Huo Yuhao: "Danger!"

Shrek City's eastern gate was the closest to the Star Dou Great Forest, but it belonged exclusively to Shrek Academy and did not permit outsiders to use it.

Lin En could only depart from the southern gate, following the border between the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire—the edge of the Lima Plains—all the way to the Star Dou Great Forest.

This route was a popular one. Quite a few soul-hunting groups and Soul Master Academies traveled along it in teams. More people meant both safety and danger.

Once they left Shrek City's territory, the danger level would rise sharply.

Human remains could occasionally be seen on either side of the road. Some had nearly petrified, while others still carried a rotten stench that drew scavenger Soul Beasts to feed.

Those corpses clearly had not been the work of Soul Beasts. No one had ever heard of a Soul Beast using blades, spears, or clubs.

Through his spiritual perception, Lin En could clearly sense that the moment they left Shrek City's territory, everyone formed sharply divided groups and guarded against one another.

Mercenary groups kept their employers in the center. Soul Master Academies placed their students behind them. Elders traveling with their families kept a close watch on the younger generation.

In the wilderness, humans were far more terrifying than Soul Beasts. No one knew what lurked beneath that layer of human skin. Humans had always been the cruelest toward their own kind.

One could refrain from malice toward strangers, but one must never let down one's guard around them.

Anyone without backing or vigilance would sooner or later become bones by the roadside.

Lone wolves like Lin En were exceedingly rare on the road, but no one dared provoke such people casually.

Anyone who dared enter the Star Dou Great Forest alone was either courting death or had some truly vicious tricks up their sleeve.

Lin En had set out at eight in the morning. There were too many uncertainties in traveling at night. This continent was chaotic beyond measure, so leaving during the day was relatively better.

Fortunately, there were cheap inns near Shrek City as well. Ten copper Soul Coins could pay for one night, which Lin En could afford.

At least he did not have to be like in his previous world, when he had just escaped the orphanage and slept beneath a drafty bridge. It was sweltering in summer and freezing in winter. That place was not fit for human habitation.

After traveling for roughly three hours, the sun gradually climbed overhead. It was spring, so it was not especially hot. The temperature was just right; Little Sage showed it to be twenty-four degrees Celsius.

This was the perfect temperature for slaughter. Warm blood and cool breezes brushing across his face, birdsong and enemies' howls sounding sweeter than any music.

Lin En shook his head. Ever since that slaughter some time ago, his Spirit Vision had become increasingly intense. Sometimes, in his dreams, he could even hear the whispers of that Black Emperor.

Those whispers constantly dragged Lin En back to that ancient era. The Dragon Clan had been born alongside blood and fire, and in those fragmented memories of the past, nearly every scene was a savage battle with blades drawing blood.

Those whispers and Spirit Visions had begun to shift Lin En's thinking toward that of a dragon.

In his Spirit Vision, it seemed that his status in the ancient era had truly been rather high. He appeared to have once been one of the court alchemists, having studied Alchemy under Constantine, the younger brother of the Bronze and Fire King. He had been a dragon specially tasked with creating beloved toys for the Black Emperor.

Since he had been that Black Emperor's court alchemist, it was no wonder the Dragon Clan Memory archive organized by Little Sage contained such complete Alchemy knowledge.

All Seven Kingdoms had records, with the records concerning Conceptual Armament being the most extensive.

The Dragon Clan's Seven Alchemical Kingdoms represented the pinnacle of Alchemy, the apex of Dragon Clan technology.

They were Elemental Substitution, Spiritual Reforging, Conceptual Armament, Temporal Reversal, Spatial Creation, Life Creation, and Causal Separation.

Every one of those achievements could shake the most fundamental laws of the world. Even in a fantasy world like Douluo Continent, they were unquestionably among the most cutting-edge powers.

The concept of Spatial Creation was very similar to creating a divine realm. It was simply that Douluo Continent favored brute force, using the overwhelming power of God King-level experts to forcibly carve out a divine realm's space.

Because alchemical knowledge was highly systematic, Lin En, who had originally been a Next-Generation Species, was effectively recovering his memories. Perhaps in the future, he could go even further and master the Seven Kingdoms.

As long as he could master the Seven Kingdoms, Lin En would dare call himself this world's Nidhogg and use Life Creation to create his own First-Generation Species.

In any case, that Black Emperor could not possibly come to this world to collect copyright fees from Lin En. Even if he did, Jiang Nan had already paid on Lin En's behalf. He had even sold plot hooks to Tang Jia San Shao, so he could use the copyright however he pleased.

His thoughts returned to reality, and Lin En stopped walking. The figures that had once filled the road had long vanished. They had entered the Star Dou Great Forest from all directions; no one would continue straight ahead.

What lay before him now was an entire dense forest. Verdant trees swayed in the breeze, towering to an absurd degree—even more outrageous than those of the Amazon Rainforest.

Sunlight was shattered into mottled patches by the interwoven branches and leaves. Blue Silver Grass occasionally pushed up through the soil.

Lin En's powerful dynamic vision caught countless insects crawling across the ground. Beetle-like insects clung to tree trunks, faint Soul Power fluctuations radiating from their bodies. Their cultivation was extremely low; whether they had even reached ten years was questionable.

Some nobles seemed to like these delicate little insect Soul Beasts. If they were brought back to Shrek City, they would likely sell for a decent amount.

The moment he formally entered the Star Dou Great Forest, the dense natural energy made every pore on Lin En's body relax. His energy cells greedily devoured that precious energy, laying the groundwork for future battles.

The natural energy in the Star Dou Great Forest far surpassed that of the outside world. Even its outer region contained two or three times as much as elsewhere. If it were not so dangerous, this place would have long become a sacred ground for cultivation.

The corners of Lin En's lips lifted. Light gleamed in his black eyes as crimson-gold Golden Eyes lit up. Their glow was not strong, and he deliberately restrained their aura.

The insects from before fled immediately upon sensing that aura. Rustling sounds came from the surrounding trees, while flocks of birds scrambled to get away.

They had sensed the aura of an ancient ferocious beast. Weak Soul Beasts immediately fled according to their survival instincts.

"Little Sage, help me stay alert."

"Only Soul Beasts that were not frightened away by the Golden Eyes are the Soul Beasts I need. If you spot any such Soul Beasts, lock onto them directly for me."

Lin En could not be bothered to kill low-level Soul Beasts. Devouring the bloodlines of low-level Soul Beasts was useless unless they were exceptionally outstanding in certain respects.

For example, Blue Silver Grass Soul Beasts. If there truly were any, Lin En would definitely eat them. Their bloodlines were not powerful, but their vitality was a rare treasure.

Little Sage replied, "Yes, Master. I will use the fastest and most direct method to lock onto the surrounding Soul Beasts for you."

"Little Sage recommends prioritizing the Devouring of spiritual-attribute Soul Beasts. The secondary recommendation is spiritual-attribute Soul Masters. Your bloodline and spirit are imbalanced, and your will is slipping toward that of a complete dragon."

"This is not a loss of control, but a return to your original nature. Without restraint, you will become a true dragon possessing a Dragon Heart. You will still be yourself, but your views on certain matters may change.

It is estimated that in one month, your dragon body will automatically hatch."

Lin En was deeply troubled. "How could spiritual-attribute Soul Beasts possibly be so easy to find? Spiritual-attribute Soul Masters are even harder to find than spiritual-attribute Soul Beasts!"

Little Sage immediately replied, "The White Tiger Duke's Residence has been located for you based on the map. There are two spiritual-attribute Soul Masters there."

Lin En: "..."

"No, you useless freeloader, what point in time is this?"

"Huo Yuhao is only two years old, and Dai Luoli is one. Their Martial Souls haven't even awakened yet. Would eating the two of them do me any good?!"

After saying that, Lin En smacked his forehead.

"Tch! Remove the spiritual-attribute Soul Master option for me. I don't want to eat people right now!"

"Is there any emergency method to stabilize my spirit first? That damn Black Emperor keeps rapping in my ear every day."

"Anyone who didn't know better would think I'd gone next door to join the Aurora Society."

After a brief moment of thought, Little Sage replied:

"Suggestion: absorb the four Soul Bones left behind by Yu Mu'en, prioritizing the 100,000-Year Light Sub-Dragon Left Arm Bone."

"The light attribute has an excellent stabilizing effect on the spirit. Absorbing Soul Bones can improve the body's strength, and greater bodily strength can in turn drive the growth of spiritual power.

With both measures working together, you can restore the balance between your spirit and bloodline."