Luo Yun's steps abruptly ground to a halt.
"Erasure?"
"Dad."
Luo Shang stopped and looked back at him, his brows knitting together at once.
"What's wrong?"
Luo Yun swallowed, his voice wavering a little. "Will I really be erased if I fail the Second Trial?"
Luo Shang's fingers tightened slightly. "Has the Second Trial's content appeared?"
"Yeah. Enter the depths of the Star Dou Great Forest's Core Circle." Luo Yun spoke each word carefully. "The time limit is one month. Failure... means erasure."
Luo Shang's expression changed.
For the first time, a look Luo Yun had never seen before appeared on that usually composed face.
"The depths of the Core Circle." Luo Shang repeated those five words, his voice very soft, but each one seemed forced out through clenched teeth.
The Star Dou Great Forest. The depths of the Core Circle.
It was a place even Titled Douluo dared not enter lightly.
The territory of Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts.
And an unknown region.
Even he, King Frost Extreme, could not guarantee he would make it out of that area alive.
Let alone while bringing a six-year-old child.
A child who had only just obtained his First Soul Ring and hadn't even had time to get used to his Soul Skill.
Luo Shang closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
In his heart, he cursed the bastard who had issued the God Trial eight hundred times.
What kind of bullshit God Trial was this?
Was it a trial or an attempt on their lives?
But anger was useless.
Cursing wouldn't change the facts.
"Since that's how it is, then we'll go." Luo Shang opened his eyes, took Luo Yun by the hand, and strode toward the depths of the forest.
"Didn't you say we should go back and rest?"
"There's no time." Luo Shang's voice was as cold as the blade of the Frost Cold Sword.
"We can only walk slowly from here to the depths of the Core Circle. The journey alone will take more than half a month."
Luo Yun fell silent.
The two of them threaded their way through the forest. Luo Shang's footsteps were so light they could hardly be heard.
Luo Yun followed behind him, doing his best to tread lightly too.
After about half an hour, Luo Shang suddenly stopped.
Luo Yun nearly walked right into his back, but hurriedly checked his steps.
Luo Shang turned around and crouched down, bringing himself level with Luo Yun.
He placed his hand on Luo Yun's shoulder. His grip wasn't hard or soft, but Luo Yun could feel the warmth of his father's fingertips.
"Don't forget a single word I'm about to say." Luo Shang kept his voice low, staring straight into Luo Yun's eyes.
Luo Yun met his father's gaze and nodded.
There was no fear in those eyes, only calm and seriousness, like the look he wore when leading troops into battle in the Northern Territory.
"First, from this moment on, don't release any Soul Power. Not even a trace."
Luo Shang raised one finger. "The Soul Beasts in the Core Circle are a hundred thousand times more sensitive to fluctuations in Soul Power than you can imagine. If you let even a trace slip out, they'll catch your scent from dozens of miles away."
Luo Yun nodded hard.
"Second, don't make a sound." Luo Shang raised a second finger.
"Keep your mouth shut. Don't say a single word. Coughing, sneezing—hold it all in."
Luo Yun opened his mouth, then closed it again and nodded instead.
"Third." Luo Shang raised a third finger, his gaze growing even more intense. "No matter what you see, if I tell you to run, you run back without looking back. Got it?"
Luo Yun froze.
He looked at his father's face. There was no hint of a joke there.
Suddenly, his nose felt stuffy, and his eyes began to sting.
His father was doing all this for his God Trial.
Why was he so useless... that he still had to rely on his father?
"...Dad."
"No crying." Luo Shang's voice suddenly turned stern.
Luo Yun bit his lip.
After a few moments of silence, Luo Yun held out his hand and hooked his little finger around Luo Shang's.
"I promise." His voice was a little hoarse, but earnest. "But you have to promise me too—you won't make me use that last rule."
Luo Shang looked at the small finger curled around his own. His eyes reddened slightly, but only for an instant.
He stood up, drew a deep breath, and pressed down all his emotions.
"Let's go."
Father and son set off again.
Luo Yun followed behind Luo Shang, stepping lightly with his lips pressed tight. He didn't say another word.
If only I could become strong enough!
Then I wouldn't need my father to protect me. I could protect my family myself!
Core Circle.
Half a month later.
The two stood before a lake, their mouths slightly agape.
The lake stretched so far they couldn't see the other side. Its clear water was like a vast blue gemstone, and a thin veil of mist drifted over its surface.
The grass along the shore was incredibly soft.
The air brimmed with an overwhelming aura of life. After breathing it in for only a little while, Luo Yun felt half the exhaustion in his body wash away.
A lot had happened over the past half month.
They had encountered a Hundred-Thousand-Year Titan Giant Ape.
When the creature charged out of the woods, Luo Yun had only felt the ground shaking. Before he could even see what it was, Luo Shang had grabbed him and flung him behind himself.
By the time Luo Yun came to his senses, he saw a black giant ape taller than the gate tower of Frost Ridge City. Its eyes glowed a scarlet red, like two lanterns.
His father had reacted immediately.
The moment the Frost Cold Sword left its sheath, the temperature around them plunged. The Titan Giant Ape's fist slammed down, blasting a two-meter-deep pit in the ground. Gravel and dirt sprayed across Luo Yun's face.
Luo Shang didn't stay to fight. He grabbed Luo Yun and ran.
The Titan Giant Ape chased them for a while, then stopped before some invisible boundary. It let out a deafening roar before turning and disappearing into the dense forest.
It clearly didn't dare come any farther.
But Luo Yun couldn't understand what this beautiful place had that made a Hundred-Thousand-Year Titan Giant Ape afraid to enter.
Luo Shang stood by the lake and took a deep breath, feeling the wound on his back slowly healing.
"The life energy here... is more than a hundred times denser than outside." His voice was soft, tinged with disbelief.
Luo Shang crouched down and tested the temperature of the lake water with his hand.
It was warm, as if something at the bottom of the lake were giving off heat.
He hesitated, then scooped up a handful of water and took a sip.
The water was sweet.
It carried a faint fragrance of grass and trees.
He didn't drink much, only rinsed his mouth, then stood up.
"Let's go."
"It's too quiet here. Something's wrong."
Luo Yun nodded and was just about to take a step.
Just then.
Boom!
Several terrifying waves of pressure crashed down from above, like an invisible mountain slamming into them.
"Not good!"
Luo Yun's legs gave way, and his knees hit the ground.
The pressure was so immense that even breathing was difficult. His vision kept going dark.
Luo Shang was hardly in better shape.
His knees bent slightly. The Frost Cold Sword appeared in his palm, its tip braced against the ground to keep him upright.
But his face was deathly pale, the veins on his forehead bulging, and the hand gripping the hilt trembled violently.
The Soul Power of a ninety-fifth-level Super Douluo surged wildly through his body, trying to resist that pressure, but with little effect.
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