"Han Yu, congratulations."
Ye Lingling stepped forward, tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, and beamed at him.
At the same time, the Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords flew over, their blades swaying excitedly.
Their spiritual nature came from the Thunder-Roaring Hell Vine. Seeing Han Yu absorb energy of the same origin as theirs filled them with genuine excitement.
Han Yu rubbed the back of his head and laughed. "Haha, I just got lucky."
He had never expected that one small good deed before leaving would bring such a generous reward.
The hundred-thousand-year Thunder-Roaring Hell Vine had offered itself to Han Yu, and the absorption had gone surprisingly smoothly. His Soul Power Level had already reached level forty-six.
On top of that, he had gained a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring and a hundred-thousand-year Torso Soul Bone. Unlike ordinary Soul Rings and Soul Bones, those of the hundred-thousand-year level each granted two skills.
Ye Lingling came up beside Han Yu, leaned her head toward him, and asked curiously, "It's a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring! I've only ever heard of those in storybooks. It must be amazing, right?"
She tilted her head, gauging the distance between them and keeping it just intimate enough not to be too obvious. Her voice was as gentle as she could make it.
Han Yu turned his head and smiled smugly.
"Of course. The Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring and Soul Bone each grant two skills. You could say they're twice as powerful."
"So, what are your Soul Ring and Soul Bone Skills?" Ye Lingling asked again, clasping her hands to her chest.
Suspicion rose on Han Yu's face. He felt there was something off about Ye Lingling, but he couldn't put his finger on it.
He shook his head lightly and said with delight, "The first Soul Ring Skill is called Thunder Prison Flash Shadow Kill. It's a sword formation that attacks an area.
"The second Soul Ring Skill is a single-target control skill. Unless someone's far stronger than me, it's difficult to break free."
He didn't go into much detail, merely indulging his urge to share.
As far as he was concerned, Ye Lingling hadn't earned his trust yet. After all, they'd only known each other for a year.
As for some ridiculous love-at-first-sight scenario, he simply didn't believe in it.
Ye Lingling didn't press him for more. She only smiled brightly and said, "What powerful Soul Skills! No wonder they're from a hundred-thousand-year Soul Ring. I've really struck it lucky, getting to cling to the Holy Son's coattails."
Han Yu raised an eyebrow and glanced at Ye Lingling.
Sure enough, no woman was easy to deal with. He had only just begun to suspect something, and Ye Lingling had already brought her intentions into the open. A woman's intuition really was formidable.
He continued, "The Soul Bone Skills also come in pairs.
"The first is Hell Heaven Armor. It can block one fatal attack.
"The second absorbs an attack and sends it back in full."
Ye Lingling tapped the fingers of her right hand against her left palm, her tone light and cheerful. "That's incredible."
Han Yu held back the corners of his mouth from rising and waved a hand casually. "It's all right."
He hadn't noticed that the usually taciturn Ye Lingling had been unusually talkative today. She'd already spoken three times in just this short while.
Han Yu smiled. "All right, let's get out of here first."
As soon as he finished speaking,
Ye Lingling moved close of her own accord, pressing herself against Han Yu's side and gently hooking both arms around one of his.
Han Yu's voice brimmed with excitement as he shouted at the barren land, "Let's go, Thunder Escape!"
A golden, crackling opening appeared around them. Han Yu and Ye Lingling plunged inside and disappeared from that space.
The Star Dou Great Forest, within the Star Luo Empire.
Han Yu shot out of the opening with Ye Lingling in his arms. They skidded more than ten meters across the ground before he managed to stop.
Frowning, he surveyed their surroundings, trying to figure out where they were.
Unfortunately, all he could see was a ring of giant trees. The place was nothing like where they had entered the Thunder Prison in Sunset Forest.
"This looks like the Star Dou Great Forest. Some of the plants are distinctive," Ye Lingling said, pointing to a wildflower beside the grass in the distance.
Han Yu sighed. "The Star Dou Great Forest? This spatial distortion carried us a long way."
He'd used the Soul Bone Skill Thunder Escape just moments earlier, but turbulence had disrupted his passage through space and thrown off his chosen destination. He'd had to come out somewhere at random.
"It's fine. We're still in Heaven Dou territory, anyway," Ye Lingling said with a smile, clasping her hands behind her back.
Han Yu suddenly froze and gave Ye Lingling a long look. An ominous feeling rose in his heart.
Whoosh—
Just then, footsteps and the rush of something cutting through the air drew closer, accompanied by hurried panting.
Han Yu snapped his gaze toward the distance. The sounds of a fight were coming from that direction.
He immediately pulled Ye Lingling up onto a tree branch. The Wind-Thunder Wings were primed, Evil-Warding Divine Thunder surging through them at full power, ready to carry them away at any moment.
A moment later,
a lithe black-haired girl raced through the trees, stumbling as she fled.
She looked about the same age as Ning Rongrong, her cool, striking face still bearing a touch of youthful softness.
Her figure, however, told a different story. Though she looked young, her curves were full and striking. Her tight black clothes outlined a generously proportioned body.
A bleeding wound showed on her right arm, and her long hair streamed behind her like a waterfall.
In her Martial Soul Possession state, a pair of furry cat ears sprouted from her head, while a lively tail swished above her hips. Her eyes were full of unwillingness.
"Stop! If you keep running, we won't be nice about it!"
Several Soul Masters pursued her relentlessly.
The middle-aged Soul Master leading them shouted harshly. Six Soul Rings circled his feet as he rapidly closed the distance.
Han Yu's eyes widened as he recognized the black-haired girl. He murmured, "Zhu Zhuqing? Are we in the Star Luo Empire? How did we end up here?"
"The Star Luo Empire?" Ye Lingling hadn't heard him clearly. After taking a closer look, she said softly, "It is the Star Luo Empire. Those people are marked with the Star Luo Royal Family's emblem."
She narrowed her eyes. When she saw how well-endowed the black-haired girl was, she instinctively looked down at herself and compared them, a hint of envy in her gaze.
"Hmph, you're asking for it. Entanglement!"
The Soul Emperor snorted and abruptly swept his hand toward Zhu Zhuqing's back. Several vines burst from the ground and instantly wrapped around her ankles.
The group surrounded Zhu Zhuqing, their eyes cold.
"Take her away."
Zhu Zhuqing bit her lower lip and said nothing. She was about to go with them.
"How long do you plan to keep watching, sir? Get out here!"
The Star Luo Soul Emperor suddenly stopped and turned to shout at the tree where Han Yu and Ye Lingling were hiding.
Han Yu frowned, took a deep breath, and flew out with Ye Lingling, hovering in midair.
He hadn't expected the Soul Emperor's plant-type Martial Soul to give him such keen senses in the forest. He'd detected them from so far away.
Han Yu spoke in a conciliatory tone. "I happened to pass by. I have no intention of interfering."
But when the Soul Emperor below got a good look at Han Yu's face, he raised both hands and rubbed his eyes hard, his expression full of disbelief.
"Are you His Highness Han Yu, the Holy Son of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?"