3: Wang Dong'er!

Night fell over the Star Dou Great Forest like spilled ink, and the last trace of daylight was completely devoured by the branches and leaves of towering ancient trees.

Scattered ghostly lights flickered among the trees—the eyes of certain soul beasts gleaming in the darkness. The occasional flap of wings cut through the silence, carrying the eerie quality unique to nocturnal creatures. The damp air was thick with the rank scent of rotting leaves and soil, while several long wolf howls echoed through the forest in the distance, making this already mysterious woodland feel all the more perilous.

Bei Bei and Tang Ya stood back-to-back beside an ancient tree, Soul Power slowly circulating around them and forming a faint halo.

Tang Ya's Blue Silver Grass spread between the ground and tree trunks like the most sensitive feelers, probing for movement within a hundred meters. Yet in the darkness, even the aura of plants had become obscure and difficult to distinguish. After all, her current Soul Power Level was only thirty, and she had not even added her third soul ring.

"That brat's hiding himself well."

Tang Ya frowned, keeping her voice extremely low as her fingertips unconsciously brushed the Soul Tool on her wrist. Deeply puzzled, she asked, "The black lotus's evil aura is clearly nearby. Why can't we find any trace of him?"

The moment they found him, she would immediately unleash her hidden weapons.

Bei Bei clenched his fists. The Soul Power of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon made his pupils glow faintly blue in the darkness. "His martial soul is strange. That black mist seems able to conceal his aura. Be careful. Don't let your guard down."

He kept feeling that there was something wrong with that child's gaze. It was calm as ice, nothing like an ordinary child who would be easy to deal with.

Just then, the bushes thirty meters to their front-left suddenly stirred, branches and leaves rubbing together with a soft rustle.

Bei Bei and Tang Ya exchanged a glance in an instant, both assuming defensive stances.

"Who's there?!" Bei Bei shouted, his Soul Power suddenly surging as blue lightning crackled between his fists, ready to strike at any moment.

The bushes parted, and a slender figure slowly emerged.

It was a young girl dressed in a pale blue gown, its hem gently swaying with her steps as though moonlight flowed across the fabric. Her long pink-blue hair cascaded over her shoulders, the tips carrying a faint sheen that glimmered dreamily beneath the weak forest light. Her features were as exquisite as if carved from ice and snow, especially her clear, bright eyes. They watched Bei Bei and Tang Ya with a hint of wariness and curiosity. Standing there, she looked like a fairy who had stepped from moonlight itself, utterly out of place in this dark and dangerous forest.

"Hello."

The girl's voice rang out, crisp and pleasant, like wind chimes softly ringing in the night. She introduced herself first. "My name is Wang Dong."

Bei Bei and Tang Ya both froze for a moment, clearly not expecting to encounter someone like her here.

Tang Ya recovered first, though her brows remained tightly furrowed. "Who are you? Why are you here?"

Nighttime in the Star Dou Great Forest was no safe place. It was far too strange for a young girl who appeared to be alone to show up here.

Wang Dong'er blinked, her gaze sweeping over the two of them before finally landing on the Shrek Academy badge on Bei Bei's chest. A look of understanding flashed through her eyes. "I'm a new student at Shrek Academy. I met a few villagers on the outskirts of the forest earlier. They said two Shrek upperclassmen were chasing someone, so I came over to take a look. Maybe I could help."

Her tone was frank and her eyes clear, making her seem free of ill intent.

The vigilance in Bei Bei's eyes eased somewhat, but he did not relax completely. "How do you prove that you're from Shrek?"

Wang Dong took out an identical badge from her Soul Tool. Its design was slightly newer than Bei Bei's, and the words "New Student" were engraved on it. "This is my enrollment badge. If you don't believe me, you can check the enrollment roster. My name is Wang Dong."

Bei Bei examined the badge, and his expression eased. Shrek's badges were not easy to counterfeit. Moreover, while the girl's Soul Power fluctuations were not particularly outstanding, they were pure and condensed. She did indeed have the bearing of a Shrek student.

"We're hunting a Spirit Master of Evil."

Bei Bei did not hide it. His tone turned grave as he explained, "That person is young, but he possesses an exceptionally evil martial soul. If we let him escape, the consequences will be endless."

"A Spirit Master of Evil?"

Wang Dong'er's expression immediately darkened, and a cold gleam flashed through her beautiful eyes. "Where is he? I'll help you find him!"

There was undisguised disgust in her voice. Clearly, she hated Spirit Masters of Evil intensely.

Seeing this, Tang Ya smiled. "Great! More people means more help. That brat's martial soul is a black lotus platform that can release corrosive black mist. Keep an eye out for it."

"No problem."

Wang Dong'er nodded. Soul Power faintly surged around her, and pale blue light lit up behind her. The next moment, the Light Goddess Butterfly appeared, illuminating the surroundings.

Surprise flashed through Bei Bei's eyes before he nodded approvingly. "Then thank you."

With the girl's help, their chances of finding that child had undoubtedly increased greatly.

The three quickly reached an agreement. Wang Dong'er stood in the middle, forming seals with both hands as pale blue Soul Power spread outward like rippling water.

In a dark corner, Lu Jing curled up inside a hollow in an ancient tree, even deliberately keeping his breathing light.

Dense vines covered the opening outside the hollow, completely concealing him. Only the faint black mist emitted by the World-Annihilating Black Lotus circulated around him, blocking outside detection.

He could clearly hear the conversation of the three outside. When he heard the name Wang Dong, his heart suddenly clenched.

Damn it, why is she here?

He could feel that pale blue Soul Power brush past the tree hollow several times. Each pass made his entire body tense, afraid that he would be discovered.

He had originally thought that after entering the Star Dou Great Forest, he would be able to use its complex terrain and the threat of soul beasts to find an opportunity to kill them in return or escape. But now, not only had he failed to shake Bei Bei and Tang Ya, there was an additional helper. And she was the Young Master of the Clear Sky Sect, Tang San and Xiao Wu's biological daughter. Wasn't this completely screwed?

"Damn it." Lu Jing cursed inwardly, cold sweat seeping into his palms.

The World-Annihilating Black Lotus slowly spun above his head, its black mist growing denser than before. It had clearly sensed its master's tension as well. Lu Jing could feel that this martial soul was indeed powerful, but he had only just awakened it. He did not even have a single soul ring, and his Soul Power reserves were pitifully low. Blocking Bei Bei's strike earlier and fleeing had already consumed a considerable amount.

If he kept hiding, he would be found sooner or later.

Lu Jing drew a deep breath, a trace of resolve flashing through his eyes.

He could only gamble.

Gamble that the World-Annihilating Black Lotus's power would be enough to erupt with the force to instantly kill Bei Bei and Tang Ya the moment he was discovered.

He quietly adjusted his breathing and slowly poured his remaining Soul Power into the black lotus, feeling that increasingly active aura of destruction. Outside the tree hollow, Wang Dong'er's search continued. Pale blue Soul Power rolled in wave after wave like the tide, drawing closer and closer.

Lu Jing's heartbeat quickened. His fingertips pressed against the edge of the World-Annihilating Black Lotus. The instant they discovered him, he would immediately activate his martial soul and stake everything on one final gamble.

Things had already reached this point. He did not care if she was a god's daughter.

The night grew deeper. The wind of the Star Dou Great Forest swept through the trees, carrying a chill—and a tension like the calm before a storm.