"What?"
As soon as Chen Junting sank his consciousness into the sea of spirit, his attention was instantly drawn to Electrolux. A large portion of the originally emerald-green spiritual sea had turned gray. Right in the middle of that gray zone, Electrolux was using it like a canvas, methodically outlining intricate golden patterns on the surface.
"This is…"
Once the glowing formation was complete, Chen Junting narrowed his eyes, stepping closer to examine it.
Electrolux floated down beside him and nodded. "I found this pattern underground in this area. It's a carved spell formation. Any thoughts?"
Chen Junting's eyes locked on a specific ring etched in gold. His expression shifted with realization. "It's the same design from last time."
Though still incomplete, this version was far more detailed than what he'd seen before. He had studied that fragment for days—he couldn't be mistaken.
Still, something felt off. Chen Junting's focus drifted from the design to the broader implication.
"What are these evil soul masters really trying to do? First they stirred up trouble in the Star Dou Great Forest, and now they're targeting the Sunset Forest…"
He didn't know their exact objective, but he knew one thing: if evil soul masters were behind it, it had to be destroyed.
He turned to Electrolux. "Old Yi, can you destroy this array?"
"It's not difficult," Electrolux replied calmly.
He waved a finger, sending the copied pattern into Chen Junting's spiritual sea for future study. Then, with a flash, his figure vanished.
Chen Junting withdrew his consciousness back into reality. Now wasn't the time to decipher ancient formations.
"Sect Master."
A shadow dropped down from the miasma-choked skies—it was Zhang Ming, returning from his mission.
"Uncle Zhang, how'd it go?"
"No survivors."
"Good." Ning Bowen nodded and moved on. There was no need to dwell.
Unbeknownst to the group, a faint wisp of gray spiritual energy drifted silently from the back of Chen Junting's head. It floated through the air, undetected, until it reached a part of the forest blanketed in the corpses of soul beasts.
There, the gray energy condensed—and Electrolux's translucent figure reappeared, standing quietly in the air.
"This is the spot," he murmured.
His ancient, hollow eyes scanned the land. With a flick of his finger, a pale gray flame ignited on his fingertip. The fire spread, crawling over the corpses—but instead of burning them, it seeped through, like water through sand, sinking into the earth below.
A second later, crimson lines lit up across the forest floor.
"Hmph. You dare bury this garbage here and think it'll go unnoticed?"
Electrolux's voice was laced with disdain. He pointed again, and the pale flames lunged at the blood-red lines like predators to prey.
Within moments, the formation began to unravel.
But just as it was about to collapse, Electrolux's eyes narrowed. With a swipe, he sketched glowing gold and gray runes into the air—forming a six-pointed star—and pressed it into the trembling formation.
The red lines calmed, faded into the ground, and vanished without a trace.
Electrolux chuckled. "Let's see how you like that little gift, you necrotic pests."
Then his figure faded away, exhausted, merging into the wind.
…
At the same time—outside Sunset Forest.
"Big sis, over here."
Several figures in dark green cloaks emerged from the riverside grass. They bore the crest of the Shrek Supervisory Group.
After discovering leads in Sunset Town the night before, they had tracked them here. But the sight of dismembered corpses—clearly once evil soul masters—told them they'd arrived too late.
The team leader, called "Big Sister," knelt and checked the bodies. She took one look at the calm expressions frozen on their faces and muttered, "At least a Soul Douluo…"
Her eyes narrowed behind her mask.
Even for her, dispatching so many in such a clean fashion wouldn't have been easy. That could only mean one thing: whoever did this was incredibly strong.
"Either a Soul Douluo who's a ghost in the shadows… or a Title Douluo."
"Big sis, what do we do?"
She rose to her feet, her tone brisk. "No doubt about it. These are the ones responsible for the disappearances in Sunset Town."
Turning to her team, she ordered, "Qingtian, you and your squad search the perimeter. Ming'er, help me search the bodies. Once we've confirmed everything, we'll report back."
"Yes!"
…
Meanwhile, deep inside Sunset Forest, the group from the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect had reached a lush, eerie sight.
Stretching before them was a vast field of green—a sea of shimmering light. At first glance, it looked like unkempt undergrowth. But on closer inspection, it was clearly alive, aware… waiting.
Rows upon rows of low-lying plants blanketed the ground. Each stalk sprouted between seven and nine fingers on leaf-like extensions. And at the center of each cluster bloomed a large, pale green flower. Faint green mist rose from their stamens, blending with the toxic air.
"So many… Green Phosphorus Seven Absolutes Flowers?"
Yang Zihan was stunned.
Even after years in the sect, having studied the poison array lore, she had vastly underestimated the scale of it all.
"This is insane…" she muttered, face darkening. "If we let this spread, these flowers will reach spiritual awareness. Once they do, their fog will merge with the forest miasma. The Sunset Forest will turn into a living hell."
Her jaw clenched.
"Who would be this ruthless?"
She turned to Ning Bowen. "If the sect wants to preserve this area as a veil for the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, we have to control these flowers. Otherwise, the consequences…"
"I know."
But before Ning Bowen could finish, Ye Xuanji suddenly roared, "Watch out!"
The Star Saint Sword flew from his hand in a blur.
A sudden pulse of green poison erupted from the sea of flowers, blasting toward them. Their outer barrier fizzled as it was instantly corroded.
The sword light clashed with the mist—but it only seemed to provoke the flowers more.
Petals began to open en masse, releasing a dense, toxic cloud. It gathered above into a mushroom-shaped fog bank.
"Use cold! These flowers fear the cold!"
Ning Bowen's voice cut through the chaos.
Eight fixed-type ice-attribute soul guide glowed, launched, and exploded midair in a synchronized burst of chilling energy.
"Boom—boom—boom—!"
The mushroom cloud trembled, froze, and shattered. Around them, the flowers snapped shut—temporarily silenced.
Everyone jumped into action, unleashing their own soul tools to expand the frozen zone.
But Chen Junting's eyes narrowed. "Why does this feel… too easy?"
The further they pressed in, the more resistant the flowers became. The cold that once forced them to close their petals no longer worked.
When they finally reached a patch made up entirely of Nine Absolutes Flowers, their soul tools failed completely.
"Fall back!"
Ning Bowen didn't hesitate.
The group shot skyward just in time to see the flowers open again, releasing another surge of poisonous gas.
They landed at a nearby clearing, faces grim.
"There are too many of them," Yang Zihan said, frowning. "Their resistance is too high. Normal ice won't cut it. We need…"
"…Ultimate ice."
At that moment, Ning Tian's eyes lit up.
"What a coincidence…"
Yang Zihan turned to her, puzzled. "What do you mean?"
Chen Junting stepped in. "It's about Yuhao. He's awakening a second martial soul—one with the ultimate ice attribute."
Yang Zihan's eyes widened, then sharpened.
She turned to Ning Bowen with resolve. "Bo Wen, let Uncle Ye and Uncle Zhi escort Huo Yuhao. Let him get that Ice Jade Scorpion now. He might be the only one who can open the path forward."
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(End of Chapter)
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Hmm what should i say....