After last night's unexpected incident, Xue Di's attitude toward Shu Yan seemed to have reverted to how it was when they first met cold and distant. For a moment, Shu Yan found himself at a loss.
Of course, if Xue Di's earlobes half-hidden beneath her hair weren't faintly flushed, the illusion might have been more convincing.
Watching Shu Yan's back, Xue Di's gaze was somewhat complicated. Truth be told, after regaining her senses last night, aside from being a little annoyed, she hadn't felt any real discomfort. It was just that the indescribable and unfamiliar sensation lingering in her heart had left her restless and uneasy. Yet the moment she laid eyes on Shu Yan again, that odd feeling vanished completely without a trace...
Shu Yan could sense a faint gaze watching him from behind. He had a pretty good idea of who it was, but he didn't know how to initiate a conversation. And so, the two of them remained like that—clearly with things they wanted to say, yet neither willing to speak first.
As noon approached, Xu Jiujing finally returned from the imperial palace, her face tinged with fatigue. But upon seeing Shu Yan, a smile quickly bloomed. She leaned into his chest, rubbing her cheek against him affectionately, then said:
"Everything you asked for is in the dark prison. Elder Sui Xing has sealed their soul power. I also told my royal brother that we're heading to the Star Dou Great Forest. He couldn't win the argument, so he gave in eventually."
Shu Yan gently kissed her forehead and said softly,
"You've worked hard, Jiujing."
Xu Jiujing gave a light hum in response. Her eyes lingered on Shu Yan's lips, and she swallowed unconsciously—clearly unsatisfied with just a forehead kiss. She craved the sensation of their lips entangled. But with "outsiders" present, she had no choice but to endure it for now.
Bing Di, watching their intimacy with a slight pout, tugged at Xue Di's hand expectantly and asked,
"Xue'er, can I...?"
"Don't even think about it. No."
Well, Bing Di figured that'd be the answer. Xue Di would accept hugs and cuddles as best friends, but anything beyond that was firmly off-limits. Not even a sliver of hope for progress.
Meanwhile, watching Shu Yan openly dote on Xu Jiujing in front of everyone stirred a strange discomfort in Xue Di's chest. She let out a cold snort, snapping Xu Jiujing out of her lovestruck daze. Startled, Xu Jiujing quickly pulled herself out of Shu Yan's embrace. Her flushed cheeks carried a hint of shy charm, but she was too busy being embarrassed to notice the odd flicker in Xue Di's expression.
"This isn't the time for flirting. Let's take care of what needs to be done first," Xue Di said in a deep voice.
Shu Yan cleared his throat and responded,
"Right. Since everything's ready, let's bring those people along and set off immediately."
Xu Jiujing nodded repeatedly, then led the three of them to the execution prison of the Star Luo Empire. Once there, Xue Di sealed the evil soul masters in ice before storing them in a soul tool with storage capabilities.
In this day and age, tracking down evil soul masters wasn't difficult. Xu Jiujing had someone spread a rumor in a remote village several hundred kilometers outside Star Luo City, claiming a child had been born with an innate evil spirit and soul power as high as rank eight. Predictably, the moment night fell, those evil soul masters revealed themselves. Just as they were about to slaughter the village in search of the "genius," the imperial shadow guards launched a surprise assault. A few of the evil soul masters were killed, and the rest were captured. After having their martial souls and soul power thoroughly sealed, they were transported into the city.
For this operation, Xu Jiujing didn't bring along Nebula Douluo, and she even declined Elder Sui Xing's offer of protection. Though the two Title Douluo were worried, when they saw the presence of the Ice and Snow Empresses, well... truthfully, they didn't feel like tagging along either. Standing near those two always brought a suffocating sense of dread. Since they weren't needed, they figured they'd stay out of the way—better than risking a beatdown for bothering them.
The journey to the Star Dou Great Forest wasn't particularly long. The Star Luo Empire was located in the southeastern region of the continent, with much of its border adjacent to the sea. As a result, the climate across most of the nation was warm and humid. The world-renowned Star Dou Great Forest, for the most part, also fell within Star Luo's territorial domain.
After millennia of changes, the once-vast forest had significantly shrunk. Large swaths of its outer regions had been encroached upon by the former three great kingdoms of the Douluo Continent. The forest's total area continued to dwindle—an undeniable fact, and a concrete example of the ongoing conflict between humans and soul beasts.
Thanks to the incredible speed of the Ice and Snow Empresses, even while carrying Shu Yan and Xu Jiujing, the group arrived at the outer edges of the forest by the following morning.
Ancient trees towered overhead, vines hanging from the treetops and coiling around the branches. Birds chirped incessantly, and the air was thick with the scent of life. This was a vast and flourishing forest—and simultaneously one of humanity's most feared forbidden zones. Yet for the strong, it was also a place of countless opportunities and hidden treasures.
It had likely just rained, as the forest floor was still damp and muddy. Xue Di landed at the edge of the forest with the others, her brows slightly furrowed as she peered deeper in, sensing something.
"If we're going to do this, let's hurry. I think I just sensed Di Tian's aura. This isn't the Extreme North. At best, I can hold him off for a while here. And those beneath him... they're just as difficult to deal with."
Standing atop a massive boulder, Xue Di spoke calmly.
Shu Yan had already said there was no need to enter the core region staying on the outskirts would suffice. Naturally, she had no desire to go deeper. The further in they went, the more dangerous it became. Away from the Extreme North, the gap between her and Di Tian widened dramatically. She didn't want to risk a direct confrontation.
Bing Di and Xu Jiujing hung back slightly while a silver glow shimmered in Shu Yan's hands. A moment later, the eighth-grade soul tool Fallen of the Netherlight rose slowly into the air. The silvery-white metal gleamed harshly under the sun, making the others squint as they watched, uncertain of what Shu Yan was about to do.
Once the device reached a certain height, Shu Yan flipped his palm and the unconscious evil soul masters suddenly appeared on the ground below.
There were about twenty of them. The strongest among them was at the Soul King level, while even the weakest had the cultivation of a Grandmaster. Evil soul masters typically possessed far more dangerous combat capabilities than ordinary soul masters. This group had long haunted remote mountain areas, and the Star Luo Empire loathed them deeply. Luring them out with the fabricated tale of a prodigy was not just effective—it was an act of public service.
A flash of sky-blue light flickered in Shu Yan's eyes. In the next instant, countless sharp ice spikes erupted from the ground. Blood splattered everywhere. Severed limbs and corpses lay strewn across the forest floor. These evil soul masters fully conscious were killed on the spot. The heavy stench of blood drifted with the wind.
Xu Jiujing turned her head slightly, her face paling at the scene. She didn't dare look any longer.
Xue Di and Bing Di merely watched quietly, as if watching a performance. There was no change in their expressions only curiosity about what Shu Yan intended to do next.