Hu Liena twitched her delicate nose, her expression turning grave in an instant.
"Qin Feng, be careful!"
"There's something strange about this mist. It can interfere with your perception."
As the owner of a fox-type Martial Soul, Hu Liena was sensitive to spiritual illusions.
Qin Feng stopped, his gaze piercing through the layers of fog and locking onto the base of a towering ancient tree ahead.
There, a snow-white fox lay crouched, its three tail tips the only parts of it stained a bewitching red.
"A Three-Tailed Spirit Fox over twenty thousand years old. Just right for you."
Qin Feng chuckled. He didn't take the illusion seriously, even though it would have been a troublesome opponent for an ordinary Soul Ancestor or even a Soul King.
Hu Liena was just about to warn him that this Soul Beast was extremely difficult to deal with.
A dazzling golden light suddenly erupted from Qin Feng's body.
His deep-purple First Soul Ring flared to life, its brilliant radiance sweeping away every trace of the pink mist around them.
First Soul Skill, Golden Dragon Body!
Dense, radiant golden scales instantly covered Qin Feng from head to toe. The fearsome pressure of a dragon swept out around him like a tangible force.
Right after that, the deep black Soul Ring blazed with dazzling light.
Fourth Soul Skill, Thousand-Jin Dragon Fist!
The muscles in Qin Feng's right arm bulged as a berserk force compressed rapidly around his fist.
He didn't even use teleportation. Relying only on the terrifying speed of his physical burst, he shot toward the Three-Tailed Spirit Fox like a golden meteor.
The Three-Tailed Spirit Fox, over twenty thousand years old, hadn't even had time to react. Terror filled its cunning eyes.
"Yow—!"
With a short, shrill cry, the wind from the Thousand-Jin Dragon Fist slammed into its forehead.
The fist itself hadn't even touched it, yet the eyes of this ten-thousand-year-level spiritual Soul Beast rolled back, and it dropped unconscious.
A ten-thousand-year Soul Beast had just been knocked out cold?
Hu Liena and Zhu Zhuqing stood nearby, staring at the absurd sight, their mouths gaping wide enough to fit an egg.
Qin Feng dusted off his hands, grabbed the Three-Tailed Spirit Fox by the scruff like a chicken, and tossed it aside.
Its body traced a white arc through the air.
"Thud!"
The heavy body crashed down in front of Hu Liena, making the ground around it shudder violently.
A ten-thousand-year Soul Beast was naturally enormous, as big as a full-grown water buffalo.
Yet in Qin Feng's hands, strengthened by four ten-thousand-year Soul Rings and a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone, it was as light as a feather.
Hu Liena stared in shock at the Three-Tailed Spirit Fox, lying unconscious at her feet with foam spilling from its mouth.
"Qin Feng..."
"Is this how strong you are now?"
Qin Feng spread his hands helplessly, a hint of disdain in his voice.
"I was already holding back. I only used one-tenth of my strength just now."
"I had to be careful not to use too much force. Otherwise, one punch would've turned this little fox into a lump of minced meat. There wouldn't even be a whole corpse left."
Hu Liena and Zhu Zhuqing both drew in a sharp breath.
He'd used only one-tenth of his strength and still knocked out a ten-thousand-year Soul Beast with a shockwave?
Zhu Zhuqing stood to one side, admiration shining in her bright eyes.
This was what a true heaven-blessed genius looked like!
How could Dai Mubai, that prince of the Star Luo Empire who spent every day chasing women and ran at the first sign of danger, compare to Qin Feng?
No!
Dai Mubai wasn't even fit to carry Qin Feng's shoes!
Images of the people from Shrek Academy involuntarily surfaced in Zhu Zhuqing's mind.
If that group from Shrek had been here today, facing this ten-thousand-year Three-Tailed Spirit Fox, they would probably have been tricked by the illusion into attacking one another.
Or they might not even have had the courage to fight back, and would have been chased all over the forest by this ten-thousand-year Soul Beast, fleeing in utter disarray.
They would never have handled the problem as casually as Qin Feng, who had strolled over and dealt with it as if it were nothing.
Hu Liena took a deep breath, forcing down her shock, and drew a sharp dagger from her waist.
Her hand flashed, and she dispatched the Three-Tailed Spirit Fox cleanly.
A black ten-thousand-year Soul Ring slowly rose from the fox's corpse.
A bright smile appeared on Hu Liena's beautiful face, and her eyes shone with excitement.
"Thank you, Qin Feng!"
"With this ten-thousand-year Fourth Soul Ring, my spiritual control will definitely make a qualitative leap."
Once she absorbed this Soul Ring, her future would be limitless!
Zhu Zhuqing watched silently from the side, her hands clasped together and envy in her eyes.
Qin Feng glanced at Zhu Zhuqing, seeming to see right through the little cat's thoughts.
"Don't worry. I promised to help you, and I won't go back on my word."
"Once Nana finishes absorbing her Soul Ring, we'll go find a suitable target for you."
Zhu Zhuqing nodded again and again, flattered. A faint blush appeared on her cool, composed face.
Before long, a full day had passed.
The three of them searched carefully through the depths of the Star Dou Great Forest.
With Qin Feng there, a human-shaped tyrannosaurus, any Soul Beast that dared approach was frightened off by his terrifying Bloodline Power.
By dusk, they finally discovered a rare ten-thousand-year Shadow Cat Demon in a gloomy canyon.
The Shadow Cat Demon was incredibly fast, darting through the shadows like a ghost.
An ordinary Soul King who encountered it might not even catch sight of it before its claws tore out their throat.
But speed was useless against Qin Feng.
Without any suspense, Qin Feng casually helped Zhu Zhuqing hunt the Soul Beast, then used his Martial Soul's pressure to help her absorb it.
As Zhu Zhuqing sat cross-legged and drew the deep black Soul Ring toward herself, her body trembled faintly beyond her control.
Her Third Soul Ring really was ten-thousand-year level!
Night fell.
A campfire crackled in a clearing among the trees, its warm light dancing in the darkness.
Zhu Zhuqing slowly opened her eyes and exhaled a long breath of stale air. The fluctuations of Soul Power within her were several times stronger than before.
She rose to her feet, her gaze fixed on Qin Feng, who sat by the fire roasting beast meat.
The firelight reflected on Qin Feng's handsome face, making him look especially captivating.
Zhu Zhuqing's heartbeat suddenly skipped.
She truly didn't know how she could ever thank Qin Feng.
He had saved her life and given her this precious ten-thousand-year Soul Ring.
The debt she owed him was so great that she had no way to repay it.
Her slender fingers twisted at the hem of her clothes, her heart full of uncertainty and insecurity.
Qin Feng was so powerful, and he had a beautiful, alluring woman like Hu Liena by his side.
She was just a fallen girl abandoned by her family, a girl whose fiancé wouldn't even spare her a glance. Would Qin Feng really ever be interested in her?
But there was no denying it: this had been the happiest and most peaceful day of her life.
There had been no cruel schemes from her family, no cold stares or rejection from her fiancé. Only this man's sturdy back, standing between her and danger.
That tall, straight figure had already been branded deep in her soul. She would never be able to erase it in this lifetime.
It was almost time to leave.
Hu Liena stretched, her graceful curves revealed in the firelight.
"It's getting late. We should be leaving."