Chapter 80: The Twin Stars
I truly deserve to die!
And you, Jiang Bai—you bastard—you deserve to die, too!
If only you were still alive... how wonderful that would be...
...
The next day, early morning.
Sunlight pierced through the thin mist, awakening the slumbering mountains and forests.
The birdsong was crisp and clear, and the air felt fresh and invigorating.
"Haaah..."
The flap of a tent was pushed aside, and Jiang Li’er stepped out, letting out a massive yawn.
She stretched her body with uninhibited ease, her graceful curves clearly visible beneath her simple dress.
"Mmm... I slept so well last night!"
She rubbed her eyes, her beautiful gaze still holding a hint of sleepy bewilderment.
Her eyes then shifted to the side, where she spotted Jiang Bai packing up the adjacent tent—the one belonging to the Snow Emperor and the Ice Emperor. Moving with practiced efficiency, he quickly folded and packed away the tent, stowing it inside his storage bracelet.
"Jiang Bai!" Jiang Li’er trotted over and asked curiously, "Packing up this early—are you planning to leave? Where are we going?"
Jiang Bai didn’t even lift his head; continuing his work, he replied in a casual tone, "I don’t know. Just wandering around, I guess."
"You don’t know?!" Jiang Li’er raised her voice, her beautiful eyes widening in disbelief.
"You’re packing your bags and getting ready to set off, yet you don’t know where you’re going? Who are you trying to fool? You just don’t want to tell me!"
Only then did Jiang Bai stop his movements. He straightened up and looked at the pouting Jiang Li’er, a playful smile curling at the corners of his lips.
"If you already know that, why bother asking?"
"You—!"
Jiang Li’er was so flustered she nearly choked on her own breath.
Pointing a finger at Jiang Bai, she sputtered incoherently for a moment before finally stomping her foot in frustration. She turned her head away with a huff.
"Hmph! Fine, don’t tell me! See if I care!"
Jiang Bai chuckled and paid her no further mind, turning to walk out of the forest.
At some point—he hadn’t even noticed when—the Snow Emperor and Ice Emperor had appeared at his sides, silently falling in behind him like the most loyal of guards and companions.
Watching the backs of the trio as they prepared to depart, Jiang Li’er puffed out her cheeks and stomped her feet a couple more times.
In the end, however, she couldn’t resist; she broke into a trot to catch up, falling into step right beside Jiang Bai.
Bi Ji finished packing up the tent. Gazing at the figures ahead, she offered a gentle smile and followed behind them at a leisurely pace.
After walking for a while, Jiang Li’er’s curiosity got the better of her once again.
She edged closer to Jiang Bai, her beautiful eyes sparkling with a mischievous glint, and gave him a light nudge with her shoulder.
"Hey, Jiang Bai! Given the relationship we have now, just tell me! Where exactly are we going?"
"What kind of relationship do we have?" Jiang Bai cast a sidelong glance at her and asked teasingly, "The kind where we became friends only after a fight?"
"Oh, come on!"
Jiang Li’er felt a sudden surge of exasperation at his attitude.
"Anyway... anyway, I have nowhere else to go! I don’t know anyone else in the human world, and Sister Bi Ji is only here to keep me company. Just let me tag along with you, pretty please? Won’t you?"
She began trying to sell Jiang Bai on a grand vision, her tone dripping with allure: "Just think about it! The two of us—one is a prodigy blessed with extraordinary talent and burdened by a blood feud; the other is an Imperial Auspicious Beast in human form, favored by destiny itself! If we join forces as a powerhouse duo, we could easily carve out a legendary reputation across this entire continent—the ’Twin Stars’!"
"Imagine it! We’d strike fear into the hearts of foes in every direction—how magnificent would that be?"
Seeing that Jiang Bai seemed unmoved, she hurriedly added: "And! With Sister Bi Ji around, you won’t have to worry about getting injured at all! You’ve already experienced her healing abilities firsthand; as long as you’ve still got a breath left in your body, Sister Bi Ji can pull you back from the very jaws of death! That’s practically like having an extra life!"
As she spoke, she glanced back and gave Bi Ji a playful wink, signaling for her to chime in and back her up.
Bi Ji merely smiled gently, offering no verbal contribution of her own.
Jiang Bai was amused by her "sales pitch" and shook his head: "I’m not exactly eager to get myself injured. Besides, if I were to actually encounter a powerful enemy I couldn’t defeat..."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the Snow Empress and Ice Empress walking beside him, his tone carrying a trace of matter-of-fact confidence: "The Snow Empress and the Ice Empress would step in."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Li’er and Bi Ji simultaneously turned their gazes toward the two "Heavenly Kings of the Far North" who had been following silently all this time; a flicker of both surprise and realization flashed through their eyes.
Jiang Li’er hadn’t expected Jiang Bai’s relationship with them to be quite so close—close enough, in fact, to make these two notoriously fearsome Heavenly Kings willingly serve as his "bodyguards."
Bi Ji, meanwhile, nodded inwardly, confirming the suspicions she had harbored earlier.
Sure enough, some form of transaction or pact existed between them; otherwise, it would be utterly impossible for the Snow Empress and the Ice Empress to go to such lengths for the sake of a mere human youth.
This Jiang Bai... his methods and his fortune are truly nothing short of incredible.
Jiang Li’er rolled her eyes, then shifted her approach and pressed on: "Well then... Jiang Bai, surely you can tell me now roughly where we’re headed next?"
Jiang Bai shook his head once again, giving a crisp, decisive answer: "I cannot."
"..."
Jiang Li’er was so exasperated that her little face puffed out like a steamed bun as she muttered under her breath:
"You big jerk! Acting all mysterious—you’re definitely up to no good!"
She turned her head away, giving up on trying to pry any information out of Jiang Bai, and instead focused her attention on the passing scenery; yet, judging by her still-puffed-out cheeks, it was clear she hadn’t quite cooled down yet.
In truth, Jiang Bai already had a plan in mind.
His Soul Power had now reached Level 49, bringing him tantalizingly close to the threshold of the Soul King rank at Level 50. It was time to begin preparations for his fifth Soul Ring.
The Soul Beast he required for this purpose was no ordinary species; not only did it need to be of the Dragon lineage, but ideally, it would also possess rare elemental attributes or powerful innate abilities.
Jiang Bai called to mind the legends circulating across the continent regarding...
A legend of the Dragon Clan.
Rumor has it that the Dragon Clan possesses two progenitors: one is the Golden Dragon, master of raw power, and the other is the Silver Dragon, master of the elemental laws.
They are also hailed as the dragons possessing the purest bloodlines—and the greatest power—of the entire clan!
The Silver Dragon possesses an innate talent to command seven distinct elements; the dragon-beast Jiang Bai initially absorbed, as well as the Light- and Darkness-attributed dragon-beasts he currently seeks, are all offshoots of this lineage.
If he could simply locate a Silver Dragon directly, it would save him a great deal of trouble.
But he had no confidence he could do so! If finding even a pure-blooded offshoot dragon-beast was this difficult, locating a true Silver Dragon would likely be nigh impossible.
Although references in Soul Land II mention that the Sun Moon Empire hunted down quite a few of them, there was no telling whether any still survived on the Douluo Continent itself.
Then there was the Golden Dragon. While it did not possess the Silver Dragon’s all-encompassing mastery over every elemental law, it wielded a terrifying, monstrous strength capable of shattering anything in its path.
It even bore the title of the "Progenitor of Power."
If he could manage to acquire the power of both these dragons...
The Star Dou Great Forest—the largest expanse of wilderness on the Douluo Continent, home to the greatest diversity of soul-beasts, and the most likely sanctuary for the descendants of ancient, powerful dragon lineages—was, without question, his primary destination.
As for why he chose not to inform Jiang Li’er: firstly, he feared that upon hearing they were returning to the vicinity of the Star Dou Great Forest, she would panic—terrified that Di Tian might detect her presence, recapture her, and imprison her once more—leading her to refuse to accompany him or even attempt to slip away in secret.
Secondly... he harbored a slight desire to tease her.
Watching this proud yet lively "Imperial Auspicious Beast" look flustered, bewildered, and utterly helpless was a sure way to inject some much-needed amusement into their otherwise tedious journey.
Moreover, along the way—aside from teasing Jiang Li’er—wouldn’t it be one of life’s great pleasures to occasionally flirt with the gentle, water-like Bi Ji, or to discuss cultivation techniques and spar with the aloof, noble Snow Empress and the adorable, tsundere Ice Empress?
It was a long and winding journey—yet with beauties for companions, a goal lying ahead, power coursing through his veins, and old scores yet to be settled...
Such a life... didn’t seem half bad.