A Bountiful Harvest

By the Lake of Life, the sun sank toward the horizon. Golden-red twilight spilled across the rippling water, painting it in dreamlike colors.

Xiao Wu struggled with all her might to drag Er Ming to the lakeshore.

It barely lifted its heavy head and gazed once more at the familiar lake, its eyes full of longing and reluctance.

It had seen this kind of scenery countless times, but today might be the last.

"Thank you, Sister Xiao Wu... for letting me see the Lake of Life one last time in my final moments."

Er Ming's voice grew weaker and weaker.

As a Soul Beast, it had long accepted that one day it might be hunted by humans and turned into a cold Soul Ring.

It just hadn't expected that day to come so suddenly. They had been playing hide-and-seek together that morning, but by evening, they were separated by life and death.

Xiao Wu watched Er Ming grow weaker and weaker, her eyes already rimmed red as tears streamed down her face.

Her hatred of humanity surged to its peak in an instant.

Especially that man who wielded the Seven Kill Sword. He had killed her family. That alone was a death sentence! She, Xiao Wu, would make him pay!

"Er Ming, hang on! I'll go find Mom. She knows some people. Maybe they can heal you."

Looking at Xiao Wu, who still refused to accept reality, a trace of helplessness flashed through Er Ming's eyes.

Though it always called her Sister Xiao Wu, she was actually the youngest of the Soul Beasts. She had never truly encountered the cruelty of the outside world and was far too innocent and kind.

"Sister Xiao Wu... go ahead. I'll wait for you right here."

Hearing Er Ming agree, Xiao Wu didn't hesitate for a moment. She turned and bounded toward the depths of the woods, her movements clearly frantic and anxious.

As Xiao Wu left, Er Ming gave a slight nod.

It had finally gotten Xiao Wu to leave. It was time to end everything on its own.

With difficulty, it rolled over and sank into the Lake of Life.

The lake's immense vitality poured into its body, trying to keep its life from slipping away.

But Er Ming knew this could only keep it alive for another minute or two at most.

Its very essence had been gravely damaged. Death was unavoidable.

Splash!

Er Ming climbed back onto the shore, its breath now exceedingly faint.

It looked up. Chen Xin and the others had been waiting for a long time, their killing intent plain in their eyes.

The sunlight weakened by the moment, and dusk gave way to night.

Er Ming looked at the people before it, its eyes brimming with hatred.

They were the ones who had killed Da Ming and torn apart the warm home they had shared.

These people were its greatest enemies!

"Today, I, the Titan Giant Ape, will drag one of you down with me!"

Er Ming roared, its eyes bloodshot. Its body began to swell wildly as terrifying Soul Power gathered around it.

The expressions of Chen Xin and the others changed at once. They understood—Er Ming was going to self-destruct!

This wasn't an ordinary self-destruction. It was the desperate final strike of a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, its power comparable to a small-scale natural disaster. It might destroy the entire Lake of Life.

Seeing this, Chen Qi furrowed his brow.

He didn't think Er Ming would manage to self-destruct. After all, Silver Dragon King Gu Yuena was still at the bottom of the lake.

If it dared disturb her sleep, Er Ming would die a horrible death.

What he was really worried about was that if Gu Yuena intervened, they would lose Er Ming's Soul Ring and Soul Bone. Wouldn't that make the whole trip a waste?

Chen Qi's thoughts raced. He remembered that the Soul Skill of Qian Renxue's fifth Soul Ring, Angel Judgment, sounded incredibly powerful.

If I hit Er Ming in the heart while she's in the middle of releasing the skill...

"Fifth Soul Skill, Angel Judgment!"

Chen Qi acted at once. His wings hadn't even fully spread before the Soul Skill burst forth.

A longsword radiating a terrifying, sacred pressure formed before him. Chen Qi grabbed it and hurled it at Er Ming's heart with all his might.

"Shhk!"

The sword pierced through Er Ming's chest, instantly interrupting the Soul Power gathering for its self-destruction.

It stared down at the hole in its chest, its eyes filled with disbelief. It couldn't understand how a Soul Emperor who was only at level sixty and hadn't even obtained a Soul Ring could break through its defenses.

Thud!

Night had fully fallen. Er Ming collapsed heavily beside the Lake of Life, all its life force gone.

A blood-red Soul Ring slowly emerged from its body, shimmering with an eerie light.

Qian Renxue's face was deathly pale. The Soul Power she had just expended had been enormous. The world spun before her eyes, as if she were suffering from low blood sugar.

Seeing this, Chen Xin immediately withdrew the more than a hundred Kill Character Sword Arts behind him. He hurried over, placed a hand on Qian Renxue's shoulder, and continuously channeled his Soul Power into her.

He glanced at Chen Qi, a trace of surprise in his eyes.

He hadn't expected Chen Qi, despite being a Martial Soul, to have greater offensive power than his master. The power of that strike was already comparable to the small Kill Character Sword Art.

There were simply too many secrets between Chen Qi and Qian Renxue.

An incense stick's time later, color returned to Qian Renxue's cheeks.

She turned to Chen Xin and gave him a slight bow.

"Thank you for replenishing my Soul Power, Grandpa Sword Douluo."

Chen Xin waved a hand, his tone gentle.

"Don't mention it. You gave me a Soul Bone; it would hardly be right if I didn't help you. By the way, from now on, just call me Grandpa Sword. 'Grandpa Sword Douluo' sounds too formal."

At that, Qian Renxue tilted her head, her voice soft.

"Grandpa Sword?"

The adorable sound of her voice made Chen Xin's heart melt.

He quickly turned his head and gave a slight nod to show he agreed. In truth, he was afraid someone would see his cheeks turning faintly red.

As expected, no one could resist a girl acting sweet!

Chen Qi took Qian Renxue's hand and pointed to the Soul Ring floating before them.

"Let's absorb the Soul Ring."

Qian Renxue nodded, her voice firm.

"Okay!"

The Soul Ring entered Chen Qi's body, and the two sat down cross-legged once more, beginning to absorb this Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring.

The other Titled Douluo stood guard around them, constantly alert to their surroundings to ensure their safety.

An hour later, a brand-new Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring appeared beneath Qian Renxue's feet.

As it stood, Qian Renxue's Soul Ring Configuration had reached an utterly terrifying level.

Purple, purple, black, red! Red! Red!

Three Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Rings—throughout history, she was the only one to achieve this.

Combined with the Immortal Herbs she had consumed, her true strength could now match that of a peak Soul Saint.

At the Soul Emperor level, she was completely invincible, crushing every genius of her generation.

And Qian Renxue was not yet nine years old.

In nine short years, she had already traveled most of the road that others couldn't complete in a lifetime. Anyone who heard about it would be green with envy and jealousy.

As usual, after absorbing the Soul Ring, Qian Renxue's Soul Power began to rise again.

But this time, the increase was much smaller. It stopped at level sixty-eight, nowhere near as much as the previous two times.

Seeing that Qian Renxue hadn't advanced straight to level seventy, everyone secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Thank goodness. The young mistress isn't too ridiculously monstrous.

She stopped at level sixty-eight.

If she had been forcibly raised all the way to Titled Douluo, the Douluo Continent might truly have been turned upside down.

Chen Qi handed Er Ming's Titan left arm bone to Qian Renxue, then turned and gazed pensively at the Lake of Life.

If I could haul Silver Dragon King Gu Yuena up here and have her pull a carriage like the Nine Dragons Pulling a Coffin... that would be so cool!

At the bottom of the Lake of Life, Silver Dragon King Gu Yuena slowly opened her eyes.

She had seen everything that had just happened.

If Chen Qi hadn't intervened, she really would have appeared to erase the one who had almost destroyed the place where she slept.

She gazed at the surface of the lake, her expression somewhat complicated. Chen Qi's look at the water felt strange to her; it was as if something were wrapped around her from behind.

On the shore, Snake Lance Douluo asked Qian Renxue, "Young mistress, should we head back now, or catch the rabbit that escaped?"

"Let's head back first. As for that rabbit, have our people keep an eye on it. We can hunt it whenever I need to."

Snake Lance Douluo nodded. Since the young mistress had already made up her mind, it was time to return.

Chen Qi turned back and murmured with a sigh, "What a bountiful day."