Trials in the Star Dou Great Forest (3)
Qin Ming came to his senses, a cold light flashing in his eyes. "Good! Fourth Soul Skill, Cang Wolf Howls at the Moon!"
He threw back his head and let out a ringing wolf howl. Dark red flames surged into the sky, forming an enormous flaming Cang Wolf. It lunged forward amid a towering wave of heat and slammed into the immobilized butterflies.
Boom-
The flames exploded into a rain of fire that filled the sky.
The Phantom Colorful Butterflies were already locked in place by Chaos Suppression and had no way to dodge. In an instant, the flames swallowed them.
The butterfly king struggled to escape with Teleportation, but the Power of Chaos had its spiritual core in an iron grip. The moment it moved, the flames struck it head-on. It let out a piercing, mournful cry and burned to ashes.
A moment later, the flames died and the smoke dispersed.
Peace returned to the woods. The mist had completely vanished, leaving only patches of charred butterfly wings on the ground.
Everyone let out a long breath of relief.
"Lin Chen, that Soul Skill of yours..." Qin Ming looked at Lin Chen, his voice full of admiration. "It can even suppress spiritual attacks. It's the perfect counter to Soul Beasts like these."
"It's just a characteristic of my Martial Soul." Lin Chen casually withdrew his Soul Skill and pointed deeper into the valley. "Phantom Colorful Butterflies usually guard Holy Spirit Flowers. There should be one up ahead."
Everyone followed the direction he pointed, passing through a patch of low flowers before the view suddenly opened up.
On a sunlit slope in the middle of the valley grew a spiritual flower that glowed white all over.
The flower was as large as a palm, with eight overlapping petals and a faint golden halo glowing at its center. The shadow of a deep purple Soul Ring slowly rose and fell above it, radiating a gentle, rich presence.
The grass and trees around it were greener than those elsewhere, clearly nourished by the spiritual flower's presence over many years.
"It really is a Holy Spirit Flower!" Qin Ming hurried over and bent down to examine it. A moment later, however, he frowned and shook his head. "No, its age is too high. Three thousand four hundred years—far beyond what a Support System Soul Master can bear. Ye Lingling is only level thirty, and her meridians are too slender. If medicinal power that strong floods into them, it'll burst them apart."
He paused, then added, "For a Support System Soul Master's Third Soul Ring, around a thousand years is best. This one is too much of a stretch, and the risk is too great. It isn't worth it. Let's keep looking. There should be some younger ones."
Ye Lingling walked over and gazed at the lustrous Holy Spirit Flower, a trace of longing flashing in her eyes. Of course she knew how precious a Holy Spirit Flower over three thousand years old was, but she also understood that Qin Ming was telling the truth. Support-type Soul Masters had fragile meridians; forcing herself to absorb it would only have the opposite effect.
"I'll listen to you, Teacher." She nodded gently, a note of disappointment in her voice.
"Wait."
Lin Chen suddenly spoke. He walked over to the spiritual flower, crouched down, and lightly touched a petal with his fingertip. A gentle warmth passed through his fingertip. Its medicinal properties were mild; only its Soul Power was too abundant.
"Teacher Qin, although three thousand four hundred years is a lot, it's not impossible for her to absorb it." He looked up at Qin Ming, his voice calm but certain. "I can use my Soul Power to protect her, help guide the power through her meridians, and keep the medicinal power under control. My Chaos Soul Power can gently nourish meridians and temper the violence of the medicinal power. It won't damage her foundation."
Qin Ming froze. "Lin Chen, this is no joking matter. A Support System's meridians aren't like those of a Power Attack System Soul Master. They're as fragile as thin paper. If anything goes wrong, her path of cultivation will be ruined for life."
"I know what I'm doing." Lin Chen turned to Ye Lingling. "Senior Sister Ye, do you trust me?"
Ye Lingling looked into his serious eyes. Without the slightest hesitation, she nodded gently, her voice soft but firm. "I trust you."
Everyone retreated to the foot of the slope to stand guard, leaving Lin Chen and Ye Lingling in the middle of the sunlit slope.
Qin Ming set several flame warning talismans around the area, ready to trigger if any Soul Beast approached. The brothers Shi Mo and Shi Mo stood guard at the valley entrance, their Tortoise Shell Barriers spread to protect it. Xiao Wu stood not far from Lin Chen's side, her pink ears twitching slightly as she listened vigilantly for any movement around them, ready to act at any moment.
"Relax and clear your mind." Lin Chen stood behind Ye Lingling, lowering his voice. "Don't force yourself to resist while guiding the medicinal power. If your meridians start to feel swollen, follow my lead. I'll help guide it through."
"Mm." Ye Lingling answered softly, sat down cross-legged, and carefully cradled the Holy Spirit Flower in her palms.
She took a deep breath, calmed her mind, and used the Soul Power of her Nine Heart Begonia to slowly envelop the spiritual flower.
A pale pink halo mingled with the flower's luminous white light. The petals gradually turned transparent, becoming a warm, gentle medicinal liquid that slowly flowed into her body through the meridians in her palms.
At first, everything went smoothly. The medicinal properties of the three-thousand-four-hundred-year-old Holy Spirit Flower were mild to begin with. As the liquid flowed through her slender meridians, it brought warmth wherever it passed, nourishing her limbs and bones.
A healthy flush colored Ye Lingling's face, and the faint shadow of a third Soul Ring flickered beneath her feet, slowly taking shape. The valley was silent except for the rustle of wind through the leaves. Sunlight filtered through the shadows of the flowers, falling in quiet, dappled patterns over the two of them.
But when the medicinal power struck the level-thirty bottleneck, a sudden change occurred.
Whoosh-
Without warning, great clouds of thick, milky-white smoke suddenly poured in from the surrounding woods.
The smoke surged out through gaps between blades of grass and tree roots as though it were alive. It moved so quickly that it enveloped the entire valley in moments.
The smoke carried a faintly sweet, bloody smell. A single breath left the limbs numb and the mind drowsy. A terrifying sense of dread also rose from deep in the heart, as though a Ferocious Beast had fixed its gaze on them, stirring an instinctive urge to flee.
At the same time, a faint, piercing netherworldly noise wormed its way into their minds. It was like countless needles gently pricking their seas of consciousness, or someone whispering in their ears, leaving them restless and inexplicably frightened.
"Oh no! It's Soul-Bewitching Smoke!"
Qin Ming reacted swiftly, jerking up his hand to unleash his Soul Power, but he was half a beat too late.
The brothers Shi Mo and Shi Mo bore the brunt of it at the valley entrance. Their minds were not particularly steadfast to begin with, and they had been focused entirely on watching outside the valley. Caught off guard, they inhaled great lungfuls of white smoke. Their eyes instantly glazed over, and their bodies stiffened.
"Ugh... my head's spinning..." Shi Mo muttered. His massive body swayed, and he toppled to the ground with a thud.
Shi Mo gritted his teeth and tried to hold on, but his Tortoise Shell Barrier instantly dimmed. He shook his head, yet in the end he could not resist the numbing effect and fell to the ground alongside his younger brother. Both were breathing evenly, lost in a hypnotic state.
"Shi Mo! Shi Mo!" Qin Ming called in a low voice, about to unleash the Soul Power of his Blazing Fire Wolf. But at that moment, the netherworldly noise rose in pitch, like fingernails scraping across a sheet of iron. A piercing pain shot through his sea of consciousness, slowing him by half a beat.
Xiao Wu also frowned deeply and swayed as she tried to move closer to Lin Chen.
But just then, the earth beneath their feet suddenly heaved!
More than a dozen dark green vines as thick as the mouths of bowls burst from the ground. They were covered in barbs, and blood-red flowers the size of washbasins bloomed at their tips. The centers of the flowers were packed with sharp teeth. They were thousand-year Plant-type Soul Beasts-man-eating flowers.