Douluo Continent: Martial Soul Blue Silver Grass, Simulating Godhood

Chapter 40 Heading to Sunset Forest! Considerations for the Eighth Soul Ring!

The simulation is still ongoing.

[You escorted the father and daughter towards Tiandou City, and during your conversations along the way, you learned some basic information about them. The middle-aged man's surname was Wei, and his given name was Sanshi. He was a traveling herbal medicine merchant, and his daughter's name was Wei Qingqing. She had been helping her father collect and sell herbs since she was a child and had a remarkable talent for herbs. A few years ago, while collecting herbs in a remote mountainous area, she accidentally unearthed a beautiful Jade Needle Orchid. She intended to keep it as a family heirloom, but the news leaked out, attracting the covetous eyes of bandits.]

Listening to the father and daughter's story, you roughly understood the origin of the Jade Needle Orchid, but you didn't ask further, as it was their private matter. You escorted them all the way to the outskirts of Tiandou City, where Wei Sanshi repeatedly invited you to come into the city for a meal.

You urged him to properly express his gratitude for saving your life, but you politely declined with a smile, saying you had urgent business to attend to and would meet again sometime. The father and daughter bid you a reluctant farewell, and you watched them enter the city gate before turning to leave.

Standing at the crossroads outside Tiandou City, you pondered for a moment, then turned and headed towards Sunset Forest.

[There are still some scattered spiritual herbs at the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well that can be recycled, and as the place where you first obtained a high-age spirit ring, your familiarity with Sunset Forest far surpasses that of other areas. More importantly, there are some areas deep within Sunset Forest that you sensed but were unable to explore at the time; those places might hide a target suitable for your eighth spirit ring.]

Before this trip, you had already clearly defined the requirements for your eighth spirit ring: at least 100,000 years, ideally over 150,000 years. However, plant-type spirit beasts of this level are extremely rare across the entire continent. With your current cultivation level of 83 Soul Douluo, plus four 100,000-year spirit bones and seven 100,000-year spirit rings, you should be able to put up a fight even against beings over 150,000 years old. But the ideal situation is still to find a plant-type spirit beast whose attributes are highly compatible with yours, preferably one willing to sacrifice itself.

Of course, you've also prepared for the worst. If you truly can't find a suitable sacrifice target, then fight with all your might. With your current strength, you have a considerable chance of winning even against a 150,000-year-old soul beast. As an 83rd-level Soul Douluo, with the complete suppression of the Golden and Blue Silver Emperors and the trump card of exile from the Imaginary Space, you fear no battle.

After entering Sunset Forest, you ventured deeper into its core area. The spirit beasts you encountered along the way, sensing the oppressive aura emanating from you, all avoided you, not even daring to raise their heads. You traversed the dense forest unimpeded, arriving at the valley where the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well was located. Dugu Bo hadn't returned yet, but he had left a seal, effectively protecting the area around the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, clearly confirming that you wouldn't be returning.

[You came in and checked everything, confirming that the common herbs you had deliberately left behind were still growing steadily. You then watered them all with the Spring of Life from your magic pouch before leaving. Instead, you ventured deeper into an area of ​​Sunset Forest that had never been explored before, along an even more remote valley.]

The deeper you venture, the denser the vegetation becomes, and the more damp and chilly the air grows. Your golden, blue, and silver imperial senses expand to their fullest extent, meticulously searching for any signs of life in your surroundings. You traverse damp swamps, cross dark canyons, and leap over steep cliffs, finally sensing an extremely heavy and ancient aura deep within an incredibly ancient forest.

You slowed your pace, concealed your presence, and approached silently. After passing through a dense thicket of thorns, a dark clearing appeared before you, obscured by the massive canopy of trees. In the center of the clearing, a colossal, dark green entity stood silently—an extremely ancient Ironblood Vine, its entire body seemingly cast from refined iron. Its vines were as thick as centuries-old trees, their surface covered with sharp thorns and dark red veins, radiating a suffocating sense of oppression.

[Iron Blood Vine, an extremely rare plant-type soul beast, is renowned for its defense and strength. It is virtually immune to all physical attacks and possesses an extremely volatile temperament, launching indiscriminate attacks if disturbed. You carefully sensed its age; it is approximately 140,000 to 150,000 years old. While it cannot compare to the 180,000-year-old Blue Silver Emperor on the Sun Moon Continent, it is definitely among the top-tier soul beasts.]

You narrowed your eyes slightly, not acting immediately. The Iron Blood Vine's attributes lean towards defense and strength, which isn't a perfect match for your life attribute. A better choice would be ideal, but its age is a factor. If you can't find a more suitable target, using it as your eighth spirit ring isn't an unacceptable option. You decided to mark the location of this Iron Blood Vine first, then look elsewhere for better choices.

You quietly retreated, leaving the territory of the Ironblood Vine, and continued your exploration deeper. Over the next few days, you discovered several more plant-type soul beasts over 100,000 years old. Most of them possessed pure offensive or defensive attributes, but only one truly resonated perfectly with your life force. It was an ancient banyan tree growing on a cliff face, approximately 120,000 years old, radiating an extremely rich life force that resonated exceptionally strongly with your Golden Blue Silver Emperor. However, its life energy appeared somewhat pure and singular, lacking variability.

You stand at the foot of the cliff, gazing up at the ancient banyan tree, weighing your options for a long time. Its attributes are indeed a perfect match for you; the soul skill you acquire after absorbing it will most likely be a support-oriented skill related to life recovery and energy nourishment. However, your skill pool already contains the combination of "Restoration of All Things" and "Return to Nothingness," a life-and-death pair. From a practical combat perspective, you need more diverse powers to compensate for your weaknesses.

After careful consideration, you ultimately returned to the vicinity of the Ironblood Vine's territory. Although its life attribute purity is not as high as the Ancient Banyan Tree of Life, its 150,000-year age and naturally strong defensive capabilities might offer you more options for developing your soul skills.

You found a rocky high ground with a wide view and sat down, beginning to carefully observe the daily activity patterns and habits of the Ironblood Vine. Instead of taking action, you patiently observed it for three whole days, figuring out the boundaries of its sensory range, the length of its sleep cycles, and its general attack patterns when disturbed.

Three days later, you stood up from the rock, stretched your limbs, and calmly fixed your gaze on the Iron Blood Vine.

Above the main body. Having learned everything that needed to be learned, all that remained was to take action. You slowly walked into the dark clearing, your steps unhurried, each one firm and steady.

[The Iron Blood Vine clearly sensed your presence immediately. Its thick vines slowly began to writhe, and the dark red patterns on their surface began to glow with an eerie light, like blood flowing through its veins. The aura of the entire soul beast grew increasingly intense and heavy.]

You stand in the center of the open space, facing the 150,000-year-old Ironblood Vine. Without uttering a word or making any unnecessary movements, you silently raise your right hand. The seven soul rings beneath your feet rise silently, their crimson light illuminating the entire dark open space as bright as day.

The Ironblood Vine emitted a low, hissing sound, like steel rubbing against steel, and all its tendrils erupted simultaneously, lashing out at you from all directions like hundreds of iron whips. A dense whistling sound filled the air; each tendril contained a terrifying force capable of shattering a city wall.

A slight smile played on your lips as you shifted to the side, and the 100,000-year-old soul bone on your right arm suddenly shone brightly. The hunt officially began at this moment.

The simulation is still ongoing.