Soul Hunting Operation

When Lin Xueli was stuck at level twenty for the second day, he finally agreed to Lin Yao's plan to head to the Heavenly King Star Dou Great Forest to hunt for a soul ring. However, due to additional arrangements made by the Douling Empire's royal family, only a guard from the Lin Mansion could accompany Lin Yao to the Heavenly King Star Dou Great Forest.

Although this guard only possessed the cultivation of a Soul Emperor, Lin Xueli trusted him implicitly. He was a child Lin Xueli had rescued from a slave market in the Douling Empire years ago, and having lived and eaten alongside Lin Xueli his entire life, he was, for all intents and purposes, a brother in everything but blood.

This guard did not seem to enjoy talking much in front of Lin Yao, but Lin Yao did not clash with his elder; instead, he remained polite and respectful throughout the journey, keeping the man quite pleased.

Lin Yao was not the type of young master to throw his weight around just because someone was nominally in his employ. In a world governed by transcendent powers, he knew better than to offend those stronger than himself if he could avoid it.

The journey was uneventful, and Lin Yao sat in the carriage, watching the scenery pass by through the window.

"The situation in the Heavenly King Star Dou Great Forest is dozens of times more complex than the Heaven and Earth Dragon Valley we visited before. Many powerful entities lurk within, and many of them would look at me as if I were nothing more than an ant," the Soul Emperor said, his tone cautious as he spoke to Lin Yao with a wary attitude.

Lin Yao nodded. Whether as a transmigrator or based on the data he had reviewed about the Heavenly King Star Dou Great Forest in this life, he knew clearly that this was no exaggeration.

There was no need to mention the fierce beasts in the core area of the Heavenly King Star Dou Great Forest; even the mixed zone was home to several hundred-thousand-year soul beasts and numerous high-level ten-thousand-year soul beasts.

A Soul Emperor truly did not amount to much within the Heavenly King Star Dou Great Forest.

Lin Yao could only offer a wry smile. He didn't say much, merely nodding silently to show he understood.

Seeing that Lin Yao had no objections, the Soul Emperor breathed a sigh of relief and continued, "So, once we enter the Heavenly King Star Dou Great Forest, we must remain as cautious and silent as possible. If we minimize the attention we draw from soul beasts, we are less likely to encounter anything particularly powerful."

Lin Yao nodded, then said with a courteous tone, "Uncle Lin, once we enter the forest, the itinerary is yours to arrange. As for which soul beast to hunt, I will decide for myself. How does that sound?"

The Soul Emperor pondered for a moment before nodding. He then cautioned Lin Yao, "That said, you should still be careful when choosing your soul beast. Although the master said you could try to challenge a thousand-year soul beast, you must act within your means. You should know your own body best."

Before the hunt, Lin Xueli had personally examined Lin Yao, specifically testing the strength of his meridians. According to Lin Xueli's tests, Lin Yao's current meridian strength could easily withstand a three-thousand-year soul beast and absorb a three-thousand-year soul ring.

A thousand-year second ring was a glorious achievement for both Lin Xueli and the Lin family.

Generally speaking, only the highest-ranking nobles could cultivate their descendants to such a level.

If Lin Xueli could truly cultivate Lin Yao to the point of obtaining a thousand-year second ring, it would effectively elevate the status of the Lin Mansion.

Lin Yao himself was very interested in this, not for the sake of the Lin Mansion's status, but for his own future potential.

From the perspective of a transmigrator, Lin Yao was no longer particularly ahead of the curve. With a standard hundred-year first soul ring, he couldn't afford for his second ring to be worse than Wang Dong's.

Lin Yao had no authority to investigate the situation at the White Tiger Duke Mansion in the Star Luo Empire, so he naturally had no idea what was happening with Huo Yuhao, and thus, he dared not even consider trying to intercept the Tianmeng Iceworm.

A few days later, when the carriage arrived at the town bordering the Heavenly King Star Dou Great Forest, the Soul Emperor checked into an inn with Lin Yao. After settling the carriage and storing it, he led Lin Yao into the forest.

It was impossible to take a carriage into the Heavenly King Star Dou Great Forest. Beyond the obvious issue of attracting soul beast attacks, the horses themselves would likely be so terrified by the aura of the soul beasts within that they would collapse to their knees, rendering them useless.

Stepping into the Heavenly King Star Dou Great Forest for the first time, Lin Yao couldn't help but spread his arms and take a deep breath.

The fresh air of the forest was refreshing, and the sense of lush, vibrant life and the competitive spirit of nature was something the city could never provide.

Of course, this was only suitable for a brief enjoyment; if he were to live here permanently, Lin Yao knew he wouldn't be able to handle it.

Since his goal was a thousand-year soul beast with a preference for dragon-type species, Lin Yao and the Soul Emperor did not waste time in the outer perimeter of the forest, heading straight toward the mixed zone.

The mixed zone was the most chaotic area of the entire Heavenly King Star Dou Great Forest. It bordered both the outer perimeter and the core, encompassing soul beasts of almost every level, from hundred-thousand-year beasts to those of several thousand years.

The two spent a day walking through the outer perimeter before entering the mixed zone. As evening approached, the Soul Emperor chose a dead tree that had been struck by lightning and hollowed out a hole for them to rest in.

Although the tree had lost its life, its trunk remained incredibly sturdy; even the Soul Emperor had to expend a fair amount of soul power to carve out a space.

Inside the tree hole, they were protected from attacks from three directions, requiring them to only guard the front, making it an ideal spot for rest.

The night passed without incident. The next day, Lin Yao and the Soul Emperor ventured deeper into the mixed zone, where the scent of blood was noticeably thicker than in the outer perimeter.

After walking for another morning, they stopped to rest by a pond at noon. Lin Yao's gaze drifted to the opposite bank.

There, he saw a pitch-black sub-dragon. It was massive, with deep purple scales on its claws and scarlet vertical pupils, and it was currently staring right at Lin Yao and the Soul Emperor.

The moment the Soul Emperor saw the creature, a look of joy appeared in his eyes. "It's actually a Shadow Earth Dragon. Your luck is truly excellent."

Lin Yao nodded slightly. Over the years, he had memorized the soul beast compendium in the Lin Mansion's collection, so he recognized the creature immediately. However, since only its head was visible, he couldn't judge its specific strength.

The Soul Emperor, however, was quite confident in his own abilities and could sense the strength of the Earth Dragon. He turned to Lin Yao and said, "We'll just have to drag it out to see exactly what its cultivation is. You wait here; I'll go pull it out right now..."