Waiting by the Stump for a Rabbit

Kong Deming's expression turned grave as he hurriedly offered his explanation:

"The Far North is currently occupied by several fierce beasts over a hundred thousand years old, with the remnants of the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion clan holding the fort. The cold there bites to the bone, and their strength is terrifying."

He paused, then continued, "The Evil Demon Forest is even more treacherous. It is shrouded in demonic energy year-round, breeding a vast number of mutated fierce beasts with violent, bloodthirsty temperaments that are simply impossible to contend with."

"That place is also the dwelling of the Evil Emperor, the second-ranked among the Ten Great Fierce Beasts!"

"The nearby Ice Sea is not peaceful either; legend has it that the Sea Princess clan, with six hundred thousand years of cultivation, resides there."

"Only the Sunset Forest has no rumors of such fierce beasts; it carries the lowest risk and is the most suitable place for the two of you to seek your spirit rings!"

Upon hearing the secrets of the Douluo Continent from Kong Deming, Qian Daoliu and Bo Saixi both adopted his grave expression.

Ultimately, Qian Daoliu decided to follow Kong Deming's advice and try his luck in the Sunset Forest first; if that failed, they would attempt the Evil Demon Forest, the Far North, or the Ice Sea.

In any case, the god trials for both himself and Bo Saixi had to be completed.

Afterward, Qian Daoliu and Kong Deming chatted for a while longer.

Then, Kong Deming took his leave.

Qian Daoliu began to arrange the upcoming tasks for everyone.

First, Ye Guyi, Qiangu Zhenyue, Qiangu Zhenxie, Jin Lin, and Guang Yao were to return to the Soul Hall temporarily to await the return of the Soul Hall Soul Engineer Legion, then lead them to follow Kong Deming in dealing with the Shrek Academy Soul Engineer Legion.

Naturally, this also included the newly "recruited" silver-clad girl, Silver Moon.

Since they did not know the silver-clad girl's name, Qian Daoliu and Bo Saixi had temporarily given her the name Silver Moon.

For some reason, Bo Saixi was quite fond of Silver Moon.

Had it not been for the fact that Silver Moon originated from Shrek Academy, she would have truly considered taking her on as a disciple.

But clearly, now was not the time.

Bo Saixi could only abandon the idea of taking a disciple for the moment, keeping her in the Soul Hall to wait for an opportunity to pry information about Sea God Island out of her later.

After arranging matters for the new generation of the Soul Hall, Qian Daoliu and Bo Saixi planned to bid farewell to Kong Deming and the others the following day.

Then, the two would head to the Sunset Forest alone to obtain their respective spirit rings.

The next day, after bidding farewell to everyone, Qian Daoliu and Bo Saixi resolutely released their respective martial spirits, crossing the Sun Moon Empire and passing through the Tianhun Empire.

Along the way, they caught a glimpse of the returning Soul Hall Soul Engineer Legion and the Fire Phoenix Soul Engineer Legion from afar.

Qian Daoliu looked down at the troops from high above, noting the faint aura of slaughter and ferocity surrounding the spirit engineers, their demeanor increasingly sharp and composed, and he felt quite satisfied.

He did not reveal himself to disturb them, instead speeding through the air with Bo Saixi, heading straight toward the Sunset Forest at full velocity.

Finally, after a day and a night of high-speed travel, Qian Daoliu returned to the Sunset Forest.

Qian Daoliu returned to the Sunset Forest.

Similar to the Star Dou Great Forest, the Sunset Forest was much smaller today than it had been ten thousand years ago.

The two did not pause for even a moment, their figures streaking into the forest like two rays of light, heading straight for the core area of the Sunset Forest.

The dense forest was filled with towering ancient trees and deep vegetation, but while exotic beasts roamed the surroundings, there were no powerful entities among them.

In the blink of an eye, half a month passed quietly. Qian Daoliu had traversed every dangerous area and spiritual vein convergence point in the forest, yet he had failed to find a spirit beast that met his needs, and a sense of gloom gradually clouded his brow.

Just as Qian Daoliu was planning to give up on the Sunset Forest and head toward the Far North or the Ice Sea...

On the other side, while Qian Daoliu was off searching for a hundred-thousand-year spirit ring in the Sunset Forest, Kong Deming, Ye Guyi, and the others had not been idle these past few days.

Before the Soul Hall Soul Engineer Legion and the Fire Phoenix Soul Engineer Legion had returned, Kong Deming had long since locked onto the location where the Shrek Soul Engineer Legion had vanished.

This time, Kong Deming was cautious.

Just as Qian Daoliu had speculated, he left heavy troops at the spot where they had disappeared, keeping watch day and night.

Of course, Kong Deming's requirement was that these soldiers and spirit engineers remain hidden in the shadows, leaving no trace of their presence.

For several consecutive days, there was no abnormality at the spot where they had vanished.

Just when everyone thought that Kong Deming's efforts were in vain, an anomaly occurred at the location where the Shrek Soul Engineer Legion had vanished on the evening of the tenth day.

By this time, the Soul Hall Soul Engineer Legion and the Fire Phoenix Soul Engineer Legion were already in their respective positions.

Ye Guyi, Qiangu Zhenyue, Qiangu Zhenxie, Jin Lin, and Guang Yao were each commanding their Soul Hall Soul Engineer squads, standing by in battle formation.

The Fire Phoenix Soul Engineer Legion, led by Fire Phoenix Douluo, had also joined Kong Deming's team.

As the twilight deepened, the void suddenly began to ripple and twist. A gloomy space gate several zhang high slowly opened, with black mist churning within, exuding a bone-chilling cold.

A hearty voice rang out from within: "Yuhao, these Sun Moon Empire Soul Engineer Legions hunting us are truly too dim-witted. They've been searching for days and still haven't managed to track our movements! Where should we head to next?"

Huo Yuhao's expression remained calm as he warned in a low voice: "Sanshi, do not let your guard down. The Sun Moon Empire Soul Engineer Legions possess strength that is peerless across the continent. If not for the concealment properties of the Undead Demiplane, we would have already been surrounded."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a crisp female voice chimed in: "Yuhao is right. This place is fraught with danger; we must not be careless."

"Ah!" A shriek followed, as the person who had been speaking so arrogantly earlier let out an exaggerated scream.

The sound traveled through the spatial gate and echoed into the surrounding space.

They had been captured by the Royal Soul Engineer Corps of the Sun Moon Empire.

Soon, voices transmitted from the soul devices of Ye Guyi, Qiangu Zhenyue, Qiangu Zhenxie, Jin Lin, Guang Yao, Fire Phoenix Douluo, and the supreme commander, Kong Deming: "Report, abnormal fluctuations detected in East District 3, and human voices have been captured!"

"Transmit the audio!"

"Royal Soul Engineer Corps, Fire Phoenix Soul Engineer Legion, Soul Hall Soul Engineer Legion, take your positions! Prepare for combat at any moment!"

"Bring out your maximum firepower! Aim all Tier 7 and above soul cannons at East District 3!"

"Wait for my command for a synchronized volley!"

The one speaking was the supreme commander, Kong Deming.

"Yes!"

"Yes!"

"Yes!"

"Yes!"

"Yes!"

Ye Guyi, Qiangu Zhenyue, Qiangu Zhenxie, Jin Lin, Guang Yao, and Fire Phoenix Douluo also adopted serious tones.

Simultaneously, they began issuing combat orders to their respective squads.

The Royal Soul Engineer Corps was commanded personally by Kong Deming.

In an instant, various high-tier soul cannons with chilling glints were set up, their muzzles aimed in unison at East District 3, where the spatial gate was located.

The cannon barrels shimmered with iridescent halos, their power primed and ready.

The members of the three great Soul Engineer Legions held their breath, soul energy continuously pouring into the barrels. The atmosphere on the battlefield was stretched to the breaking point as everyone waited in silence for Kong Deming to give the order to fire.

Meanwhile, inside the Undead Demiplane, a fake cry rang out: "Ouch, ouch, ouch! Nannan, it hurts!"

The ones speaking were none other than Huo Yuhao, Xu Sanshi, Jiang Nannan, and the others.

"In a moment, I will cast Spiritual Simulation. Everyone, sneak out one by one. Mind your concealment!"