A week later, in the Star Dou Great Forest.
No one could say how many years the Star Dou Great Forest had existed on the Douluo Continent. Ancient trees blotted out the sky as far as the eye could see, even the thinnest requiring several people to encircle their trunks.
Gnarled vines hung between the trees, weaving vast, dark-green nets. The air brimmed with the rich vitality unique to a primeval forest, mingled with the fragrance of vegetation and damp earth. The moment he entered, his mind cleared and his spirits lifted.
Even at noon, looking in from outside the forest revealed only a deep, shadowy expanse of green. The overlapping canopies sifted the sunlight into fragments, leaving only scattered patches on the ground, like broken gold strewn across the humus.
Occasional beast roars drifted out from the depths of the dense forest, low and distant, echoing through the gloom. To ordinary Soul Masters, they were a natural deterrent.
But Nezha had been here more than once, so naturally, he felt no fear.
He slowly entered, his Wind Fire Wheels hovering three inches above the ground. Crimson and cyan-blue vortices intertwined at their hubs, carrying him soundlessly over the layer of decaying leaves.
He drew a deep breath, feeling an indescribable ease in body and mind, as though all thirty-six thousand pores across his body had opened. The vitality of the Star Dou Great Forest was so dense it seemed almost tangible, and every breath felt like swallowing the very essence of life.
His purpose on this trip was clear-to obtain his fourth Soul Ring.
As for Elder Wu? Of course, he was hiding in the shadows to watch over him.
Before they left, Wu Yun had clapped him on the shoulder, his mouth splitting into a broad grin beneath his wiry beard. "You're already a Soul Ancestor, brat. You'll make this trip on your own. I'll follow behind, but I won't step in unless there's absolutely no other choice."
Nezha had rolled his eyes at the time. Are you watching over me or leaving me to roam free?
There was nothing for it. Nezha could only handle things himself.
Along the way, he dealt with a few ten-year and hundred-year soul beasts that were too blind to know better.
One Gale Wolf recklessly challenged him, its green fur bristling as it lunged with bared teeth. He shattered its skull with the butt of his spear and casually tossed it into a roadside ditch.
There was also a Mandala Snake as thick as the mouth of a bowl, its dark-green scales gleaming with a dusky violet sheen. It dropped upside down from the canopy in an ambush, its venomous fangs almost grazing the back of his neck.
Without even turning his head, Nezha thrust the Fire-Tipped Spear backward. The purple flame at its tip touched the snake's vulnerable spot just below its head, and its entire body went limp, falling silent amid the smell of scorched flesh.
Nezha did not linger. He continued straight into the forest in the same direction.
Not long afterward, a hazy red figure silently appeared where Nezha had just passed. The figure did not approach too closely, maintaining a moderate distance as he trailed behind Nezha.
Fiery-red hair flickered in and out of sight in the dim forest. The temperature around him was slightly higher than his surroundings, and the rotten leaves beneath his feet gave off faint wisps of scorched smoke.
And so Nezha traveled through the forest for two days without stopping, day or night, finally reaching the mixed zone of the Star Dou Great Forest.
The trees here were even taller, their branches and foliage even denser. Many were thousands of years old, their trunks covered in thick moss and parasitic vines. Their crowns joined high overhead to form an impenetrable dome.
The soul beasts here generally had around ten thousand years of cultivation. Even Nezha had to become more cautious.
He no longer carried the Fire-Tipped Spear lazily over his shoulder, instead holding it in his hand. He suppressed the purple flame at its tip until only a thin halo clung to the spearhead, keeping himself ready without drawing too much attention.
He encountered several bouts of trouble along the way.
Once, he accidentally entered the territory of a ten-thousand-year soul beast. It was a jet-black Shadow Leopard the size of a calf, its entire body shrouded in black mist. Amber slit pupils lit up in the shadows, fixing him with an icy, dangerous stare.
Nezha did not attack rashly. A ten-thousand-year soul beast could rival a human Soul Ancestor or even a Soul King in combat. It was not his target on this trip, so there was no need to waste Soul Power here.
He slowly retreated, his Wind Fire Wheels gliding almost flush with the ground. Only after he had withdrawn from its territory did the Shadow Leopard avert its gaze and vanish back into the darkness.
Another time, he encountered a group of thousand-year Azure Water Toads beside a stream. There were more than a dozen, puffing out their cheeks and croaking noisily. The liquid secreted by their venom glands had dyed even the stream pale green. Nezha took a detour rather than provoke them.
For two days and two nights, he had barely closed his eyes. The Great Firmament Celestial Art circulated slowly within him, replenishing the Soul Power he expended on traveling, so he did not feel tired. Occasionally, he stopped for a few bites of dry rations and a few mouthfuls of stream water before continuing deeper.
Only on the morning of the third day did he stop at the edge of a valley.
The valley was small, surrounded by mountains, with a little stretch of level grassland in its center. Dew still clung to the blades of grass. Several natural caves dotted the valley walls, their entrances worn smooth, clearly frequented by soul beasts. In the deepest part of the valley, a massive crimson beast lay sprawled on an enormous slab of blue-gray stone.
It was a Crimson Flame Demon Lion. As large as a full-grown bull, it was covered in crimson scales whose edges gleamed with a dark-gold sheen. Its mane resembled a ring of burning flames, extending from its neck all the way down its spine.
It was dozing with its eyes closed. With each breath, two wisps of scorching white smoke spurted from its nostrils, curling the grass blades before it with their heat.
Occasionally, it flicked its tail, and the crimson flame at its tip seared a blackened streak across the ground.
Nezha crouched in the canopy at the edge of the valley, his fiery-red eyes narrowing slightly as he studied the Crimson Flame Demon Lion. Judging by its size and aura, it had only just reached ten thousand years of cultivation. Its fire attribute was an excellent match for his Ultimate Fire martial soul.
The corner of his mouth lifted slightly.
You'll be my fourth Soul Ring.
Just then, a figure appeared behind the Crimson Flame Demon Lion.
She was not particularly enormous, measuring around three meters in length. She resembled a lion, yet was more graceful and magnificent than any lion-type soul beast. A coat of brilliant golden fur covered her body, shimmering in the dim forest, every hair tip seeming plated with molten gold. Her four paws rested on the ground, faint golden-red flames burning beneath her dragonlike claws, making her look like a small sun that had fallen into the shadowy forest.
Most breathtaking of all was her head.
Besides her two normal golden eyes, she had a third, vertical red eye in the very center of her forehead. That eye was half-open, lava-like light flowing deep within its pupil. Even a casual sweep of her gaze sent an inexplicable shudder rising from the base of one's spine.
Crouching in the canopy, Nezha's mouth twitched slightly.
"No way..."
He stared at the Auspicious Beast with her brilliant golden body and three eyes, his fiery-red eyes filled with disbelief.
"Have I replaced Huo Yuhao as the child of destiny? Even the Emperor Auspicious Beast has shown up..."
He rapidly sifted through his memories of the original story. The Emperor Auspicious Beast, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, was a fortuitous encounter Huo Yuhao had in the Star Dou Great Forest in the original. She carried the fortune of the Star Dou Great Forest, and her destiny had become intertwined with Huo Yuhao's. Later, she had even taken human form, becoming Wang Qiu'er.
But now, Huo Yuhao was probably on his way to the Far North, while the Emperor Auspicious Beast had appeared before him instead.
What did this mean? Had I stolen Huo Yuhao's opportunity? Or was there something about me that had attracted the Emperor Auspicious Beast?
Before you continue