Chapter 112: Entering the Hunting Soul Forest
Within the Hunting Soul Forest, Dugu Yan, Meng Yiran, and Ye Lingling explored cautiously.
Their goal was simple—find a suitable place to set up camp.
Walking at the front, Dugu Yan spoke as she scanned the surroundings,
"The outer area is mostly filled with ten-year Spirit Beasts. There's no need to stay here."
"With Ranran and my strength, even ordinary thousand-year Spirit Beasts aren't our match."
"Let's head further in and camp near the inner perimeter."
After wandering for about half an hour, the three finally encountered their first group of Spirit Beasts—
A pack of Nether Wolves.
There were five in total, each about two meters long. Their bodies were iron-gray, and their eerie green eyes stared viciously at the three girls.
Their jagged teeth ground against each other as foul-smelling saliva dripped continuously onto the ground.
As pack animals, wolves typically had a leader to command them.
The one in the center, larger than the others, was clearly the wolf king.
Standing beside Ye Lingling, Dugu Yan glanced at the pack and said,
"Ranran, I'll leave these Spirit Beasts to you. I'll stay here and protect Lingling."
"Got it!" Meng Yiran nodded.
A burst of Spirit Power erupted from her body as a serpent staff appeared in her hand.
At the same time, three spirit rings rose around her—two yellow and one purple.
Ye Lingling had always known Dugu Yan's strength, but she had never asked about Meng Yiran's.
Seeing that Meng Yiran, who was even younger than her, was already a Spirit Elder, Ye Lingling's lips parted slightly in shock.
"She… she's also a Spirit Elder?"
Dugu Yan lifted her chin proudly.
"Of course! As my partner in a Martial Soul Fusion Skill, how could she not be strong?"
At that moment, Ye Lingling recalled how Dugu Yan's strength had skyrocketed recently and couldn't help asking,
"Yan-yan, how did you suddenly become so much stronger?"
Dugu Yan paused for a moment before replying,
"Uh… well, my grandfather gave me a special herb to eat, and then I got stronger."
"Oh…"
Hearing that answer, Ye Lingling assumed Dugu Yan didn't want to tell her the truth. She lowered her head slightly, a trace of disappointment in her eyes.
After all, how could someone casually eat a random herb and increase their Spirit Power by several ranks?
Dugu Yan noticed her reaction but didn't explain.
Instead, she secretly made up her mind—to ask her grandfather for an immortal herb for Ye Lingling.
She would give it to her… as a surprise.
After all, she had known Lingling longer. When her grandfather gave Meng Yiran an immortal herb but not Ye Lingling, she had already felt a bit guilty.
Now that the topic had come up, she might as well get one for her.
There were plenty of herbs in her grandfather's garden anyway—surely he wouldn't refuse.
With that thought, Dugu Yan kept silent.
Up ahead, Meng Yiran had already begun fighting the Nether Wolf pack.
She had no intention of waiting for the Spirit Beasts to show mercy.
Naturally, she struck first.
Her serpent staff swept through the air with fierce momentum as her figure moved like a graceful yet deadly serpent, weaving through the pack.
The battle ended quickly.
After all, even in the original story, Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang had once used Luo Sanpao to defeat a group of Nether Wolves.
For a Spirit Elder like Meng Yiran, a few ten-year Spirit Beasts posed no real threat.
As the wolves fell, five spirit rings slowly emerged from their corpses—four white and one yellow.
Dugu Yan immediately said,
"Let's go. Stronger Spirit Beasts might be drawn here."
She understood well that the scent of blood would attract more powerful predators.
As they continued forward, they encountered several more Spirit Beasts, but most were relatively docile.
For example, ten-year Variegated Cats—these creatures would rarely attack humans unless provoked.
There were also plant-type Spirit Beasts like Lone Bamboo and Ghost Vines.
Although Ghost Vines could be dangerous, they didn't actively hunt. They simply waited for prey to come to them.
Of course, this particular Ghost Vine didn't escape Dugu Yan's "poisonous hands" and became part of their record.
Meanwhile, the Variegated Cat was spared—thanks entirely to its adorable appearance.
As dusk approached, the three girls finally found a suitable campsite.
It was an open clearing surrounded by complex terrain. Massive rocks stood like natural barriers, and towering trees filled the gaps between them.
Even if Spirit Beasts attempted an ambush, they would have enough time to react.
Despite their strength, caution was still necessary.
The three quickly set up their tents.
Ye Lingling, ever meticulous, took out a large glass bottle from her bracelet-shaped soul tool and evenly sprinkled its powder around the area.
Dugu Yan frowned slightly.
The powder was likely meant to repel insects, but the smell made her a bit uncomfortable.
By the time the tents were set up, night had fully fallen.
The three girls ate a simple meal before settling down.
As the leader, Dugu Yan naturally insisted that Meng Yiran and Ye Lingling rest.
But Meng Yiran shook her head.
"Yan-yan Jie, you should rest. Ever since my strength increased, I haven't had many chances for real combat. I'll use this opportunity to improve my practical experience."
No matter what Dugu Yan said, Meng Yiran refused to back down.
In the end, Dugu Yan could only let her take the first night watch.
The Hunting Soul Forest at night was far from quiet.
Occasionally, eerie beast roars echoed through the darkness.
Meng Yiran crouched beside the tent, clutching her serpent staff tightly.
Every time she heard a roar, her grip tightened.
Despite her confident words earlier, she was actually quite timid—and afraid of the dark.
Inside the tent—
In the darkness, Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling were both awake, staring at each other.
Suddenly, Dugu Yan leaned closer and whispered softly,
"Lingling, are you cold? If you are, we can sit closer—it'll be warmer."
Ye Lingling blushed and shook her head.
"No. I'm not cold."
Spirit Masters had strong resistance to heat and cold. It wasn't even winter—if she wasn't cold, how could Dugu Yan be?
She knew exactly what Dugu Yan was trying to do.
This girl had always taken advantage of her whenever she could.
More than once, Ye Lingling had complained in her heart—this flirtatious girl was born into the wrong gender.
She used to tease her all the time, and now, given the chance, she was clearly trying again.
Fortunately, the density of Spirit Beasts in the Hunting Soul Forest wasn't as high as in places like the Sunset Forest.
At least for most of the night, Dugu Yan's group wasn't attacked.