On the outskirts of the mixed zone, where the Sun Moon Empire group was located.
A massive bird-type soul beast with gorgeous blue feathers lay lifelessly on the ground.
Meng Hongchen sat cross-legged beside it, four Soul Rings—yellow, yellow, purple, and purple—circling around her.
The absorption of the Soul Ring was nearly complete, yet the atmosphere within the group was exceptionally gloomy.
Ye Yulin and Zheng Zhan's faces were so dark they seemed ready to drip water.
The reason for this was simple: Yan Jingchuan's private Breaking Away from the Team had ultimately been discovered.
"Nonsense!! This is absolutely nonsense! He left on his own in the Star Dou Great Forest. What if something had happened to him?!"
"And especially you, Ji Juechen, as his senior! You actually helped him fool around!"
Zheng Zhan anxiously paced back and forth, berating Ji Juechen harshly.
If anything happened to Yan Jingchuan, how were they supposed to answer to Elder Kong?
Ji Juechen lowered his head in remorse, while inwardly cursing Yan Jingchuan like mad—and Xiao Hongchen as well.
The disguise had originally been flawless. Even Ye Yulin and Zheng Zhan had not noticed the Substitute Soul Tool at all, yet Xiao Hongchen's careless move had exposed everything.
Not far away, Ye Yulin frowned deeply as he held the Substitute Soul Tool in his hand. He remained calmer than Zheng Zhan.
In Ye Yulin's eyes, Yan Jingchuan had always been someone with strong ideas. This Substitute Soul Tool had clearly been prepared in advance. As a fellow ninth-level Soul Engineer, how could he fail to recognize Jing Hongchen's handiwork?
The idea of using an ice silkworm's innate simulation skill as the primary reference to create such a Soul Tool could only have come from Yan Jingchuan. Only his mind was so unconventional, constantly coming up with strange and ingenious ideas.
The Substitute Soul Tool showed no flaws whatsoever in voice, aura, appearance, or any other aspect. If Xiao Hongchen had not instinctively reached out to pat Yan Jingchuan's substitute on the shoulder and disrupted the simulation, they likely would not have noticed even now.
What puzzled him was this: What exactly did Yan Jingchuan intend to do? Why had he not said anything to them? Jing Hongchen had helped him, but did he know the details? Could Elder Kong perhaps know something as well?
Unlike Zheng Zhan, Ye Yulin was not worried about Yan Jingchuan's safety. He knew that two powerful individuals, no weaker than himself, were protecting Yan Jingchuan. His personal safety was basically guaranteed.
At that moment, Meng Hongchen, having finished absorbing her fourth Soul Ring, slowly opened her eyes. Her Soul Power Level had soared straight to level forty-four.
Such an improvement delighted her immensely. Even the prodigies of Shrek's Inner Court probably could not improve at such a speed.
Meng Hongchen could not wait to share this joy with Yan Jingchuan and her brother, only to find the entire group's atmosphere strangely tense.
Not only was the atmosphere wrong, but after looking around, she could not find Yan Jingchuan anywhere.
"Elder Ye, Elder Zheng, what happened? Where's Jingchuan?"
Zheng Zhan remained silent, so Ye Yulin had to give her a brief explanation.
After hearing it, Meng Hongchen could no longer sit still.
"Then let's hurry and look for him! The Star Dou Great Forest is so dangerous, and Jingchuan is alone..."
"Where are we supposed to look? The Star Dou Great Forest is so vast. With just us, it'd be no different from searching for a needle in the ocean."
Zheng Zhan said irritably.
"So we're not looking? Are we just going to wait..."
Her words left the two men silent. Just as Ye Yulin was about to say something, Ji Juechen timidly raised his hand.
Everyone immediately turned their gaze toward him.
"Um... um, I just remembered. Before he left, he told me to keep the Tracking Communication Soul Tool on. He said he'd find his way back himself."
The moment he finished speaking, everyone fell silent. Zheng Zhan's face twitched.
"Why didn't you say something so important earlier?!"
Ji Juechen really wanted to retort, You didn't ask.
But he was afraid Zheng Zhan would beat him up, so he kept those words to himself.
Jing Ziyan covered her face and sighed. She had guessed it would be like this. Aside from practicing swordsmanship, Ji Juechen was absolutely unreliable in every other matter.
Meanwhile, at the Lake of Life.
A tall, thin man appeared, clad in a dark green robe. His long hair hung to his feet, his face carried a faint greenish hue, and his deep turquoise eyes were filled with a demonic radiance.
His elegance carried an eerie sense of oppression. Vine-like patterns faintly showed through his pale skin, his ten fingers were long like withered branches, and a faint fishy fragrance lingered around him.
Facing a figure by the lakeside, he reported, "Di Tian, I've investigated it. Humans attacked the gathering place of the Golden Tortoiseshell clan and captured a thirty-thousand-year Golden Tortoiseshell."
With his back to Myriad Demon King, who was delivering the report, Di Tian stared at the Lake of Life with a pair of majestic golden vertical pupils.
The hem of his black robe suddenly fluttered under an invisible force.
"I've already gathered most of the soul beasts near the core area, yet they still dare to enter the Star Dou so recklessly. They even specifically targeted the auspicious Golden Tortoiseshells. Humans are becoming more and more outrageous!"
Fury surged in Di Tian's eyes. The loss of even one Golden Tortoiseshell would affect a great many soul beasts. This was a blatant provocation against the Star Dou Great Forest, an attempt to sever the roots of their soul beast kind!
"Was it that Golden Tortoiseshell with the old ailment?"
Bi Ji, a graceful and dignified green-haired woman, descended from the other side and asked Myriad Demon King.
Myriad Demon King pondered for a moment before replying.
"I can't be certain whether it was the one you mentioned, but it truly was in poor condition, sickly and weak."
Bi Ji nodded gently, her tone sorrowful.
"Then it should have been that one. Poor child. Even I was helpless against its condition. I never expected it to be killed by humans before it had the chance to fully recover."
The Emerald Swan Bi Ji had a gentle nature and respected life, completely unlike the brutality of the other fierce beasts. Not only was she one of the rare healing-type soul beasts, she was the strongest among them.
With her powerful healing abilities, she had treated the injuries of countless soul beasts. Thus, many soul beasts followed her, and she had an excellent reputation and great popularity among soul beasts.
Perhaps she alone truly cared about the death of every soul beast. Di Tian and Myriad Demon King did not feel much over that Golden Tortoiseshell's death. If not for the Golden Tortoiseshells benefiting soul beasts as a whole and being few in number, they would not have cared at all.
"Those damned humans must not be spared. Clean out every human in the core area right now. Leave none alive!"
Di Tian issued the command coldly.
"Understood."
Just as Myriad Demon King was about to relay Di Tian's order, his expression suddenly changed.
Noticing the change in Myriad Demon King's expression, Di Tian turned his head toward him.
"What is it?"
"That Golden Tortoiseshell is already dead. My root system found its corpse..."
Myriad Demon King's true form was a Demon Eye Tree more than five hundred thousand years old. His network of roots spread across more than a third of the Star Dou Great Forest, allowing him to learn of every disturbance before the other fierce beasts.
As the king of plant-type soul beasts, Myriad Demon King could command the entire plant kingdom and was the best information scout. He quickly found the Golden Tortoiseshell's corpse.
"It's already dead. So what?"
"It wasn't thirty thousand years old. It was one hundred thousand years old."
Myriad Demon King's words startled both Di Tian and Bi Ji.
"How could that be? It came to me for treatment. It clearly only had thirty thousand years of cultivation. How could it possibly have been one hundred thousand years old..."
Bi Ji could not believe it, and even Myriad Demon King could not conceal his shock.
Di Tian realized that something was amiss.
At a location far from the core area, close to the border with the mixed zone.
Di Tian personally arrived at the scene, his vertical pupils reflecting that blood-red Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring.
He frowned tightly and fell silent.
"Di Tian, we also found this."
Myriad Demon King appeared shortly afterward and handed Di Tian a badge.
Holding the badge in his hand, Di Tian crushed it in a single grip. As he muttered to himself, killing intent surged violently.
"Shrek..."
Before you continue