Journey to the Evil Demon Forest

"Qiu'er." Lin Xuan continued coaxing her. "Give me a chance, okay? Let me prove to you that I'm not the kind of bastard who runs off after taking advantage of you."

Wang Qiu'er's heart was in complete turmoil.

She looked at the young man before her, who was even willing to give up his martial soul for her, then at the sincerity in his eyes. Suddenly, she felt that what Uncle Xiong Jun had said seemed... not entirely unreasonable.

If you liked someone... you had to seize them.

Then... if I don't seize him, will he run away?

Once that thought took root, it grew wildly in her heart like weeds, gradually spreading everywhere.

Wang Qiu'er bit her soft pink lower lip, and a trace of the possessiveness belonging to the Emperor Auspicious Beast flickered through her pink-blue eyes.

"Let's... let's talk about it later..." Wang Qiu'er wanted to respond to Lin Xuan, but the pride in her heart kept the words from leaving her mouth.

As she spoke, the taut string in Wang Qiu'er's heart finally relaxed completely.

Wang Qiu'er merely slowly closed her beautiful pink-blue eyes. Her long lashes trembled faintly as her body fully relaxed, and she instinctively nestled deeper into Lin Xuan's embrace.

Lin Xuan subconsciously tightened his arms, holding Wang Qiu'er closer so she could lean entirely against him.

"Qiu'er?" Lin Xuan called tentatively.

Wang Qiu'er did not respond.

The battle in the cave last night had long since drained far too much of her strength, and she had only remained standing by forcing herself to endure.

But now, with all her defenses lowered and that embrace which made her feel safe right before her, the long-suppressed soreness and weakness surged in like a tide, instantly drowning her consciousness.

Wang Qiu'er's breathing became deep and even. She rubbed her head against Lin Xuan's chest, found a more comfortable position, and fell deeply asleep just like that.

"She... she fell asleep?" Lin Xuan lowered his head to look at Wang Qiu'er's delicate, defenseless sleeping face in his arms. Seeing the still-damp tear tracks at the corners of her eyes, an indescribable feeling rose in his heart.

Lin Xuan adjusted his posture, slipping one hand beneath Wang Qiu'er's knees and the other behind her back. He then lifted her in his arms and walked toward the cave where the accident had happened earlier...

A few days later, Wang Qiu'er's emotions gradually settled, and she returned to her usual aloof, proud self.

Afterward, the two began planning their next steps.

They both needed a sixth Soul Ring before they could break through and become true Soul Emperors.

Lin Xuan estimated that, with their current strength, absorbing Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Rings would no longer pose a challenge.

But hunting Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest was clearly not ideal. Wang Qiu'er was, after all, the Emperor Auspicious Beast; they could hardly go on a killing spree in her own territory.

After pondering for a moment, Lin Xuan made his decision: they would head to the Evil Demon Forest.

There were many Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts there, making it just right for them.

After purchasing supplies on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest, the two headed straight for the Evil Demon Forest.

The Star Dou Great Forest lay within the Three Douluo Kingdoms, quite far from their destination. The two traveled for several days before finally arriving.

Over those days, Lin Xuan had tried to grow closer to Wang Qiu'er, but perhaps because of what had happened in the cave, her guard remained extremely high.

Even with the food Lin Xuan made, Wang Qiu'er would first set aside a small portion and find a Soul Beast to test it for poison. Only after confirming it was safe would she eat.

Clearly, her experience in the cave had left a deep shadow on her, keeping her constantly on high alert around Lin Xuan.

The Evil Demon Forest was located in the west-central region of the Sun Moon Empire, directly west of the Jingyang Mountain Range and southwest of Mingdu.

When Lin Xuan and Wang Qiu'er arrived, they saw nothing but coniferous forest stretching before them. Among the trees were countless blackish-gray branches and leaves, forming a dark, oppressive expanse. Before they had even entered, a suffocating sense of pressure washed over them.

"This is the place, Qiu'er. Let's go." Lin Xuan smiled gently at Wang Qiu'er beside him and grabbed her jade-like hand.

Wang Qiu'er froze slightly and instinctively tried to pull away, but Lin Xuan naturally had no intention of letting her have her way. His grip only tightened.

"Let go." Wang Qiu'er glared at Lin Xuan and ordered him.

"Let go of what?" Lin Xuan knowingly asked.

"What is your hand holding right now?" Wang Qiu'er's lovely brows drew together as she spoke.

"I'm not holding anything!" Lin Xuan raised his other hand and smiled with feigned confusion.

"Hm?" Wang Qiu'er's eyes narrowed slightly, and a dangerous aura spread from them. She immediately placed her other hand against Lin Xuan's waist, swiftly found the soft flesh there, and pinched down hard without the slightest hesitation!

Hiss!

Feeling the pain in his waist, Lin Xuan could not help drawing in a sharp breath.

"Qiu'er, go easy." Lin Xuan hurriedly caught Wang Qiu'er's troublesome little hand, but he still did not release the hand holding hers.

"Will you let go or not?" Wang Qiu'er increased the force of her grip again, even using a thread of Soul Power.

"No." Lin Xuan shook his head decisively. He ignored Wang Qiu'er's actions and simply let her keep pinching him.

After she pinched him for a while longer, a faint trace of blood had appeared at Lin Xuan's waist.

Yet even then, Lin Xuan still did not release Wang Qiu'er's hand.

Seeing Lin Xuan's shameless expression, Wang Qiu'er struggled fiercely, trying to free herself from his warm hand.

But Lin Xuan's hand was like an iron clamp, utterly unmoving. Wang Qiu'er tried several more times and even used some Soul Power, but it was still useless.

"You..." Wang Qiu'er bit her soft pink lower lip and glared up at Lin Xuan.

Lin Xuan continued smiling at her, his gaze as firm as ever, showing no intention of letting go.

After a moment of stalemate, Wang Qiu'er finally gave up struggling and could only let Lin Xuan hold her hand. Yet an unnoticed flush had risen onto her incomparably beautiful face.

"Let's go." Lin Xuan smiled faintly, as though the silent contest just now had never happened.

Holding Wang Qiu'er's hand, he stepped forward and was the first to enter the Evil Demon Forest.

After entering the Evil Demon Forest, Lin Xuan quietly spread his spiritual power through the surroundings, probing the activity ahead like an invisible spiderweb.

His martial soul was inherently a soul, granting him an extraordinary advantage in spiritual power.

Although his Soul Power was currently only at rank sixty, the strength of his spiritual power had long since reached the level of a Titled Douluo.

Such talent was monstrous. Even Huo Yuhao, who was renowned for spiritual power in the original work, likely could not have reached such a terrifying realm at rank sixty.

Under the cover of that powerful spiritual power, every blade of grass, every tree, and every rustle of wind in the outer region of the Evil Demon Forest was clearly reflected in his mind. No hidden danger could escape his notice.