Douluo Continent: The Twin Sons of the Styx River, Shaking the World and Destroying the Heavens

Chapter 99 Twilight Sea
Tang San said, "I have a few things to tell you one last time."

………………

Meanwhile, at the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy...

Now that it's time to hunt for spirit rings, the list has already been sent to Shrek Academy, and nothing major should happen in the short term.

But deciding where to go was a bit of a challenge for Jing Hongchen.

"Grandpa, where are we going this time?"

"Go to Muhai."

"Twilight Sea?"

Jing Hongchen said in a deep voice, "That's right, but we should go to Oak City first."

Oak City.

It is a coastal city in the northern part of the Sun and Moon Empire, similar to a modern port city.

The fishing industry is thriving here, with numerous fishing boats setting out to sea daily and returning with abundant seafood. This seafood not only supplies the city's residents but is also transported to other cities in the empire and abroad. Trade is also very prosperous, with merchants from all over the world gathering here to trade various commodities such as inland minerals, silk, and tea, as well as overseas treasures, spices, and soul tool components.

After arriving in Oak City, take the train towards Twilight Sea.

The Twilight Sea is located in the northern part of the Sun and Moon Empire, within 10,000 meters of the city of Oak, and is a sea far from the land.

It is shrouded in dense fog year-round, with the fog being thick and persistent, resulting in extremely low visibility and posing great difficulties for navigation and exploration.

The seabed has a complex topography, including towering seamounts, deep trenches, and vast submarine plains. The intermingling of seamounts and trenches creates a unique seabed landscape.

Mysterious energy fluctuations frequently occur, which may interfere with a Soul Master's perception of Soul Power, or affect Soul Guidance Devices, causing them to malfunction or increase in power.

Strange lights and shadows occasionally appear in the thick fog, such as shimmering lights and huge shadows, adding to the mystery of the twilight sea.

However, the colors here greatly affect people's mental state and make them fall asleep.

Xia Die lay asleep in bed, while the others enjoyed the sea breeze on the deck.

As the merchant ship approached the edge of the Twilight Sea, a thick, ink-like fog seeped into the deck through the gaps. The captain raised his hand and pressed a control button inlaid with amethyst. Instantly, a faint blue halo emanated from the ship, and a protective shield composed of nine rhomboid energy cores slowly rose, as if wrapping the steel behemoth in a layer of translucent liquid glass.

The surging fog rushed in, only to dissipate into tiny starlight the instant it touched the protective shield. The crew gripped the railings, watching the milky-white fog twist into eerie vortices outside the energy barrier, like countless invisible hands scratching at the ship's hull. Fine electric currents crackled across the surface of the shield, emitting a continuous "crackling" sound, completely dissipating the special energy fluctuations that attempted to penetrate the barrier.

The searchlight at the bow pierced the fog, leaving a swaying beam of light in the mist. Suddenly, a huge black shadow flashed through the beam, like the dorsal fin of some sea monster grazing the protective shield, the ripples spreading like spiderwebs across the energy barrier. From deep within the ship's cabin came the hum of an overloaded energy core. Veins bulged on the captain's forehead as he channeled his soul power into the controller at his waist, barely managing to stabilize the violently trembling protective shield.

"Maintain speed! Activate sonar!" A hoarse roar pierced the fog as the crew struggled to operate the ship on the swaying deck, watching the data on the instrument panel jump wildly. The twilight fog clung to the giant ship like a living thing, and the protective shield radiating a cold light became the only refuge floating in the chaos.

As the merchant ship continued to cut through the waves, the milky white fog surrounding them grew increasingly thick, as if they were engulfed in solidified clouds. The faint blue light generated by the collision of the protective shield with the fog flickered in the less than ten-foot-wide visibility, like solitary phosphorescent lights shimmering in the deep sea. Suddenly, the lookout at the bow ripped through the stagnant air with a cry of alarm: "Right ahead! A dark shape!"

The captain jerked the control stick, and the ship, powered by a level-nine soul tool, emitted a sharp grinding sound as it plowed a huge arc of waves across the water. Searchlight beams pierced the mist, gradually revealing the outline of an island covered in vines and ancient trees—silver vines, glistening with dew, hung from the cliffs, appearing and disappearing in the mist like the luminous beard of a giant. Semi-transparent jellyfish-like creatures floated around the island, their bodies shimmering with a pearly luster; when their tentacles swept across the protective shield, they left fluorescent trails on the energy barrier.

As the ship slowly approached the moss-covered natural harbor, a patch of eerie blue fluorescence suddenly shone from the seabed. Countless palm-sized flying fish formed flowing ribbons of light, swirling and rising around the ship. The light refracted by their scales pierced through the mist, painting the island's outline a dreamlike bluish-purple. The moment the anchor chain at the bow plunged into the water, it startled the mist-feathered birds perched on the cliff top. These peacock-like spirit beasts with transparent wings flapped their wings, creating wisps of mist that traced fleeting runic patterns in the air.

"Close the shield! Activate the silent thrusters!" The captain whispered, and the crew swiftly operated their soul-guided devices. As the blue light slowly dissipated, a damp mist carrying the scent of decaying leaves and seaweed swept over them. A deep hum echoed from the depths of the harbor, like the breathing of some colossal creature, while in the ancient forest deep within the island, several pairs of scarlet beastly eyes flickered in and out of the mist.

Jing Hongchen reminds everyone that we have arrived.

Xia Die looked at the forest, and Jing Hongchen let them explore first, while he secretly followed.

Stepping into this mist-shrouded island forest is like entering an eternal, hazy dreamscape. There is no darkness in the traditional sense; instead, there is soft and even light, as if the whole world is gently wrapped in a thin veil.

The trees in the forest are tall and straight, and their trunks are covered with strange moss. This moss has a faint glow, as if it is draping the tree trunks with a luminous coat.

Occasionally, a gentle breeze would rustle the branches, and the leaves would rub against each other, making soft sounds. The air was filled with the fresh scent of grass and trees, mixed with a faint earthy fragrance, which was refreshing and invigorating. In this forest without darkness, everything seemed so peaceful and beautiful, as if time itself had stood still.

“As the hall master said, this place is not fundamentally different from other soul beast forests. The outer areas are mostly ten or a hundred years old, and a thousand years old is very rare. Only near the inner area are there thousand or ten thousand years old, but we should be careful, as there is a high possibility that a hundred thousand year old soul beast may appear here,” Xia Die said.

Most of these are rare soul beasts, possessing many different attributes, and are among the most dangerous in all the soul beast forests of the Sun Moon Empire.

The spirit beasts here will all be quite troublesome. Meng Hongchen brushed a strand of silver hair behind her ear and said, "Adie, we will all follow your command."

"I, Laughing at the Mortal World, am invincible under heaven. Possessing the ultimate gold, how could I be swayed by a mere woman..."

"Ouch...it hurts, my ear is going to fall off."

Before Xiao Hongchen could finish speaking, Meng Hongchen pinched his ear hard, making him scream in pain.

Currently, Xia Die, Gu Yuena, Di Qiu'er, and Bolucia do not need to absorb soul rings.

Xiao Hongchen rubbed his ears in discomfort and said indignantly, "Dream, was that necessary? You've pinched me so hard I'm covered in bruises!"

Meng Hongchen snorted coldly and said, "I, Xiao Hongchen, am the best in the world and destined to be invincible. Come, go and solo a 100,000-year-old soul beast to prove it."

"Okay, okay, I'll definitely follow Adie's instructions."

Their conversation drew laughter from the others.

Soon, the group passed through the outer area and arrived at the inner area of ​​the island.

There are relatively fewer soul beasts active here, but the huge footprints on the ground indicate that the soul beasts living here are all powerful ten-thousand-year soul beasts!
However, apart from Xiao Xiao and Wang Dong'er, who are Soul Venerable and Soul Sect Master, all the others are Soul Emperor and Soul Saint.

Of course, Xia Die and the others don't need it.

The ordinary ten-thousand-year-old soul beasts here couldn't allow the group to unleash their true strength. After searching around for a while, they still couldn't find suitable soul rings. Seeing that it was getting late, the group decided to retreat to a safe area first.

Bathed in the glow of the setting sun, the islands of Twilight Sea were gilded with a flowing amber halo. The thick mist gradually awakened in the afterglow, its colors shifting from pale gold to deep purple, transforming the entire sea into a magnificent dreamscape. From the depths of the islands came a deep, guttural roar, startling flocks of mist-feathered birds into flight.

Unlike the perpetually lingering bloody miasma of the Demon Forest, or the suffocating stillness of the Sunset Forest, this place exudes only eternal vitality.

The group sat halfway up the mountain, gazing at the setting sun, feeling extremely happy.

After a short rest, they cleaned the six soft-boned rabbits and one mountain chicken they had hunted on the way in the stream, then made a fire to roast and stew the meat. He looked at the setting sun.

Gazing at the Twilight Sea Island bathed in an amber glow, and listening to the occasional low growls of soul beasts echoing through the forest, I sat down contentedly on the lawn covered with fluorescent moss.

However, it must be said that Xia Die is beautiful and also cooks very well.

"Little Adie, I never expected you to cook so well."

Meng Hongchen was thoroughly enjoying the food; her appetite was completely won over by the dishes she had baked.

"Sister Ali, don't take mine."

"Alright, I'll give you double in a bit."

Jiu Li and Xiao Xiao were also playfully fighting.

After they had eaten their fill, they chatted while gazing at the cool moonlight in the sky.

Only when the stars filled the night sky and the bright moon, like a silver plate, hung high in the heavens did the group decide to stop.

A gentle evening breeze, carrying the astringent scent of forest vegetation and the pungent odor of wild animals, brushed against my face. Moonlight pierced through the thin mist, casting shadowy outlines of the Starry Forest. The soul beasts hidden in the bushes and clinging to the ancient trees now had lantern-like eyes that flickered uncertainly in the darkness.

The roars of beasts, sometimes near, sometimes far, tore through the night, their echoes stretching out as if drawn out by an invisible hand, reverberating between the valley and the treetops. This startled a flock of owls, their bodies gleaming with a cold light, whose flapping wings and cacophonous howls wove together a nocturnal symphony unique to the forest.

The group then set up a tent to rest.

"I'll keep watch, you all go to sleep."

Tonight, Xia Die suggested that she take the night watch, and the rest of the people should go to sleep first. With her cultivation level, she could stay up all night without any problem.

Meanwhile, Polysia was with her sister.

(End of this chapter)