"Luck is on our side, since we've stumbled upon the Dark Soul Tree Forest!" Bexia also gazed at the dark, steel-like forest and remarked.
The Dark Soul Tree is one of the most common plants in the ancient divine battlefield, coexisting with a creature named Soul-Eating Worm. These worms are the nemesis of the divine battle spirits, capturing them to feed the Dark Soul Trees. In return, the Dark Soul Trees bear Soul Fruits to nourish the worms, forming a symbiotic relationship between the two.
The Dark Soul Tree, Soul-Eating Worm, and Soul Fruit are not beneficial for cultivators, and they serve no purpose if taken. However, Bexia considered herself lucky because within the Dark Soul Tree Forest, where many divine battle spirits are absorbed by the trees, treasures can grow on the land. As long as the forest has not been cleared out by others, one can expect a good harvest upon entering!
"Let's move quickly! I hope we don't come back empty-handed. It feels odd without some gains!" Bexia said, summoning a Chaos Ice Crystal warblade in her hand, ready for battle.
Approaching the Dark Soul Tree Forest, strange creatures with long fish-like bodies, sharp mouths, and eight front limbs, known as Soul-Eating Worms, began appearing in the sky.
These worms have no interest in living beings and won't bother cultivators entering the forest as long as they don't attack them or damage the Dark Soul Trees, their food source. The worms solely rely on Soul Fruits grown by the Dark Soul Trees, and other spiritual herbs in the forest hold no significance for them.
"Are those the Soul Fruits?" Bexia stood beneath a Dark Soul Tree, observing the thumb-sized black fruits hanging from the branches, resembling irregular iron lumps.
Numerous Soul-Eating Worms roamed the forest, swiftly catching any fallen Soul Fruits to consume. Not a single fruit reached the ground.
"That stuff is utterly useless. You'd better not get any ideas and stir up trouble later!" Luo Cailing warned Bexia, who was contemplating something.
"No worries, I'm just curious about the energy inside the Soul Fruits," Bexia replied.
"People have researched that energy; it's filled with the grudges and evil thoughts of deceased gods and demons. If consumed by ordinary beings, the consequence is death!" Luo Cailing informed.
"Is that so?" Bexia frowned at the Soul-Eating Worms, realizing the intricate balance of mutual creation and control in the world, where what ordinary beings cannot bear becomes nourishment for other creatures.
"Dad, look what I found!" Higanbana fluttered towards Bexia, holding a dark blue flower in her hand.
"This is the Ice Soul Blossom, which enhances soul power," Luo Cailing casually remarked, acknowledging its significant aid for Saint-level individuals but holding no interest for himself.
"Higanbana, you're amazing! You've found something valuable so quickly!" Bexia praised her daughter.
"There are so many over there, Beibei doesn't even want to come back!" Higanbana exclaimed.
"Really! Let's go take a look!" Bexia replied.
Leading the way, Higanbana flew ahead, and after turning a short distance, Bexia and the others were greeted by a bright sight. In the dim world in front of them, a blue ethereal light appeared, with sparkles of light dots in the surrounding air. In this predominantly dark world, the blue light stood out and captured their attention.
At that moment, Beibei was rolling around in the flowers by himself, fully embodying the nature of a cat, playing and amusing himself. When sensing Bexia's arrival, Beibei immediately jumped up alertly, carrying a few Ice Soul Blossoms in his mouth as he ran over.
"Master meow ⊙ω⊙——!"
"Don't run around!" Bexia reached out to pat Beibei's head, wagging her tail happily, appearing very pleased.
"There are quite a lot of Ice Soul Blossoms here!" Bexia glanced around and honestly, he wasn't interested in these things. Unless they were at the level of divine medicine, he didn't have much interest in anything else at the moment. Even if it were divine medicine, his interest was only average.
After briefly staying in that spot, Bexia and the others continued towards the center of the Soul Tree Forest. Along the way, they also encountered some other natural treasures, but many of them didn't pique the interest of Bexia and the others, who just casually collected a few as souvenirs.
"Huff huff huff—!" Suddenly, a huge abnormal sound echoed from within the Soul Tree Forest, as many Soul-Eating Bugs whistled out from the front of the forest, as if escaping for their lives, seemingly fleeing from some terrifying creature ahead.
"What's going on?" Bexia frowned, then saw a huge black shadow rushing out from the front of the forest, raising a lot of black soil, as if this giant creature had drilled up from the ground... or maybe it had tunneled up from beneath.
"Help—!" Apart from the giant creature, Bexia also saw a few figures scrambling away, only to be sucked in and devoured by the giant monster's gaping mouth, leaving no trace behind.
