A ripple disturbed the air at the edge of the Sunset Forest, like heat rising off sun-baked stone. Three figures coalesced from the shimmer, solidifying under the dappled canopy. They were unremarkable at first glance: a tall, scholarly old man with eyes holding ancient depths; a hulking warrior whose silence was a heavy cloak; and a woman whose beauty was like a sudden sunrise, making the forest dim around her.
Yao Ling, the old man, took a slow breath, tasting the air. "We are here," he stated, his voice calm, yet carrying the weight of centuries. He sent the thought directly into the minds of his companions. "This forest borders the human city where the target resides. A place they call Heaven Dou."
Chi Wang, the warrior, grunted, his six hidden eyes scanning the unfamiliar woods. "Feels weak. Teeming with lesser creatures. Why do humans come here?"
"They hunt," Yao Ling explained patiently, already slipping into his role as guide. "For the spirit rings you see around their spirits. It is how they steal our race's power and make it into their own." He subtly adjusted the perception field around them, a ripple invisible even to the most sensitive spirit sense. "We will appear as ordinary travelers. Do not draw attention."
Zi Ji, the woman, ran a hand over a broad leaf, her touch surprisingly gentle. "These plants… they feel different from home. Less… vibrant."
"This forest is tamed, Lady Zi Ji," Yao Ling clarified. "Closer to the human dens. Less wild energy."
They moved deeper into the woods, their steps silent. Yao Ling's vast consciousness swept outwards, mapping the forest, feeling the life within it. He quickly found what he was looking for.
"There," he directed them. "A group of humans. Attempting to hunt."
They found them easily. Five humans, Spirit Kings by their weak auras, surrounding a wounded beast. It was a ten-thousand-year-old Armored Rhino, its hide pierced by numerous spirit arrows, its breath coming in ragged gasps. The humans were laughing, congratulating each other.
"Nice shot, Captain!" one shouted. "Right in the eye socket!"
"He's finished!" another crowed. "My fifth ring! A black one at last!"
The one called Captain stepped forward, drawing a wicked-looking dagger. "Alright, let's finish it. Lin, prepare for absorption."
The man named Lin sat down eagerly, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.
Yao Ling acted.
His mental power descended, not like a hammer, but like a suffocating blanket. The five humans froze mid-motion, their triumphant expressions turning blank, their eyes losing focus. Their minds simply… stopped.
Chi Wang and Zi Ji moved like lightning. Thick, blood-red chains of energy erupted from Chi Wang's hands, binding the frozen humans. Zi Ji's touch, a swirl of abyssal purple, solidified the air around them, ensuring not even a breath could escape.
"Quickly," Yao Ling commanded, stepping towards the lead Spirit King, the Captain. He placed a hand on the man's forehead. His ancient eyes glowed with a faint, multi-hued light.
He didn't tear through the human's mind. He sifted. Thoughts, memories, experiences… they flowed into him like a river into the sea. Images flashed: the bustling streets of Heaven Dou, the faces of comrades, the thrill of the hunt, fragments of overheard conversations, rumors whispered in taverns.
He found the target. The face matched the consciousness he had confronted. The name echoed: Zhang Tian.
He delved deeper, seeking connections. The name of a powerful human sect surfaced: Seven Treasure Glaze Tile Sect. Vast wealth. Unfathomable influence. Based in Heaven Dou City. Zhang Tian was linked to their heir, a fiancé.
He searched for the sect's strength. The memories were fragmented, based on public knowledge and bar-room bragging. Five Titled Douluos. Two of them legends, Sword and Bone, their power spoken of in hushed, fearful tones. Descriptions matched powerful auras, beings who could perhaps challenge even Chi Wang, maybe even Zi Ji if they were careless. 'Stronger than expected,' Yao Ling noted.
Then, the crucial search. The Asura God. He combed through every relevant memory, every overheard prayer, every whispered legend. Nothing. No symbols. No rituals. No mention of the Slaughter God among this sect's known affiliations. The human's threat… it seemed based on personal knowledge, not a factional power. The mystery deepened. Why did he know? How?
Yao Ling withdrew his probe, leaving the human minds blank, wiped clean of the last few minutes. He shared his findings telepathically.
"The target is named Zhang Tian. He is tied to this Seven Treasure Glaze Tile Sect. They are strong, possessing multiple Titled Douluos, two of whom are Super Douluos. Their strength is considerable, perhaps enough to trouble us if we are not careful." He paused. "However, there is no apparent link to the Asura God. His knowledge appears… independent."
Chi Wang, the brutish warrior, grunted mentally, unimpressed. "Super Douluos? Bah. Ants are ants, whether they crawl alone or in a swarm. Lord Di Tian could crush them with a thought." He flexed his massive human hands. "And this Zhang Tian is weak. You said so yourself. A mere Spirit King. He was bluffing about the God King. Trying to scare you. We should just go to his city now and crush him. Steal his memories. End this."
Zi Ji, the Abyss Dragon Demon Empress, offered a different perspective, her voice a soft chime in their minds. "The memories Yao Ling showed us… this Seven Treasure Sect commands great influence among the humans. Like a large pack controlling prime territory. And this Zhang Tian is tied to their future leader." Her crimson eyes held a thoughtful light. "Attacking him directly could provoke a large human response. Lord Di Tian warned against causing unnecessary trouble. A swarm of angry ants can still bite."
Yao Ling shook his head, his ancient eyes thoughtful. "Chi Wang, you see only the surface. You underestimate the human's threat. His mental force was insignificant compared to mine, yes. Like a firefly to the moon. But to lie with such conviction, to possess knowledge of our Lord and the Asura God... that requires a confidence rooted in something real. He believed his threat."
"Then what?" Chi Wang grumbled. "If he wasn't lying, where does his confidence come from?"
"He must have a trump card," Yao Ling concluded, his gaze distant. "Something hidden. Something unrelated to his sect's known power. Something that gives him the confidence to threaten even Di Tian." He looked at the unconscious humans. "These hunters… they are grunts. Foot soldiers. Their knowledge is limited to common rumors, tavern boasts. They know nothing of true secrets."
"To understand Zhang Tian's real strength, his hidden power," Yao Ling decided, "we must access the minds of those closer to him. Core members. Elders of this Seven Treasure Glaze Tile Sect."
Chi Wang growled again, a low rumble of frustration. "Their main den will be heavily guarded. Protected by those Super Douluos you mentioned. How do we snatch an Elder without alerting their entire nest? Without starting a war Lord Di Tian warned against?"
Zi Ji, still processing the complexities of human society, offered a simple idea. "Perhaps we can lure one out? Offer a rare treasure? Humans seem to like shiny things."
Yao Ling considered this, stroking his long, white beard. "Luring is possible, but risky. They are not mindless beasts drawn to bait. We need a more subtle approach." He looked towards the direction of the distant city. "We must enter their den. Heaven Dou City. Observe. Learn their patterns. Identify a potential target who travels frequently, perhaps alone. Someone important enough to know secrets, but not so important that their disappearance causes an immediate uproar."
Chi Wang still looked skeptical, but he respected Yao Ling's wisdom, and more importantly, Di Tian's command for caution. Zi Ji, intrigued by the prospect of seeing a human city up close, readily agreed.
"Very well," Yao Ling said. He moved among the unconscious Spirit Masters, his touch light, erasing the memories of their encounter. He replaced them with a fabricated narrative – a sudden, overwhelming attack by a powerful, mutated spirit beast they barely glimpsed before darkness took them. It was a plausible explanation for their state.
The trio then melted back into the forest, leaving the five unconscious hunters and the cooling corpse of the rhino behind. Their destination was now the bustling, dangerous heart of the human empire: Heaven Dou City.
The journey through the human countryside was a strange experience for the three Fierce Beasts. Yao Ling, drawing on the hunters' memories, guided them along dusty roads, through small villages teeming with weak, noisy humans.
Chi Wang grumbled constantly. "This pace is pathetic," he complained mentally. "We could cross this entire pathetic empire in a day if we flew. Why must we walk like injured slugs?"
"Because, Chi Wang," Yao Ling replied patiently, "flying would attract attention. Our mission requires stealth. And try not to glare at every human farmer we pass. They are weak, yes, but numerous. And easily startled."
Zi Ji, however, was fascinated by everything. She pointed excitedly at a field where humans were coaxing strange, four-legged beasts to drag metal claws through the dirt. "Yao Ling, what are they doing? Are they punishing the ground?"
"They are farming, Lady Zi Ji," Yao Ling explained. "Cultivating plants for food."
"Humans eat plants?" Zi Ji asked, wrinkling her nose. "How… bland." She much preferred the taste of a ten-thousand-year-old spirit beast.
They finally arrived at the gates of Heaven Dou City. Even Yao Ling, who had absorbed countless memories of human settlements, was taken aback by the sheer scale of it. The noise, the smells, the overwhelming press of thousands upon thousands of humans moving like a frantic river… it was an assault on the senses.
Chi Wang felt claustrophobic, the press of so many weak beings making his skin crawl. He wanted to roar, to scatter them like frightened deer.
Zi Ji was mesmerized. The colorful clothes, the strange buildings reaching for the sky, the endless variety of unfamiliar scents and sounds… it was a chaotic, vibrant tapestry unlike anything in their quiet, orderly forest.
"Stay close," Yao Ling instructed, subtly projecting a field of low-level mental suggestion around them. It wouldn't fool a powerful Spirit Master, but it made the guards at the gate, and the crowds around them, simply… overlook them. Their extraordinary appearances, Chi Wang's intimidating bulk and Zi Ji's world-altering beauty, registered as unremarkable, blending into the background noise of the city.
He repeated his instructions on basic human etiquette. "Chi Wang, do not eat the currency. Zi Ji, try not to incinerate merchants who annoy you."
They spent their first day simply observing, moving through the sprawling markets, listening to the endless chatter in crowded taverns. Yao Ling's mind was a sponge, absorbing information, confirming Zhang Tian's identity, his connection to the Seven Treasure Sect, and his surprisingly high status within the city's social hierarchy. He was known not just as the sect heir's fiancé, but as a genius in his own right, the architect of the city's recent technological boom.
"This human is more influential than the memories suggested," Yao Ling reported mentally that evening, as they sat in the quiet, discreet inn he had secured for them. "He is not just some pampered noble consort. He is a power player."
He focused his vast senses, subtly scanning the city's energy signatures. He located the main compound of the Seven Treasure Glaze Tile Sect, a fortress of wealth and power radiating the auras of multiple Titled Douluos. He found Zhang Tian's private estate, similarly guarded.
He tracked the movements of several known elders and core disciples, learning their routines, their patrol routes, their known associates.
And he quickly realized the challenge.
"It is difficult," he admitted to his companions. "The core members rarely leave their protected enclaves. And when they do, they are never alone. A direct abduction within the city is too risky. The potential for exposure, for confrontation with those Super Douluos… it is too high."
Chi Wang slammed his massive fist onto the table, making the cheap wooden furniture groan. "This is tedious! Waiting! Hiding! Why must we act like frightened rabbits? Let us just storm their compound! We are Fierce Beasts! We take what we want!"
Yao Ling fixed him with a cold, ancient stare. "Patience, Chi Wang. Recklessness will alert the enemy and endanger our mission. Lord Di Tian commanded caution. We will obey." His voice was quiet, but it held the unshakeable authority of half a million years. Chi Wang subsided, grumbling under his breath.
"We must wait for an opportunity," Yao Ling stated calmly. "One of them will eventually leave the city's protection. A mission, a hunt, a personal errand. We will watch. And we will be ready."
The stage was set for a long, patient game of cat and mouse in the heart of enemy territory. The ancient kings of the forest had become spies, lurking in the shadows of a world they did not understand, hunting a prey whose true danger they had yet to comprehend.
The preliminary rounds of the Continental Tournament marched on, a relentless parade of youthful ambition and dashed hopes. Zhang Tian and his inner circle, however, quickly lost interest. The predictable grind of the Shrek team clawing its way back up the rankings held little fascination after their spectacular fall against the Blazing Academy. Their focus shifted inward, back to the silent, intense cultivation happening within the walls of their estate.
The past month became a crucible. The easy leisure of observing lesser talents was replaced by the demanding work of forging their own power. Zhang Tian pushed himself, Ning Rongrong, and Zhu Zhuqing with a relentless drive, knowing that the true challenges lay not in these city preliminaries, but on the grand stage of Spirit City – and perhaps beyond, in the stirring shadows of the Star Dou Forest.
Ning Rongrong's progress was like watching a flower bloom in fast forward. Her mastery over her self-created skill, the "Nine Jewel Divine Light," reached a frightening level of precision. She stood in the training yard, eyes closed, not focusing on a target dummy, but on the erratic flight of a dragonfly darting through the air.
"Concentrate, Rongrong," Zhang Tian's voice was calm, encouraging. "Don't follow it. Feel where it will be."
She took a breath, the nine-colored aura around her coalescing into a pinpoint of light at her fingertip. Flick. The beam, no thicker than a needle, shot out. It didn't blast the dragonfly; it moved like a sentient ribbon of light, weaving through the air, anticipating the insect's jukes and dives, finally forming a tiny, shimmering cage around it for a single instant before dissipating.
"Better," Zhang Tian praised. "Your control is becoming sharp as a master's blade."
"Hee hee! Of course it is! I'm your wife, aren't I?" she chirped, beaming.