Ah Yin's Martial Soul Transforms, Yu Xiaogang Reaches Star Dou
It took Jiang Nian a full month to bring his two disciples to the place where they would hunt for a Soul Ring.
The Star Dou Great Forest was enormous. They had traveled from west to east, effectively crossing the entire forest, so it was only natural that the journey had taken some time.
Their destination was a vast grove unlike the surrounding woodland.
Its leaves, shaped like skulls, fluttered in the wind, while countless roots descended from the trunks and burrowed deep into the ground.
Jiang Nian saw at a glance that something was wrong with the place.
The trees appeared to grow separately, but their underground roots all came from the towering ancient tree at the very center, which occupied nearly a hundred square meters.
This Soul Beast was unlike any they had encountered before. Its roots dug into the earth, but what they absorbed was not ordinary nutrients, but the souls of dead living beings.
Even Jiang Nian had not expected such a Soul Beast to exist in this forest. It was proof enough that humanity had explored less than one percent of the Star Dou Great Forest.
Ah Yin said worriedly, "Teacher, this creature can move its main body to any Dragon Serpent Tree at will. I haven't seen it in nearly ten thousand years, and I didn't expect it to have spread so much farther."
Jiang Nian already had a plan, but he still asked, "Xue'er, how do you think we should hunt this Soul Beast?"
Qian Renxue thought carefully. "For a troublesome creature like this, we can burn down the surrounding trees, or cut the roots connecting them underground. Then we can deal with its main body."
"That's what I was thinking too."
Jiang Nian summoned Bone Spirit Cold Flame and cast it into the grove. Before long, the entire Dragon Serpent Tree grove had become a sea of flames.
The Ghost Vine Dragon Serpent Tree's main body sensed its offshoots being burned and naturally could not remain still.
The next moment, the earth began to tremble. The massive ancient tree at the center tore itself from the ground and grew thousands of roots that lashed toward Jiang Nian and the others.
Jiang Nian raised a hand, and Bone Spirit Cold Flame shot into the trunk like a blade. In the space of a breath, the Ghost Vine Dragon Serpent Tree's main body began to wither.
"Ah Yin, make your move!"
Ah Yin understood at once. She summoned Blue Silver Grass to wrap around the Dragon Serpent Tree's trunk, and the next moment, Blue Silver Grass began sprouting densely all over the Ghost Vine Dragon Serpent Tree's trunk.
After killing the Dragon Serpent Tree, Ah Yin did not hesitate. She sat cross-legged and began absorbing the Soul Ring.
Absorbing a sixty-thousand-year Soul Ring was a lengthy process. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Jiang Nian began instructing Qian Renxue in the Flame Splitting Wave Ruler.
By nightfall, Ah Yin still had not finished absorbing it, so the two could only make some simple roast meat for dinner.
The two living, breathing people had no trouble eating roast meat, but Bibi Dong, in her state of suspended animation, could not eat it. With no other choice, Qian Renxue tried cooking porridge.
Fortunately, she often helped Ah Yin in the kitchen, so she could manage such a small task.
Looking at the unconscious Bibi Dong, Qian Renxue asked again, "Teacher, will Mother wake up?"
Jiang Nian teased her. "Why don't you call her Sister Holy Maiden anymore?"
Qian Renxue answered seriously, "Because Sister Holy Maiden is my mother. Mother hates it when I call her that. Maybe if she hears it enough, she'll get so angry she'll get up and hit me."
"I don't know either," Jiang Nian comforted her. "Go to sleep. Maybe she'll wake up tomorrow."
Where no one noticed, Bibi Dong's eyelashes trembled slightly.
By the next day, Ah Yin still had not finished absorbing the Soul Ring.
To be precise, it was not because of the Soul Ring, but because Ah Yin's Martial Soul had begun to change.
After obtaining the Seventh Soul Ring, a Soul Master would gain the Martial Soul Avatar Soul Skill. Ah Yin's Martial Soul had adapted to the "World Tree" template, and the Seventh Soul Ring would bring about its true transformation. This process would undoubtedly be a long one.
Jiang Nian was not worried about any mishaps. Ah Yin had been a hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast to begin with, so Soul Shock was not much of a problem for her. They only needed to wait patiently.
Meanwhile, Yu Xiaogang had also arrived at the Star Dou Great Forest.
He did not dare venture deep inside, however, and instead searched the outskirts for members of Spirit Hall.
He had an Elder Token. As long as he found someone from Spirit Hall, he could make his way to Spirit City, see Bibi Dong, and rekindle their old romance.
Yu Xiaogang stood outside the forest, his face full of confidence. "A filthy place like Spirit Hall makes me sick just to look at it. If I, the Grandmaster, hadn't taken an interest in their knowledge of Soul Master theory, I would never have had anything to do with those people in this lifetime!"
"If they knew I'd helped spread Martial Soul Theory far and wide, they'd surely be eternally grateful to me!"
Yu Xiaogang thought of Qian Renxue again, hatred welling up in his eyes.
"Once I find my Dong'er, I'll make her kill that little brat with her own hands. For my sake, Dong'er will definitely do it!"
And so, Yu Xiaogang waited outside the forest for several days without seeing a single member of Spirit Hall, while the rations he had brought were nearly gone.
"Damn it, how can those Spirit Hall people be so lazy? They still haven't come Soul Hunting! If they don't come soon, I'll starve to death!"
Two more days passed, and Yu Xiaogang ran out of rations. Hungry and hollow-bellied, he decided to deal with his immediate need for food first.
As luck would have it, Yu Xiaogang spotted some members of the Elephant Armor Sect.
Yu Xiaogang's thoughts raced. The Lower Four Sects are close to Spirit Hall. I, the Grandmaster, have an Elder Token, so asking them for some food surely won't be a problem.
He swaggered over to the leader of the group, Huyan An, and instinctively curled his fingers into an orchid gesture. "I am Spirit Hall's Grandmaster. Give me half your food!"
Huyan An stared at him. "Grandmaster? You're... Yu Xiaogang?"
Yu Xiaogang was pleased that his reputation had preceded him. "Indeed! Does hearing my name not startle you? Since you know who I am, hurry up and hand over the food."
One of Huyan An's underlings grew excited. "Boss, it's Yu Xiaogang! Didn't Spirit Hall offer a reward for information about him? Let's capture him and take him there!"
Huyan An glared at him. "Are you stupid? Whatever else he is, this fellow is Yu Yuanzhen's son. If we really did that, do you think Spirit Hall would fall out with the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan over a few of us?"
"Then what do we do? Are we really giving him food?"
"It's not as if we can't."
Huyan An's muscles twitched, giving him a rather philosophical look.
The underling understood at once. His boss had only that one little hobby, and with Yu Xiaogang accompanying them on the journey, they could sleep more soundly at night.
Yu Xiaogang joined the Elephant Armor Sect's group and, having nothing else to do, followed them into the Star Dou Great Forest.
But when night came, Huyan An discovered that Yu Xiaogang talked nonsense, and became even more excited.
At midnight, all was silent.
Yu Xiaogang lay on the bed in tears. "Just you wait. Once my Dong'er finds out, your Elephant Armor Sect will pay a terrible price!"
The eastern part of the Star Dou Great Forest.
Two more days passed. Ah Yin's presence began to change, and her Blue Silver Emperor Martial Soul kept growing until it became a towering ancient tree nearly a hundred meters tall.
As Jiang Nian watched the change in Ah Yin's Martial Soul, he also received a notification that his template progress had increased.
Even he had not expected the "World Tree" template progress to soar straight to ninety percent after she obtained her Seventh Soul Ring.
Ah Yin could no longer be considered a Soul Beast. The World Tree template had changed her original form, evolving her directly from the Blue Silver Emperor into the Blue Silver Divine Tree. As long as she became a Titled Douluo, the Blue Silver Divine Tree could fully become the World Tree and connect to the ley lines of the Douluo Continent.
When that time came, even if Ah Yin did not become a god, the gods of the Divine Realm would be unable to do anything to her.
But because of her Martial Soul's transformation, Ah Yin could no longer conceal her presence as a hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast. Countless forces detected the distinctive presence of a hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast that had appeared in the Star Dou Great Forest.
For a time, forces on all sides began to stir.
Tang Hao was already in the Star Dou Great Forest. When he sensed Ah Yin's presence, his eyes turned red. "Now that you've been exposed, Ah Yin, you must die. If I can't have that Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring, no one else can either!"