Evil Demon Forest

Hearing the gray-robed elder's words, the Hongchen siblings finally quieted down.

This was only because the man's status was extraordinary; he was one of the four Level 9 Soul Engineers of Mingde Hall.

Within Mingde Hall, the academy, and indeed the entire Sun Moon Empire, he commanded immense prestige and status.

"To think Great-Grandfather would go to such lengths just to hunt a soul ring for Ye Luochen."

As he spoke, Xiao Hongchen couldn't help but shift his gaze back to Ye Luochen. After looking him up and down carefully, he remarked with a sigh:

"I truly didn't expect that you, kid, had already secretly entered Mingde Hall. No wonder your progress has been so rapid."

Upon seeing who the lead teacher for this soul-hunting mission was, Xiao Hongchen immediately guessed that Ye Luochen must have entered Mingde Hall long ago and made contact with his great-grandfather.

Furthermore, his standing in his great-grandfather's heart was likely quite high.

After all, a Level 9 Soul Engineer was a figure of immense importance.

Let alone Ye Luochen, a mere second-year soul engineering student, even Xiao Hongchen himself rarely had the chance to interact with such people on a daily basis.

For a person of this caliber to personally lead a soul-hunting mission for a freshman, there could only be one reason.

That was that Jing Hongchen, the Hall Master of Mingde Hall and Dean of the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy, had issued the order himself.

Hearing Xiao Hongchen's words, Meng Hongchen's giggling voice immediately rang out:

"What's wrong? Are you jealous?

Let me think, who took you to get your fourth soul ring? It certainly wasn't a Level 9 Soul Engineer, was it?"

"Meng Hongchen! I really need to get you under control!"

Xiao Hongchen's expression, which had only just calmed down, suddenly shifted again.

"Whose side are you on anyway? I'm your brother!"

Seeing the two of them start bickering again after only a moment of silence, the gray-robed elder shook his head, then waved his hand, causing a golden light to emerge.

In an instant, it transformed into a membrane-like space of about ten cubic meters, enveloping the Hongchen siblings.

The entire world suddenly turned silent.

"Stay in there. I really don't know how the Hall Master stands you two chirping in his ear every day; just this short while is giving me a headache. Alright, Ye Luochen, let's go."

With that, light flared behind the gray-robed elder as a pair of wings unfurled.

With a single gentle flap, without any soul power or other forms of energy visibly erupting, he lifted himself into the air.

The next moment, the wings glowed once more.

The membrane that had previously encased the Hongchen siblings appeared, enveloping Ye Luochen as well.

Then, the two membrane spaces hovered behind the wings, following the gray-robed elder as he vanished into the horizon in an instant.

About an hour later, the elder landed steadily, and the membranes dissipated.

Ye Luochen walked out slowly, his face etched with lingering shock.

While on the road, he had tried to sense the outside world many times, but every attempt was instantly shattered by the howling air currents.

This meant that their flight speed was terrifying.

It was so terrifying that with his Level 40 cultivation, if he hadn't had protective measures, it was questionable whether he could have survived in such high-speed winds.

Yet, despite such terrifying speed, inside the membrane space, he hadn't felt a single gust of wind or a hint of vibration.

If not for seeing the scenery outside flashing past through the membrane, he wouldn't have even realized he was in a state of high-speed movement.

"Is this the power of truly high-level soul tools..."

Ye Luochen couldn't help but exclaim.

Although his cultivation was low, his experience was anything but.

During his time at Shrek, he had seen many Titled Douluo-level powerhouses, and even a few Super Douluo-level experts.

But the performance of those powerhouses in this regard was far less shocking than the means displayed by this Level 9 Soul Engineer today.

"How is it? Are you adjusting well?" the elder asked.

Ye Luochen nodded.

"That's good. We are still some distance from our destination, and we'll have to walk the rest of the way."

As he spoke, the elder was about to step forward when he looked up and realized the Hongchen siblings were still trapped in the membranes.

"Almost forgot about you two."

The elder waved his hand, and the membranes vanished.

Xiao Hongchen walked out slowly, his face looking utterly defeated.

Heaven knows what he had gone through in that hour.

The space was narrow and airtight; no sound could enter, and none could escape.

He could only endure helplessly as Meng Hongchen bombarded him with mental attacks for an entire hour!

However, unlike Xiao Hongchen's soul-lost appearance, Meng Hongchen was in a very good mood at this moment.

After stepping out of the membrane space, she immediately began to survey the surrounding environment.

"Given this terrain and direction, are we heading to the Evil Demon Forest?"

"That is correct." The gray-robed elder nodded.

"This is the Evil Demon Forest?"

Hearing the exchange between Meng Hongchen and the elder leading the team, Ye Luochen was slightly taken aback, then began to look around with curiosity as well.

He was not unfamiliar with this name at all.

The Evil Demon Forest was a renowned habitat for soul beasts on the continent, standing alongside the Star Dou Great Forest as a forbidden zone for humanity.

"No wonder we landed so early."

Ye Luochen muttered.

In such a forbidden zone for humans, flying openly—even with a Rank 9 soul engineer leading the way—was no different from courting death.

"The Hall Master gave specific instructions to find a perfectly compatible soul beast for your soul ring, and the Evil Demon Forest is naturally the best choice."

The elder spoke slowly, and seeing Ye Luochen's cautious expression, he continued:

"There is no need to worry. Although the Evil Demon Forest is incredibly dangerous, you only require a fourth soul ring. At that level, I imagine we will find your target in the outer perimeter. As long as we do not venture deep into the central region, you will be in no danger with me here."

"Understood, thank you for the trouble."

Hearing the elder's words, Ye Luochen nodded.

However, the look of caution on his face did not diminish in the slightest.

He was not doubting the elder's strength; the journey thus far had fully demonstrated the caliber of this Rank 9 soul engineer.

But in such a place of great malice, it was better to be safe than sorry.

Because when he was at Shrek, he had heard of a tragedy.

An incredibly powerful elder of the Sea God Pavilion had personally led a team of inner court students to the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt for soul rings.

In the end, they unfortunately encountered an accident, and almost the entire group of students was wiped out.

And the Evil Demon Forest before them was said to be even more dangerous than the Star Dou Great Forest!

Therefore, even with a Rank 9 soul engineer leading the way, one could never be too careful in a place like this.

After confirming the direction, the group did not delay and began to advance toward their destination.

After walking for another full hour, a shadow finally appeared in their line of sight.

It was an immensely vast forest, but most of the branches and leaves of the trees were gray-black rather than the usual verdant green, making the entire forest look like a dark, oppressive mass.

Even before entering, a sense of stifling pressure rushed toward them.