Douluo: Emerald Poison Emperor

They returned to the inn, packed their belongings, and resumed their journey. After about half a day, the group arrived at the outskirts of the Star Dou Forest.

Although it was already late in the day, entering the Star Dou Forest at night was far more dangerous than during the daytime. However, this meant nothing to someone like Dugu Bo.

Dugu Bo led Chen Ming and Dugu Yan into the Star Dou Forest, heading straight toward its depths.

The Star Dou Forest is roughly divided into five distinct zones: the outermost edge, inhabited by ten-year and hundred-year soul beasts; the outer perimeter, where hundred-year and thousand-year soul beasts dwell; the mixed zone, where thousand-year and ten-thousand-year soul beasts cohabitate, with occasional appearances of ten-thousand-year soul beasts.

Beyond the mixed zone lies the core zone, where almost exclusively ten thousand-year soul beasts reside, with only a few thousand-year soul beasts of strong bloodlines daring to live there.

It is said that within the core zone, there are even soul beasts that have reached the hundred-thousand-year level, but very few people can confirm this. Or rather, most soul masters who encounter hundred-thousand-year soul beasts in the core zone are not qualified to leave alive.

At this time, the core zone of the Star Dou Forest already represented the furthest boundary of human exploration. Beyond it lies a forbidden area for human soul masters.

The Lake of Life, home to the Azure Bull Python and the Titan Giant Ape, lies within the core zone.

It is rumored that deep within the core zone of the Star Dou Forest exists a place known as the Land of Great Peril, where beings surpassing hundred-thousand-year soul beasts reside. However, this has never been confirmed.

In fact, in the past few thousand years, confirmed sightings of hundred-thousand-year soul beasts in the Star Dou Forest have been extremely rare.

Because of their noble bloodlines, the hundred-thousand-year-level Azure Bull Python and Titan Giant Ape are revered by the world as the kings of the Star Dou Forest.

As a transmigrator, however, Chen Ming knew with certainty that the Land of Great Peril did indeed exist. That place was an absolute forbidden zone, even for Titled Douluo. Even a Level 99 Titled Douluo could not guarantee their safe return from it.

In this era, only the high priest of a deity or a demigod wielding a divine weapon would have the qualifications to attempt to explore the Land of Great Peril.

Of course, this time the goal was merely to help Dugu Yan obtain her third soul ring, which would at most require venturing into the mixed zone. There was no need to enter the dangerous core zone, let alone the Land of Great Peril.

During this era, most of the ferocious beasts had gone into hiding. Whether they were absorbing the origin power of the Skydream Iceworm at the true Lake of Life, guarding the Sacred Beast, or simply avoiding something, was unknown.

As long as they didn't provoke disaster, the strength of a Titled Douluo was more than sufficient to protect the two of them and allow them to roam freely within the Star Dou Forest.

Dugu Bo led the two across the outer perimeter of the forest. Along the way, they encountered several waves of soul beasts, but Dugu Bo chose not to take action, instead allowing the two of them to handle the situation on their own.

Although poison-based abilities lose their effectiveness later on for Titled Douluo, in the early stages, they are formidable tools for challenging opponents beyond one's level.

Even though Dugu Yan was merely a Soul Master who had yet to obtain her third soul ring, she managed to effortlessly fend off multiple waves of attacking ten-year and hundred-year soul beasts using her first two soul skills and the venom inherent to her Jade Phosphor Serpent.

Most of the time, soul masters aim to drive soul beasts away rather than kill them, unless necessary, to preserve soul beast resources for future generations.

It is said that this practice was first proposed by the Spirit Hall, which called on soul masters across the Douluo Continent to follow it. Over time, this idea gradually became an unspoken rule among soul masters. (And then some idiot destroyed it.)

Aside from a few stubborn soul beasts that refused to retreat, most were driven away by Chen Ming. During this process, Chen Ming personally killed only one ten-year Wind Baboon. Interestingly, he didn't kill it directly with poison but rather used the poison to incapacitate it before finishing it off with a dagger.

Neither Dugu Yan nor Dugu Bo understood Chen Ming's reasoning, but since it was just a ten-year Wind Baboon, they didn't bother to ask.

After entering the outer perimeter, Dugu Bo guided the two to select a suitable location, clear out soul beasts, and set up camp. He then explained the purpose behind these actions and what one should do when traveling alone.

While soul masters cannot completely forego sleep, they do not necessarily require it.

On their first night in the Star Dou Forest, Dugu Bo didn't let the two sleep. Instead, the three of them stayed up all night, with Dugu Bo recounting his past experiences and explaining the meaning behind the various occurrences throughout the night.

As dawn approached, Dugu Bo took advantage of Dugu Yan's drowsiness to quietly remove the measures he had set up to repel soul beasts. As a result, some soul beasts began to approach the camp.

Although these overconfident soul beasts were instantly melted into toxic puddles by Chen Ming, this unexpected situation gave both Dugu Yan and Chen Ming a valuable lesson, allowing them to gain firsthand experience of nighttime soul beast attacks.

In the following days, Dugu Bo didn't rely on his Titled Douluo strength to bulldoze through the soul beasts' territories. Instead, he moved cautiously, as an ordinary soul master would, leading the two through narrow paths in the Star Dou Forest while sharing his accumulated wisdom.

These orally transmitted lessons were built upon the blood and tears of countless soul masters. Both Chen Ming and Dugu Yan listened attentively, etching these teachings into their minds.

During this time, Chen Ming and Dugu Yan used what they had learned to identify several gathering spots and types of soul beasts. They also tracked some soul beasts based on the traces they left on the ground. Time passed quickly, and the two grew significantly.

Amid their learning and practical experience, the group entered the mixed zone and arrived at the location where Dugu Bo intended for Dugu Yan to obtain her third soul ring.

It was an enormous canyon, whose origin—whether caused by an earthquake or the clash of powerful beings—was unknown.

The canyon walls were as smooth as if carved by knives, with only sparse vegetation growing on them. Falling into the canyon would make climbing out nearly impossible.

The canyon was home to numerous snake-type soul beasts, most of which were venomous. They gathered in large groups to form snake dens, and the air was filled with a faint poisonous mist, rendering the area nearly impassable for low-level soul masters.

According to Dugu Bo, this place was a natural breeding ground for venomous creatures. Most of the snake-type soul beasts here fed on toxic plants and other soul beasts, including their kind.

In this environment, the snakes consumed toxic plants and each other, resulting in venom and quality far superior to their counterparts outside the canyon. Among them, the oldest of the venomous snakes had undergone mutations due to years of devouring their kind.

Since the discovery of this canyon by the Dugu family's ancestors, it has become a traditional location for subsequent generations of the family to obtain their soul rings.