"You lot!" Nan Shuishui chuckled helplessly, shaking her head, her eyes filled with doting affection. Then, she patiently explained, "It's not that I have any doubts about the Stigmata, after all, the three great empires and Shrek Academy are involved. From the current situation, there shouldn't be any major problems. It's just that you need to understand, the more Stigmata you fuse, the better, but the key is to find what suits you. 100,000-year Stigmata are out of the question for us, they're too precious. While 10,000-year Stigmata are also valuable, our Earth Dragon Sect can afford them. Once you break through to the Soul King realm, I'll arrange for suitable 10,000-year Stigmata for you."
Nan Shuishui clearly had a deep understanding of Stigmata. She knew that each person could only fuse a limited number of Stigmata, and the older the Stigmata, the better the effects they provided. Furthermore, since Stigmata had only recently appeared on the continent, they were extremely rare. Even if they were pre-ordered, they would require a long wait in line. Nan Qiuqiu and the others urgently needed to acquire soul rings to enhance their strength and clearly couldn't wait for custom-ordered Stigmata, which was why she brought her disciples to the Sunset Forest to hunt for soul beasts.
Despite the passage of time and the gradual decrease in soul beast numbers, the Sunset Forest, being adjacent to Dragon City, had long been charted by the Earth Dragon Sect through years of activity and exploration. Under Nan Shuishui's leadership, the Earth Dragon Sect group quickly found a Saber-toothed Earth Dragon of approximately 5,000 years in a secluded corner of the forest.
Most of the Earth Dragon Sect disciples possessed the Earth Dragon martial soul, making them particularly interested in various Earth Dragon soul beasts. This particular Saber-toothed Earth Dragon had long been under their observation, though they hadn't hunted it until now.
For Earth Dragon Sect disciples, absorbing a soul ring from an Earth Dragon soul beast was undoubtedly the best choice. If they could obtain a soul ring from a true dragon soul beast, that would be even more desirable.
Unfortunately, true dragons were almost extinct on the Douluo Continent, with most existing ones being sub-dragon species. Therefore, the Saber-toothed Earth Dragon before them was extremely suitable for almost all Earth Dragon Sect disciples, including the Young Sect Master, Nan Qiuqiu.
However, after discussion, Nan Qiuqiu and the others decided to yield this Saber-toothed Earth Dragon to Xu Shenshu, the "big black guy," because his martial soul was precisely the Saber-toothed Earth Dragon.
Nan Shuishui personally took action, and dealing with this Saber-toothed Earth Dragon was effortless for her. Before her formidable strength, the Saber-toothed Earth Dragon had no power to resist and was soon severely wounded. Finally, Xu Shenshu delivered the fatal blow, and the Saber-toothed Earth Dragon died by his hand.
Xu Shenshu sat down on the spot and began to focus on absorbing his fourth soul ring, while Nan Qiuqiu and the others surrounded him, protecting him. At this moment, the forest was eerily quiet. The chirping of insects, usually incessant, was now barely audible.
Suddenly, Nan Shuishui frowned and abruptly stood up, her gaze sharp, vigilantly looking towards a dark corner not far away. She had detected that some unusual aura was approaching.
"Who's there? Come out!" Nan Shuishui roared, her voice echoing through the silent forest, startling Nan Qiuqiu and the others. They all stood up, quickly gathered together, and each raised their guard. Although they were still young, having received sect education from an early age, they understood that sometimes, in the wilderness, soul beasts were not necessarily the most dangerous threats.
Nan Shuishui, as a Soul Douluo with formidable strength, should have no problem protecting everyone unless they encountered a 100,000-year soul beast. Moreover, 10,000-year soul beasts were extremely rare in the Sunset Forest now, so how could a 100,000-year soul beast appear? Therefore, what made Nan Shuishui so vigilant was clearly not a soul beast.
"Heh heh, you're still as sharp as ever!" A low, slightly hoarse voice echoed from the darkness. Immediately after, mysterious figures clad in black robes emerged like ghosts from all directions, encircling the Earth Dragon Sect members in a blink of an eye.
"Who are you people?" Nan Shuishui's expression instantly darkened. These uninvited guests did not seem to have good intentions. As a considerably large sect, the Earth Dragon Sect naturally had its share of enemies, but these black-robed figures were clearly not the opponents they were usually familiar with.
"Mom, what do we do?" Nan Qiuqiu and the others' voices revealed clear panic. At this moment, Xu Shenshu was absorbing his soul ring and couldn't be easily moved. In this disadvantageous situation, their predicament was truly concerning.
"Old friends meeting, why be so vigilant? I won't harm you." The leading black-robed figure slowly pulled back his hood, revealing a grim, pale face to everyone. His eyes were fixed on Nan Shuishui, intertwined with deep nostalgia and an almost insane obsession.
"It's you? You're not dead?" Nan Shuishui looked at the somewhat familiar face, her initial confusion instantly turning to shock. She finally recognized his identity; this person was actually one of her many pursuers from back then. It was just that after she rejected him, he had left Dragon City in despair. After so many years, she had always thought he had died outside.
"Dead? How could I die? I want to be with you forever, never apart!" The Third Elder stared at Nan Shuishui with infatuation. Years seemed to have not diluted his admiration for Nan Shuishui, but rather intensified it. In his eyes, the goddess of yesteryear was now even more beautiful and charming, with an added mature charm in her every move. He was eager to imprison Nan Shuishui by his side, to fulfill his insane notion of "being together forever."
"You now? What exactly...!" Nan Shuishui couldn't help but shiver. The Third Elder's ardent and bizarre gaze sent a chill down her spine. She had no romantic feelings for the Third Elder to begin with. Even now that her husband had passed away, she only wanted to raise her daughter and strengthen the Earth Dragon Sect, never having any thought of finding another partner. Moreover, the Third Elder before her exuded an eerie aura, with an evil presence about him, and the way he looked at her made her feel utterly terrified.
"Do it, capture her alive. If one dies, you all die with them!" The Third Elder waved his hand expressionlessly, giving the command. Although he had fallen to become an Evil Soul Master, as a Tier 9 soul engineer, he was not a brainless madman. He knew very well that Nan Shuishui would not willingly go with him.
However, he had no intention of asking for Nan Shuishui's consent. In his twisted view of love, being able to imprison Nan Shuishui by his side was enough. Of course, he truly loved Nan Shuishui, so he had no intention of harming her, nor did he intend to kill the other members of the Earth Dragon Sect.
As the Third Elder gave the order, soul rings instantly lit up on all the black-robed figures. Most of them were Soul Masters at the five-ring Soul King level, with several experts at the Soul Emperor level among them. As a high-ranking Elder, the Third Elder could certainly mobilize Evil Soul Masters above the Soul Saint level, but this time he was acting on his own, so he only brought his subordinates from his own branch.
Such a formidable lineup made Nan Shuishui's expression increasingly grim. She knew that today's events would likely not end well, and without hesitation, she released her martial soul. Accompanied by a dazzling pink light, a colossal phantom of a Rouge Dragon slowly appeared behind her. At the same time, pink dragon scales gradually appeared on her arms and exposed skin, and a pair of delicate pink dragon horns grew on her forehead, instantly changing her entire demeanor.
Two yellow, two purple, and four black, a total of eight optimally matched soul rings, shone sequentially on her body. As one of the soul rings burst with light, the huge Rouge Dragon phantom quickly condensed a ball of pink annihilation light in its mouth. Like a brilliant meteor, it shot towards the Third Elder.
Nan Shuishui was well aware of the principle of "capturing the king first to capture the thieves." Facing the numerically superior enemy, she decided to concentrate her strength on taking down the Third Elder first. However, she had underestimated the Third Elder's current strength.
Just as the pink annihilation light was about to strike the Third Elder, accompanied by a flash of light, two yellow, two purple, and five black, a total of nine soul rings, appeared on the Third Elder's body. At the same time, a purplish-black soul tool barrier appeared out of thin air in front of the Third Elder, steadily blocking the annihilation light unleashed by Nan Shuishui's full power.
"Titled Douluo!" Nan Shuishui's eyes widened in disbelief as she looked at the Third Elder. She knew his talent and aptitude well, and with his past abilities, it was absolutely impossible for him to break through to a Titled Douluo on his own.
"Heh heh!" The Third Elder let out a low chuckle, a hint of smugness and madness in his laugh. To pursue great power, he had abandoned everything, even sacrificing the most important function as a man, just so he could one day make Nan Shuishui look at him differently. Now, he had finally become a Titled Douluo. The shocked expression on Nan Shuishui's face brought him immense satisfaction, and a burning sensation surged through his heart, making him even more excited.
"Rouge Annihilation Burst!" Although Nan Shuishui was deeply shocked, she was not one to be easily captured. Facing the black-clad Evil Soul Masters charging from all directions, she snorted coldly. Her soul power surged, and countless pink light spheres swept out like raindrops, shooting towards the Evil Soul Masters. The moment they approached their targets, the pink light spheres exploded with a boom, unleashing immense power.
"Boom boom boom!" A series of violent explosions sounded, as if shaking the entire forest. The impact of the explosions sent earth and stones flying, and smoke permeated the entire area. Over a dozen figures were sent flying backward by the impact of the explosions, like kites with broken strings, crashing heavily to the ground.
"Fourth Brother." Seeing this, the Third Elder turned his gaze to another black-robed figure beside him.
"Alas, Third Brother, is it worth it for a woman? What if the Cult Master blames us later?" The Fourth Elder reluctantly removed his hood, his face filled with worry. From the beginning, he had disagreed with the Third Elder attacking the Earth Dragon Sect at this time. After all, the Holy Spirit Cult had always been dedicated to concealing its existence, and this operation was highly likely to lead to the leakage of the Holy Cult's information.
However, he and the Third Elder had always been the closest, and he always obeyed the Third Elder's words. Despite his concerns, he ultimately failed to persuade the Third Elder and could only reluctantly follow him to the Sunset Forest to set up this ambush.
"Don't worry, if the Cult Master blames us, I will bear full responsibility. I am a Tier 9 soul engineer, at most I'll receive some punishment. Being able to bring her back, everything will be worth it." The Third Elder had already planned for this. Because he was not only a Titled Douluo but also a Tier 9 soul engineer. Even if his rash actions led to the Holy Cult's information being leaked, the Cult Master would at most punish him symbolically, and would absolutely not easily abandon talent like him.
Even within the Holy Spirit Cult, Titled Douluos were top-tier combatants, let alone a talent like him who possessed advanced soul tool technology. His value to the Holy Spirit Cult was far beyond that of ordinary Titled Douluos. Furthermore, after several conflicts with the Wuchang Division in Mingdu previously, the higher-ups of the Holy Spirit Cult had already suspected that their whereabouts had been discovered by the former Douluo Three Kingdoms. After all, the Wuchang Division was not a local force of the Sun Moon Empire, but originated from the former Douluo Three Kingdoms. Therefore, the Holy Spirit Cult's blockade of information was no longer as strict as before.