Perhaps because they had traveled this road once before, the journey this time was significantly faster.
Thanks to Sebastian's increasingly adept driving skills, it only took them eleven days to reach the edge of the Star Dou Forest.
Entering the bustling town once more, they were met with the same treatment as last time.
After all, such a high-end and unusual carriage was a rare sight, and it hadn't been long since their last visit.
The long-time residents of the town, with their sharp memories and keen eyes, recognized the carriage from a distance and quickly stepped aside.
As before, they let Sebastian act freely while the four of them headed to the local branch of the Spirit Hall.
Guang Ling wasted no time and, upon arriving at the entrance, immediately displayed his elder token, allowing the four of them to be respectfully ushered inside.
"Has Salas sent over the people I requested?" Guang Ling asked directly.
"Yes, sir. They were delivered this morning and are currently being held. Would you like me to take you to see them now?" The head of the branch, bowing his head low, replied without daring to meet their gaze.
He didn't want to know the details, nor did he dare to. He just hoped that this distinguished guest would quickly take the three people away, complete the handover, and leave him out of it.
"Very well, take us there directly," Guang Ling responded, satisfied with the answer.
"Of course, please follow me," the head said, exhaling in relief as he turned to lead the way.
He stopped in front of a completely sealed stone chamber.
"Your Excellency, they're inside. Here is the key. My clearance level is not high enough, so you'll have to go in yourself."
"Alright, hand it over," Guang Ling said, taking the key and signaling for him to step aside.
He then turned to the three people beside him: "Alright, let's go in together."
"Who are they?" Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan were still a bit confused about who Guang Ling intended for them to meet.
"Just some criminals and fallen soul masters. Don't worry about it. I don't know their exact purpose either; they were requested by Xiao Li," Guang Ling said, pointing to Han Li, who had been silent since they arrived.
"I have a hunch that this time when we enter the forest, it would be best to bring them along. They might come in handy," Han Li shrugged and spread his hands towards the two, responding quite straightforwardly.
"Alright, let's not overthink it. Just bring them along. We'll find out their use when the time comes. It's just three people, it won't affect our speed," Guang Ling glanced at Dugu Bo, signaling for him to follow.
"Fine," Dugu Bo took a look at the two younger ones and took the initiative to follow, as he couldn't expect them to handle it.
Han Li and Dugu Yan didn't follow but chose to wait outside.
"Bringing irrelevant people along, could it help in acquiring a soul ring?" Dugu Yan was puzzled. No matter how she thought about it, she couldn't see the benefit.
Surely, they weren't planning to use them as shields against soul beasts and then make a run for it. After all, they were accompanied by two titled Douluos. Especially since she knew that Guang Ling Douluo was now at level 98. Even if a legendary 100,000-year soul beast appeared, they wouldn't need someone to cover their retreat to escape.
"Who knows," Han Li didn't answer her question. Anyway, if everything went smoothly, she would know soon enough. Revealing it in advance would just lessen the surprise, so why bother?
In just a few words' time, Guang Ling and Dugu Bo emerged, carrying three people.
Han Li and Dugu Yan looked at the three captives, noticing that their soul power and mouths were sealed by some unknown means. In the hands of the two titled Douluos, they couldn't even struggle.
Perhaps sensing the danger, the three captives, though unable to speak, stared fiercely at Han Li and Dugu Yan. They did not doubt that if their restraints were removed, the three would launch a do-or-die attack on them.
Unfortunately, neither Han Li nor Dugu Yan cared. Not to mention Han Li, Dugu Yan had always been taught that while she might not commit evil herself, she should show no mercy to evildoers. Moreover, she had heard Guang Ling say that these three were criminals and fallen soul masters.
Immediately, Dugu Yan glared back fiercely, conveying that she wouldn't hesitate to kill if provoked. The three finally calmed down for the moment.
"Your Martial Soul Hall does have some capable people. Just with some simple drug mixtures, administered periodically, they can render soul masters below the Soul King level completely powerless. I'd love to meet the person behind this," Dugu Bo tossed one of the captives in his hand, speaking with interest.
Hearing this, Guang Ling and Han Li both revealed peculiar smiles.
"What's wrong? Did I say something incorrect?" Dugu Bo frowned, seemingly not understanding why they had such expressions.
"Senior, perhaps you do know him. Have you forgotten that Chrysanthemum Douluo is the elder in charge of punishments in our Martial Soul Hall? This drug is one of his research achievements."
Han Li suppressed a laugh and softly reminded him.
Dugu Bo's hand paused, causing the person he was holding to fall face-first onto the uneven ground with a muffled grunt.
"I forgot. It's better not to know him. This drug is nothing special. Give me some time, and I could probably replicate it, maybe even make it more effective."
Bending down to pick the person up again, Dugu Bo retorted stubbornly and took the lead, heading outside.
"Let's go; the soul beasts won't wait for us. The sooner we get in, the less likely others will beat us to it."
Behind him, the three exchanged amused glances and hurriedly followed.
...
At the edge of the Star Dou Forest, Han Li and Dugu Yan walked through the town and entered the forest together. After traveling a certain distance, they saw the two elders waiting ahead.
It wasn't because of anything else; mainly, when they entered, too many people noticed the Spirit Hall insignia on the carriage. Though parading around with captives wasn't exactly problematic, and no one would dare object, for the sake of maintaining a decent reputation, Guang Ling and Dugu Bo had opted to fly in ahead from the air.
"Alright, Xiaoli, same old rules. Now that your strength has increased considerably and you know the intelligence details, you and the young lady decide how to proceed. Dugu Bo and I will only ensure your safety."
In this regard, Guang Ling was as straightforward as ever.
"No problem, Master," Han Li responded decisively. His current strength was enough to handle the mixed zone, though his actual combat experience was still lacking. Even if Guang Ling hadn't said anything, he was planning on using this opportunity to train.
"Alright, let's get going."
With that, Guang Ling gave Dugu Bo a look, and the two of them, carrying the three "hostages," disappeared.
"Let's go, Sister Yan. From here on, it's up to us."
Han Li turned to Dugu Yan, who had been excited since entering the forest.
"Let's go. I also want to test my strength after my Martial Soul evolution. Previously, my soul skills were all supportive. Even in battles, I could only rely on my Martial Soul's poison to slowly wear down the opponent. But now, I'm an assault-type battle soul master."
As she spoke, her Martial Soul's shadow and wings appeared behind her. The Fiery Winged Serpent Spirit hissed, seemingly displaying her fighting spirit.
"Alright, until we reach the mixed zone, I'll rely on you for protection, Sister Yan."
Han Li raised his twin blades, which he had completely concealed, and made a sheathing motion.
"No problem. You just make sure to keep up with me."
Dugu Yan winked at him and took the lead.
Han Li smiled and followed closely behind, and the two ventured deeper into the forest.
After advancing for a while, Han Li, who had been continuously monitoring their surroundings with his mental ability, felt mentally exhausted.
Dugu Yan's performance in outdoor combat was less than stellar, according to a personal assessment given by Han Li's teacher. In just a short hour of following behind her, Han Li found himself shaking his head in exasperation.
Relying on the strength gained from her Martial Soul's evolution, which made her quite formidable in the outer regions, and the quick activation speed of her mutated first soul skill, Dugu Yan attacked anything in her path. She even torched passing caterpillars before moving on.
Although she didn't kill these weak soul beasts outright, adhering to the unspoken rules among soul masters, she left no fewer than eight to ten low-level soul beasts injured, with wounds to their legs and abdomens. Han Li had been following the trail of burnt and bloody scents she left behind.
"Alright, Sister Yan, stop. If we continue like this, we'll attract a horde of soul beasts as soon as we enter the mixed zone," Han Li promptly called a halt to her behavior that was drawing both human and beastly ire.
"Ah, okay. I'll stop right away. I got a bit too excited."
Realizing the extent of her actions, she felt a bit embarrassed and ceased her reckless behavior.
"Alright, let's keep moving. You have a better spirit vision, so keep an eye on your surroundings. If any weak soul beasts show up, just drive them away. We need to pick up the pace," Han Li said, checking the sky. He realized that if they hurried, they could reach the camp he had set up last time, which would save them some effort.
"Got it."
Calming down, Dugu Yan began to recall the various survival skills she had learned, and the two of them started to move quickly.
On their way into the mixed zone, they encountered two more attacks. This time, with Han Li's warnings and Dugu Yan's seriousness, the battles ended swiftly.
With her Martial Soul's evolution, Dugu Yan's fire element had become more powerful. Her first soul skill was not only fast but could also be used repeatedly. Without Han Li's help, she displayed considerable combat prowess on her own.
A Shadow Leopard, around 1,300 years old, and a Dark Raven, around 1,800 years old, suffered heavy losses at her hands almost immediately. Their mobility was crippled, and they were continuously bombarded by her lava beams.
With just some light running, Dugu Yan easily dealt with the two soul beasts, realizing the vast improvement from her previous self. She had only used her first soul skill so far.
"Not bad, but they're still too weak to test you properly or give you any real pressure," Han Li said, pouring cold water on her excitement to prevent her from reverting to the overexcited state she had when they first entered the forest.
"I know, you don't need to remind me."
Dugu Yan gave him a side-eye. On the way here, she had heard Guang Ling talk about Han Li's achievements. When he had just reached level 20 and hadn't yet obtained a second soul ring, he could handle two 2,000-year-old soul beasts on his own, taking only a bit more time to kill them unscathed.
She was now at level 30 and had only managed to defeat a 1,500-year-old soul beast, which was nothing impressive.
If this had been a month ago, she might have been smug, eager to have the entire Heaven Dou Royal Academy proclaim her achievement. But now, she just wanted to become stronger, to be able to keep up with Han Li.
Even though she had never seen Han Li fight in person, the aura he leaked when his Martial Soul was activated, which suppressed her Martial Souls, and his black ten-thousand-year first ring was enough to prove his strength.
Not to mention, aside from Sword Douluo, who could fly with his sword, she had never heard of any tool spirit master who could create a flying soul skill before reaching three rings.
(She didn't know if Sword Douluo's flying ability was a soul skill, as abilities among soul masters on the continent were kept secret.)
Moreover, she was looking forward to seeing Han Li in action this time when they obtained their soul rings.
After glancing at Dugu Yan, who seemed lost in thought after their conversation, Han Li waved his hand in front of her eyes and then looked at the sky, which had already darkened.
"Alright, follow me. The campsite ahead should be usable again with some slight adjustments."
After saying this, he adjusted their direction slightly and led Dugu Yan toward the location of their previous campsite.
The campsite wasn't far; according to his estimation, it was less than a ten-minute walk.
The sky in the forest darkened faster than outside, partly due to the dense foliage around them. They had only been walking for about three minutes, yet the darkness seemed to deepen even more compared to before.
Due to her Martial Soul possession and her not-so-strong mental power, Dugu Yan couldn't fully restrain her glow. In such an environment, she was like a walking light bulb, very conspicuous.
"Sister Yan, why don't you retract your Martial Soul for now? At night, there are more powerful predators in the forest. We should hurry to the campsite to avoid unnecessary trouble."
Han Li, who was used to concealing himself, felt somewhat uncomfortable with this situation. He glanced at Dugu Yan beside him.
"Alright."
Dugu Yan nodded agreeably.
It wasn't just Han Li; after walking a while, she also felt something was off. In her current state, she was practically inviting provocation from the soul beasts.
However, without the protection of her Martial SOul, her night vision wasn't impressive. But since Han Li suggested it, she decided to retract her Martial Soul anyway.
"Uh, Sister Yan, you might want to wait a moment. Your opponent has arrived. Deal with it first; I'll cover you."
Han Li suddenly gestured ahead.
Dugu Yan's expression instantly became serious as she entered a combat state, staring intently into the darkness ahead.
Her mental power wasn't as strong as Han Li's. Although it had improved somewhat after her Martial Soul evolved, it was still only slightly above average for her level and far from capable of long-range detection.
While she was on high alert, Han Li had already concealed his presence, hiding behind a nearby tree. This was a battle she had to face, and he was only responsible for her safety.