Douluo Continent: The Eternal Dawn

Chapter 16 Mingdou Forest

Although it was past noon, considering Ye Xixuan and Bei Bei's goal of obtaining a spirit ring, the group decided to set off as soon as possible.

Beibei needs to hunt down sub-dragon-type soul beasts with the bloodline of the Holy Dragon of Light. Even in the Star Dou Great Forest, such soul beasts are extremely rare, let alone those that are the right age.

Ye Xixuan's second soul ring didn't have such strict requirements; he was more concerned with the cultivation level and quality of the target soul beast.

Elder Mu had told him before that with his current physical strength, he was fully capable of absorbing the spirit rings of spirit beasts with a cultivation of about three thousand years. Furthermore, his martial spirit, Heart Demon Shadow, possessed extreme dark attributes, which naturally suppressed spirit beasts with dark attributes, so there was no need to worry about backlash during the absorption of spirit rings.

Therefore, the stronger the target spirit beast, the better.

The group of four soon arrived at the east gate of Shrek Academy.

At this moment, Bei Bei's heart was filled with the joy of about to acquire a soul ring and advance in rank, and all other thoughts had long been forgotten. After all, at his age, he still had some youthful impetuosity and was far less composed than the one Ye Xixuan remembered from his previous life.

Beibei put her hands behind her head, tilted her chin up in a smug way, and then grinned at Ye Xixuan.

"Xi Xuan, let's meet at the summit next time."

"Go down there and settle down a bit. You two little brats actually went all the way to the top to meet." Old Xuan sucked a chicken bone out of his mouth, tapped Bei Bei's head, and said irritably.

"Alright, let's get going. Don't waste my time drinking and eating meat."

"Ah—, Elder Xuan, slow down!" Bei Bei's cool demeanor lasted only three seconds before Elder Xuan carried him into the sky, and his terrified scream echoed through the air.

Don't let Beibei's serious appearance fool you; she's quite the troublemaker, or as Elder Xuan would say, "a cunning devil." It's hard to say whether Elder Xuan's actions weren't driven by ulterior motives.

Ye Xixuan smiled smugly. He still remembered how Bei Bei had betrayed him to the senior sister the very second day they met.

"Sister Lexuan, shall we set off now?"

"Aren't you going to say goodbye to that little girl from the Tang Clan?" Zhang Lexuan turned her gaze away from the direction where Elder Xuan and Bei Bei had disappeared, glancing sideways at Ye Xixuan, her calm tone seemingly tinged with a strange meaning.

Zhang Lexuan had met Tang Ya before. In fact, Tang Ya's second spirit ring was obtained through a favor asked of hers by Ye Xixuan, which happened about a few months ago.

At the time, Zhang Lexuan was leading the inner court disciples to hunt spirit beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest. On her way back to Shrek Academy, she brought back a plant-type spirit beast that was compatible with the Blue Silver Grass spirit beast for Tang Ya. Coincidentally, that spirit beast was exactly the same as Tang Ya's second spirit ring in Ye Xixuan's previous life memories—both were Ghost Vine.

Over the years, Ye Xixuan has become increasingly aware of his senior sister's subtle attitude towards him, but he really can't quite put his finger on it.

"No need, Sister Lexuan. I just went to Sister Xiaoya's place last night. Let's go and come back quickly like Elder Xuan and Senior Brother Bei."

"Hmm." Zhang Lexuan responded faintly, her emotions unreadable as always. A flash of light appeared on the sapphire storage ring on her slender white finger, and a pair of thin, silver wings appeared behind her.

The broken wing's wingspan wasn't very large, only about two meters, but it had a full ten jet nozzles at the rear. Zhang Lexuan explained to Ye Xixuan, "This is a level seven flying soul tool developed by the Soul Guidance Department. The Mingdou Great Forest is located south of the Mingdou Mountains, its southernmost point even bordering the South China Sea. This journey is long, so I'll use the flying soul tool to take you there. We'll tie us together with a rope later."

"A rope?" Ye Xi suggested suddenly, her mind sparking with inspiration.

"Sister Lexuan, have you forgotten the effect of my first soul skill? The chains I create with my soul skill are much stronger than ropes, and they can last forever as long as they are in contact with my body."

“That works too.” Zhang Lexuan smiled and nodded, letting Ye Xixuan use his first soul skill to condense a jet-black shadow chain, clumsily binding the two of them together.

Ye Xixuan's current height was just at Zhang Lexuan's chest, with his back pressed against her front. His movements were particularly stiff, because he could feel the heavy pressure on the back of his head whenever he looked up, and his body was enveloped by the soft touch and the rich fragrance.

Zhang Lexuan, however, seemed completely unconcerned. She hugged Ye Xixuan from behind and whispered in his ear, "Xixuan, it's time to set off."

"Hmm." Ye Xixuan became even more unnatural, and he couldn't help but secretly regret making the suggestion.

He had seen all the care and love his senior sister had shown him over the years, and in his heart, she was actually no less important than Tang Ya. However, he felt more respect for his senior sister than anything else; such intimate contact always felt like a desecration of her.

The ten jet nozzles on the broken wings of the flying soul tool emitted intense white light, and Zhang Lexuan instantly took Ye Xixuan into the air.

The piercing shriek was deafening, and it also affected Ye Xixuan, who was lost in thought.

The soul guidance technology originally belonging to the Douluo Continent is now far behind that of the Sun Moon Empire. The level seven flying soul guidance device does not even have the function of releasing a soul guidance shield, and can only rely on its own soul power to resist wind resistance.

To avoid causing trouble, Zhang Lexuan ascended to an altitude of a thousand meters, where it was difficult to see clearly from below. She first bypassed the Star Dou Great Forest located southeast of Shrek Academy, and then headed south directly into the heart of the Star Luo Empire.

As the border between the Sun Moon Empire and the Star Luo Empire, the Mingdou Mountains have troops stationed there, so entering the Mingdou Great Forest from the Mingdou Mountains is obviously not advisable.

That's why Zhang Lexuan chose this safer flight route.

As time passed, Ye Xixuan's emotions gradually calmed down. Even his senior sister herself didn't seem to care about these things; perhaps he was just overthinking it.

The noise from the surrounding wind was too loud, and the two barely communicated during the flight. Even when they occasionally stopped to rest and replenish their soul power, Zhang Lexuan's attitude towards Ye Xixuan remained unchanged, still gentle and patient.

They continued their journey intermittently, and finally, before nightfall, they came to see a deep and dense forest.

The border between the Star Luo Empire and the Sun Moon Empire is divided into two-thirds by the steep and treacherous Mingdou Mountains to the north, and the remaining third is the Mingdou Great Forest that appears before Ye Xixuan and Zhang Lexuan.

The golden-red sunset was about to sink below the horizon, its brilliant light falling on the thick canopy of the Mingdou Great Forest, while the interior remained pitch black, carrying a heavy sense of oppression.

(End of this chapter)