Chapter 124: A Year of Silence, Kui and Amona

Even with Qian Daoliu's obstruction, Bibi Dong would never give up easily.

Her obsession was so strong that, even if alone, she was determined to capture the Masked Assassin and the Tianwang Organization.

However, after that incident, the Masked Assassin, who had previously come to Spirit City every few days to take a few heads, seemed to have disappeared without a trace, as though he had never existed.

The feeling that her every move was being anticipated by the enemy drove Bibi Dong into a deeper frenzy.

Even so, she refused to give up.

But managing the Pope's duties, suppressing the increasingly violent spiritual impact of her Rakshasa powers, and finding the Masked Assassin and Tianwang Organization consumed much of her time.

This left her with very little opportunity to complete her divine trials and return to her peak power, let alone improve beyond it. Naturally, this significantly delayed Bibi Dong's progress in establishing the Spirit Hall Empire.

On the other hand, Tang San's progress had been steady, and You Chen's goal of holding them back was achieving success.

Meanwhile, Qian Renxue had also mobilized her forces to investigate the Tianwang Organization's whereabouts.

However, in a world like Douluo Continent, lacking many modern technologies, finding an organization made entirely of loyal assassins would be incredibly difficult.

Especially now, as the Soul Beast Organization had vanished into an uninhabited zone.

Having migrated over two thousand kilometers from the Asturias Mountains, they had settled in the Tianzai mountain range near the border between the Heaven Dou and Xing Luo Empires. Here, in the midst of the Desolate Mountain Range, they had rebuilt their headquarters.

Compared to the Asturias Mountains, the Desolate Mountains were far more dangerous, teeming with powerful soul beasts that ravaged the area.

It was practically devoid of human habitation, and there were no established paths like those made by travelers. The terrain was extremely inconvenient.

But on the upside, it was rich in wild resources.

The Desolate Mountains, located near Xing Luo's major rivers, had abundant water and plant resources. The mountains also held rich mineral deposits. If one had enough strength, it could truly be a self-sustaining haven.

According to information gathered from the Soul Beast Organization, the Xing Luo Empire had once considered building a military base in the heart of the Desolate Mountains, but operating there and ensuring the soldiers' safety would require a Title Douluo-level powerhouse.

Xing Luo, however, could not afford such a powerful figure to be stationed there.

Besides, even if they could summon a Title Douluo, it would be far more efficient for them to use the Title Douluo in battles for resources with the Heaven Dou Empire, rather than having them sit idle as the head of a military base.

The Soul Beast Organization, however, didn't face such problems.

Although You Chen's strength was only at Title Douluo level during the spiritual realm eruption, and using that ability would leave him weak for a long time, it wasn't considered a normal power.

But for now, the Soul Beast Organization had transitioned its core forces to the Soul Venerable stage, and with each soldier equipped with a Black Fire Crossbow, their combat power was on par with the elite troops of the Xing Luo Empire.

Additionally, the "Silent Breath Technique" had been widely promoted within the Soul Beast ranks.

Based on the policies of Ignis and Greys, both soul beasts and soul masters could freely exchange for the entry-level "Silent Breath Technique" and receive merit rewards upon mastering it.

This greatly increased the Soul Beasts' enthusiasm for training in this technique.

Even some soul beasts who couldn't recognize its power were putting in time to train in it.

After so long, the majority had completed the basic training, and the benefits of the technique in the wild were clear.

It drastically lowered survival difficulties, meaning that while they were in this area, the Soul Beasts no longer required You Chen's protection.

By now, even ordinary ten-thousand-year soul beasts could fend off threats without Ignis's help, and even the more powerful ones could rally together to defend.

After You Chen arrived at the headquarters in the Desolate Mountains, he immersed himself in his own matters.

Time passed, and soon over half a year had gone by.

After Ignis, Amona, with her White Tiger martial soul, and Kui, with his Soul Tree martial soul, were promoted to Tiger and Wood Leaders, respectively, by You Chen under the pretext of their great contributions during the evacuation.

These two had quickly broken through to the Soul Master rank, having reached the level of old-era Soul Kings.

This made Ignis's position as the Beast Leader not so solitary anymore.

You Chen's appointment of Beast Leaders wasn't like in most stories where a leader promotes their women to higher positions.

In fact, You Chen had never placed much importance on love.

If there had only been one Beast Leader, it would have been difficult to show the difference in status between a leader and the Beast Leaders. The power would have been too centralized in Ignis's hands.

So, there was no reason for You Chen to promote only Ignis and not Amona and Kui.

In fact, if Ignis's strength hadn't been so far ahead of the others, You Chen would have preferred to promote the more mature and calm Kui.

Even though all three were Beast Leaders, Ignis subtly stood at the forefront.

But You Chen didn't necessarily think that Ignis was the most suitable to lead them.

At first glance, both Ignis and Kui were silent, practical types, but in reality, Kui's leadership abilities in team coordination were far superior. Though he spoke little, his commands were always precise and focused on the key points.

In contrast, Ignis was more like a sharp blade, charging ahead with the team.

To exaggerate, Kui was a strategist, while Ignis was just a frontline warrior.

Sadly, Kui's cultivation talent didn't match Ignis's, and in the world of Douluo, if Kui took the dominant position among the Beast Leaders, it would likely spark discontent.

On the other hand, after the Beast Masters were recalled to the headquarters, You Chen reorganized them and established a research institute system, with Lin Zhi at its head. The research institute was now equal in status to the Beast Soldiers and Beast Masters.

Lin Zhi, as the first-generation head of the research institute, held a position just below the Beast Leaders.

You Chen also promoted Greys, who had previously been without a clear title, to the head of the Beast Masters, placing her in a position similar to Lin Zhi's.

For You Chen, mid-level pills had almost no effect anymore, so he opened them up for exchange with merit points.

The Beast Leaders' power progress accelerated, and with You Chen's assistance, Greys successfully broke through to Soul Master.

Considering Greys's age, she would likely be surpassed by the backbone Beast Soldiers in the future without experience-enhancing pills. But for now, her strength, just slightly weaker than the Beast Leaders, was enough for her role as the head of the logistics department.

Time continued to pass quietly…

---

"I feel so bored..."

On an unnamed night, by a campfire, Amona was complaining to Kui, who was also on night watch.

Though Kui remained silent, showing no reaction, Amona continued as if used to it.

"How long have we been stuck in this mountain hollow? A year… No, a year is what the leader has been here, but we've been here almost two years now!"

Amona sighed, her expression displeased: "I really want some candied haws, Kui, can you make them?"

Kui: "No."

Spending a few days in the mountains could feel like a vacation, but after a while, it became unbearable for most people accustomed to city life.

Especially for Amona, who loved excitement.

Previously, the Soul Beasts used the Asturias Mountains as their base, but now, it was completely different.

It was the same valley, but now, they were on the outskirts of the mountain range, far removed from civilization, relying on self-sufficiency without any external supplies.

Simply put, one was like a normal hermit, still connected to the outside world, while the other was like the Peach Blossom Spring, with no contact whatsoever.

*Sigh~* "Our Red Dragon Miss is so lucky~ She can go to the leader's tent every day~"

Amona's topic jumped from food to Ignis, and she gave Kui a sly look, lowering her voice: "Hey, Kui, do you think… Ignis is using her wish on that?"

Actually, most of the Soul Beasts thought Ignis used her wish on "that" when they saw her go into You Chen's tent.

Kui glanced at Amona, who was gossiping about the leader's private life, and couldn't help but twitch his eye before offering his own analysis: "No, she would have used her wish to enhance her strength. She goes into the leader's tent every day, probably not related to the wish. Or maybe… she's improving Ignis's strength?"

As for You Chen, who was held in such high regard, Kui couldn't help but speak up: "Amona, if you're really interested, rather than gossiping here, why not follow Ignis's example? I think the leader would likely not refuse."

In Kui's view, discussing the leader's private life was an offense to his dignity. But if Amona wanted to take action, he wouldn't stop her.

---

"Leader, you've returned!" Amona exclaimed in surprise, nearly shouting, but managed to control herself.

Kui's expression tightened, showing he wasn't as calm as he appeared. He quickly said, "We did what we were supposed to."

You Chen nodded, "Of course, it's based on merit."

After speaking, he turned and walked into the camp.

Amona and Kui exchanged glances.

Amona paused, raising her eyebrows: "Kui, you know the leader best. What do you think? Did everything go smoothly?"

Before Kui could answer, You Chen's voice came from the wind.

"By the way, Amona, leaking important secrets will cost you ten thousand merit points when you see Greys."

Amona's face paled, and she scratched her cheek, giving Kui an awkward smile: "Looks like the leader heard us? When do you think he came back? Or is his hearing really that good?"

Kui rolled his eyes, not willing to engage with the silly cat, and walked away.