Valley of Fear

Once again, riding in a carriage with Zhang Lexuan, Lin Yun watched the scenery shift outside the window and spoke to her in a deliberately foolish, casual tone.

"Sorry to trouble you again, Senior Sister. You have to come out with me."

Zhang Lexuan shook her head.

"It's nothing. Going to a Soul Beast gathering place for a Soul Hunting Operation is part of the training for us Inner Court disciples."

"When you enter the Inner Court someday, you'll go through the same thing."

Of course, Lin Yun wasn't stupid enough to say something like, I'm not going to the Inner Court. I'll run away once my cultivation is high enough, and make trouble for himself.

The woman before him looked alluring and charming, but at her core, she was a being who possessed a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone and a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring.

Although she'd been laid up for half a year and had nearly failed to recover, which suggested that the Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring wasn't a perfect fit for Zhang Lexuan, it was still a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Skill.

Even with his entire Skeleton Soldier army, Lin Yun wouldn't be enough to fill the gaps between her teeth.

For now, fighting was out of the question. He could only keep his head down and grow stronger. No tempting fate.

Zhang Lexuan had no idea what Lin Yun was thinking. She simply studied his appearance. Though they were ten years apart, Lin Yun's looks still held up.

More importantly, although Lin Yun came from a poor family, he carried an air of a sovereign that made people feel an instinctive urge to submit. Even someone like Zhang Lexuan, a Soul Douluo, was not immune when she had no other thoughts clouding her mind.

This was different from Bei Bei's refined, scholarly air. Bei Bei's elegance was a quality that had grown from the outside in, shaped by what he'd been exposed to over the years.

Lin Yun's, by contrast, was a confidence born of his Martial Soul and abilities, an air that radiated from within.

The last person who had made Zhang Lexuan feel this way was Dragon God Douluo Mu En.

But even Mu En's presence had fallen short of Lin Yun's. Though Mu En called himself a sovereign, the aura he carried wasn't the kingly air of a ruler. It was an overbearing confidence, forged from his strength and achievements, that proclaimed he was invincible.

And as Mu En's life gradually waned, that aura had slowly faded.

Lin Yun's presence, however, wouldn't diminish with the changing times. As long as he remained himself, it would always surround him.

Without realizing it, Zhang Lexuan had begun to study Lin Yun in earnest, looking at him as a potential partner.

Lin Yun naturally noticed her gaze. Since he couldn't turn the table on her just yet, all he could do was stare out the window.

"Senior Sister, this doesn't seem to be the way to Star Dou Forest."

Lin Yun's question interrupted Zhang Lexuan's thoughts. She smiled at him.

"That's right. We're not going to Star Dou Forest this time. You should read more books about Soul Beasts. We're headed to the Valley of Fear, where the Fear Demon Dragons gather."

Lin Yun nodded, still looking out the window.

"So, this is where the Fear Demon Dragons gather."

He remembered them. There was a room full of the things in Sea God Pavilion at Shrek Academy.

They possessed tremendous mental strength and could make living creatures feel an instinctive fear.

But logically, there shouldn't have been many of them left. The dragon race already had a poor birth rate, and Shrek had wiped out so many of them in a merciless extermination.

When Lin Yun had read about them in his previous life, he'd really thought they were extinct. Even Huo Yuhao, who later needed a Soul Beast with the Mental Attribute, had never sought out a Fear Demon Dragon.

Lin Yun thought it over, but in the end could only chalk it up to the different timeline. Besides, the Fear Demon Dragon's secondary Dark Attribute didn't suit Huo Yuhao.

After a bumpy journey, the carriage finally stopped beside a small town near Star Dou Forest, separated from the forest by a large city.

Lin Yun glanced around. The vendors in town were selling dried provisions, tents, special clothes for the wilderness, and similar goods.

It was the standard merchant trade near a Soul Beast gathering place: living off the mountains and rivers.

But none of this had much to do with Zhang Lexuan. She glanced at the sun, then said:

"It's getting late. Let's find an inn for the night, then head out early tomorrow to Wind Mountain. The valley between the Wind Fire Thunder Mountains is what they call the Valley of Fear."

The Wind, Fire, and Thunder here had nothing to do with the Three Tribulations of Wind, Fire, and Thunder from Lin Yun's previous life. They referred to the three disasters most common around the mountains.

Thunderstorms, tornadoes, and wildfires. For ordinary people living nearby, those three things were terrifying enough to cost them their lives.

As it happened, the area between those three mountains was also the habitat of the Fear Demon Dragons, so the names Wind, Fire, and Thunder had naturally stuck.

Lin Yun opened a room, made the bed, then boiled a kettle of water for Zhang Lexuan. Handing her a cup, he said:

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

Zhang Lexuan glanced outside and casually tossed Lin Yun a Gold Soul Coin. He caught it without a trace of fawning and said calmly:

"That's far too much. I doubt I could even spend it all here."

Zhang Lexuan paused, then replied in an unconcerned tone, as if trying to make up for it:

"I know your family's circumstances aren't good. Just take it and spend it. The rest is my way of helping you out."

Lin Yun understood what she meant. He could use Silver Soul Coins and Copper Soul Coins to buy food, while the Gold Soul Coin was her payment.

Tossing the Gold Soul Coin up and down in his hand, Lin Yun said casually:

"Got it. Just wait here."

Lin Yun bought some food from a donkey-meat shop in town and returned carrying a box of dishes. He set them out one by one for Zhang Lexuan, saying:

"There aren't any proper restaurants in this little town. This donkey-meat shop is the biggest place around, so we'll have to make do, okay?"

Though she was supposedly making do, Zhang Lexuan enjoyed the meal. When it was time to rest, she was still thinking about Mu En's arrangements.

Lin Yun was younger than her, but the Soul Master World didn't pay much attention to age differences. Her life had hit rock bottom before turning around, and everything had gone smoothly since. Even so, what had happened today was a unique experience.

Lin Yun was different from her previous suitors and classmates who'd worked alongside her. Some had fawned over her for ulterior motives, while others had shown her a fearful, deferential courtesy. Both had kept Zhang Lexuan on edge.

But her days with Lin Yun were entirely different. The boy wasn't fawning or deferential; instead, he was simply thoughtful.

His thoughtfulness carried no ulterior motive. It was like the genuine care of a close friend or family member, and it eased the tension Zhang Lexuan had carried for so long.

That night, Zhang Lexuan slept deeply. Since that nightmare of a night, it was the first time she'd slept without cultivating—a night of pure, uninterrupted rest...