The carriage traveled steadily toward the small town fifty kilometers outside the Star Dou Great Forest.
If Tian Chen's estimate was correct, this should be the town where the Shrek Seven Devils clashed with Canghui Academy in the original story.
After all, this was the only town near the Star Dou Great Forest.
Small as the town was, it had all its vital organs. Street vendors' cries filled the streets, and stalls displayed all manner of fresh Soul Beast corpses and defensive gear.
There were also teams forming groups to hunt Soul Beasts, much like those Tian Chen had seen in the Soul Hunting Forest.
At the sight of the luxurious carriage drawn by two Hundred-Year Soul Beasts, everyone instinctively stepped back, afraid of offending someone important.
One had to understand that the Douluo Continent was even crueler than one might imagine. Even if a high-level Soul Master killed you simply because he was in a bad mood, no one would stand up for you.
Thus, in the Soul Master World, ordinary Soul Masters always kept a respectful distance from sect disciples. This carriage alone was enough to show how distinguished its passengers were. After all, not just anyone could use two Hundred-Year Soul Beasts as mounts.
Tian Chen and Tian E stepped out of the carriage one after the other, paying no heed to the gazes around them. Leaving the driver to watch the carriage, the old man and the boy headed straight for the Star Dou Great Forest.
Because of their earlier disagreement, grandfather and grandson tacitly refrained from speaking.
Both were Soul Masters, and Tian E was even a Level 98 Super Douluo. Fifty kilometers was hardly anything to either of them.
With both deliberately quickening their pace, they arrived near the Star Dou Great Forest in less than an hour.
Waves of fresh fragrance wafted toward them from the forest. The scent of plants seeped into their hearts and lungs, bringing an indescribable comfort.
Tian Chen greedily drew a breath. All thirty-six thousand pores on his body seemed to open, and the refreshing sensation was beyond words.
Only after giving Tian Chen another stern round of reminders did Tian E lead him into the Star Dou Great Forest once more.
Whatever disagreements grandfather and grandson had had before, once they entered the Star Dou Great Forest, Tian E remained close at Tian Chen's side without straying a step.
Although his strength let him practically walk unhindered through the Star Dou Great Forest, he still circulated Soul Power within his body for his grandson's safety, ready to act at any moment.
On their previous visit to the Star Dou Great Forest, Tian E had flown him directly in from above. Only now did he truly experience the forest's unique qualities up close.
Compared with the Soul Hunting Forest, even the trees on its outermost edge stood over twenty meters tall. There were no paths at all through the dense forest, and layers of tree shadows concealed what truly lay within.
After they entered the forest, the air became even more comfortable. A refreshing sensation carried the moist fragrance of earth, continually stimulating Tian Chen's sense of smell as he looked around curiously. Compared with the Star Dou Great Forest, the Soul Hunting Forest was not even in the same league.
Seeing his grandson's reaction, Tian E smiled and began introducing the Star Dou Great Forest to him, including the distribution of Soul Beasts in its outer, mixed, and core zones, as well as which kinds of Soul Beasts were suited to the forest's various terrains.
With Tian E leading the way, the two had no need to take any detours and headed straight toward the Star Dou Great Forest's mixed zone.
Although the outer zone also contained Hundred-Year and even Thousand-Year Soul Beasts, the chances of encountering high-quality ones were far too low. He did not think he had Tang San and the others' luck, enough to encounter two exceptional Thousand-Year Soul Beasts-a Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent and a Man Faced Demon Spider-in succession.
The inhabitants of the mixed zone were generally packs led by a Thousand-Year Soul Beast, or powerful Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts that each occupied their own territory.
Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts were naturally out of the question for Tian Chen, but the Thousand-Year Soul Beasts living in packs here were excellent choices for him.
Not only could he choose Soul Rings ranging from younger to older, but any Thousand-Year Soul Beast capable of surviving in the mixed zone could hardly have a poor-quality bloodline.
Take why the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul had such formidable attack power. Its Martial Soul quality certainly played a part, but more importantly, every one of their Soul Skills came from a lesser dragon Soul Beast, and any Soul Beast connected to dragons had always been synonymous with strength.
Of course, Tian Chen did not believe his Golden Crocodile King Martial Soul was inferior to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon. The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon was called the continent's number one Beast Martial Soul merely because it enjoyed the advantage of having so many users.
If he could establish a clan and pass down its Golden Crocodile King Martial Soul, it remained to be seen which would truly be the continent's number one Beast Martial Soul.
Yu Tianheng, who was his age, had only barely broken through to level forty by his twenties.
Even without comparing him to Tian Chen, the captains of the Five Elemental Academies were no worse than him.
And that made him one of the Tyrant Dragon Clan's twin stars? What a joke.
It would be strange if a clan like that weren't wiped out.
The Star Dou Great Forest covered a vast area. The entire forest spanned the two great empires, covering even more land than a province. The distance from its outer zone to its mixed zone was hardly short.
To avoid alarming the nearby Soul Beasts, Tian E concealed his presence rather than flying directly over the Star Dou Great Forest with Tian Chen.
Traveling on foot took the pair quite some time. Along the way, they encountered several Thousand-Year Soul Beasts, but these were all ordinary beasts inclined toward the Agility Attack System, such as Netherworld Wolves and Shadow Leopards. Their attributes did not suit a strength-oriented Power Attack System Soul Master like Tian Chen.
Later, however, they did encounter a Soul Beast that suited him very well: a Scale Armor Beast with roughly eight hundred years of cultivation.
It was the same type of Soul Beast as Ning Rongrong's Fourth Soul Ring in the original story, except that Ning Rongrong's had been a Scale Armor Beast with four thousand years of cultivation.
The defensive power of this kind of Soul Beast was absolutely among the best of all Soul Beasts at the same level. Naturally, it suited Tian Chen very well, too.
Tian Chen's Golden Crocodile King Martial Soul already excelled at defense and was absolutely a top-tier existence among Beast Martial Souls. Even the Star Luo Imperial Family's White Tiger Martial Soul and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul were absolutely no match for Tian Chen's Golden Crocodile King in terms of defense.
Tian Chen himself did not deny that absorbing this Scale Armor Beast's Soul Ring would give him a very good Soul Skill.
However, he was still somewhat unwilling to absorb a Hundred-Year Soul Ring as his Second Soul Ring. Despite Tian E's strenuous persuasion, he ultimately decided to give up on this Soul Ring.
Qian Renxue should be arranged to make her appearance before long. However, the little fox should be the first one he takes.