Once this thought surfaced, it spread like wildfire through Xiao Yan's mind.
It's not about courting death, but about seriously calculating the possibilities.
Of course, more importantly, he needs a suitable battlefield.
The open plains above are the home ground of Titled Douluo; if a battle were to break out there, he wouldn't even have a one percent chance of winning.
He needed a place with complex terrain that could restrict the perception and movement of Titled Douluo, and even a place where he could use someone else to do his dirty work.
And coincidentally, there is such a place on the Douluo Continent.
Upon realizing this, Xiao Yan's direction in mid-air suddenly changed.
His wings drew a clean arc in the air, and he changed from flying north to flying west, before turning back after the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.
After a half-day chase, Xiao Yan finally saw the vast expanse of green on the horizon.
The green stretches endlessly from one end of the sky to the other, like a giant velvet carpet spread across the earth.
Countless towering ancient trees rose from the ground, their canopies blocking out the sun and enveloping the entire area in a dark and mysterious atmosphere.
He plunged headlong into a lush primeval forest.
It is the Star Dou Great Forest that spans two great empires in the Douluo Continent.
Xiao Yan was no stranger to the Star Dou Great Forest.
When they first came to the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt for Soul Ring, they personally experienced the terror of this forest.
The Star Dou Great Forest is one of the most dangerous places on the Douluo Continent. The number, variety, and strength of the Soul Beast here far exceed anyone's imagination.
More importantly, in the core area of this forest live two Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast.
The Sky Azure Bull Python and the Titan Giant Ape are beings that even Titled Douluo dare not easily provoke.
Even Titled Douluo dare not fully venture into the Star Dou Great Forest.
Because Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast have an extremely strong sense of territory, any powerful aura that enters their territory will be regarded as a provocation.
The aura of the Titled Douluo was too strong, so strong that as soon as he stepped into the core area, he would be immediately sensed by the Sky Azure Bull Python and the Titan Giant Ape.
By then, those two forest overlords won't care whether you're an elder of the Spirit Hall or a powerful figure from the continent.
Since they want to chase him, Xiao Yan will simply stir things up and match them with equally matched opponents.
Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast versus Titled Douluo —that's a true clash of equals.
At their peak, Yue Guan and Gui Mei might have been able to escape unscathed from two Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast.
However, both of them are now injured and their strength is greatly reduced. If they were to face the Sky Azure Bull Python and the Titan Giant Ape, they would probably only be able to flee in a sorry state.
When the time comes, he can more easily decide whether to stay or leave, allowing him to fish in troubled waters.
If he's lucky, he can take the opportunity to escape while Yue Guan and Gui Mei are entangled by the Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast.
If he were even luckier, Yue Guan and Gui Mei would have suffered a great loss in front of the Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, and he could have even waited for an opportunity to strike from the sidelines.
As expected, when they saw Xiao Yan plunge into the Star Dou Great Forest, Yue Guan and Gui Mei's expressions changed drastically.
The two stopped almost simultaneously, hovering in mid-air at the edge of the Star Dou Great Forest.
Yue Guan's brows furrowed, and a hint of barely concealed apprehension flashed in his narrow eyes.
The Gui Mei's expression was equally unpleasant.
Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast cannot be dealt with by just one or two Titled Douluo.
However, in the core area of Star Dou Great Forest, there is more than one such being.
"What to do?"
Yue Guan turned to look at the Gui Mei, his voice carrying a hint of hesitation that he himself was unwilling to admit.
He really wanted to capture Xiao Yan Xiao Yan obtain the secrets hidden within him.
But all of this is predicated on one thing—he is still alive.
If they chase them into the core area of Star Dou Great Forest and are ambushed by the Sky Azure Bull Python or the Titan Giant Ape, then they're not chasing people, they're going to their deaths.
The Gui Mei fell silent.
His gaze pierced through the layers of tree canopy at the edge of the forest, fixed on the direction where Xiao Yan's aura was rapidly penetrating deeper.
That forest was deep and ancient; even the midday sun couldn't penetrate its layered canopy.
From the depths of the dense forest came the faint roars of several Soul Beast, their roars rising and falling, weaving together a primal symphony that chilled the heart.
He could sense Xiao Yan's aura rapidly moving deeper into the forest, towards the core area of Star Dou Great Forest.
This kid is no simpleton. Choosing the Star Dou Great Forest as a breakthrough point is clearly not a rash decision made in desperation, but rather a premeditated plan.
He knew he couldn't outrun two Titled Douluo on the plains, so he planned to use the Star Dou Great Forest as a natural barrier to turn the tide.
"Go in, act quickly and decisively, and wait for the opportune moment."
The Gui Mei hesitated for only a moment before making its decision.
His voice was hoarse yet firm, carrying an undeniable coldness.
He knew exactly what Xiao Yan was planning.
This kid wanted to use the Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast in the Star Dou Great Forest to hold them off so he could escape.
But he knew even better that His Holiness the Pope had given a death order.
Yue Guan and Gui Mei had served in the Spirit Hall for many years and were well aware of Bibi Dong's methods.
If they fail to complete their mission and return, their fate will likely be no better than facing Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast.
His Holiness the Pope's punishments are sometimes more terrible than death.
Yue Guan and Gui Mei exchanged a glance and reached a consensus.
The secret hidden within Xiao Yan is far too important.
The coordinates of that other world, the ability to travel through space, and the cultivation techniques that were completely different from the Soul Power system.
If they could obtain these things, they might be able to stand at the pinnacle of this world, just like Bibi Dong.
By then, what will the Star Dou Great Forest be?
What are the Sky Azure Bull Python and the Titan Giant Ape compared to them?
They could crush these Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast as easily as crushing an ant.
Yue Guan and Gui Mei did not hesitate any longer.
A golden light flashed beneath Yue Guan, and he transformed into a golden meteor, hurtling towards the direction where Xiao Yan had disappeared.
Where he flew, several towering ancient trees were brushed by the golden light, and large pieces of branches and leaves were cut off from their crowns, leaving clean and smooth cuts.
The Gui Mei figure blurred in place, turning into a wisp of black smoke and disappearing into the shadows of the forest, his presence instantly becoming barely perceptible.
As we entered the forest, the surrounding light suddenly dimmed.
The dense canopy overhead completely blocked out the sunlight, with only a few streaks of light stubbornly squeezing through the gaps in the leaves, casting dappled patches of light on the forest floor.
The air was filled with the strong smell of humus, as well as the aura marks left by various Soul Beast.
Those ancient and wild scents intertwined in the air, creating an atmosphere that instinctively made people uneasy.
Taking advantage of his current extreme speed, Xiao Yan swiftly traversed the dense forest.
His figure moved nimbly among the thick tree trunks, sometimes skimming close to the ground, sometimes leaping onto the treetops to confirm his direction.
At this moment, he pushed his soul perception to its limit, spreading out like an invisible spider web, covering an area of several hundred feet in radius.
He could keenly sense the various auras scattered throughout the forest.
The auras varied in strength, ranging from ten-year or Hundred-Year Soul Beast that were only equivalent to human Soul Master to Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast that were strong enough to rival Soul Saint.
However, the Soul Beast on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest are too low-level.
Those hundred-year-old Wind Wolf, thousand-year-old Ghost Vine, and ten-thousand-year-old Cave Demon Spider are usually considered overlords in their own territories.
But after sensing the terrifying Dou Qi emanating from Xiao Yan, they didn't dare to show themselves even slightly.
The Heavenly Flames aura emanating from his Twin Flame Wings served as an instinctive deterrent to Soul Beast.
Xiao Yan didn't delay and sped towards the core of the Star Dou Great Forest.
These low-level Soul Beast on the periphery are just appetizers; his real target is the two Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast in the core area.
Only they can pose a real threat to the Yue Guan and the Gui Mei.
With their current speed, the three of them are naturally extremely fast.
Although Xiao Yan's Twin Flame Wings could not spread at full speed in the dense forest as they could on the plains, they were still as fast as lightning.
Yue Guan and Gui Mei followed closely behind. Although their speed was slightly slower, they moved through the forest as if on flat ground, thanks to their Titled Douluo cultivation.
The three of them moved faster and faster, carving out three straight passages through the Star Dou Great Forest.
From a high altitude, three clear marks can be seen simultaneously appearing in the dense forest, like three invisible arrows piercing into the depths of the forest.
Even though the Star Dou Great Forest is vast, spanning two great empires, it would take several hours for Titled Douluo to fly from one end to the other.
However, Xiao Yan and his two companions entered from the edge of the forest and went straight in, heading directly towards the core area.
In just half an hour, they had traversed the outer and transitional areas and were approaching the core area of Star Dou Great Forest.
The surrounding scenery changed noticeably without anyone noticing.
The trees have become thicker and older, with trunks so thick that it would take dozens of people to encircle them, and their ages are probably no less than several thousand years.
The tree canopy blocked out the sun almost entirely, enveloping the entire area in a dark and mysterious atmosphere.