Hearing that Mo Yuan didn't press the matter, Ning Tian secretly breathed a sigh of relief. After signaling Wu Feng with her eyes to stop saying anything, she curled her rosy lips into a smile. Paired with her breathtakingly beautiful face, she was practically irresistible to the opposite sex.
Getting ready to seduce me, are you? Heh, beauty is nothing special... Give me more. I'll temper my resolve to the limit!
Noticing the unusual look in Mo Yuan's deep, dark eyes, Ning Tian felt both happy and shy. She'd been prepared for this, but she couldn't help feeling nervous now that she was actually doing it.
"Mo Yuan, didn't you say you were going to Shrek Academy? I'm planning to go there with Wu Feng after I get my third Soul Ring, too. Why don't we travel together? We can look out for each other along the way."
Ning Tian's proposal to travel with Mo Yuan was clearly an excuse to spend more time with him, and Wu Feng was very unhappy about it. Unfortunately, she had no say in the matter.
"Of course. After all, this is an invitation from the young sect master of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan. If I turned you down, I'm sure countless talented young men would put me at the top of 'The List of Those to Be Executed.'" Mo Yuan joked with a smile.
His personality was practically nothing like the one he'd had for the first twelve years of his life. Actually, saying they were different didn't do it justice—they had nothing to do with each other.
When alone, Mo Yuan was always stern and cold. When hunting Soul Beasts, he was even more brutal and bloodthirsty. That wasn't a good impression to make.
With the Black King's Blood that made his Martial Soul undeniably evil, and the fact that he was going to study at Shrek Academy, a place forbidden to Evil Soul Masters,
Mo Yuan always pretended to be gentle and refined in front of others. He didn't want anyone to associate him with Evil Soul Masters in the slightest.
If Douluo Continent had an Academy Award, Mo Yuan would be a shoo-in for the prize.
The Dragon Race had always been good at disguises, after all. Right, Pompeii? Shrimp Teacher?
Hearing Mo Yuan's joke, Ning Tian covered her mouth with one small hand and giggled. "'The List of Those to Be Executed'? That's an interesting way to put it. I didn't know you were so funny, Mo Yuan. But even if you turned down my invitation, no one would object. Geniuses are always special."
"A genius, am I? Heh, then thank you for the compliment, Miss Ning."
Watching Ning Tian and Mo Yuan laugh and tease each other, Wu Feng's heart was already full of bitterness. She looked at the two of them with the resentful gaze of someone staring at her father's killer and a husband addicted to gambling.
Noticing Wu Feng's complicated expression, Mo Yuan's lips curled slightly. A thrill ran through him at the thought of stealing a march on a husband in front of his wife.
After chatting for a while, Mo Yuan and Ning Tian grew much closer. Considering that the Star Dou Great Forest was full of dangers, Mo Yuan suggested heading toward Shrek Academy along the forest's outer edge. That would also give them a chance to search for Huo Yuhao.
Once they'd decided, the three set out at once. Although guards were stationed in the surrounding shadows, the Star Dou Great Forest still wasn't a park for casual strolls. Mo Yuan and Wu Feng walked on either side of Ning Tian, the Support System Soul Master, keeping her between them.
Mo Yuan led the way the entire time. He couldn't pinpoint Huo Yuhao's exact location, but the bloodline deep within him let him sense the direction of the White Tiger Dagger.
Thick mist hung through the Star Dou Great Forest. The fresh air carried the fragrant smell of earth, and breathing it in was refreshing.
After the Star Dou Great Forest had launched the Beast Tide years ago and Shrek Academy, representing humanity's Soul Masters, had made concessions, the forest had enjoyed years of recovery. The number and quality of its Soul Beasts had long since reached astonishing levels.
Low-level Soul Beasts struggled to compete with powerful ones for territory and food. To survive, they had to migrate outward. That was why the Soul Beasts on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest had grown stronger and stronger, and why they often emerged from the forest to harass nearby villages.
The three encountered several thousand-year Soul Beasts along the way. With Ning Tian's support, Mo Yuan needed only a few slashes to kill each one.
He also revealed the Soul Skill he'd chosen for his Second Soul Ring.
Mo Yuan's Soul Rings were merely keys that unlocked his bloodline; they didn't grant him Soul Skills. So, to keep his abilities hidden, he chose a Yanling from each level to pass off as a Soul Skill.
For example, Mo Yuan had chosen Yanling: Land of No Dust and Yanling: Jun Yan as his First Soul Skill and Second Soul Skill, respectively.
"I thought your Golden Eyes Martial Soul was a Spirit-type one, Mo Yuan. I didn't expect it to be related to the elements. It seems we still don't know enough about Body Martial Souls." Ning Tian gazed at Mo Yuan, her eyes sparkling. His Golden Eyes shone as he stood amid crimson flames, wiping down his long blade.
No matter how many times Ning Tian saw that seemingly god-crafted, flawless face, she couldn't help admiring it from the bottom of her heart.
Even Wu Feng, who liked Ning Tian, had to admit that if she weren't into girls, she probably would have been deeply attracted to Mo Yuan, too.
"No, the Golden Eyes aren't element-type. They can be spirit-type, too." Mo Yuan thought of the White King, who wielded the Mental Element.
Mo Yuan didn't explain further. Instead, he turned his head toward the gloomy woods on the left, a flicker of delight passing through his eyes.
At last!
Just moments ago, the indistinct, shifting trace of Dragon Blood he'd sensed had suddenly grown much clearer.
Though two years had passed since that drop of blood had been shed, the Black King's Blood still carried a familiar aura.
Mo Yuan glanced at Ning Tian and Wu Feng, who were resting nearby, then turned away and slowly closed his eyes. Silently, he began reciting a string of abstruse Dragon Language.
"The black snakes slither. They are messengers, and the eyes of the gods. They spread across heaven and earth, carrying back the ripples of all things. Beneath their gaze, you have nowhere to hide and nowhere to run."
"Yanling: Vacuum Serpent."
The Flash Serpents stored deep in Mo Yuan's mind poured out in droves. Using the moisture in the thick fog that blanketed the forest, they sped through it, bringing him every scrap of information!
Compared to Yanling: Kamaitachi, which was also designed for utility, Vacuum Serpent was superior in every way, except that its use was limited and it consumed stamina.
If a Kamaitachi user had a weak bloodline and couldn't evolve into a Vampire Scythe, and also lacked physical strength, they might even get chased around by a polar bear without a gun.
Right, Caesar Gattuso?
The Vacuum Serpents darted about, quickly bringing Mo Yuan a scene from several hundred meters to the north.
In the woods stood an ape-like Soul Beast. Brownish-yellow fur covered its body, its arms were unusually long, and sharp claws grew from its hands. Its fangs jutted out menacingly, and its eyes blazed with ferocity.
It was none other than the Wind Baboon, famed alongside the Man Faced Demon Spider and infamous as the Godslayer for nearly killing the God of Pleasure!
Facing the Wind Baboon was a thin young Soul Master, not much older than Mo Yuan. His clothes were shabby, and his looks plain. The only thing that stood out about him was his especially bright, deep-blue eyes.
He held a white dagger in his hand. On closer inspection, faint red marks could be seen at its tip.
At that moment, man and beast were locked in a fierce fight in the woods. In reality, the boy was being chased by the Wind Baboon, dodging left and right in a sorry state.
Tsk, tsk, this might be the closest the God of Emotion Huo Gua had ever come to death in his life, right?
Looking at the wretched Huo Yuhao in his mind, Mo Yuan had no desire to help. He'd come here for the Holy Necromancer, Electrolux. Finding Huo Yuhao was only a way to get his bearings.
As for the million-year Soul Beast Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, Mo Yuan didn't particularly care whether it existed or not. Besides, he wasn't technically a Spirit Master, so the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm wouldn't abandon Huo Gua to join him.
Whether Huo Yuhao lived or died was none of his business. If the Wind Baboon really killed Huo Yuhao, the only thing Mo Yuan might do was punch the Wind Baboon to death and put up a gravestone for it.
It would read: The Soul Beast who defied the heavens by killing the God of Emotion—the Godslayer Baboon God King!
Back to the fight between man and beast. After several of its attacks were blocked by Huo Yuhao, the Wind Baboon's ferocity boiled over. It reared up and pounded its chest with both fists, then let out a roar. It opened its jaws wide at Huo Yuhao and spat out a ball of white light.
At the same time, it lunged at Huo Yuhao, its jaws wide open.
At this life-or-death moment, Huo Yuhao's body instinctively fell backward as he raised the White Tiger Dagger. The ball of white light struck the dagger head-on.
The Wind Baboon leapt over the White Tiger Dagger, grabbed Huo Yuhao by both shoulders, and hurled him away!
Man and beast flew through the air together. A moment later, only Huo Yuhao struggled back to his feet. The Wind Baboon twitched a few times, then lay still.
The future God of Emotion, Huo Yuhao, had successfully killed a Ten-Year Soul Beast, the Wind Baboon, with the divine technique known as the Slide Tackle!
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