Tian Meng's Attempt to Escape

After several days of travel, Ye Ruilin and his group finally arrived at the outer perimeter of the Star Dou Forest.

The carriage slowed to a halt. Ye Ruilin was the first to jump down, his gaze sweeping across the surroundings.

The air in the Star Dou Forest was filled with a faint, fresh scent of grass and trees. The surrounding woods were tall and dense, with sunlight filtering through the gaps in the leaves to cast dappled shadows, creating an exceptionally mysterious atmosphere.

"Finally here."

Ma Hongjun stretched, a look of excitement appearing on his face.

The long journey had left him feeling incredibly exhausted, but the thought of the spirit beasts they were about to face filled him with anticipation.

He wondered what kind of spirit beasts they would encounter this time because of the boss's martial soul.

Ning Rongrong followed closely behind, jumping off the carriage and curiously surveying the area.

"So this is the Star Dou Forest? It really is much more spectacular than the Sunset Forest."

Excitement sparkled in her eyes.

Dugu Yan closed the book in her hand, her gaze shifting calmly toward the depths of the forest as she spoke in a detached tone.

"The Star Dou Forest is home to a vast variety of spirit beasts; we must act with caution and not venture too deep recklessly."

"The depths of this Star Dou Forest are not something we can easily handle."

Ye Ruilin nodded, his expression grave.

"That's right, the danger level of the Star Dou Forest far exceeds that of the Sunset Forest. We must be prudent this time."

His voice was low, carrying a hint of vigilance.

As they were now, if they were to truly encounter a Sky Azure Bull Python or a Titan Giant Ape, it would be quite a headache.

Dugu Bo stood to the side, his gaze deep as he looked toward the heart of the forest and spoke slowly.

"The core area of the Star Dou Forest holds many powerful spirit beasts, and there is no shortage of hundred-thousand-year-level existences."

"Our goal this time is to find a suitable spirit beast for the Ye Family lad; let's try our best not to provoke those powerful beings."

"Let's head that way; the moisture is heavier there, so many water-type spirit beasts should live in that area."

Dugu Bo waved his hand, signaling the group to follow.

The group slowly advanced into the depths of the forest. The surrounding trees grew increasingly dense, and a faint fluctuation of spirit power permeated the air.

Occasionally, a few low-level spirit beasts would dart past them, but they did not launch any attacks.

Ma Hongjun walked at the very front of the team, his eyes scanning the surroundings vigilantly as he whispered.

"Boss, I can't wait to see the spirit beast that appears next."

Ye Ruilin shook his head, his tone calm.

"Don't let your guard down. You'll suffer if you're careless."

Ning Rongrong followed behind Ye Ruilin, her eyes shimmering with anticipation.

"Brother Ye, I think the Spirit Snake is really suitable for you. Maybe we'll run into one this time!"

Dugu Yan smiled slightly and said softly.

"The Spirit Snake is indeed a good choice, but the Star Dou Forest has a wide variety of spirit beasts; we might even encounter something better."

After hearing Dugu Yan's words, Ning Rongrong gave a light huff.

Just as the group was conversing in low voices, a slight rustle suddenly came from the woods ahead.

Ye Ruilin immediately raised his hand to signal everyone to stop, his gaze fixed vigilantly in the direction the sound came from.

"Careful, something is coming."

Ye Ruilin said in a low voice, his internal spirit power quietly circulating, ready to deal with any sudden situation at any moment.

Everyone held their breath, their eyes locked tightly on the woods ahead. A moment later, a spirit beast with a completely crystal-clear body slowly crawled out from the forest.

Its body was as transparent as crystal, emitting a faint glow.

"This is... a Spirit Snake!"

Ning Rongrong widened her eyes, her voice filled with a hint of surprise.

Ye Ruilin's gaze tightened slightly, feeling both surprised and unsurprised.

The Spirit Snake before them was exactly the spirit beast they had discussed earlier; he hadn't expected to actually encounter one here.

The Spirit Snake slowly raised its head, its cold gaze fixed on the group. Its body arched slightly, clearly having entered a state of alert.

"Little ones, be careful. The Spirit Snake excels in illusions and water-type attacks; don't be deceived by its illusions."

Dugu Bo reminded them in a low voice, though he had no intention of intervening.

After all, this Spirit Snake was not very long, and it seemed to be only about 2,000 years old.

Such a spirit beast was just right for these little ones to practice with.

Ye Ruilin nodded and slowly took a step forward, his internal spirit power quietly circulating as he prepared to battle the Spirit Snake.

However, just as he was about to make his move, the Spirit Snake's body suddenly trembled slightly, then transformed into a streak of light and fled rapidly into the depths of the forest.

"Pursue!"

Ye Ruilin gave chase without a moment's hesitation, the others following closely behind.

The Spirit Snake was incredibly fast, vanishing into the dense forest in the blink of an eye.

After chasing for some distance, Ye Ruilin and the others were forced to come to a halt.

"Damn it, it got away."

Ma Hongjun panted, a look of frustration appearing on his face.

Ye Ruilin, however, smiled slightly.

"It's fine. This Spirit Snake is extremely familiar with this area; it seems this must be its territory."

"Brother Ye, what happened?"

Ning Rongrong caught up from behind, breathless, her gaze sweeping the surroundings without catching a glimpse of the Spirit Snake.

"It escaped."

Ma Hongjun waved his hand.

Upon hearing that the Spirit Snake she had been longing for had actually escaped, Ning Rongrong's expression instantly fell.

"It's alright, don't worry."

"Since we were able to encounter one Spirit Snake, it means we aren't far from their habitat."

Dugu Yan observed the surroundings and nodded.

"The environment here is indeed the kind of habitat the Spirit Snake prefers."

"Ye Ruilin's prediction was correct; we should have found the right location."

Hearing the two of them say this, Ning Rongrong's expression finally softened.

"It's just a pity we didn't capture that Spirit Snake earlier."

"That Spirit Snake would have been very suitable for Brother Ye."

The young girl looked a bit dejected.

Meanwhile.

The moment Sky Dream Ice Silkworm confirmed that Bi Ji's aura had vanished, his entire figure flashed rapidly, sprinting away toward a certain direction.

During this time, he had already figured out the daily routines of these fierce beasts.

When Bi Ji left, Bear Lord would only appear by his side after a while.

And this window of time was the best opportunity for him to escape.

As long as he was far enough away and could hide his aura as quickly as possible, this group of soul beasts would not be able to catch him so easily.

As he thought, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm quickly discovered a river ahead.

A look of pleasant surprise appeared on his face, and his entire figure instantly leaped into the water.

It was truly heaven-sent.

The speed of the river current combined with his own escape speed would allow him to put distance between them as quickly as possible.

At the same time, hiding his aura completely within the river would also allow him to briefly confuse those guys.

Tian Meng also knew that this method was only temporary.

Scarlet King would not be so easily fooled.

He would certainly be able to track his lingering aura and find him at the fastest possible speed.

While rushing downstream with the current, he pondered in his mind what his next move should be.