Gu Yuena's silver hair shimmered with a cool luster as it flowed through the shifting light and shadow of the Star Dou Great Forest, while she deliberately kept the pressure of the Silver Dragon King in check.
Her Soul Power fluctuations were also limited to the Soul King level.
Walking beside her, Yang Teng had both hands casually tucked into his pockets. A faint, amused curve played at the corner of his mouth as his lazy gaze swept over their surroundings.
The dignified Silver Dragon King really did suppress her aura and compress her strength to the Soul King level!
Yang Teng rejoiced inwardly. If we spend enough time together, I could melt even a block of ice...
Just as he was thinking that, Gu Yuena's eyes shifted slightly.
A flurry of hurried whooshing sounds suddenly came from the depths of the woods ahead, mixed with the sharp buzzing unique to bee-type Soul Beasts.
They both stopped at once. A figure in white stumbled out, her golden hair flying wildly in the air. Her dress was torn in several places, revealing the dazzling whiteness of her waist, shoulders, and thighs.
A massive bee-shaped Soul Beast, its body entirely dark gold and its abdomen and tail bristling with vicious spikes, pursued close behind her.
"A Stinger King with over thirty thousand years of cultivation. This young woman just reached level sixty."
Gu Yuena's gaze narrowed, though her tone remained calm.
"She won't last much longer."
Yang Teng's eyes narrowed, and the playful curve at the corner of his mouth suddenly deepened.
"Isn't that the famous beauty Qian Renxue of the Douluo Continent? How did she end up in such a sorry state?"
"If I step in and help her this time, someone like Qian Renxue will never forget such an enormous favor."
Qian Renxue's breathing was ragged, and the Angel Holy Sword in her hand had dimmed.
She tried to dodge to the side, but the Stinger King's tail spike followed like a shadow, its corrosive venom aimed straight at her back.
Gu Yuena looked at Yang Teng.
"You're going to get involved?"
Yang Teng shrugged, but his gaze flicked over the skin exposed beneath Qian Renxue's torn clothes before quickly moving away. His tone was languid.
"The strong prey on the weak. It happens every day in the Star Dou Great Forest. How could you possibly manage it all?"
He paused, then glanced at Gu Yuena with a meaningful look.
"Go on ahead to a nearby city. I'll catch up with you later."
Gu Yuena maintained her usual cool demeanor. The law of the world was survival of the fittest. In the past, Soul Beasts had preyed on humans; now, humans had found their own means of fighting back.
Besides, she still needed the son of the ruler of the God Star to fulfill her great ambition: allowing Soul Beasts to ascend and become gods.
She knew Yang Teng was sending her away so she wouldn't have to watch one of her people die.
The next moment, Gu Yuena vanished.
Space twisted abruptly around Yang Teng. In the next instant, he appeared like a ghost high above the Stinger King, his right hand pressing down.
"Space Lock!"
Invisible spatial power closed in like a cage, firmly imprisoning the Stinger King in midair just as it was about to drive down its tail spike.
The Stinger King let out an enraged shriek and struggled desperately against its dark-gold carapace. Its wings stopped beating, and it fell to the ground.
Qian Renxue snapped back to her senses. Though she had no idea who this man who had appeared out of nowhere was, her instinct for survival left her no hesitation in seizing the fleeting opportunity.
Her Angel Martial Soul fully blossomed behind her, and the Six-Winged Angel shone brilliantly. She poured all her remaining Soul Power into the blade, and the holy sword rang out.
"Fifth Soul Skill: Holy Sword Judgment!"
The blade pierced with pinpoint accuracy into the gap in the carapace where the Stinger King's head and body joined—the most vulnerable spot on its entire body.
Swordlight burst forth. Accompanied by the Stinger King's shrill, despairing cry, its enormous dark-gold body convulsed violently, then gradually fell still.
A deep black Soul Ring slowly emerged from the corpse, its energy surging without end.
Qian Renxue leaned on her sword, drained, and panted heavily. Fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.
She managed to steady her breathing and looked up at Yang Teng, who had also landed, panting. Her lips moved.
"Thank you..."
But before she could finish, her voice caught.
Yang Teng was rubbing his chin, his gaze roaming over her without the slightest attempt to hide it: from the slender waist exposed by her torn white clothes to her rounded shoulders, then down to her long, straight, snow-white legs, smudged with dust.
He seemed to be admiring a priceless painting with a few scratches.
A surge of offended anger rushed through Qian Renxue. Her pretty face turned icy, golden light flashed in her eyes, and she raised her holy sword again.
"Impudent! You—"
"Here."
A wide men's cloak suddenly came flying over her head, landing just right to cover most of her body and interrupting the Soul Power she had been gathering.
Qian Renxue froze and instinctively caught the cloak. The fabric felt warm and dry to the touch.
Yang Teng had already turned his back to her. He waved a hand casually, his voice carrying that same lazy drawl.
"Put it on quickly. Hurry up and absorb the Soul Ring. You can thank me later."
He paused, then added, "The energy in this Stinger King's Soul Ring is violent. I'll protect you while you absorb it."
All the words Qian Renxue had been about to say were stuck in her throat.
She looked down at the fine-quality men's cloak in her hands, then up at the figure standing with his back to her, seemingly relaxed yet upright.
A breeze drifted through the woods, stirring his slightly tousled golden hair. The shame and anger she had felt at being watched now seemed a little ridiculous. He had even thoughtfully thrown her some clothes, while she had assumed...
A rare awkwardness tinged Qian Renxue's ears.
Qian Renxue bit her lip, but in the end she said nothing. She quickly wrapped the oversized cloak around herself.
The cloak carried a faint, fresh masculine scent that wasn't unpleasant. She took a deep breath and gave Yang Teng's back a slight bow.
"Sorry for the trouble."
Then she wasted no time. Sitting cross-legged beside the Stinger King's corpse, she calmed her mind and drew in the black Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring.
The instant the Soul Ring's energy entered her body, its violent impact made her groan, and cold sweat beaded at her temples. But she steadied herself at once and circulated her Soul Power with all her might, beginning to fuse with and absorb it.
Hearing the steady Soul Power fluctuations behind him gradually deepen, Yang Teng's lips slowly curled into a smile. It brimmed with smugness, along with a hint of sly satisfaction at a plan well executed.
Done.
He soundlessly mouthed the words, his eyes curving with delight.
"A life-saving favor and protection while she absorbs her Soul Ring. She'll owe me big time. As expected, I'm a genius!"
"Miss Qian Renxue!"
Time trickled by. Qian Renxue's aura gradually settled from its initial violent fluctuations, and her fusion with the black Soul Ring had clearly gotten on track.
Yang Teng stretched, tilted his head to peer at the sky through a gap in the dense canopy, and began humming a little tune without a melody, looking completely carefree.
Yang Teng wondered to himself:
Perhaps Gu Yuena was already in the nearest city, silently watching the bustling human world with her cool eyes, her heart surely a jumble of emotions.
And he was here, protecting a future powerhouse who had just incurred a debt of gratitude to him.
"This has to be fate!"
"I'd only just brought Gu Yuena out of the Star Dou Great Forest, and before long I ran into the future Angel God—and she's one of the continent's famous beauties, too!"
Yang Teng wore a wicked grin, thinking of who knew what. If Qian Renxue hadn't been absorbing her Soul Ring...
Her impression of him would have taken another nosedive.
Could this guy really be a good person?!
Before you continue