Chapter 68: The Veteran of Three Dynasties, the Sacred Forest!
A few days later.
Hu Bai and his group were fully prepared, gathering at the Supreme Pontiff Palace to set off for the Star Dou Great Forest.
The expedition team this time was extremely luxurious. Besides Qian Renxue, Dugu Yan, and others who needed to acquire soul rings, those accompanying them to hunt Soul Beasts—apart from Hu Bai's family—included three Titled Douluo: Qian Daoliu, Bibi Dong, and Dugu Bo!
With three Titled Douluo accompanying them, this time Yue Guan, Gui Mei, and even Ling Yuan, who secretly protected Hu Bai, did not follow but remained in Spirit Hall to carry out their tasks.
Though it was said they were carrying out tasks, in reality, it was just to give them rest. Among them, only Ling Yuan was truly resting.
Because Yue Guan and Gui Mei had just broken through to the rank 96, it was time for them to stabilize their cultivation and deepen their understanding.
Moreover, they were pleasantly surprised to find that perhaps, due to consuming Immortal Herbs, the compatibility of their Martial Soul Fusion skill had improved significantly!
Yue Guan's Chrysanthemum represented Yang, and Gui Mei's Ghost represented Yin. After consuming the Immortal Herbs, the Yin and Yang attributes of their Martial Souls became even stronger, and their compatibility naturally increased.
Although they hadn't specifically tested it, the Dark Eclipse Domain unleashed with their current cultivation— even if the opponent was prepared—should be able to completely immobilize a rank ninety-eight super Douluo for a period without them breaking free!
And a rank 99 Ultimate Douluo, if caught off guard, might also be controlled!
"Old Gui, this time we really have to thank this little guy properly. If it weren't for that ethereal Luck, I wouldn't have encountered the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well full of Immortal Herbs. I'm afraid I would have stopped at rank 95 in this life," Yue Guan looked at the carriage gradually disappearing from their sight in the distance and sighed with emotion.
Gui Mei's hoarse voice sounded, "Yes, I also didn't expect that these so-called Immortal Herbs truly have such heaven-defying effects. I have a feeling that perhaps, in another ten-odd years, we might have a hope of breaking through to the rank 97!"
Yue Guan put his arm around Gui Mei's shoulder and smiled, "Me too. Perhaps by then, it will be when that little guy becomes the Supreme Pontiff. The three of us can truly be elder statesmen of three generations of pope, hahaha."
"Also, Old Gui, have you noticed that during this period, the Supreme Pontiff's personality has clearly improved a lot? No, that's not right. It should be said that she has returned to normal, restoring her personality from when she was a Holy Maiden, and is no longer so indifferent."
"Hmm, you are right. In fact, both of us know in our hearts that the reason the Supreme Pontiff used us two after taking office was because she truly had no one else to rely on. Otherwise, given our relationship with the former Supreme Pontiff, alas..." Gui Mei also sighed slightly.
"Alright, it's time for us to cultivate. I wonder what they will gain from their trip to the Star Dou Great Forest this time. I am really looking forward to it," Yue Guan smiled.
Every time Hu Bai participated in a Soul hunting operation, either a rare Soul Beast would be encountered, or a Soul Bone would be obtained.
Every single one of these things was something a Soul Master could only dream of encountering.
Along the way—
Hu Bai, Hu Liena, Qian Renxue, and Bibi Dong shared a carriage.
Qian Renxue and Hu Bai were sitting side by side.
Feeling the bumpy road along the way, Hu Bai couldn't help but complain, "Teacher, do you think we can find a way to repair all these roads? At least make them flatter. After sitting for so long, I feel like my butt hurts."
Hearing this, Qian Renxue's face flushed slightly, and she glared at him, "How can your butt be so fragile? You are a Soul Master!"
"That's right, big brother. If it's just repairing one road, it might not cost much, but repairing all of them would be a significant expense. And you also know that next year, our Spirit Hall will only be able to rely on ourselves, right?"
Next year, Spirit Hall would no longer demand Soul Master subsidies from the Two Great Empires, and only Soul Masters willing to join Spirit Hall would be able to enjoy Spirit Hall's exclusive subsidies.
Perhaps this subsidy amount would remain the same as before, as many unnecessary expenses would be reduced.
But don't forget, cultivating Soul Masters is also a considerable expense.
Perhaps next year, Spirit Hall might recruit many more students because of this policy.
After all, for impoverished civilian Soul Masters, Spirit Hall was their only destination. The Two Great Empires would probably just gloat and not offer a single cent of assistance.
Although Bibi Dong did not speak, she took Hu Bai's request to heart: "Perhaps we can first build a flat road directly from Spirit Hall to the Star Dou Great Forest. As for wanting the entire continent to be like this, it might not be possible now, but in the future..."
Generally speaking, when Soul Masters traveled to hunt Soul Beasts, those in larger groups would ride in carriages, while smaller groups would ride horses. A few might choose to run to train or save money.
After some 'torment,' Hu Bai and his group finally arrived at the Star Dou Great Forest.
Because there were three Titled Douluo present, they did not intend to stay in the outer perimeter but instead went deeper.
The deeper they went, the more rare Soul Beasts they could find.
This time, Qian Daoliu was clearly in charge. He knew there was a place in the Star Dou Great Forest that was a gathering place for light-attribute Soul Beasts.
In the Soul Hunting Forest managed by his Spirit Hall, most of the light-attribute Soul Beasts were captured by him or others from that place using special methods, then brought back to allow the main branch and even the sub-branches of the Qian family to better acquire the Soul Beasts they needed.
Sacred Forest!
This was a hidden forest located on the border of the Heaven Dou Empire, finally enveloped in soft Holy Light.
There were many small forests within the Star Dou Great Forest suitable for various Soul Beasts to live in. Besides this Sacred Forest, there was also a Blue Silver Forest, which was the holy land of the Blue Silver Grass clan, and the Blue Silver Ancestral Land was also located within it. Both small forests were part of the Star Dou Great Forest.
Before setting off, Qian Renxue had already absorbed the Angel Legacy head Soul Bone, so that her fourth soul ring could absorb a ten-thousand-year Soul Beast!
Her physique had long met the standard after long-term consumption of whale rubber, but her mental power was still a bit short. To be sure, she chose to absorb it!
And after breaking through to rank 40 through the Yearning Heartbroken Red, coupled with the nearly hundred-thousand-year Angel Legacy head bone and the fourth ten-thousand-year soul ring, Qian Renxue might directly break through to rank 50!
This was an incredibly terrifying rate of improvement, simply awe-inspiring.
Under Qian Daoliu's lead, Hu Bai and his group skillfully arrived at the outer perimeter of the Sacred Forest.
"Wow, what a rich Holy Light aura! If I could always cultivate here, my cultivation speed would definitely be faster," Qian Renxue bathed in the soft light aura, looking very comfortable.
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End of Chapter