The next morning, as dawn was just breaking, Zhao Wujie used his loud voice to wake everyone up.
After leaving the small town, the group quickened their pace. They were now very close to the Star Dou Forest, and everyone was pushing forward with all their strength. The most excited person was naturally Oscar, who was about to obtain his third soul ring.
The Star Dou Forest is located to the south of the Tiandou Empire, spanning across two major empires. Due to the large number of soul beasts, this area is one of the least clearly defined borders between the two countries. On the map, most of the forest is within the Star Luo Empire's territory, but the Tiandou Empire has never acknowledged this.
As one of the three major wild soul beast habitats, this is naturally a place that soul masters most desire to visit, as every time they come here, it means they are about to advance in their cultivation.
No one knows how many years the Star Dou Forest has existed, but once you enter the forest, the dense canopy that blocks out the sky is enough to tell you how long it has been around.
From a distance, they could vaguely feel a fresh breeze blowing toward them, carrying a pleasant plant fragrance that was soothing and comfortable. Taking a deep breath of the fresh air, it felt as though all thirty-six thousand pores on their bodies were stretching open, a sensation that was indescribably refreshing.
Although Gu Chen and Gu Yue had only stayed in the Star Dou Forest for a few days, far less than Xiao Wu, who had grown up here, both of them felt a sense of comfort like being at home upon entering the forest. This was due to their bloodline.
Finally, they arrived at the edge of the Star Dou Forest, where the towering trees were at least twenty meters tall. This was only the outer edge, and the dense forest had no paths, with the shadows of the trees obstructing their view of the true landscape.
When they arrived at the forest's edge, the air felt even more refreshing, as though the temperature had dropped a few degrees. The fresh, moist aroma of the earth continuously stimulated their senses.
"Stop," Zhao Wujie commanded.
Everyone halted. After traveling over a hundred miles, their bodies had become quite warm, especially Oscar and Ning Rongrong. As auxiliary soul masters, although their physical conditioning was not bad, it was still no match for Gu Chen and the others.
After taking a short rest to recover, they continued on their journey.
Along the way, Xiao Wu hopped and skipped joyfully, as this was her home.
The terrain inside the Star Dou Forest was extremely complicated, and there were no paths at all. Naturally, the task of clearing a way fell on Dai Mubai.
Using his martial soul, Dai Mubai unleashed his White Tiger spirit and his claws cut through the thorns, allowing the group to continue without slowing down.
Soon, they encountered soul beasts—specifically, a group of rodent weasels. These soul beasts were small and not very powerful, but their teeth were incredibly sharp, capable of biting through gold and iron.
Gu Chen furrowed his brow and quietly released a trace of Dragon Might, scaring the rodent weasels away. Although, in the original story, Tang San and the others did not harm them, he preferred to be cautious.
The Star Dou Forest was so dense that the phrase blocking out the sky and sun was an accurate description. It was hard to even see sunlight inside the forest.
After traveling for about an hour, it was already noon. During this time, they had encountered several soul beasts, mostly around ten to a hundred years old. When they encountered a soul beast, they avoided confrontation. Occasionally, some reckless ones would approach and be driven off by Gu Chen using his Dragon Might.
"Alright, everyone rest for a bit," Zhao Wujie's voice relaxed everyone, who had been on edge. Dai Mubai cleared a spot about a hundred square meters by cutting through the surrounding thorns, and they sat down to rest, leaning against the trees.
Oscar naturally offered his sausages again. At this point, no one had the mood to care about how delicious or not the sausages were. They ate while drinking water from their supplies, taking a short break.
About half an hour into their rest, suddenly, both Tang San and Zhao Wujie's gazes simultaneously shifted in the same direction.
Zhao Wujie shouted loudly, "Get up, something's coming close."
The rustling sound grew from faint to loud. Even Oscar and Ning Rongrong, as auxiliary soul masters, could clearly feel how fast the approaching creature was.
"It's a 1700-year-old Phoenix-Tail Cockroach Snake," Gu Yuena said softly. With her mental power, she could easily discern the authenticity of the approaching creature with a single glance.
If it weren't for the fact that she was in her human form at the moment, and that Gu Chen had previously explained the survival of the fittest principle to her, Gu Yuena would have definitely stopped them from hunting the soul beast.
Zhao Wuji's eyes lit up. "The Phoenix-Tail Cockroach Snake?! This soul beast is quite rare. The flesh crest on its head has many wondrous effects. Oscar, you're in luck. Gu Yuena, keep an eye on its movement and report to me immediately if there's any change."
"It's here," at that moment, Zhu Zhuqing's voice rang out. With a low shout, she leapt from the air, not afraid that the creature was a thousand-year-old soul beast. Her claws and first soul ring shone as she activated her soul skill, Ghost Claw.
The Phoenix-Tail Cockroach Snake reacted quickly. Although it veered its head to the side in its rush, Zhu Zhuqing's claw missed its crest and struck its body, making a dull thud, causing its forward momentum to slow slightly.
Next, with Ning Rongrong's support, Tang San and Ma Hongjun managed to control the Phoenix-Tail Cockroach Snake. Zhao Wuji also made his move, using his fourth and fifth soul skills to subdue the creature.
Zhao Wuji pulled out a short knife from his waist and handed it to Oscar. "The longer the night, the more dreams. Go ahead and strike. From underneath its flesh crest, stab in—it will pierce its brain, and this soul ring will be yours."
Oscar eagerly took the short knife. At this moment, the thousand-year-old soul beast before him was like a lamb waiting to be slaughtered. His third soul skill was about to be obtained, and his hands were trembling with excitement.
Just as Oscar was about to stab the knife, a hoarse shout suddenly rang out, "Stop!"
Immediately, two figures appeared from the direction where the Phoenix-Tail Cockroach Snake had come from.
The newcomers were none other than Snake Matriarch Chao Tianxiang and Meng Yiran. Their sudden appearance surprised everyone, but when they saw the six soul rings on the elderly woman's body, they all breathed a sigh of relief. After all, Zhao Wujie, with his seven soul rings, was not to be trifled with, especially with his deep black ten-thousand-year soul rings, which exuded an undeniable aura of intimidation.
At this moment, Gu Chen furrowed his brow. He had read the original story many times, and every time he reached this part, he found it quite annoying.
In the next instant, Gu Chen appeared behind Oscar, grabbing his hand and thrusting the knife downward.
The dagger plunged deeply into the Phoenix-Tail Cockroach Snake's skull.
The Phoenix-Tail Cockroach Snake immediately died, and a purple soul ring rose into the air.
"You dare steal my soul ring?!" Meng Yiran shouted angrily.
"Heh, why is it yours? The soul ring belongs to the one who can take it. Just because you say it's yours, does that mean it is? Who do you think you are?" Gu Chen retorted.