Douluo: The Gate to Heaven

The Starry Sky Forest is a remote and dangerous place, completely isolated from human society. It is a natural no-man's land and a lawless zone.

Double-crossing is a daily occurrence in the Star Dou Great Forest.

Long ago, a Soul Master said that after entering the Star Dou Great Forest, you should be careful not only of Soul Beasts, but also of humans, because humans can also eat each other.

To ensure the healthy development of the Mercenary Guild, the guild holds the mission rewards in advance when a mission is posted. Only when the employer arrives in person can they receive the mission rewards.

This regulation significantly reduced instances of double-crossing and established the reputation of the Mercenary Guild, which led to the rise of the Mercenary Soul Hunting Team.

"Don't worry, I know the rules." Tuoba Wukong nodded.

After reaching an agreement with the Sirius Mercenary Group, Tuoba Wukong and the group left Shrek City, rented a carriage, and headed towards the Star Dou Great Forest.

Shrek City is not far from the Star Dou Great Forest. In a straight line, it takes only one or two hours to reach the most dangerous western part of the Star Dou Great Forest.

It suppresses this paradise of soul beasts.

However, Tuoba Wukong and his group's target was a soul beast over five thousand years old. Entering the Star Dou Great Forest directly from the west would easily lead them into the perilous core area, which was full of dangers even for a Soul King to lead the team.

Therefore, they decided to take a detour and enter the Star Dou Great Forest from the southwest. Although it would take them two or three more days to travel, it would allow them to avoid the most dangerous areas.

The carriage slowly traveled along the official road. It was just an ordinary carriage, and the ride was very bumpy on the uneven dirt road. Tuoba Wukong was unable to concentrate on his cultivation, so he simply got out of the carriage to enjoy the scenery along the way.

When the skinny young man driving the carriage saw Tuoba Wukong, he chuckled and said, "Can't stand the bumps, huh? That's normal. Although the soul tools from the Sun Moon Continent have been introduced here and people's quality of life has improved a lot, those are for nobles and big shots. We all come from humble backgrounds, so it's already pretty good that we have an ordinary carriage to ride in."

"Brother Zhou Kong, you don't seem like someone without family influence. Why would you hire a mercenary group to hunt for spirit rings?"

There aren't many people who can come up with tens of thousands of gold coins to hire a Soul Master team. People with that kind of money usually don't need to hire mercenary teams they're not familiar with. Those who need mercenary teams don't have that much money. Tuoba Wukong's deal was a big one that they hadn't encountered in a long time, which is why the entire Sky Wolf Mercenary Group was mobilized this time.

Zhou Kong is an alias of Tuoba Wukong.

Tuoba Wukong shook his head and said casually, "I love freedom by nature and don't want to be restrained. I just want to focus on researching soul tools, so I'd rather spend my own money to find a mercenary team to help me hunt for soul rings. Your Sky Wolf Mercenary Group has an excellent reputation and a high success rate, so I came to you hoping you can help me find a suitable soul ring."

"Brother Zhou Kong, are you a Soul Guidance Master?" When Quan Ya heard Tuoba Wu Kong's words, he was immediately surprised and realized that he was a Soul Guidance Master. No wonder he could afford to hire their Sky Wolf Mercenary Group.

The Soul Master is known for his wealth and extravagance.

"I wouldn't call myself a master, Brother Quan. Tell me about the Star Dou Great Forest. I've never set foot in the Star Dou Great Forest before, and all my previous spirit rings were obtained in the Soul Hunting Forest," Tuoba Wukong shook his head and changed the subject.

Indeed, this was his first time stepping into the Star Dou Great Forest.

As the largest gathering place for spirit beasts on the continent, Tuoba Wukong had long yearned for the Star Dou Great Forest. It has the largest variety and number of spirit beasts on the entire continent. With his two spirits and a total of eighteen spirit rings, he would inevitably have to deal with the Star Dou Great Forest in the future.

The reason for hiring the Sirius Mercenary Group this time is because they are experienced and we want to learn from them.

Fang laughed, "Putting everything else aside, the Star Dou Great Forest is like home to us brothers, we know it like the back of our hand. And Brother Zhou Kong, you made the right choice in choosing our Sky Wolf Mercenary Group for soul hunting. If you're looking for rare and precious materials, our Sky Wolf Mercenary Group isn't exactly professional, but when it comes to hunting soul rings, I dare say there aren't many in the entire Shrek City more professional than our Sky Wolf Mercenary Group."

"As the largest soul beast forest in Douluo Continent, the Star Dou Great Forest is actually divided into certain areas. The level of the soul beasts active in each area can be determined. As long as you are familiar with the division of each area and do not venture into other areas, and as long as your luck is not too bad, you don't have to worry about encountering soul beasts that you cannot handle..."

Canine Tooth was also a talkative person, and he chattered on and on about his experiences in the Star Dou Great Forest. Through his words, Tuoba Wukong gained a better understanding of the Star Dou Great Forest.

The Star Dou Great Forest has a complex terrain. In addition to the primeval forest in the core area, there are various landforms such as swamps, volcanoes, hills, grasslands, and canyons. The soul beasts living in each area are also different.

For example, volcanic areas are dominated by insect-type and reptilian spirit beasts with fire, poison, and earth attributes, while swamps are dominated by water-type and herbivorous spirit beasts. Hilly grasslands are home to wolf, deer, leopard, and lion spirit beasts, and canyons are home to ape-type spirit beasts.

Tuoba Wukong's target is offensive-type soul beasts, primarily those with strength attributes such as lions, tigers, bears, and apes. These types of soul beasts are mostly at the top of the soul beast food chain...

Two days later.

The carriage arrived at a tavern in a small town.

"Old Jack, the usual, three fine hotels, a whole roasted lamb, six large glasses of ale, and take good care of our carriage." After glancing at Tuoba Wukong, Tianlang tossed a gold bag onto the counter and said to the old man with a large white beard on the counter, clearly quite familiar with him.

"Hey kid, you've landed another business deal? Alright, when you come back from the Star Dou Great Forest, don't forget to come over for a glass of ale. It's on me, no charge." Old Jack said with a smile, pouring out a large bucket of ale and bringing it over.

The brothers Chen Qi and Chen Xiu, along with the burly man Xiong Chengdu, skillfully took a large glass of ale and drank it. The aroma of wheat and the cool taste whetted their appetites.

Canine Fang whispered to Tuoba Wukong, "Our mercenary group is all on the line, we never know when something might happen, so everyone likes to drink. But we're going into the Star Dou Great Forest tomorrow, and drinking too much is just asking for trouble. We can only get a glass of ale from Old Jack to satisfy our cravings. Old Jack's ale is made from the finest wheat and stored in his cellar. It's not very strong, you can try it."

Tuoba Wukong nodded. He wasn't a teetotaler; he had often secretly drunk with Tu Nanbupo and Song Qinghan at Shrek Academy. Moreover, the alcohol content of the ale was indeed low. After Tuoba Wukong took a big gulp, the icy feeling instantly spread throughout his body. Tuoba Wukong exhaled and felt much of the fatigue from the journey dissipate.

The group thoroughly enjoyed the freshly roasted whole lamb.

That night, Tuoba Wukong and Quanya shared a room, Tianlang and Xiongcheng shared a room, and the Chen brothers, Chen Qi and Chen Xiu, shared a room. They rested simply for the night.

Before dawn, Fang woke Tuoba Wukong, who was cultivating, and said, "Let's go, Brother Zhou. Let's set off early while it's still early so we can cover more distance. We can't move around at night. The Star Dou Great Forest is much more dangerous at night than during the day. No experienced team would venture out at night."

After a day or two of conversation, he had become quite familiar with Tuoba Wukong. Fang explained with a smile, "Our target is a five-thousand-year-old soul beast. Most of the active ones in the outer perimeter are ten-year or hundred-year-old soul beasts. Occasionally, a thousand-year-old soul beast will appear, but it is only one or two thousand years old. If we want to hunt a thousand-year-old soul beast, we have to go to the inner perimeter. We set off in the dark, which is the least dangerous part of the outer perimeter. Once we get to the inner perimeter, we can't leave so early."

Tuoba Wukong nodded secretly, noting down these seemingly minor details, but these details were the most valuable experiences that the Sirius Mercenary Group had gained through countless life-and-death struggles.

Upon entering the Star Dou Great Forest, Tianlang's aura instantly changed. His Martial Soul flickered in and out of existence, ensuring that he could complete the Martial Soul fusion immediately. Then, Tianlang gave orders: "Dog Fang, you go scout ahead and find a suitable target. Chen Qi and Chen Xiu, you two will support the flanks and be ready to act at any moment should anything happen. Xiong Cheng, you are responsible for protecting Zhou Kong. Make sure Zhou Kong doesn't leave your body within three meters. If anything happens to Zhou Kong, I will hold you responsible. I will cover your retreat."

As Sirius's voice faded, Fang had already completed the Martial Soul Possession and nimbly charged out.

His martial soul is a hunting dog. After the martial soul is attached to his body, his ears become pointed and two canine teeth are revealed. He truly lives up to his name. There is also a layer of yellow fur on his body, which makes him look quite cute.

The Chen brothers, Chen Qi and Chen Xiu, split up on the left and right, and started jogging while keeping a watchful eye on both sides.

The towering Xiong Cheng, resembling a small mountain, approached Tuoba Wukong and said in a deep voice, "Zhou Kong, don't worry. As long as you're by my side, I'll protect you. This is just the outer area; generally speaking, the chances of encountering powerful soul beasts are slim. We can speed things up. Besides, the Fang's martial soul has a keen sense of smell and is adept at tracking and reconnaissance. It will lead us away from most of the soul beasts..."

Tuoba Wukong nodded and followed Xiong Cheng's steps.

Sirius followed closely behind.

The rearguard position seems the safest during the advance into the Star Dou Great Forest, but when retreating, there is no position more dangerous. As the strongest member of the Sky Wolf Mercenary Group, Sky Wolf is the only one qualified to be the rearguard!