation. Yet in places like this, one could not even see ten-year Blue Silver Grass.

Because they were food for many plants and found it difficult to survive for even a year.