"...I heard you're heading to the Extreme North?" Jing Hongchen asked suddenly.
"I do plan to go. Of the three kings of the Extreme North, two are already within my spiritual sea. The only one left is the Titan Snow Demon King—also a target worth drawing in..." Xu Cheng nodded slightly.
As a descendant of the Ancient Ice God and the Titan Giant, the Titan Snow Demon King, despite being only a bit over 200,000 years old, possesses formidable strength. Most importantly, it is now the ruler of all soul beasts in the Extreme North.
Ever since Elder Cheng developed artificial soul rings, the absolute division between man and beast has gradually begun to fade.
The Extreme North, which has existed for tens of thousands of years, holds a staggering number of soul beasts and abundant resources—akin to a massive treasure trove. With Ice Empress and Snow Empress counted, it's second only to the Star Dou Great Forest in terms of soul beast concentration.
As always, Xu Cheng valued resources—greed burning red in his eyes.
Though the Sun Moon Empire appeared to be thriving on the surface, its daily expenses were astronomical. With an unsustainable internal economy, they had no choice but to draw from external sources.
Of course, his most important goal was still the Sea Princess race in the oceans. The seas contain vast mineral resources, and forging good relations with the sea's dominant powers would certainly benefit the Sun Moon Empire's development.
"But before that, I'd rather visit the Star Dou Great Forest first, cause a little trouble for Shrek Academy..." Xu Cheng smiled faintly.
The spread of artificial soul rings was only a matter of time. But since access to them was tightly controlled by the Sun Moon Empire, those who wanted soul rings would have to pay—profits that filled the empire's coffers. At the same time, soul rings differed in quality even at the same level.
Currently, any new student in the Sun Moon Empire who met the requirements could apply for artificial soul rings.
Take, for example, a student about to become a Soul Elder. Backed by the Empire, they could enjoy premium VIP services—like artificially adjusting their soul ring's age to the ten-thousand-year level. Meanwhile, a Shrek Academy student of the same rank could only receive normal treatment: under the continent's original rules, a third soul ring capped at around a thousand years—and would still require an enormous fee.
"Isn't that just blocking their path completely?" Jing Hongchen hesitated.
"No need to go that far, but we can let the Star Dou Great Forest develop some awareness. Originally, you didn't need to kill soul beasts to gain a soul ring. So now that you do—and must also pay high prices—don't tell me that's a valid excuse for slaughter."
Xu Cheng grinned.
His relationship with the Star Dou Great Forest wasn't bad, due to the Silver Dragon King's "contract" and the auspicious beast's connection. But it wasn't close enough to say they were "wearing the same pair of pants"—that is, thinking entirely for the forest's benefit.
Now that he could provoke conflict—even if it just increased Shrek Academy's cost of hunting soul beasts—it was still a win.
"Alright then..."
Star Dou Great Forest – Core Region
The atmosphere here was calm and serene, with the air brimming with dense vitality.
"Those damn animals... their reach is getting too long…" Xiong Jun growled.
"The Sun Moon Empire has launched another sneak attack on the Clear Sky Sect and has extended their borders to the Star Luo Empire. This encroaches upon Shrek Academy's core interests—namely, the Star Dou Great Forest. Whether it's because they've suffered losses and want to recover quickly, or they're trying to prepare for the next Continental Elite Tournament to fight for first place—none of these are valid reasons to invade the forest!" The Ten Thousand Demon King spoke with a seductive tone, laced with chill.
"Shrek Academy's strength was built on sucking the very marrow out of the Star Dou Great Forest. Only they know how many resources they've taken, how many soul beasts they've killed." Bi Ji also voiced her displeasure.
"Di Tian, what's the situation with the Sun Moon Empire's artificial soul rings?" Xiong Jun turned to Di Tian at the front, who had remained silent, and asked impatiently.
"They've succeeded..." Di Tian finally smiled.
Clearly, among all present, he was the calmest. After all, he had seen it firsthand and confirmed it.
"They've succeeded?!! Are you serious?" Xiong Jun exclaimed in disbelief.
"It's true." Di Tian let out a long breath, feeling relief wash over him.
"I saw a soul ring being created from nothing—just fabricated by a massive machine." His tone was mixed with emotion.
"Sigh... then do we now have a valid reason to kick them out?" Xiong Jun's eyes lit up.
In the past, driving the humans out would have meant war between soul beasts and humans—an all-out, mutually destructive war they couldn't afford. But now, they had a legitimate reason. And even more importantly—they could potentially gain support from the Sun Moon Empire, a colossus in its own right.
This was their territory.
"Exactly. And humans are so despicable that they're not satisfied with just killing soul beasts in the forest—they even raise soul beasts in captivity, purely to humiliate and slaughter them. Damn it, I'd rip those bastards apart myself!" the Red King roared.
"From this day forward, restrict human entry into the Star Dou Great Forest," Di Tian declared after a moment of silence.
Of course, completely sealing it off would bring total fallout with humanity and a host of new problems.
Frankly, the Star Dou Great Forest had its own internal cycle. If soul beasts were left unchecked, their numbers would grow uncontrollably, disrupting the ecological balance and causing serious consequences. Since Di Tian couldn't personally thin them out, he had long relied on humans to help control the population.
But to maintain that balance, one couldn't allow large-scale slaughter—or completely hands-off management.
It required finesse.
So, restrictions would be imposed.
"No hunting of 100,000-year soul beasts. If anyone attempts to surround and kill such beasts, the Star Dou Great Forest will consider their entire faction an enemy, and all members will be permanently banned from entry."
"For soul beasts over 50,000 years old, only one may be hunted every six months. For over 10,000 years, five per month. Over 1,000 years, fifty per month. Over 100 years, five hundred per month." Di Tian specified.
He figured even this wasn't truly "balanced." But given how brutally soul beasts had been hunted in recent years, leading to serious ecological collapse, they needed time to recover. So soul beast culling had to be limited.
"Ten Thousand Demon King, as a plant-type soul beast with spiritual roots spread throughout the Star Dou Great Forest, your mental power is the strongest. You'll serve as the forest's overseer. This is a hard mandate. Once humans are informed, if they refuse to comply—I will once again unleash a true Beast Tide. Let's see who dares to stop it!"
Di Tian turned toward the enchanting man.
"As you command!"
The latter bowed in acknowledgment.
"Xiong Jun, head to the outer northern region of the forest and keep watch on Shrek Academy. Those old geezers are scheming. If they try anything funny—eliminate them on the spot."
"Gladly!" Xiong Jun's face lit up in excitement.
Before, they had to act cautiously. Now, they finally had the moral high ground!
(End of Chapter)