Compared to the Great Star Dou Forest, the vegetation in the Sunset Forest was noticeably more sparse, and its species somewhat different—mainly due to its geographical location.
The Great Star Dou Forest sat in the center of the continent, blessed with a pleasant climate. Temperatures stayed between twenty and thirty degrees Celsius year-round, with hardly any trace of winter, let alone snow or ice.
In contrast, the Sunset Forest was located over a thousand kilometers further north. If one continued traveling north, they would eventually reach the Extreme North.
As a result, the temperatures here were much colder. In such conditions, vegetation mainly consisted of coniferous forests better suited for moderate to low temperatures, though a few subtropical plants could still be found.
While the Sunset Forest was less biodiverse than the Great Star Dou Forest, the plant species that did survive here were notably more resilient.
However, the center of the Sunset Forest had become desolate due to the proliferation of large quantities of Bi Phosphorus Seven-Petal Flowers and Bi Phosphorus Nine-Petal Flowers, causing mass extinction of both plants and soul beasts.
At this moment, Zhou Sichen darted through the forest like a spirit of ice and snow, moving at extreme speed and leaving a long trail of frost in his wake.
That icy path would soon melt, leaving no trace behind.
Now that he had narrowed down the general area, Zhou Sichen began a wide-range search, simultaneously activating the first soul skill of his Spirit Essence—Mental Detection.
Thanks to the current strength of his spiritual power, the diameter of his Mental Detection now reached 1,500 meters, and in a single direction, it could scan a terrifying range of up to 10 kilometers.
All he had to do was sweep through with his detection to quickly eliminate unneeded areas and head directly toward where Ye Guyi was trapped.
Deep within the Sunset Forest, a faint green mist lingered within a dark and narrow canyon. There was no vegetation here—not even soul beasts.
That was because this pale green mist was highly corrosive, capable of eroding both plants and beasts, converting them into energy that produced more toxic swamp gas.
At the canyon's core, a stunningly beautiful young woman sat cross-legged, a faint golden glow flowing over her body, forming a halo-like shield that kept the poisonous mist at bay.
She had striking features, with bright eyes and flawless skin. Though she wore a majestic golden uniform that exuded valor and righteousness, parts of her clothing had been torn, revealing glimpses of snow-white skin that captivated the eye.
Her long golden hair reached her waist, tied back with a single ribbon, exuding a heroic aura. Despite the deep exhaustion on her face, her beauty and confidence remained undiminished.
The girl opened her eyes. Her soul power had mostly recovered, but she still felt somewhat weary. She couldn't help but murmur to herself:
"As expected of a Red-Level Assessment Mission... That Serpent Empress Medusa isn't just absurdly hard to deal with—she also managed to get me poisoned by the lingering toxins of the Bi Phosphorus Seven-Petal Flower."
"I hope Senior Brother got my distress signal. Otherwise, I might really end up stuck here."
This girl was none other than Ye Guyi—the one Zhou Sichen had been so worried about.
She glanced deeper into the canyon. Though she had fallen victim to a sneak attack and inhaled a bit of the flower's toxic mist, she had managed to minimize the damage in time, preventing it from becoming fatal.
However, the Bi Phosphorus Seven-Petal Flower was among the deadliest poisons in existence. Even with her special holy soul power, which could purify and dissolve the weak toxins within her, her combat effectiveness had still been affected.
After all, she had to constantly divert part of her attention and soul power to keep neutralizing the poison inside her.
Fortunately, the Serpent Empress Medusa wasn't faring much better. The two now found themselves locked in a standoff. The moment either side showed weakness, the other would strike with a lethal blow.
From the depths of the canyon came an ominous hissing, like a serpent flicking its tongue, echoing eerily through the gloom.
Ye Guyi was in no condition to go deeper, but her opponent didn't dare come out either. The stalemate continued.
Still, her opponent was a soul beast, one that had already adapted to the faint toxic mist. Ye Guyi, on the other hand, had to rely on her soul power's special purifying effect to hold it off.
If this dragged on much longer, Ye Guyi would undoubtedly be at a disadvantage.
That was why she had no choice but to send out a distress signal.
When Shrek Academy's Inner Court students carried out assessment missions, they were typically shadowed from afar by a Soul Sage or even a Soul Douluo-level expert, whose job was to respond to any distress calls in emergency situations.
This was a huge improvement compared to ten thousand years ago.
Still, unless the situation became truly dire, the Academy wouldn't intervene—otherwise, the assessment would lose its meaning.
So at this moment, Ye Guyi wasn't truly expecting a rescue. She knew she hadn't reached her limit just yet.
The distress signal was only a last resort—to preserve her life.
If she wanted to completely purge the toxins from her system, it would take at least a day or two of focused meditation. Letting the poison linger would definitely hinder her future cultivation.
She gazed deeply into the canyon, as if steeling herself for what came next.
Then, golden wings of radiant light spread from her back as five soul rings appeared around her—two yellow, two purple, and one black.
Ye Guyi's Spirit Essence was Holy Angel, a direct descendant of the purest angelic bloodline. Its rank stood shoulder to shoulder with the top-tier Four-Winged Angel. In fact, it had the potential to evolve into the divine-level Six-Winged Angel.
The Holy Angel was the nemesis of all evil, the embodiment of light, and the will of angels!
In this era, there was no one better suited to punish evil soul masters. Against the Holy Angel, dark soul cultivators were naturally suppressed.
If she reached her full potential, she would become a nightmare for evil soul masters everywhere.
As her soul rings pulsed, her black fifth ring lit up, and a blazing, divine sword appeared in her hand.
This was her fifth soul skill—Angel's Holy Sword.
A rare weapon-type soul skill, its destructive power far exceeded that of ordinary soul skills. The Angel's Holy Sword boosted her attack power by a staggering 200%.
Moreover, all of her soul skills could be cast through the sword, amplifying their effects while significantly reducing soul power consumption.
At the same time, her first soul ring—the yellow one—also lit up.
First Soul Skill: Radiant Sanctuary activated. As the ring glowed, the golden soul power surrounding her formed an even more solid barrier, pushing back the surrounding poisonous mist.
With her angelic wings flaring behind her and Holy Sword in hand, Ye Guyi became a vision of divine beauty—a war goddess descending into the depths of the canyon.
She was a proud woman. This assessment mission had been personally assigned by her teacher. If she could not succeed—then she would fall with honor.
She had already sent the distress signal. The rest was in the hands of fate.
Besides, she still believed in her own strength. After resting and adjusting her breath, the effects of the poison had diminished significantly. It was time to finish this in one go and slay Medusa.
After all, if she waited any longer, the Serpent Empress Medusa would also have time to recover. She could not give her that chance—it would make things far more difficult.
As divine light bathed the canyon floor, Ye Guyi shot forward like a golden streak. And deep within the darkness... a pair of crimson, serpentine eyes suddenly snapped open, unleashing a savage hiss!
This was the Serpent Empress Medusa, a soul beast that had cultivated for over 15,000 years. In the soul beast-depleted Sunset Forest, she was already considered a sovereign-level existence.
Combined with her innate petrification ability, she was nearly invincible in her domain.
But now, she felt a pang of regret—for leaving her lair in search of prey. If only she had stayed put, she wouldn't have been discovered by these hateful humans.
She hadn't even gotten to eat anyone, and now her life was hanging by a thread.
Who would've thought a mere five-ring Soul King could be this terrifying?
That holy light—it was the thing she hated most. Several hideous wounds on her body still burned with faint golden divine energy, constantly eating away at her soul power like maggots clinging to flesh, refusing to dissipate.
Now, that human dared to recklessly charge into her lair?
Then let it be mutual destruction!
If she wanted to go that far—then they would perish together!
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