Stepping into the Star Dou Great Forest, Xiao Yi was met by the damp, crisp scent of plants and trees. Towering ancient trees rose from the earth, their gnarled branches crisscrossing beneath dense, overlapping canopies that blotted out the sun. Only flecks of dappled light remained in the forest, swaying gently in the breeze.
Xiao Yi entered the outer reaches of the Star Dou Great Forest on foot. He didn't use Martial Soul Possession to hurry along.
His goal this time was to venture deep into the mixed zone and search for Soul Beasts. It was countless times more dangerous than the outer reaches, and there was almost nowhere that could help him recover his Soul Power.
Xiao Yi had already made plans for how to enter the mixed zone...
Two and a half days later...
Deep in the forest, they were now extremely close to the Radiant Flood Dragon's territory. Sunlight filtered through gaps in the leaves, illuminating a narrow path trampled through the undergrowth. A Nether Cold Ice Python with a small horn already protruding from its head slithered slowly along the ground.
A layer of icy mist surrounded it, concealing its presence and the presence of Xiao Yi, who was lying on its back.
The human and snake wandered around the mixed zone of the Star Dou Great Forest like this, without encountering any danger.
The Nether Cold Ice Python flicked out its tongue from time to time, as if sensing something. It was gathering scents and traces of Soul Power from the air. This ability let it detect its prey from far away, whether it was hunting or fleeing.
The reverse was true as well. Combined with the Nether Cold Ice Python's innate concealment ability, this was how they could wander freely through the Soul Beast forest.
Xiao Yi had actually considered doing what they did in some anime and hiding inside its stomach.
It was certainly big enough to fit his small frame, and under the contract formed through the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils, the snake couldn't harm him.
But looking at that gaping, fearsome maw, Xiao Yi had to admit he was a little afraid. It just wasn't a place to hide a person...
So he came up with this solution instead. It consumed quite a lot of Soul Power, but that was still better than running around the Star Dou Great Forest with a human scent.
Another half day passed. Xiao Yi prepared to find a hidden spot to rest for the night. In a place like the Star Dou Great Forest, nighttime was countless times more dangerous than daytime. For the past few nights, he had chosen a sufficiently thick tree, hollowed out its center with fire, and hidden inside while the Nether Cold Ice Python stood guard outside, concealing its presence.
He had just started looking for a place to rest when a rumble sounded in the distance, followed by a furious bear's roar nearby.
Xiao Yi exchanged a glance with the Nether Cold Ice Python beneath him. The snake flicked its tongue toward the sound, asking whether he wanted to go take a look.
Xiao Yi sat up on the Nether Cold Ice Python's back and patted its massive head.
"Let's go take a look."
"Hiss, hiss." The Nether Cold Ice Python twisted around, keeping its icy mist in place to conceal their presence as it sped toward the source of the Soul Power fluctuations.
Deep in the forest, an eight-thousand-year-old Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear roared in a savage fury, intent on tearing its enemy to pieces.
On all fours, it was already more than six meters long and over three meters tall at the shoulder. When it rose onto its hind legs, its enormous frame stood nearly seven meters high, like a mountain bearing down on them. Dark golden fur, like steel armor, covered its body. Its nearly meter-long claws gleamed with a cold light, and every step shook the fallen leaves. Its fierce pressure filled the entire clearing.
The giant beast on the other side was no less impressive. More than ten meters long, it was covered in thick, pale golden scales. Its powerful limbs ended in razor-sharp dragon claws. Its head still bore the features of a flood dragon, but its dragon horns had already taken shape. It was clearly a roughly nine-thousand-year-old Radiant Flood Dragon, and it was showing signs of transforming into a dragon.
For a Radiant Flood Dragon, transforming into a dragon was practically the destiny its entire species pursued. Only by becoming a dragon could they become a hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast. But most Radiant Flood Dragons showed no signs of transforming when young, making it even less likely once they reached adulthood.
So, once a Radiant Flood Dragon began transforming into a dragon, it would frantically consume energy to complete its metamorphosis from flood dragon to dragon.
This Radiant Flood Dragon was no exception. It had clearly reached the most crucial stage. Only by devouring a Soul Beast with sufficiently powerful energy and bloodline before reaching adulthood, then entering a deep sleep, could it cross that final threshold—a natural barrier no member of its species had ever crossed.
The two beasts clashed, unleashing a terrifying commotion. Every strike from the Dark Gold Terrorclaw carried enough force to split mountains and shatter stone, but no matter how it swiped at the Radiant Flood Dragon, it couldn't land a hit.
The Radiant Flood Dragon had already begun transforming into a dragon. It was no longer a Soul Beast that could only crawl along the ground. With Soul Power—or even instinct alone—it could lift its enormous body into the air. It moved with astonishing agility, nearly driving the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear back at every turn.
Seated on the Nether Cold Ice Python's back, Xiao Yi watched the two Soul Beasts fight from the shadows. He had no intention of joining the battle. He only needed to seize control of the Radiant Flood Dragon once it was mentally exhausted. For the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils, that wouldn't be difficult.
After several exchanges, the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear was clearly running out of stamina. A savage light flashed in its eyes as energy gathered in its dark golden claws. It was about to unleash a desperate final strike.
The Radiant Flood Dragon was in better shape, but it was anxious too. It had taken a huge risk by coming here. Though the area was far from the core zone, the commotion might still draw the attention of powerful beings.
The Radiant Flood Dragon began gathering a golden ball of energy in its mouth, then blasted it toward the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear, which was still gathering strength.
The Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear took the blast head-on in the chest. A horrifying wound opened across its body, deep enough to expose bone. Before it could fight back, the Radiant Flood Dragon rushed forward and slammed its dragon claw into the bear's head. The strike, strong enough to split mountains and shatter stone, killed the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear outright. A brilliant purple Soul Ring rose from its corpse.
Just as the exhausted Radiant Flood Dragon was preparing to enjoy its hard-won prize, a commotion came from nearby.
A Purple Lightning Flood Dragon, nearly its equal in size, charged straight at it and slammed into its body, sending it flying dozens of meters. It crashed through several trees before finally coming to a stop. The Radiant Flood Dragon roared in fury, but froze the moment it tried to move.
A human boy stood before it, dressed in a dark robe. Green petals spun in his eyes. The Radiant Flood Dragon felt a wave of dizziness wash over its mind, and its consciousness formed a contract with the boy. A petal pattern appeared in its eyes, then faded. Its massive head tilted to one side as it leaned toward the boy.
Xiao Yi reached out and stroked the Radiant Flood Dragon's head. A deep purple Soul Ring appeared above the three rings beneath him, just one step away from black.
Forty-two levels of Soul Power. Xiao Yi let out a long breath. Now he only needed to help them evolve as he had planned.
He glanced at the Nether Cold Ice Python sniffing the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear's corpse. This was an unexpected bonus.
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