The Plot Isn't Developing Quite Right

"Fifth Soul Skill, Thorn Bone Spike!"

As Porcupinefish Douluo's fifth Soul Ring lit up beneath his feet, countless sharp bone spikes shot out, easily cutting down those Soul Beasts once again.

But soon, the Soul Beasts he had just dealt with charged out again, even faster than before.

Seeing this, Porcupinefish Douluo was instantly startled. Could a Fallen One be secretly controlling these Soul Beasts? Why were they coming wave after wave, as if there were no end to them?

To better protect Qian Renxue from being disturbed, Porcupinefish Douluo flashed to her side. He stretched out both hands and activated the Soul Power within his body. At once, a barrier of light enveloped her.

At that moment, Ghost Tiger and Fang slammed into the barrier Porcupinefish Douluo had created. The other Shadow Soldiers did the same. Moving too quickly to stop, they could only crash into it head-on. After all... this was the Sovereign's command.

Seeing the eight Shadow Soldiers gathered together, Porcupinefish Douluo was just about to use a Soul Skill to deal with these troublesome Soul Beasts when Qian Renxue, who had been absorbing her Sixth Soul Ring behind him, slowly opened her eyes.

Her beautiful purple eyes, like stars, glimmered with specks of starlight. Behind her, an Angel Phantom roughly three meters tall emerged. The phantom had six wings on its back and noble features, while a holy golden radiance bloomed outward, making the Shadow Soldiers surrounding her instinctively retreat several steps.

The Shadow Soldiers came from darkness. Faced with such dazzling holy light, even their Sovereign would temporarily be at a disadvantage, much less them.

Seeing that Qian Renxue had finished absorbing the Soul Ring, Cheng Xiao's thoughts shifted, and the Shadow Soldiers surrounding her immediately turned into wisps of black mist and vanished before Snake Lance Douluo and Qian Renxue.

The Shadow Soldiers had come quickly and left even faster. Everything had happened suddenly. Snake Lance Douluo had not even unleashed his killing move before the Shadow Soldiers receded like a tide.

After the Shadow Soldiers dispersed, a black shadow flashed past in the darkness of the forest not far from the two of them.

"Young Mistress... y-you succeeded in absorbing it?"

As Porcupinefish Douluo's humble voice fell, the golden radiance emanating from Qian Renxue gradually faded. The sixth black Soul Ring spiraling around her body fully took shape. With her spiritual power enhanced, she immediately sensed that something was off.

"Those Soul Beasts did not seem to be made of flesh and blood. All of them possessed the same attribute—darkness." Qian Renxue narrowed her eyes slightly as she pondered.

"Young Mistress, it was like this. Listen to me..." Porcupinefish Douluo's voice sounded by her ear. Then, using the sound transmission technique that only high-level Soul Masters could use, he recounted the strange events that had just occurred from beginning to end.

"So, after Uncle Yu Long saw that Man Faced Demon Spider, he rushed out to prevent it from affecting my absorption of the Soul Ring. Is that right?" Qian Renxue rose to her feet, dusted off her clothes, and spoke calmly.

"Uh... that is indeed what happened," Porcupinefish Douluo said.

As his words fell, another figure appeared beside them. It was Snake Lance Douluo Yu Long, who had gone to hunt down the Man Faced Demon Spider.

"Uncle Yu Long, did you kill that Man Faced Demon Spider?" Qian Renxue glanced around, a faint golden light shining in her eyes as she asked calmly.

"Reporting to Young Mistress, that Man Faced Demon Spider was extremely strange. I had to kill it twice before I could completely kill it. And when it died, not only did it leave no body behind, it did not even leave a Soul Ring," Snake Lance Douluo said, unable to help feeling that the scene from before was bizarre.

As everyone knew, when a Soul Beast was killed by a Soul Master, its body would remain behind and a Soul Ring would appear. Yet that entirely black Man Faced Demon Spider, which looked as though it were clad in armor, had required him to kill it twice before it finally died. And once it died, something strange happened.

Such a massive Soul Beast had vanished after death without leaving behind a body or a Soul Ring. He had never even seen a species like it before. A Soul Beast entirely black like armor was truly a first for him.

Hearing this, Qian Renxue tapped her slender fingers lightly and released her Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul. She said slowly, "Just now, Uncle Blood Thorn encountered the same strange thing as you did. But for some reason, my Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul seemed to sense something."

"It felt as though the Six-winged Angel was telling me that nearby, there was another Angel Martial Soul like it."

At these words, both Snake Lance Douluo and Porcupinefish Douluo wore stunned expressions. They knew perfectly well what level the Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul was—it was a God Tier Martial Soul, a true God Tier Martial Soul!

Yet now, their Young Mistress was saying that another God Tier Martial Soul like hers existed nearby. It was simply unbelievable, like a fantasy.

"Young Mistress, could you have sensed it incorrectly? Even if every Martial Soul on the continent appeared, there might not be one with the same quality as your Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul," Snake Lance Douluo said in a low voice.

"My senses cannot be wrong. Although the feeling is subtle, I am certain that the person with a Martial Soul like mine has not left. They are nearby." Qian Renxue shook her head and replied calmly.

Seeing this, Snake Lance Douluo and Porcupinefish Douluo fell silent. As Qian Renxue's guards, they understood that some things should be said, while others should not.

"Alright, Uncles. Since I have finished absorbing the Sixth Soul Ring, the two of you should return first. I want to stay here for a while and see whether those pitch-black Soul Beasts from earlier will appear again." Qian Renxue walked to a massive bluestone and sat down elegantly, looking as though she were waiting for someone.

Upon hearing this, bitter smiles appeared on Snake Lance Douluo and Porcupinefish Douluo's faces. They wanted to refuse, but after spending so many years with Qian Renxue, they knew her personality far too well.

They simply stopped insisting. Without another word, the two bowed at the same time before vanishing from Qian Renxue's sight.

"Hehe, they clearly possessed the darkness attribute, yet they resonated with my Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul. It seems the person behind summoning those Soul Beasts to disrupt my absorption of the Soul Ring had the Three-Eyed Demon Ape as their true target." Qian Renxue's gaze fell directly upon the long-dead Three-Eyed Demon Ape. Hunting this Soul Beast with its exceptionally powerful spiritual attribute had cost her quite a bit of effort.

Qian Renxue was very intelligent. From the accounts given by Snake Lance Douluo and Porcupinefish Douluo, it was not hard to see that those Soul Beasts were not normal Soul Beasts. They possessed the appearance and abilities of Soul Beasts, but in essence, they seemed more like beings made of energy.

Moreover, these Soul Beasts were intelligent and highly purposeful. They even knew to lure Snake Lance Douluo away first, then draw Porcupinefish Douluo's attention, disrupting her absorption of the Soul Ring while taking the Three-Eyed Demon Ape away.

All the signs showed that this was not something ordinary Soul Beasts could accomplish. Even the exceptionally intelligent ten-thousand-year Three-Eyed Demon Ape did not possess such intelligence. In a sense, the actions of these Soul Beasts resembled those of human Soul Masters.

I would like to see what kind of Soul Master can command Soul Beasts in battle and even resonate with my Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul. Since you want the Three-Eyed Demon Ape's corpse, I may as well wait here. It will also give me a chance to stabilize the chaotic Soul Power within me. Sitting cross-legged atop the bluestone, Qian Renxue thought to herself.

Leaning against a large tree behind him, Cheng Xiao let out a helpless sigh.

He had never expected that Qian Renxue would not leave after absorbing the Soul Ring. She was even waiting here instead. This was not quite how he had imagined the plot developing!

At that moment, only one-tenth of Cheng Xiao's Shadow Power remained. Reviving the Shadow Soldiers had consumed far too much, especially reviving so many at once, and doing so several times. It had nearly drained him dry.

Sometimes, Cheng Xiao truly wanted to say, "There's nothing left, really nothing left. You've already drained me dry. Not even a drop remains."