Bibi Dong's Fourth Soul Ring

Bibi Dong and her two companions were somewhat surprised to see the guards standing in neat, orderly rows at the forest entrance. They had heard more or less about the forest guards' reputation for laxness and disorder, but seeing them today, Bibi Dong simply assumed the rumors were untrue and didn't think much of it.

As the guards saw the Holy Maiden and her party approaching, they couldn't help but recall that person's "instructions." Their hearts tightened, and they quickly straightened their backs, puffed out their chests, and shouted loudly, "Welcome, Holy Maiden, to your arrival."

Bibi Dong nodded with a strange expression and walked into the forest.

"Safe travels, Holy Maiden." Behind her came another perfectly synchronized send-off.

"They...?" Xiong Yiyi was a little puzzled.

"If I'm not mistaken," Bibi Dong said, first looking thoughtful and then returning to a calm expression, "this must be Hals's doing."

"Lord Hals?!" Xiong Yiyi and Jiabulin said in unison.

"Mm." Bibi Dong nodded, then fell silent.

It was clear Bibi Dong didn't want to discuss it, and the two tactfully didn't press further.

The three continued walking like this. Bibi Dong was lost in thought, while Xiong Yiyi and Jiabulin curiously looked around left and right. After all, they were newcomers selected from various branch halls, and this was their first time in this forest.

None of the three realized that this was a forest fraught with danger, not a safe haven. They failed to notice that, at some point, a thin snake, entirely emerald green and obviously highly venomous at a glance, had silently hidden itself in the canopy of a nearby tree, waiting for an opportunity to strike.

"Whoosh."

A sharp sound of something tearing through the air rang out. That emerald serpent shot straight as an arrow toward Bibi Dong, who was walking at the front.

By the time the three reacted, the snake was already no more than five finger-widths from Bibi Dong's delicate face.

"Holy Maiden!" Xiong Yiyi cried out in panic.

Bibi Dong stared at the soul beast so close at hand, her face losing color in fright. A wave of deathly aura washed over her.

At this point, Bibi Dong was still a young girl who hadn't experienced many battles. Calling her a flower raised in a greenhouse couldn't have been more fitting.

The thin snake grew larger inch by inch in Bibi Dong's eyes. Just as she thought she was about to die here, a rope hook, also glowing emerald green, shot out at a speed far exceeding the snake's charge. It hooked precisely onto the snake's body. A strange, chilling fluctuation spread out, and the snake fell to the ground without warning, unable to move. A flash of emerald light drifted up from the snake's body, wavering unsteadily as it floated toward the lantern in Hals's hand, who had appeared beside Bibi Dong at some unknown moment.

At the same time, a light purple soul ring rose from the snake's corpse.

"..."

The three of them were speechless. Bibi Dong was still shaken from her near-death experience, while Xiong Yiyi and Jiabulin were stunned that a thousand-year soul beast had been so cleanly killed by Hals.

Bibi Dong panted heavily for a while, her expression gradually calming. After all, she was the Holy Maiden of the Martial Soul Hall. But this time, when she looked at Hals, her expression had softened considerably.

"...Thank you." Bibi Dong's face was complicated, shifting through various emotions. In the end, she turned her face away and murmured softly.

Hals paused for a moment. One could see that the green misty light emanating from his eyes beneath the hood clearly halted. Hals lowered his head. No one could see his expression, and no one could guess what he was thinking.

"To die for my master." His voice was still hoarse and unpleasant, but to Bibi Dong's ears, it sounded much gentler.

The two behind them watched the strangely tense master-servant atmosphere before them, completely baffled. They just stood there dumbly as Hals bowed once more to Bibi Dong before melting back into the shadows.

After resting for a moment, Bibi Dong displayed the quality befitting the Holy Maiden of the Martial Soul Hall. She directed Xiong Yiyi and Jiabulin to form a 1-2 formation, with Jiabulin, the assault-type, at the front, and Xiong Yiyi, the control-type, and Bibi Dong at the back.

After that scare, the three were noticeably more serious, staying fully alert at all times. The subsequent soul beast attacks they encountered didn't even require Hals's intervention.

Finding soul rings relied more on luck. Even though the Martial Soul Hall had a detailed distribution map of this forest, soul beasts still fought among themselves, constantly shifting their territories.

At night, the three, having found nothing after searching, didn't leave just yet. Instead, they found a small wooded area by a river and set up camp.

The flickering campfire cast shifting light and shadow on their faces. The day's exhaustion had left all three feeling a bit tired, so no one spoke. They just sat there quietly.

Wild beasts feared fire, but soul beasts did not. In fact, many soul beasts were attracted by fire. The three had clearly forgotten this rule.

At some point, the insect sounds that had filled the camp suddenly vanished. Bibi Dong was the first to notice something was wrong. She stood up to look around, and her face immediately turned extremely grim.

At some unknown time, a pack of wolf-type soul beasts had surrounded the camp.

"Damn it." Bibi Dong bit her silver teeth lightly, steadied herself, and activated her Martial Soul Possession. Yellow, purple, and purple—three soul rings revolved up and down around her body.

Xiong Yiyi and Jiabulin also released their martial souls at the same time.

Xiong Yiyi's martial soul was several vines with heads shaped like phoenix heads, covered all over with phoenix patterns. Jiabulin's was a massive half-arm gauntlet that also wrapped around his forearm.

"Xiong Yiyi, stay back. Jiabulin and I will take the front. Watch out for Xiong Yiyi. Ready." Bibi Dong frowned. "Let's go."

At her command, the two each charged in a different direction. Xiong Yiyi quickly released two vines to follow behind them, ready to pull them back at any moment, while the remaining vines danced around her body.

The ones charging at the front were mostly decade and century soul beasts. Bibi Dong only needed to use her first and second soul skills to cut through the enemy ranks seven times in and out.

Jiabulin swung his massive gauntlet, landing punch after punch. He sent the soul beasts around him flying, even deforming their bodies. A graze meant death, a touch meant injury.

Just as the three were starting to think these soul beasts were nothing special and let their guard down a little, a small, black wolf with an even more oppressive aura darted out. With a single light swipe of its claw, Jiabulin's gauntlet martial soul shattered. The damage to the martial soul reflected back onto the soul master. Jiabulin spat out a large mouthful of blood, his head lolling to the side as he passed out.

And it didn't stop there. Attacking Jiabulin didn't seem to put any strain on the black wolf at all. It used the momentum to leap, pushing off its hind legs, and shot toward Bibi Dong, who wasn't far away.

Bibi Dong had reacted the moment the black wolf sprang, but facing its ferocious charge, she could only hastily raise her arm to block in front of her chest.

"Ah."

A sharp cry. Bibi Dong was sent flying back with tremendous force. The sleeves of her arms were torn into mere shreds. Her face was as pale as paper, her breath weak.

"You will die!"

A furious roar rang out. Hals, shedding his usual calm demeanor, shot out from the shadows. His third soul ring activated behind him. An eerie whisper suddenly echoed through the black wolf's mind. The wolf, which had been about to continue its assault, stiffened, stumbled forward, and tumbled to the ground in a heap.

A hook, glowing not with its usual emerald light but with a dark green radiance, shot out and pierced through the black wolf's body.

"Ao~" the Shadow Wolf's mournful howl echoed far across the forest.

Hals yanked hard on the Hook, pulling himself over with an unnatural force. His face dark, he extended his right arm from beneath his robe for the first time, revealing it crisscrossed with scars in chaotic disarray.

Hals pressed his hand onto the Shadow Wolf's head. The Second Soul Ring behind him flickered, and a series of eerie ripples emanated outward. A struggling, glowing green soul rose from the Shadow Wolf's corpse, which Hals shaped into a sphere and placed into the Lantern in his left hand.

Hals didn't spare another glance at the Shadow Wolf. Instead, he strode quickly toward Bibi Dong, who lay collapsed to the side.

A pitch-black, profound soul ring rippled up from the still-breathing Shadow Wolf's body, hovering in midair...