Star Dou Great Forest

Six days later, Zhang Fei was cultivating in the small courtyard when he suddenly sensed a familiar, powerful aura rapidly approaching his gate.

Zhang Fei abruptly opened his eyes, the corners of his mouth rising unconsciously.

He pushed open the door and stepped outside, only to see a tall figure already standing in the courtyard.

She Long stood with his hands behind his back, looking at Zhang Fei with satisfaction in his eyes. He smiled. "You brat, you were even faster than I expected! Not bad, not bad!"

But Zhang Fei's gaze passed over She Long's shoulder as he glanced outside the courtyard gate.

"Stop looking. I came alone." How could She Long not know what he was thinking? He reached out and rapped Zhang Fei on the head.

A trace of undisguised disappointment flashed through Zhang Fei's eyes. Pretending to sound casual, he said, "Oh, I was just looking around. What has His Highness the Crown Prince been busy with lately?"

"The Young Master also broke through his bottleneck a month ago. Taking advantage of the free time during the tournament, he went to the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt for a Soul Ring under the escort of two Soul Douluo consecrated by the royal family. Your Grandpa Ci Xue followed them in secret. They traveled by carriage, so they were slower. They should have reached the Star Dou Great Forest by now. If we're lucky, we might even run into them in the forest." She Long explained.

Zhang Fei's eyes lit up as he urged, "Then what are we waiting for? Let's set off immediately!"

"Fine, fine! I really was born to be worked like a mule. I came all this way and haven't even had a sip of water."

She Long sighed helplessly, then immediately set out for the Star Dou Great Forest with Zhang Fei.

The Star Dou Great Forest lay in the southeastern part of the Balak Kingdom, not far from Balak City, with only Suotuo City between them.

At She Long's flight speed as a Titled Douluo, even carrying Zhang Fei, they could arrive in half a day.

When that endless sea of dark green appeared in his vision, Zhang Fei was still deeply shocked.

Compared to the Sunset Forest, the Star Dou Great Forest was on an entirely different scale.

The trees here were taller and thicker than those in the Sunset Forest, blotting out the sky and sun. The air was filled with a primitive, dangerous wildness.

The two did not linger in the outer region at all. Under She Long's lead, they headed straight into the Mixed Region.

This was primarily the habitat of ten-thousand-year Soul Beasts.

"From here on, we walk." She Long set Zhang Fei down, his expression turning serious. "You lead the way. I'll guard your rear."

"Alright!"

Zhang Fei summoned the Eight-Foot Serpent Spear. Its dark shaft gleamed with a cold light beneath the dim forest canopy.

He used it to push aside the vines and shrubs blocking the path, advancing steadily forward.

She Long followed closely behind him. His senses as a Titled Douluo swept through the surroundings, while the Snake Lance in his hand was ready to strike at any moment.

"Xiaofei, what kind of Soul Beast are we looking for this time?" She Long asked quietly.

Zhang Fei parted a thorny bramble as he walked and said, "Same as before. A dragon-blooded species is the first choice. A suitable top-tier strength-type Soul Beast would work too. As for the age... just over ten thousand years will do. I don't dare aim too high."

He paused, and his tone turned earnest. "My physical strength has definitely reached the level of a Soul King, but my spiritual power has only barely touched that threshold. Absorbing a ten-thousand-year Soul Beast will cause Soul Shock, and I don't dare take that risk. I'll be satisfied with one that has only just passed ten thousand years."

She Long nodded, a hint of approval flashing through his eyes. "Well said. It seems you've thought this through carefully and haven't let success go to your head. The Soul Shock from ten-thousand-year Soul Beasts is indeed terrifying. Many Soul Kings face extreme danger when absorbing one, let alone you, when this is only your third Soul Ring. Being cautious is the right choice."

He paused, looking somewhat regretful. "Back then, your grandpa's fifth Soul Ring was chosen poorly, damaging my foundation. So don't rush. We have plenty of time to search slowly."

Zhang Fei nodded and continued onward.

However, finding a suitable Soul Beast was far more difficult than they had imagined.

Though the Star Dou Great Forest was vast, dragon-blooded species were exceptionally rare. Strength-type Soul Beasts were somewhat more common, but finding one of the right age was difficult.

Ten days passed.

The two wandered through the ten-thousand-year Soul Beast region, encountering many Soul Beasts. Yet either their quality was too low, their age was too high, or their attributes did not match.

Finding a Soul Beast whose age and attributes both perfectly suited him required both luck and strength.

Fortunately, Zhang Fei had been mentally prepared. With She Long's experience as a warning, his principle was to settle for nothing less than the best.

Even if it took one month, or even two, Zhang Fei was willing to wait it out.

With a Titled Douluo protecting him at all times, he had to make the most of such an opportunity. If he just picked any Soul Ring to make do, that would be a terrible waste.

At noon on the tenth day, the two had already ventured deep into the Mixed Region, and the Soul Beasts they encountered were growing stronger and stronger.

Zhang Fei was leaning against an ancient tree, chewing on dried rations.

Just then, an earth-shaking tiger's roar suddenly rang out from the dense forest in the distance!

ROAR!!!

The roar carried pain and fury, as though some powerful Soul Beast was fighting for its life.

Immediately afterward, a dazzling white-gold flash streaked through the forest several miles away, accompanied by the boom of erupting Soul Power and the thunderous crash of trees snapping apart.

She Long sprang to his feet, his pupils narrowing. "That direction... A powerful expert is fighting a ten-thousand-year Soul Beast! It seems to be..."

Before he could finish, Zhang Fei had already leaped up, his eyes blazing. "Come on, let's take a look!"

The two flashed forward, racing toward the battle.

After passing through a thicket, the sight before them made Zhang Fei halt.

An enormous white tiger, drenched in blood, was desperately fleeing.

The tiger was snow-white from head to tail, its body over five meters long and nearly two meters tall at the shoulder. Even grievously wounded, it still radiated a terrifying pressure.

Several wounds deep enough to expose bone marked its shoulder, waist, and abdomen. Blood constantly poured from them, staining the grass and trees along its path red.

A Holy Light White Tiger!

Zhang Fei could not determine the tiger's exact age, but judging from its pressure and size, it had certainly been alive for far more than ten thousand years—likely at least several tens of thousands.

A Soul Beast of that age should only be absorbable by a Soul Saint.

Behind the white tiger, a golden figure was giving chase at tremendous speed. It moved so quickly that afterimages trailed through the air, making its appearance impossible to discern.

Two pairs of pure white wings beat rapidly behind that figure. Each flap scattered a shower of golden light, sacred and noble.

She Long reacted first. He tucked Zhang Fei beneath one arm, gripped the Snake Lance in the other, and shot forward like a streak of blue-violet lightning, instantly blocking the Holy Light White Tiger's escape route.

The tiger was already severely injured, and when She Long's aura as a Titled Douluo pressed down on it, it immediately let out a despairing cry and stumbled to a stop.

At that very instant, the golden figure caught up from behind.

A massive sword formed from pure golden Soul Power descended from the sky, carrying a radiance like divine judgment as it stabbed straight toward the Holy Light White Tiger's head!

SPLURT!

The giant sword accurately pierced the tiger's skull, pinning it firmly to the ground.

The white tiger collapsed unwillingly. The ferocity in its eyes quickly faded, its limbs twitched a few times, and then it fell completely silent.

A Soul Ring as black as ink slowly rose from its corpse, emanating dense waves of Soul Power.