Evil Demon Forest

Only after hearing the gray-robed elder did the Hongchen siblings finally settle down.

That was because his status was anything but ordinary. He was one of Mingde Hall's four Level 9 Soul Engineers.

He held immense prestige and status within Mingde Hall, the academy, and even the entire Sun Moon Empire.

"To obtain a Soul Ring for Ye Luochen, Great-Grandfather was actually willing to spend so much."

As he spoke, Xiao Hongchen could not help shifting his gaze back to Ye Luochen. After scrutinizing him from head to toe once more, he sighed.

"I truly never expected you to have secretly entered Mingde Hall already. No wonder your rate of progress has been so fast."

The moment Xiao Hongchen saw who was leading this Soul Hunting Operation, he immediately guessed that Ye Luochen must have entered Mingde Hall long ago and come into contact with his great-grandfather.

And Ye Luochen's standing in his great-grandfather's heart was likely not low, either.

After all, what kind of figure was a Level 9 Soul Engineer?

Not to mention a mere second-year Soul Tool freshman like Ye Luochen, even Xiao Hongchen himself rarely had the opportunity to interact with someone of that level.

For a person of that caliber to personally lead a freshman's Soul Hunting Operation, there could only be one reason.

Mingde Hall's master and the president of the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy, Jing Hongchen, had personally given the order.

As Xiao Hongchen spoke, Meng Hongchen's cheerful voice immediately rang out.

"What's wrong? Are you jealous?"

"Let me think. Who was it that took you to obtain your Fourth Soul Ring? Anyway, it definitely wasn't a Level 9 Soul Engineer."

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

Xiao Hongchen's expression, which had only just calmed down, changed drastically again.

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

Seeing that the two had only been quiet for a moment before starting to bicker again,

the gray-robed elder shook his head. Then, with a sweep of his hand, golden light appeared.

In an instant, it formed a membrane-like space roughly ten cubic meters in size, enveloping the Hongchen siblings.

The entire world instantly fell silent.

"Stay in there. I really don't know how the Hall Master puts up with you two chirping around him every day. After only this short while, my head is already about to explode. Alright, Ye Luochen, let's go."

With that, light appeared behind the gray-robed elder once more, and two wings unfolded.

With only a gentle flap, and without any Soul Power or other form of energy visibly erupting, they directly carried the elder into the sky.

The next moment, the wings shone again.

The membrane that had previously enclosed the Hongchen siblings appeared once more, covering Ye Luochen within it.

Then, the two membrane-like spaces floated behind the wings and vanished beyond the horizon along with the gray-robed elder.

About two hours later, the elder landed steadily, and the membranes dispersed.

Ye Luochen slowly stepped out, his face still filled with unconcealed shock.

Along the way, he had repeatedly tried to sense the outside world, but every attempt had been instantly shredded by the howling airflow.

That meant their flying speed had been unimaginably terrifying.

So terrifying that, with his cultivation at Level 40, without protective measures, even surviving within that high-speed airflow would have been a problem.

Yet at such a terrifying speed, he had not felt even the faintest sound of wind or the slightest tremor inside the membrane-like space.

If not for the scenery outside flashing past through the membrane, he would not even have realized that he was moving at high speed.

"So this is the strength of a truly high-level Soul Tool..."

Ye Luochen could not help sighing.

Although his cultivation was low, his knowledge was not lacking in the slightest.

During his time at Shrek, he had seen quite a few Title Douluo-level powerhouses. He had even encountered several Super Douluo-level experts.

Yet the displays of those powerhouses in this regard had been far less shocking than the methods demonstrated today by this Level 9 Soul Engineer.

"How was it? Did you adapt well?" the elder asked.

Ye Luochen nodded.

"That's good. There's still some distance to our destination, and we can only make the rest of the journey on foot."

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

"I nearly forgot about you two."

With a sweep of his hand, the elder dispersed the membranes.

Xiao Hongchen slowly stepped out, looking utterly lifeless.

Heaven knew what he had gone through over the past two hours.

The space had been cramped and sealed, with no sound able to enter or leave.

He could only helplessly endure Meng Hongchen's mental assault beside his ear for the entire two hours!

Unlike Xiao Hongchen, who looked as if his soul had left his body, Meng Hongchen was in an excellent mood.

The moment she stepped out of the membrane-like space, she began examining the surrounding environment.

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

"That's right." The gray-robed elder nodded.

"This is the Evil Demon Forest?"

Hearing Meng Hongchen and the elder leading the team, Ye Luochen froze slightly before curiously looking around as well.

He was no stranger to that name.

The Evil Demon Forest was a famous gathering place for soul beasts on the continent, an existence on par with the Star Dou Great Forest, and likewise a forbidden zone for humans.

"No wonder we landed so early."

Ye Luochen murmured.

In a human forbidden zone like this, flying openly was little different from courting death, even with a Level 9 Soul Engineer leading them.

"The Hall Master specifically instructed me to find a soul beast perfectly suited to you for your Soul Ring. Naturally, the Evil Demon Forest is the best choice."

The elder spoke slowly. Seeing Ye Luochen's cautious expression, he continued.

"There is no need to worry. Though the Evil Demon Forest is extremely dangerous, all you need is a Fourth Soul Ring. At that level, we should be able to find a suitable target in the outer regions.

"As long as we do not venture deep into the central area, with me here, there will be no danger."

"Mm. Thank you for the trouble."

Hearing the elder's words, Ye Luochen nodded.

However, the caution on his face did not lessen in the slightest.

It was not that he doubted the elder's strength. Their journey here had already fully demonstrated the capabilities of this Level 9 Soul Engineer.

But in such a perilous place, it was better to be overly cautious than to regret even the slightest possibility.

Because while at Shrek, he had heard of a tragedy.

An immensely powerful elder of the Sea God Pavilion had personally led a group of inner courtyard students into the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt for Soul Rings.

In the end, they had unfortunately encountered an accident, and nearly the entire group of students had been 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 Level 9 Soul Engineer leading them, one could never be too careful in a place like this.

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

After walking for another full two hours, a shadow finally appeared in their field of vision.

It was an incomparably vast forest, but most of its trunks and leaves were grayish-black rather than the usual lush green, making the entire forest look dark and oppressive.

Before they had even entered it, a suffocating sense of pressure was already bearing down on them.