Douro Continent

Chapter 293 "King of the Earth" and "Pink Lady" (Part 2)

Liu Erlong's eyes were a little red, clearly from a sleepless night. At first, she had hoped the master would enter the tent and continue their previous passion. But she waited and waited, and the master didn't come in. Liu Erlong's feelings were understandable.

"Uh... Erlong, just pretend I didn't say anything." Flander didn't want to provoke her at this time, and at the same time sighed inwardly, looking at the master who was eating breakfast with an indifferent expression as if seeking help.

"Erlong, that's enough." The master finally spoke.

Liu Erlong, who was rushing towards Flander, stopped and turned to look at the master. Her delicate body trembled slightly. "You're no better. You just bully me." After saying this, she rushed back into the tent, leaving a trail of glistening water droplets in the air.

The master closed his eyes in pain. Although he didn't say anything, the steamed bun in his hand had been completely deformed from being squeezed.

Half an hour later, the group, having finished packing, set off again, but the atmosphere had become noticeably more subtle.

Liu Erlong walked alone at the back of the group with a gloomy face, while Grandmaster, Flander, and Zhao Wuji walked in front, leaving the Shrek Seven Devils in the middle.

Oscar nudged Ma Hongjun, "Fatty, how's it feeling with your fourth spirit ring? Is it easy to absorb?"

Ma Hongjun nodded and said, "It was easy. It was done in just half an hour. It didn't cause me any trouble at all. It's really strange. Could it be that the Earth King, after being tortured by Teacher Erlong, had given up hope of living and really thought I had freed it, which is why it allowed me to absorb it?"

Tang San said, "In a sense, this is possible. My teacher has researched this. If a soul beast's resentment isn't deep when it's killed, absorbing its soul ring will be relatively easier. Conversely, if the soul beast's resentment is extremely deep, absorbing its soul ring will become very difficult. That was the case when I absorbed the Human-Faced Demon Spider's soul ring last time. However, my teacher also said that there are two situations where absorbing a soul ring after a soul beast dies is most beneficial to the soul master. One is when the soul beast is filled with extreme resentment; in this case, the chance of dropping a soul bone will increase significantly. The other situation is when the soul beast voluntarily allows itself to be killed, willingly becoming the soul master's soul ring. In this case, there's almost a 100% chance of dropping a soul bone, and the soul ring will be perfectly absorbed, without being limited by its age. In other words, even if we are only level 40 now, if a ten-thousand-year-old soul beast is willing for us to kill and absorb its soul ring, we won't suffer any backlash."

"That's great?" Oscar and Ma Hongjun said in unison.

Dai Mubai, standing to the side, said, "What's so good about it? Do you think it's easy? Why would a soul beast be willing to let you kill it or give you its soul ring? That only happens in an ideal situation. Or rather, it's simply impossible."

Xiao Wu waved the "Heartbreak Red of Longing" in her hand and said calmly, "Nothing is impossible. Perhaps it will happen under the right circumstances."

The fat man said with some disappointment, "So, does that mean the spirit ring I absorbed doesn't belong to either the first or the second situation?"

Tang San said, "If the Earth King was killed by Senior Erlong, perhaps the first scenario would have occurred."

Upon hearing his words, everyone couldn't help but shudder. Recalling Liu Erlong's ferocious attack yesterday, each of them felt a sense of unease.

Tang San continued, "The first scenario is also very difficult to achieve. To push a soul beast's resentment to its limit, you have to do it yourself. You can't rely on others to distract it. However, normally, the soul beasts a soul master hunts are usually stronger than themselves. It's difficult to achieve a pure crushing defeat like Teacher Erlong did yesterday. So it's impossible. Although Teacher Erlong could completely crush the Earth King from yesterday, its strength is far inferior to hers. Even if Teacher Erlong needed a soul ring now, she definitely wouldn't choose it."

Oscar wholeheartedly agreed, saying, "No wonder there are so few soul bones. These situations are all too extreme. By the way, Fatty, what's your fourth soul skill?"

The fat man's eyes gleamed mysteriously. "When we get a chance to make a move, I'll show you. It feels pretty good! It's a pity the attack range is a bit small. And there's no way to lock onto an opponent before releasing the attack."

The morning temperature in Sunset Forest is a bit low, and the air is very humid, which creates a misty morning fog.

The light mist was cold and damp, drifting in the gentle breeze. It was the time when the sun had not yet fully risen, and the mist was at its thickest.

Tang San took out a small porcelain bottle from the Twenty-Four Bridges Under the Moonlight, poured out some small black pills, and handed one to each person, including Flander, the Master, and others.

"What is this?" Flander asked Tang San in confusion, looking at the pill that was only the size of a grain of rice.

Tang San said, "This is a miasma-removing pill I made myself. Miasma often appears in forests and deep mountains in the early morning, and some of it is extremely poisonous. Taking this miasma-removing pill can at least prevent most of the miasma from invading you. It also has the effect of refreshing your mind."

Flander suddenly realized, "You learned all this from that old monster Dugu Bo, didn't you? It seems you really did learn a lot from him."

Tang San smiled slightly, offering no explanation. Having spent six months with Dugu Bo as a cover, his use of drugs wouldn't arouse suspicion. Nor would anyone connect it to something he was born with.

The morning fog grew thicker and thicker. Although the chill of the early morning did not have much of an impact on these Soul Masters, who were generally above level 40, the visibility was getting worse and worse.

Flander cautiously said, "Everyone be careful. Some soul beasts prefer to move at dawn. The visibility is too poor now, so gather closely together in case of any unforeseen circumstances."

Liu Erlong quickened his pace, walked over to Flander, patted Zhao Wuji on the shoulder, and said, "Go to the back. Let's switch."

Although Liu Erlong seemed to have calmed down, Zhao Wuji dared not say anything more to her and quickly switched places with her.

Liu Erlong glanced at the master, then stood on his other side, joining Flander to protect him from both sides. Although the process was simple, everyone could see that Liu Erlong was afraid that the weakest of the three, the master, might encounter some danger in the morning mist, and wanted to protect him personally.

The master naturally understood Liu Erlong's meaning, sighed inwardly, said nothing, and continued to walk forward silently.

When the group had traveled less than 300 meters, a strange wind suddenly blew from ahead, and the morning mist changed color amidst the turbulence. The originally thick white fog instantly turned pink, enveloping the group directly. There was a faint sweet smell in the pink fog, a scent that was almost intoxicating.

"Everyone be careful, there's poison in the fog!" Flander shouted, and he and Liu Erlong simultaneously struck out with their palms, using their powerful soul energy to try and disperse the poisonous fog in front of them. At the same time, he couldn't help but secretly admire Tang San's foresight. This seemed to be the miasma he had mentioned.

However, everyone soon sensed something was wrong. The sudden poisonous fog was much thicker than they had imagined. Although Flander and Liu Erlong's soul power could disperse the fog, it would quickly condense again. In just a few blinks, everyone's surroundings were completely pink. What surprised the Shrek Academy group the most was that their visibility had dropped to its lowest point in the thick pink fog, making it difficult to see even those around them.

"This isn't miasma. Little Ao, detoxifying sausage!" Tang San suddenly shouted, and then, purple-gold light shot out from his eyes. While others couldn't see anything in the thick fog, he was much less affected thanks to his Purple Demon Eye at the Mustard Seed Realm, and he could still vaguely see the surrounding scenery.

"Be careful, it's a soul beast!" Tang San shouted again, reaching out with his right hand to pull Xiao Wu's hand into his palm. At the same time, his Blue Silver Grass martial soul was quickly released, spreading in all directions and setting up a warning system for the dozens of square meters around them.

Reaching into his magic pouch, he took out a large, pale pink flower. This flower had no leaves, its stem was three feet long, and its blossoms were enormous, each a foot in diameter. Every petal looked as clear and translucent as crystal, and its stamens were pale purple, like purple diamonds set there. A captivating fragrance wafted from the flower, refreshing and delightful.

When Tang San took out the large flower, a strange scene immediately appeared. Centered on Tang San, within a ten-meter radius, the pink mist seemed to melt away instantly like snow meeting boiling water, forming a circle of light purple air currents that quickly dispersed in all directions. Only then could the Shrek Academy students see their companions clearly again.

"Everyone stay within this area and don't go out." Tang San carefully held the large flower in his left hand, calmly observing the thick pink mist in front of him. Everyone could clearly see that at this moment, it was as if there was an invisible purple aura around their bodies. No matter how thick the pink mist was, or how the wind blew through the forest, the pink mist could no longer penetrate into the ten-meter range around them.

"What I possess is the Fragrant Silk Immortal Herb, which has the effect of neutralizing all poisons. Within its range, any toxin will lose its effect. Everyone, please do not leave this area for now. This dense fog seems to have been created by soul beasts, and it's a group of soul beasts. We are surrounded."

(End of this chapter)