Valley of Fear

Once again seated in a carriage alongside Zhang Lexuan, Lin Yun watched the scenery shift before his eyes, speaking to her in a feigned, foolish tone.

"I'm sorry to trouble you, Senior Sister, having to accompany me out once again."

Zhang Lexuan merely shook her head and replied.

"This is nothing. Heading to a soul beast habitat for a soul-hunting mission is part of the training for us Inner Court disciples."

"Once you enter the Inner Court in the future, you will go through this process as well."

At this moment, Lin Yun certainly wouldn't be foolish enough to stir up trouble by saying something like, 'I won't go to the Inner Court; I'll just run away once my cultivation is high enough.'

The woman before him looked charming and graceful, possessing a captivating aura, but in essence, she was a being who possessed a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone and a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring.

Although the fact that she had spent half a year bedridden and barely recovered suggested that the hundred-thousand-year soul beast hadn't been a perfect match for her, it was still a hundred-thousand-year soul skill.

Right now, even with his skeleton legion, he wasn't enough to fill the gaps between her teeth.

For the current plan, since he couldn't resort to force, he had to develop stealthily and avoid courting death.

Zhang Lexuan was unaware of Lin Yun's thoughts; she simply observed his appearance. Despite the ten-year age gap between them, Lin Yun's looks remained striking.

Most importantly, although Lin Yun's family background was poor, he carried an aura akin to a monarch, one that made others feel an involuntary urge to submit. Even a Soul Douluo like Zhang Lexuan could not escape this feeling when no other thoughts interfered.

This aura was different from Bei Bei's scholarly elegance; Bei Bei's elegance was more of an outward-to-inward temperament cultivated through long-term exposure to his environment.

Lin Yun's was a confidence rooted in his own Martial Soul and abilities, an aura that emerged from the inside out.

The last person who gave Zhang Lexuan this feeling was the Dragon God Douluo, Mu En.

However, Mu En's aura at the time was inferior to Lin Yun's. What Mu En possessed—though he referred to himself as a sovereign—was not the kingly aura of a monarch, but an invincible dominance forged from his own strength and battle records.

Furthermore, this dominance had been slowly fading as Mu En's days drew to a close.

Lin Yun's aura, however, would not fade with the changes of the world; as long as he remained himself, it would always surround him.

Unconsciously, Zhang Lexuan had begun to size up Lin Yun with the eyes of someone looking for a partner.

Lin Yun naturally noticed this gaze, and since he couldn't flip the table yet, he could only look at the situation outside the window.

"Senior Sister, it seems we aren't heading in the direction of the Star Dou Forest."

Lin Yun's question interrupted Zhang Lexuan's train of thought. She immediately revealed a faint smile and said to him.

"That is correct. We aren't going to the Star Dou Forest this time. You should read more books on soul beasts in your spare time. We are heading to the Valley of Fear, the habitat of the Fear Demon Dragon."

Lin Yun nodded, still looking out the window.

"The habitat of the Fear Demon Dragon, huh."

Lin Yun still had an impression of this creature; there was a room in the Sea God Pavilion of Shrek Academy filled with these things.

They possessed extremely strong spiritual power and could make living beings feel instinctive fear.

Yet, logically speaking, these creatures should have been nearly extinct; after all, the dragon race already had poor fertility, and Shrek had slaughtered so many of them in a campaign of extermination.

When Lin Yun read the books in his past life, he really thought they had been wiped out. Even when Huo Yuhao lacked spiritual-attribute soul beasts in the later stages, he had never sought out a Fear Demon Dragon.

Lin Yun pondered, ultimately attributing it to the difference in time, and the fact that the Fear Demon Dragon's secondary attribute, darkness, did not pair well with Huo Yuhao.

After a bumpy journey, the carriage finally stopped near a small town that was close to the Star Dou Forest but separated from it by a large city.

Lin Yun looked around; the vendors in the town were selling dry rations, tents, and special uniforms for the wilderness.

It was the standard style of merchants who lived off the mountains or waters near a soul beast habitat.

However, this had nothing to do with Zhang Lexuan. She glanced at the sun and then said.

"It's getting late. Let's find an inn to stay in first. Tomorrow morning, we will head to the Wind Mountain over there. The valley between the Wind Fire Thunder Mountains is what they call the Valley of Fear."

The Wind Fire Thunder here had nothing to do with the Wind Fire Thunder Three Tribulations of his past life; it primarily referred to the three types of disasters most likely to occur near those three mountains.

Thunderstorms, tornadoes, and wildfires—these three things were truly a terrifying nightmare for the ordinary people living nearby.

Since the area between these three mountains happened to be the habitat of the Fear Demon Dragon, the names Wind, Fire, and Thunder were naturally applied.

Lin Yun opened a room door, made the bed, then boiled a pot of water for Zhang Lexuan and handed her a cup of hot water.

"Senior Sister, please rest for a while. I'll go find us something to eat?"

Zhang Lexuan glanced outside and casually tossed a Gold Soul Coin to Lin Yun. Lin Yun caught it, showing no signs of sycophancy, and said calmly.

"This is too much. I'm afraid I won't even be able to spend this here."

Zhang Lexuan paused, acting indifferent, or perhaps trying to make up for it, she said.

"I know your family situation isn't good. Just take it and spend it; the rest can be my contribution to you."

Lin Yun understood what Zhang Lexuan meant; she wanted him to use Silver Soul Coins and Copper Soul Coins to buy food, and this gold one was her payment.

Lin Yun tossed the Gold Soul Coin up and down, saying casually.

"Alright then, just wait here."

He bought some food from a donkey meat shop in town and returned with a box of dishes. He laid them out one by one for Zhang Lexuan and said.

"There aren't any proper restaurants in this small town; this donkey meat shop is the biggest one. Just make do with this for now."

Though he called it "making do," Zhang Lexuan ate quite comfortably. When it came time to rest, she was still thinking about Mu En's arrangements.

Although Lin Yun was somewhat younger than her, the world of Soul Masters never really placed much importance on age gaps. While her own life could be considered a rebound from rock bottom followed by smooth sailing, today's experience was truly unique.

Lin Yun was different from those previous suitors, as well as her classmates and partners. Those people were either fawning with ulterior motives or acting with a respectful courtesy born of fear, both of which forced Zhang Lexuan to keep her nerves tightly coiled.

The days spent with Lin Yun, however, were completely different. This kid was neither fawning nor overly respectful; instead, there was a sense of pure, genuine consideration.

This consideration, devoid of any hidden agenda and feeling like that of a true friend or family member, allowed Zhang Lexuan to finally relax the nerves she had kept taut for so long.

That night, Zhang Lexuan slept very soundly; it could be said that this was the first time since that nightmarish evening that she had enjoyed a pure, undisturbed sleep without practicing cultivation at all.