Upon entering the town, members of a hunter team immediately approached them, enthusiastically promoting their services.
After dismissing the hunter team, under Cang Jinghong's guidance, the group arrived at a tavern.
Cang Jinghong explained, "This is where the guides gather. If you need soul rings of a certain age, just order the corresponding vintage when the waiter comes, and someone will come to assist you."
This nameless tavern was very large, but there were very few customers.
Ning Tianchen and the others casually took a seat, and soon someone came over to attend to them.
The waiter sized them up and then asked with a smile, "What would you like to order?"
"Thirty-thousand-year clear sake and twenty-thousand-year cloudy sake."
Cloudy sake and clear sake corresponded to land-based spirit beasts and flying-type spirit beasts, respectively.
Hearing their request, the waiter exclaimed, "Wow, esteemed guests must be quite powerful. However, your request is indeed difficult to fulfill."
"How much is your budget?" the waiter asked.
Cang Jinghong replied, "Under three hundred gold coins, paid in gold."
The waiter's face lit up with enthusiasm. "Please wait a moment while I go and inquire."
After the waiter left, Cang Jinghong explained, "If we can't find a suitable person on the spot, we'll have to wait here for a few more days. Otherwise, we'd have to hire two guides."
However, it was clear that hiring two guides would be more expensive.
Moreover, the guides varied in strength and wouldn't participate in battles. Bringing an extra guide would mean they'd have to protect him along the way.
"Just arrange it as you see fit," Ning Tianchen said, not particularly concerned about these details.
While waiting, Ning Rongrong asked him, "Do we need to find a guide?"
Although they had the map provided by Zhang Chenghuan, they were unfamiliar with the distribution of spirit beasts in the Evil Demon Forest. Following the map, they might face constant battles along the way.
Yu Die shared the same concern. "Butterfly Valley is likely deep within the Evil Demon Forest. The dangers there are countless. If we blindly charge in without proper preparation, something is bound to go wrong."
After a brief moment of thought, Ning Tianchen nodded in agreement.
However, he wasn't in a rush—he would decide after Cang Jinghong found a suitable guide.
They didn't have to wait long. Soon, the waiter returned with a middle-aged man and brought him to their table.
The middle-aged man bowed to Cang Jinghong. "Esteemed guest, my name is Huang Mengyu. I can provide the drinks you requested."
The waiter smiled and asked, "Are you satisfied?"
Receiving an affirmative response, the waiter left with his tip.
Huang Mengyu sat down with them and listened attentively to Zhang Heng and Cang Jinghong's requests.
He happened to know the locations of the spirit beasts they needed.
"However," Huang Mengyu cautioned, "the Flying Rogue Eagles are social spirit beasts, usually found in groups. In the group I know, there's a thirty-thousand-year Flying Rogue Eagle, but there are also spirit beasts with over forty-thousand years of cultivation. Can you handle them?"
Guides already lived dangerous lives and naturally didn't want to take unnecessary risks.
Cang Jinghong looked at Ning Tianchen, who gave an affirmative nod. Only then did Cang Jinghong begin negotiating the price with Huang Mengyu.
---
An incense stick's time later, the two officially confirmed their cooperation.
Huang Mengyu stood up. "I'll go prepare first. Starting at noon today, we can depart at any time."
"Wait," Feng Xiaotian called him back.
During the earlier conversation, Cang Jinghong had been observing Ning Tianchen and the others' expressions, realizing they were the decision-makers of this group.
Huang Mengyu respectfully asked, "What may I do for you, esteemed sir?"
Ning Tianchen spoke up. "I need a guide who can lead us deep into the Evil Demon Forest. This journey might involve encounters with hundred-thousand-year spirit beasts. If you know anyone willing to accept our commission, money is no object."
A hundred-thousand-year vintage!
Though Ning Tianchen's voice wasn't loud, everyone in the tavern heard it clearly.
The areas where hundred-thousand-year spirit beasts roamed were generally the core regions of the Evil Demon Forest.
On the Sun Moon Continent, those places were known as "forbidden zones of life." Even the strongest individuals on this continent dared not set foot there.
"Hahaha, young ones unafraid of tigers."
"A single encounter with a hundred-thousand-year spirit beast can end a life. I wonder where they get their confidence?"
The tavern patrons began murmuring amongst themselves.
Zhang Heng, however, didn't think Ning Tianchen was joking.
The multiple hundred-thousand-year soul rings on his body proved that he had slain such beasts before.
Given his strength, Zhang Heng couldn't determine Ning Tianchen's exact soul power level. If Ning Tianchen's strength had reached level ninety, seeking a hundred-thousand-year soul ring as his ninth soul ring would make perfect sense.
Unaware of Ning Tianchen's true power, Cang Jinghong hurriedly advised, "The terror of hundred-thousand-year spirit beasts is no exaggeration. Esteemed sir, life is precious—please reconsider…"
Ning Tianchen waved his hand, cutting him off.
Seeing that Ning Tianchen didn't seem to be joking, Huang Mengyu asked, "Are you sure about this?"
Receiving an affirmative answer, Huang Mengyu sat back down and whispered, "If you're serious, I know someone. He was once hunted by enemies and fled into the depths of the Evil Demon Forest but managed to return alive."
"I can contact him for you, but I can't guarantee the cost."
In his view, venturing into the forbidden zones of the Evil Demon Forest was akin to a death sentence.
The price for risking one's life couldn't be compared to the fee for guiding.
Ning Tianchen nodded. "Once the two have obtained their soul rings, your task will be complete. At that point, you can leave whenever you wish."
Huang Mengyu bowed and said before leaving, "Please wait here for a moment. I'll bring him over shortly."
---
The news of Ning Tianchen seeking "hundred-thousand-year vintage" quickly spread throughout the town.
Inside the tavern, visitors streamed in to "pay their respects."
Some merely wanted to meet these powerful individuals and offered toasts.
Others intentionally caused trouble, even attempting to extort money.
There were also opportunists who, despite lacking the ability, still tried to offer their services as guides.
These people were actually planning to swindle some money and then flee the Evil Demon Town.
Seeing Ning Tianchen's annoyance, Cang Jinghong and Zhang Heng worked together to block these people outside the tavern.
"These fools don't even know their own limits," Oscar couldn't help but complain.
Chen Huayu asked, "Boss, isn't the chance of encountering a hundred-thousand-year spirit beast during this trip pretty slim?"
Ning Tianchen hadn't entered the Evil Demon Forest before. His statement was simply meant to emphasize the peril of the journey and find a fearless guide.
The Yu Die sisters were somewhat excited. "I wonder what Butterfly Valley looks like. Hopefully, we'll receive the inheritance of the gods."
Ning Rongrong smiled and said, "You two will definitely succeed."
As they spoke, Huang Mengyu entered the tavern with a thin, wiry man.
The man beside him wore a wind hood, seemingly unwilling to reveal his identity.
Huang Mengyu quickly introduced him. "This is the person you're looking for. I don't know his real name, only his alias—Lone Wolf."
With that, he tactfully excused himself.
Ning Tianchen studied the man before him and smiled. "A mid-level Soul Sage. With your strength, it's indeed possible to enter the core zone and escape alive."
A mid-level Soul Sage could handle most dangers in the forest. Given his abilities, Ning Tianchen was willing to believe his words.
In contrast, the earlier fools who claimed they could guide them lacked even the strength of a Soul King. Such strength couldn't even reach the middle zones of the forest, let alone its depths.
Lone Wolf removed his wind hood, revealing a relatively young face.
A scar marked his brow, and his complexion was pale.
He looked at Ning Tianchen. "Your strength is impressive. Are you hunting hundred-thousand-year spirit beasts?"
Ning Tianchen shook his head. "We need to reach a specific place, which is undoubtedly deep within the forest. As for whether we'll encounter hundred-thousand-year spirit beasts along the way, I'm not sure."
"What place?" Lone Wolf asked.
To let him guide them, they had to inform him of their destination, right?
Ning Tianchen thought for a moment and nodded at Ning Rongrong, who then unfolded the map leading to Butterfly Valley and placed it on the table.
Lone Wolf turned around and carefully examined the map.
He then casually pulled a pen from his sleeve and made some adjustments to the details on the map.
At the same time, he began writing and drawing on the tavern's table.
After a short while, he spoke. "This map is too old. Some areas in the forest have changed."
"Also, is this straight line part of the route?"
In his view, the straight line had no reference value.
If the angle was perfectly correct, following this line would certainly lead them to their destination.
But even the slightest deviation, over such a long distance, could lead them far off course.
When Zhang Chenghuan presented the map, he only mentioned that the straight line indicated a general direction. Ning Tianchen wasn't willing to gamble that he hadn't made a mistake.
"The destination is fixed. The rest of the route can be adjusted according to your ideas," Ning Tianchen replied.
Lone Wolf chuckled and pointed to the map with the other end of his pen. "If I'm not mistaken, this is the absolute core zone of the Evil Demon Forest. There's a great terror within—once encountered, no one survives."
"The route you've provided requires passing near the core zone (forbidden zone). If luck isn't on our side, this stretch of the journey could very likely encounter hundred-thousand-year spirit beasts."
"Based on your plan, it would be better to detour here. Or enter the forest from the Radiant Sun Empire side—the journey would be shorter and avoid the core zone."
On the Sun Moon Continent, the Radiant Sun Empire was to the north, and the Crescent Moon Empire was to the south. The Evil Demon Forest bordered both empires and was located at the center of the continent.
According to Lone Wolf, they would have to take a detour to the Radiant Sun Empire.
The two empires were still at war, and they didn't know where the battle zones were. If they accidentally entered one, both sides might mistake them for enemies.
After some thought, they decided to enter the Evil Demon Forest from this small town.
"In the Evil Demon Forest, spirit beasts are highly mobile. I can't guarantee that you won't encounter high-level spirit beasts elsewhere. Moreover, based on the route you've provided, I'm unfamiliar with the last leg of the journey. If you're willing to hire me as a guide, it'll cost you five thousand gold coins."
Five thousand gold coins, converted to gold soul coins, were worth five hundred thousand.
Not to mention, the exchange rates between currencies on the Sun Moon Continent weren't official.
Converted into silver coins, the value would be even higher.
"This is too expensive," Ning Rongrong frowned.
Lone Wolf shrugged. "I hope you understand that this journey is extremely dangerous—almost nine deaths for every survival."
Asking a Soul Sage-level expert to risk their life for five thousand gold coins wasn't unreasonable.
"Agreed. Pack up—we can leave anytime," Ning Tianchen readily paid the money.
Given the man's Soul Sage strength, Ning Tianchen didn't doubt that he would run off with the money.
---
At noon that day, Ning Tianchen's group gathered at the entrance to the forest.
The first half of the journey would be led by Huang Mengyu to find suitable soul rings for Zhang Heng and Cang Jinghong, while the second half would be guided by Lone Wolf.
Lone Wolf wore a black robe, with his wind hood pulled low, seemingly avoiding being recognized.
Before entering the forest, Huang Mengyu routinely asked, "Esteemed guests, this journey will likely keep us in the forest for about a month. If you plan to go further, it might take even longer. Are you sure you've prepared enough supplies?"
Receiving an affirmative response, the group stepped into the forest.
Compared to the Great Star Dou Forest, the Evil Demon Forest was even more primitive. Just two hundred meters in, all traces of human activity had completely disappeared.
Looking out, there was nothing but an endless expanse of trees.
The most dangerous things in the forest were always humans. To avoid encountering other teams entering the forest, each guide had their own planned routes.
Lone Wolf didn't know Huang Mengyu's route, but he could recognize their current location. When the two groups split up, he would continue leading the way.
According to the plan, they needed to travel for six days to reach the location of the twenty-thousand-year Woolly Rhino.
Along the way, Ning Tianchen and the others clearly noticed that the ecosystem and types of spirit beasts in the Evil Demon Forest were vastly different from those in the Great Star Dou Forest.
"Big Brother Tianchen, is that a unicorn?"
Ning Rongrong pointed to a spirit beast with a single horn on its head in the distance.
From its appearance, it was indeed a unicorn.
However, its age was very low—it wasn't their target for this trip.
"Unicorns have been extinct in the Great Star Dou Forest for many years. I didn't expect to find them here," Feng Xiaotian whispered.
The Great Star Dou Forest had been exploited by humans for many years. Low-tier spirit beasts like unicorns, which occupied the bottom of the food chain, were greatly affected by environmental changes. Once their living conditions drastically changed, extinction was inevitable.
"This proves that this place is sufficiently primitive. Spirit beasts here may not necessarily attack human soul masters en masse."
As he spoke, Ning Tianchen used sound transmission to inform everyone, "Don't discuss these irrelevant matters, and don't reveal our origins."
Previously, their voices had been very low, and with the background noise of the forest, ordinary people wouldn't have been able to hear their conversation.
But better safe than sorry.
Especially with Cang Jinghong—if he learned their origins, the Cang family might use it as leverage.
Without any evidence against them, and given their superior strength compared to the Cang family, Elder Cang Tianyou naturally remained clear-eyed and dared not entertain any reckless thoughts.
But if they had something to hold over them, the situation would be entirely different.
Most importantly, Ning Tianchen didn't want to prematurely trigger a war between the two continents.
If the Sun Moon Continent learned of the existence of the Douluo Continent, and with the two continents far apart, they might not launch a full-scale invasion of the Douluo Continent.
But if they periodically raided coastal cities, it would be a headache.
With the administrative efficiency of the Tian Dou and Xing Luo Empires, they would be unable to handle such situations.
------------------------------------------------------
40+ Chapters Ahead: patreon.com/EphemeralShadow
There's something for free patrons too! Free Patrons receive 1 chapter in advance :)