Nightmare Beast

In the early morning on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest, a thin mist drifted slowly between the trees.

The trio left Soul Hunting Town early, crossed the wooden fence that served as the boundary line, and officially stepped into the territory of the Star Dou Great Forest.

Jiang Che walked in the lead, his spiritual power spreading out like an invisible spiderweb; every blade of grass, every tree, and the movements of every soul beast within a radius of several miles were within his perception.

Huo Yuhao followed behind him, his Spirit Eye martial soul quietly activated. Although his spiritual power was far from as vast as Jiang Che's, it still covered an area of nearly a hundred meters around them.

The Ice Empress walked at the very back, her hands clasped behind her back, scanning the forest scenery with a look of boredom.

"Senior, which direction are we heading?" Huo Yuhao asked.

"South." Jiang Che looked toward the depths of the forest. "The southern region of the Star Dou Great Forest has the richest variety of soul beasts, and there are many records of thousand-year-level spiritual soul beasts. Searching in that direction gives us the best hope."

The three passed through a broad-leaved forest, the fallen leaves beneath their feet emitting a faint, rustling sound.

The light in the forest was blocked by the dense canopy, making it appear somewhat dim. The air was filled with the scent of soil and decaying leaves. Occasionally, a few low-year soul beasts would dart through the bushes, fleeing in a panic the moment they caught sight of the three.

Jiang Che suddenly stopped. Before him lay a grove of ten-year Solitary Bamboo. Jiang Che looked at it for a moment, then sighed and muttered to himself, "This is the very thing that almost became the God's first soul ring back then. If the God King had listened to the Grandmaster, this ten-year Solitary Bamboo would definitely be something everyone fights over today."

Because Jiang Che had stopped and kept staring at the bamboo grove, the Ice Empress and Huo Yuhao followed suit, though they had no idea what was happening.

"Senior, is there something in that grove?" Huo Yuhao thought there might be a powerful enemy, and he spoke with extreme caution.

"Nothing. I was just moved by the scene. You wouldn't understand. Alright, let's keep looking," Jiang Che replied.

Huo Yuhao looked at the bamboo grove again, puzzled, having no clue what scene Jiang Che was moved by or what feelings he was experiencing. But seeing that Jiang Che and the Ice Empress had already walked ahead, he had no time to ponder and quickly followed.

After walking for about an hour, a massive thousand-year Iron-Back Rhino was found in a clearing ahead, gnawing on the tender leaves of a shrub.

Its entire body was covered in thick, iron-gray hide, with a row of bone plates rising high along its spine. A pair of curved, short horns on its head glinted with a metallic luster. It was clearly a defensive soul beast of about 1,500 years.

The Iron-Back Rhino sensed someone approaching and raised its head to glance at Jiang Che, a trace of confusion flashing in its copper-bell-like eyes.

It could not sense any soul power fluctuations from Jiang Che, seeing only an ordinary-looking young man and two half-grown children, so it immediately relaxed its vigilance and lowered its head to continue grazing.

Huo Yuhao subconsciously tensed up, ready to deal with an attack from the Iron-Back Rhino at any moment.

"Don't be nervous." Jiang Che patted Huo Yuhao on the shoulder twice. "It won't attack us."

Huo Yuhao put away his soul power, half-doubting. Sure enough, the Iron-Back Rhino acted as if it hadn't seen them at all, walking slowly toward the depths of the forest without even turning its head.

"Senior, this is..." Huo Yuhao looked at Jiang Che in a daze.

"The natural suppression of high-level soul masters over low-level soul beasts," Jiang Che explained. "Soul beasts have much sharper senses than humans. Although they cannot perceive my soul power fluctuations, they instinctively avoid existences that threaten them. It is a fear carved into their bloodlines."

The Ice Empress gave a light hum from behind: "Why say so much? It's just that whoever has the bigger fist is in the right."

Jiang Che smiled at the Ice Empress's summary and did not refute it.

The three continued to venture deeper. The further they went into the forest, the higher the age of the soul beasts they encountered.

Hundred-year and thousand-year soul beasts gradually became more frequent, and occasionally, they could even sense the aura of ten-thousand-year soul beasts coming from deeper within.

Jiang Che's spiritual power remained in a state of wide-range coverage. Every time he sensed the aura of a spiritual soul beast, he would take Huo Yuhao on a detour to investigate.

Unfortunately, the first few attempts were not very successful. The first spiritual soul beast he sensed was an eight-thousand-year Purple Spirit Wolf. It was small in size, covered in purple fur, with a tail as fluffy as a broom.

The Purple Spirit Wolf excelled in spiritual interference and could create illusions to confuse its prey; it would have been a good choice for Huo Yuhao.

However, the age of this Purple Spirit Wolf was too high, and Huo Yuhao could not absorb it at all.

The second one he sensed was a 1,200-year Phantom Moon Cat.

It was an extremely rare spiritual soul beast. Its silver-white fur would shimmer with a dreamlike lunar glow under the moonlight, and its eyes were vertical pupils that seemed to reflect a crescent moon.

The Phantom Moon Cat's soul skill was "Moon Shadow Maze," which could create multiple illusions identical to the main body, confusing an enemy's vision and perception. For Huo Yuhao's Spirit Eye martial soul, it was a match made in heaven.

Unfortunately, this Phantom Moon Cat was too alert. Before Jiang Che and the others were even within a hundred yards, it seemed to sense danger, and with a whoosh, it darted into the canopy, its silver-white figure disappearing without a trace after a few leaps through the branches.

Seeing that the Phantom Moon Cat was quite clever, Jiang Che couldn't be bothered to strike. Otherwise, even if he let it run first, it would have been forced to its knees the moment he made a move.

"It runs quite fast." The Ice Empress looked in the direction where the Phantom Moon Cat had disappeared and offered a rare comment.

Huo Yuhao followed behind, dejected. He felt like a jinx; the soul beasts he encountered basically all ran away.

Jiang Che was not in a hurry. The Star Dou Great Forest was vast, and although spiritual soul beasts were rare, they were not impossible to find.

He led Huo Yuhao further south, passing through a dense bamboo forest. The terrain ahead gradually opened up, and a clear stream meandered through the woods. The water shimmered with ripples under the sunlight, and the tinkling sound of the flowing water was exceptionally pleasant in the quiet forest.

Jiang Che stopped and probed with his spiritual power toward the upper reaches of the stream, stopping after a moment.

"Found it," Jiang Che said with a smile.

Huo Yuhao's spirits lifted upon hearing this: "What soul beast?"

"A soul beast that is perfect for you!" Jiang Che said, glancing at Huo Yuhao beside him.

When Huo Yuhao followed Jiang Che's gaze and saw the small white beast drinking by the stream, he couldn't take his eyes off it.

It was a small, pure-white beast, about the size of a house cat, curled up on a blue stone by the stream. Its long, furry tail hung down, the tip gently touching the water and creating ripples.

It kept its eyes closed, only its ears twitching slightly, as if carefully listening to the rustling of the wind.

"What soul beast is that?" Huo Yuhao asked in a lowered voice, afraid of startling the little creature.

"A Nightmare Beast," Jiang Che said. "An extremely rare spiritual soul beast that excels in spiritual attacks and dream manipulation. Its soul skill, 'Nightmare,' can invade the prey's Sea of Consciousness, creating the most terrifying dreams and allowing the prey to die in their sleep, almost without any pain."

Huo Yuhao was slightly startled, then felt a surge of joy. Such a powerful spiritual soul skill—if it could become his second soul ring, his strength would be greatly enhanced.

"This Nightmare Beast is about 1,300 years old, which is just right for you," Jiang Che continued.