The political climate in the Star Luo Imperial Capital had finally settled down. This was mostly thanks to Ye Yin's clever planning and Dai Mubai's quick, firm actions. Because of this, Dai Mubai's status as the Crown Prince was stronger than ever. While people in high-ranking circles knew about his secret dealings with Davis, no one dared to speak a word of it out loud.
During this peaceful time, Ye Yin used legal business channels to plant the Yin Feng Territory's influence deep into the southwestern part of the Star Luo Empire. He linked this new network with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School's trade routes. Together, they created a massive, invisible web for gathering information and resources.
One afternoon, inside a quiet branch of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, the air began to hum with energy. Just before his sixteenth birthday, Tang San finally broke through the level 40 spirit power threshold! While he wasn't as fast as Ye Yin or Xiao Wu, it was a great achievement. After all, he didn't have any "cheat" items like Immortal Herbs to help him.
Tang San wasn't the only one making progress. Dugu Yan's spirit power hit level 50, meaning she needed a fifth spirit ring. Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, and Zhu Zhuqing were all very close to level 50 as well. Even Zhu Zhuyu, who was less talented and had joined the group later, was nearly at level 40. She had worked very hard, and Ye Yin had given her extra resources to help her catch up.
As for Ye Yin himself, he had gathered enough resentment value to reach the level 60 bottleneck. He now needed his sixth spirit ring to become a Spirit Emperor.
With so many people needing to advance, the Star Dou Great Forest was the only logical place to go. The group quickly put a team together. Ye Yin, Dugu Yan, and Tang San were the main focus since they needed new spirit rings. Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, and Zhu Zhuqing came along to help protect the group. Since they were also close to their own breakthroughs, they planned to scout for Spirit Beasts they might need later.
When she heard the plan, Zhu Zhuyun asked to go too. She claimed she wanted to protect her sister, Zhu Zhuqing, but her real goal was to spend more time with Ye Yin and maybe get some rewards. Ye Yin knew exactly what she was thinking, but he just nodded and let her join. Zhu Zhuyu also came along; she didn't want to stay with the Zhu family alone after finally getting away.
Even Dai Mubai joined the trip, bringing several royal guards to keep everyone safe. The group of nine, plus the guards, packed their things and left the capital. They traveled in carriages toward the massive Star Dou Great Forest, a place known for both great treasures and deadly dangers.
A few days later, they reached the edge of the forest. Massive, ancient trees grew so thick that they blocked out the sun. The air felt heavy and wild. From deep within the woods, they could hear the distant, terrifying roars of Spirit Beasts.
The group stepped out of the carriages and entered the dark woods. Ye Yin immediately spread out his powerful mental force like a radar. He watched for danger while searching for the right Spirit Beasts. Dugu Yan needed a poison-type beast for her Jade Phosphor Serpent Spirit. It had to be around twenty thousand years old.
Tang San was looking for his fourth ring, targeting a beast around five thousand years old that focused on control or power. As for Ye Yin, his Good and Evil Curse Pearl Spirit was very special. He didn't need a specific type of beast, but it had to be extremely powerful or unique. Most importantly, it had to be at least forty thousand years old! This made his search much harder than the others.
The group moved carefully into the deeper parts of the forest. They saw some thousand-year-old Spirit Beasts, but most of them ran away when they felt the group's strong presence. A few weak beasts tried to attack, but the team took care of them easily. Xiao Wu seemed very happy to be back in the forest. She acted like she was home and used her instincts to help the group avoid traps and find targets.
Soon, they found a twenty-thousand-year-old Hellish Poison Python for Dugu Yan. After a short fight, she killed it and sat down to absorb the spirit ring. Not long after, they found a Devil Spider for Tang San. It was about five thousand five hundred years old. Tang San used his Hidden Weapons and his Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track to dodge its attacks. He eventually won and started absorbing the ring, even though it was a higher level than usual.
Since both Dugu Yan and Tang San needed time to finish, Ye Yin and the others stood guard. However, just as Tang San reached a critical moment in his meditation, everything changed!
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Several sharp objects flew out from the thick bushes! The attackers were aiming right at Tang San, who was completely defenseless while absorbing his ring. The attack was fast and sneaky. Looking at the power behind it, the attackers were at least at the Spirit Emperor level.
"Watch out!" Zhu Zhuqing yelled. She was the first to move. She used her Hell Rush Stab to try and stop the weapons, but she was a split second too slow!
Ning Rongrong's Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda started to glow, and Xiao Wu prepared to teleport. The two sisters, Zhu Zhuyun and Zhu Zhuyu, jumped in front of Ye Yin to shield him. Dai Mubai's guards quickly surrounded Tang San and Dugu Yan to form a wall of steel.
The attacks were inches away from hitting Tang San. At that exact second, Ye Yin opened his eyes! A cold light flashed in them. He didn't even call out his Spirit; he just used his mind.
He combined his fourth spirit ability, Mental Curse, with his fifth ability, Curse Duplication. He targeted every single attacker at once. The effect was simple: within a tiny fraction of a second, they would feel an unstoppable urge to use the bathroom!
An invisible wave of energy hit the forest. The hidden attackers, who were about to launch a second strike, suddenly froze. Their faces turned pale, then red, then purple. They looked like they were in terrible pain.
"Ugh! Oh no! I... I can't hold it!" one of them groaned.
A massive, overwhelming urge to go to the bathroom hit them like a tidal wave. They forgot about the mission and the sneak attack. Some of them dropped their weapons to grab their belts, while others scrambled toward the nearest bushes.
The dangerous scene turned into a mess of embarrassment. The flying weapons missed Tang San completely, hitting the dirt and trees instead. Zhu Zhuqing, Xiao Wu, and Ning Rongrong stopped in their tracks, staring in confusion. They didn't understand why the enemies were suddenly pulling down their pants and stomping their feet in agony.
Ye Yin was the only one who wasn't surprised. He stood up slowly, a cold smile on his face as he looked toward the trees.
"You cowards, stop hiding and get out here!" he shouted.
His voice was calm but sharp. After a few seconds of angry cursing and rustling leaves, seven or eight men walked out from the trees. Their clothes were messy, and they looked humiliated. The man in the lead looked about fifty years old. He was a Spirit Saint, but right now, his eyes were full of shock and rage.
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