Douluo Continent: The Ruler of Time, Reigning Supreme

Chapter 4 Death Reign
Although Ronawa could not appear in person to clear the obstacles in her path, her vast and boundless spiritual power, originating from her demon god status, silently covered the surrounding expansive area like the most sophisticated radar.

Any potential danger, whether it be a deadly poisonous insect in disguise, a man-eating plant lurking in the shadows, or a powerful soul beast whose mere wisp of soul power is enough to make one's soul tremble, is nowhere to be hidden from Ronawa's perception.

For the past few days, Yin Chen has been dancing on the edge of a knife.

It was only through Ronawa's guidance that Yin Chen was able to, like a wisp of a ghost, repeatedly and perilously traverse the borders of soul beast territories of the millennium level, or even those with more profound and terrifying auras, narrowly escaping death.

Each successful evasion made her more and more tense, because she knew that good luck would not last forever.

"We must leave here as soon as possible."

Yin Chen muttered to himself, his amethyst-like eyes filled with an unyielding sense of urgency and worry.

Through a soul connection with her distant counterpart, she vaguely knew that she was within the territory of the Sun and Moon Empire.

However, the empire is vast, with numerous soul beast forests scattered throughout. Apart from a few notorious dangerous areas, small and medium-sized soul beast gathering areas are as numerous as hairs on a cow.

She was like a tiny dot trapped on a huge maze map, unable to determine her exact location, let alone find a way out.

This forest, shrouded in eeriness and silence, where every shadow could conceal a deadly threat, constantly tested her nerves.

Her golden body, that of a butterfly, truly possessed extraordinary qualities, and she was born with an affinity for the laws of death.

She clearly remembered that a blind, ten-year-old bone-eating rat roared and pounced. In her panic, she raised her hand to block it. The moment her fingertips touched the rat, the ferocious soul beast didn't even have time to let out a wail. Its body was like a sand sculpture blown away by the wind, its life force instantly extinguished, turning into a clump of ashes.

This power is incredibly domineering; it is a manifestation of the law that kills upon contact, and can be called a miracle.

However, the limitations of this power of death are equally fatal.

First of all, it doesn't distinguish between friend and foe. Yin Chen must constantly restrain his desire to touch it and be extremely careful when walking, sitting, or lying down, so as not to accidentally kill a harmless little beast or an ordinary plant, thereby exposing his existence and causing even greater trouble.

Secondly, and most fatally so at the moment, this power of death cannot grant her any substantial defensive capabilities or speed boost.

Faced with a hundred-year-old soul beast, she might still be able to rely on Ronawa's early warning and her own agility to risk her life and try to get close enough to touch it, seeking mutual destruction.

But more likely, she will be torn to shreds by the swift attack of a soul beast before she succeeds.

As for the Thousand-Year Soul Beast?

They often possess ranged attack methods or powerful area-of-effect soul skills, making it impossible for her to even get close. The mere aftershocks of their attacks are enough to completely disintegrate her fragile body.

Ultimately, despite possessing a martial soul and a special physique that transcended the mortal realm, she had not even obtained the most basic soul ring.

Without a spirit ring, one's spirit power level cannot be increased, and powerful spirit skills are out of the question.

This golden-blooded body may have better basic qualities than an ordinary six-year-old human child, but in terms of strength, speed, and defense, it is still as fragile as thin ice compared to those soul beasts that can smash rocks and tear the earth apart at any moment.

"Ronawa, in which direction are the auras of spirit beasts the sparsest? Or rather, which direction might lead to areas with human activity?"

Yin Chen asked herself this question again from the depths of her heart; it was her only hope at the moment.

After a brief silence in the sea of ​​consciousness, the cold and authoritative voice rang out again, providing clear guidance but also attaching a warning:
"To the north, on the edge of that direction, there are traces of human activity. However, their aura... is somewhat strange, entwined with eerie and chaotic fluctuations. Whether it's a blessing or a curse remains to be seen. You must weigh the pros and cons yourself." Yin Chen took a deep breath, the complex scent of the forest, a mixture of decaying branches and leaves and some strange floral fragrance, filling his lungs with a cool sensation.

She understood that staying in this perilous forest was tantamount to slow suicide.

Even with Ronawa's warnings, there's no guarantee that danger can be averted every time.

Staying where you are will only lead to certain death; heading north, at least, offers a glimmer of hope.

She has to take this gamble.

"Let's go."

Yin Chen resolutely stood up, carefully brushing off the dust and withered grass clippings from his clothes. His gaze passed over the layers of eerie trees and firmly landed on the north that Ronawa had pointed out.

Regardless, the other party is human.

As long as one is human, there is always the possibility of communication and negotiation, which is much better than facing those ferocious soul beasts that only follow their instincts.

Moreover, her current appearance—silver hair and purple eyes, exquisite like a doll, yet possessing a childlike innocence and fragility—can greatly reduce others' wariness.

This might give her a precious opportunity, even if it requires her to use lies and acting to gain it.

Even in the worst-case scenario...

She cheered herself up in her heart, even forcing out a slightly self-deprecating thought.

"At worst, I'll just die. Don't forget, Ronawa, you are the demon god who controls death, and Xia Die is a demigod who symbolizes death. I've taken advantage of you, so why would I die so easily?"

This thought, tinged with a mix of helplessness and acceptance, spurred her onward, cautiously making her way towards that unknown human settlement shrouded in an eerie atmosphere.

Guided by Ronava in his mind, Yin Chen, like an almost imperceptible shadow in the forest, carefully traversed the treacherous woods.

She avoided the eerie flowers that emitted a sweet fragrance but could instantly corrode flesh, bypassed the terrifying crocodiles lurking in the swamp with an aura comparable to that of a thousand-year-old soul beast, and even held her breath as she quietly slipped past the edge of a giant spider soul beast's nest that was fast asleep.

After several hours of arduous trekking, she parted a clump of drooping, metallic vines, and the view before her suddenly opened up.

On a cleared-out area, several buildings with a gloomy style and a predominantly black and dark red color scheme stand.

The human presence in the air had indeed become clearer, but the eerie feeling that Ronawa had warned of was now as tangible as ever, a mixture of blood, resentment, and a nauseating stench.

"Is this here?"

Yin Chen's heart sank slightly; this aura made her instinctively feel uncomfortable and wary.

However, what shocked her even more was the strange symbols she saw in prominent locations on those buildings and on the black robes worn by some patrolmen.

(End of this chapter)