Mixed Zone, Mysterious Soul Beast

After comforting Nan Qiu Qiu,

the three prepared to set off for the Star Dou Great Forest.

Although Nan Shui Shui, a Soul Douluo, could fly through the air, she was not a Titled Douluo after all. She could not sustain long-distance flight, much less carry Zi Yao and Nan Qiu Qiu with her.

Traveling by carriage was far too slow.

As for Soul Tools,

the Heaven Dou Empire was even more stubborn than the Star Luo Empire. It placed greater faith in the strength of Soul Masters themselves and instinctively rejected Soul Tools, using little more than storage Soul Tools.

Fortunately, the Earth Dragon Gate held considerable influence in the area. They quickly borrowed a Flying Soul Tool from the military, large enough to carry all three of them, and flew toward the Star Dou Great Forest.

"Yao Ge, what kind of Soul Beast are you planning to absorb for your second Soul Ring?"

Bored during the journey, Nan Qiu Qiu turned to Zi Yao and asked.

"Mm... a Life Attribute one. Around Three Thousand Years would be ideal."

Zi Yao answered without hesitation.

He had judged the age limit based on his First Soul Ring. With a Bloodline Soul Ring that could grow alongside him, he had an excellent grasp of his physical limits.

"Three Thousand Years?"

Nan Qiu Qiu's beautiful eyes widened. She did not speak again for a long while, a deep sense of defeat rising within her.

She was considered a genius within her sect and had inherited the rare sub-dragon Martial Soul, the Rouge Dragon.

Yet the Second Soul Ring she planned to absorb was only around seven hundred years old. On top of that, she was one or two years older than Zi Yao. She was simply too ashamed to face anyone.

Noticing this, Nan Shui Shui chuckled. "That's what you get for neglecting your cultivation every day. Xiao Yao uses Cold Spring and Whale Rubber in alternating hot and cold treatments every day. He suffers several times more than you do. How could you possibly compare with him?"

"I know. I'll work hard from now on too!" Nan Qiu Qiu puffed out her cheeks.

Nan Shui Shui smiled in gratification.

But she understood that no matter how hard Nan Qiu Qiu worked, she would never catch up to Zi Yao. That was the gap in talent.

Upon arriving at the Star Dou Great Forest, the three had to put away their Flying Soul Tool and proceed on foot in order to search for Soul Beasts.

The forest's lush branches and leaves formed an enormous umbrella that blocked out the sky and sun. Sunlight was nearly impossible to see within it. A faint mist clung to the foliage and dripped down, while a heavy stench occasionally wafted through the air.

They were currently in the outer region. With a Soul Douluo like Nan Shui Shui accompanying them, they hardly needed to worry about their safety.

But unfortunately,

several days passed in a row, and Zi Yao did not encounter a Soul Beast he liked.

Nan Qiu Qiu, on the other hand, found an eight-hundred-year-old sub-dragon Earth Dragon Species and successfully absorbed it.

There were quite a few Life Attribute Soul Beasts,

but most were mediocre and not what he wanted.

As for supreme Life Attribute Soul Beasts like the Jade Swan, they all lived in the inner region. Every one of them was a treasure to the Soul Beast clans, making them almost impossible to hunt.

"Aunt Shui, let's enter the Mixed Zone."

After pondering for a long time, Zi Yao took the initiative to suggest it.

Most Soul Beasts in the outer region were only a few hundred or thousand years old, while Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts rarely appeared.

Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts were far more active in the inner region, and they might even encounter powerful Soul Beast clans. Even with a Soul Douluo leading them, there was still a certain degree of danger.

The Mixed Zone lay between the two, home to many powerful and rare Soul Beasts. With Nan Shui Shui, a Soul Douluo, there should not be any major problems.

Naturally, Nan Shui Shui had no objections. She was very confident in her combat strength now.

After entering the Mixed Zone, the number of rare Soul Beasts noticeably increased.

Yet Zi Yao remained selective, rarely finding one that satisfied him.

In the end, the three arrived at a secluded, abandoned valley. They had intended to rest for a while before continuing their search for Soul Beasts, but just as they lowered their guard, a fierce whistling sound tore through the air.

Zi Yao looked toward the sound and saw a Dark Green Vine Whip streaking toward him in a blur.

"Watch out!"

Nan Shui Shui immediately acted, pulling Zi Yao into her arms to evade the attack. The Vine Whip struck the mountain rocks after missing them, instantly shattering them into fragments.

Zi Yao was secretly alarmed.

Such terrifying force was simply horrifying.

Seizing the right moment, Nan Shui Shui used a Dark Pink Scaled Dragon Claw to sever the Vine Whip in one strike.

After its ambush failed, the vine whipped back at tremendous speed. Only a severed section of Dark Green Vine Whip remained on the ground, its cut surface still being continuously eroded by Annihilation Power.

"Mom, what Soul Beast was that just now?" Nan Qiu Qiu asked fearfully.

Nan Shui Shui crouched down and picked up the broken vine. Her lovely brows furrowed tightly as though she were deep in thought. Only after a long while did she slowly speak.

"I never expected this kind of Soul Beast to truly exist. How rare. I once read about it in the notes of a theoretical senior from the Earth Dragon Gate. It had no name. That senior said he had learned of it from an even earlier predecessor, and that it existed only in sparsely populated places."

"Apparently, this Plant System Soul Beast has extremely tenacious vitality. Most importantly, it can convert its life force into physical strength. Even top-tier beast Soul Beasts of the same level could never suppress it in terms of strength."

Zi Yao asked in confusion, "Such a powerful Plant System Soul Beast should not be so obscure, should it?"

Nan Shui Shui shook her head. "Perhaps it is precisely because it is too extraordinary. While ordinary Soul Beasts only face Heavenly Tribulation after a hundred thousand years, it must begin crossing tribulations after just a thousand years. That is almost impossible to survive, much less reach ten thousand years. Naturally, it would not become famous."

A Plant System Soul Beast that faced tribulation early?

Could it be... the predecessor of that top-tier Plant System Soul Beast?

Zi Yao secretly speculated.

With hopes of obtaining a new Soul Ring, the three followed the traces left behind and tracked it to the foot of the valley. Before they could begin a thorough search, dozens of thick vines suddenly launched an attack.

Nan Shui Shui could have easily dodged with her speed, but in order to protect Zi Yao and Nan Qiu Qiu, she chose to withstand them head-on.

"Seventh Soul Skill, Annihilation Rouge Dragon True Body!"

The Rouge Dragon True Body formed from Soul Power stood before them, its dark pink scales gleaming brilliantly. Thick vines, each as wide as water barrels, lashed out continuously, flickering with faint lightning.

Even the crystal-hard Rouge Dragon scales were left with faint white marks.

Nan Shui Shui grunted in pain, inwardly shocked.

Although she had taken the attacks head-on, for this Soul Beast to inflict such powerful damage upon her, it truly lived up to its reputation. In terms of pure force, it likely did not lose to rare Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts.

In order to let Zi Yao absorb its Soul Ring,

she did not use any overly powerful Soul Skills. Instead, she merely used Annihilation Claw to cut away every vine.

But then her expression turned troubled.

With no relevant information, she could not determine this Soul Beast's age. If something happened while Zi Yao was absorbing the Soul Ring, those two adults would not peel her skin off?

Zi Yao saw her predicament and smiled as he eased her concerns. "It's fine, Aunt Shui. I have a way to determine this Plant System Soul Beast's age."

With that, he released his First Soul Ring.

"Master, did you need me?"

A Lan's lazy, gentle voice rang out.

It had not yet fully become a Soul Spirit, and it was not a Mental Attribute Soul Beast like Tian Meng. It merely resided within the Soul Ring, so it spent most of its time dormant.