Falling Light from the Heavens

Deep within the Soul Hunting Forest, sunlight filtered through the gaps in the dense canopy, casting mottled pillars of light below.

In a clearing, the massive Datura Snake had completely lost its vitality, its enormous body lying limp and lifeless in the dirt.

Tang Wu sat cross-legged beside the carcass of the Datura Snake, her eyes tightly shut as she focused all her energy on absorbing the bright yellow hundred-year soul ring.

The process of absorbing a soul ring was clearly no easy feat.

Tang Wu's delicate, fair face was etched with pain, her dainty brows knitted tightly together.

Fine beads of sweat constantly seeped from her forehead, sliding down her cheeks to drip onto her collar.

Behind her, the phantom of her mutated Blue Silver Grass, crystalline and marked with golden veins, swayed incessantly.

The vines of the Blue Silver Grass danced wildly in the air, as if locked in a life-or-death struggle against some unseen force.

Although the Datura Snake was dead, as a fierce Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast—or rather, a beast nearing four hundred years of cultivation—its soul ring still harbored a violent, residual will.

This will manifested as an intangible venomous python, rampaging through Tang Wu's meridians and attempting to tear the weak human body apart.

Xiao Wu stood beside Su Yu, arms crossed over her chest, her eyes filled with concern.

"Brother Yu, that is a Datura Snake soul ring nearing four hundred years; the resentment inside is incredibly fierce. She has only just awakened her martial soul and hasn't even fully stabilized at level ten. Can her body really handle absorbing such a limit-breaking soul ring?" Xiao Wu asked in a low voice.

As a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast who had undergone human reincarnation, she knew better than anyone how overbearing soul rings could be.

Ordinary soul masters usually chose gentler plant-type or less temperamental animal-type soul rings for their first.

With a highly toxic and violent creature like this snake, the slightest carelessness could result in shattered meridians.

Su Yu stood with his hands behind his head, watching the cross-legged Tang Wu with a calm expression, and spoke indifferently: "Just watch. She is much tougher than you imagine."

Su Yu's confidence was not without basis.

Just a few days ago, Tang Wu had consumed an entire Top-Grade Marrow Cleansing Pill that he had intercepted from Zhao Dabao.

That pill had not only caused her Blue Silver Grass martial soul to undergo a beneficial mutation but had also completely reconstructed her physical constitution.

The black impurities purged during the marrow-cleansing process had stripped away all the fragility and hidden dangers within her body.

Though Tang Wu still appeared to be a soft and delicate little girl on the outside, the toughness of her physical body was absolutely no less than that of soul masters who specialized in beast martial souls.

Sure enough, just as Su Yu had anticipated.

The constitution thoroughly transformed by the Top-Grade Marrow Cleansing Pill played a massive role at this moment.

Facing the impact of the Datura Snake's violent will, the meridians within Tang Wu's body displayed astonishing resilience.

The violent energy crashed against her meridian walls, but instead of causing tears, it acted as if it were further tempering her physique.

After about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, Tang Wu's furrowed brows gradually smoothed out.

She had successfully passed the most painful stage of the soul ring backlash, and her previously rapid, erratic breathing became steady and long.

The phantom of the mutated Blue Silver Grass swaying behind her also stabilized, emitting rings of soft golden light that suppressed and devoured the violent energy bit by bit.

Half an hour later, the yellow soul ring hovering in mid-air shrank abruptly, turning into a stream of light that completely merged into Tang Wu's body.

Accompanying the fusion of the soul ring, the Blue Silver Grass martial soul behind Tang Wu underwent a visible change.

The already crystalline vines became thicker and more powerful, and the golden veins on their surface grew even brighter.

More strikingly, a layer of fine, purple-black patterns appeared along the edges of the crystalline leaves.

This was the mark of the Datura Snake's potent venom attribute having been perfectly absorbed.

The mutated Blue Silver Grass now possessed not only terrifying toughness but also a lethal snake venom capable of causing instant paralysis.

"She actually succeeded, and the quality of her martial soul has improved so much." Xiao Wu watched from the side, dumbfounded, unable to stop herself from swallowing hard.

She realized she was finding Su Yu's methods increasingly unfathomable; he could produce such a monster-like physique with just a casual pill.

Tang Wu slowly opened her eyes, a flash of purple-gold light flickering within her deep blue pupils.

Feeling the abundant soul power within her body that was nearly overflowing, as well as the powerful texture emanating from her martial soul, a look of immense excitement bloomed on her small face.

"Brother Yu! I did it!"

Tang Wu cheered, springing up from the ground like a nimble swallow and throwing herself straight into Su Yu's arms.

Having just absorbed a limit-breaking soul ring, the blood in her body was still surging, and her body temperature was noticeably high.

Her thin, coarse-cloth garment was already slightly soaked with sweat, the translucent fabric clinging tightly to her fair, delicate skin, outlining a graceful figure that, while not yet fully grown, was already beginning to take shape.

Tang Wu hooked her arms tightly around Su Yu's neck, hanging onto him.

Her exquisite little face was flushed with excitement and the rush of blood, making her look as tempting as a ripe peach.

Her chest heaved violently, the soft, full curves pressing firmly against Su Yu's chest, bringing a startling sense of elasticity and warmth.

The distance between them was mere inches; Tang Wu's breath was like orchids, her warm exhalations carrying the unique fragrance of a young girl as she panted softly against Su Yu's ear.

"Brother Yu, I feel so strong now! I'll definitely be able to protect you in the future!" Tang Wu's voice was soft and sweet, tinged with a hint of urgency, and she squirmed restlessly in Su Yu's arms, completely unaware of how provocative she looked.

Su Yu felt the warm, soft body in his arms and the faint, lingering fragrance at the tip of his nose, his eyes darkening slightly.

He reached out his hands and patted her sweat-drenched back with a smile.

Through the soaked fabric, his palms could clearly feel the smooth, delicate skin of the girl's back and the perfect lines of her frame.

"You did very well; you did not disappoint me." Su Yu's voice was gentle, carrying unreserved praise.

Hearing Su Yu's commendation, Tang Wu tilted her head back, her large, watery eyes staring fixedly at Su Yu's face.

Her gaze was lingering, filled with an inseparable infatuation and reliance, as if the entire world had narrowed down to only the man before her at this very moment.

She wished she could melt her entire being into Su Yu's body.

Standing to the side, Xiao Wu watched the two of them embracing in such intimate fashion, and a sour taste instantly welled up in her heart.

She let out a cold snort, turned her head away, and ground her toe forcefully into the dirt, muttering, "What's the big deal? It's just a century-old spirit ring; why hug so tightly?"

Just as the three of them were preparing to celebrate Tang Wu's successful acquisition of her first spirit ring and the atmosphere was at its most harmonious, a sudden, exceptionally sharp whistling sound tore through the sky.

The sound came without warning, like some kind of sharp weapon ripping directly through the thick clouds and air, emitting a screech that made one's eardrums ache.

Su Yu's eyes narrowed, and he immediately looked up toward the sky, which was obscured by dense foliage.

He saw a streak of gray-gold light falling like a meteor, carrying an indescribable, profound aura as it pierced through the layers of the canopy.

Under the impact of this force, the leaves were instantly reduced to powder, fluttering down in a flurry.

"Bang!"

The streak of gray-gold light struck the grass less than half a meter from Su Yu's feet with pinpoint accuracy.

Accompanied by a dull thud, the hard earth was forcibly smashed into a fist-sized, charred crater.

A strange energy fluctuation radiated rapidly from the center of the small pit, blowing the surrounding weeds until they swayed wildly.