When Hu Liena was in Slaughter City, she already possessed two Soul Bones.
One was a skull bestowed by Bibi Dong, and the other was an External Soul Bone in the form of a fox tail.
The fox tail External Soul Bone was an exceptionally good match for Hu Liena.
Dugu Feng speculated that she must have obtained it while absorbing a Spirit Ring—if she had seized it from someone else, it would have been far too coincidental.
According to the information gleaned from Yan's Inner Core, Hu Liena did not yet possess this External Soul Bone.
Could it be that she obtained it when absorbing her fifth Spirit Ring?
After all, there was no way Hu Liena could have reached level 60 while in Slaughter City.
Before that, this would have been her only opportunity to absorb a Spirit Ring.
But if Hu Liena had indeed acquired the External Soul Bone this time, why didn't she use it during the Soul Master Competition when facing Tang San?
That didn't make sense.
Dugu Feng recalled the scene of the Soul Duel between the Shrek Academy Team and the Spirit Hall Team.
During that battle, Xie Yue and Hu Liena had executed their Martial Soul Fusion Skill, dominating the fight from start to finish.
Xie Yue had practically controlled the entire battlefield.
Right up until the end, both Xie Yue and Hu Liena believed they had won.
It was only when Tang San unleashed Batwing Reincarnation, using fragments of his Eight Spider Lances as hidden weapons to cut Hu Liena's skin, that the terrifying Man-Faced Demon Spider Poison paralyzed Xie Yue and Hu Liena, rendering them powerless.
That was it!
Just like in his own battles—if he could win without revealing his trump cards, he wouldn't use his External Soul Bone.
Dugu Feng felt he had pieced together the truth.
In reality, the Spirit Hall Team had lost due to underestimating their opponents.
Especially Xie Yue, that show-off genius of the Spirit Hall.
After Tang San's Eight Spider Lances clashed with Xie Yue's self-created Soul Skill, Full Moon, Tang San's Eight Spider Lances shattered completely, leaving him severely injured.
Instead of pressing his advantage, Xie Yue had started chatting with his opponent.
In the end, Tang San's poison delivered the final blow—truly a foolish mistake!
Inside the private room, Dugu Feng stood motionless.
His expression flickered between dark and uncertain.
External Soul Bones were rare treasures—one could only hope to encounter them, not seek them out. He already had two, but who would ever complain about having more?
After a moment, Dugu Feng called for Old Scorpion.
They left Suotuo City and flew toward Star Dou Great Forest.
Old Scorpion was surprised by Dugu Feng's sudden decision to head to Star Dou Great Forest, but he didn't ask any questions, silently following behind him instead.
Dugu Feng moved at a leisurely pace, as if sensing something.
Only after a full day did he finally determine a direction, riding the Emerald Dragon Snakes as they swiftly entered Star Dou Great Forest.
With the two Emerald Dragon Snakes leading the way, the two of them cautiously made their way into the territory of Ten-Thousand Year Soul Beasts.
Given Hu Liena's talent, her fifth Spirit Ring would undoubtedly be a Ten-Thousand Year Spirit Ring.
And the direction he had chosen was precisely the one Hu Liena and her group would take when entering Star Dou Great Forest.
"Old Scorpion, let's find a hidden spot first. I'll have the Emerald Dragon Snakes scout the area," Dugu Feng said softly.
The territory of Ten-Thousand Year Soul Beasts was already extremely dangerous.
Once a Spirit Beast reached the Ten-Thousand Year level, it not only possessed spiritual power but also unique skills of its own, making them far more difficult to deal with.
Even with two Emerald Dragon Snakes and Old Scorpion, a Soul Saint, by his side, Dugu Feng had to proceed with caution.
Old Scorpion chuckled and quickly led Dugu Feng to a hidden burrow.
The walls of the burrow were covered with scratches, along with tunnels less than half a meter in diameter.
"This must have been a nest of Thousand Jun Ants before. Something must have happened to the colony, as there are none left now—perfect for us to hide in!"
Old Scorpion surveyed the area with great interest.
With his earth escape ability, underground locations were always his first priority in dangerous situations.
"Thousand Jun Ants?"
Dugu Feng's eyes lit up as he suddenly recalled the three Thousand Jun Ant Emperors—each a ninety-thousand-year soul beast—that Tang San had absorbed as spirit rings.
The Thousand Jun Ant species were spread throughout the underground of the Star Dou Great Forest.
Their large numbers didn't equate to strength. While they had high reproductive capabilities, their traits were singular, with power being their only innate talent.
Moreover, the entire species was prone to infighting, often becoming prey for other spirit beasts.
When he was young, Dugu Shuo had taught him that in the Thousand Jun Ant colonies, the Ant Queen was the one who issued commands.
The queen possessed a strong sense of jealousy. Once a soldier ant reached the thousand-year level, it would be attacked by her.
Thus, it was rare for powerful soul beasts to emerge from their ranks.
Only those ants that escaped the queen's pursuit or killed her could continue growing.
Those three Thousand Jun Ant Emperors had slain their queen, devoured her corpse, and gradually grown stronger.
They had even once challenged the Titan Giant Ape and the Sky Blue Bull Python, though they failed and were driven out of the Star Dou Great Forest.
"Old Scorpion, with your strength, you shouldn't have any trouble locating some Thousand Jun Ant nests and capturing their queens, right?" Dugu Feng asked.
Old Scorpion paused, then grinned. "With my earth escape ability, catching a few queens would be child's play!""
"Hurry and capture as many powerful ones as you can—the stronger, the better!"
"Yes, Young Master!"
With that, Old Scorpion swiftly departed.
Dugu Feng also released the Emerald Dragon Snakes, sending them deeper into the Star Dou Great Forest to search for other Thousand Jun Ant Kings.
The eighth spirit ring of Titan, the patriarch of the Strength Clan, had come from a Thousand Jun Ant King, proving that other powerful Thousand Jun Ant soul beasts still existed in the forest.
On the way here, Dugu Feng had been pondering how to lure Chrysanthemum Douluo away.
With the Titled Douluo protecting Hu Liena, even if Old Scorpion managed to capture her from underground, escaping in time would be nearly impossible.
The gap between Old Scorpion, who had only recently become a Soul Saint, and a Titled Douluo was far too vast.
Originally, he had planned to use the Emerald Dragon Snakes to attract one or two powerful ten-thousand-year soul beasts and incite a conflict.
Then, he and Old Scorpion could strike from the shadows to capture Hu Liena.
Now, it seemed that Thousand Jun Ant Kings would be the perfect targets.
Only by feeding on Ant Queens could powerful Thousand Jun Ants grow to tens of thousands of years in cultivation.
Once they captured some queens, they could use the Emerald Dragon Snakes to provoke powerful Thousand Jun Ant Kings and draw them nearby.
It was a flawless plan.
Moreover, he had plenty of time to set everything up.
Based on the distance of the Core Pearl, Chrysanthemum Douluo and Hu Liena had only just reached the supply town.
With their large group, they were moving at a normal pace. Even after entering the Star Dou Great Forest, they would take their time searching for a suitable spirit beast for Hu Liena.
This gave him more than enough time to prepare.
The more Dugu Feng thought about it, the more feasible it seemed.
He extended his spiritual power through the Core Pearl, closely following the two Emerald Dragon Snakes as they traversed the forest.
As for whether they could find powerful Thousand Jun Ants—
Dugu Feng wasn't worried at all.
As the largest gathering place for Spirit Beasts on the Douluo Continent, the Star Dou Great Forest truly had no shortage of any type of Spirit Beast.
Another day passed, with Dugu Feng calmly continuing his cultivation.
More and more Ant Queens were being captured in the underground tunnels, all poisoned and emitting weak auras.
Dugu Feng was confident that once these Ant Queens were detoxified, their combined auras would undoubtedly attract the powerful Thousand Jun Ants.
(End of Chapter)