"Watch out!" Lin Yi was walking along the road when he suddenly spotted a tiny Soul Beast that had somehow appeared beside him. He spoke instinctively, but seemed to have forgotten that a Soul Beast of this age wouldn't understand human nature.
Yet the little Soul Beast acted as if it understood him. The moment Lin Yi shouted, "Watch out!" it leaped to one side, and Lin Yi's foot landed right beside it.
Seeing that the little Soul Beast was safe and sound, Lin Yi patted his chest in relief. If anyone had seen him, they would have been astonished. Lin Yi, who dared to kill people, was actually relieved that he hadn't trampled a Soul Beast to death.
Only after watching the little Soul Beast disappear into the depths of the forest did Lin Yi feel at ease enough to continue onward. He walked very carefully, afraid the same thing might happen again.
Wherever he went, the lush jungle parted to make way for him, and the towering trees drew back their crowns, as if afraid of blocking his sunlight.
At last, Lin Yi reached the heart of the Star Dou Great Forest. Just as the rumors said, this place was no longer a forest, but a lake—a vast lake that seemed to stretch beyond the horizon.
Looking at the still, placid water before him, Lin Yi felt his heart grow calm for the first time. He closed his eyes and quietly savored everything around him.
The fragrance of flowers filled his nostrils, and the melodious songs of little birds rang in his ears. He felt as if he were in a celestial paradise.
He slowly opened his eyes. A breeze swept over the lake, sending ripples across its surface. The once-calm water grew angry, like a woman whose peace had been disturbed, and wrinkle after wrinkle appeared across its face.
"Hmm?" Suddenly, his feet grew heavy. It felt as though something was pulling at the soles of his feet. Lin Yi looked down and realized that, somehow, his legs had already sunk into the ground.
With both legs on the verge of disappearing into the mud, Lin Yi remembered that this place had wetlands as well as a lake—and wetlands were natural traps.
As he thought this, the water had already soaked his thighs. He tried to pull free, but found himself stuck fast.
Whether quicksand or a swamp, once you sank in, you couldn't move. If you did, you would only sink deeper.
"No wonder they say even a Titled Douluo would get caught in here." Lin Yi sneered under his breath as he looked at a white flower not far away.
It was a unique flower whose fragrance could make people lose themselves. Whether Douluo or god, anyone who encountered it would be drawn in. He had fallen for its trick just now.
"Entanglement!" Lin Yi cried. Vines appeared in his hands, snaked through the wetland, and reached a giant tree, where they wrapped tightly around its trunk.
Lin Yi tugged at the vines to test how well they were secured. Once he was sure they were firm, he yanked hard and shot straight out of the swamp.
Standing beneath the tree, Lin Yi looked at his trousers, soaked up to the thighs, with distaste. Frowning, he shook the mud off them.
"Who goes there?!"
A tremendous roar made Lin Yi stop shaking his legs. The earth suddenly trembled beneath him, and he reached out to brace himself against a nearby tree so he wouldn't fall.
Suddenly, the tranquil lake grew turbulent, and its clear water turned murky. Right in the middle of the lake, a huge shadow emerged.
The only thing that could be made out clearly was the pair of horns on its head.
Could it be the Sky Azure Bull Python?!
Lin Yi froze. Although he had been in the Douluo Continent for so long, this was his first time seeing the Sky Azure Bull Python. He hadn't expected it to be so enormous.
The shadow slowly rose, growing until it looked like a towering mountain. Lin Yi stood at its foot, looking completely out of place.
"I've come to find the Storm War Dragon." Lin Yi stated his purpose. He hadn't planned on beating around the bush. He was a straightforward person.
Hearing this, the Sky Azure Bull Python paused in surprise before asking, "How do you know about the Storm War Dragon?"
Damn it, I am the Storm War Dragon!
But Lin Yi didn't say that. He simply repeated what Situ Qianji and Zheng Shan had told him earlier. If the Sky Azure Bull Python didn't try to stop him, he would speak to it nicely.
But if it did try to stop him, then with his current strength, killing it wouldn't be particularly difficult. Still, he thought that having such a powerful Soul Beast guarding this place would discourage many poachers.
"You're too late. The Storm War Dragon has already left." The Sky Azure Bull Python spoke, preparing to dive back into the water. It didn't want to bother with such trivial matters, but before leaving, it added, "Don't think I'm lying to you. I wouldn't gain anything from it."
Lin Yi knew it wouldn't lie to him. What puzzled him now was where the Storm War Dragon had gone.
When he returned home, Pei Qinhu and the others had already woken up. Lin Yi went to check their injuries and told them what had just happened.
With the deadline for the mission fast approaching, Lin Yi sat in his chair, restless and uneasy.
"Alliance Leader, Situ Qianji and the others are here again."
After what had happened before, Lin Yi no longer wanted to trust them. But the person who came to report said they had brought two children with them, so they must be the two kids he had in mind.
"What are you here for this time?!" Lin Yi snapped angrily. He wasn't pretending to be mad—he really was furious. He couldn't believe they had deceived him time and time again.
Situ Qianji snorted, a smug smile curling his lips, as if he had known all along that the information about the Storm War Dragon was fake.
Seeing that smile, Lin Yi realized he had been played. He shot to his feet, and his sleeve swept a teacup off the table. It crashed to the floor.
The teacup shattered with a crisp crack. The fury radiating from Lin Yi left everyone nearby trembling with fear. They still remembered how he had scared someone into losing eight levels, and they didn't want to be next.
It was as if everything around them had frozen over. Situ Qianji's grinning face stiffened. He hadn't expected Lin Yi to get angry.
Lin Yi was indeed furious. Because of their prank, Pei Qinhu, Zhang Linlang, and the other person had nearly lost their lives. They were safe now, but if anything had happened to them, he would have hunted the others to the ends of the earth and killed them for revenge.
Lin Yi radiated an aura like Satan himself, while his Death God Domain was no less terrifying than before. The expressions on everyone's faces stiffened. Some even closed their eyes, ready to face death without flinching.
"Alliance Leader Lin, please don't be angry just yet. To show our apology, look who we've brought!" Zheng Shan hastily tried to smooth things over, gesturing to the people behind him.
Soon, two children stepped out from behind him. They were so delicate and lovely that they hardly looked human.
"Who are they?" Lin Yi knew these two were Lin Qianxian and Lin Qianren, who carried the power of the Aurora Electric Dragon, but he still pretended not to recognize them.
"These two are the Aurora Electric Dragon," Situ Qianji said smugly. Pointing at them, he continued, "As long as the Linlang Pearl from Linlang Pavilion extracts their energy, Alliance Leader Lin will have absorbed the Aurora Electric Dragon's power."
Looking at his proud expression, Lin Yi sneered and stood up. "Situ Qianji, Situ Qianji, you really do love playing clever little games. I gave you the Linlang Pearl. Do you think you'd hand it over to me?"
Situ Qianji looked as if Lin Yi had hit the nail on the head, and his expression turned awkward. He knew Lin Yi wouldn't give it to him, but even a one-in-a-million chance was worth trying.
Seeing that Lin Yi was about to get angry again, Zheng Shan quickly stepped in front of Situ Qianji and said solemnly, "Alliance Leader Lin, what Qianji said is partly true. The energy in these children can only be extracted using the Linlang Pearl from Linlang Pavilion. But if you want to obtain the Aurora Electric Dragon, you'll have to go to Purple Lightning Mountain yourself."
Purple Lightning Mountain was rich in spiritual energy, but few people ever made it out alive. Many people couldn't absorb the increase in Soul Power, and their bodies exploded.
"What did you say? The Aurora Electric Dragon is on Purple Lightning Mountain?" Lin Yi exclaimed in surprise. How had he not thought of that place?
Zheng Shan nodded. After discussing their plan, everyone prepared to set off for Purple Lightning Mountain first thing the next morning.
When they arrived at Purple Lightning Mountain, the overwhelming spiritual energy all around them made Lin Yi stop the others from going any farther.
"What's wrong?" Zheng Shan asked, puzzled as he looked at Lin Yi, who was blocking their way. They had come all this way. Was Lin Yi going to decide they should turn back now?
"Aurora Shield!"
Lin Yi activated his Soul Skill, and a faint halo appeared around everyone. Before long, the shield vanished.
"The spiritual energy is already abundant at the foot of the mountain. I'm worried you won't be able to bear it farther up. Better safe than sorry!" Lin Yi said coldly, then strode ahead without looking back, as if nothing had happened.
Zheng Shan didn't quite understand, but he followed along. The pressure he had felt in his body suddenly disappeared.
When they reached the top of Purple Lightning Mountain, it truly lived up to its reputation as the place richest in spiritual energy. Even the weakest Soul Beasts living there had been around for tens of thousands of years.
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