The fog inside the valley was thicker than outside, and visibility was less than five meters.
The surrounding trees had all grown into bizarre shapes, like ghostly shadows in the mist.
"The illusions here truly live up to their reputation."
Hu Liena furrowed her brows. Her Demon Fox Martial Soul quietly possessed her, and her fox ears perked up as she warily listened for movement in the mist.
"My five senses have been weakened, and my spiritual power is being slightly disrupted."
Chrysanthemum Douluo said in a low voice.
"The environment here is treacherous. The slightest lapse in caution could leave us open to a sneak attack. Your Excellencies, please be careful."
Ling Xiao said nothing.
He pushed his spiritual power to its limit.
It spread like a surging tide as he tried to probe the entire valley for movement.
Suddenly, Ling Xiao stopped in his tracks.
He raised a hand and pointed toward a pool deep in the mist, speaking in a low voice:
"Three o'clock. Behind the boulder beside the pool, there's a thousand-year Soul Beast!"
Chrysanthemum Douluo looked in the direction Ling Xiao had indicated and spread out his Soul Power.
His eyes immediately lit up.
"That's right! It's a Silver Moon Demon Fox! It's eleven hundred years old, just right!"
Hu Liena's eyes brightened. She clenched her fists and said excitedly:
"Wonderful! We finally found one! Senior Yue Guan, sorry for the trouble, but please hold it down for me. Don't let it escape!"
"Rest assured, Saintess. Leave it to me!"
Chrysanthemum Douluo answered, releasing the aura of a Titled Douluo without holding anything back!
A terrifying pressure, heavy as a mountain, instantly enveloped the entire area around the pool.
He dispelled the fog with his Soul Power, revealing a silver-white figure behind the boulder by the pool.
It was a fox with silvery-white fur from head to toe.
It was larger than an ordinary fox, its coat smooth and lustrous, as if woven from moonlight.
Its eyes were silver crescents, and a fluffy tail trailed behind it.
A faint silver glow encircled its body. It was indeed a Silver Moon Demon Fox.
Pinned beneath the pressure of a Titled Douluo, the Silver Moon Demon Fox let out a sharp screech.
The silver glow around its body burst outward as it tried to cast an illusion and flee.
But in the face of an overwhelming gap in strength, its illusion was like paper, crushed in an instant beneath the pressure.
The Silver Moon Demon Fox froze in place, its fur standing on end as it whimpered piteously.
"Junior Brother, go ahead! Let's finish this quickly so you can absorb the Soul Ring!"
Ling Xiao said solemnly.
"Okay!"
Hu Liena answered. Two Yellow Soul Rings lit up beneath her feet as her Demon Fox Martial Soul possessed her.
Scorching Fox Fire gathered into a blade and pierced the Silver Moon Demon Fox's heart with deadly precision.
The Silver Moon Demon Fox let out a brief whimper, then its body went still.
A dazzling purple Soul Ring rose from its corpse.
Powerful waves of Soul Power spread in every direction, impossible to miss.
"Junior Brother, Senior Yue Guan, guard me!"
Hu Liena didn't hesitate. She immediately sat down cross-legged.
After speaking to the two of them, she reached out and drew the purple Soul Ring toward herself.
The Soul Ring settled around her, enveloping her entire body.
The energy of a thousand-year Soul Ring was far more violent than that of a hundred-year Soul Ring.
The Demon Fox Martial Soul shuddered with delight, absorbing the Soul Ring's energy with all its might.
"Senior Yue Guan, sorry for the trouble, but please keep watch around the perimeter and make sure no other Soul Beasts disturb her."
Ling Xiao spoke, holding his spear across his body as he stood in front of Hu Liena.
"I'll keep watch here."
"Yes, Lord Ling Xiao!"
Chrysanthemum Douluo replied, rapidly forming hand seals.
A golden Soul Power barrier spread out, shielding Hu Liena while also blocking the fluctuations from her Soul Ring absorption.
He stood guard outside the barrier, alert to any movement deep in the forest.
Ling Xiao kept his spiritual power focused on Hu Liena's condition.
Absorbing a thousand-year Soul Ring carried far greater risks than absorbing a hundred-year one.
What's more, the Silver Moon Demon Fox specialized in spiritual illusions. During the absorption, she might suffer a powerful mental backlash.
Sure enough, not long after,
Hu Liena's body began to tremble slightly. Cold sweat beaded on her forehead, her face turned pale, and her brows knitted tightly together.
She had clearly fallen prey to the Silver Moon Demon Fox's illusion backlash.
"Senior Sister, hold on to your senses!"
Ling Xiao shouted, trying to jolt her awake from the illusion.
Hu Liena's body shuddered, then gradually settled. Her tightly furrowed brows relaxed, and the speed at which she absorbed the Soul Ring suddenly increased.
Time passed second by second.
The fog in the valley began to thicken again.
The purple Soul Ring around Hu Liena suddenly burst into dazzling light!
Three Soul Rings, two Yellow and one Purple, revolved up and down around her body.
At last, they slowly dimmed and merged into her body.
The bottleneck at level thirty shattered with a crash, and her Soul Power surged upward.
It finally stopped at level thirty-one, the realm of a Soul Elder!
Hu Liena slowly opened her eyes.
Her aura had grown even more agile and alluring, and her Demon Fox Martial Soul's potential had been further unleashed.
"I did it! I broke through to Soul Elder!"
Hu Liena sprang to her feet and cheered excitedly.
"Congratulations, Saintess! Congratulations! You successfully absorbed a thousand-year Soul Ring and broke through to the Soul Elder realm!"
Chrysanthemum Douluo's face brimmed with a fawning smile.
"Congratulations, Senior Sister, on your successful breakthrough."
Ling Xiao also smiled and cupped his hands.
"I have you and Senior Yue Guan to thank for guarding me!"
Hu Liena hurried over to Ling Xiao, excitedly patting him on the shoulder.
"If you hadn't helped me break through the illusion just now, I'd have had to work much harder to absorb it successfully!"
"By the way, let me show you my third Soul Skill!"
As she spoke, the third Soul Ring beneath her feet lit up!
"Third Soul Skill: Demon Fox Transformation!"
As her spirited cry rang out, a dazzling pink glow erupted around Hu Liena.
Her Demon Fox Martial Soul possessed her. She grew slightly taller, and her fox tail unfurled behind her.
Her aura soared in an instant!
All her attributes increased substantially, while her speed and spiritual power doubled!
"Not bad, not bad! This Soul Skill is powerful!"
Hu Liena felt the strength surging through her and beamed with delight.
"It boosts all my attributes and greatly increases my combat power!"
"This third Soul Skill is even better than I imagined!"
Chrysanthemum Douluo exclaimed.
"With this Soul Skill, there'll probably be very few people at the same rank who can defeat the Saintess."
Ling Xiao nodded in satisfaction, too.
Demon Fox Transformation made up for her weaker attributes, bringing her advantages in spiritual power and speed to the fore.
"All right, Senior Sister, you've got your third Soul Ring. It's time for us to head back to Spirit City."
Ling Xiao turned his gaze away and said with a smile.
"That's right! Time to go back!"
Hu Liena nodded firmly, her eyes alight with excitement.
"Master will be thrilled when she hears that we've both broken through and obtained suitable Soul Rings!"
The three of them packed up and turned to leave Mist Valley.
They headed toward the outer edge of the forest.
Hu Liena chattered excitedly the whole way about the details of her Soul Skill.
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