A few days later.
On the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest, the once somewhat quiet woods were thoroughly shattered by the clamor of human voices.
Soul Masters from all over began pouring in through the forest's various entrances.
Their objective was unprecedentedly unified: the area where the Heavenly Tribulation had struck repeatedly.
Of course, most of this first batch sent to scout the way consisted of independent cultivators and members of small clans.
Among them, the strongest were only a few Soul Sages.
They knew perfectly well that they had come purely to fish in troubled waters.
They only wanted to discover the exact location of the Blue Silver Ancestral Land before anyone else, then sell that information for a "good price" or hide nearby and wait for an opportunity. They had no intention of directly confronting a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast.
After all, no matter how much they usually looked down on Blue Silver Grass, it still possessed a genuine hundred thousand years of cultivation.
No matter how weak it was, it was not something Soul Masters like them could challenge.
However, these self-assured independent cultivators had no idea that from the moment they entered the Star Dou Great Forest, they had already fallen into the Blue Silver Clan's surveillance network.
"Boss Lan Sen." Through the invisible spiritual network between their domains, Lan Yi sent a message. "Should we attack directly?"
Lan Sen's tone was calm. "They're merely insignificant small fry. They aren't worth us personally killing."
"Follow the tactics laid down by the Emperor. Drive some Soul Beasts along the paths these Soul Masters must take and give them a proper 'welcome'!"
Upon receiving the order, the other five Blue Silver Kings immediately began moving within their respective territories.
They targeted the nests of some bad-tempered Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts and directly released the terrifying pressure of Hundred-Thousand-Year Ferocious Beasts toward them.
Under that pressure, those Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts were instantly frightened out of their wits.
They scattered like headless flies until they crashed straight into those human Soul Masters.
"My God! Why are there so many crazed Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts? Run!"
"Ah! Help! Have all the beasts in this forest gone mad?!"
For a time, screams rang incessantly throughout the outskirts of the forest.
Those Soul Masters hoping to pick up easy gains were instantly scattered by the rampaging beast tide, suffering devastating casualties.
That was right.
With their current cultivation, they were naturally capable of triggering a beast tide as well.
However, they still could not command certain high-level Soul Beasts with particularly noble bloodlines. When the time came, the Titan Giant Ape and the Sky Azure Bull Python would need to act.
A few days after the first wave of cannon fodder had been mostly cleared out, the real "big fish" finally appeared.
The elites of Spirit Hall, the Clear Sky Sect, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, and the Lower Four Sects had all arrived.
As for the imperial families of the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire, they knew their limits.
Since neither imperial family possessed a Title Douluo capable of holding the fort, the two empires had merely sent several Soul Douluo to lead their forces.
For now, these imperial powerhouses only dared to huddle at the very edge of the forest, waiting to see how things developed. They had no intention of rashly venturing deeper to their deaths.
The major top-tier forces entered the forest from different directions.
This time, Spirit Hall was personally led by the ninety-sixth-ranked Qingluan Douluo.
However, not long after they arrived, they ran into another group.
The people on the other side were from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. The elderly man leading them exuded an imposing aura without even showing anger. He was the ninety-sixth-ranked Super Douluo, the Seven Kill Douluo, Chen Jianjun!
Beside Chen Jianjun stood Chen Xin and Gu Rong, along with numerous direct descendants of the sect and powerful outsiders. Their presence was not inferior to Spirit Hall's in the slightest.
"So it's the Seven Kill Douluo." Qingluan Douluo stopped and said indifferently, "It seems the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect is quite well-informed too."
Chen Jianjun chuckled. "We merely happened to be passing through and wanted to hunt a suitable Soul Beast for my son while we were at it."
The corner of Qingluan Douluo's mouth twitched. "Heh, merely hunting a Soul Beast requires such a large mobilization from your sect?"
Chen Jianjun's expression did not change as he calmly countered, "Likewise, Spirit Hall's formation is no small matter either."
"In that case, let's see whose abilities are greater and who will succeed in the end!"
Azure Luan could not be bothered with further nonsense. He directly waved his hand and ordered Spirit Hall's forces to advance in a carpet-like formation, attempting to encircle the Blue Silver Ancestral Land.
Meanwhile, the people of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect maintained a tacit distance and followed behind at an unhurried pace.
As they moved forward, Chen Jianjun's lips shifted slightly as he secretly transmitted his voice to Chen Xin beside him.
"Chen Xin, if a real fight breaks out later, you must be more careful yourself. Too many humans have set their sights on the Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast this time."
"On top of that, the Soul Beasts are not weak to begin with. Once the melee begins, I'll likely have to keep Qingluan in check. I probably won't be able to look after you properly."
Dressed in white, Chen Xin's gaze was as sharp as a sword as he replied calmly, "Don't worry, Father. Don't you know my strength?"
Chen Jianjun nodded slightly. Naturally, he had full confidence in his son's strength.
Although Chen Xin was only rank eighty-nine now, with the enhancement of the Seven Kill Sword Intent, he would absolutely be capable of fighting an ordinary Title Douluo.
Moreover, direct descendants of the sect had accompanied them this time. With the amplification of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, Chen Xin's combat strength could temporarily break through to the level of a Title Douluo.
At the same time, from two other directions within the Star Dou Great Forest, the forces of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan and the Clear Sky Sect were also advancing rapidly.
The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan was personally led by its clan leader, Yu Yuanzhen. Their group included two Soul Douluo elders and several Soul Sages.
As for Yu Luomian, the second-in-command, he had been left behind to guard the clan.
Yu Yuanzhen understood very clearly just how dangerous this operation was.
If he unfortunately fell, the clan would not collapse into disarray with Yu Luomian holding the fort.
On the Clear Sky Sect's side, it was naturally the Grand Elder, Tang Xuan, who led the group.
Two Soul Douluo elders accompanied them as well, while Tang Hao and Tang Xiao were also among their ranks.
Compared to a year ago, Tang Hao's Soul Power had now reached rank eighty-two, while Tang Xiao had reached rank eighty-nine.
Through the Plant Network, Lan Sen sensed that all the "big fish" had entered their attack range.
A cold smile appeared on his face as he immediately sent a message to the other five Blue Silver Kings. "Begin."
"Unleash the beast tide and show these human powerhouses what we can do."
At the same time, a clone condensed from Lan Sen's Soul Power appeared at Star Lake.
"Titan Giant Ape, Sky Azure Bull Python, according to the Emperor's orders, the powerhouses from the major human factions have all arrived. It is time for you to act."
Da Ming and Er Ming nodded. "Leave it to us."
Lan Sen's phantom dissipated.
Xiao Wu, who was in Ah Rou's arms, also leaped onto Da Ming's shoulder and said excitedly, "Da Ming, Er Ming, I'm coming with you too."
"Although my cultivation is lower than yours, I'm also a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast. Those humans actually want to hunt our Soul Rings. I'll make sure to send them running back!"
PS: The earlier details about Chen Xin and Gu Rong's cultivation levels were incorrect; the ages were calculated wrong.
In the original work, Chen Xin was rank ninety-two at seventy-two years old and rank ninety-seven at ninety-six. Tang San was twenty at that time. Working backward from that, he should be close to becoming a Title Douluo during this period.~~
Before you continue
Explore the wiki