The night had deepened, and the pitch-black sky was dimly lit by the fading moonlight.
Chen Xuan originally planned to finish his journey in one day, but since it was already too late, he decided to spend the night in the Star Dou Forest.
He told Zhu Zhuqing and Yiyi to rest well while he kept watch for the night.
The sky was dark, and the white moon was gradually covered by black clouds, making the world even dimmer.
Chen Xuan sat by the campfire, the flickering flames dancing. In the second half of the night, Zhu Zhuqing came over to sit beside him and offered to take over the watch, surprising him. The always cold and distant Zhu Zhuqing seemed a bit different today.
Chen Xuan didn't refuse. He hadn't slept all day and was quite tired, but instead of leaving, he simply lay down by the fire and soon fell asleep.
Zhu Zhuqing hugged her knees and sat quietly beside him. She slightly turned her head, silently watching Chen Xuan's profile, lost in thought.
...
When Chen Xuan opened his eyes again, it was already close to noon. The sunlight shone warmly on his face.
He had slept deeply and only now woke up.
"Brother, why do you always sleep in so late?" Chen Yiyi had woken up early and had already eaten breakfast.
Zhu Zhuqing glanced over briefly but then quickly looked away, showing no emotion.
After eating some simple rations, Chen Xuan suggested leaving the Star Dou Forest.
"We should head back. The Soul Master Tournament has probably been over for several days by now," he said casually.
Zhu Zhuqing's expression shifted slightly but quickly returned to normal, and she said nothing.
As usual, Chen Xuan carried Yiyi on his back while Zhu Zhuqing followed beside them, keeping pace and even moving ahead of him at times.
They were near the outskirts of the Star Dou Forest and retraced their steps along the path, as it was safer that way.
The trees on either side blurred past as they moved quickly, covering half of the distance in an hour.
"Hm?"
Suddenly, Chen Xuan stopped abruptly, standing before a large clearing.
Ahead was a grassland spanning a hundred meters, devoid of towering trees or dense vegetation. It was an open, empty space.
In the midst of the thick forest, such a clearing was unusual. It was clear that it had been created by someone, as the large trees had been chopped down, leaving stumps behind.
"That's... blood," Zhu Zhuqing's face turned pale. In the clearing ahead, there was a large pool of blood, and the grass was stained red.
Chen Xuan's expression grew serious. After putting Yiyi down, he quickly crossed the clearing and entered the forest beyond. He came to a sudden halt, his eyes flashing with anger.
There were bodies everywhere.
At least ten people had died here, all meeting gruesome ends. Some had been decapitated, their heads severed from their bodies. Others had been sliced in half as if by a sharp blade, and some had gaping holes in their chests, their bodies riddled with injuries.
These people had died horrifically, their blood covering the trees and the grass.
Even a patch of wildflowers, originally white, had turned a brilliant red from being soaked in blood.
Zhu Zhuqing walked up and saw the bloody scene. She was stunned, covering her mouth as nausea welled up inside her—it was too gruesome.
Some bodies had their abdomens torn open, with intestines and organs spilling onto the ground, creating a horrific sight.
Chen Xuan's face darkened. He recognized these people—they were part of the team led by the young man with glasses.
However, there was no sign of the glasses-wearing youth among the corpses, making it hard to say whether or not he was involved.
Chen Xuan noticed one common feature among the bodies: they had been looted. Their gold, valuables, and soul-guided storage devices were all missing.
He had read many books and knew of the dark side of mercenary groups. This massacre was clearly a case of murder for treasure.
This kind of thing happened frequently, almost daily.
Chen Xuan was nearly certain it was the work of the Soul Emperor.
Gathering soul masters, luring them to the wilderness of the Star Dou Forest, and then killing them ruthlessly—this was a truly cunning tactic.
"We can't stay here. Let's go."
Chen Xuan quickly retreated, leaving the bloodstained area.
"Brother, what happened up there?" Yiyi asked curiously. Zhu Zhuqing hadn't let her go to the clearing.
Chen Xuan simply said nothing had happened and then carried her as they continued on their way.
Having witnessed such a gory scene, Zhu Zhuqing was still feeling uneasy, her face slightly pale, and she had not yet recovered.
Chen Xuan wasn't feeling much better either. The idea of humans brutally attacking their fellow humans disgusted him.
The three of them didn't dare retrace their original path and instead took a different route, making a large detour.
After walking for two more kilometers, Chen Xuan finally breathed a sigh of relief, slowing their pace. Fortunately, what he feared had not come to pass.
They continued forward, passing through several groves of trees and nearing the forest's exit.
Suddenly, Chen Xuan's body tensed, and he felt a sharp pain between his eyebrows, as if a blade was pressed against him.
He stopped abruptly, threw a kunai, and swiftly pulled Zhu Zhuqing into his arms in one smooth motion.
Boom!
A beam of light fell, and an explosion erupted where they had just stood, sending energy waves in all directions, swallowing trees in its path.
One hundred meters away, in a flash of golden light, Chen Xuan appeared, biting down on the kunai in his mouth.
At that moment, he had Zhu Zhuqing in one arm and Yiyi on his back.
He landed atop a tree, watching as the light beam behind him shot into the sky, the resulting shockwave destroying a swath of forest.
Had he not reacted in time, that attack would have left him severely injured or worse.
Swish!
Chen Xuan had just set the two down when another, even larger, beam of light came shooting toward them.
His expression darkened. The attacker was far stronger than him, and he couldn't even sense their location.
Without wasting any time, he leaped toward the beam of light.
If that attack exploded here, Yiyi would surely die due to her weak physique.
"Brother, don't go!" Yiyi cried out, tears welling in her eyes as she watched.
Chen Xuan didn't retreat; instead, he charged directly at the light beam, clearly risking his life to protect them.
At that moment, Zhu Zhuqing's usual cold demeanor vanished. Her body froze as she watched the man sacrifice himself, her eyes filling with tears.
In truth, Chen Xuan wasn't the type to throw his life away so easily.
Swish!
In the next instant, in a flash of golden light, both Chen Xuan and the beam of light vanished without a trace.
Boom!
The forest shook. One hundred meters away, a massive explosion lit up the sky, shattering trees and boulders as shockwaves rippled outward.
"What just happened?" In the shadows, a bald man muttered in shock.
On top of a tree, Yiyi stared at the distant explosion in confusion. What had happened to the light beam? How had it disappeared?
Zhu Zhuqing seemed to have an idea, quickly figuring out that it must have been one of Chen Xuan's strange soul techniques.
After transferring the light beam away, Chen Xuan instantly reappeared in front of the two using the Flying Thunder God technique.
"Brother, you scared me! I thought you were going to die. Please don't do that again." Yiyi's face was streaked with tears, clearly frightened by what had just happened.
"Don't worry, I'll always be around until the day you get married," Chen Xuan promised. The situation had been too urgent to explain in detail earlier.
He then turned to look at Zhu Zhuqing and froze in place, staring.
He rubbed his eyes a few times, thinking he had seen wrong.
Chen Xuan was a bit dazed—Zhu Zhuqing's eyes were red and slightly moist. Could this mean… she had shed tears for him just now?
This was Zhu Zhuqing—the cold and elegant goddess, as distant as an icy mountain. It was very out of character for her.
Zhu Zhuqing noticed Chen Xuan's gaze and immediately blushed. "Don't overthink it. I just got sand in my eyes."
Clap, clap, clap!
Suddenly, applause echoed around them, and a burly man emerged from behind a rock.
"What a touching scene."
The man, bald and grinning, leered at Zhu Zhuqing and Yiyi, his eyes filled with lust. "Kid, leave these two women behind, and I'll let you live."
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