Star Dou Great Forest, Opening

Star Dou Great Forest, Opening

After last night's incident, Snow Empress's attitude toward Shu Yan seemed to have instantly returned to how it had been when they first met—cold and distant. For a moment, even Shu Yan felt at a loss.

Of course, if not for the faint blush on her earlobes hidden beneath her hair, the act might have seemed a little more convincing.

Snow Empress watched Shu Yan's back from behind, her gaze somewhat complicated. Honestly, after coming to her senses last night, aside from some irritation, she had felt no other discomfort. Yet that indescribable, inexplicable feeling in her heart had kept her restless. But the moment she saw Shu Yan, that feeling vanished completely...

Shu Yan had always felt a lingering gaze fixed on his back. He could guess who it was, but he did not know how to start a conversation. The two of them clearly had things they wanted to say, yet neither was willing to speak first.

It was nearly noon when Xu Jiujiu returned from the palace. There was a trace of exhaustion on her face, but she quickly smiled upon seeing Shu Yan. Leaning into his arms, she gently rubbed against him before saying,

"Everything you wanted is in the dark prison. Senior Shattered Star sealed their Soul Power. While I was at it, I told Imperial Brother about our trip to the Star Dou Great Forest. He couldn't outstubborn me, so he agreed in the end."

Shu Yan kissed Xu Jiujiu's forehead and said softly,

"You've worked hard, Jiujiu."

Xu Jiujiu gave a soft huff. Looking at Shu Yan's lips, she swallowed, clearly dissatisfied that he had only kissed her forehead. She liked the feeling of their lips and tongues entwining, but with "outsiders" nearby, she could only force herself to endure it.

Ice Empress pouted slightly as she watched the two being affectionate, then tugged on Snow Empress's hand and said expectantly,

"Xue'er, could we..."

"Don't even think about it. No."

Well, Ice Empress had known this would be the result. Snow Empress could accept the cuddling and hugging between close female friends, but if Ice Empress wanted to go any further, she would definitely be sternly rejected. There was not the slightest hope of a breakthrough.

On the other side, Snow Empress watched Shu Yan openly dote on Xu Jiujiu in his arms, and suddenly felt a little uncomfortable. She gave a cold snort, instantly jolting Xu Jiujiu out of her sweet haze. Coming back to herself, Xu Jiujiu hurriedly slipped free from Shu Yan's embrace. Her flushed cheeks looked charming and shy, and being too busy feeling embarrassed, she naturally failed to notice the somewhat strange expression on Snow Empress's face.

"Now is not the time for you two to be affectionate. Go do what needs to be done first."

Snow Empress said in a deep voice.

Shu Yan gave a light cough, then said,

"Alright, since everything is ready, bring those people along. We leave immediately."

Xu Jiujiu nodded repeatedly, then led the three of them to the death row prison of the Star Luo Empire. Only after Snow Empress froze all the Evil Soul Masters did they place them into the Storage Soul Tool.

In this day and age, it was not difficult to find Evil Soul Masters. Xu Jiujiu merely had people spread word in a remote village several hundred kilometers outside Star Luo City that a genius had been born there with an Evil Martial Soul and Innate Soul Power as high as Level Eight. That very night, this group showed themselves. Just as they were about to massacre the village and search for the person, the royal covert guards struck decisively. After killing several of them, they detained this small group of Evil Soul Masters, only bringing them into Star Luo City after completely sealing their Soul Power and Martial Souls.

Xu Jiujiu did not bring Nebula Douluo along on this trip, nor did she accept Shattered Star Douluo's kind offer to accompany and protect them. The two Titled Douluo were worried, but when they looked at the Ice Snow Two Emperors... uh... well, they did not really want to go that badly. Standing beside those two truly gave them a heart-pounding sense of danger. Since they were not needed, they had better not insist on tagging along and getting beaten up for displeasing them.

The journey to the Star Dou Great Forest was not particularly far. The Star Luo Empire was generally located in the southeast of the continent, and a long stretch of its border lay close to the sea. This gave most regions within the empire a relatively mild and humid climate. Most of the world-renowned Star Dou Great Forest also lay within the territory of the Star Luo Empire.

After ten thousand years of change, the Star Dou Great Forest of old had shrunk considerably. Vast tracts of land around its outskirts had been encroached upon by the former Douluo Three Kingdoms, and the entire Star Dou Great Forest continued to diminish day by day. This was a fact, as well as a concrete manifestation of the conflict between humans and soul beasts.

With the speed of the Ice Snow Two Emperors, even while bringing Shu Yan and Xu Jiujiu along, the four of them still arrived at the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest by the next morning.

Ancient trees towered high in the lush forest, while vines dangled from the treetops and wound around the trunks. Chirping sounds rang endlessly through the air, and dense life energy surged all around them. This was a vast and thriving forest, as well as one of the forbidden zones humans feared most. Yet for the strong, this forest also held countless opportunities and even treasures.

It seemed to have rained recently, and the forest floor was still damp and muddy. Snow Empress led the three down onto the outskirts, frowning slightly as she looked toward the depths of the forest, as though she had sensed something.

"If you want to do something, do it quickly. I think I just sensed that fellow Di Tian's aura. This isn't the Extreme North Land. Against him, I can only barely hold my own for a while, not to mention those troublesome ones beneath Di Tian."

Standing atop a massive boulder, Snow Empress spoke calmly.

Shu Yan had already said that there was no need to enter the Mixed Circle; the outskirts would suffice. Naturally, she could not be bothered to venture any deeper. The deeper they went, the more dangerous it became. Outside the Extreme North Land, the gap in strength between her and Di Tian was greatly widened, and she had no desire to take such a risk.

Ice Empress led Xu Jiujiu a little farther back. Silver light flowed through Shu Yan's hand, and in the next instant, the Level Eight Soul Tool Yinming's Fall slowly rose into the air. The silvery-white metal was somewhat dazzling beneath the sunlight. The other three narrowed their eyes as they watched, not knowing what Shu Yan intended to do next.

Once Yinming's Fall had risen to a certain height, Shu Yan turned his palm over. In the next moment, those unconscious Evil Soul Masters appeared on the ground.

There were roughly twenty of these Evil Soul Masters. The strongest had reached the Soul King level, while the weakest still possessed the cultivation of a Soul Grandmaster. Evil Soul Masters were generally far stronger in combat than ordinary Soul Masters. These people usually lurked in deep mountains and old forests, and the Star Luo Empire hated them to the bone. This time, they had been lured out under the pretense of an "Evil Soul Master genius," which could be considered eliminating evil for the people.

A trace of sky-blue light flashed in Shu Yan's eyes. In the next moment, countless sharp ice spikes suddenly erupted from the ground. Blood splattered, and severed limbs littered the earth. These Evil Soul Masters lost their lives with their consciousness still clear. The dense smell of blood drifted into the distance on the breeze. Xu Jiujiu's face turned slightly pale at the sight, and she gently turned her head away, no longer looking.

Snow Empress and Ice Empress merely watched quietly, as though they were watching a play. Their emotions did not change in the slightest; they were only curious about what Shu Yan would do next...

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