At this point, the others had no choice but to put their faith in Hu Liena herself.
Chrysanthemum Douluo looked at the blood Hu Liena had just coughed up onto the ground and the Ghost Tiger's corpse, and could not help hating it to the bone. If it were still alive, he would certainly have made it regret being born into this world.
Another hour passed. Black light suddenly blazed from Hu Liena's body, then abruptly vanished.
Then, under everyone's watchful eyes, Hu Liena slowly opened her eyes.
"Nana, you're finally awake."
Chrysanthemum Douluo and Xie Yue were the most excited, barely able to resist throwing themselves at Hu Liena.
Hu Liena stood up and looked at the blood she had spat onto the ground earlier. Even now, fear lingered within her. She had come so close to not making it through.
But as she sensed the abundant power within her, she could not contain her joy either.
"Sister Na, hurry and see what your fourth Soul Skill is!"
Hearing Yu Tianling's words, Hu Liena nodded.
Then she activated Martial Soul Possession. She instantly grew a little taller, a pair of fox ears appeared atop her head, and a fox tail naturally emerged behind her. Her charm was extraordinary, while four Soul Rings-two yellow and two purple-circled her.
"Fourth Soul Skill, Charm Shadow Clone."
As Hu Liena unleashed her fourth Soul Skill, her deep-purple Soul Ring abruptly lit up. In an instant, numerous figures of Hu Liena appeared before them.
"My fourth Soul Skill, Charm Shadow Clone, can not only create many clones to confuse the enemy, but the clones also have a certain amount of attack power. Their number increases with my Soul Power. Right now, I can summon twenty clones at once, and I can instantly switch places with any of them."
Hu Liena explained as she demonstrated. One moment, her real body appeared beside Chrysanthemum Douluo, the next beside Xie Yue, and then beside Yu Tianling.
"How long can you maintain it?"
Chrysanthemum Douluo asked the question on everyone's mind.
"If I don't use other Soul Skills at the same time and consume the Soul Power within me, I can maintain it for six hours. If my Soul Power consumption is high, it'll probably only last an hour."
"A good Soul Skill. Used well, it could produce unexpected results."
Ghost Douluo also gave Hu Liena's Soul Skill quite a high appraisal.
After all, Hu Liena already had attack and control Soul Skills. Her fourth Soul Skill could now be used to evade attacks, making it quite useful indeed.
"Since we've finished obtaining the Soul Rings, let's return to Heaven Dou City to rest and recuperate, then head back to Spirit City. His Holiness the Pope has been waiting for the Holy Son for quite some time."
Seeing that their business here was over, Ghost Douluo offered his suggestion.
"Yes, it really is time to return to Spirit City."
Recalling his breathtakingly beautiful master, Yu Tianling found himself missing her. He also had not seen his maternal grandfather, Lin Qingze, for a long time and needed to go back to see him.
And so, the party left Sunset Forest in a grand procession and headed toward Heaven Dou City.
"Little brother, long time no see."
Yu Tianling's party had only just returned to the entrance of the Forest Hotel and had yet to step inside when a familiar voice came from behind them.
Huh? Why has Qian Renxue suddenly appeared here?
The moment the voice sounded, Yu Tianling knew who had come. It was none other than Qian Renxue, disguised as Xue Qinghe. He could not help wondering how the crown prince of the mighty Heaven Dou Empire could happen upon them by such a coincidence.
Though puzzled, Yu Tianling was quick to act. He turned and said calmly, "Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince. What can I do for you?"
"Hehe, my younger brother behaved rather badly a few days ago and offended you all. Since we've met again today, why not let me fulfill my duties as host and offer you a proper apology on his behalf?"
Xue Qinghe looked at Yu Tianling, whose tone was distant, but did not mind and continued speaking with a smile.
"Hey, Old Ghost, what exactly is this one thinking?"
Watching the scene before him, Chrysanthemum Douluo quietly asked Ghost Douluo beside him.
As a trusted confidant who had followed Bibi Dong for years, Chrysanthemum Douluo could naturally recognize Qian Renxue just as Ghost Douluo could. He also knew that Qian Renxue's relationship with His Holiness the Pope was terrible. So what exactly was Qian Renxue planning by taking the initiative to approach Spirit Hall's Holy Son today?
Indeed, although Xue Qinghe appeared to be apologizing on his younger brother's behalf and inviting them elsewhere, he was staring at Yu Tianling as he spoke. His meaning was obvious: he had come this time for Yu Tianling.
"How would I know? You ask me, but who am I supposed to ask?"
Gui Mei replied irritably.
He was quite certain that Yu Tianling and Qian Renxue had only met once, a short while ago.
What tricks is this woman Qian Renxue planning to play?
Looking at the cross-dressing expert before him, Yu Tianling was as baffled as a ten-foot-tall monk trying to find the top of his own head.
He certainly did not think he was so charming that Qian Renxue would fall for him after meeting him just once.
"What? Are you worried I'll lay an ambush?"
Seeing that Yu Tianling still had not agreed, Xue Qinghe spoke again.
Hearing the provocation mixed into the other party's tone, Yu Tianling naturally would not take the bait so easily. Still, he really had nothing to fear. For one thing, Xue Qinghe could not possibly hurt him; for another, his strength was sufficient to protect himself.
"All right, then please lead the way, Your Highness the Crown Prince."
With that, he gave a few brief instructions, asking the others to wait for his return at the Forest Hotel, then left with Xue Qinghe.
"Come on, let's head back to the hotel and rest. Don't worry too much about the Holy Son. He won't be in danger."
After Xue Qinghe's party left, Chrysanthemum Douluo ushered everyone back into the hotel.
"Grandpa Chrysanthemum, who exactly is the Heaven Dou Empire's crown prince? Why do I always get such a familiar feeling when I'm facing him? But I've always been in Spirit City. There's no way I could have met him."
Hu Liena glanced suspiciously at the departing Xue Qinghe and questioned Chrysanthemum Yue Guan in utter bewilderment, trying to get an answer from him.
"Uh, don't think too much about it. Maybe you met someone who looked a lot like him before. The world is so big, anything is possible."
Hearing Hu Liena's question, Chrysanthemum Douluo naturally could not tell her outright that the Heaven Dou Empire's crown prince before her was her master's biological daughter in disguise. He could only laugh it off and gloss over the subject.
"Huh?"
Watching Gui Mei and Yue Guan suddenly quicken their pace, Hu Liena grew even more puzzled. But she also knew she would get no answers from either of them, so she could only follow Xie Yue and the other two, hurrying into the hotel to rest as well. Yet that question remained in her heart.
It was not until many years later, when she personally witnessed Xue Qinghe and Yu Tianling kissing in each other's arms, that she learned the whole truth from them.
"Your Highness the Crown Prince, where exactly are you taking me? We've already been wandering around outside for half an hour."
Looking at Xue Qinghe walking unhurriedly ahead, Yu Tianling could not help asking.
Ever since leaving the Forest Hotel, Xue Qinghe had dismissed the guards and taken Yu Tianling wandering around outside alone, without saying where they were going.