After successfully taking the Blue Silver Emperor and the Spirit Bone, Ye Liangchen walked out of the cave and stood on a protruding rock along the cliff face. He carefully examined the cave Tang Hao had carved out and discovered another Mechanism Stone above the entrance.
"This guy really went to great lengths to make the entrance like this."
Ye Liangchen found another protruding stone and pressed it with his hand. With a rumbling sound, the rock above the entrance fell, sealing the cave once more.
After finishing everything, Ye Liangchen leaped straight out beyond the waterfall, spread his Wind Thunder Wings, and flew to the bank across from the Deep Pool.
Seeing that Zhu Zhu Qing was still gathering medicinal herbs in the distant Mountain Forest, Ye Liangchen called out to her, "Zhu Qing, it's time for us to leave."
"I'm coming, Brother Chen."
"Whoosh, whoosh..."
Zhu Zhu Qing swiftly ran toward Ye Liangchen, carrying over a hundred herbs in her hands, her face brimming with a cheerful smile.
"Brother Chen, what did you find?"
Zhu Zhu Qing handed the herbs to Ye Liangchen and asked curiously.
"I found an unusual Blue Silver Grass. It seemed pretty good, so I planted it in a flowerpot."
With a thought from Ye Liangchen, the Blue Silver Emperor appeared in his hand.
"Buzz, buzz..."
At that moment, the Blue Silver Emperor seemed to sense sunlight and freedom. She happily swayed her leaves and extended a tender vine, gently curling it around Ye Liangchen's finger.
Ye Liangchen had no intention of telling anyone around him about the Hundred-Thousand-Year Blue Silver Emperor or the Spirit Bone.
"Brother Chen, isn't this Blue Silver Grass?"
"Why are there Golden Veins on its leaves? This Blue Silver Grass is too strange."
Zhu Zhu Qing reached out and gently touched the Blue Silver Emperor's leaves. In an instant, the Blue Silver Emperor extended another tender vine and lightly wound it around Zhu Zhu Qing's finger.
"Brother Chen, this Blue Silver Grass is so interesting."
Zhu Zhu Qing had never seen such a magical Blue Silver Grass before and could not resist gently stroking its leaves.
"Blue Silver Grass is a Plant Soul Beast to begin with, but this one is a little special. I plan to take it back and plant it in the manor's garden so she can grow."
After taking away the Blue Silver Emperor, Ye Liangchen would find a way to strip Tang San of his Blue Silver Emperor Bloodline. Then Tang San would be unable to awaken the Blue Silver Emperor Spirit and could only grow into a hulking brute who swung a giant hammer like his father.
The Blue Silver Emperor only had a trace of instinctive response now. Her soul consciousness was probably still in a deep slumber. Once her cultivation became higher in a few years, she might awaken.
After the Blue Silver Emperor sacrificed her hundred-thousand-year cultivation to Tang Hao, she had turned into a seed. Now, she could be considered reborn.
"Let's go! We'll head to the Soul Hunting Forest north of Nuoding City and prepare to find your third Spirit Ring."
Ye Liangchen put the Blue Silver Emperor into the Game Backpack and left the valley with Zhu Zhu Qing.
"Alright, Brother Chen." Upon hearing that she was going to obtain her third Spirit Ring, Zhu Zhu Qing became extremely excited.
Meanwhile, on the official road leading to the Balak Kingdom, Tang San was carrying Xiao Wu as they traveled. The two chatted sweetly all the way, thoroughly enjoying themselves.
Suddenly, Tang San shuddered from head to toe. His whole body went weak, and he stumbled, falling to the ground with Xiao Wu. Her head struck the ground as well.
"Ow! Xiao San, what's wrong with you? You actually tripped while walking properly." Xiao Wu rubbed her painfully bruised head, tears nearly spilling from her eyes.
"Xiao Wu, I'm sorry. I think I tripped over a rock."
Tang San was too embarrassed to tell Xiao Wu that he had suddenly shuddered and gone weak all over. He could only fool her by claiming that he had tripped over a rock.
"I already told you to rest properly, but you insisted on listening to Master and using meditation instead of sleep. A few days ago, you dropped a hammer right onto your own foot while forging. Now you can't even walk steadily."
After that fall, Xiao Wu had hit her head on the ground and developed a large bump. She felt a little resentful toward Tang San. He had promised to protect her, yet he had directly caused her to get a bump on her head.
"Xiao Wu, you aren't hurt, are you?" Tang San hurriedly helped Xiao Wu up, deeply worried.
"There's a huge bump on my head. It hurts so much. I'll walk by myself now. I don't want you carrying me anymore."
Xiao Wu did not dare let Tang San carry her now. She was afraid that if he carelessly fell again, she would have to suffer all over again.
"Xiao Wu, I'm sorry. It's all my fault."
Tang San touched the bump on Xiao Wu's head, his heart aching. At the same time, he cursed himself inwardly. Damn it! Why did I suddenly shudder? This is already the third time.
"Xiao San, pay more attention to resting in the future. Don't listen to Master about everything."
"Alright! I'll make sure to rest properly."
After recovering for a while, Xiao Wu took Tang San's hand, and they continued forward.
By the time Ye Liangchen and Zhu Zhu Qing returned to Nuoding City, it was already night. They had no choice but to find an inn and stay there.
The next morning, they bought some necessary supplies for entering the Soul Beast Forest, hired a carriage, and set off for the Soul Hunting Forest north of Nuoding City.
"Brother Chen, the Soul Hunting Forest is guarded by Spirit Hall soldiers. How are we supposed to get in?"
Zhu Zhu Qing asked Ye Liangchen curiously. The Soul Hunting Forest was a place where the empire raised Soul Beasts. Without a Spirit Hall pass, no one could enter freely.
"Don't worry. I have a pass."
Ye Liangchen had a Pope Token in his Soul Tool, allowing him to enter the Soul Hunting Forest whenever he wished. He just did not know how the guards would react when they saw the token. Still, it was no big deal. Those guards were mere small fry. Once the token appeared, they would probably be scared into kneeling.
The Soul Hunting Forest, four hundred kilometers north of Nuoding City, contained only low-level Soul Beasts, at most some Thousand-Year Soul Beasts. Ye Liangchen planned to take Little Cat in for a look. If they could not find what they needed, they would go straight to Star Dou Forest. In any case, he now had a powerful trump card in hand. Even if a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast appeared, he could still kill it.
A few days later, the two finally arrived at the town outside the Soul Hunting Forest. It was similar to Soul Hunting Town outside Star Dou Forest, but much smaller in scale.
In this gathering place for all sorts of people, Ye Liangchen and Zhu Zhu Qing both wore Bamboo Hats to conceal their appearances. Zhu Zhu Qing also put away her tail accessory.
Some vendors hawked all kinds of goods, while many soul-hunting teams recruited Soul Masters to join their hunting parties.
"What type of Soul Masters are you two? Would you like to join our Mountain Cat Team? We guarantee you'll be satisfied with the terms."
Just then, a Soul Elder-level man invited Ye Liangchen and Zhu Zhu Qing to join.
Soul Masters were highly sought after in places like this. Whenever some teams lost members, they immediately recruited newcomers to replenish their ranks.
The Mountain Cat Team had lost two members during their previous soul hunt. When the captain saw Ye Liangchen and Zhu Zhu Qing, he immediately extended an invitation.
"Thank you, but we won't be joining."
Ye Liangchen directly refused the Mountain Cat Team's invitation. Never mind their character; he did not need any team.
"Why don't you two join our team?"
"Thank you for the offer, but we still won't be joining."
Several other soul-hunting teams also extended olive branches to Ye Liangchen. He refused them all and quickly headed toward the Soul Hunting Forest entrance with Zhu Zhu Qing.
"Stop. The Soul Hunting Forest is a restricted area. Without a pass, you may not approach freely."
When Ye Liangchen and Zhu Zhu Qing reached the forest entrance, several leading Spirit Hall soldiers stopped them. Not far away, over a hundred soldiers were divided into several small squads, patrolling the outskirts of the Soul Hunting Forest with spears in hand to prevent anyone from sneaking inside.
"This is my pass."
Ye Liangchen took out the Pope Token from his Soul Tool and waved it before the soldiers.
"The... Pope Token!"
"Greetings, my lord."
"What are your orders, my lord? We are ready to serve you at any time."
Sure enough, the moment the Pope Token appeared, the soldiers immediately knelt and respectfully saluted Ye Liangchen.
"Get up. Do your jobs properly, and do not reveal this matter."
"Open the gates. We are going inside to obtain Spirit Rings."
Seeing the Pope Token make these people kneel instantly, Ye Liangchen put on an air of authority and gave the Spirit Hall soldiers a few instructions.
"As you command, my lord."
"Would you like us to summon people from the Nuoding City Spirit Branch Hall to assist you?"
The leading soldier assumed Ye Liangchen was the disciple of some high-ranking Spirit Hall official and even offered to help hunt Soul Beasts.
"No need. Our strength is sufficient."
"Keep this confidential, and do not inform the Nuoding City Spirit Branch Hall. Everyone is busy with work, so there's no need to delay them."
After putting away the token and giving the soldiers a few more instructions, Ye Liangchen took Zhu Zhu Qing into the Soul Hunting Forest.
"That lord was so nice. He didn't put on any airs at all. I wonder whose disciple he is?"
"Sigh, don't ask about things like that. We just need to do our jobs well."
The soldiers watched Ye Liangchen and Zhu Zhu Qing disappear and quietly discussed their identities. However, they were only the lowest-ranking people in Spirit Hall and did not dare speculate wildly.
"Brother Chen, those soldiers just called your token a Pope Token. How do you have something like that?"
Zhu Zhu Qing was utterly bewildered. Legend said that the Pope Token was the Pope of Spirit Hall's token, a symbol of power and status.
"Little Cat, don't worry about it. It's just a token."
"The Pope Token was a relic left behind by my parents. I heard that when Pope Bibi Dong took office, my parents and Aunt Lan attended her coronation ceremony. They probably received it then."
Ye Liangchen had only taken out the Pope Token to test its power. Sure enough, it worked perfectly. Seeing the Pope Token really was like seeing the Pope.
"Brother Chen, who were your parents? Can you tell me?" Zhu Zhu Qing stared at Ye Liangchen and asked curiously.
"My father was Ye Feng, and my mother was Liu Ru Yan. They were killed three months after I was born. I can't even remember what they looked like."
Ye Liangchen felt that his bargain-bin parents in this world were merely Tool Persons arranged by the Time-Space Administration. After bringing him into this world, they had exited the stage.
"Brother Chen, your... your parents were actually Ye Feng and Liu Ru Yan?" Zhu Zhu Qing was immediately shocked upon hearing his parents' names.
"Zhu Qing, you know my parents?" Ye Liangchen wondered if his bargain-bin parents in this world had really been that famous.
"I heard the elders mention them. They said that by the age of forty, your parents had already reached Rank 89 Soul Douluo. They were true super geniuses. Unfortunately, they later died in an accident. Otherwise, they would definitely have become the youngest Titled Douluo.
"Your parents traveled across the continent and often upheld justice, earning great fame. Many powerful factions tried to recruit them, but they refused them all."
"I never expected your background to be so extraordinary, Brother Chen."
As Zhu Zhu Qing spoke of the legends surrounding Ye Liangchen's parents, admiration and longing appeared on her face. She looked like a little fangirl.
"What did their fame matter? Weren't they gone in the end?"
Ye Liangchen felt that his bargain-bin parents had probably beaten up Soul Masters from many powerful factions. After all, those major factions always had arrogant and overbearing people among them. If he revealed his identity in the future, some people might come looking for trouble.
But it did not matter. He had enough trump cards. No matter who came, it would do them no good.
"Brother Chen, I'm sorry. I brought up something painful."
Zhu Zhu Qing spoke softly, feeling somewhat guilty.
"It's fine."
"Now we need to stay alert. To find a Thousand-Year Soul Beast, we'll have to head deeper into the forest. I hope this trip succeeds!"
Ye Liangchen reminded Little Cat. After all, she was still just a little nobody, and her strength was too weak.
"Don't worry, Brother Chen."
Zhu Zhu Qing believed that with two Spirit Rings and Soul Power at Rank 30, she should have no problem protecting herself.
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