Bright Tiger

A moment later, a deafening tiger roar erupted from the cave.

Three massive white tigers charged out from within.

The leader was the largest, standing over two meters at the shoulder and nearly five meters in length. Its entire body was snow-white, its fur shimmering with a golden luster under the sunlight.

Its eyes were pale gold with vertical pupils, filled with violence and killing intent.

A black Soul Ring circled its body—ten thousand years.

It was precisely a ten-thousand-year Bright Tiger.

Behind it followed two smaller Bright Tigers, standing about one and a half meters at the shoulder, each circled by a purple Soul Ring—one thousand years.

Yu Mengdi took a deep breath, unleashing her Angel Martial Soul to its full extent.

Pure white light feathers bloomed behind her as a pair of angel wings fully unfurled, spanning over three meters. Every single feather radiated a soft, golden glow.

Five Soul Rings rose from beneath her feet—four purple and one black—slowly rotating around her body.

That brand-new black Soul Ring had yet to be imbued with a soul skill, but the aura it emitted was already enough to make thousand-year soul beasts feel threatened.

"Angel, descend!" Yu Mengdi shouted softly. Her figure shot into the air, her angel wings flapping to stir up a rain of golden light.

The two thousand-year Bright Tigers sensed the threat and let out low growls simultaneously, pouncing toward her.

Yu Mengdi did not dodge or evade; her first Soul Ring lit up: Holy Light Illumination!

Golden radiance erupted from her angel wings, spreading outward like sunlight.

The light was warm and pure, carrying the purifying power of the light attribute, which had a restraining effect on the dark attribute and a suppressive effect on ordinary soul beasts.

The two Bright Tigers were enveloped by the holy light, their speed dropping sharply as the violence in their eyes dissipated slightly.

Yu Mengdi did not waste this opportunity; her second Soul Ring lit up: Blade of Light!

She gripped the air with her right hand, and a long sword forged from light energy took shape in her palm.

The blade was entirely golden, with dazzling light flowing along its edge, radiating a sharp and holy aura.

This was the basic offensive soul skill of the Angel Martial Soul, condensing light energy into a physical weapon with power far exceeding ordinary blades.

Yu Mengdi swung her sword at the nearest Bright Tiger, the blade light carving a golden arc through the air.

Although the Bright Tiger's speed had been suppressed by Holy Light Illumination, it still nimbly twisted its body to avoid a fatal blow, though the blade light still sliced a gash into its flank.

Blood gushed out, and the golden light energy seeped into the wound, causing a burning, excruciating pain.

The Bright Tiger let out an angry roar and turned to pounce again.

The other Bright Tiger launched an attack from the side, opening its blood-stained maw to bite at Yu Mengdi's throat.

Yu Mengdi remained calm; her third Soul Ring lit up: Angel Protection!

A pair of more solid golden light wings unfolded from behind her, wrapping her entire body within them.

The Bright Tiger's fangs bit into the light wings, producing the sound of clashing metal, yet it could not penetrate that barrier of light.

This was the defensive soul skill of the Angel Martial Soul, condensing a shield from light energy capable of blocking both physical and energy attacks.

Taking advantage of the gap while the Bright Tiger's attack was blocked, Yu Mengdi thrust her Blade of Light backhanded, striking the beast squarely in the shoulder blade.

The Bright Tiger yelped in pain and recoiled violently. Blood surged from the wound, and the golden light energy hissed as it seared the flesh.

Both Bright Tigers had been wounded by her and were thoroughly enraged. They let out deafening roars and pounced toward Yu Mengdi regardless of the cost.

The corners of Yu Mengdi's mouth curled up slightly; this was exactly the effect she wanted.

Her fourth Soul Ring—her original strongest soul skill—lit up.

"Angel Judgment!"

The angel wings behind her suddenly expanded, and the light grew intense.

Countless light feathers detached from the wings, condensing in the air into a massive golden light sword. The blade was over a zhang long, with sacred light flowing along its edge.

The light sword hovered above Yu Mengdi's head, radiating a heart-stopping pressure.

Yu Mengdi waved her right hand, and the golden light sword crashed down.

BOOM!

The light sword struck the ground, blasting out a crater several meters deep.

One Bright Tiger was hit head-on by the blade light; its body was nearly cleaved in two as it collapsed at the bottom of the pit, its life extinguished.

The other Bright Tiger was caught by the shockwave, half of its body scorched. It let out a shrill, mournful cry and turned to flee.

Yu Mengdi did not pursue. Her Soul Power was more than half depleted, and if she kept chasing, she might not be able to win.

Moreover, her mission today was not to hunt all the soul beasts, but to assist her master in acquiring his fifth Soul Ring.

She turned to look toward Qian Daoliu.

She saw Qian Daoliu standing with his hands behind his back, not even having released his Martial Soul.

The ten-thousand-year Bright Tiger stood before him, trembling all over, lying prone on the ground with its massive head lowered, emitting low, whimpering sounds.

It had not been defeated; it had been subdued by sheer pressure.

The pressure of a Peerless Douluo is enough to strip a ten-thousand-year soul beast of its will to fight.

In front of Qian Daoliu, this ten-thousand-year Bright Tiger did not even have the courage to resist.

"Mengdi, come here," Qian Daoliu said indifferently.

Yu Mengdi retracted her Angel Martial Soul; the light feathers dissipated, her wings of light folded away, and she walked to his side.

She looked down at the shivering ten-thousand-year Bright Tiger on the ground, a complex emotion surging in her heart.

This is power, true power.

Without needing to lift a finger, simply standing there is enough to make a ten-thousand-year soul beast bow in submission.

"Kill it and guide the Soul Ring," Qian Daoliu's voice was as calm as water.

Yu Mengdi took a deep breath, and the Blade of Light condensed in her palm once more.

The Bright Tiger raised its head, its pale golden eyes fixed on her. There was no violence or anger in them, only a sense of... surrender.

Yu Mengdi's hand trembled slightly.

She had killed soul beasts before, quite a few of them.

But never had a soul beast looked at her with such eyes.

That gaze reminded her of herself; before she met her master, wasn't she the same?

Manipulated by fate, crushed by the strong, without even the courage to resist.

"Senior Sister?" Huo Yuhao's voice came from behind.

Yu Mengdi snapped back to reality, gritted her teeth, and plunged the Blade of Light into the Bright Tiger's throat.

Fresh blood gushed out, the warm liquid splashing onto her hands and turning into steam under the scorching heat of the light energy.

The Bright Tiger's body twitched a few times before falling completely still.

A black Soul Ring drifted up from the corpse, rotating slowly.

A ten-thousand-year Soul Ring of excellent quality, radiating a rich aura of light.

Yu Mengdi closed her eyes, guiding the Soul Ring toward herself.

The Soul Ring descended upon her, merging into her body.

A vast surge of light energy flooded her limbs and bones, battering her meridians and Soul Power.

Her Angel Martial Soul released automatically, the wings on her back unfurling. At the base of the feathers, the faint outline of a third wing began to stir—a sign of the angel's evolution.

Qian Daoliu stood behind her, his right hand pressed against her shoulder as a warm golden glow poured into her body, shielding her meridians and heart.

"Relax, do not resist. Let the Soul Ring merge naturally with your Martial Soul. The fifth Soul Ring of the Angel Martial Soul is crucial; it determines the direction of your future evolution," Qian Daoliu's voice was low and gentle, flowing into Yu Mengdi's heart like a warm current.

Yu Mengdi relaxed, allowing the light energy to circulate within her.

She could feel the black Soul Ring slowly fusing with her Angel Martial Soul, a brand-new power awakening in her bloodline.

It was the power belonging to the Bright Tiger: swift, fierce, and unbreakable.

She could feel a brand-new soul skill taking shape within her Martial Soul.