Only after reaching the town on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest did Li Ye stop.
He and Liu Erlong had agreed to meet in this town before heading into the depths of the Star Dou Forest together to find a suitable Soul Ring for him.
For his fourth Soul Ring, Yu Xiaogang had strongly recommended hunting a Vajra White Tiger around twenty thousand years old. Absorbing its Soul Ring would increase his strength while also granting him a Soul Skill that boosted all attributes, making it an excellent choice.
According to Yu Xiaogang, however, the Vajra White Tiger did not provide the most suitable Soul Ring for a spear-type tool Martial Soul. If Li Ye was lucky enough to encounter a Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear, even one merely ten thousand years old, its Soul Ring would be far better than that of a Vajra White Tiger over twenty thousand years old.
But everyone knew that Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bears were few in number and hid within the inner regions of the Star Dou Forest. Their strength far surpassed that of Soul Beasts of the same cultivation, even rivaling the Titan Giant Ape race.
Even if Li Ye happened to encounter one ten or twenty thousand years old, he and Liu Erlong would still have to expend considerable effort to bring it down.
"Teacher-no, Sister, why did we have to dress up like this just to hunt Soul Rings in the Star Dou Forest? We look like a pair of sister bandits. And why can't I call you Teacher outside? Why do I have to call you Sister?"
"Nana, I made time to accompany you to hunt a Soul Ring. Just listen to your teacher, or next time I'll have Elders Chrysanthemum and Ghost bring you."
"No, no, no! I still prefer having you, Teacher-no, no, Sister-bring me to hunt a Soul Ring."
Naturally, Hu Liena would rather have Bibi Dong accompany her to hunt a Soul Ring than Chrysanthemum Guan and Gui Mei.
For one thing, she particularly enjoyed being around Bibi Dong. For another, although Chrysanthemum Guan and Gui Mei were both very nice and took good care of her, one was a cross-dresser and the other a half-dead living corpse. Being with them was still somewhat less comfortable than being around Bibi Dong.
Most people who came to this Soul Hunting Town were there to hunt Soul Rings. Amid this jumble of fish and dragons, the sudden arrival of two sisters as beautiful as celestial maidens instantly stirred up some of the more restless individuals.
Compared with the men in the crowd staring wide-eyed at Bibi Dong and Hu Liena, Li Ye behaved far better.
Although he too thought Bibi Dong and Hu Liena were stunningly beautiful, he would not go so far as to stare at them constantly, nor would his gaze keep flicking toward their **.
Besides, he was waiting for Liu Erlong. A couple of extra glances at beautiful women were enough; there really was no need to keep staring.
Compared with those around him whose eyes brimmed with lust and whose faces wore disgusting smiles, Li Ye was a breath of fresh air: not particularly tall, somewhat youthful-looking, and quite handsome, with a glimmer of brightness in his eyes.
Even Hu Liena, who had seen plenty of handsome men who thought themselves extraordinary, could not help glancing toward Li Ye.
"So young, yet he's already become a Soul Ancestor. Even Xiao Xue wasn't this talented back then, was she?"
As a rank ninety-six Titled Douluo, Bibi Dong naturally discerned Li Ye's strength and approximate age at a glance.
Alongside her surprise, she also began considering recruiting Li Ye. With his talent, even setting godhood aside, becoming a Titled Douluo was practically nailed to the board, and reaching Peerless Douluo would not be particularly difficult either.
If she could draw Li Ye into Spirit Hall and have him join her faction, her chances of unifying the continent in the future would increase further. Taking him as her disciple would be even better.
But before she could speak, several burly men with lust written all over their faces blocked their path. Then a short middle-aged man, just over 1.6 meters tall, with an extremely sleazy appearance and an eyepatch over his left eye, slowly approached.
As he walked, the man kept talking. "Beauties, my name is Mokena, and I'm a rank fifty-nine Soul King. Seeing as neither of you has any company, I thought I'd invite you both for a little drink. Then we could find a fine time and a lovely setting to get to know each other in depth. How about it?"
Hu Liena had little experience of the world, so her words and actions were naturally less mature than Bibi Dong's. She immediately said with undisguised disgust, "Get as far away from me as you can, you disgusting creeps! Stop being an eyesore in front of my sister and me. If you want drinks and some in-depth interaction, go find those female dogs over there. They're better suited to you!"
"Oh dear, little beauty, that wasn't very nice. I invited you politely. How could you say something so aggressive?" As Mokena spoke, his eyes kept flicking toward Li Ye.
Having tempered herself in Slaughter City, Bibi Dong had long since gained a profound understanding of human nature and knew almost all its sinister aspects.
Yet although these burly men before her, including the short man, appeared on the surface to be scum blinded by lust, there was no desire for her or Hu Liena in their eyes, nor did they carry the murderous aura born of excessive killing.
Clearly, then, although these people were no good, they were not utterly irredeemable, and their targets did not seem to be the two women.
Combined with the expressions and quiet conversations of those around them, it was obvious that practically everyone recognized these men. Their reactions showed only lament and fear, without regret or bitter loathing.
Just what sort of people would provoke such a reaction from those around them?
To be honest, Bibi Dong could not figure it out right away either. That was also why she had not acted immediately.
Hu Liena knew none of this, so after Mokena spoke again, she immediately retorted, "Don't think I don't know what you're up to. Take another step closer, and never mind a mere Soul King-even if you were Soul Emperors or Soul Saints, my sister and I would cripple you!"
"Oh my, little beauty, how can you be so savage? Today, your uncle here is going to give you a proper lesson and teach you some manners."
As he spoke, Mokena's gaze sharpened, and he stepped forward with his right foot. Five Soul Rings-yellow, yellow, purple, purple, and black-appeared around him, followed by lengths of iron chain as black as ink.
At the sight, Hu Liena's expression darkened, and she cast a somewhat grave glance at Bibi Dong beside her. But seeing her teacher's calm, unruffled demeanor, she simply stayed where she was without moving, not even intending to summon her Martial Soul.
Noticing Hu Liena's behavior, Bibi Dong was rather speechless. A moment ago, Hu Liena had looked ready to beat him up, yet now she did not even intend to move.
What, you expect your teacher to solve every problem? Nothing comes that easily.
And so Bibi Dong simply left matters alone too, allowing Mokena's chains to swing freely.
"Scared already? Third Soul Skill, Grievous Restraint!"
As the purple Soul Ring flashed around Mokena, the pitch-black chains instantly transformed into several venomous pythons, whipping up explosive cracks as they shot toward Bibi Dong and Hu Liena to bind them.
From the looks of it, they seemed determined not to stop until they had tied the two women up in elaborate knots.
"What's so impressive about a bunch of grown men bullying two women?!"
Because he was a little too far away, and the burly men behind Mokena blocked his view, Li Ye had not seen Bibi Dong's and Hu Liena's expressions.
He could only tentatively judge from their conversation that the two women had been frightened and did not dare resist.
As an outstanding male Soul Master of the new era, Li Ye naturally would not let this scum bully these two peerless beauties. He immediately decided to play the hero rescuing the beauties and show off his flair.
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