Douluo Continent: The Phoenix God Returns

Chapter 21 Star Dou Great Forest

The next morning, when everyone went to the playground to assemble, Zhao Wuji was already waiting there.

When everyone saw Zhao Wuji, they were all somewhat taken aback. Zhao Wuji's current appearance was so funny that they couldn't help but laugh. There were at least three bruises on his face that had not yet faded, especially the panda eye on his left eye, which looked extremely comical.

"You little brats, what are you looking at? Are you itching for a beating?" Zhao Wuji said irritably.

"That brat can't be talking about me, I'm a phoenix born from an egg." Ye Li was secretly delighted.

Hearing "little brat," Xiao Wu was clearly displeased and said in a low voice, "Why don't you say 'blind bear'?"

Zhao Wuji's eyes widened. "What did you say?"

Tang San instinctively stepped in front of Xiao Wu, his protectiveness evident in his words.

Upon seeing Tang San, Zhao Wuji's expression clearly showed a hint of embarrassment. He didn't pursue Xiao Wu's teasing any further, coughed, and said, "Let's go. Mu Bai, you lead the team."

Dai Mubai nodded and said, "The Star Dou Great Forest is no place to joke around. There are many wild soul beasts there, and they don't have much affection for us humans. Li Ye and I will lead the way, Oscar and Ning Rongrong will follow closely behind me, Xiao Wu and Fatty will be on either side, and Mubai and Zhu Qing will be at the back. Xiao San, you're a control type, so stay in the center of the group and oversee the overall situation. If anything goes wrong, immediately use your Blue Silver Grass to pull people back."

There were no carriages on this trip. After leaving Shrek Academy, everyone ran forward. Oscar's role quickly became apparent. With Oscar's supplies, everyone found that the physical exertion they had expended was nothing. Even Ning Rongrong could barely keep up with their pace.

Ye Li and Dai Mubai would take turns supporting Oscar's arm to help him carry some of his weight and continue to play his supporting role.

Ning Rongrong naturally didn't receive the same treatment. She remained silent. Seeing this, Ye Li slowed down a bit and said, "Rongrong, you're also a support-type Soul Master. Speed ​​things up for everyone."

Ning Rongrong hesitated for a moment, then said in a low voice, "I can't assist eight people at the same time."

Ye Li thought for a moment and said, "You can provide support for us, and I'll carry you."

"Seven treasures emerge from the crystal, secondly, speed!" A seven-tiered pagoda appeared in Ning Rongrong's hand, and seven rays of light covered everyone.

With the help of Ning Rongrong's Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, the Shrek Academy group had traveled more than 400 kilometers and were very close to the Star Dou Great Forest. Seeing that they would not reach their destination today, Zhao Wuji told the students to go to the nearest town to rest for the night.

Zhao Wuji pointed to a very ordinary-looking inn and said, "Stay here tonight, and continue our journey tomorrow morning. You will each bear your own expenses. Dismissed."

Shrek Academy wasn't wealthy, so Zhao Wuji booked a single room for himself and went straight upstairs. After discussing it, everyone agreed that Li Ye's generosity led them to book eight rooms in a row.

"Let's eat first before going up. I'm about to throw up from eating sausages all day," Ma Hongjun said, rubbing his stomach.

The eight of them found a table in the corner. Ning Rongrong waited for Li Ye to sit down before going over and sitting next to him. She still didn't feel like she belonged; she preferred to be closer to Li Ye.

Tang San asked, "Should we call Teacher Zhao over too?"

Dai Mubai shook his head. "No need. Although the teacher won't pay any fees for us, he also won't accept any benefits from us. This is a rule set by Dean Flander."

Ma Hongjun chimed in, "Isn't this great? I love the academy's unpretentious atmosphere."

Dai Mubai said irritably, "You fatso, stop talking nonsense. You're the only one who knows how to eat here, so you're in charge of ordering."

The fat man chuckled, and soon he showed everyone Dai Mubai's assessment of him as a "good eater." After calling over the waiter, he quickly ordered more than a dozen dishes, some of which he had never even heard of.

During their meal, the Shrek Academy group coincidentally encountered the Canghui Academy. Their fates were remarkably similar. The Shrek Academy group, like many others, were easily swayed by gentle persuasion but not by force, which caused quite a stir. However, this time, under Ye Li's powerful attack, the Shrek Academy group raided the Canghui Academy like ransacking a house. They beat up the younger members, and then the older ones came along. In the end, they couldn't even defeat the older ones.

The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Zhao Wuji woke everyone up with his booming voice.

Tang San didn't care; he got up very early every day and had long since developed good sleep habits. But for the others, and Ye Li, who had a strong need for sleep, it was a bit annoying, which caused everyone to keep dozing off while eating.

After leaving the town, the group sped off. They were very close to the Star Dou Great Forest. Oscar was the most excited, having fantasized about what kind of spirit ring he would obtain last night. Ye Li was equally excited, as he was about to carry out the most crucial step of his plan here—to prevent Tang San from obtaining the Eight Spider Spirit Bone.

Upon arriving at the Starry Sky Forest, the air seemed much more comfortable. These trees, at least twenty meters tall, blocked out most of the sunlight, and even the temperature dropped somewhat.

"Everyone, stop," Li Ye said. Just yesterday, Zhao Wuji had handed over command to him.

"The Star Dou Great Forest is no place to joke around. The spirit beasts here are extremely dangerous and highly camouflaged. We could face the threat of thousand-year or even ten-thousand-year-old spirit beasts at any time. Everyone, try to stay together and don't stray more than twenty meters from the group. Xiao Ao and Rongrong, you two must stay in the center of the group, understand?"

Everyone nodded. Seeing that everyone was ready, Ye Li waved his hand. Dai Mubai walked with him at the front, while Zhao Wuji brought up the rear. The group then set off.

Upon entering the Star Dou Great Forest, Xiao Wu was exceptionally excited, jumping and skipping around as if she didn't realize it was a dangerous place at all. Zhao Wuji frowned, but since he had already handed over command to Li Ye, he couldn't say anything.

Ye Li looked at Xiao Wu speechlessly, thinking to herself, "You're already being watched and you're still jumping around. If you keep jumping around, Nana will stew you sooner or later."

After traveling for about an hour, it was already noon. During this time, they encountered many soul beasts, most of which were ten or a hundred years old. They tried to avoid them as much as possible.

Some fools, after exchanging a glance with Ye Li, hurriedly ran away. The reason was simple: they were all too familiar with Ye Li's aura, and Ye Li was another king of the Star Dou Great Forest. Anyone who dared to lay a hand on him would become food.

"Alright, everyone, take a break." Ye Li's voice made everyone relax.

This is only the outer edge of the forest, where there are mostly ten-year and hundred-year soul beasts. What Ye Li needs to find for Oscar is a Phoenix-tailed Crested Serpent that is close to three thousand years old. As long as Ye Li gives the order, even a hundred-thousand-year soul beast will have to be sacrificed, but he must get his sister's consent first.

(End of this chapter)