Soul-Severing Cliff, a stone cave.
Qian Anci had been unconscious for a full day and night.
He lay in the deepest part of the cave, his breathing faint and his face pale. He looked as though he had been dead for days.
He had pushed himself far too hard in yesterday's battle.
The strain of the Martial Soul Fusion Skill, Dragon of the Underworld, was far beyond what he could currently endure.
On top of that, guiding the souls of the dead had drained his mind, and his Soul Power was now completely depleted.
Ya Yi weakly guarded the entrance, blood still seeping from his wounds.
Every so often, he glanced back at Qian Anci, his expression complicated.
That Bone Dragon blotting out the sky, that Death Dragon Breath that wept not, the terrifying pressure of the Martial Soul Fusion Skill...
It had all exceeded his understanding.
What made his heart pound even harder was that, ever since Qian Anci had fallen unconscious, a terrifying mist had been continuously pouring from his body.
Outside the cave, atop an ancient tree a hundred paces away.
A figure, almost indistinguishable from the shadows, stood motionless.
He was a Shadow Guard secretly dispatched by Qian Daoliu. He had followed Qian Anci ever since the moment he left Spirit City.
During yesterday's bloody battle, when the Soul Saint brought out his Martial Soul Avatar, he had been just about to intervene.
But he never expected Qian Anci to explode with power.
The Bone Dragon and the scythe fused, transforming into the Dragon of the Underworld.
The pressure that erupted in that instant made even him, a Titled Douluo, feel his soul tremble.
"Twin Martial Souls... and a Martial Soul Fusion Skill..."
The Shadow Guard murmured to himself, his gaze grave.
He did not reveal himself, but continued to remain concealed.
He had sensed that something else seemed to be protecting Qian Anci.
Night deepened.
Inside the cave, Ya Yi leaned against the stone wall, nodding off.
Suddenly, his eyes snapped open.
An indescribable chill rose from deep within his bones.
He stiffly turned his head.
Then he saw her.
At some point, a figure had appeared beside Qian Anci.
She knelt down and gently lifted Qian Anci, laying his head across her lap as she stroked his face.
Her face was almost unreal in its beauty, her pale-purple eyes devoid of joy or sorrow.
Ya Yi's pupils contracted.
"You..."
He sprang into action almost instinctively, lunging at the purple silhouette.
"Let go of His Highness!"
He could not let anyone touch Qian Anci.
Especially not at a time like this.
But just as he moved,
the purple-haired woman looked up and gave him a cool glance.
She did not raise a hand or touch him. There was not even a ripple of Soul Power.
Only the gray-white mist at her side stirred faintly.
An invisible force crashed into him like the waters of the River Styx.
Bang!
Ya Yi's body flew backward like a kite with its strings cut, slamming hard into the stone wall as he spat out a mouthful of blood.
He looked up in shock.
The woman was still kneeling there, her posture unchanged.
Ya Yi had no doubt that if she had not held back, he would already be dead.
"Shh, be quiet. He's exhausted."
"Let him rest for a while."
Castorice's voice was soft, as if she were afraid of waking the boy in her arms.
Ya Yi froze in place, not daring to move at all.
"...Understood."
Outside the cave, the Shadow Guard had witnessed the same scene.
Hidden in the shadows, he had even stopped breathing.
That purple-haired woman... what was she?
He could not sense her presence at all.
And that power made even him, a Titled Douluo, feel terror deep in his soul.
Castorice lowered her head and paid Ya Yi no more attention.
She softly hummed an ancient tune, her voice ethereal and faraway, like a funeral song drifting over the River Styx.
Unconsciously, Qian Anci nestled closer to her in his sleep, and his tightly furrowed brows slowly relaxed.
Castorice's fingertips hovered above his cheek but did not touch it.
"Sleep, Anci."
She spoke softly.
"I'm always here."
The gray-white mist gradually thickened, enveloping them both.
When the mist dispersed, Castorice had vanished.
It was as though she had never appeared.
Qian Anci still lay where he had been, but his complexion was a little rosier, and his breathing had steadied considerably.
Leaning against the stone wall, Ya Yi remained silent for a long time.
He looked at the blood on his chest, then at Qian Anci, and finally lowered his head without saying a word.
Some things, even if you saw them, you had to pretend you hadn't.
Outside the cave, the Shadow Guard took one last deep look inside, then quietly melted into the night.
He had to report all of this to the Grand Worship Elder at once.
The next morning.
Qian Anci opened his eyes.
He felt as though he had been asleep for a very, very long time.
"You're awake?"
Castorice's voice rang out in his Sea of Consciousness, carrying a hint of lazy amusement.
"How do you feel?"
"Great."
Qian Anci replied in his mind, his brow furrowing slightly.
"Almost too great.
Castorice, what did you do?"
"I took care of you all night. Of course you recovered quickly."
Castorice chuckled.
Qian Anci was taken aback. "How did you do that?"
"Secret."
Castorice left him hanging and said no more.
Qian Anci sat up and looked toward the entrance.
Ya Yi immediately came over and knelt on one knee. "Your Highness, you're awake."
"Your injuries..."
Qian Anci noticed that Ya Yi looked pale, as though he had overindulged, and asked curiously:
"How did they get worse?"
Ya Yi stiffened slightly.
He remembered the purple-haired woman's warning from the previous night.
"Your Highness, last night... something went wrong while I was circulating my energy to heal my injuries. It's nothing serious."
Qian Anci frowned, but did not press him further.
He focused his mind and inspected his body.
Then his pupils contracted slightly.
"Level 40..."
He had gone to sleep, so how had he broken through from Level 39 to Level 40?
"Life and death hold great terror, but they also bring great opportunity."
Castorice spoke up at just the right moment.
"You'd already reached the threshold. Breaking through was only a matter of course.
"Besides, I just helped regulate your meridians last night. If you still can't break through to Level 40, you might as well go bang your head against a block of tofu and die."
Qian Anci stood up and stretched his limbs.
He could feel Soul Power surging through his body like a tide.
"Ya Yi."
"I'm here."
"Your injuries are serious. Return to Spirit Hall, report in, and recover."
Qian Anci spoke calmly.
"I've already broken through to Level 40, and my injuries have mostly healed. I'm going to the nearest place, Sunset Forest, to hunt for my fourth Soul Ring."
Ya Yi abruptly raised his head.
"Your Highness, this..."
"That's an order."
Qian Anci looked at him, a flash of gray light in his eyes.
Ya Yi hesitated, then had no choice but to nod. "...As you command."
He stood, bowed respectfully, and left the cave.
But before going, he looked back at Qian Anci one last time, his expression complicated.
Should he tell His Highness about the purple-haired woman?
No... His Highness didn't seem to know about her.
Besides, she had no intention of harming His Highness, so he might as well leave it be! What if this was some little game between His Highness and that woman?
After Ya Yi left, Qian Anci stood alone in the cave, looking toward Sunset Forest.
"Let's go."
He straightened his robes, then darted from the cave like a ghost, his pale figure disappearing into the vast forest.
Spirit City, the Worship Hall.
Qian Daoliu stood with his hands behind his back by the window, looking at the report in his hands.
Twin Martial Souls?
A Second Martial Soul, a dragon?
The Martial Soul Fusion Skill, Dragon of the Underworld.
And... a purple-haired woman whom even a Titled Douluo could not see through.
Qian Daoliu was silent for a long time.
"Anci, you little rascal. How could you even keep this from your grandpa...
"Ah, forget it, forget it!"
"I'm old. I can't keep up with the way young people think."
Before you continue