Out of Money?

In the boundless Star Dou Great Forest, endless seas of trees surged.

Qin Chuan and the Scarlet King ranged far and wide, traveling as if no one stood in their way. In just a few short days, they had covered the entire Star Dou Great Forest.

Over the past few days, Qin Chuan had made some gains.

He had found a Tempered Vermilion Fire Snake with four thousand years of cultivation. It was rare to find one living in a Poison Gas Swamp, among several other Soul Beasts.

After sensing Qin Chuan's presence, it had suppressed its instincts and hadn't rushed out to hunt him.

Instead, it had hidden in the poisonous gas and watched from the shadows, directing some Soul Beasts to attack first and distract him.

Only after Qin Chuan had engaged those Soul Beasts did it suddenly burst out and pounce on him. It was exceedingly cunning.

But as cunning as it was, it had underestimated Qin Chuan.

His Body Casting Realm Seventh Transformation physique was like copper skin and iron bones, impervious to blades and spears. How could a mere little snake bite through it?

What was more, Qin Chuan had been waiting for this chance. He had deliberately exposed a flaw to lure the snake out of its hole, drawing the Tempered Vermilion Fire Snake from the Poison Gas Swamp so he could crush it.

"I've gathered four of the five poisons, but the centipede is nowhere to be found. I still haven't caught a single trace of one." Qin Chuan was somewhat troubled. He stored the Tempered Vermilion Fire Snake's corpse in his system inventory and prepared to leave the Star Dou Great Forest.

He had searched the entire Star Dou Great Forest and still found nothing.

He could only try elsewhere on the continent.

"What are you collecting these Soul Beasts for? They're all highly poisonous. Even their corpses contain poison, so they can't be eaten." The Scarlet King frowned as he asked. He thought Qin Chuan was wantonly slaughtering them and looked displeased.

"Senior, don't worry about that. I have a use for these Soul Beasts." Qin Chuan smiled and offered no further explanation.

He glanced at the lake in the distance and said, "Let's go. We're heading to Heaven Dou City!"

Over the past few days, he and the Scarlet King had practically turned the whole Star Dou Great Forest upside down. Along the way, they had encountered some human Soul Masters and learned a great deal of useful information.

Near Heaven Dou City, there was another large Soul Beast habitat called Sunset Forest.

It couldn't compare to Star Dou, but it was still rich in species. More importantly, poisonous creatures were everywhere, so there was a good chance of finding the remaining poisons there.

The Scarlet King gave a slight nod and asked no more.

His only task was to serve as Qin Chuan's Dao Protector. Beyond that, he would observe Qin Chuan; he had little interest in anything else.

In his long life, if he had concerned himself with everything and let his curiosity run wild, he would never have survived to this day.

After resting for a while, the two set off about an hour and a half later, heading for the edge of the Star Dou Great Forest, ready to leave.

Star Dou was immense, the largest and most expansive Soul Beast forest on Douluo Continent, stretching as far as the eye could see.

But with the Scarlet King's cultivation of nearly three hundred thousand years, it took them only three or four hours to travel from the Core Circle to the outskirts and leave the forest.

Before departing, Qin Chuan turned back to give a few reminders.

"Senior, the human world is different from the world of Soul Beasts. There are many things you need to be careful about!"

"Remember, you mustn't reveal your identity carelessly, and don't start a fight. It's best not to draw too much attention, either."

The Scarlet King was, after all, a Beast King, and he had no fondness for humans. Qin Chuan hoped he would keep a low profile in the human world.

"Mm," the Scarlet King replied flatly.

Then he simply walked off.

His scarlet hair fell to his shoulders. He looked like a god of fire, his quiet presence carrying the power to incinerate all things.

Qin Chuan smiled at the sight and said no more.

He followed close behind.

Douluo Continent was ruled by two great empires that held sway across the land. The remaining kingdoms and principalities were all subordinate states, and their territories were vast.

Qin Chuan and the Scarlet King headed straight south. After leaving Star Dou, they found themselves in the territory of the Balak Kingdom.

They passed through several towns along the way, but to their surprise, the buildings had all suffered varying degrees of damage.

Everywhere they looked, they saw families torn apart and people left homeless. The devastation was heartbreaking.

"The air here is thick with blood. There must have been a large-scale beast tide recently. It attacked these human towns," the Scarlet King said. His tone was calm, and the sight had not affected him. Such suffering was not enough to stir his emotions.

"A beast tide?" Qin Chuan's expression changed, and his breath caught. A vague sense of foreboding rose in his heart.

Sure enough, after asking around, he learned it had happened just two days earlier, while those three Titled Douluo-level powerhouses had been fighting in the Core Circle.

"Whether it's disaster or man-made calamity, it's always the common people who suffer in the end." Qin Chuan fell silent.

The incident had little to do with him, and he didn't have the power to turn the world upside down and stop it.

But seeing the people's suffering, while the nobles and other upper classes did nothing, still stirred something in him. He couldn't bear to simply turn and leave.

"I'm no saint, but I can't disgrace the red flag of my homeland. Nine years of compulsory education did teach me something, after all."

After some trouble, Qin Chuan exchanged all the Gold Soul Coins he'd gotten from those three Soul Saints for Silver Soul Coins.

There had been some difficulties along the way. A few nobles had set their sights on him.

The savings of those three Soul Saints seemed paltry to Qin Chuan, but to ordinary people—and even to nobles—they were a staggering fortune.

In some of the hardest-hit towns, Qin Chuan stayed for a while and gave away everything he had to the people.

The Scarlet King thought it was pointless. There were too many refugees, an endless number of them. Qin Chuan could never help them all.

Qin Chuan listened and nodded, but his hands never stopped moving. Before long, he had given away every Silver Soul Coin.

"This won't do. There are too many refugees. The money those three Soul Saints had just isn't enough!"

Qin Chuan furrowed his brow, his face clouded with worry. He looked utterly helpless.

He still had an intact world of Green Green Grassland.

But the problem was that he hadn't refined that world with his Dao Seed yet. Besides, the animals in that world used gold and other valuables as currency. He had watched so many seasons, but he'd never seen a single animal with any gold.

Could he ask Officer Bao from the grassland?

He thought it over, then shook his head.

Whenever that fellow caught a criminal, he sent them straight to the Sky Prison. His pockets were probably empty.

"Human society is so divided, full of exploitation and oppression. The people here can barely survive, but those so-called nobles still live in luxury, surrounded by song and dance. They're no different from us Soul Beasts." The Scarlet King watched the crowd in the distance, arms folded, and spoke with scorn. He had little regard for humans.

Yet his words gave Qin Chuan an idea. His eyes lit up.

Besides, he had passed through so many towns, and aside from a handful of nobles helping the refugees, most were simply sitting by and doing nothing.

Some Spirit Hall Branches, on the other hand, seemed to have received orders. They were acting in unison, sending Soul Masters out to provide aid.

After making a few inquiries, Qin Chuan quickly settled on a target: a powerful noble.

His reputation was abysmal. He often preyed on the common people and did all kinds of evil, and he had ties to the City Lord Mansion.

With officials protecting one another, he was practically a local emperor.

"He's done so many wicked things. This time, he can do a good deed for once and repent for what he did before."

Qin Chuan acted that very night, sneaking into the noble's estate. After frightening a few servants and stewards, he really did find a huge pile of Gold Soul Coins.

It had gone surprisingly smoothly. Qin Chuan had acted alone, yet barely encountered any resistance. From the moment he entered to the moment he left, it took no more than ten minutes.

But that was also because of Qin Chuan's cultivation. At the Seventh Transformation of the Body Casting Realm, he was confident he wouldn't fear even that Soul Saint from Shrek if they met now. He could fight him head-on and might even defeat him.