After learning that Tang Ya was an Evil Soul Master, Huo Yuhao lost interest, though he lacked the power to kill her. If he had the strength, he might have punished evil and upheld good, but he did not.
The atmosphere turned exceedingly strange. Throughout the rest of the meal, none of the three spoke another word. Bei Bei also clearly sensed that Tang Ya had suddenly grown much more distant toward him, and he immediately turned his gaze to Huo Yuhao.
He realized that Huo Yuhao did possess a unique charm-or rather, a very unusual air about him. He could not put the feeling into words, but it was deeply captivating.
Huo Yuhao was also remarkably handsome, even a little better-looking than he was. A sense of crisis immediately stirred in Bei Bei's heart.
He and Tang Ya had not known each other for long. No, that was not quite right-Tang Ya had not known him for long. Bei Bei had approached her first. Ever since discovering this strong, beautiful, kind, and optimistic girl, he had fallen hopelessly in love with her.
Finally, some time ago, he had gathered the courage to approach Tang Ya, using his desire to join the Tang Sect as a pretext to slowly draw closer to her.
At last, their friendship had turned into something flirtatious. Still, their relationship had not yet reached that stage.
They were, in other words, not quite lovers.
Yet Huo Yuhao's sudden appearance now filled him with a sense of crisis, as though all his efforts during this time had gone to waste.
Could someone in this world really capture another person's heart with a single glance? Was Tang Ya truly that shallow?
Bei Bei sank into profound doubt.
Seeing the awkward atmosphere, Huo Yuhao felt rather embarrassed as well. After all, he had caused it.
He had himself to blame. After returning to his own body, he had yet to adjust to its current state.
Within his shadow, he was still Qian Renhan. He felt no psychological burden over killing Tang San, because Tang San was a heavenly demon from beyond this realm.
Thus, even though he had fallen into evil, he had never abandoned the justice in his heart. That was the advantage an excellent upbringing brought.
Whatever sort of person educated you, that was the sort of person you would grow into. It was inevitable.
Huo Yuhao had learned all of Qian Daoliu's virtues. He loathed evil and could not tolerate even a speck of it in his sight.
That was why he had been unable to resist speaking out today.
In truth, the correct course would have been to say nothing and quietly leave.
Unfortunately, he had failed to restrain himself. He swore that from now on, he would think deeply and settle on a plan before acting.
Letting out a long breath, Huo Yuhao saw no reason to stay any longer. The atmosphere here was simply too awkward.
When he saw Huo Yuhao rise to leave, delight appeared on Bei Bei's face. He had actually wanted to take Tang Ya away, but she had remained silent, clearly weighed down by her thoughts, so he had felt it inappropriate to interfere too much.
Now that Huo Yuhao was leaving, he could hardly contain his joy!
Huo Yuhao gave a slight bow in farewell. "We met like drifting duckweed and enjoyed our conversation, but no banquet under heaven lasts forever. If fate permits, we'll meet again." With that, he turned and walked away.
Bei Bei and Tang Ya watched Huo Yuhao's retreating back in silence. Only after he had vanished from sight did Tang Ya's gaze suddenly turn resolute, and she dashed after him in the direction he had disappeared.
"Bei Bei, don't follow me. I have something to ask that younger boy. I'll be back soon."
After tossing out those words, Tang Ya swiftly disappeared from Bei Bei's sight as well.
Bei Bei's expression soured. Worried about Tang Ya's safety, he still followed slowly. He promised himself that as long as the two did not enter the Star Dou Great Forest, he would not catch up to them.
To the northwest of the Star Dou Great Forest, a figure with golden light gleaming in his eyes slowly stepped into this cradle of Soul Beasts. Huo Yuhao's other two Phantom Bodies had entered the Star Dou Great Forest long ago; he alone had only just arrived.
He was a full day behind Huo Yuhao.
That was because he was the only one who had reached the Star Dou Great Forest on foot. Only he knew the bitterness of that journey.
Unfortunately, he was only a Phantom Body and could not shed tears. Otherwise, his eyes would surely have brimmed with hot tears!
As soon as the Phantom Body entered the great forest, he began searching for Soul Beasts between five hundred and one thousand years old, preferably ones with a mental attribute. Still, it would not matter if he could not find any. Those with light or fire attributes would do as well.
The Glazed Divine Fire Eyes Phantom Body's requirements for a Soul Ring were not particularly high. Any Soul Beast under a thousand years old with a matching attribute would suffice. He could not defeat one older than a thousand years, but he had no use for one right now anyway.
He was confident that he could successfully hunt a hundred-year Soul Beast even without a Soul Ring.
And after obtaining his first Soul Ring, he was confident he could kill a thousand-year Soul Beast for his second Soul Ring and successfully absorb it. That was the confidence his god-level Martial Soul gave him.
Since he was only a Phantom Body now, there was no such thing as a physical absorption limit. As long as his Martial Soul could withstand it, he could successfully absorb the Soul Ring.
Of course, his Martial Soul had an absorption limit too. A thousand-year one was possible, but absorbing a ten-thousand-year Soul Beast for his first Soul Ring was utterly out of the question. Besides, he could not defeat a ten-thousand-year Soul Beast right now anyway.
Continuing his search, the Glazed Divine Fire Eyes Phantom Body soon found a seven-hundred-year Scarlet Flame Tiger with a fire attribute. Soul Beasts with mental and light attributes were difficult to find, but the Star Dou Great Forest had plenty of fire-attribute Soul Beasts.
Just then, however, the ground suddenly cracked, and the temperature around him plummeted. The seven-hundred-year Scarlet Flame Tiger immediately fled.
Then an enormous white silkworm burrowed out directly beneath the Glazed Divine Fire Eyes Phantom Body's feet. He had seen his share of the world, after all, since he possessed Huo Yuhao's memories.
The Glazed Divine Fire Eyes Phantom Body recognized him at a glance as an ice silkworm from a gathering ground of ice and snow Soul Beasts. Ice silkworms were generally tiny, but this one's size far exceeded anything he had imagined.
There were even ten brilliant golden markings on his body. One look was enough to tell that he was no ordinary ice silkworm, and his next action only further confirmed the Glazed Divine Fire Eyes Phantom Body's suspicions.
This ice silkworm actually spoke in a human tongue.
"Hahahahaha! I finally found a human with a mental attribute, and your mental strength is so high, too! Too bad I can't cry, or tears would be streaming down my face right now!"
The moment the ice silkworm before him finished speaking, the Glazed Divine Fire Eyes Phantom Body's expression turned grave, and he turned to flee.
A Soul Beast capable of human speech had to be at least a hundred thousand years old-an existence far beyond his ability to resist.
He could die too. If he died, his original body would lose a Martial Soul. If he could escape, he would; if he could not, he could only ask his original body for help.
Such were the Glazed Divine Fire Eyes Phantom Body's thoughts.
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