"We only have one month. I have to pick up the pace."
It took Lan Yu a full day and night to emerge from the Ice and Fire Spring Water.
After being transformed by the Infernal Delicate Apricot, the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass, and the Ice and Fire Spring Water, his body was basically immune to ice and fire.
But now he had to find a way out of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, which was surrounded by poisonous miasma.
One golden star after another appeared before him. At Lan Yu's command, the seven Light Element stars began arranging themselves along a specific path, forming a star orbit.
In just three seconds, the orbit was complete, and magic appeared!
Light Radiance—Purification!
Golden light shone before Lan Yu. Under its special radiance, the poisonous miasma melted away at a visible pace, like snow beneath the blazing sun.
It was worth mentioning that Lan Yu had already plucked all the Immortal Herbs in the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well that were useful to him at this stage.
Honestly, even Lan Yu hadn't expected his Summoning Element to have the ability to "store" things.
If he hadn't read in a fanfic that the remains of the Water and Fire Dragon Kings lay beneath the Ice and Fire Spring Water, he might have even tried to see if his Summoning Element could "store" the entire Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.
With Light Radiance—Purification and the Silk Fragrance Immortal Herb, Lan Yu finally made it through the layer of poisonous miasma.
But the moment he left, the entire Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well was suddenly enclosed by a transparent barrier, like an upside-down bowl.
Summoning Element: This is my turf! Nobody gets in except my master!
Of course, Lan Yu didn't notice.
He was heading toward some part of Sunset Forest, wondering whether he'd find a suitable Summoned Beast.
"I hope I can find a Summoned Beast that suits me." Lan Yu glanced up at the first rays of dawn filtering through the trees and murmured to himself.
After that, Lan Yu encountered a few Soul Beasts, but none of them were particularly strong.
He didn't bother with them for long. He cast Light Radiance—Blindness, then turned and ran.
After wandering around for a while, Lan Yu somehow stumbled out of Sunset Forest without even realizing it.
"Huh?" Lan Yu exclaimed. "How did I get out?"
"Never mind. I'll find a human settlement and get a map first."
Fortunately, Lan Yu had a knack for learning languages. He spent a few days pretending to be a mute beggar in a small-to-medium-sized town and finally managed to learn the language of Douluo Continent.
Since he wasn't very fluent, his speech came out halting and awkward. People even thought he had a stutter.
After buying a map to Star Dou Forest, Lan Yu set off to find a suitable Summoned Beast.
As for where the Copper Soul Coins in his hand had come from?
Obviously, he'd gotten them by pretending to be a mute beggar and asking for alms.
Lan Yu had been a beggar, too. Truly cause for celebration.
He had twenty days left. Once his time was up, his Summoning Element would forcibly send him back to the world of magic.
Of course, he could also return on his own. All it took was a single thought.
If he wanted to visit Douluo Continent again after that, he'd have to wait out another three-month cooldown.
From then on, apart from the time he spent sleeping and eating, Lan Yu spent almost all his time on the road.
By the time he reached Star Dou Forest, he had only ten days left.
"Damn it, why didn't I awaken the Wind Element at the first level? Then I could've practiced Wind Track while traveling."
Looking at the boundless green sea in the distance, Lan Yu couldn't help but grumble.
At least he'd finally reached Star Dou Forest.
The trees on the outskirts of Star Dou Forest stood at least twenty meters tall. There were no paths through the dense woods, and the overlapping shadows made it impossible to see what lay ahead.
Star Dou Forest's terrain was extremely complex, with thornbushes and weeds growing everywhere. Lan Yu cut a path with a woodcutter's knife, making decent progress.
As he cleared the way, he kept a wary eye on his surroundings.
He wasn't afraid of Hundred-Year Soul Beasts, but thousand- and ten-thousand-year Soul Beasts could pose varying degrees of danger to his life.
He continued like this for about two hours. By now, it was noon.
Star Dou Forest was so dense that sunlight barely made it through the gaps between the leaves.
Along the way, Lan Yu had encountered quite a few Soul Beasts, but most were low-level and posed little threat to him.
He also didn't want to invite unnecessary trouble, so he avoided them whenever possible. When he couldn't, he rewarded them with a blast of Light Radiance—Blindness.
"Looks like I can only keep going deeper."
Lan Yu rested against a tree, chewing on some dry rations and drinking water as he glanced farther into the forest.
After resting for nearly an hour, Lan Yu continued deeper into the woods.
He'd been walking for about two hours, and hadn't encountered any Soul Beasts along the way. He could also sense a dark aura hanging over the forest.
"How strange..."
ROAR—
Just then, a low growl came from deep in the woods.
The growl shook its listeners to the core and seemed to carry some strange penetrating force. It felt far away, yet somehow close.
Sure enough, a massive Soul Beast rose from its crouch in a nearby thicket of brambles, glaring viciously at Lan Yu.
It was a huge black tiger, jet-black from head to tail without a single streak of another color. Its red eyes were filled with greed and a sinister chill.
It was over eight meters long, its muscles rippling beneath its hide. A gloomy, mistlike black aura curled around its forehead, and within it, one could just make out the character "king."
Its tail was unlike that of an ordinary tiger. It was long and held upright, made up of countless bony segments, with a huge hooked barb at the tip that gleamed with a chilling light.
The Dark Demon Evil God Tiger!
Lan Yu clicked his tongue. Was he blessed with the luck of the draw, or was his luck just rotten?
But he didn't dwell on it. With Mother Earth's Summoning Element as a safety net, all he had to do was slap on a Summoning Mark.
The next second, one silvery star after another appeared around Lan Yu.
The Dark Demon Evil God Tiger's blood-red eyes were full of mockery. To it, Lan Yu was just a weak human—not even a Soul Master—and the perfect after-dinner snack.
If not for those two damned watchdogs, why would it have been driven out here?
The human before it stood motionless. Clearly, Lan Yu had been stunned by its roar.
The Dark Demon Evil God Tiger slowly lifted a paw and advanced on Lan Yu, step by step.
The Dark Demon Evil God Tiger soon regretted it.
By then, Lan Yu had already controlled the stars and arranged the seven Summoning Element stars into a star orbit.
The orbit was complete, and magic appeared!
A Summoning Mark shimmering with silvery light flew toward the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger. It abruptly realized something was wrong, but it was already too late.
Before you continue