noveltune Chapter 3 Star Soul Hunting! Ring 1, Year 8!
Chapter 3 Star Soul Hunting! Ring 1, Year 8!
Three days later.
It was early morning, before dawn.
Three figures silently disappeared into the forest through the back gate of the Qing Family Manor.
Qing Zhengyue walked at the front, dressed in a gray outfit, his white hair tied up, and a narrow-bladed longsword hanging at his waist.
His usually amiable face was now as taut as a rock, his eyes showing no trace of age, only a sharp, eagle-like edge.
Liu Yunlan followed closely behind, having changed into a dark blue short outfit, her silver hair piled on top of her head, and her sleeves tightly bound.
The old woman's cloth bag at her waist jingled; it contained bottles and jars that she had carried with her for years, and only she knew what they held.
Qing Mufeng walked at the back, his steps light and his breathing steady.
A six-year-old child was dragged out of bed in the middle of the night and walked for half an hour along a mountain path, yet he didn't complain of being tired once.
Qing Zhengyue saw this and nodded inwardly.
At the entrance of the manor, Qing Hongyuan and Shen Wanqing stood side by side, watching the three figures disappear into the morning mist.
"Father and Mother...can they really manage?" Shen Wanqing asked in a low voice, her voice filled with unconcealed worry.
Qing Hongyuan remained silent for a moment, then gently took his wife's hand.
"My father fought on the border when he was young, and he's seen all sorts of things. My mother once poisoned a Soul Saint on the battlefield."
His voice was soft, as if he were comforting his wife, or as if he were convincing himself.
"They are much stronger than we imagined."
Shen Wanqing didn't speak again, but just stared at the mountain path where no one could be seen for a long time.
Starry Sky Forest.
The most famous gathering place of soul beasts on the mainland, spanning the border between the Tiandou and Xingluo countries, covering a vast area and extending thousands of miles.
The outer area is inhabited by soul beasts with lifespans of ten to a thousand years, while further in lies the territory of soul beasts with lifespans of ten thousand years.
Qing Zhengyue's target is the outer perimeter.
He did not choose the Soul Hunting Forest, which is closest to Notting City, because there are only hundred-year-old soul beasts there, and he could not find an eight-hundred-year-old vine dragon at all.
The three hired an inconspicuous carriage outside Nottingham and traveled eastward for two whole days before reaching the edge of the Starry Sky Forest.
As he got off the carriage, Qing Zhengyue tossed a gold soul coin to the driver.
"Wait here. If you don't come out in three days, you can go back on your own."
The coachman took the gold soul coin, his eyes wide with amazement, and nodded repeatedly.
Before entering the forest, Qing Zhengyue stopped and turned to look at his grandson.
"Mu Feng, remember this." His voice was deep and serious.
"Once we're in the woods, stay close to Grandma. Grandpa will lead the way. No matter what happens, don't make a sound or run around."
Qing Mufeng nodded.
Liu Yunlan squatted down, took out a small porcelain bottle from her cloth bag, poured out a bright green pill, and put it into her grandson's mouth.
"Hold it in your mouth, don't swallow," the old lady said softly.
"This is a poison-repelling pill; the miasma and poisonous insects in the forest will not get near you."
Qing Mufeng held the pill in his mouth, and a cool, herbal aroma spread through his mouth.
Qing Zhengyue checked his equipment one last time and drew the long sword from his waist.
The blade gleamed, reflecting in his calm, unwavering eyes.
"Walk."
The outer perimeter of the Starry Sky Forest is not as romantic as its name suggests.
Towering trees blocked out the sun, and the ground was covered with rotting leaves that felt soft and spongy underfoot; who knew what lay beneath?
The air was filled with a damp, decaying smell, and occasionally the cries of unknown soul beasts echoed from the depths of the dense forest.
Qing Zhengyue led the way, his long sword cutting through the vines blocking his path, his steps steady as if walking on flat ground.
Liu Yunlan walked in the middle, holding her grandson's hand. The old lady's hands, which were usually used for needlework, were now holding a short dagger. The blade of the dagger had a dark blue luster and had been poisoned.
Qing Mufeng followed his grandmother, observing the surrounding environment as they walked.
In my previous life, I read about the Star Dou Great Forest in a book and knew that it was one of the most dangerous places on the Douluo Continent.
But once you step inside, you realize that the sense of oppression is beyond words.
Every tree, every shrub, and even every fallen leaf here may conceal a deadly threat.
But he was not afraid.
It wasn't because he wasn't afraid, but because he knew that being afraid was useless.
About two hours after they had ventured deep into the forest, Qing Zhengyue suddenly stopped.
He raised his left hand, signaling the people behind him to stop.
Qing Mufeng held his breath and pricked up his ears.
Thirty paces ahead, at the base of a massive ancient tree, a large, blue creature was coiled.
Its body is as thick as an adult's arm and over two meters long, with scales that gleam with a faint green light in the dappled sunlight filtering through the tree canopy.
Vine Dragon.
A wood-attribute, dragon-type soul beast with a fierce personality, skilled in entangling and life-threatening attacks.
Qing Zhengyue observed carefully for a moment, a hint of disappointment flashing in his eyes.
"Too young," he said softly. "At most three hundred years. Let's go."
The three bypassed the vine dragon and continued deeper into the area.
The target was first spotted two hours after entering the forest.
It was a vine dragon that was about seven hundred years old, and it was a size larger than the one from before. It was coiled in a hole in a dead tree, with only its head exposed.
Qing Zhengyue glanced at it a few times and shook his head.
"Not enough. Keep going."
Liu Yunlan had no objection and followed behind him with her grandson in her hand.
Qing Mufeng remained silent.
He knew his grandfather's standard was eight hundred years. Seven hundred years was a hundred years short, and his grandfather wouldn't accept it.
The target was spotted a second time at noon.
That was a real big guy.
The dragon's body was as thick as a water bucket and over five meters long. It was coiled on the edge of a wetland, devouring an unknown beast.
Its scales are dark blue, each the size of a baby's palm, and gleam with a metallic sheen in the sunlight.
Qing Zhengyue's eyes lit up.
He carefully observed the dragon's size, the color of its scales, and the fluctuations of soul power emanating from it.
"Around 850 years ago," he said softly. "That's it."
Liu Yunlan released her grandson's hand and gripped the short dagger tightly.
"How do we fight?"
Qing Zhengyue did not answer immediately, but instead observed the surrounding terrain.
The vine dragon perched on the edge of the wetland, surrounded by open space with little cover.
Its size is too large. A head-on confrontation is not impossible, but it might cause too much noise and attract other spirit beasts.
"I'll attract its attention head-on," Qing Zhengyue quickly decided.
"Go around to the side and find an opportunity to stab it. With poison."
"it is good."
Liu Yunlan didn't ask any more questions. She bent down and disappeared into the bushes next to her, like a seasoned cheetah, vanishing silently into the greenery.
Qing Zhengyue, carrying a long sword, strode toward the vine dragon.
He had no hidden intentions.
The aura of the Soul Emperor was released from his body, pressing down on the giant dragon like a mountain.
The vine dragon instantly became alert, raising its head high and staring intently at the suddenly appearing human with its golden dragon eyes.
It sensed danger; the oppressive aura emanating from the high-level Soul Master made it instinctively want to flee.
But it was too late.
Qing Zhengyue's figure flashed, and his long sword, accompanied by a sharp whistling sound, slashed towards the dragon's body.
The vine dragon suddenly lashed out with its tail, striking Qing Zhengyue.
With a flash of light, a deep bloodstain was left on the dragon's tail.
The dragon cried out in pain, letting out a sharp hiss, and opened its blood-red maw to bite at Qing Zhengyue.
Just then, Liu Yunlan darted out from the bushes on the side.
The short dagger pierced the vine dragon's vital spot with precision, instantly injecting a dark blue venom.
The dragon's body suddenly stiffened.
Qing Zhengyue gave his opponent no chance to breathe, sweeping his longsword across and severing the dragon's neck.
The vine dragon's head rolled to the ground, its body twitched a few times, and finally lay still.
From start to finish, it took less than thirty breaths.
Qing Zhengyue sheathed his sword, his expression unchanged, and even his breathing remained normal.
Liu Yunlan stood up from beside the dragon's corpse, wiped the blood off her dagger, and looked at her grandson.
"Wind, come here."
Qing Mufeng took a deep breath and walked over.
This was the first time he had witnessed a soul beast being killed.
It would be a lie to say I wasn't nervous.
But he did not back down.
Qing Zhengyue stood beside the dragon's corpse, looking at his grandson with a scrutinizing gaze.
"Mu Feng." His voice was calm. "Before you absorb the spirit ring, Grandpa will ask you one more question."
Are you scared?
Qing Mufeng raised his head and met his grandfather's eyes.
There was no hesitation, no retreat in those eyes.
"I'm not afraid."
Qing Zhengyue stared at him for a couple of moments, then nodded.
"Alright. Sit down, concentrate, Grandpa will protect you."
Qing Mufeng sat cross-legged beside the dragon's corpse and closed his eyes.
A deep yellow spirit ring slowly rose from the vine dragon's corpse and floated towards him.
The moment the spirit ring entered his body, he felt as if a venomous dragon had entered his meridians, tearing at them frantically.
Intense pain shot through my limbs and bones, as if my whole body was being torn apart.
But his Azure Dragon Martial Soul awakened at that moment.
A phantom of the Martial Soul appeared behind him, its golden dragon eyes coldly staring at the Soul Ring, as if to say: Submit, or perish.
The turmoil of the spirit ring quickly subsided under the pressure of the Azure Dragon, and obediently merged into Qing Mufeng's body.
Qing Zhengyue watched all of this with shock in his eyes.
Eight hundred years of soul rings.
He absorbed it even more easily than he had absorbed a four-hundred-year-old soul ring back then.
The old man took a deep breath, suppressed the turmoil in his heart, and silently gripped the long knife in his hand.
This is just the first step.
There's a second ring.
There's still a long way to go.
.....