Your Devout Believer Bows Before You, My Lord! May Your Glory Endure Forever!

The Wolf King was still alive?

Long Ling's father was stunned as well.

He abruptly looked up, and his gaze toward Chu Zisheng was filled not only with shock and gratitude, but also with deep fear.

This young man's strength was far more terrifying than he had imagined!

Chu Zisheng had spoken of the Wolf King's whereabouts with such certainty.

Clearly.

That scene just now, comparable to a divine miracle, had not been caused by anyone else—it had been his doing!

He... he truly had no idea how Chu Zisheng had done it...

To precisely and effortlessly kill those Thousand-Year Soul Beasts in an instant without harming him in the slightest.

Even the reason that Wolf King still had one last breath was definitely not because it had been lucky, but because Chu Zisheng had deliberately spared it for Long Ling to absorb its soul ring.

So effortless, so casual...

It was simply... terrifying beyond belief!!

Perhaps only the legendary Title Douluo could be this powerful, right!?

Long Ling's father trembled inwardly as he thought to himself.

He had spent his entire life in the tribe.

When he had gone into the city to sell goods in the past, the strongest person he had ever seen was merely the hereditary prince of the city lord's manor, a level 78 Soul Saint!

To a low-level Soul Elder like him, a Soul Saint was already someone lofty and untouchable, as different from him as clouds and mud.

A Title Douluo was even more like a god of legend!

He had only heard tales of them from others as though listening to stories. Even catching a distant glimpse of one would have been the fortune of three lifetimes...

Much less receiving the protection of a Title Douluo now...

Just as his heart churned and he wanted to say something grateful but did not know what to say.

"Still got one breath left?"

Long Ling suddenly spoke, her eyes clear as those of a fool.

"Did you deliberately leave it for me to absorb its soul ring?"

These successive developments made her already not-so-clever mind seem even more foolish. Coupled with her blunt nature, she asked without thinking.

Her intelligence was neither high nor low; it was just enough for her to realize she had said something wrong the instant the words left her mouth.

If the Wolf King had not been left for her, could it possibly have been left for someone else?

For a moment.

She pursed her lips, her expression awkward, and did not dare look Chu Zisheng in the eyes.

Long Ling's father: "..."

Chu Zisheng: "..."

The two silently sighed in their hearts.

What a fool.

"Don't you still need your fourth soul ring? I think that Wolf King suits you well. Come on."

Chu Zisheng spoke softly, then turned and headed deeper into the forest.

"I..."

"Alright, this is a rare opportunity. Go quickly. Don't worry about the tribe—your father is here."

Long Ling's father tapped his pipe, knocked out the ash, and put it away.

He did not like smoking, but after surviving such a calamity, a puff truly did calm his nerves and made his whole body feel at ease.

"Mm..."

Long Ling took a deep breath and hurried after Chu Zisheng.

Deep in the dense forest.

Before they had walked far, they saw a dark-red shape lying beneath a giant tree.

It was the crimson Wolf King with only one head remaining.

It lay there motionless. The crimson glow on its body had dimmed until it was nearly invisible, and none of its previous ferocity remained. Only its belly rose and fell faintly, preserving its last breath.

Long Ling's heart began to pound.

She had been stuck at the peak of Soul Elder for too long. She dreamed of hunting a two- or three-thousand-year Soul Beast and breaking through to Soul Ancestor.

But relying on her own strength alone, she was too isolated and weak, and had never found a good opportunity.

Yet now, this terrifying seven-thousand-year Soul Beast lay dying right in front of her, ready for her to take...

Faced with such heaven-sent fortune.

She had only taken two steps forward when she seemed to recall something and suddenly stopped. She instinctively turned to look at Chu Zisheng, her little face drooping.

"I... I don't think I can absorb it..."

Its level was too high. It was not something she could absorb.

A person had to know their limits. She knew her own capabilities.

A Soul Elder's theoretical limit was, at most, absorbing a four- or five-thousand-year soul ring.

That Wolf King had even been able to forcibly activate an innate talent skill unique to Ten-Thousand-Year Three-Headed Demon Wolves, which showed just how old it was.

At least seven thousand years old!

If she forcibly absorbed it, she could easily explode and die.

Chu Zisheng walked to her side and smiled. "Didn't you say drinking beast milk gives you magical power? You've been drinking it since childhood, so you'll definitely be fine."

"I... I... Ah, why did you take that seriously..."

Long Ling's face instantly reddened with embarrassment. That had only been an excuse she made up to trick him into drinking it. It was just ordinary beast milk. While it could strengthen the body, that was all. What magical power could it possibly have?

After all...

What did he think it was, some outrageously rare treasure like wild dog milk?

"Heh..."

Chu Zisheng shook his head, looked at her, and chuckled softly. "Then do you believe me?"

"Of course I believe you."

Long Ling answered almost without thinking.

The more instinctive her answer was, the more it showed that this was the truest feeling in her heart.

"Then there's no problem."

"Alright!"

Long Ling took a deep breath. Golden light flashed in her hand as she grasped the Azure Hunt Golden Bow and walked toward the Wolf King.

Beneath the giant tree.

The dark-red Wolf King lay on the ground. Sensing her approach, its sole remaining head lifted slightly, and Long Ling's reflection appeared in its clouded beast eyes.

"Roar... roar... roar..."

It wanted to struggle, but it could not muster even the slightest strength. It could only let out a few weak whimpers, as though begging for mercy.

None of the Wolf King's former proud majesty remained.

Perhaps... even until its death, the Wolf King could not understand how the weak human it could have easily killed three days ago had now come to claim its life.

Long Ling stood before it, looked at it, and drew a deep breath.

This was the thing that had nearly killed her last time.

This was the thing that had nearly destroyed her entire tribe.

This was the thing that had forced her father to nearly die at the mountain pass.

If Chu Zisheng had not been there... she did not even dare imagine what things would be like now.

She raised her bow, and a golden arrow slowly condensed at her fingertips...

But she did not fire immediately.

She turned back and glanced at Chu Zisheng.

Chu Zisheng nodded at her.

Only then did Long Ling turn back. She aimed at the Wolf King's remaining head and closed her eyes.

The next moment.

The arrow left her hand.

Golden light flashed.

"Awoo..."

After the Wolf King let out one final whimper, it fell completely silent.

A deep purple soul ring slowly rose from its enormous corpse, turning faintly within the forest...

A seven-thousand-year soul ring!

The soul ring she had not even dared dream of was now right before her!

Long Ling stared at it, her gaze trembling slightly. She turned to look at Chu Zisheng, her eyes reddening. Biting her lower lip, she suddenly wanted to cry.

"Clear your mind. Don't be afraid."

Chu Zisheng raised his hand and pressed it against the center of her back. A gentle yet irresistible force slowly flowed into her body.

The soul power within her body also became incomparably solid beneath the embrace of that force.

"Alright..."

Long Ling nodded heavily, sat cross-legged, and allowed that force to guide her as she began absorbing the seven-thousand-year purple soul ring bit by bit.

But the moment she began, that powerful surge of energy felt like a fierce and brutal Wolf King, madly tearing into her body.

Pain!

Pain as though she were being cut by a thousand blades!

A seven-thousand-year soul ring was far beyond what someone at her level could absorb.

Moreover, this two-headed Wolf King possessed noble blood and was itself a royal Soul Beast.

Not to mention that after reaching ten thousand years, its innate talent skill was Soul Shock. Its resentment and unwillingness after death all transformed into violent tremors of the soul that continuously assailed her.

Long Ling's body immediately began to shake violently.

Her mind was battered by the soul tremors until she lost all reason. Her consciousness drifted somewhere unknown, and just as she was nearly torn apart by that power.

"Hmph!"

A gentle force suddenly descended like a god, instantly suppressing those violent energies.

Long Ling's pained expression gradually relaxed, and the corners of her lips even lifted slightly, as though she had seen some beautiful and joyful illusion amid those soul tremors.

Chu Zisheng stood behind her, his expression calm, though his gaze was somewhat subtle.

At that moment.

Tiny motes of light slowly rose from Long Ling's body. They gradually brightened until they finally gathered into a dazzling golden thread.

Yet unlike before, when this strange power quickly dissipated into nothingness.

This thread of golden light seemed to possess a will of its own. It flew straight toward him and entered between his brows.

It also formed a faint connection between him and Long Ling.

Time slowly passed.

No one knew how long it had been.

The sky... had completely darkened.

The dense forest was so dark that one could not see one's own fingers.

Yet a strand of white light from nowhere steadily illuminated this small area, as well as Long Ling's cross-legged figure.

With Chu Zisheng's help, Long Ling absorbed the soul ring very quickly. The glow of the seven-thousand-year soul ring had become exceedingly dim.

Just then.

The purple soul ring suddenly trembled, shattered into countless phantom specks, and merged into her body.

At the same time.

"Mmph!"

Long Ling could not help letting out a soft moan as she felt her entire body grow light.

The vast soul power within her seemed to have finally found an outlet, blasting open the gates of Soul Ancestor in one burst.

The soul power around her suddenly surged!

Level 41, level 42, level 43!

It did not stop until it reached level 43.

Her fourth soul ring settled firmly into place.

A deep purplish-black.

A seven-thousand-year soul ring!

Long Ling slowly opened her eyes, still carrying a trace of confusion.

She lowered her head and looked at the four soul rings around her, feeling the absurdly abundant soul power within her.

She had broken through...

Soul Ancestor!

The bottleneck that had trapped her for so long had just... broken.

She had even leapt straight to become a level 43 Soul Ancestor!

This was far easier than when she had broken through to Soul Elder and absorbed the soul ring of a barely thousand-year-old Soul Beast.

"I did it, hahaha!!"

Excitement flashed through Long Ling's eyes. Her joy was written all over her face, and she seemed radiant with energy.

Seeing Chu Zisheng beside her with a smile on his face, she almost instinctively opened her arms, wanting to throw herself into his embrace and share this joy with him as she had before.

But just as her hands reached the air, they suddenly froze.

She suddenly remembered.

The young man before her was no longer the pitiful little fellow from three days ago, whom she had held in her arms while fleeing for her life, fed beast milk, coaxed to sleep, and hugged close as she patted her chest and said, "From now on, big sister will protect you."

Although at the time, she had only thought he was a pitiful little thing who needed her protection.

But now she knew.

Chu Zisheng did not need her protection at all.

With a snap of his fingers, he could descend like a god and save an entire tribe.

With a casual lift of his hand, he could let her, a mere Soul Elder, effortlessly absorb a seven-thousand-year soul ring...

So...

Would everything she had done over the past three days seem especially childish and ridiculous in his eyes?

When she held him while they slept, had he secretly been laughing at her inside?

When she fed him beast milk, had he found her distasteful, thinking she was just some ignorant country girl who had never seen anything good?

The more Long Ling thought about it, the worse she felt. The smile on her face gradually faded away.

She wanted to say something, but she was afraid of saying the wrong thing.

Chu Zisheng was clearly still Chu Zisheng.

Yet she felt there was now an invisible barrier between them. They were people from completely different worlds, a gap that could not be crossed.

A trace of unconscious fear appeared in her eyes.

Long Ling felt that she was too insignificant, utterly unable to stand beside him.

So she opened her mouth, held it in for a long time, and finally managed only a choked, grateful sentence:

"Th... thank you... I..."

She did not merely want to say thank you.

She had a stomach full of things she wanted to say, so many questions she wanted to ask.

Like, who exactly are you? Why are you helping me? Are you...

But those words clogged her throat, and she could not say a single one.

Countless emotions churned within her, yet in the end, she only bit her lip uneasily and lowered her head. A sense of inferiority rose from the depths of her heart.

Chu Zisheng looked at her without replying.

This stupid woman... she was afraid of him.

So afraid that she did not even dare come close to him anymore.

He said nothing, merely withdrew his gaze and said flatly:

"Let's go back. They're still worried about you."

By the time Chu Zisheng and Long Ling returned to the tribe,

it was already late at night.

Yet the tribe was still brightly lit. The survivors sat around the bonfires, rejoicing at having survived the disaster and chattering about the "miracle" that had appeared during the day.

Others crouched at the mountain gate, stretching their necks as they waited, their faces full of worry.

Only when they saw the two figures did their expressions brighten, and excited cries rang out.

"Sis Ling! Sis Ling is back!!!"

"Are you hurt, Sis Ling? Do you feel unwell anywhere?"

"Sis Ling, did you break through to Battle Soul Ancestor?"

"Sis Ling, what's your fourth soul skill? Is it powerful!?"

"..."

It was still that group of five- and six-year-old children. They ran over at top speed, surrounding Long Ling as they jumped around excitedly.

It was not just the children. Elder after elder came forward in excitement, surrounding Long Ling in the middle and weeping tears of joy.

Looking at those familiar faces, all safe and sound, Long Ling's tears immediately welled up.

She ruffled each of their heads, tears streaming down her face as she forced out a brilliant smile and said brightly through her sobs:

"It's okay, I'm okay, I'm fine... I'm fine..."

"..."

Although the attack by the Thousand-Year Soul Beast wolf pack had come without warning,

what no one had expected was this:

Almost no one in the tribe had died.

The worst injuries were severe bites, lost arms, or broken legs, but none of them were life-threatening.

Normally,

that would have been utterly inconceivable.

After all, forget an entire wolf pack attacking. Even any single Thousand-Year Demon Wolf could bite an ordinary person to death as easily as it could kill a rat.

It would have been normal for more than half the tribe to die.

Yet they had all survived.

Faced with such a strange and extraordinary situation, many people attributed it to a miracle.

They believed that the Azure Hunt Goddess had been silently protecting them.

Of course... only Long Ling and her father knew the truth behind it all.

Long Ling sat surrounded by everyone beside the bonfire.

With her back, it was as if the entire tribe had found its backbone once more, brimming with renewed vitality.

Everyone was looking at her.

But Long Ling did not say much, and her gaze kept drifting involuntarily toward the boy seated at the very edge.

He sat quietly, silently watching the people of the tribe, as though separated from all the noise of the world.

Or perhaps like a lofty god, looking down upon all living beings without the slightest emotion.

Long Ling's heart was in turmoil.

She wanted to go find him, but she did not dare.

She did not know... even if she found him, what she could possibly say to him.

The two of them were completely like strangers...

Just like when she had first met Chu Zisheng.

Night deepened.

The tribe gradually quieted down.

Some strong adult men stood guard outside.

During the day, they had hastily cleared out some rooms that were still intact. Now, children and adults crowded together to rest and recover their strength.

Only then could they better repair the damaged houses tomorrow.

Since Long Ling's home was at the very back of the tribe, it had not been affected.

At this moment,

she stood outside Chu Zisheng's door holding a steaming bowl of beast milk. She stood there for a long time, her thoughts tangled.

Finally,

she took a deep breath, gathered her courage, and pushed open the door.

Chu Zisheng sat on the bed, looking at her without saying anything.

Long Ling placed the bowl before him. She wanted to say something, yet did not know where to begin.

The room was very quiet.

Long Ling lowered her head and stared at her toes. Her voice grew softer and softer as she said awkwardly:

"Um... I... I've always treated you like a child... Was that especially stupid... I actually wanted to protect you..."

She was a tiny Soul Ancestor, someone like a guardian deity within the tribe, but before him, what difference was there between her and an ant?

When she thought of all she had done over the past few days—sleeping while foolishly holding him, saying she would protect him, even wanting to find him kind parents—

her face flushed red, overwhelmed by embarrassment. Her toes curled so hard they nearly cramped.

"Actually... now that I think back... that day in the forest, you never needed my protection at all... Th-that Wolf King's head suddenly exploded because you acted, didn't it? And those two Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts were frightened away by you too, right?"

Everything that had happened before had left clues behind.

Now that she thought about it, there had been far too many things that made no sense.

Yet she had foolishly believed that the Azure Hunt Goddess had answered her prayers. It was simply... simply too stupid. How could anyone be that stupid...

Of course... it was not entirely her fault.

After all, Chu Zisheng's appearance was far too deceptive.

Who the hell would believe he was eight years old!

"Really... thank you. If it weren't for you, today might have..."

Long Ling took a deep breath, bent her knees, and was about to kneel before him and kowtow to express the gratitude in her heart.

But just as she bent slightly, a force suddenly and steadily supported her.

"Hey..."

"What are you babbling on about? Did we just meet on the first day?"

Chu Zisheng looked at her, then suddenly opened his arms helplessly. "Aren't you coming to hug me?"

Looking at the embrace he had opened for her of his own accord,

Long Ling froze.

Over their brief days together, she had loved hugging Chu Zisheng whenever she could.

But ever since he had displayed his strength, Long Ling had not dared hope for that anymore, nor had she dared do such a thing.

After all, the gap between them was simply too great. She had begun to feel so distant from him.

But now, looking at Chu Zisheng, he seemed no different from before. Instead, she had been the one overthinking everything... Gratitude, shyness, excitement, happiness—every emotion surged up at once.

Long Ling's nose stung, and tears instantly spilled from her eyes.

She lunged forward and hugged him tightly, holding him with all her strength.

"Wuwuwuwu..."

For a moment, she cried like a child.

A rich, sweet milky fragrance washed over him. It was beast milk—she had drunk beast milk...

Chu Zisheng once again found it hard to breathe.

He let her hold him and gently patted her back.

"Wouldn't it have been better if you'd done this from the start? You kept saying all that nonsense. I had no idea what you wanted."

Long Ling cried even harder. "I... I didn't dare... You're so powerful... I was scared..."

"What are you scared of? It's not like I hit you."

"I know you wouldn't hit me, but... I was just scared..."

"..."

Long Ling held him and cried for a long time.

She had always been a straightforward girl. Too much had happened that day—worry, shock, unease... so many emotions had been bottled up inside her, making her feel miserable.

Once she finally found an outlet to pour them out, she could no longer control herself.

Eventually, her crying gradually softened, leaving only intermittent sniffles.

She released him and wiped her face. Her eyes were red as she looked at Chu Zisheng, then suddenly felt embarrassed again. Lowering her head, she said in a muffled voice:

"...You know me... I'm not usually this embarrassing... I just... I was just too excited..."

"I know, I know."

Chu Zisheng rubbed his face and covered his eyes. "I didn't see anything today."

"Hmph..."

Long Ling laughed despite herself. She pinched his cheek and asked curiously, "Um... are you really eight years old?"

Chu Zisheng shook his head. "No. I'm actually five hundred years old."

Long Ling was startled, but quickly realized he was teasing her again.

"You're lying, right? Who could live that long?"

"But I really am eight years old, and you don't believe me either."

"...Fine, fine."

Long Ling stuck out her tongue, her eyes full of admiration. "Even if that's true, your strength is way, way too terrifying. Do you know that? At noon, when you snapped your fingers beside me and your whole body was bathed in golden light, I truly felt that you were like a... god!"

As she spoke, her voice softened, as though she were reliving that scene.

When she had been at her most desperate and helpless,

in that instant,

it was as though the god she had prayed to all her life had truly answered her.

It had carved itself so deeply into her heart that she would never forget it for the rest of her life.

And besides... even if he was eight, how could that be possible?

What child could possibly be that powerful? It had to be a bluff, right?

Still, Chu Zisheng did not seem to want to talk about his origins, so Long Ling did not feel it was appropriate to keep denying it and risk making him unhappy.

Chu Zisheng smiled. "Is that so? Then pray to me."

Thump!

Without the slightest hesitation, Long Ling knelt directly on the bed. "What god was your title again? Forget it... Ahem! Mm!"

She cleared her throat, pressed her palms together, looked at Chu Zisheng devoutly, and said with a solemn expression:

"Your devout believer, Long Ling, bows before my Lord!"

"May my Lord's glory endure forever. My flesh, my soul, shall all become the steps beneath Your feet! I am willing to burn away this body for You!"

"Praise my Lord..."

She murmured softly, then kowtowed heavily.

"!!?"

Chu Zisheng had initially thought Long Ling was just joking.

But to his surprise, the moment she kowtowed, it felt as though something in his mind had been stirred.

The faint connection that had formed between them in the dense forest seemed to grow more solid now.

A strange power also seemed to surge within his body.

Chu Zisheng even had a subtle feeling that he could sense Long Ling was not saying this in jest.

She truly... meant it from the bottom of her heart!