Lich? What a Mechanics Monster!

While everyone rested, Jiang Nannan got up and walked toward where the Mutant Skeleton had exploded. The ground still bore traces of the blast. Several larger bone fragments were stuck crookedly in the soil, while the edges of the explosion were charred black, with lingering remnants of evil fire.

"Nannan, what are you doing here?"

As her seasoned personal bodyguard, Xu Sanshi naturally followed her over. This was a rare chance to be alone with her, and he could not let it slip away.

When she saw Xu Sanshi approaching, Jiang Nannan frowned, but she did not chase him away.

So there really were some.

Jiang Nannan saw that the fluorescent green clusters had not completely vanished. She crouched down and held out her palm. The green specks slowly gathered as if drawn by some force, covering her palm before seeping into her skin through the gaps between her fingers. A faint warmth came from where the light entered.

"I don't know what these things are, and no one knows what they do. Some people have guessed that they're the monsters' souls, but that doesn't seem right."

Seeing Jiang Nannan's interest in them, Xu Sanshi crouched beside her and pointed at a floating speck drifting past him, telling her everything he knew.

People had begun studying these things when Twilight Forest appeared in the Extreme North, but no one yet knew what they were for.

Most soul masters labeled these clusters as monster souls or perhaps monster power. Some had absorbed them before, but there had been no reaction and no abnormalities in their bodies.

"Mm..."

Hearing that, Jiang Nannan merely hummed without saying anything else. She simply found them interesting and wanted to try absorbing them.

"Nannan, if you're interested in this, do you want to go to the Spirit Pagoda in the Extreme North? I can take you."

Xu Sanshi said that the school's Twilight Forest would definitely disappear, and the Spirit Pagoda might not cooperate with Shrek again anytime soon. If Jiang Nannan wanted to study these things, she could only go to Twilight Forest in the Extreme North.

"Mm..."

At the mention of going to the Extreme North, Jiang Nannan's eyes lit up. The Extreme North was now a land of riches. As long as a Soul Ancestor of Jiang Nannan's level was not afraid of death, they could earn a hundred Gold Soul Coins in a single day there.

But then Jiang Nannan thought of her mother. What would happen to her mother if she left? If she brought her along, the exhausting journey might be more than she could bear.

"You two, get ready. We're leaving."

They had rested briefly, mainly to let Chen Zifeng recover. Fortunately, they had brought plenty of healing potions.

Chen Zifeng's wounds were now fine. As for his Soul Power, he could recover it on the road.

"Thank you, Junior Brother Huo."

Chen Zifeng walked over to Huo Yuhao and thanked him. If Huo Yuhao had not suppressed the evil fire within him earlier, he did not know what would have happened to him.

The lingering burning pain from being stung by the Ice Empress Scorpion had completely faded, but he still remembered the feeling of flames continuously scorching the depths of his soul, as though something inside him were slowly being roasted dry.

This experience left a deep impression on Chen Zifeng.

"If we encounter undead creatures like that again, Junior Brother Huo, remember to freeze their corpses."

Chen Zifeng said that if he encountered them himself, he would make sure to chop every undead creature into pieces to prevent them from exploding.

"Interesting. You even know how to review the battle."

Xia Liang found Chen Zifeng's words amusing. It was as though the future Chen Zifeng had possessed him.

The rest of the journey went far more smoothly. Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yueheng cleared the way at the front, unleashing the full force of their Soul Emperor-level cultivation. Aside from a few mechanics monsters, they were almost unmatched within Twilight Forest.

After reaching the Naga's territory, the entire team ended the battle in less than the time it took to drink a cup of tea.

After all, the Naga had no special mechanics. Its only troublesome trait was the high defense of every part of its body except its head. After Huo Yuhao pointed this out, Ma Xiaotao and the others focused all their attacks on its head and easily dealt with the Naga.

"Tsk, what a pity about that ten-thousand-year soul ring."

Xu Sanshi looked at the ten-thousand-year soul ring. It was a ten-thousand-year soul ring—outside, who knew how many people dreamed of obtaining one?

Things were not much different from ten thousand years ago. Not every soul master had the optimal soul ring configuration. Many Soul Kings still had thousand-year soul rings as their fifth soul ring. It was not that they could not absorb ten-thousand-year soul rings, but obtaining one required finding a suitable ten-thousand-year soul beast and then killing it.

Ten-thousand-year soul beasts were already extremely difficult to find, and suitable ones were even harder to locate.

Every hunt required months of scouting and preparation in advance. Moreover, as the number of soul masters continued to rise, intelligence on soul beast locations became increasingly expensive. It was simply not something an ordinary four-ring Soul Ancestor could afford to accumulate.

"However, after Twilight Forest appeared, ten-thousand-year soul rings probably won't be scarce anymore."

Wang Yan stood nearby, his gaze also falling on that soul ring. The distribution patterns of the monsters in Twilight Forest had already been roughly understood. Records had been made of the vast majority of monsters, including their information and weaknesses. Whatever age of soul beast one wanted, there was a corresponding target to choose from.

Soul masters no longer needed to risk their lives venturing deep into soul beast forests and relying on luck. They only needed to enter Twilight Forest and find the corresponding monster region. In the future, ten-thousand-year soul rings would gradually become more common, and the difficulty of obtaining them would decrease.

"Do you think red soul rings might appear in Twilight Forest?"

Xu Sanshi suddenly asked. His eyes held an eagerness rarely seen on his face. That was a hundred-thousand-year soul ring, the highest-tier soul ring on the entire Douluo Continent.

If hundred-thousand-year soul rings could truly appear, then the Xuanming Sect would undoubtedly do everything in its power to obtain a hundred-thousand-year soul ring for Xu Sanshi's ninth, or perhaps even eighth, soul ring.

"I'm afraid only insiders from the Spirit Pagoda know the answer to that."

Wang Yan spoke. That was a hundred-thousand-year soul ring. If one could truly appear in Twilight Forest, just how powerful was the Spirit Pagoda?

"Teacher Wang Yan, how long will our academy's Twilight Forest remain?"

Among the reserve team, Jiang Nannan asked this question.

Of everyone present, she was the only one without any backing. She had no sect to support her, and she had accumulated all her cultivation resources herself. Her future fifth soul ring might not necessarily be ten-thousand-year. She did not have the money to hire people to hunt one for her, but if it was in Twilight Forest...

Perhaps she could.

"Nannan, don't worry. You have me."

Xu Sanshi immediately spoke up. He naturally knew what Jiang Nannan was worried about, but there was no need to worry. If hundred-thousand-year soul beasts truly appeared in Twilight Forest in the future, he would be willing to lead a team here to help Jiang Nannan hunt one.

Jiang Nannan's lips pressed together slightly. She took a step back, her voice noticeably colder than before.

"No need."

After saying that, Jiang Nannan turned and walked back toward the front of the group, her steps a little faster than before. She did not want to accept any favor from Xu Sanshi. Between them, everything had already been settled.

"Wuwuwu~"

Seeing Jiang Nannan leave, Xu Sanshi squatted on the ground and began acting dramatically.

"Hey, tell me, Nannan is quite nice to outsiders. Why is she like this only with you?"

Bei Bei walked over to Xu Sanshi, finding it extremely strange.

Tang Ya and he had known Jiang Nannan for so long. She was merely somewhat aloof, but she was actually a very kind person. Whenever she encountered animals or people in need of help, she would lend a hand. She was not harsh at all.

Why was she only like this toward Xu Sanshi? It was truly strange.

"Did you do something that wronged Junior Sister Nannan?"

Xu Sanshi's expression stiffened for an instant. His shoulders moved slightly, as though the question had touched on something he did not want to mention. He remained silent for a moment before standing again and brushing the dirt off his knees.

"Ahem, perhaps Nannan just hasn't seen my sincerity yet. Don't worry, I'll definitely let Nannan see my true heart!"

Watching his brother regain his energy, Bei Bei's mouth twitched. He did not understand, but he said nothing more. If Xu Sanshi wanted to talk about it, he would tell him himself.

Ma Xiaotao stood at the very front of the team, holding the handbook open to the page about the Lich. She lowered her head, her gaze sweeping from the first line to the second-to-last line before she looked up, her expression overflowing with speechlessness.

"Lich: In the first phase, it can teleport, launch long-range explosive attacks, and has six layers of defense. Each layer requires a full-force strike from a Soul King."

"Second phase: It can teleport, summon ten-thousand-year-level puppets to attack, and launch long-range explosive attacks with its main body."

"Third phase: Close combat. Completely berserk. Multiple teleports."

After reading the Lich's introduction, Ma Xiaotao was completely speechless.

It was all mechanics. How were they supposed to fight this? Nothing but teleports. Did this soul beast not need Soul Power to teleport?