When morning came the next day, the Snow Empress had already returned to her room.
After washing up, the group opened their doors and headed out. Xu Jiujou even made a special stop to knock on Luo Qinghan's door. The reason was obvious—without a maid or companion to help her, moving around on her own was still somewhat difficult.
By the time Xu Jiujou pushed Luo Qinghan out, Shu Yan and the Snow Empress trio had already been waiting for a while. Luo Qinghan softly greeted them with a "good morning," then lowered her gaze again and fell silent.
It was clear that the condition of her legs had dealt her a significant blow. Even after all these years, Luo Qinghan still hadn't fully mastered her emotions regarding the matter.
Shu Yan nodded and didn't say much. The Snow Empress appeared as calm as ever, while the Ice Empress looked a little listless—clearly not fully awake yet.
After exchanging a glance and a nod with Shu Yan, Xu Jiujou pushed Luo Qinghan forward. The group soon boarded the elevator and headed to the hotel restaurant.
After a fairly pleasant breakfast, the five of them continued on their journey.
Since they needed to hunt a soul beast to obtain a soul ring for Luo Qinghan, their route was adjusted slightly toward the northeast.
Perhaps finding the carriage too slow, Shu Yan decisively abandoned that mode of travel after they had gone barely fifty li outside the city.
This trip wasn't for leisure—it had a clear purpose. Naturally, the faster they moved, the better. The Snow Empress agreed without hesitation and directly carried everyone into the skies, flying across a vast, boundless plain at an almost unimaginable speed.
Upon reaching the edge of the Star Dou Great Forest, the group did not rush in recklessly. With both the Ice Empress's and Snow Empress's auras present, there was no way they could avoid being noticed by Di Tian—especially since they had disturbed him not long ago. Showing up again so soon would be rather impolite.
Fortunately, most of the Star Dou Great Forest lay within the territory of the Star Luo Empire, making the situation much easier to handle.
Xu Jiujou used her authority token to mobilize several royal soul-hunting teams stationed nearby, instructing them to search for information on ten-thousand-year soul beasts with mental attributes.
These teams were permanently stationed along the forest's outskirts and were extremely familiar with the area. Although mental-attribute soul beasts were rare, they weren't impossible to find if one knew where to look.
The empire's efficient intelligence network quickly went into motion. Before long, suitable information was delivered to the group.
Shu Yan glanced over the report, then tossed it to Luo Qinghan.
"A ten-thousand-year Soul-Devouring Dragon. It's a powerful sub-dragon species that rarely possesses mental attributes. It's said to have some connection to the infamous Dread Demon Dragon, though the two are still quite different."
"The Soul-Devouring Dragon evolves by devouring the souls of other soul beasts—or humans. Because of this, it's not a well-regarded species in the soul beast world, much like how evil soul masters are viewed among humans. Compared to a Dread Demon Dragon of the same age, it's stronger in terms of mental attributes, though its physical body is somewhat weaker."
"There are many sub-dragon lineages in the Star Dou Great Forest. This Soul-Devouring Dragon appeared near the outer edge of the mixed zone two days ago. Its territory isn't very large—if you're willing, the people below should be able to deliver it to you by tomorrow."
Luo Qinghan thought for a moment, then lifted her eyes and said softly:
"Thank you… for the trouble."
Shu Yan nodded. After exchanging a glance with Xu Jiujou, she immediately turned and stepped out to make arrangements.
"It's no big deal. Mental-attribute soul beasts are rare to begin with, so this was partly luck. They just happened to have the right information, which saved us a lot of trouble. Let's wait."
Luo Qinghan nodded and quietly thanked him again.
Shu Yan looked at her and asked:
"Do you need help absorbing the soul ring?"
She froze for a moment, then shook her head.
"No. I can handle it myself."
Shu Yan didn't press the matter. After a few casual words, he also left the room.
Once everyone was gone, Luo Qinghan wheeled herself to the window. Watching the bustling crowd below, her expression was calm yet tinged with faint envy. In the end, she could only let out a soft sigh and dispel the stray thoughts in her heart.
The teams below moved quickly.
That very night, three elite soul-hunting squads advanced from different directions, encircling the Soul-Devouring Dragon's territory. After a series of ambushes and prolonged engagements, they finally managed—just before dawn—to knock the massive creature unconscious and escort it out of the Star Dou Great Forest.
Xu Jiujou pushed Luo Qinghan out of the small building. Looking at the enormous beast lying unconscious on the ground, its limbs already disabled, Xu Jiujou thoughtfully laid a blanket over the uneven terrain for Luo Qinghan before turning away.
As the sound of a blade piercing flesh rang out, Xu Jiujou turned back to see that Luo Qinghan had already begun the process of absorbing the soul ring.
Shu Yan appeared at her side. Watching Luo Qinghan's slightly furrowed brows, Xu Jiujou asked softly:
"Her legs… is there really still a chance they can be healed?"
"I can tell she trains with a level of diligence most people couldn't endure. But her physical disability is her greatest obstacle. Even though she seems to have accepted it on the surface, I can see that it matters more to her than anything else—especially given how strong her pride is…"
Shu Yan considered for a moment before replying:
"A complete cure is definitely possible—but in the short term, it may be complicated. Her martial soul's mental attribute is extremely strong. Even at the Soul Ancestor stage, she could unleash mental power comparable to a Soul Emperor. Her future potential is enormous. If she continues down the path of mental-attribute cultivation, then barring accidents, she'll surely become one of the most powerful mental cultivators on the continent."
"For now, let's wait. If even the Sun Moon Empire's soul tools can't resolve the issue, then I still have another method. There's no rush. Once she returns, Jiujou, help arrange things and see if she's interested in learning soul tools. Mental-attribute soul masters have a natural advantage in that field. If she's willing, she can explore it without affecting her cultivation. It would at least give her additional means of offense or defense—there are benefits."
Xu Jiujou obediently nodded and wrote the notes down on a sheet of golden stationery.
Shu Yan patted her head. After confirming that Luo Qinghan was under no serious strain while absorbing the soul ring, he spoke toward the shadows nearby:
"Once she wakes up, escort her back to Star Luo City and ensure her safety. After that, you don't need to continue following us. If we need you, we'll summon you ourselves. Understood?"
The figure hidden in the darkness seemed to hesitate for a moment before responding in a deep voice.
Xu Jiujou added a few reminders of her own. Then she left with Shu Yan.
Their destination was still some distance away. With Luo Qinghan's matter resolved, there was no reason to linger any longer—so they set off without delay.