After entering the Star Dou Great Forest, Ma Hongjun released his senses.
Ma Hongjun's plan was to find a suitable soul beast for the eighth soul ring of the Martial God Spear here.
Or a soul beast of more than 10,000 years, such as the Explosive Bear, Water Dragon, Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear, Jianmu, etc.
At present, the only 100,000-year soul beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest are Titan Giant Ape and Azure Bull Python.
Xiao Wu is also one.
In addition, there are three 90,000-year and nearly 100,000-year Thousand-Jin Ant Kings.
The other ferocious beasts, led by the Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King Di Tian, are all in seclusion.
These ferocious beasts have all survived two heavenly tribulations and have a strength of more than 200,000 years.
Moreover, the ferocious beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest are stronger than those in other places.
Ma Hongjun's current strength may not be able to deal with these ferocious beasts of more than 200,000 years.
The Star Dou Great Forest is the most competitive and the most diverse forest.
It is different from extreme environments such as the Fire Domain, the Southern Desert, the Far North, and the Sea Domain.
Those places are like paradise for soul beasts of the corresponding attributes, a dream environment to live in.
It's as if the environment chose the soul beasts.
But in the Star Dou Great Forest, soul beasts can only adapt; they choose the environment.
It's much more difficult for soul beasts here to rise to power than in other places.
Correspondingly, their actual combat strength is much greater.
For example, in the far north, due to the special environment, creatures like the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm, a million-year-old weakling, can be born.
Thanks to its unique environment, it can sleep for a million years to reach its cultivation level.
However, while sleeping can increase cultivation, it doesn't increase combat strength.
This is why it's considered a mobile tonic.
Therefore, the soul beasts of the Star Dou Great Forest cannot be treated the same way as those in the Fire Domain.
The strength of the soul beasts here must be treated at a higher level.
Ma Hongjun flew quickly towards the central area of the Star Dou Great Forest. He
wanted to check on Xiao Wu's situation first.
The Titan Giant Ape and the Angel Bull Python both had cultivation levels between 100,000 and 200,000 years.
Therefore, they weren't taken by Di Tian to enjoy seclusion.
Ma Hongjun's current strength was not afraid of these two 100,000-year-old soul beasts.
Therefore, he wasn't worried about their attitude.
If they were unfriendly, he would kill them and take their rings and bones.
If they were friendly, he would consider it making friends.
The Star Dou Great Forest was never short of Soul Masters, especially in the outer areas.
When Ma Hongjun flew over from the outer area, he attracted their attention.
The Soul Masters here were different from those in the Star Sand Kingdom. They sensed Ma Hongjun's powerful fire attribute aura and assumed it was a 100,000-year-old Soul Beast patrolling the skies.
They all speculated that some powerful Soul Beast had appeared in the Star Dou Great Forest.
Ma Hongjun didn't intend to be so high-profile; it was simply because he couldn't control the volatile fire energy within him.
So, he couldn't conceal his powerful aura as he traveled.
Ma Hongjun moved like a ferocious beast, causing panic among Soul Masters and Soul Beasts wherever he went.
Ma Hongjun was very fast, and in the blink of an eye, he entered the inner circle
and arrived at the Lake of Life.
With a whoosh, Ma Hongjun landed beside the forest lake.
Da Ming and Er Ming stood up abruptly, watching the suddenly arriving Ma Hongjun warily.
Then, they appeared on either side of Ma Hongjun, protecting the lake behind him.
The two behemoths, Ma Hongjun and the Titan Giant Ape, were familiar to Er Ming.
The other
creature, with a bull's head and a snake's body, was undoubtedly the Azure Bull Python. Er Ming had seen him before, but Ma Hongjun had changed drastically.
Moreover, Ma Hongjun now used his second martial soul, the Fire Phoenix.
His strength and aura were no weaker than the Titan Giant Ape's, so Er Ming couldn't possibly connect this person with the passerby he had once disregarded.
"Roar!"
Er Ming roared furiously.
"Humans, how dare you come in!"
Da Ming was relatively more rational, as Ma Hongjun posed a great threat to him.
Ma Hongjun ignored Da Ming and Er Ming,
focusing his gaze on the Lake of Life.
In the lake, lotus flowers floated, and a girl in pink lay quietly on them.
However, her once lovely face was now shrouded in black mist.
Beside the girl was a white swan ,
channeling beams of light into her body to heal her injuries.
"Xiao Wu, what happened to her?"
Ma Hongjun was immediately alarmed; Xiao Wu's condition seemed quite bad.
"You know Xiao Wu?"
Da Ming asked doubtfully.
"Not only do I know Xiao Wu, I also know you two.
Da Ming, Er Ming!
Right?"
The two burly men exchanged a glance, immediately realizing that Ma Hongjun might be Xiao Wu's friend from the human world.
"Er Ming, do you remember when Xiao Wu came back, you were the one who went to pick her up? There was a group of people with her, and I was among them.
I'm good friends with Xiao Wu, and I've known for a long time that she's a soul beast.
I was the one who persuaded her to return to the Star Dou Great Forest,"
Ma Hongjun quickly explained.
He didn't want to clash with these two adorable big guys.
Most importantly, how did Xiao Wu get injured?
With these two 100,000-year-old soul beasts around, couldn't they protect her?
Da Ming looked at Er Ming.
Er Ming, on the other hand, was completely bewildered. When it went to pick up Xiao Wu, it hadn't paid much attention to those people, and it couldn't remember them either.
Especially now that Ma Hongjun possessed an aura comparable to a Super Douluo, the strongest among that group back then was only a Soul Saint.
In just a few years, they've improved to such a high level of strength.
However, listening to Ma Hongjun's account, it all makes perfect sense.
Moreover, Ma Hongjun shows them no hostility. He
even withdrew his martial spirit.
"Let me see Xiao Wu!"
Ma Hongjun pushed the two large creatures aside; they were still hesitating and thinking.
No wonder they couldn't protect Xiao Wu.
Two simpletons.
Ma Hongjun waved his hand, drawing the lotus platform over.
The white swan flew up and landed on Er Ming's shoulder, watching Ma Hongjun warily.
It had come to help stabilize Xiao Wu's injuries.
Swans are powerful healing-type soul beasts, welcomed by all soul beast races. They
are the gentlest soul beasts,
kind angels.
They have good relationships with all soul beast races.
This white swan has 50,000 years of cultivation, yet it still can't heal Xiao Wu's injuries.
The powerful evil poison is something it can't remove.
"This was done by an evil soul master?"
Ma Hongjun recognized it immediately; the swirling black aura was undoubtedly from an evil soul master.
"Yes, it was those evil soul masters who did it!"
Erming said indignantly.
Under the watchful eyes of Daming and Erming, Ma Hongjun roughly examined Xiaowu's injuries and found that the evil energy and spider venom had mixed together.
Moreover, due to the long time that had passed, the two toxins had penetrated deep into her body and fused with Xiaowu's body, making it impossible to expel them with soul power.
"It's so serious, you can't cure it either?"
Ma Hongjun asked, looking at the swan.
The white swan, unable to speak human language, made a series of "ooh ooh ooh" sounds.
Finally, the Azure Bull Python translated.
"Xiaowu's evil poison is now mixed together, the swan can't treat her."
"The swan is already the most powerful healing-type soul master in the forest, and even it can't save Xiaowu, so what will happen to Xiaowu?" Erming said worriedly.
Ma Hongjun sighed. Xiaowu couldn't escape it after all; it was her destiny to suffer this calamity. He had originally thought that persuading Xiaowu to return to the forest would avert it.
Ma Hongjun then asked about Xiaowu's injuries, and Daming and Erming recounted the invasion of the evil soul masters.
Unexpectedly, Xiao Wu's fate was too strong. She evaded the Spirit Hall, but was ultimately brought back to life by the evil spirit master.
"Is this the only swan in the Star Dou Great Forest with the strongest healing ability?"
Ma Hongjun asked doubtfully.
If we're talking about healing-type spirit beasts, the strongest are indeed from the swan clan, but not this 50,000-year-old white swan.
"The swan clan once had a very powerful patriarch, but unfortunately, that swan disappeared tens of thousands of years ago."
This was the information conveyed by the white swan.
Ma Hongjun knew they were referring to the Emerald Swan,
that ferocious beast over 500,000 years old.
Perhaps only it could truly heal Xiao Wu's current condition.
Ma Hongjun had also considered bringing Xiao Wu to the human spirit master world for healing.
However, the strongest healing spirit master in the spirit master world was the Nine-Hearted Begonia spirit master.
But Ye Lingling's level was too low; even a 50,000-year-old swan couldn't save Xiao Wu.
Not to mention Ye Lingling, a Soul Master level cultivator.
There are only two options now:
find Ye Lingling's mother,
or find the Emerald Swan.
Finding Ye Lingling's mother is unlikely in the short term, especially since she's directly confronting the Spirit Hall.
Right now, the only hope is finding the Emerald Swan.
Most importantly, Xiao Wu's condition can't be delayed any longer; her life force is very weak, and she'll die if it drags on.
Even if Xiao Wu becomes a god, she won't be able to be resurrected.
Ma Hongjun looked at the Azure Bull Python and said,
"You should know where that swan went?"
The Azure Bull Python looked towards the Lake of Life.