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"The pillar of light only lasted for a short while, but it was visible even from thousands of miles away. Later, both empires sent their Title Douluo-level experts to organize teams and venture into the forest to find the source of the light."
"But in the end, they found nothing. They even encountered attacks from powerful spirit beasts. Only two Title Douluo experts managed to escape, while the rest perished."
At this point, Lone Wolf shrugged. "This is the only event that connects to your earlier question."
After all, it happened over a decade ago.
"Alright," Yu Die said, sounding somewhat disappointed.
Lone Wolf added, "As far as I know, the location where the pillar of light appeared is roughly the same as the destination you provided. I don't know why you're searching for that valley, but the answers you seek are likely there."
Zhu Zhuqing consoled her, "Yu Die, don't worry. Once we reach our destination, we might be able to solve the mystery."
Not long after, Chen Huayu finished absorbing his soul ring and happily received the spirit bone from Ning Tianchen.
Without lingering further, everyone followed Lone Wolf toward their destination.
…
Thanks to Lone Wolf's familiarity with the route, the group encountered minimal danger along the way and avoided wandering into the territories of powerful spirit beasts.
More than a month later, Lone Wolf led the group to a halt in a dense forest.
Zhu Zhuqing stood on a tree trunk and gazed into the distance. She saw a forest shrouded in mist, with towering trees reaching into the clouds. Compared to other parts of the forest, this area was eerily quiet, with the occasional distant cry of a spirit beast breaking the stillness.
Lone Wolf pointed ahead and said seriously, "Beyond this point lies the core zone of the entire forest. Believe me, even the strongest person on the continent wouldn't dare enter it."
"And one more thing—don't attempt to probe the depths of the forest with your spiritual power. If the Tyrant Evil Eye detects you, it will endanger everyone."
Ning Rongrong asked curiously, "What kind of spirit beast is the Tyrant Evil Eye? Why does everyone fear it so much?"
Back in the Evil Demon Town, they had heard many people mention this spirit beast.
Ning Rongrong knew the Tyrant Evil Eye was formidable, but she didn't fully understand its capabilities.
Lone Wolf glanced back at the group, his expression grave. "Don't entertain the idea of encountering them, and don't go looking for them out of curiosity."
"The Tyrant Evil Eye resembles a giant eyeball with tentacles and belongs to the spirit/mental-type category. Moreover, these spirit beasts exist in a vast clan. It's no exaggeration to say they are the most untouchable spirit beasts in the Evil Demon Forest."
After all, the ruler of the Tyrant Evil Eye clan—the Evil Emperor—is nearly invincible among beings beneath the level of gods.
The Tyrant Evil Eye clan is extremely protective of its own. Killing even one of their "kin" will inevitably incur the wrath of the clan's strongest members.
To put it simply, once you provoke them, there's almost no chance of leaving the Evil Demon Forest alive.
At one point, Lone Wolf had fled here to evade his pursuers.
He had been lucky; he hadn't encountered a Tyrant Evil Eye back then. But that didn't mean they would be safe entering now.
A place known as a forbidden zone across the Sun and Moon Continent deserved their utmost respect and caution.
Ning Tianchen said, "Do as he says. Our goal isn't to challenge the ruler of the Evil Demon Forest. Let's just go around it."
Lone Wolf nodded. "It's good to have a sense of reverence. For the next leg of the journey, I'll move faster. Stick close to me and don't fall behind. Also, please note that I'm not familiar with the upcoming route, so I can't predict dangers in advance."
Being so close to the core zone, Ning Tianchen and the others dared not use their soul power recklessly. They relied solely on their legs to hasten their departure from this place.
…
Ten days later, Lone Wolf successfully led the group past the most dangerous core zone, arriving at the northern part of the Evil Demon Forest.
Thankfully, the journey had been mostly uneventful, with no direct encounters with powerful spirit beasts.
Taking a break under the shade of a tree, Lone Wolf took out the map to review their next route.
He wasn't familiar with the upcoming path and could only follow the route marked on the map provided by Zhang Chenghuan.
"We've already passed through the most dangerous stretch. The rest should be much easier."
Chen Huayu rested against a tree trunk, his hands behind his head.
The relentless travel over the past few days had left everyone utterly exhausted, and at this moment, they simply wanted to rest quietly.
Ning Tianchen kicked him lightly and reminded him, "We can't stay here too long. Although we've left the core zone, we're still deep within the Evil Demon Forest. High-level spirit beasts could appear nearby at any time."
The closer they were to the core zone, the more likely fighting spirit beasts would draw the attention of the Evil Emperor.
If they encountered spirit beasts like Di Tian or the Deep Sea Demon Whale King, who relied on physical attacks, Ning Tianchen could rely on the divine power within him to hold his ground for a bit. However, against the Evil Emperor's spiritual attacks, divine power would offer little help.
Therefore, contact had to be avoided at all costs.
…
Outside the Evil Demon Forest, in the Evil Demon Town.
After leaving the forest, Zhang Heng and Cang Jinghong stayed in the town to rest. It seemed they had no intention of leaving anytime soon.
"You're not leaving?"
Seeing Zhang Heng gaze toward the forest every day, Cang Jinghong couldn't help but approach and ask.
Zhang Heng turned his head, glanced at him, and replied indifferently, "Aren't you the same?"
Their reasoning was simple. Once Ning Tianchen and the others returned, they would bring them back to their respective families.
During this journey, they had witnessed Ning Tianchen's strength and naturally didn't want to let go of such a powerful ally.
Cang Jinghong looked toward the town and sighed deeply. "Yes. The future of the continent remains uncertain. The comprehensive national strength of the Radiant Sun Empire far surpasses that of our Crescent Moon Empire."
"The Radiant Sun Empire's ambitions are obvious. It's only a matter of time before they annex the Crescent Moon Empire. If we can gain the support of these individuals, even if it doesn't change the balance of power on the continent, it will at least prevent the fires of war from reaching Binhai City."
Both families' businesses were rooted in Binhai City. If the war reached this place, their years of hard work would be reduced to ashes.
"But I think they probably won't agree. In terms of strength, neither of our families is qualified enough," Zhang Heng said, speaking more words than usual.
Cang Jinghong wasn't surprised and countered, "If you already know the outcome, why are you still staying?"
Zhang Heng's gaze drifted into the distance. "I just want to stay here and enjoy the scenery. I don't feel like going back to deal with those damn administrative duties."
"Oh?" Cang Jinghong seemed skeptical.
Zhang Heng offered no explanation. "Believe it or not."
Compared to the city lord's residence, the Cang family was in greater need of allies.
Despite Cang Jinghong and Cang Tianyou both being Soul Sages, if the flames of war reached Binhai City, their family would surely suffer, while the city lord's residence might remain unscathed.
After all, the Cang family had spent generations researching soul-guidance technology, amassing significant wealth.
In the eyes of other powers, they had long become a walking treasury.
Therefore, no matter what, Cang Jinghong would wait for Ning Tianchen and the others to return.
…
Ning Tianchen and the others set off again. Their pace this time was much slower than before.
They also had to constantly pay attention to their current position and ensure they weren't heading in the wrong direction.
With all their focus on surveying the terrain, Ning Tianchen and the others became less vigilant.
Suddenly, Zhu Zhuqing, who had been scouting ahead, rushed back to the group.
"What's wrong?" Ning Tianchen asked.
At the same time, he extended his spiritual perception but didn't detect any high-level spirit beasts nearby.
Zhu Zhuqing's expression was grave as she pointed behind her and said in a low voice, "I think we've entered the encirclement of the Tyrant Evil Eye."
What?!
All traces of fatigue vanished from the group's faces as they hurriedly questioned her about the situation.
Earlier, Zhu Zhuqing had been standing on higher ground when she spotted a spirit beast in the distance—a massive eye with tentacles.
She wasn't sure if it had noticed her, but as she prepared to return and report, she spotted several more Tyrant Evil Eyes in the distance. Worse still, this group had surrounded them.
"That's bad. I used my spiritual power earlier—they must have noticed us."
Ning Tianchen frowned deeply and quickly retrieved the map from his soul-guidance device, searching for a safe escape route.
Lone Wolf, however, remained calm. "Humans are small. They might not notice us."
"We've already moved far from the core zone. Even if we engage these creatures, their reinforcements won't arrive immediately."
Ning Tianchen pressed further, "Zhuqing, how long were the tentacles of the Tyrant Evil Eyes you saw?"
The distance was too great, so Zhu Zhuqing could only estimate a rough range.
"The one in front of us has tentacles about 80 to 120 meters long. As for the others, they're too far away for me to tell, but I'd conservatively estimate their tentacles are at least 50 meters long."
Lone Wolf immediately deflated like a punctured ball, leaning against a tree trunk with a bitter smile. "There's basically no way to escape now. A hundred-meter tentacle length means that's a hundred-thousand-year Tyrant Evil Eye."
"With its strength, this entire area is likely within its sensory range."
Feng Xiaotian thought for a moment and said gravely, "We shouldn't be so pessimistic. First, we haven't harmed any of its kin, so it has no reason to view us as hostile. Second, we're still deep in the forest. The spirit beasts here have likely never seen human soul masters before and might not attack us unprovoked."
"But we can't leave our fate in the hands of spirit beasts!" Chen Huayu exclaimed anxiously.
If they took up a battle stance, the spirit beasts would surely see it as a provocation and attack them.
But if they didn't take up a battle stance, there was a chance the beasts might let them pass—though if the beasts did attack, they wouldn't have time to retaliate.
"Hundred-thousand-year spirit beasts possess extremely high intelligence. We'll go around them and try not to provoke them into action," Ning Tianchen said as he pointed out a route on the map and led the group to flee faster.
All the hundred-thousand-year soul rings on his body were real. If exposed, there was no guarantee this creature wouldn't turn hostile.
When a hundred-thousand-year spirit beast sees another hundred-thousand-year soul ring, it's bound to feel a sense of shared sorrow—and to avoid becoming a soul ring for a soul master, it will fight to the death without hesitation.
…
As expected, Ning Tianchen's group was indeed noticed by the hundred-thousand-year Tyrant Evil Eye.
Seeing them fleeing, the creature accelerated toward them.
A barrage of mental attacks followed.
Under the influence, Feng Xiaotian and the others' movements slowed, their reaction speeds dropping by more than tenfold.
Ning Tianchen's spiritual power was strong, so he was the least affected, still able to move somewhat normally.
He could tell that this control technique wasn't the full extent of the creature's abilities.
It was using this method to hold them in place, planning to deliver a fatal blow once it got close enough.
If that was the case, Ning Tianchen wasn't about to let it have its way.
He extended his left hand, and the Nine-Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda martial soul appeared in his palm. A radiant glaze-like light enveloped everyone.
"The Nine Treasures have names; the first is speed. First soul skill: Rapid Domain Field."
The blood-red soul ring beneath his feet shone brightly, and nine-colored light flowed into everyone's bodies, dispelling some of the interference from the mental assault.
With a brief reprieve, Ning Rongrong immediately activated her head spirit bone skill—Spiritual Sharing—binding everyone's spiritual power together to collectively resist the mental attacks.
"A Glazed Tile Pagoda martial soul... You actually have twin martial souls!" Lone Wolf was utterly shocked.
It was clear that Ning Tianchen hadn't formally cultivated his second martial soul yet, but he already possessed a hundred-thousand-year soul ring.
In the future, if he could add eight more hundred-thousand-year soul rings, who could even imagine how powerful this auxiliary-type martial soul would become?
With Ning Tianchen's speed boost and Ning Rongrong's Spiritual Sharing, the effects of mental paralysis became less pronounced.
Just as they were about to escape the pursuit of the hundred-thousand-year Tyrant Evil Eye, a milky-white beam shot out from its eye, blocking their path.
The beam swept past Ning Tianchen and the others, leaving behind traces of mental barriers on the ground. Crossing them forcefully would result in a fierce counterattack.
Ning Tianchen's gaze sharpened. He lightly tapped the mark on his forehead, and the Asura Demon Sword appeared in his hand.
"Killing God Domain."
Within the domain, Ning Tianchen could effortlessly channel the power of the Asura God.
"Everyone, stand behind me. If it wants to die, I don't mind sending it off."
Ning Tianchen's demeanor changed. His entire being radiated cold, murderous intent, and his eyes were devoid of emotion.
Holding the Asura Sword, he resembled a true god of death.
A minute later, the hundred-thousand-year Tyrant Evil Eye approached, stopping 300 meters in front of him. Its massive eye moved up and down, seemingly sizing up Ning Tianchen.
The overwhelming killing intent sent shivers down its spine, making it hesitate to act rashly.
"Evolved Skill of the Killing God Domain: Asura Eye."
A pair of blood-red eyes opened behind Ning Tianchen, unleashing a powerful mental shockwave that forced the Tyrant Evil Eye back several steps.
But it didn't concede defeat. Multiple tentacles lashed out toward Ning Tianchen, attempting to pierce through the Killing God Domain.
Raising the Asura Demon Sword, Ning Tianchen channeled the divine power within him and swung.
A streak of crimson sword energy shot out, effortlessly severing the Tyrant Evil Eye's tentacles.
At the same time, Ning Tianchen bellowed, "Go!"
Without lingering, Ning Tianchen turned and fled with the group in another direction.
Before inheriting the god position, every bit of divine power used was irreplaceable, so Ning Tianchen dared not waste it recklessly.
The Tyrant Evil Eye, now in pain, its eye bloodshot as if provoked, chased after Ning Tianchen and the others relentlessly.
However, the tentacles severed by divine power would never regenerate.
Realizing the situation, the Tyrant Evil Eye grew wary of the group and gradually slowed its pursuit.
Ning Tianchen paid no heed to its thoughts, only accelerating further to evade the chase from behind.
Two days later, seeing that the massive creature behind them still showed no signs of giving up, Oscar said grimly, "This is a falcon-hunting tactic. It wants to wear us down."
Thankfully, everyone in the group was a high-level soul master. If they were ordinary people or low-level soul masters, they wouldn't have lasted two days and nights without rest.
After running nonstop, the group had long lost track of how far they'd gone.
Now, completely lost, they kept running in one direction.
Suddenly, Feng Xiaotian, who was at the front, stopped. Before them lay an expansive valley.
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