Chapter 95: The Yunluo Duchy
Six months later, on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest.
Two figures emerged from the shadows of the towering ancient trees, stepping onto the soil of the human world.
Jiang Bai took a deep breath; breathing the air outside the forest once again after half a year, he felt a strange sensation—as if an entire lifetime had passed.
Beside him, Jiang Li’er skipped excitedly, taking a couple of bouncy steps.
"We’re finally out! The forest is nice and all, but the outside world is so much more interesting!"
Hidden in the shadows, Bi Ji lurked behind an ancient tree, her gaze resting gently upon the pair.
Just as she was preparing to follow them stealthily, the space beside her suddenly warped, and a pitch-black figure materialized silently out of thin air.
"Bi Ji... what are you doing?"
Di Tian’s voice was low and calm.
Bi Ji cast her gaze toward Jiang Li’er in the distance.
"I’m simply worried about Li’er. Although Jiang Bai is there to protect her, she has a rather reckless nature, and I’m concerned that..."
A flicker of understanding passed through Di Tian’s eyes; he asked no further questions.
After all, Bi Ji truly doted on Jiang Li’er as if she were her own daughter—such genuine concern could not be faked. He raised his hand, and a black dragon scale—roughly the size of a palm, its edges shimmering with dark-gold patterns—appeared in his palm.
"If you encounter danger, simply infuse your Soul Power into this. I will be able to manifest there instantly," Di Tian said, tossing the dragon scale toward Bi Ji.
Bi Ji caught the scale and nodded solemnly. "Understood."
Di Tian spoke no further; with a wave of his hand, he tore open a spatial rift, and his figure vanished into it without a trace.
Bi Ji carefully stowed the dragon scale away, then suppressed her aura once more, quietly trailing the pair from a hundred meters back, moving silently through the shifting shadows of the trees.
Over the past six months, Jiang Bai had successfully broken through the Level 60 bottleneck while at the shores of the Lake of Life.
He had absorbed the Radiant Holy Dragon—which had been waiting within the tower for a long time—as his sixth Soul Ring.
His Soul Power had skyrocketed all the way to Level 63, marking his official entry into the realm of the Soul Emperor.
Meanwhile, under Di Tian’s personal guidance, Jiang Li’er’s cultivation had also advanced to Level 55.
During this period, Jiang Bai had also become a familiar face—or rather, a familiar scent—to virtually all the ferocious beasts residing within the Star Dou Great Forest.
Xiong Jun had initially harbored palpable hostility toward him, but under the suppressive might of Di Tian, the bear-king had grudgingly come to accept his presence.
The King of Ten Thousand Demons, meanwhile, displayed a keen interest in the miniature world contained within Jiang Bai’s tower; he had even requested permission to enter and look around, a request Jiang Bai politely declined.
The Red King, for his part, was quite amiable toward Jiang Bai. Zi Ji, however, rarely ventured out; Jiang Bai had caught a glimpse of her only once.
At this moment, Jiang Bai and Jiang Li’er were traveling southwest.
This choice of direction stemmed from a suggestion made by the Fire Dragon King half a month earlier.
"Listen here, kid—I recommend you head to the southwestern edge of the continent to try your luck. You just might stumble upon a massive opportunity!"
"Really? Is that true?"
Jiang Bai felt a twinge of skepticism.
Since when did the folks in this Douluo world become so impressive? They can actually predict where opportunities lie now?
"I can’t say for sure."
The flames within the Fire Dragon King’s eyes flickered.
"It’s just that, every now and then, I can sense a certain... familiar fluctuation coming from the southwest. It’s very faint—intermittent, even—but it is definitely there. Whether or not you actually encounter it is entirely up to your luck."
Jiang Bai pondered the matter for a moment.
Reasoning that this was, after all, a suggestion from a God-King—and adopting the mindset that it is always better to believe such things might be true than to dismiss them entirely—he decided to take Jiang Li’er and head southwest.
In any case, his original plan had been to travel across the continent in search of rare heavenly treasures and earthly wonders; the southwest was simply another region he had yet to explore.
Bringing his thoughts back to the present, Jiang Bai gazed out at the vast, open plains stretching before him and summoned his Wind Dragon.
A silhouette of a cyan dragon materialized at his side, its body now spanning over twenty meters in length, its scales gleaming with a metallic luster under the sunlight.
Thanks to six months of cultivation within the tower and the guidance of the Ice and Fire Dragon Kings, the Wind Dragon’s cultivation level had advanced from the 40,000-year tier to the 50,000-year tier.
"Let’s go. We’ll fly for a while first."
Jiang Bai leaped onto the dragon’s back, then reached out to pull Jiang Li’er up behind him.
The Wind Dragon let out a long, resonant cry; spreading its wings wide, it whipped up a vortex of air and soared skyward.
Inside the miniature world within the tower...
The Ice Dragon King asked softly, "Do you think he’ll actually find it?"
Beside him, the Fire Dragon King fell silent for a moment, the flames in his eyes flickering.
"I don’t know. I was only barely able to pinpoint that location through the faint resonance of our bloodlines."
The Ice Dragon King remained silent for a long while, then suddenly asked, "If Jiang Bai really does manage to get inside... then how exactly should we... deal with him?"
The flames surrounding the Fire Dragon King suddenly seemed to freeze in place.
"..." A rare look of bewilderment flickered in the Fire Dragon King’s eyes.
The Ice Dragon King sighed. "You’re always like this—whenever you encounter a difficult question, you simply fall silent."
Fire Dragon King: "..."
Outside, the Wind Dragon soared through the skies, carrying two passengers as it swept over plains, rolling hills, and winding streams.
Jiang Bai chose not to fly in a straight line; instead, he landed whenever they passed a city, taking Jiang Li’er inside to experience the local customs and culture, and visiting the Soul Fighting Arena to participate in a few matches.
Engaging in combat against Soul Masters with different Martial Souls and distinct fighting styles allowed them to rapidly accumulate practical combat experience and refine their own fighting systems.
Six months later, deep within the territory of the Yunluo Duchy—a vassal state of the Star Luo Empire.
They had arrived at a vast expanse of primeval forest.
Although not quite as boundless as the Sunset Forest, it boasted dense vegetation and a rich diversity of Soul Beasts.
The Wind Dragon descended into a clearing amidst the trees, and Jiang Bai and Jiang Li’er disembarked from its back.
"Let’s rest here for the night."
Jiang Bai glanced at the sky; the setting sun had already dipped below the horizon, vanishing into the depths of the forest canopy.
Jiang Li’er nodded, retrieved a tent from her spatial Soul Tool, and began setting it up.
Jiang Bai, meanwhile, turned and ventured into the forest; before long, he returned carrying several plump, soft-boned rabbits.
He built a campfire beside a small stream at the forest’s edge, then skillfully dressed the rabbits and rubbed them down with spices he carried with him.
The flames licked at the meat, causing fat to drip into the fire with a sizzling sound, and a savory aroma soon began to waft through the air.
Having finished pitching the tent, Jiang Li’er scooted over to the campfire and sat down, her eyes fixed intently on the roasting rabbits.
"It smells amazing! Jiang Bai, your cooking skills have improved again!"
"When you cook often enough, you naturally get good at it," Jiang Bai replied with a smile, turning the roasting spit.
...
Meanwhile, ten miles away in a secluded valley...
Sitting beside a campfire, Tian Yue pointed to a few stray strands of white hair at Qian Renxue’s temples, her voice tinged with concern.
"Sister Xue, look—you’re getting gray hair! We really need to go back and get some proper rest!"
Qian Renxue sat by the fire. Indeed, amidst her naturally brilliant golden hair, several jarringly silver-white strands were now interwoven—standing out in stark relief under the flickering light of the campfire.
Upon hearing Tian Yue’s words, she merely shook her head indifferently: "It is nothing. Once we finish purging this faction of Fallen Ones within the Yunluo Duchy, we shall begin our return journey."
This squad of the Holy Knights Order originally consisted of thirteen members; now, only nine remained, seated in a circle around the campfire.
After a year and a half of patrolling and purging the borderlands, they had annihilated dozens of Fallen One factions, yet they had paid a heavy price—four of their members had sustained severe injuries and had been placed in a nearby Spirit Hall branch temple to recuperate.
Their recent encounter in the Pelagi Kingdom with a Soul Douluo-level Fallen One had nearly resulted in the squad’s total annihilation; it was only because Qian Renxue had unleashed the full power of her Angelic Domain to protect her teammates that they had managed to secure a narrow victory.
"Captain, the latest intelligence suggests that this particular faction of Fallen Ones might have a Soul Saint presiding over them. Should we head to a nearby Spirit Hall branch temple to mobilize reinforcements first?"
One of the squad members suggested cautiously.
Qian Renxue was just about to speak when her expression suddenly shifted; she sprang to her feet instantly!
Almost simultaneously, rustling sounds echoed from all sides of the valley, accompanied by the faint jingling of bells.
Their perimeter alarms, set up on the outskirts of the camp, had been triggered!
"We have a situation! Enemy attack!"
One of the squad members shouted loudly.
The nine of them instantly shifted into combat mode, summoning their Martial Souls and igniting their Soul Rings.
Clutching her Angelic Sword, Qian Renxue fixed her beautiful eyes upon the thicket ahead, pointing the tip of her blade into the darkness: "Who’s there? Show yourselves!"
From behind the thicket came the sharp smack of a slap, followed immediately by a stream of curses.
"You absolute waste of space! I told you to watch your step—are you blind?!"
The members of the Holy Knights Order: "..."