It's worth mentioning that the consciousness of the Blue Silver Emperor still hadn't fully recovered; at this moment, the Blue Silver Emperor in Han Li's hand was still acting on pure instinct. It wasn't that Han Li hadn't thought about restoring her, but he simply forgot.
To be honest, apart from being Tang San's mother, there wasn't much about Ah Yin that particularly interested Han Li.
Although she was originally a 100,000-year soul beast, after her sacrifice, she was reduced to a mere sapling. Reviving her would take too much effort, and Han Li figured it would be more worthwhile to find another soul beast to nurture. There simply wasn't any necessity to bring her back.
If it weren't for Ye Lingling needing a fourth soul ring, Han Li might not have even bothered with her. At the very least, he wouldn't have touched her for now, since he originally planned for her to be Ye Lingling's seventh ring.
But since the Ye family had already pledged allegiance, it made sense to take this detour; after all, she was now part of the team.
Although Ye Lingling's soul skills were fixed and only required a focus on age, a life-attributed soul beast would naturally be better for her. The fourth ring Han Li chose for her was none other than the Blue Silver King from the Blue Silver Forest.
Physical strength and spiritual strength weren't an issue. After all, the Blue Silver Emperor was still in Han Li's hands, so a sacrifice could be arranged.
With this in mind, Han Li put the Blue Silver Emperor back into his wristband and took out an unusual triangular object that resembled a blue sapphire—Qian Renxue's now-replaced Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud.
At this point, Han Li had essentially taken control of all the key resources that Tang San would have used to rise to power, effectively cutting off almost all his opportunities, and leaving only the Slaughter City.
Regardless of the Asura God's stance, the current Slaughter City had become much more dangerous after Han Li and his group had passed through. Moreover, with Tang San's current strength, he wasn't even qualified to approach that place.
By the time Tang San matured, the forces of the Spirit Hall would be even stronger, leaving him with no choice but to await his fate.
The journey was smooth, and the group had adopted a more leisurely pace compared to before.
Their pace wasn't fast; they would stop at each station to rest and enjoy the local cuisine and customs.
After a month of travel, they finally reached the edge of the Star Dou Forest.
The journey wasn't without its rewards. At the very least, Ye Lingling's mood had improved significantly, and she was no longer as gloomy whenever she spoke.
Of course, her remarks still carried a hint of that adolescent eccentricity, though they were now somewhat more positive.
Indeed, she attributed the changes in her fate to Han Li, almost like a devoted follower.
Faced with such a beautiful devotee, Han Li was secretly pleased, though he had to maintain a calm demeanor under the gaze of the other girls.
As for Zhu Zhuqing, after spending time with the group, she had emerged from her past shadows, though she still spoke little and rarely smiled, becoming somewhat similar to Xiu'er.
However, because of her figure, she often became the center of conversation among the girls, and it was only during those times that her cold demeanor would be replaced by a blush.
Upon reaching the small town outside the Star Dou Forest, the group didn't isolate themselves as they had before; instead, they enthusiastically mingled with the locals.
For the first time, Han Li realized how useful the skill of disguise could be. After casually wandering around, the group headed into the forest.
At the forest's edge, Han Li activated a shared spiritual link to monitor everything around them. Compared to others entering the Star Dou Forest, they seemed more like they were on a picnic.
This was especially true for Zhu Zhuqing, who had previously visited the forest with the Shrek group to obtain a soul ring, only to be attacked by the Titan Giant Ape. The contrast in her experience was striking.
After learning about Xiao Wu's true identity and hearing about the situation in the Star Dou Forest's core from Han Li and the others, she finally understood.
The danger they had faced last time was merely Xiao Wu reuniting with her old friends, while they had foolishly worried and fretted.
"What's wrong? Are you thinking about your soul ring?"
Lately, Xiu'er had been spending more time with Zhu Zhuqing, and noticing her emotional fluctuations, she asked with concern.
"No, I was just thinking about what happened the last time I came to the Star Dou Forest."
Zhu Zhuqing, who was always more well-behaved around Xiu'er, immediately responded upon sensing her concern.
"The Titan Giant Ape? Don't worry about it and the Sky Blue Bull Python will soon become your and Sister Yan's soul rings. As for when, that depends on how fast you both cultivate," Han Li casually chimed in after hearing her words.
Xiao Wu's two big brothers had already been designated as the seventh soul rings for Xiu'er and Dugu Yan-. Although their attributes didn't perfectly match the girls' martial souls, they were still excellent choices on the current Douluo Continent.
Their martial souls had already reached the strongest state possible on Douluo Continent, short of reaching god-level. They no longer needed to rely on soul rings for evolution; now it was just a matter of pursuing higher ring ages.
As for their skills, Han Li could adjust them to some extent, so it wasn't a big issue.
Hearing this, Zhu Zhuqing was momentarily stunned, then nodded without saying anything. Her thoughts, however, drifted elsewhere.
The Blue Silver Forest was located in a rather unique area. According to the division of the Star Dou Forest, it wasn't considered deep within the forest, but was in the mixed soul beast zone, not even in the inner regions.
However, its location was quite remote and hidden, nestled against a small soul beast forest on the outskirts of the Star Dou Forest, yet it stood apart, with a peculiar geographic position.
For this mission, Han Li had chosen the shortest route, which involved entering the Star Dou Forest and then passing through it.
Since they didn't need to worry about attacks from the surrounding soul beasts, they reached a serene and beautiful forest before dusk fell.
This forest wasn't very large, at least not compared to the Sunset Forest, which the group was more familiar with. The aura of soul beasts was also quite faint as if no soul beasts lived there at all. However, the danger sensed through their spiritual feedback indicated that this forest was far from simple.
"Is this the Blue Silver Forest?"
The women curiously examined the forest before them, feeling an unusual sensation for the first time.
"Yes, that's right. Let's go in."
Han Li didn't say much more. With a flip of his wrist, he brought out the Blue Silver Emperor, and his right leg slightly glowed. As he activated the Ice-Fire Domain, he enveloped the group within it, repelling the surrounding Blue Silver Grass away.
As they slowly stepped inside, they noticed that the plants here looked ancient, as if they had existed for countless years.
Towering trees reached into the sky, with their dense foliage making it difficult for sunlight to penetrate to the forest floor. However, unlike other soul beast forests, the Blue Silver Grass here was exceptionally lush and seemed to be emitting some kind of aura toward the Blue Silver Grass in Han Li's hand.
Yet, this aura was ruthlessly blocked by Han Li's Domain, preventing it from making any contact with the Blue Silver Grass in his hand.
"Your Majesty, our great ruler, is that you? I can sense your presence!"
"Human, who are you? Why has our ruler become like this? Why is she in your hands?"
In the open world of shared spiritual consciousness, a voice suddenly echoed, initially respectful but quickly turning angry, causing everyone to pause and turn their attention to Han Li.
Han Li nodded at them but didn't immediately explain.
Allowing the consciousness of the Blue Silver King to enter was deliberate; otherwise, with his current level of spiritual cultivation, if he were to be invaded by an 80,000-year-old weak Blue Silver Grass, he might as well give up on cultivation altogether.
"Since you know that your ruler is in my hands, do you dare speak to me like that? Are you in such a hurry for your ruler to die?"
Han Li's voice carried a cold tone as he tightened his grip slightly, making his stance clear.
After his words, the voice from before fell silent.
"Blue Silver King, right? Lead us directly to your main body. I don't feel like searching for it. If you don't, your ruler will die."
Han Li didn't bother waiting for a response. Instead, he issued a command and even used his soul bone's ability to start draining the life force of the surrounding Blue Silver Grass.
"Stop, human! We'll do as you say."
Seeing that the Blue Silver Grass around Han Li was about to be completely drained, devolving from soul beasts into ordinary Blue Silver Grass and losing even the ability to live, the voice finally spoke again.
As the voice echoed, the surrounding Blue Silver Grass began to glow, creating a path made of pale blue Blue Silver Grass that led deeper into the forest. It was a beautiful sight in the dim forest.
"Not bad. Let's go. Consider it a chance to enjoy some unique scenery."
Han Li directly kicked the Blue Silver King's spiritual consciousness out of the shared mental space, then turned to the group and invited them to proceed.
In truth, there was no need for him to remind them; the women were already eager to explore.
The glowing path in the forest was indeed beautiful. A pale blue light illuminated the ground beneath their feet, and the surrounding Blue Silver Grass emitted a faint glow, winding its way toward the heart of the forest. In terms of visual appeal, it could almost rival the landscape of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
Unlike the extreme environment of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, this place was filled with a rich life force that made one feel comfortable and rejuvenated, especially Ye Lingling. Her martial soul was naturally attuned to life force.
At this moment, her face was flushed, and her soul power circulation had accelerated significantly as if she were in the most ideal environment for her cultivation. She seemed somewhat lost in the experience.
"Look at her, Lingling looks like she's drunk."
Her close friend, Dugu Yan, was the first to notice Ye Lingling's unusual state. She playfully waved a hand in front of Ye Lingling's eyes, snapping her back to reality with a giggle.
"Alright, let's go. Don't keep them waiting. Lingling's opportunity is just ahead."
Han Li glanced at the playful group, urging them to move on. His eyes, however, were filled with amusement. He made no effort to quicken his pace.
After all, it wasn't them who were in a hurry.