Journey to the Star Dou Great Forest

Listening to Hu Liena, Jun Xuehan blinked his silver eyes and said, "Senior Sister, if I can't even beat them, there's no use in looking for you."

The smile on Hu Liena's face suddenly froze as she listened to Jun Xuehan. Somewhat annoyed, she said, "Junior Brother, can't you be a little less blunt when you speak? At this rate, you won't be able to find a wife in the future."

Jun Xuehan spread his hands helplessly. "Senior Sister, I was only stating a fact."

Hu Liena snorted coldly. "Forget it. Since you're leaving soon, I won't hold it against you. I'll see you off."

Jun Xuehan nodded slightly. "Then thank you, Senior Sister."

After thanking her, the two headed outside Pope's Palace. The atmosphere along the way was rather silent.

After walking out of Pope's Palace, Jun Xuehan waved goodbye to Hu Liena and headed straight toward the bustling streets of Spirit City.

Hu Liena watched Jun Xuehan's departing figure until it vanished from sight, then returned to Pope's Palace.

Jun Xuehan walked through the bustling streets, his gaze constantly sweeping over his surroundings. He had spent five years in Spirit City, so he naturally knew the city's layout very well.

He stopped before a fairly decent carriage and politely asked, "Hello, can you take me to the Star Dou Great Forest?"

The carriage driver was a middle-aged man around thirty years old. Hearing Jun Xuehan's question, the man lowered his head and thought for a moment. "The Star Dou Great Forest? That place isn't close. It'll cost thirty Silver Soul Coins."

Upon hearing the price, Jun Xuehan stepped directly into the carriage compartment. "Fine. Let's go."

Jun Xuehan took out thirty Silver Soul Coins and handed them to the middle-aged man. The man accepted the coins and drove the carriage toward the Star Dou Great Forest.

The Star Dou Great Forest was the largest Soul Beast Forest on the continent. Its vast area was roughly equal to the entire territory of the Balak Kingdom. It spanned the borders of the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire. Two-fifths of the Star Dou Great Forest lay within the Heaven Dou Empire, while the remaining three-fifths lay within the Star Luo Empire.

Judging from a map, most of the Star Dou Great Forest lay within the Star Luo Empire's borders, but the Heaven Dou Empire had never acknowledged that fact.

The Star Dou Great Forest was an enormous primeval forest with complex terrain, including wetlands, swamps, and more. The closer one got to the center of the forest, the stronger the Soul Beasts became. There were even Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts within it. Any soul master with sufficient strength and good enough luck could find the Soul Ring most suited to them there. If they failed to find one, then their luck was simply bad.

The two publicly known kings of the Star Dou Great Forest were the Titan Giant Ape and the Sky Azure Bull Python, both Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts. The Titan Giant Ape bore the title King of the Forest, while the Sky Azure Bull Python was the emperor of the Star Dou Great Forest.

Of course, that was only on the surface. If the true kings sleeping in secret awakened, those two would at most be fit to guard the gate.

Several days later, a carriage stopped within the Star Dou Great Forest. Jun Xuehan stepped out of the carriage compartment and looked at the forest before him. He could sense the fresh scent unique to plants, the crisp air, and the distinctive fragrance of soil.

Jun Xuehan walked into the Star Dou Great Forest. Looking at the lush ancient trees that blotted out the sky and the tangled vines, a faintly contemplative look appeared in his eyes.

"The Star Dou Great Forest, I'm here!" Jun Xuehan swept his gaze around the area and headed straight for the Core Area of the Star Dou Great Forest.

His purpose in coming to the Star Dou Great Forest was simple: to verify certain things. What exactly was the relationship between himself and Gu Yuena, the Silver Dragon King? And who was the youth who had appeared in the Barren Mountain Illusion at the Training Camp?

Just as Jun Xuehan stepped into the Star Dou Great Forest, at the bottom of Lake of Life in the Core Area, a silver-white giant dragon suddenly opened its eyes.

A silver spear similar to the Silver Dragon Spear, yet somewhat different, began to tremble faintly, as though it were about to burst out of Lake of Life.

The difference between this silver spear and the Silver Dragon Spear lay in the delicate dragon scales covering it.

One had to know that dragons possessed a scale that grew in the reverse direction, known as a reverse scale. Yet the delicate dragon scales on this silver spear were all reverse scales, completely opposite to the delicate dragon scales of the Silver Dragon Spear.

The silver-white giant dragon looked at the silver spear trying to rush out, extended a dragon claw, and pressed the spear down directly.

The silver-white giant dragon raised its head, its dragon eyes peering through the waters of Lake of Life toward the outer region of the Star Dou Great Forest. A voice slowly rang out.

"Has he returned?"

"Di Tian!" A faint voice sounded at the bottom of Lake of Life.

"Master!" A black shadow appeared and dropped to one knee.

He was a middle-aged man with a dignified face. His pupils were golden, radiating an indescribable majesty. Amid his long black hair was also a single streak of gold.

He was the leader of the Ten Great Fierce Beasts, the Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King and Beast God, Di Tian.

With Di Tian appearing, kneeling on one knee, and addressing her as Master, the identity of the enormous silver dragon was self-evident.

"He has returned. Go bring him here. I wish to see him." The silver-white giant dragon withdrew her gaze and spoke softly.

"Yes, Master!" Di Tian nodded lightly. A look of recollection appeared in his eyes, as though he had remembered something, and his body trembled involuntarily.

As Di Tian's words fell, his figure vanished, as though he had never appeared at all.

Within the Star Dou Great Forest, Jun Xuehan walked through the woods at an unhurried pace, his gaze vigilantly sweeping his surroundings.

There were quite a few Soul Beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest. If he let down his guard, who knew whether a powerful Soul Beast might suddenly charge out?

"Found you!" A black figure flashed past, instantly breaking through the restraints of space and rushing toward Jun Xuehan.

The space before Jun Xuehan suddenly split open into a huge rift. A massive dragon claw reached out from within, and before Jun Xuehan could react, it grabbed him and swiftly pulled him into the rift.

Jun Xuehan looked at the black dragon claw, confusion and puzzlement appearing in his eyes before they returned to calm. A black dragon claw that could emerge from space and seize him away could undoubtedly only belong to Di Tian, the Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King of the Star Dou Great Forest.

If it had been any other powerful Soul Beast, it would have simply killed him. There would have been no need to capture and take him away.

Following the dragon claw upward with his gaze, he saw that Di Tian was still in human form, but one of his hands had become a dragon claw, and that dragon claw was gripping him.

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