Azure Jade Birds were similar to Infernal Lightning Vines in that both of them were self-destructive. It was virtually impossible for Azure Jade Birds to break through the 100,000-year bottleneck as they would all transform into giant chunks of jade before that. This type of jade was of superb quality, and many n.o.blemen would collect such prized pieces of jade during ancient times.
Humans didn"t have anything to do with the extinction of Azure Jade Birds; they were simply far too violent and aggressive, and they would often even attack their own brethren.
According to the textbooks of Shrek Academy, this was a self-destructive species that paved the way to its own downfall in the end.
It was exactly due to this description that Tang Wulin had a very clear recollection of this type of soul beast.
However, just like the Infernal Lightning Vine, this type of self-destructive soul beast was extremely powerful.
Azure Jade Bird possessed extremely hardy skin and bones, and their physical const.i.tution was virtually the best among all birds. On top of that, they possessed a certain level of control over spatial powers, making their attacks very unpredictable.
Their bodies were their greatest weapons, but unfortunately for this Azure Jade Bird, Tang Wulin"s physical const.i.tution was even more fearsome than its own. Thus, the surprise attack was thwarted, yet before Tang Wulin had a chance to admire this relic of the past, it began to attack him again.
It flapped its wings vigorously, piercing through the air amid a sharp screeching sound as it reached Tang Wulin in a flash.
On this occasion, Tang Wulin was already prepared, and he clenched his right hand into a fist before launching it toward the oncoming bird.
A loud thunderclap rang out, and Tang Wulin remained standing on the spot in mid-air, but the Azure Jade Bird had completely stiffened in front of his fist with a layer of bluish-purple lightning running all over its body.
In the next instant, it"s ma.s.sive body plummeted out of the sky and thumped down onto the ground below.
Azure Jade Birds were indeed very powerful, but this one was only around 10,000 years old, so it was no match for Tang Wulin. However, Tang Wulin didn"t kill it. It was a very good experience to be able to witness an extinct soul beast, and he didn"t want to kill such a majestic creature.
After that, Tang Wulin quickly descended into the forest. He was very confident in his own powers, but the teachers of Shrek Academy had taught him not to fly over a forest inhabited by soul beasts as doing so would attract attacks from flying soul beasts, as well as many soul beasts that were concealed within the forest, thereby making for a very dangerous situation.
In contrast, it was safest to travel along the ground. All soul beasts were territorial creatures, including soul beasts dwelling in forests. This meant that under the majority of circ.u.mstances, one would only have to face one soul beast at a time on the ground.
The Azure Jade Bird was spasming incessantly as it lay on the ground, but it was still glowering at Tang Wulin with unbridled fury in its eyes.
"Settle down, you dumb bird. You"re going to get yourself killed sooner or later if you keep this up," Tang Wulin sighed with a shake of his head before continuing onward.
The objective of this examination was to survive for as long as possible in here, and he was going to take this opportunity to experience the Great Star Dou Forest.
A faint smile appeared on his face, and it gradually became more and more p.r.o.nounced. He really enjoyed being in this type of relaxing environment. Prior to this, he had been forced to endure horrendous torture at the hands of his uncle-teacher.
Even with his willpower, he couldn"t help but wince at the recollection of the "special training" that his uncle-teacher had forced him to undertake. It was truly a terrible experience!
Unbeknownst to him, Zhen Hua was practically laughing himself to sleep every night!
Thus, Tang Wulin paid no further heed to the Azure Jade Bird and departed from the scene. After learning about the fate of the soul beasts, he simply couldn"t bring himself to slaughter them for no good reason. Even though it was very likely that the soul beasts here were simulated, he truly didn"t want to harm them.
The world was already teetering on a tenuous equilibrium; if all soul beasts were to go extinct, who knew what was going to happen?
The worsening state of the ancient Golden Tree had been a direct result of the severe imbalance in the ecosystem, and the tree of life was growing so slowly precisely because of the dwindling life force energy on the Douluo Star.
The lavish human cities of iron and steel had been constructed on the basis of constantly destroying the habitats of soul beasts.
Even though the Douluo Star was a large world, if it were to be damaged to a severe enough extent, it would perhaps crumble just like some small worlds had.
The more Tang Wulin progressed in his cultivation, the clearer this became to him.
The higher-ups of the federation had clearly realized this issue as well, but they weren"t thinking about how to improve the situation. After all, humans had grown accustomed to the modern lifestyle, and technology was constantly advancing.
As such, as opposed to attempting to repair the environment, the more exciting solution was to find other habitable environments, thereby giving rise to s.p.a.ce exploration, as well as the inter-continental war.
The federation"s vision was to find another habitable planet within the next century and complete ma.s.s migration within the next millennium, prior to completely exhausting the natural resources on the Douluo Star.
As such, all of the research and development taking place were contributing toward this direction.
However, even if this plan could come into fruition, were soul beasts simply destined to be buried under the sands of time?
The Spirit PaG.o.da had been founded with the objective to change the current situation and help soul beasts prosper, but unfortunately, it had become one of the main perpetrators contributing to the extinction of all soul beasts.
A grim look appeared on Tang Wulin"s face as this thought sprang into his mind. He was no longer just a student of Shrek Academy; he was now the Tang Sect Master and Sea G.o.d"s Pavilion Master, so he had a duty to try and change everything through his power.
The most important thing was to change people"s current fundamental values and att.i.tudes.
Searching for other habitable environments was naturally very much necessary, but there was no guarantee that the plan would succeed. As such, what people really had to do was protect the Douluo Star"s natural environment at all costs in order to preserve the current habitable s.p.a.ce.
With that in mind, a determined look appeared in Tang Wulin"s eyes. He had initially embarked on the path of cultivation to find his own parents, but now, he had to strive toward the broader and greater goal of saving the entire planet.
His status had changed, and as a result, he had to take on more responsibilities.
All of a sudden, a burst of unpleasant beastly cries rang out up ahead. The surrounding area abruptly dimmed as if all of the light had been devoured by something, and as everything began to darken, he was greeted by the sight of many pairs of crimson eyes that looked as if they contained burning flames.
He couldn"t see the bodies of the creatures that the eyes belonged to, but he was able to determine that he was encountering a type of extinct pack-dwelling soul beasts known as Nightflame Monkeys.
A hint of sympathy welled up in Tang Wulin"s heart, and he opened his mouth to let loose a thunderous dragon"s roar.
The entire Great Star Dou Forest began to tremor violently as if a rumbling thunderclap had just erupted within the undergrowth, and he also released his powerful dragon"s might.
The surrounding area quickly began to brighten, and the pairs of fiery red eyes also rapidly vanished.
Nightflame Monkeys were very adept in hunting in groups, but they were quite weak individually and very easily intimidated.
As such, Tang Wulin"s roar and dragon"s might were more than enough to scare them away.