Chapter 284: The Star Dou Forest, Mixed Zone
Click—
At that moment, Ye Chen stepped out of the room.
"Jiejie, Beibei's gone?"
He came up behind Zhang Lexuan, wrapping one arm lightly around her waist—while the other hand wandered downward, resting where it certainly shouldn't have.
"You're one to talk. Beibei's like this because of you," Zhang Lexuan scolded, glancing at him reproachfully.
It wasn't that she was blaming Ye Chen for stealing Tang Ya and turning Beibei into a pitiful mess.
What truly annoyed her was that Ye Chen had taken Tang Ya but kept it a secret from her—never once mentioning it.
Busy as she was, she didn't have time to monitor him closely, so she knew little about his affairs in the Outer Court.
And if Tang Ya wasn't the only one... she wouldn't be surprised if other women were involved too.
"Ahem... It's hard to bring topics like that up, y'know? I just didn't want you to get jealous~"
Ye Chen coughed, scratching his neck a bit awkwardly.
Really, it had just never seemed like the right time to confess.
After all, jealousy wasn't exclusive to women—men were the same.
If he mentioned it while things were sweet between them, she might kick him out of bed.
If he said it while she was angry, she'd probably kick him straight out the door.
So as long as she never asked, he never told.
Seeing that she might actually be a little jealous, Ye Chen quickly changed the subject. "Anyway, it's getting late. Let's head for the Star Dou Forest. A hundred-thousand-year soul beast won't be easy to find, so we should get started."
"Fine," Zhang Lexuan replied, regaining her composure as curiosity sparkled in her eyes. "I'd like to see just how strong you've become."
After a brief round of preparation, Ye Chen brought out his flying soul device.
Whoosh—
The ten-meter-long Aurora Phantom rose vertically, then accelerated in an instant, streaking toward the Outer Court before vanishing into the clouds.
…
Meanwhile, back at the Inner Court's Sea God Lake—
Beibei had not yet left.
Hearing the sound above, he instinctively looked up and caught sight of Ye Chen's aerial vehicle shooting across the sky.
"A flight device that fast… must be at least level seven. The Inner Court really hides powerhouses. I'd better work harder—enter the Inner Court soon and not embarrass my teacher," Beibei muttered to himself.
He wasn't particularly worried; his rank hadn't advanced much lately, but he still held his spot among the Outer Court's top students. As long as he broke through to Soul Ancestor before the next Inner Court exam, admission would be guaranteed.
…
…
Elsewhere, Ye Chen was piloting the Aurora Phantom deep into the Star Dou Forest.
Now that he had condensed a soul core, his soul power felt nearly limitless. He could push the flight engine to full power nonstop, unleashing its maximum potential at incredible speed.
And of course, Ye Chen had equipped it with weapons.
When airborne soul beasts occasionally attacked, he easily shot them down.
With his immense spiritual perception—like a living radar—he could lock on and blast even ten-thousand-year beasts with pinpoint accuracy.
Flying soul beasts were fast but fragile; once hit, even ancient beast kings could lose most of their combat power.
For most soul masters, the skies above the forest were deadly—but for Ye Chen, it was like a private courtyard, safer than traveling on foot.
Inside the cockpit, Ye Chen sat at the controls while Zhang Lexuan leaned half against his chest, her body completely pressed against his. His hands, as usual, were restless.
She didn't bother protesting; she was used to his mischief and simply let him be.
Watching him steer the craft so smoothly through the Star Dou's depths, Zhang Lexuan couldn't help but feel wonder.
His strength had soared. The endless flow of soul power from the soul core allowed him to sustain both flight and combat continuously.
Flying soul tools drained energy tremendously—let alone those armed with weapons.
With every blast, Ye Chen consumed enough power to empty an entire Soul Emperor's reserves, yet he had already fired more than a thousand volleys without faltering.
It was unbelievable.
…
Finally, the flying craft descended steadily at the edge of the Star Dou Forest's Mixed Zone, landing in a clearing.
"Jiejie, we're here."
The hatch opened silently, and Ye Chen took Zhang Lexuan's hand, stepping down onto the untouched, wild soil.
A magnificent vista surrounded them—the endless expanse of the Star Dou took their breath away.
Above, ancient trees towered skyward, their tangled crowns weaving a vast emerald canopy that blocked most sunlight, letting through only a few golden shafts that pierced the dense leaves.
The air was thick, humid, heavy with the scent of earth and vegetation.
The soft, springy ground beneath their feet made hardly a sound.
Massive vines coiled like serpents around tree trunks, climbing dozens of meters high.
All around, strange luminous flowers glowed faintly, some fragrant, some toxic.
In the distance, beastly cries and avian calls echoed—some loud and clear, others faint as whispers.
It was a world entirely unlike the outer edges of the forest.
Ye Chen had piloted straight into the deeper Mixed Zone, where both weak and powerful soul beasts coexisted—but deeper still lay the territories of the hundred-thousand-year beasts.
The forest held many such creatures—but its scale was so vast that finding them was an enormous challenge.
Without extraordinary luck, it could take ten days, maybe half a month, to even spot one.
And even then, not every beast would be suitable.
Ye Chen's plan allowed a month at most—if they still hadn't found one compatible with Zhang Lexuan's attributes, they'd settle for any hundred-thousand-year beast available.
After all, a hundred-thousand-year beast—no matter its affinity—was incomparable to anything else.
Even a single hundred-thousand-year spirit bone would skyrocket Zhang Lexuan's combat power.
"The Mixed Zone really is different... This is my first time here," Ye Chen murmured in awe.
In this region, every soul beast had its own territory. The density was far lower, but the average age was much higher.
Within a kilometer radius, he didn't sense a single beast under a thousand years old—barely any even at that level.
"Stay alert," Zhang Lexuan warned softly. "Starting from the Mixed Zone, five-thousand-year beasts are common—and ten-thousand-year ones appear frequently."
Her tone grew serious, faint light flaring across her body as her martial soul aura surged quietly beneath the surface, ready to unleash at a moment's notice.
(END CHAPTER)
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