UNRIVALED TANG SECT : Sharing Life With Firefly (Doulou 2)

Liuxing gazed at the mirror-like soul guide in Luan Yu's hand, then turned his attention to the small detection soul guides nimbly darting through the forest.

He couldn't help but marvel inwardly, wasn't this akin to the unmanned reconnaissance drones from his world?

The only difference was that the soul guides released by Luan Yu were powered and suspended by soul power.

In this world, soul power seemed almost omnipotent, permeating every aspect of life.

The soul skills here were bizarre, some even bordering on conceptual manipulation, with abilities so outrageous that they could even resurrect the dead. And what fueled these soul skills? Soul power.

Luan Yu, being a ninth-level soul engineer, could effortlessly control more than a dozen probing soul guides simultaneously.

If she went all out, releasing hundreds of them would be no issue at all. This was the essence of a soul master, while they might not match the quality of a soul master's soul power, in terms of quantity, they were unmatched.

However, in combat, sheer quantity was often useless.

When a soul engineer's soul power clashed with that of a soul master, the former would shatter upon contact.

This was one of the reasons why soul masters would panic if a soul engineer got too close.

The Sun and Moon Empire's soul guide technology was indeed formidable. Compared to his world, each had its strengths, and it could only be said that their developmental paths diverged.

According to Luan Yu, the Sun and Moon Empire possessed something called a ninth-level fixed soul guide cannonball, capable of obliterating a small city in an instant.

One such cannonball could destroy a small city, two could level a medium-sized city, and ten could annihilate even the largest metropolises.

Moreover, the ninth-level fixed soul guide cannonball, when paired with a ninth-level fixed soul guide launcher, could deliver precision strikes across half a continent, provided it wasn't intercepted.

Even so, this was already comparable to the missiles from Liuxing's world.

Given the potential of soul guide development, it wouldn't be surprising if they eventually created a super soul guide equivalent to a nuclear bomb.

A single ninth-level fixed soul guide cannonball could kill even a Titled Douluo if it hit directly.

This was one of the reasons why the Sun and Moon Empire, despite having far fewer ninth-level soul engineers than the Titled Douluo of the original Douluo Three Empires, could still suppress them.

Liuxing began to understand why the Tang Sect's hidden weapons were being phased out by soul guides.

In terms of versatility and warfare, soul guides utterly crushed hidden weapons.

While some hidden weapons were powerful enough to harm gods, most of these had not been passed down, leading to their decline.

As they advanced, Liuxing and Luan Yu gradually moved from the outer region toward the inner perimeter of the Demon Forest.

The strength of the surrounding soul beasts began to increase, with hundred-year soul beasts becoming commonplace and thousand-year soul beasts appearing occasionally.

However, under the aura of Luan Yu, a Titled Douluo, these beasts fled in terror.

Two hours later, they were very close to the inner area. Luan Yu waved her hand, and they changed direction, skirting the edge of the inner region.

Entering the inner area would mean encountering ten-thousand-year soul beasts.

At that level, soul beasts gained significant intelligence, and even Luan Yu's Titled Douluo aura wouldn't deter them.

They could discern the difference between a Titled Douluo and a hundred-thousand-year soul beast, and some might even dare to challenge her.

This area was precisely the kind of place where one was most likely to encounter low-year soul beasts with noble bloodlines, which was also Luan Yu's goal this time.

Upon entering this range, Luan Yu retracted her imposing aura, carefully concealing her presence.

Against ten-thousand-year soul beasts, the aura of a Titled Douluo was no longer effective and could instead attract powerful soul beasts to attack.

Therefore, Luan Yu abandoned her previous arrogance, hid her aura, and relied on the soul guides to scout the path. The entire team moved with great caution and low profile.

For Liuxing and the other youngsters, this was their first time entering the territory of soul beasts.

Their curiosity was overwhelming, but they dared not stray far from Luan Yu's side.

Among them, only Liuxing had the ability to protect himself. Although Liuxing had inherited Liuying's physical prowess, his combat experience was nonexistent.

You couldn't expect a sickly person who had spent most of his life lying in a hospital bed to have any combat experience or fighting instincts.

For now, he could only rely on his physical strength to flee. If he encountered a hundred-year soul beast, he might be able to hold his own due to his strong physique, but against a thousand-year soul beast, he would be completely outmatched.

Unless Liuying transformed into his more powerful form, Liuxing would likely have to flee or transform immediately if faced with a ten-thousand-year soul beast.

After all, the limitations of a six-year-old body were undeniable.

No matter how strong his foundation was, he still had to abide by the basic laws of nature!

Xu Tianzhen and Ye Guyi were initially nervous, but as the approaching soul beasts were scared off by Luan Yu and they continued walking through the gloomy Demon Forest, the two began to adapt.

Although Luan Yu didn't expect the youngsters to hunt soul beasts on their own, some training was necessary, but only after they had obtained their soul rings. There would be plenty of time for practice later.

The rulers of the Evil Demon Forest were the Evil Eye clan.

Upon entering the inner perimeter, there was a high chance of encountering an Evil Eye.

As a spiritual-type soul beast, the Evil Eye could easily detect intruders.

Killing one would be pointless, as no one in their group needed a spiritual-type soul ring, and it could attract the attention of a stronger Evil Eye Tyrant, which would be more trouble than it was worth.

Thus, Luan Yu led Liuxing and the others to move along the border between the inner and outer regions, searching for a suitable soul beast.

However, this kind of task required patience and luck. Many soul masters often returned empty-handed after hunting for soul rings, sometimes needing to make multiple trips before succeeding. Of course, some were luckier.

The Demon Forest was vast, second only to the Star Dou Great Forest and the Extreme North. Liuxing and the others were prepared to spend several days here.

As they cautiously moved forward, a chaotic surge of soul power suddenly erupted ahead. Luan Yu frowned, was it a fight between soul beasts?

The youngsters, including Liuxing, had awakened their martial souls and possessed soul power, but they hadn't yet learned to sense the fluctuations of soul power.

Although Liuying had rich combat experience, she was unfamiliar with soul power and hadn't detected the disturbance in time.

Luan Yu signaled for Liuxing and the others to hide behind a large tree, then manipulated a soul detection guide to investigate the source of the soul power fluctuation.

Liuxing and the others watched curiously as the mirror-like soul guide in Luan Yu's hand displayed the scene ahead.

As the soul guide approached, they soon saw two soul beasts locked in combat on the mirror screen.

The clearing ahead was riddled with craters, and the surrounding trees were shattered and fallen, a testament to the intensity of the battle.

In the clearing, two extraordinary soul beasts faced off against each other.

One of the soul beasts had a massive, muscular body covered in metallic, shiny scales that radiated an aura of incredible defense.

The scales refracted the surrounding light, making the beast faintly visible even in the darkness. Its head resembled a lion, with eyes like burning rubies that glowed with a cold, piercing gaze.

Its high-bridged nose and wide mouth were filled with razor-sharp teeth, each gleaming with a cold light, as if capable of biting through steel with ease.

This golden soul beast had several sharp golden horns on its head, and its limbs were robust and powerful, with front claws resembling those of an eagle, sharp and deadly.

"This is... a Gold Devourer and a Blazing Crow!" Luan Yu's eyes widened in surprise.

The Gold Devourer, though rare, was not the soul beast they needed.

This metallic soul beast, which fed on metal, had no relevance to Liuxing or the others.

However, the Blazing Crow was different. It was a soul beast with the bloodline of the Three-Legged Golden Crow, a divine beast, and possessed dual attributes of light and fire.

The Blazing Crow, with its divine beast lineage, was undoubtedly a top-tier soul beast.

Its dual light and fire attributes made it suitable for Liuxing, Liuying, Xu Tianzhen, and Ye Guyi. Whoever absorbed its soul ring would undoubtedly gain powerful soul skills.

This Blazing Crow was still a young bird, evident from its tail feathers, which indicated it had a cultivation of just over 400 years.

The Gold Devourer it was fighting, on the other hand, was much larger, with a cultivation of at least 800 years.

Yet, the Gold Devourer was struggling to gain the upper hand against the Blazing Crow.

Despite not having a divine beast lineage, the Gold Devourer was also a top-tier soul beast.

It fed on metal, and once fully grown, its defense could rival that of some super soul beasts.

However, it was being overpowered by the Blazing Crow, which had hundreds of years less cultivation.

This was partly due to the Blazing Crow's fire attribute countering the Gold Devourer's metal, but it was also a testament to the divine beast bloodline of the Blazing Crow.

"So, who among you wants this Blazing Crow?" Luan Yu asked, turning to the group.

From a selfish standpoint, she hoped Liuxing or Liuying would absorb the soul ring of this divine beast-blooded Blazing Crow.

However, she couldn't show favoritism. Xu Tianran and Shangguan Wei'er had entrusted her with the care of the youngsters, and she had to treat everyone fairly.

Liuxing and Liuying were the first to shake their heads. Although the Blazing Crow was rare and suited them well, its age was too low.

They had already decided to aim for thousand-year soul rings for their first soul rings, a decision made after consulting with Fire Phoenix Douluo.

As Titled Douluo, Luan Yu could sense that Liuxing and Liuying's physical strength was on par with that of a Soul Elder, making them capable of absorbing thousand-year soul rings. While she was concerned about the risks, she trusted their judgment.

Ye Guyi also shook her head after observing the Blazing Crow in the mirror.

Although the Blazing Crow's attributes were somewhat suitable for her, they weren't the best match.

Its fire attribute was dominant, with light as a secondary attribute, which didn't align perfectly with her needs.

Xu Tianzhen glanced at Ye Guyi, Liuxing, and Liuying, then spoke in a low voice, "Thank you." She knew that this Blazing Crow was an excellent match for her. With the bloodline of the Three-Legged Golden Crow, a divine beast of the sun, and its dual attributes of light and fire, it perfectly complemented her Sun Martial Soul.

"Not good!" Luan Yu suddenly exclaimed. She quickly grabbed the children and rushed toward the location where the two soul beasts were fighting.

At the same time, she raised her soul power.

As time replayed in her mind, Luan Yu recalled the moment when the children were discussing who would absorb the Blazing Crow's soul ring.

In the mirror-like soul guide in her hand, a figure had suddenly appeared, rushing toward the battling soul beasts.

A golden beam of light shot out from the figure, piercing the Blazing Crow's wings in an instant.

The golden bird let out a mournful cry as it fell from the sky, severely injured. The Gold Devouring Beast was also struck down by a thunderous kick from the figure, crashing into the ground.

Luan Yu moved at full speed, landing in the clearing with the children.

She glanced at the white-haired figure standing atop the Gold Devouring Beast, then at the Blazing Crow, which was still fluttering weakly on the ground with broken wings. She breathed a sigh of relief, fortunately, it wasn't dead!

Luan Yu patted her chest, realizing she had overreacted in her haste.

She had thought the Blazing Crow had been killed, prompting her to rush over with Liuxing and the others.

"Grandpa!"

At that moment, two children, a boy and a girl, emerged from the nearby woods.

They looked warily at Luan Yu and the group before cautiously hiding behind the white-haired man standing on the Gold Devouring Beast.

"Who are you? The Hall Master Jing Hongchen?" Luan Yu asked as she approached.

Up close, she could see the white-haired man more clearly. He was a middle-aged man with white hair, wearing a monocle and a purple robe that signified his position as the Hall Master of Illustrious Virtue Hall.

Luan Yu recognized him immediately, he was one of the three great soul masters of the Sun and Moon Empire, the dean of the Sun and Moon Royal Soul Master Academy, a 94th-level Titled Douluo, a ninth-level soul engineer, and the renowned Jing Hongchen.

"Oh? It's you! Luan Yu, are you also here to hunt for soul rings for your child?" Jing Hongchen was momentarily surprised but quickly recognized Luan Yu.

He then glanced at the four children behind her, his expression shifting to one of understanding.

Seeing that the white-haired man was someone her grandfather knew, the white-haired girl relaxed her guard.

The white-haired boy, however, ran over to the Gold Devouring Beast, his eyes filled with longing as he gazed at the magnificent creature.

"Grandpa, the Gold Devouring Beast..."

Jing Hongchen took out a white handkerchief, wiped his hands, and then jumped down from the massive body of the Gold Devouring Beast. With a smile, he said, "Go ahead, Xiaoxiao. This Gold Devouring Beast is yours."

Although the Gold Devouring Beast was known for its formidable defense, its cultivation level was too low to withstand a direct kick from a Titled Douluo like Jing Hongchen. It had been instantly stunned by the force of his attack.

With his grandfather's permission, the white-haired boy eagerly pulled out a soul guide dagger and plunged it into the Gold Devouring Beast's eye, ending the life of the top-tier soul beast.

The beast shuddered briefly before its life force faded away, and a yellow soul ring slowly rose from its body.