The power of this attack far surpassed any Soul Skill of the same level from her original Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul! Its pure, extreme power of light and purification was domineering beyond compare, as if it had been born for judgment and destruction!
Her gaze fell on the charred crater, and on the black Soul Bone at its bottom, radiating an enticing aura.
However, just as she was about to go forward and examine it, a deeper shudder rippled through her body—not the exhaustion of depleted Soul Power, but something originating from that Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring itself.
And... deep within this body, it seemed that something had been quietly stirred by the full release of that Soul Skill.
Qian Renxue's delicate brows furrowed slightly. She stopped and warily sensed the changes within herself.
Meanwhile, deep in the Star Dou Forest, some ancient and powerful existence seemed to have sensed that fleeting yet incomparably pure Imperial Dragon might and power of light and purification.
A profound gaze seemed to pierce through layers of dense forest, settling from afar in the direction where Qian Renxue stood...
An indescribably vast spiritual power stirred, like an ancient mountain range that had slept for ten thousand years slowly awakening, carrying scrutiny and a hint of... confusion?
It silently enveloped the devastated woodland that had just been washed by the pillar of destruction.
This spiritual power was vast and primeval, brimming with the vitality and wildness of a primordial forest, yet it also carried an aloof, otherworldly authority.
It soundlessly swept over the charred crater and the shattered, crystallized trees, then came to rest with pinpoint accuracy on Qian Renxue in the clearing, as she struggled to suppress the disturbance in her Soul Ring.
Every hair on Qian Renxue's body stood on end! The sensation of being watched was so clear, so powerful! It was more than a hundred times more threatening than the Nether Wolf King had been!
It was as if a pair of invisible eyes belonging to a primordial beast had pierced through the layers of forest, fixing on her with cold curiosity.
This feeling... It was a ruler from the depths of the Star Dou Forest! At the very least, a terrifying existence on the Hundred Thousand Year level!
It had been drawn here by the domineering dragon might of the Emperor War Dragon and the terrifying energy fluctuations from the Hundred Thousand Year Soul Skill!
Cold sweat instantly soaked through Qian Renxue's underclothes. One thought came into her mind, crystal clear: Run! Right now! Immediately!
The disturbance in her Soul Ring had yet to completely subside, and now a terrifying presence was watching her from outside.
She was in terrible shape. Faced with a Soul Beast overlord of this level, forget fighting—even the chance of escape was slim!
She forced down the storm raging in her heart and made herself stay calm. She didn't dare make any unnecessary movement, or even raise her head to "look" toward the source of that spiritual power, afraid that a single glance might bring utter disaster.
She turned all her spiritual power inward, suppressing her presence—especially the aura of her Emperor War Dragon Martial Soul and the fluctuations of her Soul Ring—trying to make herself seem like a lifeless stone.
Time seemed to freeze. Every second stretched into a century. The vast spiritual power lingered over her for several breaths, seemingly scrutinizing something with a hint of puzzlement.
At last, it slowly moved away, receding like the tide before vanishing once more into the forest's endless darkness.
Only after the suffocating pressure had completely disappeared did Qian Renxue dare to let out a small breath. Her back was already drenched in cold sweat. She didn't dare linger, or even think about the priceless Thousand-Year Soul Bone.
She endured the discomfort from the Soul Ring's lingering aftershocks and her body's weakness. Soul Power burst beneath her feet!
"Whoosh—!"
A golden blur shot off at top speed, racing for the outskirts of the Star Dou Forest without looking back! She had to leave this area immediately, and get as far away as possible!
Only after she had put considerable distance between herself and that heart-stopping stretch of woodland, and confirmed that the terrifying spiritual power had not returned, did Qian Renxue dare stop beside a stream in a relatively safe spot.
She gasped for breath, then slid down against a large tree and sat on the ground.
She opened her palm and looked at the marks her fingers had left there from pressing down too hard as she suppressed the Soul Ring. Her expression was indescribably complicated.
"Ye Yang..." she murmured, her voice carrying a tremor she herself hadn't noticed. "What exactly did you leave behind?"
The disturbance in that Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring, the will seemingly lingering deep within it, and the terrifying gaze from the very depths of the forest... It was all like a vast fog shrouding her.
The sense of power that came with controlling this body and its Martial Soul had now been replaced by a deeper sense of danger and wariness toward the unknown.
She had to grow stronger faster, and delve deeper into the secrets of this Soul Ring and this body.
Otherwise, the next time it stirred, the next time a being like that gazed upon her, she might not be lucky enough to escape.
Qian Renxue leaned against the ancient tree, the golden light at her fingertips slowly fading. The backlash from forcibly suppressing the restless Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring left her looking slightly pale, and beads of cold sweat gathered at her temples.
The chill left by that terrifying gaze from the depths of the forest had not yet fully faded. She didn't dare stay long and was just about to get up and leave this place of trouble.
"Rustle, rustle—"
A series of somewhat heavy, disordered footsteps, accompanied by the rustling of leaves and branches, drew closer from afar, breaking the stream's stillness.
Qian Renxue instantly went on guard, her body taut as a bow. Her spiritual power silently spread outward. The bushes not far away parted, and two figures emerged, looking somewhat bedraggled.
At the head was an exceptionally burly, middle-aged man with a face full of thick flesh. He wore simple leather armor, and the muscles in his bare arms bulged in knots. His gaze was sharp as an eagle's, and he carried a fierce, untamed air.
Following him was a blond boy, around twelve or thirteen years old, already tall and straight for his age.
Most striking were his unusual, different-colored eyes—his left eye was a deep ocean blue, while his right was an eerie, seductive purple. They warily swept the area, carrying an arrogance and wildness beyond his years.
The Soul Power fluctuations around the boy were intense. Clearly, he had either just been through a battle or was on the verge of a breakthrough.
They were Zhao Wuji, who had brought Dai Mubai to hunt for his third Soul Ring, and Dai Mubai himself!
"Hmm?" Zhao Wuji's gaze instantly locked onto Qian Renxue by the stream.
She was alone and dressed plainly, and looked even younger than Dai Mubai.
But the strange aura around her, as if she didn't belong in her surroundings, along with the powerful Soul Power fluctuations Zhao Wuji had keenly sensed despite their swift suppression, set alarm bells ringing in his mind.
A child able to survive alone on the outskirts of the Star Dou Forest was no ordinary person!
Dai Mubai's Evil-Eyed White Tiger eyes were fixed on Qian Renxue too. His Evil-Eyed White Tiger Martial Soul seemed to sense some indescribable threat—and... longing?
It was the instinctive response of a top-tier Beast Martial Soul to a higher-level existence. It made him feel agitated, and filled him with a fierce desire to fight.
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