Breakthrough Level Forty, Heading to Sunset Forest

Soul-Severing Cliff, stone grotto.

Qian Anci had been unconscious for a full day and night.

He lay in the deepest part of the grotto, his breathing shallow and his face deathly pale, looking for all the world like a corpse that had been dead for days.

The battle yesterday had pushed him far beyond his limits.

The burden of the Martial Soul Fusion Skill, Dragon of the Underworld, had far exceeded the threshold he could currently withstand.

Coupled with the mental exhaustion from guiding the departed souls, his internal soul power was now completely depleted.

Ya Yi was guarding the cave entrance in a weakened state, his wounds still oozing blood incessantly.

He glanced back at Qian Anci from time to time, his gaze complex.

That sky-obscuring Bone Dragon, that silent Death Dragon Breath, the terrifying pressure of that Martial Soul Fusion Skill...

Everything had surpassed his understanding.

What made his heart tremble even more was that ever since Qian Anci had fallen unconscious, terrifying mists had begun to surge from his body.

Outside the grotto, perched on an ancient tree a hundred feet away.

A figure that had almost merged with the shadows stood silently.

He was a Shadow Guard dispatched in secret by Qian Daoliu, having followed Qian Anci ever since he left Martial Soul City.

During the bloody battle yesterday, just as the Soul Saint unleashed his Martial Soul Avatar, he had been on the verge of intervening.

He had not expected Qian Anci to erupt with such power.

The Bone Dragon and the scythe had fused, transforming into the Dragon of the Underworld.

The pressure that erupted in that instant had made even him, a Titled Douluo, feel his soul shudder.

Twin Martial Souls... and a Martial Soul Fusion Skill...

The Shadow Guard whispered in his heart, his gaze grave.

He did not reveal himself, choosing instead to remain hidden.

Because he sensed that there seemed to be something else guarding Qian Anci's side.

The night deepened.

Inside the grotto, Ya Yi leaned against the stone wall, drifting into a light sleep.

Suddenly, he snapped his eyes open.

An indescribable chill rose from the depths of his marrow.

He turned his head stiffly.

Then, he saw it.

A figure had appeared beside Qian Anci at some unknown moment.

She knelt down, gently lifting Qian Anci to rest his head on her lap, and stroked his face.

That face was beautiful to the point of being ethereal, her pale purple eyes devoid of joy or sorrow.

Ya Yi's pupils constricted.

"You..."

He lunged toward the purple shadow almost by instinct.

"Release His Highness!"

He could not allow anyone to touch Qian Anci.

Especially not at a time like this.

However, the moment he moved.

The purple-haired woman raised her head and glanced at him indifferently.

She did not raise a hand, did not make contact, and there was not even a ripple of soul power.

Only the grey-white mist beside her stirred slightly.

An invisible force, like the crashing waters of the River Styx, slammed into him.

Bang!

Ya Yi's body was sent flying like a kite with a broken string, slamming heavily against the stone wall as he spat out a mouthful of blood.

He looked up in horror.

The woman remained kneeling there, her posture unchanged.

Ya Yi did not doubt that if she hadn't held back, he would already be a corpse.

"Hush, be quiet; he is too tired."

"Let him rest for a while."

Castorice's voice was very soft, as if she feared waking the youth in her arms.

Ya Yi froze in place, not daring to move a single inch.

"...As you command."

Outside the grotto, the Shadow Guard had also witnessed this scene.

He remained hidden in the shadows, his very breathing brought to a standstill.

That purple-haired woman... what was she?

Even he could not perceive her existence.

Moreover, that power made even him, a Titled Douluo, feel a terror that originated from the depths of his soul.

Castorice lowered her head, ignoring Ya Yi entirely.

She hummed a faint, ancient ballad, her voice ethereal and distant, like a dirge drifting over the River Styx.

In his unconscious state, Qian Anci instinctively nuzzled into her embrace, his tightly furrowed brows slowly smoothing out.

Castorice's fingertips hovered above his cheek, never quite making contact.

"Sleep, Anci."

She whispered softly.

"I have always been here."

Grayish-white mist gradually thickened, shrouding their figures.

When the mist dissipated, Castorice had already vanished.

It was as if she had never appeared at all.

Qian Anci remained lying where he was, though his complexion was slightly more ruddy than before, and his breathing had become much steadier.

Ya Yi leaned against the stone wall, silent for a long time.

He glanced at the bloodstains on his chest, then at Qian Anci, and finally lowered his head, saying nothing at all.

Some things, even if seen, must be treated as if they were never seen.

Outside the grotto, the Shadow Guard took one last deep look into the cave before his figure quietly merged into the night.

He had to report all of this to the Grand Worship Elder immediately.

The next morning.

Qian Anci opened his eyes.

He felt as though he had slept for a very, very long time.

"Awake?"

Castorice's voice echoed in his sea of consciousness, carrying a hint of lazy amusement.

"How do you feel?"

"Very good."

Qian Anci responded in his heart, his brows knitting slightly.

"A bit too good, in fact.

Castorice, what did you do?"

"I took care of you all night, so of course you recovered quickly."

Castorice chuckled.

Qian Anci was startled: "How did you manage that?"

"A secret."

Castorice kept him in suspense, refusing to say more.

Qian Anci sat up and looked toward the cave entrance.

Ya Yi immediately walked over and knelt on one knee: "Your Highness, you are awake."

"Your injuries..."

Qian Anci noticed Ya Yi's pale complexion, which looked as if he had been drained of all vitality, and couldn't help but ask curiously:

"Why have they worsened?"

Ya Yi's body stiffened slightly.

He recalled the warning from the purple-haired woman last night.

"Replying to Your Highness, last night... this subordinate had a mishap while circulating energy to heal, it is of no consequence."

Qian Anci frowned, but did not press the matter further.

He settled his mind and turned his focus inward to inspect his own body.

His pupils constricted instantly.

"Level forty..."

He had only taken a nap; how had his level broken through from thirty-nine to forty?

"Between life and death lies great terror, but also great opportunity."

Castorice spoke at the opportune moment.

"You had already reached that critical threshold; the breakthrough was merely a natural progression. Besides, I combed through your meridians last night. If you still couldn't reach level forty after that, you might as well find a block of tofu and bash your head against it."

Qian Anci stood up and stretched his limbs.

He could feel the soul power within him surging like a tide.

"Ya Yi."

"This subordinate is here."

"Your injuries are not light. Return to Martial Soul Hall to report and recover."

Qian Anci said indifferently.

"I have already broken through to level forty, and my own injuries have mostly recovered. I intend to head to the nearby Sunset Forest to hunt for my fourth soul ring."

Ya Yi looked up abruptly.

"Your Highness, this..."

"This is an order."

Qian Anci looked at him, a flash of gray light crossing his eyes.

Ya Yi hesitated, then nodded: "...This subordinate obeys."

He rose, bowed respectfully, and retreated from the stone cavern.

Yet, before leaving, he cast one last glance at Qian Anci, his expression complex.

Should he tell His Highness about the existence of that purple-haired woman?

No... His Highness seemed unaware of her.

Besides, the other party showed no intention of harming His Highness, so let it be! What if this was some secret romantic interest between His Highness and that woman?

After Ya Yi departed, Qian Anci stood alone in the cavern, gazing toward the direction of the Sunset Forest.

"Let's go."

He straightened his robes, his white figure darting out of the cavern like a phantom, vanishing into the vast sea of forest.

Martial Soul City, Worship Hall.

Qian Daoliu stood before the window with his hands behind his back, reading the intelligence report in his hand.

Twin Martial Souls?

A second martial soul, a dragon?

A Martial Soul Fusion Skill, Dragon of the Underworld.

And... a purple-haired woman whom even a Titled Douluo could not see through.

Qian Daoliu remained silent for a long time.

"Anci, you brat, how could you even keep this from your grandfather..."

"Sigh, forget it, forget it!"

"I'm getting old; I can't keep up with the way young people think anymore."