Chapter 32: Sunset Forest

After entering the Sunset Forest, Yang Xiong became extremely cautious.

The Sunset Forest is claimed to be one of the three great Soul Beast forests, and it contains very abundant Soul Beast resources; although it may not have Ten‑thousand Year Soul Beasts, there are still many high‑level Soul Beasts.

Moreover, the Sunset Forest covers a vast area; although it is not as massive as the Star Dou Great Forest, its diameter still reaches several hundred meters, and its depths are mysterious; there are already several Soul Beasts that are seventy‑to‑eighty thousand years old.

It should be noted that Soul Beasts of the eighty‑thousand‑year grade are already comparable to top‑tier Soul Douluo, and they even possess a respectable Ninth Soul Ring for a Soul Grandmaster; their strength is indeed formidable.

Recently Yang Xiong has carefully studied the map of the Sunset Forest and now has a rough understanding of the entire forest.

But when he actually entered the Sunset Forest, he truly grasped the terror of a Soul Beast forest.

The ground seemed covered with all kinds of weeds, with only a few faint, intermittent paths.

Various trees sprang up endlessly, both tall and short, all appearing full of Life Force; although they may not be Soul Beasts, their ages are extremely great.

Nevertheless, the Sunset Forest is exceptionally dangerous; among the myriad weeds, a Soul Beast will occasionally burst out, and if Yang Xiong's perception were not fairly good, one would likely be ambushed.

In such a terrifying environment as the Sunset Forest, a normal person's walking speed is very slow; especially for a Great Soul Master like Yang Xiong, it's uncertain whether he could cover ten kilometers in a day.

Whenever Yang Xiong spots a Soul Beast, he darts away instantly; getting injured while fighting Soul Beasts in the forest is a grave taboo.

In just half a day, Yang Xiong encountered seven or eight thousand‑year Soul Beasts, and even more hundred‑year Soul Beasts; moreover, the variety of these Soul Beasts far exceeds that of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, which also means greater danger.

Especially, Yang Xiong came across a thousand‑year Iron Bone Snake; this Iron Bone Snake hid in the grass, its entire aura completely concealed, with no soul power or temperature fluctuations, behaving just like a hunter.

When Yang Xiong passed by, at a distance of only five meters the snake suddenly launched an attack, startling Yang Xiong himself.

Such a close‑range attack by a thousand‑year Soul Beast is impossible for an ordinary Great Soul Master to evade; even a Soul Elder could be easily slain.

Yang Xiong felt a violent blow strike his body, spitting a mouthful of fresh blood, as if his bones were about to fall apart, with several bones seemingly broken.

At the critical moment, Yang Xiong's form flashed and he Teleported dozens of meters away.

Yet the Iron Bone Snake reacted extremely quickly, dashing after Yang Xiong; especially while he was moving at full speed, its velocity even surpassed that of one newly entering the Soul Ancestor realm, indicating this is an Iron Bone Snake over two thousand years old.

Yang Xiong gritted his teeth, his back and ribs emitting soul power fluctuations; instantly a turtle shell two meters in diameter unfolded, enveloping his whole body—this is precisely Yang Xiong's External Soul Bone Xuanming Armor.

The Xuanming Armor has two modes; it can transform into a massive turtle shell that shields the entire body, wrapping him layer by layer, looking like a huge turtle carapace.

Originally the Xuanming Armor was only five hundred years old, but after many years of cultivation it has reached the thousand‑year grade.

This Iron Bone Snake is less than ten meters long, its diameter no more than forty centimeters; faced with a two‑meter‑diameter massive turtle shell, it is suddenly at a loss.

In terms of the Xuanming Armor's formidable defense, not even a thousand‑year Iron Bone Snake, let alone a thousand‑year Titan Giant Ape, could likely break it.

Moreover, given the massive Xuanming Armor, the Iron Bone Snake cannot swallow it, let alone digest it.

According to Yang Xiong's estimate, Soul Beasts below the Yi Wan Nian level should not be able to affect the Xuanming Armor, unless they are some top‑tier, exceptional Soul Beasts.

It should be known that, regarding the Xuanming Turtle's defense, even a being a realm higher might not be able to kill it; Yang Xiong's Xuanming Armor essentially replicates the Xuanming Turtle's robust defense, and turtles represent the pinnacle of defense—its shell can cover the whole body with virtually no flaw, even withstanding forces dozens or hundreds of times its weight; the Xuanming Turtle is the apex among turtle Soul Beasts.

Especially since the Xuanming Armor has two states when used and also possesses defensive soul skill; if one didn't have to fight while carrying a turtle shell, it would be the ideal defensive Soul Bone, and once it reaches the Yi Wan Nian grade, it could probably stride through the entire Sunset Forest unimpeded.

The Iron Bone Snake, eyeing the huge turtle shell before it, refuses to abandon its prospective meal; a pair of sharp fangs bite the Xuanming Armor, yet the armor remains completely unmoved.

The Iron Bone Snake even coils its whole body around the Xuanming Armor, seemingly trying to crush it with all its strength, but the armor still does not budge.

The Iron Bone Snake labored for a full half hour, yet faced with this massive turtle shell it felt helpless and finally left.

Yang Xiong, hidden inside the Xuanming Armor, was initially extremely worried, but after sensing that the Iron Bone Snake had no way to deal with him, he breathed a sigh of relief.

After confirming the Iron Bone Snake had fully left, Yang Xiong retracted the Xuanming Armor and swiftly departed the area.

This was Yang Xiong's first time facing mortal danger in the Sunset Forest; fortunately he had means of self‑preservation, whereas an ordinary Soul Elder would likely have perished long ago.

If the daytime dangers are visible to the naked eye, then at night the entire Sunset Forest becomes like a terrifying giant beast, seemingly ready to devour every human who enters.

At night, visibility is extremely poor, and many dark‑type Soul Beasts can conceal their soul power fluctuations, turning the Soul Beast forest into a true hunting ground.

Yang Xiong dug a pit and filled its surroundings with the dung of high‑level Soul Beasts, which can intimidate some weaker Soul Beasts.

Throughout the night Yang Xiong remained on edge; he could not even sleep or focus on Meditation, because the forest's Soul Beasts are myriad and strange, and if any Soul Beast attacked, immediate action would be required, especially since some Soul Beasts in the forest can launch mental attacks, and any slight lapse of mind could be fatal.

The first day was the most tense, and Yang Xiong was most frightened; it was his first time ever living in such a perilous environment since childhood, and fortunately his mind was not that of an eleven‑year‑old boy, otherwise he could not have endured the mental strain.

Moreover, Yang Xiong's purpose in coming to the Soul Beast forest was to train in this hazardous setting, for a Soul Grandmaster can only truly grow amid danger.

In the following days, Yang Xiong gradually adapted to the environment of the Sunset Forest; he was very grateful that he had previously cultivated Divided Mind Control, allowing him to monitor the outside while training.

The turtle shell won't be used many times, and the back armor will evolve; then it will be truly perfect.

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(End of Chapter)