The Glory of the Sun and Moon in the Peerless Tang Sect

However, for the crystal bear to activate this ability, it must touch its opponent.

It was obvious that the crystal bear lacked the ability to attack from a distance, which was why Xu Zihuang easily left it behind using his all-terrain detection soul tool.

The three of them traveled south for half a month, venturing into the outer reaches of the Mingdou Great Forest. The temperature had risen significantly.

With Xu Zihuang's physical condition and cultivation level, he could completely be immune to heat and cold, but the hot and humid climate had a significant impact on Ju Zi and Ke Ke.

Both of them were wearing only a thin layer of clothing, their bodies drenched in fragrant sweat, and the sweet scent emanating from their bodies filled the all-terrain detection soul guide.

Unlike Orange, whose full chest heaved violently and whose breathing was calm, Coco seemed exceptionally excited.

"Sister Orange, this was so exciting! I thought that crystal bear's paw was about to hit us. This Mingdou Great Forest is really much more interesting."

The two-headed Netherwolf at the beginning, the Nightmare Man-eating Flower and other rare soul beasts, plus the crystal bear they just encountered, have greatly broadened Keke's horizons along the way.

Of course, the reason she seemed excited, rather than feeling threatened, was entirely because she believed that Yu Tianhuang could protect them well.

They had previously encountered a Jade Bird, a flying soul beast with ten thousand years of cultivation, passing by. Jade Birds are naturally irritable and immediately attacked upon discovering Xu Zihuang and his companions.

But even such a powerful, ten-thousand-year-old soul beast with the ability to fly was easily defeated by Xu Zihuang alone.

After nearly a month of training together, they had unknowingly developed an unprecedented level of trust and reliance on Xu Zihuang.

"It's supposed to be exciting? Getting hit by that crystal bear isn't fun at all," Orange said coquettishly.

"Isn't Tianhuang there? Nothing will happen."

Keke stretched lazily and chuckled. Although her body was rather thin, the thin clothing still revealed some subtle curves.

At this moment, Xu Zihuang, controlling the all-terrain detection soul tool, arrived at a relatively high and open area, turned around and said to Ju Zi and Ke Ke.

"Senior Orange, Senior Coco, let's stop and recover our soul power first."

Coco didn't flinch at all because of Xu Zihuang's gaze; instead, she continued to stretch her body without a care.

As a naturally outgoing girl, she had long since come to terms with it. Since Yu Tianhuang had already seen her naked, what was the point of being reserved? Just do whatever makes you comfortable.

Orange's feelings were similar to Keke's, and compared to Keke, she had a different kind of feeling towards Xu Zihuang. Finally, unable to bear the high temperature, and with Keke constantly urging her on, they ended up being 'open and honest' with each other.

"Tianhuang, you recover your soul power first. Keke and I will keep watch around." Ju Zi responded lightly and was about to get up to switch places with Xu Zihuang.

Xu Zihuang nodded. After continuously operating the all-terrain detection soul tool, he had consumed nearly 80% of his soul power, so he naturally wouldn't refuse.

However, the space inside this all-terrain detection soul tool is relatively small, and the two people's bodies will inevitably touch each other when they switch positions.

Xu Zihuang's expression remained unchanged, and Ju Zi also maintained her composure, but her heart was far less calm than Xu Zihuang's.

Xu Zihuang understood Ju Zi's personality, so on the night Ju Zi lost her composure, he took the initiative to say that slightly ambiguous thing to test Ju Zi's feelings, and then fell silent again.

He understood the principle of moderation. Most of the time, Orange remained calm. To truly move Orange, a suitable context was needed.

The smooth, silky feel of skin against skin and the pleasant, refreshing scent of oranges lingered in Xu Zihuang's nostrils.

After switching places, he saw Keke's smiling face.

"How's it looking, Sister Orange's skin? Isn't it great? So moisturized?"

Her words undoubtedly brought the ambiguous atmosphere of their earlier physical contact into the open.

"Keke!" Orange turned around, blushing, and glared at the outspoken Keke.

Xu Zihuang, however, smiled without saying a word and entered into meditation.

This is definitely not a good time to respond. A positive answer would seem too frivolous, while a negative answer would appear hypocritical.

Coco stuck her tongue out at the orange, indicating that she knew she was wrong.

Orange didn't delve into it further. And so, both Orange and Coco fell silent.

The Mingdou Great Forest is only half the size of the Xingdou Great Forest. According to their calculations, they will be able to emerge from the southern part of the Mingdou Great Forest in about another day.

The closer you are to the south, the more lush the trees become.

When the three of them arrived at their current location, sunlight could barely penetrate the branches and leaves.

The dim light and the presence of miasma meant they could only see within a few dozen meters of their surroundings.

As time passed, the thin layer of mist around us seemed to gradually thicken.

A quarter of an hour later, Xu Zihuang suddenly opened his eyes, which were flashing with sharp light, and whispered a reminder: "A soul beast is approaching. Senior Sister Ju Zi, let's switch places."

Upon hearing Xu Zihuang's reminder, Ju Zi and Ke Ke were taken aback at first, and then immediately became alert.

"it is good."

In this situation, Ju Zi disregarded everything else and quickly switched positions with Xu Zihuang, their skin touching.

Xu Zihuang gripped the metal control lever again, and the brilliant golden light in his eyes suddenly intensified.

Driven by the instincts of his Golden Eye Martial Soul, he quickly discerned the approaching soul beasts. Just as he had previously perceived with his spiritual power while multitasking, these soul beasts were not individually powerful, but their numbers exceeded five hundred.

These were ant-like soul beasts that looked remarkably similar to the Thousand-Pound Ants, but their bodies were different, appearing as translucent crystals. From their ferocious mouthparts, they spewed out white mist, which, with a soft hissing sound, merged into the thin fog.

Wherever the fog passed, the low-lying flowers, grasses, and trees withered at a visible rate. The towering, thriving trees, however, remained unaffected for the time being.

"Another mutated soul beast, and a mutated Thousand-Pound Ant at that." Xu Zihuang raised an eyebrow. Over this period of time, he had gradually discovered the patterns of mutated soul beasts in the Mingdou Great Forest.

Those that mutate are generally lower-level soul beasts, like the original Netherworld Wolf and the current Thousand-Pound Ant. Of course, this may also be related to the fact that Xu Zihuang and the others did not venture deep into the Mingdou Great Forest.

As soon as Xu Zihuang finished speaking, Ju Zi and Ke Ke also saw the densely packed white Thousand-Pound Ants. Thick white mist rose around them, and even the shell of the all-terrain detection soul tool, made of a special rare metal alloy, began to emit faint white mist.

"This...this is a Thousand-Pound Ant?" Keke looked incredulous.

"Never mind all that, let's get out of here first."

Ju Zi immediately released the level 5 soul shield attached to her all-terrain detection soul tool. This soul shield was designed to defend against physical attacks and could also block the formic acid mist spewed by the mutated Thousand-Pound Ant swarm.

Xu Zihuang responded directly with action, choosing not to fight the mutated Thousand-Pound Ants, but instead choosing to break through in a direction where the white mist was relatively thin.

The swarm of massive ants and the corrosive formic acid mist had little effect on him, but he had to consider Orange and Coco.

If the soul-guided shield fails to hold, and the acid mist seeps in, it could cause irreversible damage to the two women's bodies.

After all, it was a highly corrosive acid mist, and he couldn't possibly expose the destructive attribute of his second martial soul while Ju Zi and Ke Ke were awake.

The six long metal legs beneath the all-terrain detection soul tool pulsed, and the three of them finally escaped the area safely.

After a period of rest, they continued their journey.

As dusk fell, they finally left the area of ​​the Mingdou Great Forest from the south.

A flash of brilliant golden light streaked across the sky, and the three of them instinctively strained their eyes to gaze into the distance.

What appeared before their eyes was a golden world. Countless brilliant golden lights shimmered at the horizon, and the sun slowly set before their very eyes.

The darkness of the Mingdou Great Forest and the dazzling scene before them had a significant impact on Ju Zi and Ke Ke.

On this journey, they followed the course of the Mingdou Mountains, traversing the outer regions of the Mingdou Great Forest from north to south, and finally arrived at the southern coast of the Sun Moon Empire.

Coco exclaimed, "I never imagined the sunset over the sea could be so beautiful!"

Orange's gaze was also unfocused, lost in thought.

She had thought there was nothing left in this world worth cherishing, and her only goal in life was to avenge her father and wipe out Xingluo. But now, she found herself having a moment of hesitation.

It wasn't because of the stunning scenery in her eyes, but because of the emotions she felt from Yu Tianhuang and Keke along the way.

She was no longer alone, filled only with hatred, as she had been before.

But the confusion in her eyes quickly vanished, replaced by a determined look and a hint of bitterness.

She can no longer turn back. And she can never forget that hatred.

Xu Zihuang carefully observed the subtle changes in Ju Zi's face out of the corner of his eye.

Although he sympathized with Orange's experience, or rather, felt a certain empathy for her, he was powerless to change anything at this stage, and even needed to exploit the hatred in Orange's heart.

This world is cruel; if you're weak, you can't do anything. He doesn't claim to be righteous; all he needs to do now is increase his strength as much as possible and use everything he can to achieve his goals.

Finally, at Coco's suggestion, the three of them used their flying soul tools to reach the beach. They planned to camp there and spend the night.

The shimmering sea, the bright moon over the water, and the young men and women gathered around the campfire create a beautiful scene like a painting.

Three tents were erected here, banging loudly in the sea breeze.

It was late at night, and Keke, having eaten and drunk her fill, had gone back to her tent to sleep, leaving only Xu Zihuang and Ju Zi sitting opposite each other.

Orange sat on the smooth rock, wrapped her arms around her calves, rested her chin on her knees, and gazed at the campfire in front of her.

Xu Zihuang gently reminded her, "It's getting late, and we still need to travel back to the academy tomorrow. Senior Sister Ju Zi, you should go back to your tent and rest. I'll keep watch tonight."

After keeping her head down and remaining silent for a long time, Ju Zi finally raised her head and looked at Xu Zihuang. All the words she had been holding back finally turned into a sweet smile.

"Tianhuang, thank you."

After saying that, she turned and went into the tent. Her smile seemed to contain a variety of emotions, all of which were unspoken.

To this day, the two maintain a special tacit understanding. She no longer brings up her past, and Yu Tianhuang understands and doesn't ask.

But the next time they meet, they might be on the battlefield.

Although her goal was merely to wipe out the Star Luo Empire, and she didn't have a direct conflict with Yu Tianhuang, a citizen of the Heavenly Soul Empire, once the war began, it was no longer within her control. Invading the Heavenly Soul Empire, which was relatively weaker than the Star Luo Empire, was unavoidable.

Xu Zihuang stood up quietly, watched Ju Zi's figure disappear, and then looked towards the southern sea with a deep gaze.

Everything was progressing as he had anticipated. When the time was right, he would need to return to Moon Pivot Island.

Chapter 270 Breakthrough and Trust

The next morning, the three of them used their flying soul tools to fly towards the direction of Mingdu.

Mingdu is located in the north-central part of the Sun and Moon Empire, while their current location is on the coast of the South China Sea of ​​the Sun and Moon Empire, spanning most of the Sun and Moon Empire from south to north.

Because of their shallow soul power, Ju Zi and Ke Ke often needed to stop and recover their soul power after flying for one to two hours. They flew and stopped along the way, and finally arrived at the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy late at night.

Instead of going back to shower and rest, the three of them first found Xuan Ziwen and reported the results of their training to him.

That evening, Xuan Ziwen and Zi Mu happened to be in the laboratory.

Xuan Ziwen listened thoughtfully to Ju Zi's report, occasionally glancing at Xu Zihuang with a strange look.

Orange focused on recounting her experiences during this training, including Yu Tianhuang's perfect control of the all-terrain detection soul tool. However, she deliberately concealed the fact that the two-headed Netherwolf had dropped two head soul bones.

Although Xu Zihuang didn't care about these things.

When Xuan Ziwen heard that the mutated Thousand-Pound Ant could actually corrode the outer shell of the all-terrain detection soul tool, his eyes finally changed.