After several days of travel, Ye Ruilin and his group finally arrived at the outer region of Star Dou Forest.
The carriage slowly came to a stop. Ye Ruilin was the first to jump down, his gaze sweeping across the surroundings.
The air in Star Dou Forest carried a faint fragrance of grass and trees. The towering, dense trees around them cast mottled shadows as sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, making the place seem especially mysterious.
"We're finally here."
Ma Hongjun stretched lazily, excitement appearing on his face.
The long journey had left him utterly exhausted, but at the thought of the soul beasts they would soon face, his heart was filled with anticipation once more.
He wondered what kind of soul beasts they would encounter this time because of their boss's Martial Soul.
Ning Rongrong jumped down from the carriage right after him, curiously looking around.
"So this is Star Dou Forest? It really is much more spectacular than Sunset Forest."
Excitement sparkled in her eyes.
Dugu Yan gently closed the book in her hands and calmly looked into the depths of the forest, her tone indifferent.
"Star Dou Forest has countless varieties of soul beasts. We need to proceed carefully and must not venture too deeply inside."
"The depths of Star Dou Forest are not somewhere we can deal with lightly."
Ye Ruilin nodded, his expression solemn.
"That's right. Star Dou Forest is far more dangerous than Sunset Forest. We must be cautious this time."
His voice was low, carrying a trace of vigilance.
If they truly ran into the Sky Azure Bull Python or the Titan Giant Ape now, they would have quite a headache on their hands.
Dugu Bo stood to one side, his deep gaze fixed on the depths of the forest as he slowly spoke.
"The core region of Star Dou Forest contains many powerful soul beasts, including no shortage of one hundred-thousand-year-level beings."
"Our goal this time is to find a suitable soul beast for the Ye Family boy. Try not to provoke those powerful beings."
"Let's head that way. The moisture in that direction is heavier, so there should be many water-element soul beasts living there."
Dugu Bo waved a hand, signaling everyone to follow.
The group slowly advanced deeper into the forest. The trees around them grew increasingly dense, and faint fluctuations of Soul Power filled the air.
A few low-level soul beasts occasionally darted past them, but none launched an attack.
Ma Hongjun walked at the very front of the group, warily scanning the surroundings as he said in a low voice.
"Boss, I can't wait to see what soul beast shows up later."
Ye Ruilin shook his head, his tone calm.
"Don't let your guard down. Carelessness can cost you dearly."
Ning Rongrong followed behind Ye Ruilin, anticipation gleaming in her eyes.
"Brother Ye, I think a Spirit Snake would really suit you. Maybe we'll run into one this time!"
Dugu Yan smiled faintly and spoke softly.
"A Spirit Snake is indeed a good choice, but Star Dou Forest has many kinds of soul beasts. We may encounter something even better."
After hearing Dugu Yan's words, Ning Rongrong gave a soft snort.
Just as everyone was speaking in low voices, a faint rustling suddenly came from the woods ahead.
Ye Ruilin immediately raised a hand to signal everyone to stop, his eyes warily turning toward the source of the sound.
"Careful. Something's coming."
Ye Ruilin spoke in a low voice as Soul Power quietly circulated within him, ready for any sudden situation.
Everyone held their breath, their eyes fixed on the woods ahead. A moment later, a crystal-clear soul beast slowly crawled out of the trees.
Its body was transparent like crystal, giving off a faint glow.
"This is... a Spirit Snake!"
Ning Rongrong's eyes widened, surprise in her voice.
Ye Ruilin's gaze narrowed slightly, both surprised and unsurprised.
The Spirit Snake before them was precisely the soul beast they had discussed earlier. He had not expected them to truly encounter one here.
The Spirit Snake slowly raised its head and looked at the group with icy eyes. Its body arched slightly, clearly having entered a state of alert.
"Kids, be careful. Spirit Snakes excel at illusions and water-element attacks. Don't be fooled by its illusions."
Dugu Bo gave a quiet reminder, but he had no intention of interfering.
After all, this Spirit Snake was not very large and seemed to be only around two thousand years old.
A soul beast like this was just right for these youngsters to get some practice.
Ye Ruilin nodded and slowly stepped forward, Soul Power quietly circulating within him as he prepared to fight the Spirit Snake.
However, just as he was about to act, the Spirit Snake's body suddenly trembled. It then turned into a streak of light and swiftly fled deeper into the forest.
"Chase it!"
Ye Ruilin gave chase without hesitation, with everyone following close behind.
The Spirit Snake was incredibly fast and vanished into the dense woods in the blink of an eye.
After chasing it for some distance, Ye Ruilin and the others had no choice but to stop.
"Damn it, it got away."
Ma Hongjun panted, a trace of frustration on his face.
Yet Ye Ruilin merely smiled.
"It's fine. This Spirit Snake is very familiar with this area. It seems this place should be its territory."
"Brother Ye, how did it go?"
Ning Rongrong caught up from behind, panting as she swept her gaze around and found no trace of the Spirit Snake.
"It escaped."
Ma Hongjun waved a hand.
When she heard that the Spirit Snake she had been eagerly hoping for had escaped, Ning Rongrong's face instantly fell.
"It's all right. No problem."
"Since we encountered a Spirit Snake, that means we aren't far from where they live."
Dugu Yan observed the surroundings and nodded.
"The environment here is indeed one Spirit Snakes favor."
"Ye Ruilin was right. We should have found the place."
Hearing the two of them say this, Ning Rongrong's expression finally eased.
"It's just a pity we didn't catch that Spirit Snake."
"That Spirit Snake should have suited Brother Ye very well."
The young girl looked somewhat dejected.
Meanwhile.
The instant Sky Dream Ice Silkworm confirmed that Bi Ji's aura had disappeared, his entire body flashed as he fled at top speed in one direction.
Over this period of time, he had already figured out the routines of these savage beasts.
When Bi Ji left, Bear Lord should not appear beside him until some time later.
And that interval was the best time for him to escape.
As long as he got far enough away and hid his aura quickly enough, those soul beasts would not be able to catch him so easily.
As he thought this, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm quickly spotted a river ahead.
Delight appeared on his face, and he instantly leaped into the river.
Heaven was truly helping him.
The river's current, combined with his escape speed, would allow him to widen the distance as quickly as possible.
At the same time, completely concealing his aura in the river could briefly confuse those fellows.
Tian Meng also knew that this method was only temporary.
Scarlet King would not be fooled so easily.
He would certainly be able to follow the aura Tian Meng had left behind and find him as quickly as possible.
As he sped downstream with the current, he rapidly considered his next move.
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