Xiao Wu and Gu Yuena walked together for some distance before Xiao Wu suddenly stopped.

"I'm going to look for Da Ming and Er Ming. Do you want to come with me?"

There was a hint of hesitation on Xiao Wu's face.

Unexpectedly, Gu Yuena simply shook her head.

"I'll find you after you obtain your fourth spirit ring," the silver-haired girl said calmly.

Now that she had returned to the Star Dou Great Forest, she naturally had other matters to attend to.

Deep within the Star Dou Great Forest.

Sensing Gu Yuena's presence, Di Tian and the others quickly gathered.

"The Lord has returned," someone said, joy lighting up their faces.

"She's been gone so long... I wonder how she fared in the human world," Di Tian murmured, concern in his eyes. After all, their leader's injuries hadn't yet fully healed.

"With that person by her side, the Lord was never truly in danger," Brigitte said gently.

"That may be true," King Bear sighed, "but I still don't understand why she insisted on following him while seriously injured."

They all knew, though—even they couldn't change a decision once it was made by the Lord. ᴛhis chapter is ᴜpdated by noᴠelfire.net

As they spoke, Gu Yuena entered.

Brigitte immediately noticed something was different.

"Master, are you hurt? Why does it feel like your injuries have improved so much?"

She stepped forward, eyes filled with disbelief.

Even Brigitte herself hadn't been able to heal Gu Yuena's wounds. To keep them from worsening, their Lord had been forced into a deep sleep, using time alone to recover.

But now, in such a short time, she had nearly healed.

"I told you before—the Phoenix God is our greatest hope. All of this is thanks to him."

Gu Yuena raised her hand, her expression still calm and distant.

Di Tian looked up, thoughtful.

"Master, if the Phoenix God is capable of healing your wounds, shouldn't we be less cautious now?"

His eyes flashed with a fierce light as he spoke.

A war between humans and soul beasts was inevitable.

"Not yet. I still need time to recover, and the Phoenix God is too weak to be exposed to others," Gu Yuena replied, shaking her head.

She had firmly rejected Di Tian's suggestion.

"I came back to check on the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm."

She turned to Di Tian as she spoke, recalling her previous instructions.

"I've already asked Tianmeng to urge the boy to return to the Star Dou Great Forest," Di Tian replied. "With Tianmeng's abilities, I'm confident he'll fulfill the task you assigned him."

Gu Yuena gave a slight nod.

"Once the boy arrives, guide him directly to the lake. Also... where is the Emperor Beast?"

She'd been back for a while, but hadn't seen the little one.

At the mention of the Emperor Beast, the expressions of these fierce soul beasts softened slightly.

"The little one got playful and ran off somewhere," Brigitte said gently.

"Keep a close eye. A lot is going to happen in the Star Dou Great Forest soon."

Gu Yuena's words were calm, but Brigitte took them seriously and nodded in agreement.

On the outskirts of the Star Dou Forest.

As they neared the forest, Tang San's face was full of urgency.

"Dad, we have to hurry. If we make it in time, I might still be able to enter the Advanced Spirit Master Competition," he said, excited.

Originally, he hadn't planned to participate. His third spirit ring had only been a lowly 10-year-old white ring, with soul skills that were practically useless.

In such a state, he wasn't qualified to represent the Royal Academy.

But what Tianmeng had given him had changed everything.

If he could retrieve the rest of it, both his soul ring and Purple Demon Eye would improve significantly.

There was nothing but benefit to be gained.

"Yes. As long as you recover the part of me I left here, you'll definitely be able to participate in the competition," Tianmeng replied in Tang San's mind—though his inner expression was full of disdain.

He had lived in Tang San's spiritual sea for a while now, and had developed some understanding of the outside world.

With Tang San's current strength, he still wasn't truly qualified to compete at such a high level.

Tang Hao's expression was dark.

Ever since losing his two soul bones, his power had steadily declined. No matter how hard he tried, the decline continued.

Now, he was only a Level 70 Soul Sage.

Once, he had been known as Haotian Douluo, daring to enter even the Star Dou Great Forest alone.

But now... he wasn't sure if he still could.

Of course, he couldn't bring himself to tell his son.

Watching Tang San's hopeful face, he said nothing and simply followed silently behind.

Tang San didn't even notice his father's silence. To him, this was just how his father always acted.

The two of them moved quickly, one in front and one behind, heading in the direction Tianmeng had pointed out.

As soon as they entered the Star Dou Great Forest, Tianmeng received a message from Di Tian:

"Take them to the lake."

The moment he received this command, Tianmeng grew excited.

Over time, he had absorbed a great deal of Tang San's spiritual energy.

If he completed this task successfully, he would finally be allowed to enter the forbidden zone safely.

Tianmeng Ice Silkworm was overjoyed.

No more compromising just to survive—he could finally raise his head with pride among the other soul beasts.

With the leader's protection, no one would dare covet him again.

He could barely contain his excitement.

Tang San, unaware of Tianmeng's thoughts, only noticed that their pace was getting slower.

The deeper they went into the forest, the stronger the soul beasts they encountered.

Even with Tang Hao present, there were still fearless beasts that attacked them.

The increasing number of beasts forced them to slow down even more.

"Can you hurry up? I can already feel my power calling me," Tianmeng urged, clearly impatient.

"Don't rush! These soul beasts are incredibly difficult to handle," Tang San snapped, clearly frustrated.

All the poison he had brought had already been used. Without Tang Hao, he'd have no means of protecting himself.

Tang Hao looked grim as he punched a demon wolf to death and wiped the blood from his face.

"How much farther?" he asked hoarsely—it had been a while since he last spoke.

"Not far. Just ahead!" Tang San called out from some distance away, excitement lighting up his features.

At that moment, Xiao Wu was joyfully catching up with Da Ming and Er Ming—none of them had noticed that Tang San was fast approaching.