Her Best Friend Was Carried Away, Leaving Ye Lingling in Disarray

Preview: Meat tomorrow

She and Dugu Yan were both students of Heaven Dou Royal Academy and had an excellent relationship.

So Yan Yan had joined this miraculous Chat Group long ago too?

And judging by the way she chatted with that man...

A complicated, indescribable feeling surged in Ye Lingling's heart.

In the chat history, Dugu Yan's undisguised admiration and dependence were plain to see.

So this was the kind of relationship Yan Yan had with him...?

Ye Lingling stared at the chat history, her thoughts churning, completely unaware that someone had approached.

Not until a hand landed on her shoulder.

"Lingling, what are you spacing out for?"

Dugu Yan's crisp voice rang out beside her ear.

Ye Lingling's body stiffened. She suddenly came back to herself and looked up, only to see Dugu Yan's face beaming with a brilliant smile.

"Yan Yan? You... why are you here?"

"Of course I came to find Yifei," Dugu Yan said matter-of-factly. Then she affectionately moved close to Li Yifei, naturally looping her arm through his.

"And to see whether you bookworm had hidden in the library to chew through books by yourself again."

Seeing how natural Dugu Yan's actions were, then seeing that man's utterly unresponsive expression, the last trace of hope in Ye Lingling's heart vanished.

Sure enough.

Their relationship had already reached this point.

"It's noon already. Let's go eat together," Dugu Yan suggested.

Li Yifei had no objections and stood up.

Ye Lingling opened her mouth, wanting to say she wasn't hungry, but looking at Dugu Yan's expectant face, she simply could not bring herself to refuse.

She could only silently close her book and follow behind them.

The meal left Ye Lingling feeling as though she were sitting on pins and needles.

Dugu Yan chattered nonstop to Li Yifei about interesting things that had happened at the academy. From time to time, she even placed food on his plate. They were as intimate as a couple deeply in love.

As for Li Yifei, though he did not say much, his occasional responses carried a sense of indulgence.

Ye Lingling felt like an unnecessary third wheel. She could only lower her head and eat, stuffing food into her mouth to block not only her words, but also the inexplicable sourness in her heart.

After lunch, the three walked out of the dining hall.

"Yan Yan, your Soul Power has reached level forty, right?" Li Yifei suddenly asked.

"Mm-hm, it reached it during my last Martial Soul Evolution!" Dugu Yan nodded repeatedly. "Thanks to you helping me evolve my Martial Soul last time, my cultivation speed is several times faster now!"

Her face was full of pride and joy.

"Come on. I'll take you to obtain your fourth Soul Ring." As Li Yifei spoke, he reached out and directly wrapped an arm around Dugu Yan's slender waist.

"Ah?" Dugu Yan had yet to react.

The next second, a powerful force lifted her off the ground.

She cried out instinctively and clung tightly to Li Yifei.

The two became a streak of light and shot into the sky, vanishing beyond the horizon in the blink of an eye.

Only Ye Lingling remained, standing there blankly and staring up at the empty sky.

He... just held Yan Yan and flew away like that?

Sunset Forest.

Li Yifei held Dugu Yan as he landed steadily in an open clearing.

Dugu Yan loosened her hold. Her cheeks were still faintly flushed, and her shining eyes looked at him brightly.

His spiritual power spread out like a tide, instantly covering dozens of miles around them.

Everything in the forest—the types, ages, and locations of the Soul Beasts—appeared clearly in his mind.

"Your body has been tempered and far surpasses that of Soul Masters at the same level. You should be able to try absorbing a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring," Li Yifei said.

"Ten thousand years?!" Dugu Yan covered her mouth in shock.

Absorbing a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring as one's fourth Soul Ring was unheard of in the history of Douluo Continent.

"Trust me."

Li Yifei did not explain further. Taking her hand, he led her in a certain direction.

Before long, an enormous Soul Beast appeared before them.

It was a King of the Earth, a scorpion-type Soul Beast. Its entire body was covered in dark yellow armor, and its enormous tail hook gleamed with Ink Green light.

Judging from the aura it radiated, this Soul Beast had cultivated for at least fifteen thousand years.

Sensing intruders, the King of the Earth let out a furious hiss and charged at them.

Dugu Yan instinctively took a step back, summoning her Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor Martial Soul as she prepared for battle.

Yet Li Yifei merely stood calmly where he was and raised his right hand.

No Soul Rings flashed, nor was any soul skill activated.

He simply lightly clenched his hand at the charging King of the Earth.

Bang!

A dull thud rang out.

The huge, ferocious King of the Earth seemed to have been struck by an invisible mountain, and its massive body was left at death's door.

Dugu Yan stared dumbfounded.

A fifteen-thousand-year Soul Beast... had just... fallen?

Killed in one move.

It could not even be considered a move.

Was this his strength?

"Go. Finish it," Li Yifei's voice woke her.

"Oh... okay!"

Suppressing the shock in her heart, Dugu Yan focused on the King of the Earth sprawled on the ground.

She took a deep breath, recalling the method Li Yifei had taught her, and slowly guided her Soul Power toward her eyes.

Buzz!

The crimson flames in her left eye lit up first, their blazing heat slightly warping the surrounding air.

A concentrated crimson ray, thin as a thread, shot forth. Rather than striking the seemingly sturdy dark yellow armor, it precisely entered a tiny gap between the plates.

Sizzle—!

There was no violent explosion where the ray entered, but within the King of the Earth's tough body came a sound like red-hot iron plunged into water.

The struck area instantly turned red and bright. The flesh beneath the armor was silently burned through and vaporized by the extreme heat. The agonizing pain made the already dying Soul Beast release a desperate death cry as its enormous body writhed wildly.

Immediately afterward, the icy blue crystalline glow in Dugu Yan's right eye flared brilliantly.

A freezing icy blue ray followed close behind, striking the scorched red area dead on.

Crack!

Extreme heat and extreme cold alternated in an instant.

A piercing cracking sound rang out. Under that terrifying temperature difference, the King of the Earth's armor split open with countless fine cracks that rapidly spread across its entire body.

The cold seeped into its body, instantly freezing its boiling blood and damaged internal organs.

The Soul Beast's struggles came to an abrupt halt. The Ink Green light in its eyes faded, and its life force rapidly dissipated.

With only two gazes, this Ten Thousand Year Soul Beast had completely perished.

A deep black ring slowly emerged from the King of the Earth's corpse, its circulating light containing immense energy.

Dugu Yan sat down cross-legged and began drawing in the Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring.

The instant the Soul Ring entered her body, a violent energy exploded within her.

Dugu Yan let out a muffled groan, and her body began trembling violently.

But she quickly discovered that although the energy was violent, it had not exceeded the limit her body could withstand.

The body Li Yifei had tempered using the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eye now displayed astonishing resilience.

Li Yifei watched quietly from the side. Once he confirmed that she was in no danger, he was relieved.