"You brat, you..." Dugu Bo was about to say something when Luo Chen suddenly felt a warmth in his chest. The Pocket Watch surfaced, and a sentence appeared in his mind.
[The God of Time's Second Trial has begun! Capture a Space-Time Bloodline. Deep in the Star Dou Great Forest lives a pair of Soul Beasts that possess the Space-Time Bloodline, known as "Zhao Xi." They are approximately five thousand five hundred years old. These Soul Beasts possess the bloodline of the Space-Time Dragon and can wield the power of time. Capture one as the vessel for your Fourth Soul Ring.]
[Time limit: thirty days.]
[Reward: The age of your Second Soul Ring will increase by five hundred years, and a new function of the Time Indicator will be unlocked—Time Slow.]
Zhao Xi? That name sounded so familiar. Wasn't it the juvenile form of the Pisces Palace master from the Kingdom of Locke?
The older sister, Fu Luo Bingxi, had the ability to perceive the past, while her younger brother, Yi Nuo Zhaoxi, could foresee the future.
From what he could tell, they were only in their initial forms. Would they evolve later on? Would they eventually become true, merciless masters of time?
"Brat? What are you spacing out for?"
Dugu Bo interrupted Luo Chen's thoughts.
"Senior Dugu, I need to leave for a few days."
Dugu Bo paused, then lifted his eyelids and glanced at him. "Where to?"
"The Star Dou Great Forest. I need to capture a Soul Beast for my Fourth Soul Ring."
"Your Fourth Soul Ring?" Dugu Bo set down his teacup and sat upright. "Didn't you just get your Third Soul Ring? You're already going after a Fourth? What's your Soul Power Level now...?"
"Level forty." Luo Chen didn't hide it. "When I captured the Ghost Tiger, the Soul Power that had built up inside me erupted. I'd been stuck at three rings for a long time, and it shot me straight to level forty. My Third Soul Ring is from a four-thousand-year-old Ghost Tiger." Luo Chen's words were half true and half false.
Dugu Bo stared at him for two seconds, then suddenly chuckled.
"Fine. Seems this old man underestimated you. A seventeen-year-old Soul Elder at level forty, with a four-thousand-year-old Ghost Tiger as his Third Soul Ring. At this rate, you'll be reaching for the heavens next." He shook his head. "Go on. I'll keep an eye on your little sister."
"Thank you, Senior."
"Don't thank me just yet." Dugu Bo waved a hand. "How many days will you need?"
"Twenty days at most, including the trip back."
"I'll make this clear right now: twenty days, no more. If you aren't back by then, I'll toss your sister into the spring and let her soak."
Luo Chen knew he was joking. The old man's mouth was hard, but his heart was soft. He crouched down and ruffled Luo An'an's hair.
"An'an, big brother's going to find something for you. I'll be back soon. For the next few days, listen to the old grandpa and stay here to absorb the medicine's effects, okay?"
Luo An'an's little mouth drooped. "Big brother's leaving again?"
"Just for a little while. I promise I'll come back as soon as I'm done."
"Then An'an will wait for you." Luo An'an held his hand and spoke obediently. "Big brother, come back soon."
Luo Chen hugged her, then stood and turned toward the valley's exit.
Behind him, Dugu Bo called after him.
"Brat, be careful. Your sister's waiting here for you to take her home."
Luo Chen didn't look back. He just waved and headed out of Sunset Forest.
On the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest, the morning sun filtered through the treetops, dappling the ground.
Luo Chen rode on the back of an Ice Feather Eagle, circling above the outer forest as his spiritual power spread across the ground below.
This was his fifth day after leaving the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, and he had just arrived at the Star Dou Great Forest. This time, he wasn't just here to complete the God of Time's Second Trial. He also needed to strengthen himself.
He wanted to capture a plant-type Soul Beast this time. From his long observation, he knew that animal-type Soul Beasts could be captured, but he didn't know whether the Gulu Ball could capture a plant-type one. Did it only work on beasts, or could it capture any Soul Beast?
As soon as he arrived, he spotted his first target: a six-hundred-year-old Ghost Vine. The Martial Soul of Zhilin, the third seat on the Education Committee of Heaven Dou Royal Academy, was also a Ghost Vine, and it had powerful control abilities.
Without hesitation, Luo Chen headed in that direction.
The trees on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest grew denser and denser. A thick layer of rotting leaves carpeted the ground, soft beneath his feet. The air was heavy with the damp, green scent of plants, and now and then an unfamiliar bird swept overhead.
After about fifteen minutes, voices drifted from the dense woods ahead.
Luo Chen stopped and extended his spiritual power toward them. There were two people: a young man just over ten years old, whose Soul Power had only just reached level twenty, and an older man in his forties, with a Soul Power level of only twenty-nine. His aura was unsteady, even somewhat weak, as though he rarely had any real combat experience.
"Teacher, is this the place?" The young man's voice was clear, with a hint of youthful uncertainty.
"Mm. Ghost Vines prefer dark, damp environments. This is the perfect place for one to grow. I've already made inquiries. There's a Ghost Vine nearby that's over six hundred years old, just right for you." The older man's voice was steady, with the air of a learned teacher.
Luo Chen's brow furrowed slightly. Given this combination...
"Xiao San, get ready. The two of us will take down this Ghost Vine together!"
So it really was them! Luo Chen suddenly understood. What a coincidence. Right, Tang San's Second Soul Ring came from a Ghost Vine that was a little over six hundred years old.
He hadn't expected them to be after the same Soul Beast. Sure enough, the middle-aged man summoned his Martial Soul the next moment: the dog-like, yet not-quite-dog-like Luo Sanpao.
Luo Chen was feeling playful. He was rather curious to see how Tang Buddha and Gangzi fought, too.
So he quietly followed them. In the depths of the forest, a huge Ghost Vine coiled around a dead old tree at the center of a clearing.
The Ghost Vine was dark green all over, its tendrils covered in tiny barbs. A faint green sheen glimmered at the tips—the poison could numb nerves and weaken resistance.
The plant's main tendrils were as thick as an adult's thigh, coiling and twisting until the dead tree was completely swathed. Half-open blossoms grew at the ends of the tendrils. Their buds were pale purple, and tiny grains drifted from the stamens. These were parasitic seeds that could cling to a creature's skin and grow, or even burrow into its pores to feed on its flesh and blood.
Tang San and Yu Xiaogang stood at the edge of the clearing, about twenty meters from the Ghost Vine. Tang San concealed a Sleeve Arrow in his left hand and held a throwing knife in his right, his gaze fixed on the Ghost Vine's every move.
Yu Xiaogang stood behind him. Luo Sanpao lay at his feet, panting noisily. The green smoke from its nose had nearly formed into clouds.
"Teacher, what's the Ghost Vine's weakness?" Tang San asked quietly, turning his head slightly.
"Its roots. Its tendrils regenerate quickly, but if its root system is damaged, its overall strength will drop sharply." Yu Xiaogang clenched his fists, his fingernails digging into his palms. "I think we should try burning it first!"
Before you continue