Douluo Continent: Who says evil soul masters can't achieve sainthood through merit?

The next day, before dawn, the morning mist lingered over Shrek City.

Ye Guyi sat up in bed; only the faint light of dawn could be seen outside the window.

After a moment's thought, she decided to change into the pale gold dress she had worn the night before; the silk fabric felt cool against her skin.

She hesitated for a moment before deciding not to wear the jewelry and headdress—Li Qing's words about potential danger made her wary.

After all, these pieces of jewelry and headdresses are very expensive, and it would be such a pity if they were to break by accident.

Of course, the main reason is that she has gotten used to herself as she is now.

After washing up, she went to the room next door and gently knocked on the door.

After receiving no response, she couldn't help but lower her voice and call out, "Li Qing, are you awake?"

A few seconds later, the door opened silently.

Li Qing stood at the door, dressed in black with black hair, his eyes showing no signs of sleepiness, clearly already awake.

He stepped aside to let Ye Guyi in, his gaze sweeping across the corridor before closing the door.

"Why are you up so early?" he asked, his gaze falling on Ye Guyi.

"Didn't you say you had something to do? What if you're delayed?"

As Ye Guyi spoke, she unconsciously twirled slightly, her skirt swaying gracefully in the air, and asked with a smile, "How is it? Does it look good?"

Li Qing's gaze lingered on her for a moment.

The room lights cast a soft glow on her pale gold skirt, making her skin appear even whiter.

"nice."

He nodded, his tone calm but serious, and commented, "My judgment is never bad."

Ye Guyi's lips curled up, revealing a hint of girlish pride: "That's right, I'm naturally beautiful, I look good in anything."

Half an hour later, the two quietly left Shrek City.

As dawn broke, early risers began to appear on the streets, and no one noticed the two figures hurrying away.

They traveled north, across the fields outside the city, and into a dense forest.

This is a buffer zone between Shrek City and the Starry Sky Forest, where the trees are gradually becoming denser and the sounds of birdsong are constant.

"Shall we go to the Star Dou Great Forest?" Ye Guyi followed behind Li Qing, her steps light and graceful.

She wasn't used to the new shoes, but she tried her best to adapt.

"Hmm." Li Qing didn't say much, but quickened his pace.

Ye Guyi's doubts deepened.

She didn't understand why Li Qing wanted to go to the Star Dou Great Forest, nor did she understand what this had to do with Shrek City.

But seeing Li Qing's resolute back, she swallowed her questions.

Two hours later, they arrived at the outer edge of the Star Dou Great Forest.

Towering ancient trees blocked out the sun, and the air was filled with the scent of grass and earth, with the occasional roar of a spirit beast coming from the depths.

Li Qing gestured for Ye Guyi to be quiet, and the two leaped onto the thick branches of an ancient tree, hiding behind the dense foliage.

His sharp gaze swept across the area below, as if searching for something.

"Why are we in the Star Dou Great Forest?"

Ye Guyi finally couldn't hold back any longer and asked in a very low voice, "You need to acquire a spirit ring?"

"No." Li Qing shook his head, his gaze still fixed on the ground below.

Ye Guyi was taken aback, then followed his gaze.

On the dappled shadows of the trees along the forest path, a small, thin figure was struggling to move forward.

The boy was about eleven or twelve years old, thin and small, wearing a faded linen outfit, and carrying a small bundle on his back.

His steps were unsteady, his face pale, clearly exhausted, but his eyes were unusually bright—clear, firm, and with a tenacity beyond his years.

Huo Yuhao.

Li Qing silently recited the name, his eyes slightly narrowed.

He knew very well that only by following this boy could he possibly encounter the million-year-old soul beast and the necromancer saint from another world.

Electrolux is not necessary—the path of necromancy is completely different from that of the Black Lotus of Annihilation, and forcibly fusing them might backfire.

But he was determined to obtain the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm.

A million-year-old soul beast with extreme ice spirit attributes, and more importantly, it is the key to unlocking the second martial soul, the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion.

With the Ice Emperor, it will be possible to subdue the Snow Emperor in the future, and even control the entire far north.

This was a move that Li Qing had been planning for a long time.

In preparation for this day, he had already sent people to inquire about Huo Yuhao's whereabouts while he was in Mingdu.

The purpose was to confirm Huo Yuhao's whereabouts and then calculate the time it would take for him to arrive at the Star Dou Great Forest.

Now, the chess piece has finally reached its designated position.

"You came here for this person?"

At this moment, Ye Guyi also understood and looked surprised.

Li Qing didn't answer, but her tightly pursed lips gave the answer.

Ye Guyi carefully examined the boy.

He looked extremely thin, and his soul power fluctuations were so weak that they were almost imperceptible; at most, he was just over level ten.

With such cultivation level, entering the Star Dou Great Forest alone would be tantamount to suicide.

"Has he gone mad?" Ye Guyi frowned.

"Maybe."

Li Qing replied softly, "But sometimes, people are forced to the point of madness."

The two stopped talking and simply followed quietly.

The boy walked slowly, taking each step carefully, and stopping from time to time to observe his surroundings.

He gripped the dagger tightly, his knuckles turning white.

Half an hour later, danger struck.

A gray shadow darted out from the bushes, aiming straight for the boy's throat.

It was a baboon with ten years of cultivation, the lowest-ranking soul beast in the Star Dou Great Forest, but it was already a deadly threat to the boy in front of him.

The boy cried out in alarm and hastily swung his knife, leaving three bloody gashes on his arm from the baboon's claws.

Blood splattered out, and the boy staggered backward, his face turning pale instantly.

"Damn it..." He gritted his teeth, despair flashing in his eyes, but more so with stubbornness.

He gripped the dagger tightly again, adopting a fighting stance.

Up in the tree, Ye Guyi clenched her fists and looked at Li Qing.

Seeing this, Li Qing frowned slightly, lost in thought and hesitation.

Should we make a move?

If Huo Yuhao is saved now, history will be completely changed.

Without the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm, would Huo Yuhao still have become the chosen one who stirred up the winds and clouds of the continent?

Where will he go?

Without the secret help of the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm, would Shrek Academy still take in this Spirit Eye Martial Soul owner with only ten years of potential spirit rings?

Noumenon Sect?

Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy?

Or... die quietly in some corner?

Li Qing's fingertips unconsciously tapped the tree trunk.

He was weighing his options—whether to follow the original plot and let Huo Yuhao grow step by step while he secretly made his own plans.

Or should we intervene now and take control of this future powerhouse?

Below, the battle has resumed.

The baboon pounced again, and the boy barely dodged it, but a new wound appeared on his shoulder.

He was panting, sweat mixed with blood streaming down his forehead.

"Should we help him?" Ye Guyi asked in a low voice.

"Wait a little longer." Li Qing stared at the battle, his gaze sharp as an eagle.

Ye Guyi didn't understand what he was waiting for.

With their strength, they could easily take care of that baboon and save the boy.

But since Li Qing didn't move, she didn't dare to make any rash moves either.

The battle intensified.

The boy clearly had little combat experience and was only holding on with sheer grit.

He was clawed several more times, his clothes were torn in many places, and he was covered in blood.

But he never retreated. Instead, when the baboon pounced, he risked stabbing it in the abdomen with his dagger.

The baboon roared in pain and launched an even fiercer attack.

The boy, exhausted, was finally tackled to the ground.

The baboon raised its sharp claws high, aimed at his throat—

Right now.

Li Qing made a move.

He didn't even release his martial spirit; he simply flicked his finger, and a thin black light shot out, accurately hitting the baboon's forehead.

The baboon froze, the fierce light in its eyes quickly dimmed, and its massive body crashed to the ground, lifeless.

The boy lay in a pool of blood, panting heavily, and it took him a while to struggle to sit up.

He looked at the baboon's corpse, then at the treetops, his face filled with astonishment.

"Who...who's there?"

Li Qing and Ye Guyi leaped down from the tree and landed lightly in front of him.

The boy gripped his short knife warily, but the hostility in his eyes lessened slightly when he saw the two men's faces clearly.

He was visibly stunned when he saw Ye Guyi's pale gold dress and stunningly beautiful face.

"Who are you?" he asked, his voice trembling.

Li Qing did not answer, but looked him up and down, finally focusing her gaze on the wound on his arm—where dark red blood was seeping out.

Who I am is not important.

Li Qing finally spoke, his voice calm: "The important thing is, who are you? With such low cultivation, you dare to come to the Star Dou Great Forest?"

The boy pursed his lips, a stubborn glint in his eyes: "I want to become a Soul Master, so I must acquire Soul Rings."

"Acquire a spirit ring?"

Li Qing raised an eyebrow and asked, "Using a ten-year-old baboon's spirit ring? Are you kidding me?"

The boy's face flushed red: "I...I had no choice."

"What is your martial spirit?" Li Qing asked.

"Spirit Eyes," the boy whispered.

"Spirit Eye?" Ye Guyi repeated softly, seemingly lost in thought.

Spiritual attribute martial souls are indeed rare.

"Where are you from? Where are you going?" Li Qing continued to ask.

The boy shook his head, a hint of sadness flashing in his eyes: "I don't know."

This answer sent a shiver down Ye Guyi's spine.

She looked at the boy, whose youthful face bore a world-weariness beyond his years.

"Would you like to come with me?"

Just then, Li Qing suddenly said, "I know a place that would be perfect for you."

The boy suddenly looked up: "Where?"

"Sun and Moon Royal Soul Master Academy"

Li Qing explained slowly and deliberately, "Your Spirit Eye Martial Soul is very suitable for researching Soul Tools, and there are enough resources and abilities there to fully nurture you."

The boy was stunned.

Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy is a top-tier academy on par with Shrek Academy, located far away in the Sun Moon Empire.

He never imagined he would have such an opportunity.

"Why...why are you helping me?" he asked hesitantly.

"I'm not helping you; it's just a matter of each getting what they need."

Li Qing shook his head and said, "You're suited for that place, and you can research even more powerful soul tools there, understand?"

The boy nodded thoughtfully, as if he understood something.

He opened his mouth, as if to say something, but just then—

The earth began to shake.

It wasn't a slight tremor, but a violent tremor that seemed to tear the entire forest apart.

The trees swayed, leaves fluttered down, and the ground cracked open like a spider web.

An indescribable chill surged from the depths of the earth, causing the air temperature to plummet, and Ye Guyi's breath instantly condensed into white mist.

"What's going on?!" she exclaimed, instinctively releasing her martial spirit. Golden wings unfurled behind her, and the holy light disc dissipated some of the chill.

Li Qing's lips curled up, and a glint of anticipation flashed in his eyes.

"It's finally here."

Before he finished speaking, black light burst forth from his body.

The world-destroying black lotus emerged from his palm, rapidly expanding and transforming into a black light shield that enveloped him and the boy.

The lotus petals spun, radiating a pure aura of destruction, standing shoulder to shoulder with that extreme cold power.

"Huh? Such a powerful aura of destruction, and such cultivation..." A childish and surprised voice echoed in the forest, filled with unbelievable excitement.

"Hahaha, it really is true that when one door closes, another opens! I've finally found a true genius!"

Outside the light barrier, Ye Guyi stared in shock at the scene before her—

A huge, crystal-clear worm emerged from a crack in the ground.

It is over a hundred meters long, with a plump body that gleams with a warm luster. Most strangely, it has ten golden rings on its body, arranged in circles, radiating a heart-palpitating energy fluctuation.

"What is this?"

The boy, protected behind Li Qing, widened his eyes and asked, "A hundred-year-old soul beast?"

Ye Guyi was also stunned.

A hundred-year-old soul beast?

impossible.

With such a size and such imposing presence, it must be at least ten thousand years old.

How could a ten-thousand-year-old soul beast appear on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest?

This is illogical.

Now she finally understood what Li Qing meant by "danger".

Even if she and Li Qing joined forces, they would still have a tough time fighting a ten-thousand-year-old soul beast.

"What?! A hundred-year-old soul beast?!"

Upon hearing this question, the jade insect suddenly spoke, its voice filled with obvious displeasure, saying, "I'm a million-year-old soul beast! Do you humans even have any judgment? How dare you call me a hundred-year-old soul beast!"

Millions of years.

These three words resounded like thunder through the forest.

Huo Yuhao stood there dumbfounded, his mouth agape enough to fit an egg.

Ye Guyi also froze in place, the holy light on her golden wings trembling slightly.

"Hundreds...millions of years?"

Huo Yuhao's voice trembled as he asked, "How much...how much did you say?"

"A million years! Did you hear me clearly? A million years!"

The Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm wriggled its plump body, its tone filled with pride: "I am the first million-year soul beast in the history of Douluo Continent! Unprecedented and unparalleled!"

Upon hearing this answer, Ye Guyi's delicate body couldn't help but tremble slightly.

A million-year-old soul beast, what does that even mean?

A legendary being, possessing power comparable to that of a god.

Let alone them, even if a Title Douluo were to come in person, I'm afraid...

So the question remains: if the other party is a million-year-old soul beast, why would it appear here?

As far as she knew, soul beasts with a cultivation level of 100,000 years were not so hostile to humans.

At the very least, they wouldn't commit random killings.

Because at that time, they already possessed human-like thinking.

As long as humans don't do anything excessive, they generally won't encounter any major dangers.

Of course, the main reason is that the other party disdains to take action.