Jiang Nannan stood where she was, watching Chen Doudou's relaxed, unhurried back, and secretly chided herself.
If only I were this strong, too.
Doudou was only six years old, yet he could protect us. And I, his older sister, still needed him to protect me.
A sense of frustration called "the gap" quietly spread through her heart.
Not far away, Xiao Yuanshan and his wife watched with their hearts in their throats.
Chen Wenwen covered her mouth and whispered in admiration, "This child's strength truly surpasses everyone of his generation. So many Lightning Rabbits, hundreds or thousands of years old, and in his hands they're like toys."
"Indeed..."
Xiao Yuanshan sighed softly, looking at the lovestruck expression on his daughter's face. "Xiao Xiao's eyes are practically glowing. This ungrateful little girl has never looked at her father like I mattered this much."
Chen Wenwen was amused by his jealousy over their daughter and pinched him gently. "You're a grown man. Why are you arguing with a child? Put yourself in her shoes. If you'd met such an amazing big brother at her age, wouldn't you have admired him too?"
"That's true."
Xiao Yuanshan gave a wry smile and rubbed his nose, forced to admit, "If I'd had such an impressive companion back then, I probably would've bragged about it for the rest of my life."
Just then, Bibi Dong moved.
Her figure blurred, and she appeared above the rabbits as if she had teleported. Reaching out with one delicate hand, she picked out the largest Lightning Rabbit from among the dangling creatures, the one whose lightning patterns were clearest.
In her grasp, the rabbit couldn't even muster the strength to struggle. It trembled all over.
"This one's age is just right—three thousand years. It's suitable for Nannan."
Bibi Dong assessed it coolly. Then she tossed the rabbit onto the ground and handed Jiang Nannan a sharp dagger. "Nannan, go ahead. This will be your first Soul Ring."
"Th-three thousand years?!"
Xiao Yuanshan and his wife gasped, nearly losing their footing.
What Soul Grandmaster would dare absorb a three-thousand-year Soul Ring as their second one?
That was practically playing with their life!
But seeing the matter-of-fact expressions on Bibi Dong, Chen Doudou, and Jiang Nannan's faces, they didn't know what to say. They could only suppress their shock and watch in silence.
Jiang Nannan took the dagger, her palm damp with sweat.
She drew a deep breath and looked at Bibi Dong.
Bibi Dong nodded and encouraged her softly. "Don't be afraid. You've absorbed two Soul Bones. Your body can withstand it."
"Mm!"
Jiang Nannan gritted her teeth, raised the dagger, and plunged it into the Lightning Rabbit's throat.
Blood gushed out, and its warm vitality flowed into her body in an instant.
At the same time, a purple Soul Ring rose from the rabbit's corpse and slowly fused with her.
Nearby, Zeus couldn't bear to watch. He quietly turned away and kicked at the stones on the ground with his hoof, unwilling to witness this cruel scene.
He turned to look at Chen Doudou, who was standing guard over Jiang Nannan, his gaze complicated.
His master wouldn't hunt Soul Beasts, but his master's companions had no choice. It left him deeply conflicted...
Chen Doudou seemed to sense the Pegasus's mood. He gently patted Zeus's mane, his voice quiet but full of resolve.
"Trust me, Zeus. One day, I'll change all this. I'll find a way for Soul Masters to grow stronger without killing."
Zeus's body shuddered, and he turned his head. Something seemed to glimmer in his deep-set equine eyes.
He gently nuzzled Chen Doudou's hand, as if answering that grand vow.
Just as Jiang Nannan was fully focused on absorbing the three-thousand-year Soul Ring, at the crucial moment—
In a shadowy corner of the woods, a pair of golden eyes watched them in secret.
The golden figure lay hidden in the bushes and growled twice at a creature beside it.
A while later—
A huge, terrifying Soul Beast burst out of the woods. Its body was covered in black fur, and its claws gleamed with a cold light.
"Roar!!!"
It was none other than a hundred-year-old Terrorclaw Bear, famed for its attack power!
It roared as it charged toward Jiang Nannan, who was absorbing her Soul Ring.
"Watch out!"
Xiao Yuanshan was about to intervene.
But Bibi Dong didn't even turn her head.
She simply raised a hand and casually slapped the air.
"Smack!"
A crisp sound echoed through the woods.
The ferocious Terrorclaw Bear was sent flying as if it had been hit by a speeding Soul Guidance Train. It crashed through two trees and passed out in the grass, without even twitching.
Bibi Dong frowned, walked over to the bear's corpse, and kicked it in distaste. "Strange. There shouldn't be Soul Beasts like this in the outer region. And this bear looks like someone drove it here by force."
The savage sight left Xiao Xiao trembling, her little face deathly pale.
Even Xiao Yuanshan and his wife were secretly unnerved. That was a Terrorclaw Bear, after all.
The Terrorclaw Bear was a lesser Soul Beast related to the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear. Even at a hundred years old, it could contend with ordinary thousand-year Soul Beasts—and it had skin as tough as iron. Yet it had been knocked unconscious with a single slap, without Bibi Dong even using her martial soul?
Just how terrifying was this senior's strength?
"Don't be afraid, Xiao Xiao."
Chen Doudou comforted the little girl. "Look, this bear is about four hundred years old. It's just right for your Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron. Go on, kill it. It'll make your first Soul Ring."
"Huh? I... I'm supposed to?"
Xiao Xiao looked at the bear, which was taller than she was, and shrank back in fright.
Chen Doudou pressed the dagger into her hand. "Don't worry. It's unconscious. It can't fight back. Just stick the dagger in."
With Chen Doudou's encouragement, Xiao Xiao finally raised her trembling hands, closed her eyes, and plunged the dagger into the bear's heart.
As she absorbed the Soul Ring, the little girl's complexion gradually returned to normal.
Once the two had begun absorbing their Soul Rings and things had settled down for the moment—
Bibi Dong rose to her feet.
She had been resting with her eyes closed, but suddenly opened them, a cold glint flashing in her purple eyes.
In the next instant, she vanished from where she stood. When she reappeared, she was beneath a tree in the woods.
She reached out with two slender fingers and precisely pinched the nape of a golden creature that had been spying on them, lifting it into the air.
"So that's why a Terrorclaw Bear showed up out of nowhere. You're the one behind it."
Bibi Dong stared coldly at the creature struggling in her hand.
"Roar!"
The golden creature struggled frantically, kicking with all four paws.
But when Bibi Dong lifted it in front of her, everyone finally got a good look at it.
It was a creature covered in golden fur, resembling neither a lion nor a dragon, about three meters long. Its golden eyes were full of panic.
"Let go of me! Let go of me right now!"
To everyone's surprise, the golden Soul Beast actually spoke, its voice clear and high-pitched, like that of a little girl.
It waved its little paws and scratched at Bibi Dong. "You despicable humans! Do you even know who I am? Let me go!"
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