Chapter 160 The Reasons for the Decline of Sunset Forest.
"Hmm~! I read about it in a book. It was probably over three thousand years ago. The central area of Sunset Forest was gradually covered by a large poisonous barrier. That barrier was terrifying, causing the deaths of countless soul beasts."
"Their homeland became uninhabitable, and soul beasts migrated out en masse. During that period, Sunset Forest frequently experienced beast tides. The most terrifying beast tide even reached tens of thousands of soul beasts. Wherever that force passed, rivers of blood flowed, and not a blade of grass grew."
A beast tide of tens of thousands of soul beasts? Wu Xuan's expression suddenly darkened. The poisonous barrier Xiao Xiao mentioned was, without a doubt, the Azure Phosphorous Seven Absolute Flowers outside the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well. Therefore, the record was highly credible.
"During that time, at least five or six important cities in the Heavenly Soul Empire and the Douling Empire were destroyed. The death toll, directly or indirectly, was at least close to one million. That was one of the top five disasters in recorded history on the Douluo Continent."
Wu Xuan gritted his teeth more and more as he listened. Others might not know, but he knew perfectly well that the poisonous fog outside the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well was a method casually arranged by the seemingly virtuous and benevolent Tang.
To secure this precious land for his own people, he would have used such methods; Wu Xuan could understand it perfectly well. He might have done the same.
But while he might have done it, Wu Xuan wouldn't implicate the innocent. A casually arranged method that directly led to the deaths of nearly a million civilians in later generations—was this something a high and mighty deity would do?
Unaware of Wu Xuan's strange expression, Xiao Xiao continued, "The current Shrek Sea God Pavilion Master was a level 98 peak Douluo possessing the ultimate fire. Under his leadership, the Heavenly Soul, Fighting Spirit, and Spirit Kingdoms suppressed the soul beast riot in Sunset Forest, which is why Sunset Forest became so barren; now, even hundred-year-old soul beasts are practically nonexistent."
"Hmm! This little girl knows a lot. Alright, hurry up and recover your soul power. We need to hurry on our journey this afternoon and try to find a town to rest in tonight." Wu Xuan casually praised her, then handed Xiao Xiao a level-four milk bottle from his storage soul tool.
"Hehe!" Xiao Xiao smiled smugly, took the milk bottle from Wu Xuan, and began to recover her soul power.
About half an hour later, Xiao Xiao's soul power was fully restored.
Then, without Wu Xuan's prompting, the two of them simultaneously shouldered their flying soul tools.
After traveling for several days, Wu Xuan and Xiao Xiao finally arrived at a town near Starlight City.
Starlight City is located in the very center of the northwest of the Star Luo Empire and is the main transit point for supplies to the forward Yuming City.
Yuming City is less than 100 kilometers away from the Mingdou Mountains and less than 500 kilometers away from the border of the Tianhun Empire. It is the gateway for the Star Luo Empire to resist the Sun Moon Empire and one of the most important supply cities for the forward camp.
Therefore, if Starlight City, this transit point, were to encounter problems, it would have a domino effect, impacting the entire Northwest Army Group.
"Ahead lies Starlight City, the main city in the northwest of the Star Luo Empire. The target of this mission is primarily operating in this area," Wu Xuan said calmly, looking at the map in his hand.
"Then let's hurry up and search, Brother Xuan! Wolf bandits don't deserve to live in this world!" Xiao Xiao waved her little fist, indignantly.
Wu Xuan nodded, unleashing his full aura perception, scanning the surroundings repeatedly. After a long while, Wu Xuan slowly opened his eyes, his brows furrowed. This surveillance mission seemed more complex than it appeared; his aura perception detected several intense fluctuations in soul power.
For a moment, he couldn't pinpoint the location of the large group of wolf bandits.
"How is it, Brother Xuan? Did you find them?" Xiao Xiao asked.
"No! Starlight City is close to the Mingdou Mountains, and with the presence of various armies, the atmosphere is too mixed. I can't pinpoint the whereabouts of that band of wolf bandits for the time being. However, I do sense several areas that are very close to us," Wu Xuan said, shaking his head.
"Brother Xuan, let's change into the Shrek Academy Inspection Team's equipment and search that area. That way, we can avoid any misunderstandings with the Starlight City garrison," Xiao Xiao suggested.
"Okay! Let's do that," Wu Xuan nodded.
The two then put away their flying soul tools and changed into the Inspection Team's leather armor.
They were still nearly two hundred kilometers away from Starlight City, leaving them a vast search area.
After a short rest, they set off again, but what they saw along the way fueled their anger.
Every village they encountered was shattered, the blackened wood and soil testifying to a bloody massacre.
"Those damned wolf bandits, and the evil soul masters who control them deserve to die even more," Xiao Xiao said angrily as they left the ruined village.
Wu Xuan remained calm throughout; having seen so much of this, his mindset had naturally changed.
"Alright, don't be angry! It's getting late, let's find a place to eat something and rest for the night. These wild evil spirit masters are masters of hiding." Wu Xuan glanced at the sky and said calmly.
"Then I'll go gather some firewood." Seeing Wu Xuan's calm demeanor throughout, Xiao Xiao also calmed down.
On a relatively flat, gentle slope, Wu Xuan piled up the dry branches Xiao Xiao had gathered and lit a campfire.
Even ordinary wild animals were rarely seen near the town, let alone spirit beasts, so it was fine to light the campfire casually.
Wu Xuan took out a soup pot from his soul tool, set it up, and threw in the dried meat and side dishes he had prepared earlier. Soon, it simmered into a thick soup.
Wu Xuan ladled out two bowls, handing one bowl and a piece of flatbread to Xiao Xiao beside him. "This is my first time cooking, I don't know how it tastes, but please bear with it!"
The night in the wild was much colder than in the forests inhabited by various spirit beasts, but with the campfire and the steaming soup, the cold was naturally dispelled.
Xiao Xiao took the bowl and sipped the soup carefully, as if she were holding a precious delicacy. The thought of being the first girl to eat a meal cooked by Wu Xuan filled her with excitement.
Wu Xuan, seeing Xiao Xiao's expression, misunderstood and said speechlessly, "Sigh! It can't be that bad! I don't think my cooking skills are even half as good as Huo Yuhao's, but it shouldn't be so bad as to be inedible."
"No, no! The soup is delicious," Xiao Xiao said, her face slightly flushed.
"Hmm, that's good." Wu Xuan took a bite of the flatbread in his hand and then downed the soup in one gulp. His appetite was now quite large; a flatbread and a bowl of soup wouldn't even fill a tooth gap.
After dinner, Wu Xuan stretched comfortably. He stood up, scanned his surroundings again with his senses, and only after confirming there was no danger did he sit down again.
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(End of Chapter)