Sky Dream Appears! Spirit Hall Annihilated!

Qian Renxue did not turn around, her voice calm.

"No need."

"This is Spirit Hall's mission, and it is also my responsibility."

Responsibility...?

She knew very well that no matter how well she did, that person would never acknowledge her.

But...

What if?

What if this time, I complete it flawlessly? Would she... see me differently?

Even if there was only the slightest change?

Outside the tent, Snake Lance Douluo frowned tightly.

He did not understand.

He remembered clearly that when the Pope first proposed this mission in Spirit Hall, the Young Master had resisted it.

It was only the Pope's forceful attitude that had compelled her to accept.

But why was she now... so insistent?

Snake Lance Douluo suddenly recalled something from the past.

A secret tale that had spread through the dark corners of Spirit City.

A mother had personally killed her own child, causing quite an uproar.

For some reason, he always felt that the same... suffocating feeling hung between the Young Master and the Pope.

Snake Lance Douluo's thoughts drifted back more than ten years.

The dead girl had been the granddaughter of an elder from Spirit Hall, a proud daughter of heaven.

She had died in her own bedroom, murdered by her mother and her mother's lover.

It was said that the man had nearly been unable to restrain the maiden as she fought desperately.

Until her mother entered the room.

All the maiden's struggles ceased in that instant. Her eyes turned empty, and she gave up everything.

As if her soul had been torn away.

Later, Snake Lance heard that the girl's corpse had been covered in traces left by that man.

Later still, Spirit City had two fewer nobles.

Snake Lance had personally hung the heads of that adulterous pair from a windmill, leaving them there in the sun for an entire month.

"What am I even thinking?"

He slowly shook his head, throwing those memories from his mind.

The Pope was merely the Young Master's teacher.

What nonsense was he imagining?

Yet as he watched Qian Renxue's solitary figure walking ahead, he suddenly felt that the Young Master looked somewhat frail.

Just like the girl he had personally buried.

At her funeral, she had worn her prettiest dress and lain in a luxurious coffin.

Yet her small body had still looked so terribly alone.

"Sigh..."

"Young Master, please be careful."

A flash of resolve crossed Snake Lance Douluo's eyes.

If anything truly happened, then even if it cost him this old life, he had to...

Get the Young Master out safely!

The group continued deeper into the Star Dou Great Forest.

The farther they went, the more towering the ancient trees became. Their dense canopies blocked out the sky, and even the light grew dim.

The mist within the forest grew thicker, carrying the damp, rotting scent of vegetation.

The surroundings were deathly silent.

Not even the chirp of an insect or bird could be heard, as if every living thing had held its breath.

Qian Renxue stopped, her golden eyes sweeping over the surroundings.

"Something's wrong."

She spoke softly.

The air was stagnant, so oppressive it made their hearts pound, as though a massive boulder weighed upon everyone's chest.

"Young Master, watch out!"

Snake Lance Douluo's expression changed sharply. He pulled Qian Renxue behind him, releasing his Snake Lance Martial Soul as dark green Soul Power surged like a tide.

A trembling sensation rising from the depths of his soul made even this Titled Douluo's scalp tingle.

What kind of terrifying existence was this?

Just then, a branch ahead of them swayed gently.

A leaf drifted down.

A plump white head poked out from the branch.

It was a silkworm, snow-white from head to toe and crystal clear, even somewhat cute in appearance.

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm had been dozing comfortably when the aura of these human Soul Masters woke him.

He was a little annoyed.

Hm? Human auras?

Could it be... could my charm have become this overwhelming?

That interesting human did not even need me to look for him; he had delivered himself to my doorstep?

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm muttered narcissistically to himself, then sensed them more carefully.

No, it was not him.

Though these humans possessed powerful auras, they were completely different from that fellow who had intrigued him before.

Tch, what a pointless burst of excitement.

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm grew even more annoyed.

They disturbed my sleep, and they are not even the person I'm waiting for. How outrageous.

When he saw those humans actually dare to release their Martial Souls, looking thoroughly on guard, he felt that they were challenging the dignity of a Million Year Soul Beast by putting on such a posture in his territory!

These were no ordinary human Soul Masters. They needed a heavy blow!

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm was angry.

He lazily opened his eyes.

Bzz—

In an instant, an invisible spiritual air wave swept outward like a mountain collapse and tsunami.

The guards before Qian Renxue did not even have time to groan before they fell one after another, their eyes rolling back as they lost consciousness.

"Not good! It's Spiritual Impact!"

Snake Lance Douluo's Soul Power erupted fully. He held his spear across his chest, trying to withstand the vast spiritual pressure.

But that power completely ignored Soul Power and physical defenses, acting directly upon the source of the soul.

After holding on for only a few breaths, Snake Lance Douluo felt a piercing pain in his head. His consciousness receded like the tide, and he fell into darkness.

In the instant before he collapsed, he used the last of his strength to shove Qian Renxue fiercely backward.

"Run!"

Qian Renxue was thrown dozens of meters away by the immense force, yet the aftershock of that Spiritual Storm still struck her like a heavy blow.

Her golden Six-winged Angel Martial Soul emerged from within her body, its holy radiance barely protecting her mind.

Even so, her head felt as though it were splitting apart and her vision went dark. Relying only on instinct, she desperately fled in the direction she had come from, stumbling along in utter disarray.

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm yawned, too lazy to chase after her.

They were merely a few humans. Sending them away with a casual wave was enough.

Want to find me? Try again next life.

He wiggled his plump body and shifted into a more comfortable position.

Sigh, invincibility was truly so lonely.

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm soon became troubled again.

When was that human Soul Master he had chosen going to show up...?

Forget it, no rush.

That human brat would sooner or later come to the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt a Soul Ring.

I still have ten thousand years to live. How long can humans live? A mere few hundred years at most.

I'll just wait.

If you ask me...

The advantage is mine!

At the boundary between the Outer Area and Core Area of the Star Dou Great Forest.

In a clearing within the Forest, a campfire crackled, driving away the damp chill around them.

Chen Fan leaned against an ancient tree, resting with his eyes closed.

A faint, refreshing scent of herbs drifted into his nose.

He opened his eyes and saw Na'er kneeling before him, her pale little hands carefully grinding several freshly picked herbs in a stone mortar.

Her Silver long hair cascaded smoothly downward like a waterfall beneath moonlight.

Before long, the dark green herbal juice had been ground into a fine paste.

Na'er extended her slender fingers, carefully dipped a little of it, then gently applied it to Chen Fan's arms and calves.

"This will help a lot with the Poison from the mosquitoes in the Forest."

Her voice was very soft.

It carried the fresh scent of herbs.

Chen Fan narrowed his eyes. As her fingertips touched his skin, a subtle tingling sensation spread up his arm, bringing him an indescribable comfort.

A strand of silver hair fell down and lightly brushed across his forehead, making it itch.