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**
A few days later.
The trio—Xiao Lin, Tang San, and Xiao Wu—arrived at the outer perimeter of the Star Dou Forest, fully armed and prepared.
Unlike the Soul Hunting Forest, this place wasn't heavily guarded by troops; there were only a few outposts with scattered patrols. The Star Dou Forest was simply too vast, stretching across the borders of two great empires.
Even a nation with a powerful military like the Star Luo Empire couldn't muster enough manpower to completely encircle it.
This time, although Xiao Lin knew that with Xiao Wu leading the way, the danger might not be excessively high, it was still the Star Dou Forest.
He chose to remain cautious.
He wore a set of bamboo armor he had crafted himself. It was lightweight, yet under the infusion of soul power, its defensive capabilities were significantly enhanced.
Tang San, while not armored like Xiao Lin, carried meticulously prepared toxins, insect repellents, and snake-repelling powders. He had even crafted several sets of Silent Sleeve Darts, giving one to each of them.
With the help of the Sleeve Darts, Xiao Lin's attack power could reach impressive heights with lightning-fast execution. This was one of the reasons Xiao Lin felt confident enough to venture into the forest.
Unfortunately, Tang San's time had been too short to construct the Godly Zhuge Crossbow.
Among the three, only Xiao Wu appeared relaxed and at ease.
It was only her occasional glances around that made the boys believe she was seriously scouting.
This was a three-person team, and a team where everyone was under seven years old at that. Currently, the greatest threat they faced wasn't soul beasts, but potentially other soul-hunting groups.
Those people might just decide to lay a hand on them. The trio moved in a triangular formation toward the boundary between the outer perimeter and the mixed zone.
Xiao Wu was at the front helping with reconnaissance, while Tang San used his Blue Silver Grass to stay connected to her, ready to pull her back at a moment's notice.
Xiao Lin positioned himself slightly behind and to the flank of the two, guarding against attacks from the side or rear.
Inside the forest, countless towering, lush trees blotted out the sun.
Only a few lucky rays managed to pierce through the canopy, leaving spots of light on the forest floor. The deeper they went, the more they felt the profound depth and eerie silence of the woods.
Occasionally, the thunderous roar of a predator would reach their ears, serving as a constant warning against going deeper. The Star Dou Forest was like a massive, terrifying entity lurking in the darkness, waiting to swallow them whole.
This primeval wilderness was a paradise for all soul beasts and poisonous insects.
Tang San dared not be careless.
His small face was tense as he sprinkled insect and snake repellent onto the ground.
Meanwhile, in a spot where neither Tang San nor Xiao Lin were looking, Xiao Wu surreptitiously took some powder made from Er Ming's (the Titan Giant Ape) droppings from her storage soul tool and scattered it on the grass.
As for Xiao Wu's storage soul tool, it had been recovered from a Soul Master who had foolishly challenged Er Ming and lost; Xiao Wu had found it among the treasures Er Ming had picked up.
Because of the scent of Er Ming's droppings, Xiao Lin and Tang San barely saw any soul beasts.
Aside from a few plant-type soul beasts, Xiao Lin only saw some rather dim-witted creatures—like a Soft-Bones Rabbit that managed to run headfirst into a tree.
"Strange. This doesn't make sense. Why are there so few soul beasts in the Star Dou Forest?" Xiao Lin frowned, whispering in a voice only the three of them could hear.
It wasn't surprising that Xiao Lin was confused.
Whether it was from the stories he had read in books or his knowledge from his previous life, he knew that soul beasts in this forest were supposed to be terrifyingly numerous. It shouldn't be more desolate than the Soul Hunting Forest.
Logically, given the sheer number of soul beasts here, it was common for them to occasionally wander out of the forest entirely.
"Could it be that your medicinal powder is too effective, Little San?" Xiao Lin asked, though his eyes were already narrowing as he looked at Xiao Wu.
"I don't know, Brother Lin. I just bought some droppings from a Thousand-Year soul beast, dried them, ground them into powder, and mixed them with the snake repellent," Tang San replied, equally puzzled.
He had purchased the droppings of a Restless Hippo; while that species was violent, their actual strength wasn't much to brag about.
They just produced a lot of waste, making the manure quite cheap.
"Maybe there's a powerful soul beast nearby, so many of the others have fled," Xiao Wu suggested, her small face scrunched up in a fake look of contemplation.
Tang San nodded in agreement, finding her guess plausible.
Only Xiao Lin's gaze toward Xiao Wu became increasingly suspicious.
"But if that's the case, how are we supposed to find a Lightning Leopard?" Xiao Lin was having a hard time holding it together.
Surely Xiao Wu didn't scare the Lightning Leopard away too?
But it didn't matter much.
The Star Dou Forest was enormous, and they still had quite a way to go to reach the mixed zone. Xiao Lin didn't expect to encounter a soul beast like a Lightning Leopard this far out in the perimeter anyway.
Over the next two days, they traveled in a stop-and-go fashion.
After passing through a final stretch of relatively low trees, they reached the edge of the mixed zone.
One more step forward, and they would be inside.
The environment within was even more somber, and the number of powerful soul beasts was countless. Even before entering, the trio felt a chill run down their spines.
Ultimately, their cultivation levels were just too low. Behind them was the outer perimeter, looking peaceful and serene as if no danger existed at all.
"Brother Lin, I feel like the area ahead is far too dangerous."
Since Tang San's mental energy had broken through to the "Four-Apertures Constant Heart" level, his mental strength had increased significantly, and his Purple Demon Eye had reached the "Subtle" stage.
In his eyes, many attacks were reduced to slow motion, and tiny details were magnified several times over. When a Tang San of this caliber looked at the mixed zone and said it was dangerous, it was truly dangerous.
Hearing this, Xiao Lin didn't plan on going too deep either.
In the mixed zone, there were many soul beasts with intelligence rivaling humans.
If they were discovered, they would be dead.
"We'll just go in a little bit and then circle around," Xiao Lin said.
He wasn't about to put himself in unnecessary peril. If there were truly no other options, he was willing to settle for any decent soul beast.
For instance, his first soul ring came from a Vajra Giant Ox.
Remember, back then Tang Hao had offered to help him get his first ring. Did he ask for much? He hadn't even asked Tang Hao to catch a Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear.
Xiao Lin knew how to be practical.
"Alright then, let's just go in a tiny bit." Xiao Wu flashed a relaxed, breezy smile and took the first step into the mixed zone.
Tang San and Xiao Lin followed closely behind.
"ROAR!"
Just as they stepped into the mixed zone, a massive roar exploded right in front of them. The sound waves were so powerful they physically flattened several thirty-meter-tall trees in the distance.
"The Titan Giant Ape!"
For the first time, Xiao Lin saw the legendary "King of the Forest" mentioned in the books.
That massive physique was like a small mountain moving through the brush; to the Titan Giant Ape, the great trees of the Star Dou Forest were nothing more than grass.
Its terrifying silhouette stood over fifty meters tall at the shoulder. Its pitch-black, glossy fur looked indestructible—each strand of hair was as long as Xiao Lin's arm and as thick as a charging cable.
Sssss!
"Terrifyingly powerful!"
While Xiao Lin gasped, Tang San did the same.
Both were stunned by the overwhelming presence of the Titan Giant Ape. It was a testament to their willpower that their legs hadn't given out from sheer terror.
Tang San had strong psychological resilience, while Xiao Lin was somewhat prepared for this.
"The books said the Titan Giant Ape only stands seven or eight meters tall at the shoulder. Looks like the books were lying," Xiao Lin whispered, only daring to speak in a normal voice after the ape had wandered off.
Then, without waiting for Tang San or Xiao Wu to respond, Xiao Lin fixed a death stare on Xiao Wu.
Is this the "actor" you invited?
How am I supposed to cooperate with your performance now?
**
Hello everyone,
Thank you for your support! If you enjoy my work, you can check out my Patreon—there are 80+ early access and exclusive content. I update 5 advanced chapter from Monday-Saturday
www.patreon.com/c/FanficTranslator
I truly appreciate it!