Sunset Forest.
Xiaomeng, Snow Maiden, Tide Enchantress, and Na'er gathered here.
For several days, four pairs of pitch-black wings had circled through the sky, hunting, devouring, and evolving.
They had also made a trip to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
Besides the Immortal Herbs they already knew about, there were some that had never appeared in the original story.
Their effects were similar to those of the Water Muscle Jade Immortal Grass, Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, Eight-Petal Immortal Orchid, and Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew.
There was more than one Aromatic Silk Beauty, but unfortunately, the rest had yet to mature.
Once consumed, the Immortal Herbs refined their Soul Power, strengthened their bodies, and sent their spiritual power soaring.
Within a few days, they had all adapted.
Snow Maiden completed her first four Soul Rings, while the feedback from Jiang Ce's devouring pushed his level to 50.
He then hunted for a fifth Soul Ring. After absorbing it, the herbs' power erupted, and he broke through to level 56 in one go.
Xiaomeng, level 75.
Tide Enchantress, level 65.
Na'er didn't need to hunt. She condensed two Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings on her own and reached level 26.
All the Venom tissue Jiang Ce had lodged inside the women had reached an age of seventy thousand years.
The Venom tissue inside Xiaomeng had reached a hundred thousand years.
"Master, I never expected the Soul Skills of Douluo Continent to be so wondrous." Tide Enchantress manifested her Martial Soul and chuckled.
As Jiang Ce had planned, their first six Soul Rings were all a combination of enhancement and mechanical effects.
The Immortal Herbs strengthened their bodies, while the Venom multiplied their attributes fivefold, allowing them to absorb Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings from their very first ring.
For Soul Masters on Douluo Continent, the higher the age of the Soul Beast killed for a Soul Skill, the rarer and more powerful the skill.
Tide Enchantress's first Soul Skill—Sinking Dream Bewitching Smoke:
All attributes increased by 100%, the effects of spiritual-type Soul Skills increased by 200%, and control duration extended by 30%.
Her Martial Soul, Dream Illusion Butterfly, released hypnotic scale-powder mist. Enemies grew drowsy and their reactions slowed by 30%.
Those whose spiritual power was lower than hers fell asleep for two seconds outright. The greater the gap, the longer they slept.
"Even your first Soul Skill is terrifying." Tide Enchantress's eyes brimmed with delight.
"The Soul Skills really are powerful. They've multiplied my strength."
Xiaomeng spoke coolly.
Even without counting Jiang Che's ability enhancements, her strength had advanced by leaps and bounds.
What was more, while in a symbiotic state with Jiang Ce,
she could also use Yan Lingji's sixth Soul Skill, Celestial Fox Nine Thoughts.
By using half her Soul Power, she could split off a physical clone that acted independently while sharing her thoughts.
The clone could cultivate, further increasing her cultivation speed.
The many things Jiang Ce had shared with her—his experiences, observations, and knowledge—had also taken her Dao to another level.
Jiang Ce's tentacle gently patted Snow Maiden:
"After all, percentage-based skills are the most precious."
"The stronger you become, the more powerful the boost to your own strength will be."
"But..." Tide Enchantress bit her lip, a bewitching glint in her eyes. "Young Master's training methods are just too torturous."
At the mention of Jiang Ce's training regimen, Snow Maiden and Na'er both blushed.
Those tentacles wrapping around them, the vibrating settings, and the "drills" of drawing a bow and nocking an arrow had opened their eyes and filled them with shame.
Who would say they were training Demon Ninjas,
then set off Shock Bombs and White Tiger Bells while sensitive spots all over their bodies were being touched, and still demand that they attack the enemy without changing expression?
It was practically tailor-made to torment women.
Physical and mental training, both at once.
Xiaomeng turned her expressionless face away, but the tips of her ears burned red.
"Ke ke ke." Jiang Ce let out a strange laugh.
"Isn't this all to train you? Willpower, concentration, and the ability to fight through distractions—they're all essential."
"Your training..." Xiaomeng began. "Is it getting more and more terrifying?"
"This is only fivefold training. Compared with the three-thousandfold sensation of a Demon Ninja, you still have a long way to go."
The tentacle patted Xiaomeng's bottom.
Xiaomeng's outward bearing had grown ever cooler and prouder. She showed neither joy nor sorrow, and looked down on everything.
But after the tentacle monster had worked on her, her figure had become more mature, taller, and fuller.
Soul Masters on Douluo Continent awakened their Martial Souls and began absorbing Soul Rings at a young age, so their bodies matured far earlier than those of their peers.
She had already grown into the appearance of an eighteen- or nineteen-year-old.
Xiaomeng had always been tall and full-figured, with a striking figure. She had originally stood around 1.74 meters tall, with a 36E bust.
After all the development and Soul Ring absorption,
she now stood 1.84 meters tall, and her 36E bust had become 38H.
She could practically be called a honeydew melon.
There was nothing Xiaomeng could do about Jiang Che's antics.
After all, she had long ago promised to let him use her body, in exchange for witnessing the scenery of becoming a god at level 100.
It was only a body. What did it matter if that bastard toyed with it?
If I hear the Dao in the morning, I can die content in the evening.
I shall steadfastly pursue the Dao, from end to end.
The other women's figures were developing rapidly too.
Snow Maiden's A-cup breasts had grown to 36D, and they still had room to develop further.
Na'er also lowered her head shyly.
"Brother, could you turn the setting down a little?"
Whenever she fought Soul Beasts, she could barely keep hold of the Silver Dragon Spear.
But she still had to fight hard; she couldn't let her brother down.
After several days straight, though, she was nearly at her limit.
"Enough. Since your Soul Rings are all set, I'll let you rest for a while."
At his words, the settings on the women's bodies dropped abruptly.
The waves of vibration finally subsided, and they all breathed a sigh of relief.
At least this was a little more comfortable.
"Now that the Soul Rings are settled, it's time to capture some Soul Beasts and put together a cavalry force."
Jiang Ce's voice rang out.
"Young Master, which Soul Beasts should we capture?" Snow Maiden asked.
"For a cavalry force, they should naturally look more imposing.
"This world has a unique breed of horse called the Horned Scale Horse.
"They're gentle-tempered, good at carrying heavy loads and making long-distance charges, and they can use the defensive Soul Skills Black Scale Body Protection and Sky Horn Shield to protect their riders.
"They'd be a perfect match for the Heavenly Strategy Army's heavy cavalry."
"The Horned Scale Horses live in the Northern Great Plains on the northern border of the Heaven Dou Empire. It's several hundred kilometers from here."
The women nodded.
Immediately afterward, their Venom tissue surged with a puff, transforming into a pair of enormous, pitch-black wings.
The wings beat fiercely.
"Boom—"
Streaks of black light shot across the sky like lightning, leaving trails of sonic-boom clouds as they sped into the distance.
Northern Great Plains.
Four pairs of pitch-black wings skimmed across the sky, trailing long sonic-boom clouds.
Xiaomeng, Tide Enchantress, Snow Maiden, and Na'er split up to search, marking the largest Horned Scale Horse herds on the grasslands one by one.
The first large herd had over three thousand horses, the second two thousand eight hundred, the third two thousand five hundred... With the scattered medium and small herds included, the total had already exceeded ten thousand.
Using her Silver Dragon King Bloodline to sense her surroundings, Na'er found another super-herd of over five thousand horses.
Its leader was a three-thousand-year-old Horned Scale Horse King, nearly five meters long.
"The hunt begins."
Xiaomeng struck first.
"Colorless World."
A domain of ink-wash colors instantly blanketed the entire grassland.
The movement of all things slowed by ninety percent.
Then her fourth Soul Skill, Thousand Shadow Light Splitting, formed dozens of sword shadows that sealed off every possible escape route from all sides.
She teleported in front of the herd's leader, her sword tip pressed to its brow. Under the Soul Emperor's pressure, the thousand-year-old Horned Scale Horse bowed in submission.
Tide Enchantress acted at the same time.
Her first Soul Skill, Sinking Dream Bewitching Smoke, covered a hundred-meter radius. Purple scales spread like a dense fog, and Horned Scale Horses with insufficient spiritual power collapsed into a deep sleep.
Her second Soul Skill, Mirror Flower Butterfly Shadow, created nine lifelike clones that surrounded the herd.
Her fourth Soul Skill, Soul-Confusing Dance Steps, released invisible waves of spiritual power,
subtly changing the Horned Scale Horses' perceptions until they gradually began to regard her as "someone they could trust."
Finally, her sixth Soul Skill, Eternal Night Soul Burial, implanted a calming command in the herd's collective consciousness.
Their fear faded, and the herd waited quietly.
Snow Maiden put away her Jasper Flute. Her battlefield lay to the south.
Her first Soul Skill, Cold Abyss Frost Melody,
spread silently,
its icy sound waves seeping into every Horned Scale Horse.
Their body temperatures began to drop, and their reactions gradually slowed.
Her fourth Soul Skill, Snow Dance Heavenly Splendor, unleashed a raging blizzard,
and the biting cold instinctively drove the Horned Scale Horses to gather around the only "source of warmth."
Twelve hours later, Horned Scale Horses from several herds had been gathered together.
Their total number exceeded twenty-five thousand.
About ten thousand were adult Horned Scale Horses fit for battle, over two thousand were a hundred years old, and there were thirty thousand-year-old herd leaders.
There was also one three-thousand-year-old Horse King.
Na'er rose high into the sky, silver light blooming around her as her two pale-gold Soul Rings pulsed and her draconic might poured down over everything.
More than twenty thousand Horned Scale Horses raised their heads in unison. There was no fear in their eyes, only submission.
"Follow me."
To avoid disturbing the towns and villages along the way, the women drove the herd away from the main roads and densely populated areas, taking a detour around the western mountains.
More than twenty thousand Horned Scale Horses charged through the valleys, their hooves thundering as dust filled the sky.
The women took up positions in the air around them:
Na'er flew above the herd, continuously releasing her draconic might to ensure the horses wouldn't dare act out.
Apologies, everyone. Today's update is a little late. I had to go out to take care of some things, and the next update will be late as well.
Before you continue