"This time, we're going to Drak Province in the Star Luo Empire. The Soul Beast you need to hunt lives in the Dragon Flame Mountain Range."
Upon hearing that Meng Qianqiu had broken through to rank fifty, Meng Zhongqi immediately came to Spirit City and took him away.
Only midway through their journey did Meng Zhongqi reveal their destination for this Soul Hunt: Drak Province in the Star Luo Empire.
"Drak Province?"
"Drak Province lies at the southernmost tip of the Star Luo Empire. The Dragon Flame Mountain Range we're heading to is even more rarely visited."
"Grandpa, what kind of Soul Beast are we hunting this time?"
Meng Qianqiu was astonished too. What kind of Soul Beast could make Meng Zhongqi deign to cross the entire continent to hunt it personally?
"The Soul Beast we're hunting is a cousin of the King of the Earth, but it's a true sub-dragon Soul Beast."
"This Soul Beast is called the Blazing Fire Dragon. It's a sub-dragon Soul Beast with both fire and earth attributes, and its combat prowess is exceptionally formidable."
"Your father's seventh soul ring came from this kind of Soul Beast. Back then, he killed a Blazing Fire Dragon King and obtained a close-combat Soul Skill called-Fire Realm Dragon Fist!"
"That Soul Skill is tremendously powerful."
"Your Martial Soul is an external Martial Soul and doesn't enhance its Soul Master much. With this Soul Skill, you'll have the means to protect yourself."
Meng Zhongqi promptly spoke again to Meng Qianqiu.
"A close-combat Soul Skill?"
"All right, all right!"
"I do happen to need a defensive Soul Skill right now!"
Just as Meng Zhongqi had said, his Martial Soul was a rare external Martial Soul, so its sole weakness was the Soul Master himself.
Soul Masters with tool Martial Souls and beast Martial Souls could unleash all sorts of Soul Skills thanks to their Martial Souls' enhancements, giving them terrifying combat power.
By contrast, Soul Masters with external Martial Souls followed the summoner route, which allowed them to easily outnumber their opponents in the later stages.
But in the early and middle stages, the Soul Masters themselves lacked combat power. In battle, enemy Soul Masters could easily behead them, cutting their lives short.
The Star Luo Empire lay in the south of the Douluo Continent. Its vegetation and local customs were entirely different from those of the Heaven Dou Empire in the north, and everywhere exuded a distinctive foreign flavor.
Upon entering the Star Luo Empire, they immediately felt hot, humid air wash over their faces. Tall trees grew in the forests, towering into the clouds, and the vegetation was exceptionally lush.
The entire nation seemed brimming with life and vitality.
"The people of the Star Luo Empire are extremely fierce. From top to bottom, they believe only in the supremacy of the strong, which makes the entire nation exceptionally powerful."
"The Star Luo Empire and the Heaven Dou Empire lie in the south and north respectively, dividing almost the entire Douluo Continent between them."
"Although the two empires are comparable in size, the Star Luo Empire's overall strength far surpasses the Heaven Dou Empire's, and its fighting power is exceptionally ferocious."
Meng Zhongqi explained this to Meng Qianqiu as they traveled.
"Grandpa, I once read a legend in a book."
"It said that a whole group of terrifying ferocious beasts lives at the Lake of Life in the Star Dou Great Forest, right in the center of the Douluo Continent."
"These ferocious beasts rule over all Soul Beasts and have led armies of Soul Beasts in fierce battles against humanity for over ten thousand years."
"Spirit Hall and the two great empires were actually established to resist the great beast tides and ensure that humanity could continue to survive normally."
"Is that rumor true?"
Meng Qianqiu looked at Meng Zhongqi. Given Meng Zhongqi's status, he should have been qualified to know about the ferocious beasts in the Lake of Life.
"Where did you hear that?"
Meng Zhongqi looked at Meng Qianqiu, his tone becoming exceptionally solemn.
"What is it, Grandpa? Is that rumor false?"
Meng Qianqiu looked at Meng Zhongqi. The ferocious beasts of the Lake of Life had only officially appeared in Douluo II. Not a single one had appeared in Douluo I.
Thus, Meng Qianqiu was unsure whether any ferocious beasts actually existed beneath the Lake of Life, which was why he had asked to sound him out.
"That rumor isn't false!"
"But you mustn't tell anyone else about it."
"There's a vast secret realm beneath the Lake of Life. It's said that a deity of the Soul Beast Clan created it."
"Not only does the Soul Beast Clan have numerous ferocious beasts, but rumor has it that a deity of their clan presides over the mortal world!"
"By contrast, we humans have only a handful of Titled Douluo. That's why the two great empires and Spirit Hall have stationed armies along the borders-to defend against attacks by the Soul Beast Clan."
After becoming a Titled Douluo, Meng Zhongqi had chosen to become an elder of Spirit Hall, and thus learned many secrets.
"Only after cultivating to the Titled Douluo level did I learn that beyond every person stands someone greater, and beyond every heaven lies another heaven. Even someone as powerful as Qian Daoliu isn't invincible."
"Among the Soul Beast Clan, there's a being called Beast God Di Tian. His combat prowess is not the slightest bit inferior to Qian Daoliu's."
"Qian Daoliu himself told us this!"
"There are six great ferocious beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest, with dozens of hundred-thousand-year Soul Beasts under their command. Their strength cannot be underestimated."
"Alas, if a great beast tide comes, we humans can only barely contend with it by gathering all our Titled Douluo."
Meng Zhongqi sighed. After breaking through to Titled Douluo, he represented not only Spirit Hall, but all of humanity.
Whatever else might be said, Meng Zhongqi was human too.
The interests he sought to protect were humanity's as well.
"Once I break through to Titled Douluo, I'll eliminate the threat of the ferocious beasts in one stroke and lay the foundation for ten thousand generations of peace for humanity!"
Meng Qianqiu spoke at once. With twin Martial Souls at his disposal, he would definitely deal with these ferocious beasts once he cultivated to Titled Douluo.
"Fine ambition!"
Meng Zhongqi nodded and promptly offered further encouragement.
Neither of them was ordinary, so they traveled swiftly.
One was a Titled Douluo, while the other possessed a flight-type external soul bone. After three to five days of flying, they finally arrived at the Dragon Flame Mountain Range.
"The Dragon Flame Mountain Range is made up of a chain of active volcanoes. Many rare fire-attribute Soul Beasts live here."
"The Blazing Fire Dragon King we're looking for lives at the eighth active volcanic crater. This is the territory of the Blazing Fire Dragons."
"A Blazing Fire Dragon can only become a king after ten thousand years!"
"Back then, in this very place, you hunted a Blazing Fire Dragon King of around fifty thousand years for your father. As it happened, it also had a mate."
"The other Blazing Fire Dragon King is around forty thousand years old. Your father rejected it back then because its age was relatively low, but how could he have foreseen that this Soul Beast would now fall into your lap?"
At the thought, Meng Zhongqi could not help laughing. Gradually, however, his laughter faded, and a cloudy tear welled up in his eyes.
His son, the son he was proudest of, had gone to a perilous place. He had now been out of contact for ten years-ten whole years.
Of course, Meng Zhongqi had long since reached a conclusion about this. After disappearing in such a perilous place for ten years, there was only one possibility.
His son and daughter-in-law had both perished in that perilous place. Now that Meng Zhongqi had returned to this old haunt, the familiar sights stirred his feelings, and he could not help grieving.
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