Dai Chengfeng and his group of four had been traveling continuously for over half a month.
Along the way, they had encountered some unruly bandits and wild outlaws who sought to rob them of both wealth and "pleasure."
However,
Unfortunately for the bandits—
Bandit: "I am an outlaw, a reckless bandit named Zhang San!"
Zhu Fan: "I am but a humble Soul Douluo, Zhu Fan!"
Bandit: o.O???
"You son of a—f*ck!!!"
Zhu Fan: "Take your beating, refreshing!"
The result was self-evident.
Finally, after half a month.
Fengche Town, an ordinary small town within the Balak Kingdom, bordering the Great Star Forest.
Clippity-clop…
A white carriage arrived at the outskirts of the town just before sunset.
Two figures sat in front of the carriage.
One was an elderly man clad in gray robes with a gentle demeanor, while the other was a middle-aged man dressed in sleek black attire, his posture upright and his gaze sharp.
At this moment, the elderly man in gray robes raised his eyes toward the distance. In the glow of the setting sun, the silhouette of a small town could be seen faintly on the horizon.
"Phew…"
He exhaled deeply, then turned slightly toward the interior of the carriage and spoke gently, "Prince Chengfeng, we've arrived at Fengche Town."
"This is the last town on our journey before entering the Great Star Forest."
"It's already late in the day. Let's rest here tonight, replenish some supplies, and set off again early tomorrow morning."
"What does Your Highness think?"
A faint rustling came from inside the carriage, and a golden-haired youth gracefully lifted the curtain.
Looking ahead at the orange-red glow of Fengche Town bathed in the setting sun, he murmured softly, "Fengche Town, huh…"
"Alright."
The youth nodded slightly, then a faint smile curved his lips. "I wonder if there's a Monkey D. Luffy here?"
"Chengfeng, what's this Monkey D. Luffy?"
(T/N: 'Fengche' is Chinese for 'Windmill', which is translated to 'Foosha' in Japanese. Luffy was born and raised in Foosha Village and is where he met Shanks.)
Hearing this, Zhu Fan couldn't help but look puzzled, turning his head to ask Dai Chengfeng curiously.
Dai Chengfeng chuckled and shook his head. "It's nothing…"
Amidst their light banter, the carriage slowly entered Fengche Town.
Perhaps because it bordered the Great Star Forest, Fengche Town was bustling with activity.
Stalls lined both sides of the streets, filled with all sorts of goods.
"Everyone, don't miss out! Top-quality century-old soul beast pelts with excellent defensive properties—five gold spirit coins each, twelve for two!"
"Looking for teammates to hunt century-old soul beasts! A strong-attack system Grand Soul Master leading the team, with agility and auxiliary systems covered—we're missing a control system soul master, anything works… except those pretending to be control system users with Blue Silver Grass martial souls!"
"The Kun Fist Sect is recruiting disciples! Are you troubled by your weak soul skills? Are you frustrated by not being able to learn self-created soul skills…"
Inside the carriage, Dai Chengfeng looked at the lively crowd and shook his head with a smile.
The carriage passed through the bustling throng and finally came to a stop in front of a sizable inn.
Dai Chengfeng and his group simply booked four premium rooms.
The night passed without incident, and everyone slept soundly.
Early the next morning, as dawn broke, the four were already standing before the Great Star Dou Forest, full of energy.
At this moment, Ye Renxin took three sachets from his chest, a hint of pride on his face. "Your Highness, these sachets are specially formulated by this old man."
"They not only repel insects but also have an intimidating effect on weaker soul beasts."
"Wearing them will save us a great deal of trouble along the way."
"Good."
Upon hearing this, Dai Chengfeng reached out to take the sachet, bringing it close to his nose and inhaling lightly. A faint herbal fragrance lingered around his nostrils.
Inwardly, he couldn't help but realize—
No wonder the journey out of the Great Star Dou Forest with Ye Lingling last time had been so smooth; it was thanks to this remarkable item.
For a moment, Dai Chengfeng couldn't help but marvel inwardly once more: truly deserving of the title "Saint of Medicine," Ye Renxin!
Soon, all four of them hung the sachets at their waists.
Ye Renxin then took a map from his chest and unfolded it…
On the map, there were four red dots marked from near to far.
Ye Renxin held the map carefully and explained the route to Dai Chengfeng and Zhu Fan. "Your Highness."
"This old man plans to hunt these five Dark Golden Terror Claw Bears, starting with the nearest one. The closest nest is about a five-day journey southwest from here."
Dai Chengfeng studied the map and nodded. "Alright, let's set off!"
"Yes."
Dai Chengfeng, Zhu Fan, Ye Renxin, and Ye Lingling entered the Great Star Forest.
Thanks to their previous experience traversing the Great Star Forest, this time Dai Chengfeng was already quite familiar with it, and no unexpected incidents occurred along the way.
Five days passed in the blink of an eye.
At this moment, deep within the Great Star Forest—
Towering trees blocked out the sky, and the air was thick with humidity, mingled with the scent of earth and plants.
Sunlight struggled to filter through the gaps between leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground like a layer of golden crushed diamonds.
The ground was covered with thick piles of fallen leaves.
Occasionally, the low growls of unknown soul beasts echoed from afar, reverberating through the forest. Everything around them seemed deep and silent.
Rustle, rustle, rustle…
At this moment, the faint sound of footsteps crunching on fallen leaves broke the forest's tranquility.
Soon, four figures appeared in the distance.
They stopped in front of a tree so massive that it would take several people to encircle it. Ye Renxin paused, surveying the surroundings.
After a moment, a relieved smile appeared on his face. Turning to Dai Chengfeng, he said, "Your Highness, we've arrived!"
Hearing this, Dai Chengfeng curiously examined the area, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.
"We've finally made it."
Ye Renxin nodded slightly, his expression turning serious as he looked at Dai Chengfeng. "Your Highness, I'm sure you've heard of the might of the Dark Golden Terror Claw Bear."
"From this point onward, everything depends on your strength!"
Dai Chengfeng smiled confidently. "Elder Ye, rest assured!"
Ye Renxin nodded faintly, though a trace of concern still lingered in his heart.
After all, he knew well that the Dark Golden Terror Claw Bear was no ordinary soul beast.
Not only did it possess terrifying strength far surpassing soul beasts of the same level, but its pair of razor-sharp claws could effortlessly tear through any defense.
Even more frightening was—
Its defense was equally astonishing. Ordinary soul skills hitting its body were like tickling it, unable to cause any substantial harm.
If the Dark Golden Terror Claw Bear weren't so overwhelmingly powerful...
Ye Renxin wouldn't have hesitated so much and failed to collaborate with Yu Tianheng, the top genius from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family.
"I hope Prince Chengfeng and Lingling can truly work together to slay the Dark Golden Terror Claw Bear."
Ye Renxin gazed at Dai Chengfeng's confident back, silently praying.
At the same time, he turned to Zhu Fan, his expression grave as he instructed, "Commander Zhu Fan, as an agility-attack system soul master, you must stay vigilant during the battle."
"If His Highness falls behind, you…"
Before Ye Renxin could finish, Zhu Fan interrupted with a chuckle.
His tone was light. "Elder Ye, you can rest easy a hundred times over."
Then, he turned to look at Dai Chengfeng, a teasing smile on his face as he loudly asked, "Chengfeng, how long do you plan to take to end the fight?"
Hearing this, Dai Chengfeng's lips curved into a faint smile, and he extended one finger.
"One minute?" Zhu Fan raised an eyebrow. "Alright, seems like you want to play around a bit longer."
With that, he casually leaned against a tree, his demeanor relaxed.
There wasn't a trace of tension in him.
This scene left Ye Renxin utterly astonished. 'I know that Prince Chengfeng's strength is formidable for his level…'
'But!'
'If it's just that spear strike I saw last time in the Great Star Forest, its power likely isn't enough to seriously wound a Dark Golden Terror Claw Bear with such formidable defense, right?'
However, just as Ye Renxin was about to inquire—
At this moment, it seemed the intruders' presence had been detected…
"ROAR—!"
A deafening roar erupted from nearby.
Immediately afterward, the ground began to tremble.
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