The two of them had rested for only a short while before daybreak came.
Bibi Dong decided to hunt another Soul Beast for her Sixth Soul Ring. She wanted to break through to Soul Emperor in one go.
She had consumed plenty of Whale Rubber and even eaten an Immortal Herb, so her physical strength far surpassed that of ordinary Soul Masters at the same level.
That was why she had chosen a Sixth Soul Ring with a cultivation level well above twenty thousand years.
Facing a Soul Beast with a cultivation level of over twenty thousand years, possibly even close to thirty thousand, was already a challenge for Bibi Dong, let alone Ling Feng.
Bibi Dong was afraid Ling Feng might get hurt, so she didn't let him come along.
"Ling Feng, leave Sunset Forest first. Once I break through to Soul Emperor in a few days, I'll come find you!"
"Then we'll meet at the supply town outside the forest and head to the Capital of Slaughter together!" Bibi Dong said.
Ling Feng knew what was at stake. If he were there, Bibi Dong and her guards would have to split their attention to protect him if they ran into danger.
So Ling Feng didn't tag along and cause trouble. He chose to head straight down the mountain.
"All right. I'll wait outside the forest for your good news. Be careful. If things get too dangerous, we can always spend some time cultivating our Soul Skills first."
"Mm, I will. You be careful too!" Bibi Dong said.
Bibi Dong knew Ling Feng was fairly familiar with Sunset Forest. Otherwise, he couldn't have found a treasure land like the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
So she was relatively at ease about him and wasn't worried he would run into danger on his own.
Bibi Dong took out a map and headed toward her next target.
Ling Feng didn't linger in the forest either. Staying there made everything inconvenient, from bathing and sleeping to eating. He might as well wait outside.
The outer reaches of Sunset Forest.
This was an area where thousand-year Soul Beasts roamed.
Under an ancient tree, a girl in black stood quietly on guard for a young man, protecting him as he cultivated.
Before the young man lay a Soul Beast's corpse. Above it, a purple Soul Ring hovered.
The young man glanced at the girl, then carefully began absorbing the Soul Ring.
The girl in black looked at the man's Martial Soul, a trace of puzzlement flashing in her eyes.
The aura of his Martial Soul made her somewhat uncomfortable.
Half an hour later, the man finished absorbing the Soul Ring. Beneath his Martial Soul, three Soul Rings—white, yellow, and purple—appeared.
"Our deal ends here. I'm heading down the mountain!" the girl in black said.
The man tossed her a money pouch. "All right. Thanks for your help. I'll come to you again the next time I have a job!"
The girl in black opened the pouch to take a look, then weighed it in her hand and nodded.
"Payment received. I'm leaving."
The girl in black didn't notice that the man hadn't put away his Martial Soul.
The moment she turned around, the third Soul Ring beneath his Martial Soul lit up, and he attacked her.
"Heh heh heh! You saw my Martial Soul, and you still think you can leave alive?"
Ling Feng was heading toward the outskirts of the forest, preparing to leave, when he suddenly sensed a surge of Soul Power.
His eyesight was exceptional. From far away, he spotted a male Soul Master attacking a girl in black.
The man's Martial Soul was a blood-red vine that gave off a chilly black aura. It was obviously no respectable Martial Soul.
The girl was shrouded in a black robe, but it couldn't conceal her curvaceous figure.
Just as Ling Feng was about to watch for a moment, Rakshasa Bibi Dong's voice suddenly rang in his mind.
"Ling Feng, save that girl!"
"Hmm? Does Bibi Dong know her?" Ling Feng thought.
But since Rakshasa Bibi Dong had spoken, Ling Feng had no reason to hesitate. He immediately unleashed his ultimate move.
A flash of black light flickered in his eyes as he released his Soul-Eating Light skill.
He didn't need to use his Martial Soul to release this skill. It was the fastest skill he could use at the moment, rivaling a Soul Bone Skill.
One trick, mastered, could carry you everywhere.
The male Soul Master had only just broken through to Soul Elder. His spiritual power was as fragile as a sheet of paper.
Ling Feng didn't even use his full strength. The man's mind took a blow, and his Soul Power instantly turned into a chaotic mess.
He couldn't control his Martial Soul and was even struck by its backlash. He spat out a mouthful of blood, his aura growing extremely weak.
"Who's there?"
The girl in black reacted quickly, too. The moment she sensed the terrifying aura behind her, she used Martial Soul Possession.
Her arms transformed into fiery-red dragon claws, and patches of red dragon scales grew across her body.
She didn't have time to use a Soul Skill, but Martial Soul Possession strengthened her defenses and gave her a better chance of surviving.
As soon as she turned around, she saw the employer who had ambushed her. His Martial Soul had vanished, and he was spitting up blood.
But the girl in black didn't hesitate. She grabbed her employer and crushed both his arms.
Before the blood could splash onto her, faint flames roasted it into a wisp of black smoke.
"A Fire Dragon Spirit? Bibi Dong knows her too? I think I know who she is!"
"But isn't she a little too violent?" Ling Feng thought.
If it had been Ling Feng, he would either have killed the man outright, instead of torturing him to death like she did, or used some other way to finish him off—like his Death Spider Poison. Why get blood all over himself?
Ling Feng waited for the girl in black to vent her anger before walking over.
The girl in black watched him warily. "Were you the one who interrupted his Soul Skill just now?"
Ling Feng nodded. "I was."
The girl in black said, "Thank you. Take this!"
She tossed him a money pouch. It was the commission her employer had given her, and she now handed it all to Ling Feng as a token of gratitude.
After tossing him the pouch, the girl in black seemed reluctant to part with it. Her voice stiffened as she said:
"But I would've been fine even without your help!"
In truth, she was lying. She had used up a lot of energy helping her employer hunt the Soul Beast. Otherwise, he wouldn't have dared ambush her.
Even if she survived the attack, she would have been badly injured.
Ling Feng took the pouch and weighed it in his hand. It seemed to contain four or five hundred Gold Soul Coins—a fortune even for a Soul Elder.
Ling Feng didn't take the girl's aloofness to heart.
The fact that she'd offered him a reward showed she was fair-minded. She was probably all sharp edges on the outside and soft-hearted underneath.
Ling Feng took out a few Dragon Ganoderma Leaves and offered them to her. "These are medicinal Dragon Ganoderma Leaves. They can help restore your Soul Power."
"Oh, right. My name is Ling Feng. What's yours?"
The girl in black caught the scent of medicine. Looking at the Dragon Ganoderma Leaves held out to her, she could tell they were no ordinary medicine.
"These medicinal herbs are too precious. I can't accept them!"
The girl swallowed, but still refused Ling Feng's kindness.
"Also, my name is Liu Erlong. I'm a mercenary around here!"
"Sure enough, it's Liu Erlong! No wonder she's like a prickly hedgehog and a raging dragon at the same time!" Ling Feng thought.
Ling Feng smiled. "I have more of these medicinal herbs. They're not that precious, so keep them."
"You gave me a gift when we met. I have to give you something in return, don't I?"
As he spoke, Ling Feng weighed the money pouch Liu Erlong had just handed him.