101: Misty forest, undead creatures!

As for Qing'er's safety, with Dugu Bo and Ning Rongrong present, the issue isn't significant.

Currently, Spirit Hall hasn't completed its strategic layout, so no major actions will erupt.

Regarding Qing'er's alchemy, Su Ye successfully fused a Nine Rank Soul Grass. Although his spiritual level didn't break through to the Spirit Abyss realm, he has reached the Spirit Sea realm.

In terms of cultivation, Su Ye was not stingy and shared half of the Yin-Yang Limitless Skill with her.

The Netherworld Spirit Cat's Netherworld Soul Power is of pure Yin attribute. The Yin-Yang Limitless Skill is only suitable for her to cultivate at night, practicing the 'Yin' side.

However, after his modifications, coupled with the dense Heaven and Earth Origin Energy near the courtyard and the Yin-Yang Limitless Skill, increasing by ten levels in a year should not be a problem.

Zhu Zhuqing is currently level 42. Perhaps by the time they meet again, she will have already broken through to Soul King.

【ps: There was an error in a previous chapter, stating Zhu Zhuqing was a Soul Venerable. This has been corrected here.】

Several days later.

Outside the window, the sun was bright and beautiful, layers of clouds were arranged neatly in the sky like fish scales.

In the room, the woman's white clothes were whiter than snow, her hair styled elegantly and her face like a flower, resembling a pure white narcissus, clear and clean.

Standing in front of Su Ye, Zhu Zhuqing tidied his clothes with meticulous care, like a young wife seeing off her husband. Her exquisite, expressive face was full of reluctance.

“I know you are strong, and there are probably not many people on the entire continent who are your match, but you still need to be careful in everything.”

“Especially your personality, your mouth always likes to talk big, you might provoke someone's anger and make enemies who want to kill you at any time.”

“Of course, I'm not telling you to endure and not cause trouble. If you are bullied, you don't need to swallow your anger. Your strength is here, just do as you see fit.”

“……”

Her earnest words conveyed the girl's affection and worry for the boy.

As she spoke, a layer of mist appeared in Zhu Zhuqing's radiant eyes.

They had known each other for so long, but the time they spent together was very little. Most of the time was spent striving for strength.

If she could, she really didn't want to be separated from Su Ye, after all, he was the only sincere relative she had now.

But Zhu Zhuqing also knew that she couldn't be like this, and neither could Su Ye.

Both of them were people who pursued strength and wanted to become stronger. Matters of love could only be put aside for now.

“Alright, stop fussing with it.”

Su Ye held Zhu Zhuqing's hand. She had already tidied it several times. It wasn't embroidery; no matter how much she tidied his clothes, they couldn't withstand his rough handling.

Knowing that this girl was deliberately delaying time and didn't want him to leave just like that, Su Ye understood this sentiment.

“The sooner I leave, the sooner I can come back.”

“Then I can come back sooner to serve you, can't I?”

Su Ye smiled, deliberately emphasizing the word 'serve'.

As if knowing what he meant, Zhu Zhuqing's face flushed without reason, and she cursed him inwardly for being shameless.

What do you mean serve me? It's clearly me serving you, okay~

This guy... just knows how to mess with people!

Zhu Zhuqing looked at Su Ye with a shy expression, feeling both love and hate in her heart. She thought this guy used to be more proper, but once he got her, he became completely unrestrained, absolutely terrible.

Zhu Zhuqing hugged her arms, pretending to be indifferent and uncaring, and snorted angrily:

“Hmph, thinking too much of yourself, who cares about keeping you.”

“Go!”

“It's better if you leave. Out of sight, out of mind. No one will disturb my alchemy anymore.”

“Is... is that so?” Su Ye's mouth twitched stiffly, his eyes lowered, his face looking like a withered eggplant, his expression dim.

“In your heart, me being here is actually disturbing your alchemy…”

“In that case, it's better for me to leave earlier.”

As if taking her words to heart, Su Ye smiled bitterly, feeling unspeakably sad.

“It just so happens that I have quite a few things to do. I originally planned to handle them separately and meet again soon, but now it seems better to do them together.”

“This way, for a long time, without my disturbance, you can also focus on your alchemy.”

“If I accidentally die in Slaughter City, it would also be considered a good deed. After all, a scourge like me, if I live, will only cause random trouble, don't you think?”

After speaking, Su Ye turned and walked towards the balcony. With his Ice Fire Golden Phoenix, he could fly away at any time.

“Don't!!”

Zhu Zhuqing was shocked and rushed out to the balcony, grabbing Su Ye's hand. Her small face had never been so nervous.

“I... I didn't mean that.”

“I was just saying that out of anger just now, it wasn't true. Please don't take it to heart.”

Clutching Su Ye's wrist tightly, Zhu Zhuqing felt as if her heart was about to stop beating. Her originally rosy and shiny face turned pale with fear.

How could she dislike him being troublesome? What she liked most was him being troublesome, freely experiencing happiness.

Su Ye glanced sideways, his originally dim face suddenly changed, his playful eyes carrying a hint of a wicked smile like someone who had captured their prey.

“Tsk tsk, sharp tongue but soft heart!”

“Your mouth says 'go quickly, go quickly', but your body is more honest than anyone else.”

Buzz—

Fake?

It was all fake?!

Meeting Su Ye's wicked smile, Zhu Zhuqing's mind went blank, and extreme shame and anger completely erupted from her heart.

Instantly, her pink fists rained down on Su Ye's chest.

“You scoundrel!! You just know how to tease me!”

“How can you joke about something like this? Do you know, I almost thought you really weren't coming back just now!”

Su Ye didn't dodge, chuckling with a smug expression, letting the fists hit him. A warm breeze seemed to blow through his heart.

He reached out a finger and wiped away the tears from the corner of Zhu Zhuqing's eyes, his gaze becoming more serious.

“Alright, I'm really leaving now.”

“I'm afraid if I stay any longer and see you like this, I would rather stay here forever and not leave.”

“Here, come on, say goodbye.”

Su Ye tilted his face, the meaning self-evident.

“No!” Zhu Zhuqing pouted shyly, looking unwilling.

He had just teased her, not even trying to coax her, and now he wanted her to kiss him? No way.

“Hurry up.”

“Don't blame me for using the Su Family's discipline!”

Su Ye's presence became imposing without anger, his eyes particularly dangerous, and his hand was slowly raising.

“Mmm—”

Biting her pink lips hard, Zhu Zhuqing stood on her tiptoes. She originally just wanted to peck lightly like a chicken pecking rice, but Su Ye pulled her into his embrace.

“Remember, take good care of yourself.”

Zhu Zhuqing's heart softened, but before she could feel moved, her bottom received two slaps from his hand.

The force was not strong, the arc was not large, only five fingers were slapping.

“I'm leaving—!”

The young man let go of his hands freely, creating distance. The smile on his face was like the warm sun in the sky. After making a cool gesture with his fingers, a pair of wings spread out behind him.

A gust of wind appeared out of nowhere, blowing Zhu Zhuqing's snow-white wavy skirt. Only a lonely figure was left on the balcony.

“Come back... early…”

Zhu Zhuqing murmured in her heart, gazing blankly in the direction Su Ye left. She stayed on the balcony for a long time, unwilling to leave.

...

Death Canyon is located northeast of the Star Dou Great Forest and is extremely far from Heavenly Dou City.

Su Ye did not travel by carriage. He preferred a leisurely pace when using a carriage, treating it as sightseeing.

Even the best shock-absorbing carriage was not as stable as the roads and vehicles on Blue Star, and its speed was simply incomparable to his flying speed.

Su Ye flew the entire way, resting and traveling between cities.

It is worth mentioning that he passed by the mountain range where the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family is located.

The entrance to the tall mountain opened facing the river, while the back was a steep cliff, a typical terrain that was easy to defend and difficult to attack.

It was just a pity that once the entrance to such terrain was breached, it was no different from catching a turtle in a jar.

Su Ye couldn't help but sigh; there was a reason why the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family was destroyed in the original work.

Having no connection with the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family, Su Ye merely admired it and did not go in as a guest.

Finally, after half a month of travel.

Su Ye arrived at his destination for this trip - Death Canyon.

A cliff hundreds of meters high, below which seemed to be a completely different world. Layers of mist, stretching endlessly, with the tips of large trees faintly visible, indicating that it was a forest below.

The cliff appeared very abruptly. On the other side was grassland, as if a pair of hands had forcefully torn a huge opening in the flat ground. Such a strange and spectacular sight was astonishing.

A biting cold wind rolled up from the mist below, causing Su Ye's body to tremble slightly. The Yin-Yang Limitless Skill immediately operated automatically, and a golden light isolated this aura.

“Such a strong death aura!”

“Could it be... is there some connection here with the Rakshasa God?”

Standing on the edge of the cliff, Su Ye's thoughts turned a thousand times.

Since gaining the body immune to water and fire, Su Ye had completely ignored extreme temperatures. The aura coming through this rift valley was directed at the soul, extremely dark and damp, and he could not be immune to it either.

Fortunately, the Yin-Yang Limitless Skill was the purest internal energy, with a strong effect of healing and expelling evil, which countered this undead aura.

Moreover, Su Ye also felt that this aura had a suppressive effect on strength. Although it didn't affect him much, it definitely had a great suppressive effect on low and mid-level Soul Masters.

In the Douluo World, the only thing related to death aura was the Rakshasa God, so Su Ye's first thought was...

But after only a few breaths, this idea was completely rejected.

“No! No!”

“The Douluo World has the Netherworld, and even the King of the Netherworld!”

A faint light flickered in his eyes, and Su Ye's thinking completely opened up.

During the period of Peerless Tang Sect, Huo Yuhao's mother was resurrected from the Netherworld.

Furthermore, during the period of Legend of the Dragon King, the Nether Emperor of the Holy Spirit Sect's seventh Soul Skill was 'Nether King Descends', and his image seemed to be a god wearing a crown.

Since these existences are present, the Netherworld must exist.

“The God Realm is eternal light. Even the Rakshasa God, the God of Evil Thoughts, is a god born of evil, a basic attribute deity. After all, where there is light, there is Darkness.”

“If the God Realm and the Netherworld are corresponding relationships, then the Netherworld is death and Darkness. Logically, the strength of the Netherworld should not be weaker than the God Realm.”

“But strangely... the continent has never heard anything about the Netherworld.”

Su Ye couldn't help but think of a joke: Who wins in a fight between the Heavenly Court and the Netherworld?

One writes furiously on the Investiture of the Gods, the other crosses out names on the Book of Life and Death...

Ultimately, the Netherworld is faster, with an endless supply of troops, so... the Netherworld wins?

“Could it be because the creation elements are all in the God Realm, leading to the Netherworld being a subordinate relationship to the God Realm?”

Su Ye really couldn't figure it out, so he held his doubts and stepped forward.

Swish!

In the mid-air of a rapid descent, two wings, one white and one red, spread open. The mist was broken open with a large hole and then quickly closed again.

Clouds and mist swirled, everything seemed as if nothing had happened. The mysterious mist steamed and flowed, emitting a chilling strangeness, as if a pair of skull eyes were gazing at the beings outside.

Passing through the clouds and mist, Su Ye successfully landed on the forest floor. Where his feet landed, scattered white bones lay, with bite marks on them.

The surrounding vegetation was not green but a deep black. Clearly, the trees grew without seeing sunlight all day. Visibility was only about five meters. The entire misty forest gave off an unusual sense of oppression, making it difficult to breathe.

Hiss hiss~

In the gray mist, the sound of danger suddenly rang out. A pair of blood-red vertical pupils floated in mid-air, making one's scalp tingle.

Boom, Su Ye's Soul Power surged around him, and a fiery red airflow erupted from his body, like the impact of a bomb explosion, instantly scattering the mist within a radius of several tens of meters.

He saw a giant snake coiled around a large tree, its tongue flicking, preparing to attack Su Ye.

The giant snake was as thick as a thigh, with bone structures on its head resembling ox horns. Its body was pitch black, appearing somewhat blurry, and even the sense of scales had disappeared. It looked like a mass of pure, unblemished black without any other color.

Swish—

The giant snake suddenly moved, the front half of its body straightening abruptly, striking towards Su Ye like a javelin.

It didn't run even now. Su Ye felt surprised. He had already released the Ultimate Fire Soul Power, and this giant snake, which was only a few hundred years old, still attacked without knowing the danger.

With a tearing sound, the giant snake's head flew off and landed on the ground with a thud. Black blood dripped onto the ground from the Ice Sword in Su Ye's hand.

Strangely, no Soul Ring appeared. Instead, a ball of gray flame emerged. This flame burned the giant snake's body, revealing its white snake bones.

In the originally empty eye sockets, two eerie, dim lights emerged, as if these were the eyes, but the hollow feeling was particularly chilling.

Hiss—! As the 'eyes' condensed and solidified, the giant snake, now only bones, seemed to come alive at this moment and attacked Su Ye again.

“...Can it transform into an undead creature after death?”

Su Ye felt a bit of hunting curiosity. This thing was interesting.

Without any fear, he swung the Ice Sword in his hand again. The giant snake's skeleton was cut into several sections as easily as slicing melons and vegetables.

Although the black snake had become an undead creature, with only its skeleton remaining, its strength was greatly reduced, even weaker than when it was alive.

The dim lights in the giant snake's skull extinguished, and an invisible force seemed to quietly leave, causing the air to subtly fluctuate.

In Su Ye's colorful pupils, all strangeness was nowhere to hide. After absorbing the Autumn Water Dew, his vision could observe down to the cellular level.

He saw a stream of gray airflow emerging from the giant snake's skull, drifting towards the depths of the forest like a ghost. This remaining soul power seemed to be drawn away by a force.

“Indeed... this forest is unusual!!”

Su Ye's heart tightened. The ability to absorb the soul power of dead Soul Beasts was definitely not something ordinary Soul Masters could possess; it was more like a god's method, similar to the Rakshasa God's Devouring power.

Curiosity killed the cat, but Su Ye did not rashly follow to investigate.

Although Death Canyon was not as dangerous as Slaughter City in Hu Liena's opinion, not everyone had his vision to see such subtle soul fluctuations.

“Let's first look for the Thunderclap Hell Vine. Lightning power is the nemesis of the undead system. Then I can investigate.”

Swish!

With a thought, the Ice Fire Golden Phoenix flapped its wings, cutting through the mist and soaring above this misty forest, flying away rapidly like a rainbow.