At this moment, Zhu Fan quietly approached Dai Chengfeng, pointing to the distant demonic wolf and the woman as he whispered.
"Chengfeng, that's a Wind Demon Wolf with roughly fifteen thousand years of cultivation, while that woman is only a five-ring Soul King. Her martial soul isn't top-tier either."
"She absolutely cannot match that Wind Demon Wolf, even with the support of that auxiliary Great Soul Master healing her. The outcome won't change."
"It seems they pose no threat to us. Let's go back."
Hearing this, Dai Chengfeng shook his head. "No, Uncle. Go help them."
"Help them?"
Zhu Fan frowned slightly, looking at Dai Chengfeng. "Chengfeng, we've never met them before, and this is the Great Star Forest."
"Even though they're just a Soul King and a Great Soul Master, human nature is unpredictable."
"What if it's a trap…?"
Dai Chengfeng chuckled and shook his head. "Don't worry, Uncle."
"No one would be willing to use a possessor of the Nine-Heart Begonia, a martial soul so rare that it could easily compete for the title of the strongest auxiliary martial soul in the world, as bait."
"Huh?"
Zhu Fan was somewhat surprised. "Chengfeng, how do you know…?"
"I'll explain later. Just go now… If we're too late, I suspect the hidden Medicine Saint might not be able to resist stepping in personally."
With that, Dai Chengfeng leaped down from the tree branch.
Seeing this, Zhu Fan, though still puzzled, chose to unconditionally trust his nephew.
He raised his right hand and shouted, "I'm here to assist you!"
As he spoke, the third soul ring on his leg lit up, and his entire body transformed into a wisp of black smoke. "Third soul skill, Netherworld Instant Flash!"
In an instant, he arrived ahead of the Wind Demon Wolf, rescuing the woman and Ye Lingling.
Dai Chengfeng watched the scene with a faint smile.
"My luck seems pretty good!"
The reason Dai Chengfeng had ventured into the Tian Dou Empire, an 'ally' nation, despite the risks, was clear: the immortal herbs.
At most, he also hoped to win over Dugu Bo, the Poison Douluo, and see if he could bring him to serve the Star Luo Empire.
But previously, Dai Chengfeng's knowledge of immortal herbs was extremely limited—aside from a few names and their effects, he knew almost nothing.
Thus, he had carefully considered who he should approach to obtain information about the immortal herbs.
First, Dai Chengfeng ruled out Tang San.
Given Tang San's personality, even if Dai Mubai himself were to ask later on, it's unlikely he'd divulge complete information about the immortal herbs…
And as a complete stranger, how could Dai Chengfeng possibly extract such information from him?
Using force wasn't an option either—after all, the Hao Tian Douluo wasn't someone to be trifled with.
Next, the original story hinted that those with some knowledge of immortal herbs were limited to the Elders of the Spirit Hall, particularly Ju Douluo, whose martial soul was the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, and the renowned alchemists of the Breaking Clan.
But these two…
Meeting Ju Douluo was already uncertain, let alone assuming he would share knowledge of the immortal herbs with Dai Chengfeng, the Fourth Prince of the Star Luo Empire.
After all, the relationship between the Spirit Hall and the Star Luo Empire wasn't exactly friendly.
Why would an Elder of the Spirit Hall share such valuable knowledge with Dai Chengfeng?
Moreover, asking directly might arouse suspicion.
In that case, the immortal herbs would have no further connection to Dai Chengfeng.
After all, the Spirit Hall had many Elders, and immortal herbs weren't something that could only be consumed by one person.
Would Bibi Dong give the immortal herbs to consolidate the loyalty of the Title Douluos within the Spirit Hall or to Dai Chengfeng? The answer was obvious!
It seemed the Breaking Clan was the only hope left, but Dai Chengfeng only considered them as a last resort.
After all, alchemical knowledge was the Breaking Clan's means of survival—they wouldn't casually pass it on to outsiders.
So?
Who was the best choice?
Thinking this, Dai Chengfeng turned his gaze once more to the girl holding the pink begonia flower, Ye Lingling, the granddaughter of the revered Medicine Saint, Ye Renxin.
"If Ye Lingling's grandfather is revered across the continent as the Medicine Saint, then his understanding of herbs must surely rival that of any expert."
"And since he doesn't rely on alchemy for a living, he likely wouldn't hesitate to share knowledge of medicinal herbs…"
"Especially… to the 'savior' of his beloved granddaughter!"
While he was reflecting,
Zhu Fan had already engaged the Wind Demon Wolf in battle, and Dai Chengfeng had approached Ye Lingling.
"Are you alright?"
Looking at the pale-faced girl, Dai Chengfeng asked.
"Thank you."
Ye Lingling gave a slight bow of gratitude to Dai Chengfeng, then fell silent, instinctively retreating a few steps.
Her gaze carried a hint of confusion, curiosity, and a trace of caution.
Seeing this, Dai Chengfeng didn't mind.
He knew that Ye Lingling was naturally introverted and reserved due to her parents' tragic past.
As for caution—this was, after all, the Great Star Forest.
If he hadn't already known that the girl before him was Ye Lingling, granddaughter of the Medicine Saint Ye Renxin and possessor of the Nine-Heart Begonia martial soul, he wouldn't have intervened either.
Thus, Dai Chengfeng simply nodded. "That's good."
The sixth soul ring on Zhu Fan's leg lit up as he stood before the Wind Demon Wolf.
Instantly, a surge of dense black energy erupted from his body. The muscles in his right arm rapidly expanded, and fine black fur covered his skin, glowing with an eerie light.
His nails lengthened into razor-sharp claws, gleaming with cold menace.
"Sixth Technique: Netherworld Heart Piercing Claw."
Zhu Fan's voice was low and deep. Then, his body shot forward like a streak of black lightning toward the Wind Demon Wolf.
His speed was so fast that even Dai Chengfeng couldn't track his movements.
On the other side, the Wind Demon Wolf seemed to sense the lethal threat. Fear flickered in its eyes.
It roared furiously, attempting to intimidate Zhu Fan with its presence, but all its efforts were in vain.
In the blink of an eye, Zhu Fan appeared before the Wind Demon Wolf. His right claw, imbued with overwhelming power and speed, pierced directly into the wolf's heart.
There was no time for any reaction.
Zhu Fan's claw blade instantly penetrated the Wind Demon Wolf's body, emerging from its back.
A torrent of black blood gushed from the wound, splattering onto the ground. Dead!
Zhu Fan looked at the lifeless Wind Demon Wolf on the ground, slowly retracting his right hand and shaking off the blood.
"It's done," Zhu Fan said calmly.
Dai Chengfeng looked at Zhu Fan. "Uncle, you've worked hard."
Zhu Fan smiled. "It was just a ten-thousand-year soul beast."
Seeing the Wind Demon Wolf, which had pushed them to the brink of death, being instantly killed by Zhu Fan…
Both the woman and Ye Lingling's eyes flashed with surprise.
They exchanged glances. "Lingling, it seems they're good people. If they could kill the Wind Demon Wolf so easily, imagine what they could do to us."
Hearing this, Ye Lingling nodded. The caution in her eyes had largely disappeared, replaced by a hint of gratitude.
At this moment, the older woman stepped forward and bowed deeply to Zhu Fan and Dai Chengfeng. "I am Bai Xue, a teacher at the Tian Dou Imperial Academy."
Then, she gestured to the girl beside her, introducing her. "This is my student, Ye Lingling."
"We deeply thank both of you for saving our lives."
Ye Lingling also bowed solemnly to the two. "Lingling thanks both of you for saving our lives."
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