After entering the forest, the group proceeded in their predetermined formation.
Qing Hongyuan cleared the way at the front.
His Azure Snake Dragon Wings opened and closed halfway, their azure feathers appearing and disappearing through gaps in the canopy as they illuminated the path ahead.
The Soul Power of a fifty-sixth-level Soul King circulated within him, ready to erupt at any moment.
His long saber cleaved through the vines and bushes blocking the way, while his steps remained steady and swift.
Shen Wanqing followed behind her husband.
Her Jade Orchid Martial Soul had already been summoned. A phantom jade-green orchid floated above her head, radiating a faint green glow.
The glow turned into tiny specks of light that fell upon Qing Hongyuan ahead and Liu Yunlan and Qing Mufeng behind her.
The Jade Orchid's support effects—faster Soul Power recovery, reduced physical exertion, and heightened reaction speed.
She unleashed all three enhancements at once. Her Soul Power was draining rapidly, yet her steps remained steady.
Liu Yunlan walked in the middle of the group, holding her grandson's hand.
The old woman gripped the poisoned dagger in her right hand, her gaze sweeping across the bushes on either side.
She had yet to obtain her sixth soul ring, but the Soul Power of a level-sixty quasi-Soul Emperor was already gathering within her, poised to strike.
If any foolish soul beast dared approach, she would not mind getting in some practice ahead of time.
Qing Mufeng walked beside his grandmother, his Azure Dragon Pupil active the entire time.
His golden vertical pupils were particularly striking within the dim forest, with azure wind patterns flowing deep within them.
Wind Perception covered a radius of a hundred zhang. Any living creature entering that range would disturb the airflow and be detected by him immediately.
Qing Zhengyue brought up the rear.
His spiritual power spread in every direction, forming a double layer of coverage with his grandson's Wind Perception—one relying on Soul Power, the other on bloodline; one within and one without, each complementing the other.
The pressure of a level-seventy quasi-Saint seeped out faintly, enough to make most low-level soul beasts retreat while avoiding the notice of high-level soul beasts.
The five of them moved much faster than they had last time. Not because the road had become easier, but because every one of them had grown stronger.
Qing Zhengyue had gone from level sixty-nine to level seventy and gained an External Soul Bone.
Liu Yunlan had gone from level fifty-nine to level sixty, crossing a major threshold.
Qing Hongyuan had risen from level fifty to level fifty-six and gained a pair of wings.
Shen Wanqing had advanced from level forty-six to level forty-eight, and the casting speed of her support soul skills had nearly doubled.
Qing Mufeng had gone from level thirty to level thirty-four, gaining a third soul ring and a third divine ability.
The same group, but entirely different strength.
Walking at the back of the group, Qing Zhengyue watched his family ahead of him, an indescribable feeling rising in his heart.
A few months ago, this group had been treading carefully around a five-thousand-nine-hundred-year Wind Wood Dragon. Now, their target was a forty-thousand-year Wind Wood Dragon, perhaps even a hundred-thousand-year Life Ancient Tree.
The changes had come so quickly that even he found them unreal.
Yet the road beneath his feet was real, the fragrance of grass and wood in the air was real, and the cries of soul beasts drifting from ahead were real.
All of it was real.
They walked from dawn until noon, then from noon until dusk.
The five traveled through the forest for an entire day, reaching the outskirts of the Hurricane Wood Mountain Range as night began to fall.
Qing Zhengyue found a suitable place to camp—a natural stone cave facing south, with rock walls sheltering three sides and only one side requiring vigilance. Liu Yunlan scattered a ring of Beast Repellent Powder at the entrance, while Qing Hongyuan and Shen Wanqing spread beast-hide bedding inside.
Qing Mufeng stood at the cave entrance, his Azure Dragon Pupil fixed on the Hurricane Wood Mountain Range ahead.
In the twilight, the mountain range resembled a slumbering colossal beast sprawled across the horizon. Its terrain was treacherous, its vegetation dense, and the air was thick with the scent of grass and wood—far richer and more intense than during their previous visit. This was the scent of deeper territory, the domain of soul beasts with greater cultivation.
Qing Mufeng took a deep breath, withdrew his gaze, and turned to enter the stone cave.
The night passed without incident.
The campfire burned at the cave entrance all night. Liu Yunlan rose twice to add more wood. Qing Zhengyue's spiritual power continuously covered a radius of a hundred zhang, and no soul beast approached.
At dawn the next morning, five figures set out from the camp and continued deeper in.
Qing Zhengyue led the way, never slowing his steps.
A forty-thousand-year Wind Wood Dragon would not deliver itself to their doorstep. They had to find it.
Deep within the Hurricane Wood Mountain Range lay the habitat of the Wind Wood Dragons. Last time, they had only reached its edge and had not ventured farther, because their target then had been a five-thousand-nine-hundred-year Wind Wood Dragon, so there had been no need to go so deep. But this time was different—a Wind Wood Dragon at the forty-thousand-year level would definitely be in the deepest region.
The farther they went, the denser the forest became, the dimmer the light grew, and the stronger the stench of decay in the air became.
Fallen leaves had piled up on the ground for who knew how many years. They felt soft beneath their feet, like stepping on thick cotton. Moss covered the tree trunks, while thick vines hung down from the canopy like green snakes, swaying gently in the wind.
Qing Mufeng kept his Wind Perception spread to its maximum range, while his Azure Dragon Pupil was fully activated. His golden vertical pupils flickered in the darkness, catching every subtle movement around them.
Then he sensed that something was wrong.
Three hundred zhang ahead, Wind Perception detected an intense disturbance in the air currents—it was not the wind, but some massive creature in motion. It was huge, moving swiftly, and heading directly toward them.
"Grandfather." Qing Mufeng lowered his voice. "Something is approaching three hundred zhang ahead. It's moving very fast."
Qing Zhengyue raised his right hand, and the group stopped.
The old man closed his eyes and sent his spiritual power probing forward. The range of a level-seventy quasi-Saint's spiritual power far surpassed Qing Mufeng's Wind Perception, but the information he detected was the same as his grandson's—a huge creature was rapidly approaching at astonishing speed, and it seemed to be in high spirits.
It had not discovered them. It was simply running.
As though it were chasing something—or being chased by something.
Qing Zhengyue opened his eyes and made an immediate decision. "Spread out. Hide."
The five figures scattered swiftly, each finding cover—Qing Zhengyue hid behind a large tree, Liu Yunlan crouched behind a boulder, Qing Hongyuan leaped into the canopy, Shen Wanqing concealed herself in the undergrowth, and Qing Mufeng silently rose into the air, hovering beneath the canopy as his Azure Dragon Pupil locked onto the direction of the disturbed currents.
A moment later, the creature appeared.
It was a Wind Wood Dragon.
It was a full size smaller than the thirty-thousand-year Wind Wood Dragon they had hunted last time, but its aura was sharper and its movements swifter. It sprinted through the forest, its four claws gouging the ground as each landing sent mud and fallen leaves flying. Its breathing was ragged, its golden vertical pupils filled with terror, and its scales bore multiple wounds, blood streaming down from them. Several of the spines on its back had been snapped.
It was fleeing for its life.
Qing Zhengyue's pupils suddenly contracted.
A Wind Wood Dragon more than thirty thousand years old was nearly at the top of the food chain on the outskirts of the Star Dou Forest. What could frighten it so badly?
The answer appeared soon enough.
A piercing shriek came from the direction the Wind Wood Dragon had fled from, cutting through the dense woods and shaking leaves loose from the branches. It was not the cry of a Wind Wood Dragon, nor was it the sound of any soul beast Qing Zhengyue had ever heard.
Sharp, grating, and carrying an indescribable sense of oppression.
High in the air, Qing Mufeng looked toward the source of the sound. His Azure Dragon Pupil pierced through layer after layer of canopy and saw the owner of that cry—a blurry, enormous shadow, pitch-black from head to toe, sweeping over the treetops at an astonishing speed as it pursued the Wind Wood Dragon.
The shadow was several times larger than the Wind Wood Dragon, with a wingspan exceeding ten zhang. Every beat of its wings unleashed a gale that pressed the treetops sideways.
Qing Mufeng could not make out the creature's full form, but he could feel it—the aura emanating from that direction made the Azure Dragon Martial Soul within him tremble slightly.
It was not fear.
It was fighting spirit.
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