Encountering Hu Liena

Standing atop a towering tree, Luo Ling gazed out over the gloomy forest.

It had already been two hours since he entered the Soul Hunting Forest. Dawn would arrive soon, yet he had not even caught a glimpse of a Netherworld Bird.

Although Luo Ling had never expected to find his target so quickly, he still felt somewhat disappointed.

Shaking his head helplessly, Luo Ling leaped down from the tree.

He found a concealed spot in the forest, set up a tent, and started a fire.

Starting a fire in the forest at night was undoubtedly dangerous, but Luo Ling did not care.

He took out the Soft Bone Rabbit he had hunted earlier, cleaned it with his dagger, and began roasting it.

Before long, after he had filled his stomach, the sky visible through the gaps between the trees had begun to lighten with a pale dawn glow.

Daybreak was approaching, which meant the Netherworld Birds would no longer appear.

With a sigh in his heart, Luo Ling scattered Beast Repellent Powder around the tent and crawled inside.

"Roar!"

Not long after he closed his eyes, a lion's roar startled Luo Ling awake.

Luo Ling swiftly rose and rushed out of the tent. In the faint morning light, he could vaguely make out two figures several hundred meters away, racing toward him one after the other.

Narrowing his eyes slightly, he sent a Crow flying over, taking in the entire scene.

The one in front was a girl with short golden hair, two yellow Soul Rings rising and falling around her body.

Behind her was a lion wreathed in flames, looking exceptionally imposing.

"Crimson Flame Lion, over five meters long—a thousand-year soul beast!"

Luo Ling recognized the pursuing soul beast at once.

The Crimson Flame Lion could be considered one of the strongest kinds of soul beasts in the Soul Hunting Forest. It was born with the power to control flames and possessed immense strength.

Watching the two chase each other ahead, Luo Ling's expression turned slightly grave.

The girl fired pink flames at the Crimson Flame Lion as she ran, attacking it again and again, but the effect was minimal.

Both were fire-attributed, but the girl's flames were clearly far inferior to those of the Crimson Flame Lion.

After thinking rapidly for a few seconds, Luo Ling turned and ran without hesitation.

Hu Liena unleashed all her speed and fled in a bedraggled state, her face full of indignation.

She had been sleeping perfectly well last night, but Teacher had made her enter the Soul Hunting Forest in the middle of the night to try training there at night.

That alone would have been fine, but not long after entering the forest, she had run into this thousand-year Crimson Flame Lion.

One had to know that in this Soul Hunting Forest, where most soul beasts were only ten-year soul beasts, thousand-year soul beasts were exceedingly rare.

Silently cursing her bad luck, Hu Liena suddenly spotted a figure ahead.

He looked about seven or eight years old, just a child.

But Hu Liena was not disappointed at all. A child could not possibly appear alone in the Soul Hunting Forest; there had to be an elder accompanying him.

Just as she was about to ask for help, she saw the silver-haired boy turn around and run without even looking back!

"Hey, you little brat up ahead, do you have any sense of public decency? Get your elder to come help!" Hu Liena shouted furiously.

Public decency? Where did this naive girl come from? This wasn't Blue Star society from his previous life... Luo Ling curled his lip.

He had no intention of paying attention to the girl. A pale yellow Soul Ring rose from his body and lit up.

First Soul Skill: Darkness Weaving activated.

Invisible Darkness Threads shot out. Luo Ling's body instantly sprang upward, and like Spider-Man, he swung through the trees and headed into the distance.

Hidden in the shadows, Chrysanthemum Douluo and Bibi Dong, who had been secretly watching all along, stared at the scene speechlessly.

They did not know whether to laugh at Hu Liena's innocence or Luo Ling's decisiveness.

"Bastard!" Hu Liena glared furiously, but there was nothing she could do.

The two of them and the lion continued their chase through the forest.

After all, Luo Ling was only a Level 11 soul master. Gradually, Hu Liena and the Crimson Flame Lion caught up to him.

"Listen, miss, can you stop following me? The Crimson Flame Lion is chasing you, okay?"

Watching the girl and the Crimson Flame Lion draw closer and closer, several beads of cold sweat appeared on Luo Ling's forehead.

"If I die, you die with me! I told you not to run!"

As if seeking revenge, Hu Liena glared at Luo Ling and spoke indignantly.

"If I can't beat that lion, am I supposed to wait here to die?" Luo Ling was speechless. "I'm just a soul master. What do you expect me to do?"

"Just have your elder come out and help."

"If I had an elder, would I have been running until now?" Luo Ling finally snapped, veins bulging on his forehead.

Hu Liena seemingly had not expected him to say that and was left speechless for a moment.

As the two spoke, the Crimson Flame Lion finally caught up. Taking advantage of Hu Liena's distraction, it roared and pounced.

Scorching flames rushed toward her, and Hu Liena seemed petrified with fear.

Just where did this idiotic young miss come from... Luo Ling no longer knew what to say.

How could she still lose focus at a time like this?

Just as the golden-haired girl was about to die beneath the lion's claws, even Chrysanthemum Douluo in the shadows was preparing to intervene and save her.

At the critical moment, a black shadow threw itself over Hu Liena. The Crimson Flame Lion's claws missed her body and struck the black shadow viciously instead.

The black shadow was immediately sent flying, smashing through several nearby trees.

Hu Liena stood frozen in place, staring at the black shadow lying on the ground in the distance, her face pale.

"How long are you going to keep standing there?" A cold voice rang through the forest as Luo Ling controlled the Darkness Threads, binding the Crimson Flame Lion tightly.

He had ultimately made his move.

Only then did Hu Liena come to her senses. Looking at the unharmed Luo Ling on the other side, then at the Luo Ling lying on the ground, she was somewhat confused.

However, Hu Liena knew this was not the time to stand around in a daze. She hurried to Luo Ling's side, and at that very moment, all the Darkness Threads binding the Crimson Flame Lion snapped.

Having broken free, the Crimson Flame Lion shifted its gaze away from Hu Liena and onto Luo Ling.

While restraining the Crimson Flame Lion, the Darkness Threads had also been absorbing its Life Force and Soul Power.

That strange sensation made the Crimson Flame Lion feel threatened.

Taking a deep breath, Luo Ling called the Raven Shadow Puppet lying on the ground back to his side.

The Raven Shadow Puppet struck by the Crimson Flame Lion had become tattered and worn. Many of its black Raven Feathers had vanished, and its entire body had grown hazy.

But that was nothing.

The Raven Shadow Puppet was entirely condensed from the power of darkness. As long as Luo Ling had enough Soul Power, it could recover from any injury.

"What is your Martial Soul? What Soul Skills do you have?" Luo Ling, staring intently at the Crimson Flame Lion, suddenly asked Hu Liena beside him.

"What?" Hu Liena froze for a moment.

"I said, what are your Martial Soul and Soul Skills?" Luo Ling repeated impatiently. "Right now, we can only work together to kill this soul beast, or we'll both die!"

"I need to know your Soul Skills before I can come up with a plan!"

Hearing Luo Ling's words, Hu Liena finally understood and hurriedly replied:

"My Martial Soul is the Demon Fox. My First Soul Skill is Fox Fire Decree, which controls foxfire to attack enemies."

"My Second Soul Skill is Fox Charm, a group mental charm skill."

"Demon Fox Martial Soul, Fox Fire Decree, Fox Charm..." As Luo Ling listened to Hu Liena, his pupils gradually widened.

Weren't those Hu Liena's Martial Soul and Soul Skills?

He abruptly turned his head and looked the girl before him up and down. The more he looked, the more familiar she seemed.

Golden hair, fox tail... Didn't she look exactly like she did in the anime?