At the same time Ah Yin was revived.
Sunset Forest, the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, a blessed paradise.
Dugu Bo slowly emerged from his cultivation state and habitually spread out his spiritual power, covering the entire Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well valley like mercury pouring across the ground.
Yet the instant his spiritual power swept over the herb garden, the composure on Dugu Bo's face froze.
"Hm?!"
His eyes flew open. In his murky green eyes, an incredulous glint flashed as he shot toward the herb garden in the valley, which he treasured above all else.
What he saw struck him like a bolt of lightning!
Empty!
A desolation unlike anything he had ever seen!
The herb garden, lush and radiant with color just yesterday, was now a lifeless wreck!
All those exotic flowers and rare herbs he had carefully guarded for decades... were gone!
The Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, whose Martial Soul was identical to that of his old rival, Chrysanthemum Douluo, was gone, as if it had never existed.
The two powerful herbs that had radiated scorching heat and icy cold were gone too, without leaving even a wisp of warmth or a fleck of ice.
All those exotic flowers and rare herbs whose names he knew, and those whose names he didn't but whose extraordinary value was plain to see... had vanished without a trace!
"N-no... impossible!!" Dugu Bo cried out, his voice warped by utter shock and panic.
Dugu Bo's heart sank to the bottom, and a chilling dread shot from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.
Who could have swept away his entire herb garden without a sound while he was cultivating, without disturbing him?
"Who?! Who did this!!" Dugu Bo jerked his head up. The terrifying Soul Power of a Titled Douluo burst out of control, and poisonous green mist instantly filled the valley.
"Seventh Soul Skill: Martial Soul Avatar!"
Whoosh~
Dugu Bo unleashed his Martial Soul Avatar, transforming into a gigantic Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor. Then he shot into the sky and began searching the surrounding area.
Furious, he wanted nothing more than to find whoever had stolen his exotic flowers and rare herbs.
But even as he swept his senses wildly across the area, he detected no other powerful beings nearby, nor the slightest trace of an enemy's Soul Power.
That could only mean the other party had already gone far away.
"Damn it..."
Dugu Bo's eyes burned red with rage, but all he could do was seethe helplessly.
He had no way of finding out who had stolen his exotic flowers and rare herbs.
He flew some distance above Sunset Forest, yet still hadn't realized that throughout the entire Soul Beast forest, not only could he find no people, he couldn't see a single Soul Beast either.
"What's going on!?"
But Dugu Bo was a Titled Douluo, with keen senses.
He soon came to a stop and looked around in confusion. "It's too quiet. Why can't I see a single Soul Beast?"
Whoosh~
Dugu Bo temporarily suppressed his anger, then darted rapidly through Sunset Forest.
The more he searched, the more an indescribable fear gripped his heart.
He realized that there seemed to be not a single Soul Beast left in Sunset Forest.
They had all vanished.
"What... what on earth is going on?"
Dugu Bo was dumbfounded. Something like this was simply beyond human ability.
Still unwilling to believe it, he continued searching Sunset Forest like a madman.
"Gone..."
"Other than that Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent..."
"All the other Soul Beasts are gone too..."
"What on earth happened?"
As Dugu Bo frantically searched for traces of Soul Beasts, the Shrek group, who had witnessed their disappearance firsthand, were even more bewildered and at a loss.
At least Dugu Bo had only discovered the Soul Beasts were gone after waking from his cultivation.
Tang San and the others, however, had been right in the middle of the Soul Beasts, in the Star Dou Great Forest where they were most plentiful. Just a moment ago, they could still see Soul Beasts all around them. Now, not a single one was in sight.
They seemed to have vanished into thin air, just like the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent.
Whoosh~
Just then, a figure suddenly appeared in front of them.
"Grandpa!"
"Grandpa!"
Chao Tianxiang and Meng Yiran cried out in delight when they saw who had arrived.
"It's Dragon Duke Meng Shu!"
Zhao Wuji's expression immediately turned serious.
He wasn't afraid of Snake Granny Chao Tianxiang. The only reason he had been wary of her was that Dragon Duke Meng Shu stood behind her.
Snake Granny Chao Tianxiang was only a Soul Emperor, while Dragon Duke Meng Shu was a powerful Soul Douluo.
Now that Dragon Duke Meng Shu himself had arrived, of course Zhao Wuji was nervous.
"This junior, Zhao Wuji, pays his respects to Senior Dragon Duke!"
Zhao Wuji immediately adopted a deferential posture and greeted him respectfully.
"We're all students of Shrek. We pay our respects to Senior Dragon Duke!"
Tang San, Dai Mubai, and the others were equally quick on the uptake. Knowing how powerful Dragon Duke Meng Shu was, they all bowed.
"Good granddaughter, have you absorbed your third Soul Ring?"
Dragon Duke Meng Shu's expression was stern. He didn't bother with Zhao Wuji and the others, instead going straight to Meng Yiran to ask.
He had been helping Meng Yiran search for a suitable Soul Beast earlier, and had seen one suddenly vanish right before his eyes.
Since then, he hadn't seen a single Soul Beast anywhere.
"No, Grandpa."
"That injured Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent suddenly disappeared!"
Meng Yiran shook her head in frustration.
Then she hurriedly asked, "And Grandpa, have you seen any other Soul Beasts? We noticed just now that the Soul Beasts around us were all gone. Do you know what happened?"
"That's right, old man. Have you seen any other Soul Beasts?" Snake Granny Chao Tianxiang pressed him too.
Her voice carried a slight tremor, as if she feared something.
At this point, Zhao Wuji and the others no longer cared that Dragon Duke Meng Shu had ignored them. They all turned to look at him.
The disappearance of the Soul Beasts was what mattered most to them now, too.
"No. I've already searched around. All the Soul Beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest have vanished..." Dragon Duke Meng Shu's face darkened. His words carried deep shock and fear.
"Ah..."
"How is that possible?"
"All the Soul Beasts have vanished?"
"The entire Star Dou Great Forest?"
"..."
Hearing Dragon Duke Meng Shu's words, Meng Yiran cried out in shock.
The Shrek group also exclaimed one after another.
"That's right. Those Soul Beasts didn't just run off somewhere. They vanished outright..."
"Didn't you notice along the way? Even the Plant-type Soul Beasts, which normally can't move, have all disappeared!"
"Something terrible has happened!"
Dragon Duke Meng Shu's voice trembled slightly despite himself.
He knew exactly what this meant.
Xiao Wu, standing behind Tang San, shuddered slightly when she heard Dragon Duke Meng Shu's words.
All the Soul Beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest had vanished?
What about her two younger brothers, Daming and Erming?