Chapters 319: Someone Must Make a Sacrifice (Part 1)
Qian Xunji healed Gu Yuena, and with his support, the number of soul beasts over 100,000 years old in the entire soul beast world increased several times over.
On the other hand, after obtaining the identity of the Dragon God, Qian Xunji went to the far north to recruit powerful soul beasts such as the Snow Empress and Ice Empress, and then went to the deep sea to recruit soul beasts such as the Deep Sea Demon Whale King, the Evil Tiger Whale King, and the Demon Soul Great White Shark.
After unifying the soul beast race, Qian Xunji's soul ring sealing plan officially began. Ning Feiyang, the son of Ning Fengzhi of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School's soul hunting team, entered the Star Dou Great Forest under the guidance of Gu Rong to hunt soul beasts.
Ning Feiyang was older than Ning Rongrong, now in his thirties, and his soul power level had reached level fifty, just enough to hunt a ten-thousand-year soul ring.
Gu Rong then asked, "Feiyang, what kind of spirit ring do you want to attach to your fifth spirit ring?"
Ning Feiyang thought for a moment and said, "Agility, I hope to attach an agility-type spirit ring."
"Alright, then let's find an agility-type spirit beast," Gu Rong said.
The group searched for a long time and finally found a Netherworld Leopard that was exactly ten thousand years old.
"That's it." When Gu Rong saw the Netherworld Leopard, he immediately reached out, his hand transforming into a skeletal dragon claw that grabbed at the Netherworld Leopard.
However, the next moment, Gu Rong's expression changed drastically, and the bone claw slapped back at another location.
In the distance, a ball of flame burned over and collided with the bone claw. Under the burning flame, Gu Rong's skeletal claw was even about to melt.
A phoenix cry resounded.
A fire phoenix descended from the sky and appeared in the direction of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School's spirit hunting team.
The blazing phoenix fire made people feel that the surrounding temperature had risen several degrees.
Only then did the Netherworld Leopard realize that it was in danger and hurriedly ran into the depths of the forest.
However, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School's soul-hunting team had no time to deal with the escaped prey, because the phoenix before them was the greatest threat. A 560,000-year-old soul beast, the Fire Phoenix's strength was already close to the limit for humans, a near-limit existence.
"Respected Beast Lord," Gu Rong swallowed hard, "Do you not know why we have offended you?"
The Fire Phoenix looked at Gu Rong and said, "From the moment you stepped into the forest to hunt soul beasts, you have offended me!"
Gu Rong said weakly, "Humans hunting soul beasts is only natural. Does that count as offending you?"
The Phoenix's eyes narrowed, then it said mockingly, "Soul beasts don't want to be hunted, they protect themselves, and they even fight back against humans. Isn't that also only natural? There is only one truth in the world: might makes right."
"I am the lord here, and the soul beasts here are my people. Anyone who sets foot in my territory will be killed without mercy. However, considering that I have just awakened, I will spare you. Tell your fellow humans about this."
"Now get out of here."
Gu Rong nodded repeatedly upon hearing this and led the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School's soul-hunting team away from the forest.
After they left the forest, Ning Feiyang asked, "Grandpa Gu Rong, what should we do with my spirit ring?"
"Go hunt spirits elsewhere," Gu Rong said with a wry smile.
In the past, powerful spirit beasts would sometimes protect weaker ones, but most of the time they remained indifferent observers. After all, countless humans hunted spirits every day, and they couldn't possibly manage them all.
This was the first time Gu Rong had ever seen such a powerful spirit beast with such a strong sense of territory.
When they went to hunt other spirit beasts, they encountered other hunting teams and learned a shocking fact from them. The number of spirit beasts over 100,000 years old in the Star Dou Great Forest had surged. Even in the outer areas, anyone entering the Star Dou Great Forest could easily encounter one or two 100,000-year-old spirit beasts.
Anyone entering the Star Dou Great Forest would be driven away by these spirit beasts.
Their expulsion wasn't out of kindness, but to spread the news of their awakening to the human world.
Some brutal spirit beasts would slaughter an entire hunting team until only one person remained before releasing them.
Hearing this, Gu Rong immediately became very serious.
"Shouldn't the strongest soul beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest be the Titan Giant Ape and the Azure Bull Python? When did so many terrifying soul beasts appear?" "Grandpa, what should we do?"
"Let's go hunting soul beasts in the Sunset Forest."
So Gu Rong led Ning Feiyang to the Sunset Forest.
Along the way, they received various reports about the changes in the Star Dou Great Forest. Soul beasts over 100,000 years old were appearing in the forest in large numbers. In the past, powerful soul beasts would fight each other over who owned their territory, but they had become united.
Sometimes, to drive away a human Title Douluo, two or more 100,000-year-old soul beasts would attack simultaneously, injuring or killing the Title Douluo.
Gu Rong was still shaken by their escape from that phoenix killer.
This also made Gu Rong wary.
The abundance of 100,000-year-old soul beasts, and their lack of conflict, meant that a more powerful force had emerged in that area of the Star Dou Great Forest, unifying all the soul beasts.
The Star Dou Great Forest, once a paradise for human soul hunters, has now become a forbidden zone.
What shocked Ning Feiyang even more was that the Sunset Forest was in a situation almost identical to the Star Dou Great Forest!
Suddenly, dozens of soul beasts over 100,000 years old appeared, driving humans out and forbidding them from hunting soul beasts in the forest.
So, they went to the far north, only to be driven away by the ferocious beasts there.
Ultimately, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School's soul hunting team confirmed one thing: all the soul beast forests, soul beast oceans, and wild areas frequented by soul beasts on the continent had become forbidden zones for humans.
However, the number of soul beasts in these various forests, regions, and secret realms likely exceeded one hundred—a terrifying number that sent chills down the spines of everyone making the deduction.
Compared to the power of the soul beasts, the human forces seemed rather weak.
In the human world, the Spirit Hall only had about twenty or thirty Title Douluos, and the total number of Title Douluos in all forces was no more than fifty.
Now, people are no longer thinking about how to hunt for more powerful spirit rings in the forest. Instead, they are afraid that these powerful 100,000-year-old spirit beasts in the forest might lead the spirit beasts out of the forest and create a beast tide. A beast tide sweeping across the world is something that no force can stop.
The crisis of spirit beasts caused widespread anxiety!
On the other hand, areas inhabited by wild spirit beasts became forbidden zones, leaving only the hunting grounds established by various powerful forces as the only places where humans could hunt for spirit rings.
However, these hunting grounds only offered spirit beasts under ten thousand years old, and the supply was extremely limited. The entire human world was plunged into a crisis of both spirit beasts and spirit rings.
The young people of this era watched helplessly as they reached the age where they needed to hunt for spirit rings, but were unable to obtain them to improve their strength due to the forbidden zones. Their age increased, and their talents were wasted; they were deeply anxious.
They were incredibly envious of those older generations whose talents had already been fully developed.
All these pressures ultimately converged on the Anti-Spirit Hall Alliance and the Spirit Hall itself! Gu Rong of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School returned with Ning Feiyang and the others.
"Didn't you hunt any spirit rings?" Ning Fengzhi asked.
Gu Rong shook his head.
Ning Feiyang anxiously asked, "Dad, what should I do?"
Although Ning Feiyang's potential wasn't as great as Ning Rongrong's, he was still a genius. How could he allow himself to waste his talent during his prime cultivation years? How could he allow himself to be a Soul Master for the rest of his life?
However, Soul Beasts had turned all natural hunting grounds into forbidden zones. Where could they find Soul Beasts over ten thousand years old, let alone carefully select them?
Ning Fengzhi said, "I will convene a meeting of the Anti-Spirit Hall Alliance to discuss this matter in detail."
At the Anti-Spirit Hall Conference, numerous forces, including the Star Luo Empire, the Heaven Dou Empire, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, and the Clear Sky Sect, discussed the matter.
"Currently, the matter of the spirit beasts has blocked our hunting of spirit rings. Unless this blockade is broken, our older generation will eventually pass away, and the younger generation, unable to obtain spirit rings, will exhaust their talents. When that time comes, these spirit beasts from the primeval forests will emerge, posing a catastrophe for humanity!" said Tang Xuan, representative of the Clear Sky Sect.
"Yes, yes, what should we do next?" Dai Tianfeng said, troubled.
He only had one son, Dai Mubai, but the continuation of the Star Luo Empire couldn't be separated from spirit rings. Without spirit rings, the advantages of martial spirits couldn't be utilized, and how could they suppress those audacious, rebellious commoners?
Yu Xiaogang, representative of the Heaven Dou Empire, stepped forward and said, "Everyone, I think this matter shouldn't be considered by us, but by the Spirit Hall."
Hearing Yu Xiaogang's words, everyone in the Anti-Spirit Hall Alliance turned their gaze to him.
Yu Xiaogang stood with his hands behind his back, a row of medals gleaming on his chest. A wise glint flashed in his eyes as he spoke matter-of-factly:
"The Spirit Hall, hailed as the holy land of all spirit beasts, enjoys such a high status in our spirit master world. Shouldn't they create a brighter future for us when spirit masters are in peril?"
Hearing Yu Xiaogang's words, Ning Fengzhi immediately understood. He said, "Master, do you mean to request the Spirit Hall to send troops to break the spirit beasts' blockade?"
(End of this chapter)