Sunset Forest

Facing Qian Renxue's outburst, Yan did not argue.

Nor did he need to. The glory and great undertaking Qian Renxue had wished to forge for Spirit Hall had ultimately been ruined by her own hands.

Qian Renxue also realized she had lost her composure. She took a deep breath and regained her calm.

Looking at Yan, she said, "I'll help you with this matter, but if I need your help someday, you can't refuse."

Yan knew this was Qian Renxue's condition.

Yan nodded. "All right."

Yan paused before speaking. "Poison Douluo seems to disappear from Heaven Dou City for several days every so often. I want to know how often he disappears and the exact number of days each time."

"That won't be difficult. Consider it a bonus."

Qian Renxue spoke.

As one of her primary targets of attention, she naturally possessed such basic intelligence on Poison Douluo.

"Yan, this is the second time."

With the matter settled, Qian Renxue had no reason to stay. She turned and left at once.

Before leaving, she made that pointed remark.

Yan knew what Qian Renxue meant. His ability to override all objections and absorb a ten-thousand-year third Soul Ring had involved Qian Renxue's secret assistance.

Including that time, this was the second time he had actively sought Qian Renxue's help.

Yan nodded, signaling that he understood her meaning, then watched Qian Renxue leave.

Once Qian Renxue's figure vanished from the end of Yan's sight, a short, stout, fierce-looking figure appeared at her side.

"Miss, this Yan truly doesn't know what's good for him. Shall I teach him a lesson?"

Pufferfish Douluo Chi Xue had no favorable impression of Yan's attitude and made the suggestion to Qian Renxue.

"No. I'll personally win back today's humiliation and make him admit that he was wrong."

Qian Renxue gave a light snort. "Don't interfere, or next time we meet, Yan will say I bullied someone younger than me and won dishonorably."

"Yes, Miss."

Pufferfish Douluo replied, sighing inwardly. Qian Renxue was excellent in every way, except that her pride was too strong.

Clearly, many matters could be resolved easily if he and She Long took action, yet Miss Qian Renxue always insisted on handling them herself.

It was not that this was bad, but it did sometimes waste time.

After Qian Renxue left, Yan did not linger either. He silently returned to Spirit Temple in Heaven Dou City.

Qian Renxue was very efficient. In less than five days, she secretly delivered all the intelligence Yan needed.

Right under Salas's nose in Spirit Temple, the person who delivered the intelligence to him was even one of Spirit Temple's own stewards.

This made Yan unable to help marveling at the Worship Hall's power and its far-reaching infiltration.

Spirit Hall might appear to be under Bibi Dong's control now, but perhaps Bibi Dong's every move was under the eyes of the Worship Hall—or rather, Qian Daoliu.

Though Qian Daoliu did not always handle matters satisfactorily, his methods still surpassed those of his son Qian Xunji and granddaughter Qian Renxue by an unknown margin.

After reading the intelligence, Yan was struck by the coincidence that the Fallen Soul Master squad led by a Soul Emperor had long since left the Heaven Dou Empire's border and was now in Sunset Forest.

Sunset Forest lay roughly a hundred li east of Heaven Dou City. For Soul Masters, a distance of a hundred li was nothing at all.

If the nobles of Heaven Dou City learned that a Fallen Soul Master squad was wandering through Sunset Forest, who knew whether they would still be able to sleep at night.

Dugu Bo's whereabouts had also been delivered.

Yan had originally believed that Dugu Bo visited the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well once every month, but Qian Renxue's intelligence showed that this was completely untrue.

Dugu Bo did not visit Sunset Forest at fixed intervals. Sometimes he went once every two months, while at other times, he only went once every three months.

But without exception, whenever Dugu Bo visited Sunset Forest, he would not leave Heaven Dou City again for at least a month after returning.

This was good news for Yan. As long as he accurately calculated when Dugu Bo left, he would have at least a month-long safe window to make a move on the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

As for Sindis, the imperial viscount, he acted with extreme caution and had not revealed any flaws. Qian Renxue was still investigating, and there would presumably be results soon.

The Fallen Soul Masters' movements were unpredictable. If he delayed, they might flee somewhere else again. Time was of the essence, so Yan directly took his leave from Spirit Temple, obtained a map of Sunset Forest, and departed.

A day later, outside Sunset Forest.

Yan put away the map. With a flash of his body, he silently slipped into the dense sea of trees within Sunset Forest.

Deep in the forest, towering ancient trees blocked out the sky and sun. The light was dim, while the air was filled with the damp scent of decaying leaves and the faint presence of Soul Beasts.

Following the latest leads provided by Qian Renxue, he sped toward the area where the Fallen Soul Master squad was likely to appear.

The farther he went, the quieter the forest became. Even insect chirps and birdsong grew sparse, as though this region were shrouded beneath some invisible pressure.

Yan heightened his five senses to their limit. His spiritual power spread cautiously in all directions like an invisible spiderweb, searching for any abnormal Soul Power fluctuations or traces.

After traveling for roughly an hour, Yan stopped at the edge of a forest clearing backed by a steep cliff and covered with relatively sparse vegetation.

The air ahead still held distinct, chaotic residual fluctuations from violently stirred Soul Power, along with a thick stench of blood.

He concealed his aura and advanced carefully. Finally, two or three kilometers later, he discovered the direction where the Evil Soul Masters were located.

He hid behind a massive tree and looked intently ahead.

The clearing's center was a complete mess.

Several enormous Soul Beast corpses lay scattered across the ground. Judging from their forms and lingering auras, they had been powerful Soul Beasts of at least five thousand years, yet all were now dead in miserable states.

Some had their throats torn open, while others had their hearts pierced through. Dark-red, corrosive Soul Power traces remained around their wounds—the customary method of Fallen Soul Masters.

At one side of the clearing sat a middle-aged man cross-legged. He wore an extravagant velvet robe, had a fair complexion, and looked to be in his forties, his bearing utterly at odds with the other fallen ones.

His Soul Power fluctuated violently. Above his head floated a profound black Soul Ring whose light flickered unsteadily. He was clearly absorbing the Soul Ring.

At his feet lay the corpse of a Soul Beast over five meters long, covered in dark-golden patterns. It resembled a leopard but possessed a single horn, and it was the source of his Soul Ring.

Judging by the intensity of its aura, this Soul Beast had likely cultivated for nearly fifty thousand years.

Around him, seven or eight Soul Masters with fierce auras and vicious gazes stood dispersed in a ring, vigilantly surveying their surroundings.

The varying Soul Power fluctuations around their bodies revealed that their cultivation was not low. They were at least Soul Elders, with two or three having reached the Soul King level.

The leader was tall and thin, with a sinister face, dressed in dark-red leather armor. He stood beside the richly dressed man.

His narrow eyes swept across the edge of the clearing like those of a venomous snake. He was the Fallen Soul Master leader described in the intelligence, nicknamed Blood Leopard, a Soul Emperor.