The valley was deathly silent.
Even the wind seemed to have stopped. Only the mist rising from the waters of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well swirled soundlessly through the air.
Dugu Bo's expression went from shock to a daze, then to the incredulous look of someone staring at a madman.
He had lived to a ripe old age and prided himself on being knowledgeable and experienced, yet the shocks he had received today outstripped those of the past few decades combined.
A Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring for the Seventh Soul Ring?
What did that even mean?
It was an iron law of the Soul Master World that there were limits to the Soul Rings one could absorb!
And that was only in theory!
In reality, who would dare gamble with their life like that?
"My lord... you, you can't be serious, can you?"
Before Dai Weisi could speak, Zhu Zhuyun seemed to remember something. The worry on her face suddenly vanished, replaced by a faint smile tinged with pride and helplessness.
She stepped forward and gave Dugu Bo a slight nod.
"Your Majesty Dugu Bo, you need not be surprised."
Her voice was cool and pleasant, and it rang especially clear in the silent valley.
"His Highness's Sixth Soul Ring was already a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring."
Those words exploded in Dugu Bo's mind like a thunderbolt from the ninth heaven!
"W-what?!"
Dugu Bo's eyes bulged, and he froze in place as if someone had cast an immobilization spell on him.
He turned his head instinctively, his gaze fixed on Dai Weisi.
Dai Weisi grinned, and his Soul Rings appeared!
Purple, yellow, purple, purple, black, red!
Red?!
Wasn't that the sign of a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring?!
His sixth ring... was already a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring?!
"Gulp."
Dugu Bo swallowed with difficulty. He felt as though his worldview was being pressed to the ground and rubbed against it over and over, until it had shattered beyond recognition.
A monster!
A freak!
The word genius couldn't fucking begin to describe him anymore!
He was a complete and utter abnormality!
He, Dugu Bo, was a rank ninety-one Titled Douluo, yet even his Ninth Soul Ring was only at the sixty-thousand-year level!
But the man before him... his sixth ring was already a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring!
And now he wanted to make his seventh ring a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring too!
Comparing oneself to others really could make a person sick with envy!
The real question was, how had he done it?
Forget it. He wouldn't think about it for now!
Dugu Bo let out a long breath, as though trying to expel all the shock from his chest.
When he looked at Dai Weisi again, his gaze had completely changed. It held a mixture of awe, fervor, and a flicker of understanding.
No wonder!
No wonder his lord possessed such terrifying strength, and had been so confident when facing him earlier!
He simply wasn't a mortal!
"This old servant... this old servant failed to see clearly."
Dugu Bo bowed deeply to Dai Weisi, lowering himself as far as he could. Not a trace of doubt remained in his voice, only pure admiration and respect.
"My lord's divine might is beyond the understanding of ordinary people. However..."
He changed tack, a troubled look appearing on his face again.
"My lord, vast as the Sunset Forest is, according to this old servant's investigations over the years, the strongest Soul Beasts here are only at the eighty- or ninety-thousand-year level. I have never heard any trace of a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast."
Dai Weisi was not surprised. He nodded and turned his gaze toward the distant south.
"I know."
His voice was calm.
"If there aren't any in the Sunset Forest, we'll go somewhere that has them."
"There are quite a few Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest!"
At that name, Dugu Bo's expression grew graver than ever.
"My lord, you must not act rashly!"
This time, his attempt to dissuade Dai Weisi was not because he doubted his abilities, but because of a Titled Douluo's knowledge and awe of that forbidden land.
"My lord, forgive this old servant for speaking frankly. The difficulty of hunting a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast goes far beyond what the number of its years can convey."
Dugu Bo spoke rapidly as he laid out his analysis.
"First, a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast's intelligence is no less than a human's. They know how to seek good fortune and avoid danger, and how to set ambushes and turn the tables on their attackers. They are extremely difficult to deal with! Second, their combat strength has already surpassed that of us Titled Douluo!"
"Even with this old servant and Douluo Shi Mo helping you, I fear we would barely be able to hold one off and contend with it. Killing one would be as hard as ascending to heaven!"
He paused, his expression growing even more serious.
"Most importantly, the core region of the Star Dou Great Forest is an empire of Soul Beasts!"
"There is more than one Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast there, without a doubt! Rumor has it that the true kings of the forest dwell around the Lake of Life at its heart!"
"And once we attack one of those Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts, we are very likely to draw other powerful beings into a joint attack on us!"
"When that happens, never mind obtaining a Soul Ring-even whether we can retreat in one piece will be in question!"
Every point Dugu Bo made was sound, and Zhu Zhuyun, standing nearby, could not help but feel her heart rise into her throat.
She trusted Dai Weisi, but the situation Dugu Bo described was far too dangerous.
Even two Titled Douluo joining forces had no confidence of success. It was already beyond anything she could imagine.
Yet in an unnoticed corner, amid the tense, somber atmosphere, a pair of icy eyes suddenly lit up with a blazing light.
Zhu Zhuqing lay on the ground, unable to move, but she heard every word with perfect clarity.
The Star Dou Great Forest!
Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts!
Those two terms were like a key, instantly opening the floodgates of her memory!
That was it!
After the finals of the Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament, hadn't their teammate Xiao Wu been taken away by Tang San and his father, the mysterious man in black robes?
She remembered clearly that the mysterious, powerful man was none other than the legendary Clear Sky Douluo, Tang Hao!
And Xiao Wu's identity...
Zhu Zhuqing could never forget the Titan Giant Ape that had descended from the sky in the Star Dou Great Forest and pinned Zhao Wuji in place with a single step!
The terrifying pressure it had exerted still made her heart tremble whenever she recalled it!
Xiao Wu, Tang San, Clear Sky Douluo, the Titan Giant Ape, the Star Dou Great Forest...
These clues rapidly linked together in Zhu Zhuqing's mind, forming a possibility that sent her heart racing!
Dai Weisi was going to the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast!
And Xiao Wu and Tang San were very likely there too!
If they ran into each other...
Zhu Zhuqing's breathing quickened.
Dugu Bo and Shi Mo were Titled Douluo, but against the legendary Clear Sky Douluo, who had struck down the former Pope of Spirit Hall with a single blow of his hammer, could he measure up?
There was also the unfathomable Titan Giant Ape, and perhaps even other, more terrifying beings!
Dai Weisi was strong, so strong that he left her in despair.
But no matter how strong he was, could he be stronger than Clear Sky Douluo? Could he be stronger than the kings of the entire Star Dou Great Forest?
An opportunity!
This was a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity!
As long as they fought, as long as chaos broke out, she might be able to escape this devil's control once again!
And the poison in her body?
Didn't Xiao San know about poisons too?
In an instant, all the unwillingness, hatred, and despair in Zhu Zhuqing's heart turned into a fiercely burning flame of hope.
Dai Weisi, go!
Go right ahead!
Better yet, die in that Star Dou Great Forest!
She screamed wildly in her heart, but her face remained icy. Only the strange light flickering deep in her eyes betrayed the surging turmoil within her.