Chapter Eighty-Nine: The Soul-Hunting Forest Has Been Targeted (4)

Three days later, Lin An appeared before the master as promised.

Those three days had been richly rewarding. He had learned much about soul masters, and many questions that had once puzzled him were answered by the master, leaving Lin An enlightened and clear-minded.

He rode in a carriage prepared in advance by the master.

Along the way, the master had already decided the future path of Lin An’s first martial soul, the Dragon-Elephant Soul, and that path was to become a power-type combat soul.

The Dragon-Elephant’s strengths lay in its terrifying defense and overwhelming strength. Every trait of it determined that Lin An was best suited to the power type. Of course, the defense type was also possible, but the moment the master mentioned it, Lin An flatly rejected it.

Passive defense and the like were not something a real man would do.

Of course, the master was only offering advice; the final decision still belonged to Lin An.

He believed that after these three days of understanding, Lin An should know how to choose.

Four hundred li was neither a very long journey nor a short one, and it was not until noon of the second day that they finally reached the destination of their trip: the Spirit Hunting Forest.

Outside the forest stood a vast stretch of houses, or rather, shops. Calls and cries rose one after another, while simple artificial paths crisscrossed the area. The bustling noise made Lin An frown.

“Got a permit. Teaming up to hunt power-type soul beasts. Need two more.”

“Hunting agility-type soul beasts. Waiting for seven more with permits. Ten gold soul coins.”

Similar cries rang out constantly. Most of the shops sold weapons, armor, and various food supplies.

Lin An also looked around with curiosity. On the Douluo Continent, cooperation among soul masters was a defining feature, with all manner of factions and roles—defense type, control type, and so on.

Among soul masters, only by joining together could one fully unleash one’s strength. It was unlike the Dou Qi Continent, where one could display formidable power without anyone else’s aid.

Around the forest’s edge stood a massive iron fence, with countless spikes jutting inward toward the woods. The fence rose more than ten meters high and looked extremely solid.

When they arrived before the guards, the master was already holding a badge in his hand. It was a pitch-black token of unknown material, and the pattern upon it was formed from three distinct shapes: in the center, a sword pointing downward; on either side, a hammer and a strange beast neither of them had ever seen before.

After seeing the master’s badge, the guards nodded and let both the master and Lin An enter.

“Among soul beasts, there is also a hierarchy. Powerful soul beasts occupy territories of their own and generally do not allow weaker ones to approach. So the soul ring suited to your martial soul definitely won’t be found on the outskirts,” the master said to Lin An.

Lin An nodded. Before coming here, he had already prepared himself for that, or else he would not have stocked up on food for several days.

Little Purple directly transformed into its enormous beast form. Lin An and the master both sat upon Little Purple’s back, held aloft by a force that made their ride smooth and steady no matter how Little Purple moved.

Even the master wore a face full of emotion. With Little Purple, such a powerful soul beast, leading the way, they could avoid many troubles, and their speed would be much greater.

The only drawback was that it drew too much attention.

The master wanted Lin An to put Little Purple away and have the two of them continue on foot. At worst, it would only take more time.

“Don’t worry. Those who skulk in the shadows aren’t nearly capable enough to trouble us. Any problems can be left to me,” Lin An said. The main reason was that he did not have much time in the Douluo Continent—only half a year.

Once that half year passed, he would have to return to the Dou Qi Continent, so he could be said to be living by the hour.

For him, every minute mattered. None of it could be wasted.

He did not want to spend ten days or half a month just looking for a soul ring.

What was more, the feeling of having his own strength suppressed made Lin An extremely uncomfortable.

The master could only express understanding. Lin An’s background was extraordinary, and the pressure he bore must be immense; he knew that feeling all too well.

Few people could command such a powerful soul beast to protect them. That was no ordinary feat.

That night, Lin An and the master had already penetrated deep into the interior of the Spirit Hunting Forest.

Only then did Lin An have Little Purple restrain its aura and stop drawing attention.

But by then, it was already a bit late.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...

From the darkness, five long arrows suddenly shot toward Lin An and the master’s heads. The technique made it clear they intended to kill them.

Without Lin An lifting a hand, Little Purple had already discovered the ambushers at the first instant.

Without any visible movement from Little Purple, a golden barrier appeared out of thin air not far away, effortlessly blocking the incoming arrows.

Clap, clap, clap...

Before Lin An could speak, three figures emerged from the shadows. The old man at their head shook his head and applauded while his eyes shone as he stared at Little Purple.

“What an excellent soul beast. Not only is it powerful, it is also so obedient. Most importantly, its whole body is golden, noble beyond measure. If I present it to those above, I will surely receive a generous reward.”

The speaker ignored Lin An and the master entirely. Sensing danger, Little Purple once again reverted to its original true form, watching the suddenly appeared people with vigilant caution.

What puzzled Little Purple was that, with these people before it, it could not sense their cultivation levels at all.

“So this is the reason you’ve been following us?” Lin An’s mood was extremely unpleasant. Long ago, Little Purple had already discovered their trail. At first, he had thought they were merely traveling the same road, but soon he noticed something was wrong.

These people had clearly set their sights on them.

From the very beginning, they had harbored killing intent toward him and the others.

“If you hand over the mount beneath you and tell us how to control it, perhaps I can spare your life. Gallio is a level fifty-seven Soul King, and whether the two of you can leave the Spirit Hunting Forest alive will depend on his mood.”

One of the men, about Lin An’s age, looked at Lin An and the master with undisguised contempt, his eyes full of mockery.

“And if I say no?” Lin An continued.

The master also looked troubled. Being targeted by a level fifty-seven Soul King was not good news.

If that man made a move, then relying only on Lin An and himself, they would have no chance of leaving.

But judging by the relationship between Lin An and Little Purple, it was obvious Lin An would not abandon him.

“Although it is night, search teams could appear in the Spirit Hunting Forest at any time. If you are discovered by them, you will be punished,” the master said.

“Haha...”

“We don’t know whether you’re unlucky or just extremely unlucky. This area happens to be a place where search teams will never appear; otherwise, we wouldn’t have chosen to make our move here,” the others said with laughter before offering their explanation.