Night fell.
"Brother~ Mmm~ Mmm..." Jiang Nannan, hiding in the tree, suddenly stood up excitedly. As she was about to shout, Zhu Ziyang covered her mouth and pulled her down.
"Shh!" Zhu Ziyang made a shushing gesture, then released her and whispered, "Wait a moment."
Why did Jiang Nannan suddenly get excited?
It was simple: not far from them, from the many small holes in the mountain, golden rats emerged. These rats were covered in golden scales, but their foreheads had silver patterns, and their short claws were milky white. They weren't large; the biggest was only about two meters long, and the smallest was less than fifty centimeters.
They were the target of Zhu Ziyang and his two companions on this trip: the Silver Moon Golden Armor Beast.
Silver Moon Golden Armor Beasts are gregarious Spirit Beasts. Generally, each clan has forty to fifty individuals. The number currently appearing was only ten to twenty, far from the standard for a clan, so there must be more Silver Moon Golden Armor Beasts yet to appear.
As Zhu Ziyang expected, another group of Silver Moon Golden Armor Beasts crawled out of the cave. This batch of individuals was clearly stronger than the previous one; the previous Silver Moon Golden Armor Beasts had a maximum cultivation of eight hundred years, while this batch all had cultivation levels of over a thousand years. The strongest one had a full three thousand five hundred years—exactly the highest year limit Jiang Nannan could withstand!
This three-thousand-five-hundred-year-old Silver Moon Golden Armor Beast was clearly the leader of this clan.
"Old Song!" After the leader Silver Moon Golden Armor Beast appeared, Jiang Nannan's face lit up with joy, and she immediately looked at Old Song with pleading eyes.
Zhu Ziyang also nodded to Old Song, indicating that this Silver Moon Golden Armor Beast could be chosen.
However, Old Song hesitated, repeatedly confirming, "This Silver Moon Golden Armor Beast's cultivation exceeds three thousand five hundred years. Nannan, are you sure you can withstand it? Don't be greedy and harm yourself!"
"Don't worry, Old Song." Jiang Nannan said confidently, "My second spirit ring was already nine hundred years. Absorbing a three-thousand-five-hundred-year spirit ring for my third spirit ring is no problem at all. If you don't believe me, you can ask Yang-ge."
"That's right, Old Song." Zhu Ziyang affirmed.
"In that case, I won't say anything more." Old Song was convinced and agreed, "You two wait here; I'll be right back."
Old Song leaped, instantly disappearing from their sight. Before the two could react, they saw a commotion among the Silver Moon Golden Armor Beast group not far away. Many individuals let out screams and wails, then began to scatter in all directions.
Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan were both puzzled until they saw Old Song return, carrying the immobilized leader of the Silver Moon Golden Armor Beasts.
The two couldn't help but exchange glances, both seeing shock and envy in each other's eyes.
Is this the strongest agility-attack system Spirit Master on the Continent? So fast!
It was truly fast. A distance of several hundred meters, going and returning, plus capturing the Spirit Beast, took less than half a minute!
"Let's go, find a quiet place, and let Nannan finish off this beast." Old Song didn't pay attention to the emotions in the young people's eyes, but said directly.
"Yes!" The two agreed.
The three arrived at the place they had stayed before.
"Come on, Nannan, the rest is up to you." Old Song threw the Silver Moon Golden Armor Beast onto the ground and said to Jiang Nannan.
"Mm!" Jiang Nannan nodded, walked to the Silver Moon Golden Armor Beast, pulled out a dagger, squatted down, and instantly plunged the dagger from the Silver Moon Golden Armor Beast's eye into its brain.
The entire body of the Silver Moon Golden Armor Beast was covered in hard scales; only its eyes were exposed, which was its only vital point. Jiang Nannan knew this through Zhu Ziyang, which is why she cleanly struck at the Silver Moon Golden Armor Beast's eye. The Silver Moon Golden Armor Beast's body twitched a few times, then lost all signs of life, utterly dead.
A purple spirit ring floated out.
Jiang Nannan's eyes held joy and anticipation. She glanced at Zhu Ziyang, whose gaze held encouragement and support. Seeing this, Jiang Nannan immediately felt much more at ease. So, she sat cross-legged on the ground and immediately began to absorb the third spirit ring.
The purple spirit ring floated gently onto Jiang Nannan's delicate hand, and a dense yet somewhat violent spirit power poured out, surging into Jiang Nannan's body. Such a massive amount of spirit power made it quite difficult for Jiang Nannan to absorb.
"Hmph!" Jiang Nannan let out a muffled groan, and then the cocooned Spirit phantom appeared behind her. Old Song's expression showed surprise when she saw Jiang Nannan's Spirit phantom.
With the appearance of her Spirit, Jiang Nannan instantly felt much more relaxed, her breathing began to stabilize, and the absorption of the spirit ring proceeded smoothly. Under the gaze of Zhu Ziyang and Old Song, Jiang Nannan, like her Spirit phantom, transformed into a giant light cocoon, enveloped by the surging World energy drawn by the massive spirit power.
"This..." Old Song was very surprised, looking at Jiang Nannan, who had completely transformed into a large cocoon, and exclaimed, "A Spirit evolution actually occurred! This girl truly has good fortune!"
Zhu Ziyang, however, was quite calm, as he had already mentally prepared for it.
He was very much looking forward to what changes Jiang Nannan would undergo after her final metamorphosis.
The two began to wait idly. Based on the changes in the surrounding vital energy, Zhu Ziyang guessed that Jiang Nannan's metamorphosis would take at least ten hours. During this time, he couldn't cultivate, to avoid causing any unusual fluctuations in the already active spiritual energy around them, which might hinder Jiang Nannan's metamorphosis.
So, after checking the Silver Moon Golden Armor Beast's corpse for Spirit Bones and finding none, Zhu Ziyang moved aside, took out a book detailing the customs and anecdotes of the Sun Moon Empire, and began to read. He was completely unaware that Old Song had quietly approached him, her brows slightly furrowed as she looked at the book in Zhu Ziyang's hand.
After an unknown amount of time, Zhu Ziyang felt a bit tired from reading and changed his posture. Only then did he notice Old Song standing beside him, feeling a little embarrassed. He said, "Old Song!"
"Mm!" Old Song looked at Zhu Ziyang, her eyes unreadable, and said, "Zhu Ziyang, I have a question for you, and you must answer me truthfully."
"What is it, Old Song?" Zhu Ziyang looked at Old Song, puzzled, and asked.
Old Song pondered, saying, "You've seen the plight of the common people within the Star Luo Empire along the way. You yourself come from a common background, so you should know that the situations in the Tianhun Empire and the Douling Empire are similar to that of the Star Luo Empire. I want to know, how do you view the current rulers of the Three Great Empires?"
"Ah?!" Zhu Ziyang was startled. He hadn't expected Old Song to ask such a question, and for a moment, he was lost, unsure how to answer.
"No need to rush. You can think about it slowly and tell me when you're ready." Seeing Zhu Ziyang's reaction, Old Song felt a bit disappointed but also found it normal, as he was still just an eleven or twelve-year-old child. So she said.
"..." Zhu Ziyang remained silent for a long time. He didn't understand the purpose of Old Song's sudden question, what her stance was, whether he should speak frankly, or remain silent. In fact, from Old Song's actions along the way, it wasn't hard to see that she was an old woman who cared for the common people. Based on his own judgment and the feedback from his Eye of Light, Zhu Ziyang decided to take a gamble.
To speak frankly.
"Old Song, I've thought about it." Zhu Ziyang took a deep breath; it was false to say he wasn't nervous. Although Old Song couldn't possibly kill him because of his answer, it was very possible for her to develop a dislike for him, and being disliked by a Level 97 Super Douluo was not a good thing.
"Oh? Tell me." Old Song smiled, and a hint of anticipation was hidden within that smile.
"I think these rulers are all idiots and fools." Zhu Ziyang said bluntly, with a hint of mockery on his face, "One day, I will overthrow the corrupt order they established and create a World where everyone can awaken their Spirit equally!"
This was the idea Zhu Ziyang had summarized from his experiences these past few days. He had originally wanted to confide in Jiang Nannan, but he hadn't expected Old Song to be the first to hear it.
Upon hearing this, Old Song's face immediately beamed with a kind smile, and her voice was joyful, "Good boy, you have ambition!"
Seeing Old Song's reaction, Zhu Ziyang felt a wave of relief, thinking, 'Great, he won the gamble.'
"I hope you won't forget what you said today!" Old Song's expression became solemn, and she said thoughtfully, "This Douluo Continent, it is time for change!"