The Night of the Star Dou Great Forest

The Humanoid Elf Beast did not answer.

Its cat ears drooped, resting against the sides of its head. Its four wings were folded behind its back, no longer having the strength to flutter.

Its tail also hung down, draping over Qin Chuan's fingers, the fluff at the tip brushing against the web of his hand.

Qin Chuan looked at this tiny life form in his palm, his mind in complete chaos.

He could understand the terror and struggle of the Sorrow Bird and the Lovesickness Heartbreak Butterfly when facing death. That was the instinct of any animal.

But he could not understand the behavior of this Humanoid Elf Beast.

Why would it voluntarily offer up its own spirit ring?

A spirit ring was the core of a spirit beast; to offer it up meant death.

"Did you also see a god within the Angel Anthem?" Qin Chuan asked, staring into its eyes.

The corners of the Humanoid Elf Beast's mouth twitched slightly, and then it closed its eyes.

Qin Chuan held the Humanoid Elf Beast in his palm, standing motionless where he was.

That white spirit ring still hovered before him, emitting a soft, white light.

The little thing lay in his palm, its eyes already closed. Its chest still rose and fell weakly, but the rhythm was growing slower and slower.

Qin Chuan looked down at the Humanoid Elf Beast in his palm and placed it onto the petal of an orchid nearby. The tiny body curled up in the groove of the petal, looking as if it were asleep.

Then, Qin Chuan reached out his right hand and touched the white spirit ring.

The moment his fingertips made contact, a warm, non-aggressive energy flowed into him through his fingers.

It felt completely different from the previous few times he had absorbed spirit rings.

The [Sorrow Bird] spirit ring was like a pool of spring water, gentle and quiet.

The [Lovesickness Heartbreak Butterfly] spirit ring was also peaceful, but it carried a faint trace of sorrow within it.

The [Humanoid Elf Beast] spirit ring was warm, like holding a cup of hot tea in the middle of winter.

Not too hot, not too cold—just right. The absorption process was extremely rapid.

In less than five seconds, the entire spirit ring had merged into his Illusion Bell martial spirit.

With a thought from Qin Chuan, the Illusion Bell floated above his palm.

Five spirit rings lit up in sequence from bottom to top.

[White, white, white, white, white!] Five white spirit rings.

Qin Chuan looked at these five rings and the corner of his mouth twitched.

A level 55 Spirit King with five white spirit rings on his martial spirit.

Looking back at the entire history of the Douluo Continent, from ancient times to the present, one could probably not find a second person who had done such a thing.

But Qin Chuan knew that the contents of these five white spirit rings were enough to make anyone who had witnessed their power shut their mouth.

[Shadow Hypnosis], [Sinful Haze], [Flowers Falling in a Dream], [Memory Kill], [Angel Anthem]!

Five mental control spirit skills.

From shallow to deep, from passive to active, from emotional interference to impacts on the level of the soul.

Qin Chuan put away the Illusion Bell, turned around, and glanced at the [Humanoid Elf Beast] on the petal.

It was completely still now.

The rise and fall of its chest had stopped. The two cat ears lay limp against the sides of its head, and its four wings were spread out on the petal, the transparent membranes shimmering with a dull, iridescent light under the faint glow.

Its tail rested on the edge of the petal, the fluff at the tip swaying gently in the evening breeze.

Qin Chuan squatted down, watching the twenty-centimeter-tall little thing lying on the petal.

Motionless, quiet, and still.

"Let's see if I can save you."

As he spoke, Qin Chuan activated the Six Paths Reincarnation Eye, reached out his right hand, and held his palm downward over the tiny body on the petal.

Heavenly Dao Power surged from his palm, transforming into a pale purple mist of light that gently covered the Humanoid Elf Beast.

The mist of light enveloped its entire body, from the cat ears on the top of its head to the tips of its toes, from its thin wings to the fluff on the tip of its tail.

Qin Chuan focused his mind, using the Reincarnation Eye to observe the changes within the Humanoid Elf Beast under the influence of the light mist.

At first, there were no changes at all.

Its body was like a machine that had completely shut down; all vital signs had returned to zero. The Heavenly Dao Power seeped in like water poured into a desert—completely absorbed, with no reaction.

Qin Chuan steadied his breathing, maintaining the output of Heavenly Dao Power without increasing or decreasing it. He feared that if it were too strong, it would burst this tiny body, and if it were too weak, it wouldn't be able to trigger the source of life that was on the verge of dissipating.

After about another half minute, the cat ears moved.

First the left one, the pointed ear twitching and standing up slightly, shifting its direction. Then the right one followed.

The tail moved as well. The fluff at the tip flicked gently.

Qin Chuan kept his palm fixed in mid-air, watching the changes below without blinking.

Finally, the chest of the Humanoid Elf Beast heaved violently.

"Haa." A breath escaped its small mouth, and its respiration returned.

Qin Chuan slowly withdrew his Heavenly Dao Power.

The little creature, barely twenty centimeters tall, lay upon the flower petals. Its two cat ears twitched from time to time, and its chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm.

It was alive; it had truly come back to life.

Qin Chuan stared at it for five seconds, and after confirming that its vital signs were indeed stabilizing, he let out a long sigh of relief.

Very well, it seemed the Heavenly Dao Power possessed this function as well.

This was primarily because the Humanoid Elf Beast was a rather unique soul beast, and its age was not particularly high.

After waiting for another two or three minutes, its eyes flickered open.

Its deep red pupils were blurry at first, struggling to find focus. After scanning its surroundings several times, it finally locked onto Qin Chuan.

It stared at Qin Chuan for two seconds before its wings began to flutter.

At first, it flapped slowly, one beat at a time, as if testing whether it could still fly.

Then, the frequency increased, buzzing rapidly.

Its body rose from the petals, wobbled in the air for a moment, and then steadied itself.

The Humanoid Elf Beast flew a circle around Qin Chuan.

It flew slowly and erratically, its wings flapping out of sync, causing its body to tilt from side to side.

It finished its circle and came to a stop right in front of Qin Chuan.

In those two red eyes, that expression—indistinguishable from a smile—appeared once again.

Its cat ears pricked up, directed toward Qin Chuan.

Its tail gave a gentle flick behind it.

Then, it turned around, flapped its wings at full speed, and transformed into a golden glimmer, darting off into the darkness of the forest.

Qin Chuan stood up and watched the direction in which it had vanished, his mood significantly improved.

Night fell, and the sky over the Star Dou Great Forest was swallowed by a thick, ink-like darkness.

Qin Chuan did not leave the forest, nor did he seek out a cave for shelter. He chose a towering tree, tapped his toes against the trunk a few times, and landed lightly upon a thick branch at the very top.

The canopy was dense, completely obscuring his figure. Looking up from below, one could see nothing at all.

Qin Chuan sat cross-legged on the branch, his back against the main trunk. He could feel the rough texture of the bark pressing against his back; it was uncomfortable, but it did not matter.

He had made a decision: he would cultivate here.

The depths of the Star Dou Great Forest at night—these two conditions combined were, in the mind of any normal soul master, a death sentence.

Not to mention ordinary soul masters, even a Soul Douluo above level eighty would rarely dare to stay alone in the core area of the forest at night.

At night, high-age soul beasts expanded their range of activity, their territorial instincts grew stronger, and their aggression doubled. If one were to stumble upon a beast over twenty thousand years old without the coordination of teammates, it was highly likely they would lose their life right there.

But Qin Chuan's situation was different.

The perception range of his Six Paths Reincarnation Eye covered a radius of ten kilometers. He could capture the movement of any soul beast within that range the instant it occurred. Coupled with the flight ability granted by the Heavenly Dao Power, he could disengage from a battle within seconds should he detect danger.

Qin Chuan closed his eyes, the purple patterns of the Six Paths Reincarnation Eye rotating slowly behind his closed lids. His spiritual power expanded outward, firmly locking onto every movement in the vicinity. Then, he began to meditate.