Once a Soul Beast, Always a Soul Beast!

Leng Yaozhu asked again, "How long do you plan to stay in Shrek City?"

"I'm heading back tomorrow afternoon," Leng Qingning replied.

"In such a rush?" Leng Yaozhu was slightly surprised.

"I have an appointment with Yuanen Zhentian, the patriarch of the Yuanen Family, for the day after tomorrow. It wouldn't be good to break my word."

Leng Qingning spoke, then slowly recounted the entanglement between the Yuanen Family and the Demon Plane to her.

Upon hearing this, a sharp glint flashed through Leng Yaozhu's eyes.

An evil plane, and one without a god presiding over it—to the Federation, whose resources were increasingly depleted, this was nothing short of a heaven-sent opportunity.

Before the collision between Douluo Continent and Sun Moon Continent, the land had been divided into a tripod, with the Star Luo, Dou Ling, and Heaven Dou Empires keeping each other in check.

Later, the continents collided, and the two merged into the current Douluo Continent.

Thousands of years ago, the Sun Moon Empire successfully unified the entire continent, after which the Xu Family abdicated, and the Sun Moon Empire was reorganized into the Sun Moon Federation.

Among the three empires of Star Luo, Dou Ling, and Heavenly Soul, only the Heaven Dou Empire was completely annihilated. The Star Luo and Dou Ling empires crossed the ocean, each finding a new continent to inhabit, allowing their legacies to continue.

Within the Federation, the hawks advocated for military action against the two empires to complete the unification of the planet, but they were repeatedly held back by the doves, and to this day, they had been unable to put it into action.

A major reason for the hawks' insistence on war was that after thousands of years of development, the various resources native to Douluo Continent were on the verge of exhaustion.

At this point, relying solely on the Federation's domestic potential was no longer enough to support soul guidance technology in breaking through its shackles and moving toward interstellar exploration.

Only by annexing the Star Luo and Dou Ling continents and seizing their abundant resources could soul guidance technology potentially advance further, thereby allowing them to step off Douluo Planet and open up a new home.

And the Demon Plane was a complete plane; even if its grade was inferior to Douluo Planet, the total amount of resources it contained far exceeded the sum of the Star Luo Continent and Dou Ling Continent.

As Leng Yaozhu was secretly pondering, a light knock suddenly came from outside the door.

Na'er's nose twitched slightly, her eyes lit up, and she ran to open the door with light, pattering steps.

"Big Sister Bai, Big Sister Xiao!" She tilted her little face up, her voice soft and sweet.

The ones knocking at the door were the twin sisters, Bai Zhicen and Bai Haoze.

In Na'er's simple understanding, anyone who could bring her delicious food was the best person in the world.

So, after the sisters had brought her a sumptuous feast yesterday, she had remembered these two sisters.

Bai Zhicen reached out and gently ruffled the soft hair on Na'er's head, then pushed the dining cart into the room, with Bai Haoze following closely behind.

The sisters had exquisite features, with long, snow-white hair cascading to their waists, and an ethereal temperament, like forest sprites.

Bai Haoze's Martial Soul was the Light Unicorn, and Bai Zhicen's Martial Soul was the Space Unicorn. Together, the sisters could perform the Martial Soul Fusion Skill "Instant Light," and they were trusted confidantes by Leng Yaozhu's side.

"Blazing Glazed Earth Dragon Tendon, White Jade Frost Abalone Slices, Purple Cloud Spirit Mushroom Stewed Marrow, Azure Underworld Truffle Stuffed Mushrooms, Cold Mist Crystal Jelly Fish Lips, Red Cloud Matsusaka Grilled Meat..."

Beside the dining table, Bai Zhicen methodically plated the dishes while calling out their names.

Na'er stood to the side, her round eyes fixed on the delicacies covering the table, and unpromising tears nearly flowed from the corners of her mouth.

By the time the group returned to the Spirit Pagoda headquarters, it was already near mealtime.

Leng Yaozhu had already witnessed Na'er's astonishing appetite, and considering that An Lan had been playing in Shrek City for half a day and must be famished, she had ordered the sisters to prepare lunch during the return trip.

The timing was perfect; not long after they returned, the sumptuous lunch was delivered.

Once the plating was finished, Bai Haoze said gently to Na'er, "Na'er, you and His Excellency Heavenly Phoenix enjoy your meal. We will be leaving now."

As the words fell, the sisters pushed the empty cart away.

After the two left, Leng Yaozhu set aside her calculations regarding the Demon Plane for the moment and smilingly invited Leng Qingning, Le Lingzhao, and An Lan to take their seats.

Thousand-Year Blood Ginseng, Spirit Marsh Immortal Mushroom, Earth Dragon Tendon, Red Jade Shrimp... Everything Leng Yaozhu had prepared was a top-tier delicacy of the continent, with extremely rare ingredients, each containing pure and abundant energy.

"Teacher, I want to eat that big shrimp!"

An Lan pointed at the Red Jade Shrimp on the plate, which was larger than his face, and whispered to Leng Qingning.

He wanted to do it himself, but his body was still young and his arms were short, so he couldn't reach the dishes in the distance at all.

"Teacher will peel it for you." Leng Qingning smiled gently, picked up the Red Jade Shrimp, and peeled the shell for him.

Seeing that An Lan liked seafood, she promised, "When we have time later, I'll take you to the East Sea for a seafood feast."

Na'er's eyes lit up suddenly at these words. She immediately stopped her frantic eating, lifted her little face, and pleaded, "Na'er wants to go to a seafood feast too!"

"We'll all go," Leng Qingning agreed with a smile.

"Thank you, pretty sister." Na'er beamed with joy and buried her head back into the table full of delicacies, tucking in with gusto.

Star Dou Great Forest, Lake of Life.

The Lake of Life, which once contained endless life energy, was now nearing exhaustion, with only a small pool remaining.

Once upon a time, the Star Dou Great Forest was an absolute forbidden zone for humanity.

Twenty thousand years ago, the Sky Azure Bull Python and the Titan Giant Ape, two Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts lurking on the outskirts, were enough to deter the entire human world, and few dared to step foot inside easily.

Twenty thousand years of time had passed, and the soul beast race was nearly extinct.

Shrek City had expanded to the edge of the core area of the Star Dou Great Forest, and the Spirit Pagoda had built high walls, imprisoning the remaining soul beasts in a tiny space, forbidding them from taking even a single step out.

Beside the Pool of Life, a silver-haired girl with violet eyes stood in silence, gazing toward the distant high walls, her eyes churning with deep-seated hatred and sorrow.

Not far away, Di Tian, Xiong Jun, Bi Ji, King of Ten Thousand Demons, and Zi Ji—the five remaining core powerhouses of the Star Dou Great Forest—knelt on one knee with their heads bowed, not daring to disturb the girl's thoughts.

After a long while, the girl finally withdrew her gaze, her voice cold and clear: "Everything is gone... Let us leave. We go to the human world."

Di Tian, dressed in a black robe and appearing as a handsome man in his forties, raised his head upon hearing this and spoke with measured caution: "My Lord, your other half is currently within the Spirit Pagoda, and it seems... she has grown quite close to the humans."

"Pay her no mind." The girl's voice was indifferent, carrying a hint of unassailable resolve. "Once a soul beast, always a soul beast. This is a fate she cannot escape."

Hearing this, a flicker of worry stirred in Di Tian's heart. His thoughts drifted back ten thousand years to the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, whom he had cherished like his own daughter, only to meet a tragic end due to her entanglement with Huo Yuhao. He also recalled the beast-human romances of the Blue Silver Empress and the Soft Bone Demon Rabbit twenty thousand years prior. He felt this was deeply improper, fearing that the other half of his Lord would repeat those same mistakes.

Yet, looking at the certainty in the girl's eyes and the aura of absolute authority she projected, he ultimately said no more. He merely sighed inwardly and replied in a deep voice: "My Lord is wise!"

The girl took one last look at the Star Dou Great Forest, her gaze sweeping over the withered Lake of Life with a flash of complex emotion, before she spoke softly: "Let her remain in the Spirit Pagoda. Before these three-tenths of my power return, perhaps... she may still have other uses."