The Next Destination-"Mistveil Valley"

Lu Xuan's words hung in the air, stirring a sense of anticipation for the unknown.

Xiao Shenghe paused. He had expected them to return to the Clouded Deer clan's territory once the inheritance was complete. He hadn't expected another destination.

He glanced at Lu Yao beside him. Curiosity glimmered in her emerald eyes, but she showed no hesitation. She trusted Lu Xuan's arrangements completely.

"Where are we going next?"

Xiao Shenghe couldn't help asking. His newly evolved Symbiotic Heaven Soul Martial Soul trembled faintly, as though it, too, sensed the journey ahead.

Lu Xuan kept walking, his gray-green robe swaying in the forest breeze.

"Mistveil Valley, deep in the Star Dou Great Forest. Many ancient Soul Beast clans live there, and it holds a clue related to the Secret of Symbiosis."

He turned toward Chen Xin and Gu Rong.

"With two Douluo accompanying us, everyone will be safe. You'll also get to see more of the Soul Beast world that few people know about."

Chen Xin stroked the long sword in his hand, interest showing in his eyes.

"Mistveil Valley? I've heard of it. They say thick fog covers it year-round, and ordinary Soul Masters dare not enter lightly."

Gu Rong traced a thin finger through the air. His Soul Power perception spread silently across several miles.

"Good. I'd like to see whether the Soul Beasts there can form a symbiosis with humans too."

The group followed a woodland path, with Xiao Shenghe and Lu Yao walking side by side in the middle.

A silver-and-emerald symbiotic glow lingered around them, faintly resonating with the Skyvault Bamboo King's blue-gold Soul Power and the Tigerfang Blazing Panda's orange-red Soul Power deep within their souls.

Whenever they encountered a young Soul Beast along the way, it sensed the group's powerful presence.

The pressure from the two Titled Douluo and from Lu Xuan and Lu Xue, two transformed Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts, sent them all scurrying away.

"Brother Shenghe, can you sense how the Bamboo King and Senior Panda are doing?"

Lu Yao spoke softly. She could sense Xiao Shenghe's condition through their Symbiotic Link, but she could not communicate directly with the two Soul Spirits.

Xiao Shenghe closed his eyes and focused for a moment. Then he smiled.

"They're doing well. The Bamboo King is absorbing the essence of the plants along our route, while Senior Panda is wondering when it can find another opponent to spar with."

He paused, then added,

"And I can feel my connection with them growing stronger. Now I can draw on a little of their power without even calling to them."

As he spoke, he raised a hand. A wisp of blue-gold Soul Power flowed from his fingertip and became a fine bamboo filament that coiled gently around a nearby tree trunk.

Then orange-red Soul Power surged forth. A thin layer of flame instantly covered the filament, but it did not ignite the tree. It merely burned away the moss on its surface.

"That's the benefit of symbiotic Soul Spirits."

Lu Xue glanced back, her voice warm with approval.

"No sacrifice, no depletion of a Soul Beast's life essence. You can lend each other strength and even grow together."

Lu Xuan added,

"Once your Soul Power rises a little more, you'll be able to resonate with them on a deeper level. You may even briefly borrow their Soul Skills."

"But be careful for now. Your body is still adapting to the power of two Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Spirits. Don't rush it."

"I understand."

Xiao Shenghe nodded and withdrew the Soul Power from his fingertip.

He could feel that although his Soul Power had stabilized at level 30, the Soul Elder realm, the power of the two Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Spirits was like volcanoes lying dormant within him. He would need time to adjust before he could control it fully.

The group pressed on, stopping now and then. Before long, the trees around them had grown taller and thicker. Their branches and leaves blotted out the sun, and the forest steadily darkened.

Mist began to thicken in the air. Visibility dwindled, and everything in the distance blurred.

"We're nearly at the edge of Mistveil Valley."

Lu Xuan stopped, his expression turning grave.

"The mist here contains faint, illusion-inducing Soul Power. Ordinary Soul Masters can easily lose their way. Stay close to me. Don't get separated."

He raised a hand and released a thread of gray-green Soul Power. It became a slender ribbon of light that floated ahead of the group, guiding their way.

At the same time, a gentle pressure radiated from him, pushing back some of the surrounding mist.

Chen Xin raised an eyebrow and circulated his Soul Power, enveloping himself and Gu Rong.

"This mist is no ordinary fog. There's a trace of Mental Interference mixed into it."

Gu Rong nodded.

"No wonder ordinary Soul Masters won't come in. Once the mist affects them, they could easily fall into an illusion and end up prey to the Soul Beasts lying in wait."

Just then, Xiao Shenghe stopped abruptly and frowned.

"I sense Soul Beasts ahead. More than one."

Through his soul connection with the Skyvault Bamboo King, he could clearly sense the movements of the surrounding plants. The Tigerfang Blazing Panda's ferocious aura also gave him a keen instinct for danger.

Lu Xuan's gaze sharpened.

"Are they native to Mistveil Valley?"

"I'm not sure."

Xiao Shenghe shook his head.

"Their auras are all mixed together. There are gentle plant Soul Beasts and fierce beast Soul Beasts. And they seem to be... fighting?"

Lu Yao pricked up her ears. The Clouded Deer clan was naturally close to nature, and she could faintly hear sounds of combat and Soul Beast roars ahead.

"I think a Soul Beast has been hurt. Its cries sound painful."

Chen Xin's eyes narrowed.

"Could human Soul Masters be hunting them?"

"Unlikely."

Lu Xuan shook his head.

"Mistveil Valley's fog interferes with mental perception. An ordinary Soul Master team wouldn't venture this deep. Besides, what I'm sensing feels more like a territorial fight between Soul Beasts."

He considered it for a moment, then said,

"Let's take a look. The Soul Beast clans of Mistveil Valley have always kept out of one another's way. A sudden fight might have something to do with the clue we're looking for."

The group quickened their pace, following the ribbon of light toward the sounds of battle.

The mist grew denser until they could see less than ten meters ahead. The air turned cold, and now and then they heard branches snapping and Soul Beasts roaring.

After roughly the time it took an incense stick to burn, the mist ahead suddenly thinned. A relatively open clearing came into view.

More than a dozen Soul Beasts were locked in fierce combat there. On one side stood several enormous Rock Giant Rhinos, their bodies covered in thick stone armor and radiating earth-yellow Soul Power. They were clearly defensive Soul Beasts;

on the other was a pack of swift Windblade Foxes. Small and agile, they spat razor-sharp wind blades at the Rock Giant Rhinos' weak points.