Encountering Tang San in Star Dou

Zhu Zhuqing's fingertips still retained the warmth from absorbing the Spirit Ring. She gazed blankly at the patches of light dancing through the forest, her thoughts winding like threads around her future path of cultivation and her own fate.

Just then, Shen Lian's voice suddenly rang out, like a sharp blade cutting through the stagnant air as he spoke to Zhu Zhuqing:

"You should try out your third soul skill. Let's see what kind of skill a Spirit Ring with nearly double the usual age limit has given you."

Zhu Zhuqing suddenly came back to her senses, a sharp glint flashing through her silver eyes.

With a crisp shout, the Hell Spirit Cat Martial Soul instantly possessed her. Jet-black fur covered her body like satin, while three Spirit Rings lit up behind her in succession. Amid the two yellow and one purple halos, the three-thousand-year purple Spirit Ring was especially dazzling, faintly bearing violet-gold patterns.

Shen Lian folded his arms and took three steps back, anticipation gleaming in his eyes.

"Third soul skill: Phantom Shadow Annihilation Strike!"

Zhu Zhuqing's cry exploded with Soul Power.

The purple Spirit Ring suddenly shone brilliantly. A chilling ghostly glow climbed from her spine to her neck before coating her sharp claws.

The next instant, her figure shot forward like an arrow released from a bowstring, leaving only a string of afterimages in the air.

Every afterimage carried a real presence, making it impossible to distinguish truth from illusion. The dead leaves on the ground were swept up by the force of her attack, forming a spinning vortex in the air.

Shen Lian's pupils contracted slightly as his gaze locked tightly onto Zhu Zhuqing's true body.

As her claws neared an ancient tree thick enough for two people to encircle, three translucent claw shadows suddenly split from them, stabbing toward the trunk from different angles.

The sound of claw tips tearing through the air was sharp and piercing, creating sonic booms through the woods and startling birds from the branches.

Once the attack ended, Zhu Zhuqing landed lightly, and the phantom image of the Hell Spirit Cat gradually faded away.

The seemingly unscathed tree swayed gently in the breeze, its bark bearing no obvious wounds at all.

Shen Lian frowned slightly, stepped forward, and gave the trunk a light push.

In an instant, a faint crack sounded. The trunk slowly toppled over, revealing a cut as smooth and flat as a mirror.

The cross-section glimmered with a metallic chill, without even the slightest ragged edge. Sap seeped out like solidified amber.

"What a fine 'annihilation.'"

Shen Lian clapped in admiration, his eyes full of delight. Then he continued, "It looks like a real strike, but it conceals a feint. There are no marks on the surface, yet its foundation has already been severed. A Spirit Ring absorbed beyond its age limit truly is somewhat stronger than one absorbed at the normal limit."

Zhu Zhuqing looked at the fallen tree, the corners of her lips rising unconsciously. The power of her new soul skill had far surpassed her expectations.

At that moment, the wind through the forest brushed over her hair, as though it too were cheering for this astonishing power.

The setting sun shattered into flecks of gold across Shen Lian's shoulder armor through gaps in the leaves, and his motion of wiping the Dragon-Slaying Blade suddenly paused.

Zhu Zhuqing's gaze was simply too fervent, like two clusters of fireflies that would never go out, following his profile from the mirror-smooth cut in the fallen tree.

The blade reflected the girl's silhouette. When the evening breeze stirred her hair, even its tips seemed touched by the damp mist of the Star Dou Great Forest.

"Why are you staring at me?"

Shen Lian sheathed his blade and deliberately tapped her forehead lightly with its hilt.

The gesture was so familiar, as though they had practiced it countless times, yet Zhu Zhuqing's eyelashes trembled sharply.

Not only did she not dodge, she stepped half a pace closer. Her silver eyes shone startlingly bright in the dusk as she spoke to Shen Lian:

"Brother Lian, the Soul Power and strength I have now are all thanks to your help."

As her words fell, an emerald-green mantis was crawling along Shen Lian's sleeve. But Zhu Zhuqing's sudden grip on his wrist startled it into flapping away.

Her fingertips still carried the lingering chill of her soul skill, yet her grip around his wrist was tight as she continued speaking to Shen Lian:

"I know you've fallen for me."

The words were so blunt that even the insects in the woods seemed to fall silent for half a beat.

Shen Lian could see the blush rising at the tips of her ears, like a color painted there by the evening glow. Then Zhu Zhuqing continued speaking to Shen Lian:

"But I still have to deal with the mess in the Star Luo Empire—"

She suddenly released his hand and took two steps back to create distance, yet she did not flee from the matter.

Sunlight happened to spill through a gap in the clouds, illuminating the fresh thin calluses on her tightly clenched fist. Then Zhu Zhuqing continued:

"I promise you, once I've dealt with that mess, wherever you go, I'll go. I'll always follow you."

The wind passed through her fingers, making her final words tremble slightly, but they carried an unwavering resolve.

A beast's roar came from deep within the Star Dou Great Forest, making this clearing seem all the quieter. Their mingled breathing could be heard clearly.

Shen Lian looked at her in silence.

Zhu Zhuqing's shadow stretched long beneath the sunlight, overlapping with his on the dead leaves before separating again.

Shen Lian recalled their first meeting, when she had hidden behind a tree, her eyes filled with the resentment of being hunted. Now she stood before him with her shoulders held straight, as though she could bear alone all the pressure the Star Luo Empire had placed upon her.

"Zhuqing, I believe in you."

Shen Lian suddenly smiled and reached out to ruffle her hair, his fingertips brushing away the sweat still damp at her temple. Then he continued speaking to Zhu Zhuqing:

"It won't be long before you can take control of your own fate and no longer be bound by the mess of the Star Luo Imperial Family."

Shen Lian's voice was lower than usual, carrying a solemnity that was hard to detect. Then he continued:

"When that time comes, I'll take you somewhere unlike Douluo Continent."

Zhu Zhuqing abruptly raised her head, only to meet his eyes brimming with starlight.

The breeze blew again. Resin still seeped from the cross-section of the severed ancient tree, congealing beneath the sunlight into amber-colored teardrops, bearing witness to the vow quietly made deep within the Star Dou Forest.

Dusk dyed the Star Dou Great Forest dark purple. Zhu Zhuqing lay in Shen Lian's arms, her breathing long, even, and warm, her soft body pressed close against his.

The Vermilion Bird Wings tore through the still air, stirring a faint rush of wind.

As the outline of the treetops gradually thinned in his vision, an abrupt flash of blue suddenly entered his sight.

Shen Lian's pupils narrowed slightly, and the arc of his spread wings instantly tensed.

In the clearing below, the blue glow of Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges clashed fiercely with a streak of silver light. Dozens of Bone-Piercing Nails burst in midair into dazzling fragments like starlight.

As the blue-haired young man's hands moved in rapid succession, concealed weapons and Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track worked together seamlessly. Shen Lian recognized Tang San at a glance.

"I didn't expect to run into him so soon."

A cold smile curled across Shen Lian's lips, while Zhu Zhuqing quietly opened her eyes in his arms.

Following Shen Lian's gaze, she saw the figures of the Shrek group. Oscar was holding a Big Sausage as he watched nervously, while Zhao Wuji stood with his arms folded, his entire body radiating vigilance.

But when Zhu Zhuqing saw Dai Mubai, her eyes filled with disgust.

Looking at the people below, Shen Lian also knew that this was Shrek Academy, where Tang San was.

At present, under Zhao Wuji's lead, they had come to the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt Oscar's third Spirit Ring.