Rushing tirelessly towards the Star Dou Great Forest, Qi Ling made many speculations about who the possible Titled Douluo might be, but she still had no clue and could only take it one step at a time.
Fortunately, Qi Ling still had a Thousand-Li Divine Escape Talisman on him, so he could escape immediately if things went wrong. Otherwise, he really wouldn't have had the courage to complete this mission.
As Qi Ling entered the Star Dou Great Forest, she clearly felt a peaceful and solemn atmosphere, completely different from the restlessness and unease that had existed when the Wolf Walk Mercenary Group was still around.
This is not simply because there are fewer people in the forest now, so everything has returned to peace; more importantly, it seems that some entity in the forest is influencing all of this.
"To influence an entire world with a mere mortal body?" Qi Ling frowned, cold sweat beading on her forehead. "What kind of being is this? It's completely beyond my comprehension!"
Qi Ling can't even be sure if his Thousand-Li Divine Escape Talisman can get him out of there. The difference in their levels is beyond what can be judged by common sense.
"What's there to be afraid of? How can I know what kind of mountain I'm going to climb if I don't see the view from the top?" Qi Ling said boldly.
"Nothing ventured, nothing gained." If you're scared away by someone's imposing presence before you even see them, you'll probably never overcome that psychological trauma.
So Qi Ling continued to walk carefully forward. The Soul Beast along the way seemed to have changed their nature and were no longer afraid of people. It seemed that even they had been affected.
Finally, when Qi Ling was close enough to that being, and could even sense its aura, he finally saw that person.
To his surprise, the person was the same mysterious woman he and Xiao Ye had seen before, the one who had scared away the Dragon Duke Meng Shu. She had now removed her veil and was sitting under a tree, praying with her eyes closed.
When she revealed her true face, Qi Ling was immediately stunned. It was hard to imagine that such a perfect appearance existed in the world!
Serene, noble, sacred, dignified—it seems that all the beautiful words can be used to describe her, and even these words are far from enough to fully capture her beauty!
She simply sat there, and it seemed to naturally make that place the center of everything, drawing everyone's attention and inspiring an urge to worship her.
In her daze, Qi Ling even made a mistake she would never normally make: she accidentally stepped on a dry branch and snapped it with a soft sound.
Hearing the faint sound, the mysterious woman opened her eyes and looked over. "Who's there?"
Qi Ling was immediately alarmed. She hurriedly took out the Thousand-Li Divine Escape Talisman, preparing to infuse it with her Soul Power and then flee a thousand miles away to escape this place.
However, Qi Ling then discovered that he was unable to activate the talisman at all, because for some reason, the Soul Power within his body could not flow smoothly, creating a momentary obstruction.
At that very moment, just as Qi Ling had recovered and was about to activate the Thousand-Li Divine Escape Talisman, a soft, boneless, white jade hand grasped her wrist.
"I'm doomed!" That was Qi Ling's first thought. Once captured by someone like that, she didn't think she could escape.
"Forget it, a head lost is just a scar, I'll be a hero again in eighteen years!" With this thought in mind, Qi Ling looked at the woman without fear.
Upon closer inspection, Qi Ling was even more awestruck by the other person's unparalleled beauty. The noble aura that emanated naturally, without needing to utter a word, was truly pleasing to the eye.
"Hey, I'm asking you a question. Who are you?" the mysterious woman asked Qi Ling.
"Ah? Oh, I, my name is..." Qi Ling hesitated for a moment, but still told her her real name, "My name is Qi Ling!"
" Qi Ling? Hmm, that's a very nice name," the mysterious woman said with a smile.
"And what about you? What's your name?" Qi Ling, having decided to go all out, simply asked without further ado.
"Me? I..." The woman seemed quite surprised, and after thinking for a moment, she said, "I can't tell you my name."
"Then what should I call you?" Qi Ling asked. "You're so young, how about... I call you 'sister'?"
"Sister?" The mysterious woman was even more surprised; no one had ever said such a thing to her before.
But then she thought about it and realized that this way of addressing her wasn't bad either, so she said, "Alright then, you can call me sister, little brother Qi Ling."
After a few short exchanges, Qi Ling discovered that this woman wasn't so scary after all, and was even somewhat cute! So, she mustered her courage and asked, "Sister, what are you doing alone in this forest? Are you also looking for Soul Ring?"
Upon hearing Qi Ling's question, the mysterious woman's previously smiling face fell silent again, and she said with a sorrowful tone, "No, I came here only to mourn a friend of mine."
"Mourning? Sister, has your friend passed away? Right here?" Qi Ling asked.
The mysterious woman nodded and said, "That's right, right here, and I killed her with my own hands!"
"I am a sinner!"
Upon hearing this, Qi Ling was immediately astonished. How could such a sacred and holy woman personally kill her best friend?
"What's going on? Sister, is there some misunderstanding?" Qi Ling asked.
"No, it's just that I was blinded by greed and did something foolish," the mysterious woman said slowly, seemingly lost in thought.
Afterwards, feeling guilty, the mysterious woman told Qi Ling her situation. Although she omitted a lot of information, Qi Ling still roughly understood what had happened.
In short, the mysterious woman killed her friend, who had once saved her life, in order to obtain something.
Although she eventually got what she wanted, she was tormented by immense guilt, which kept her from finding peace of mind. In the end, she had no choice but to confront her sins and reflect on her actions.
Unfortunately, even so, it was all too late. All she could do was come to the Star Dou Great Forest at this time of year to pay tribute to her friend and try to alleviate her guilt.
"Well, now that you know what kind of person I am, do you feel a bit disillusioned?" the mysterious woman said with a bitter smile.
"A little," Qi Ling said, sounding like a straight man, "But nobody's perfect, and everyone makes mistakes. Since you've shown remorse, there's always a way to make amends."
After all, if people can be resurrected in this world, what is impossible? The key is whether you have the determination and the ability.
The mysterious woman took Qi Ling's words as comforting and laughed, "Thank you, little brother. It's unbelievable; this is the first time I've ever said these things to someone. I've never been like this before."
"It seems we're destined to be together."