A Nighttime Conversation
After they dealt with the corpses, darkness had fallen completely. Ning Buhui and Bibi Dong did not linger. They traveled farther south until they found a massive boulder sheltered from the wind, where they built a campfire. The flickering flames cast their outlines on the rock face, their shadows swaying gently in the firelight, lending a touch of lonely desolation to the deserted mountain forest.
Only then did Ning Buhui realize that his fingers were still trembling slightly. Across two lifetimes, this was the first time he had killed anyone. He was not entirely without fear, but he had forced that panic down, letting none of it show on his face.
"Tell me, how did you escape the beast tide?" Bibi Dong asked.
The campfire crackled as Ning Buhui gathered his thoughts. "After I left, I kept retreating south, but it wasn't long before the beast tide caught up with me. I found that as long as I stayed out of the low-level Soul Beasts' way, they would just keep running and wouldn't attack me unprovoked. But a few of the Soul Beasts were over a thousand years old and had developed some intelligence. Maybe they sensed that I was human, because they started closing in on me. The first to attack was a thousand-year-old Bone Spur Leopard. I smashed it with my tower so hard it couldn't get back up. Then two Green-Patterned Giant Lizards charged at me. I bound one with vine bindings and killed the other with a surprise Void Rending Slash. After that came three One-Horned Savage Bulls. I covered myself in vine armor, but they still rammed me senseless. Luckily, I had the Rift Soul Bone. With my control and support Soul Skills working together, I quickly killed one of them and managed to get away."
Ning Buhui paused for breath, then continued, "Afterward, I accidentally fell into a muddy ditch and was attacked by a mastiff. Luckily, I reacted fast enough to enlarge my tower and block its jaws as it tried to bite me. Then I killed it with a Void Rending Slash. Finally, I hid in a crack between the rocks. It was too narrow for the Soul Beasts to get in, so I stayed there until the beast tide was almost over."
Even now, Ning Buhui could still feel the heart-stopping terror of that moment when his life had hung by a thread.
Next, he briefly recounted his encounter with the four-person team: how they had discovered his trail, brazenly attacked him out of greed, and how he had fought back. His account was clear and orderly. He even explained each person's Martial Soul and the ages of their Soul Rings, as well as the move that had defeated each one.
"You reacted quickly in the beast tide and found a way to survive. When you encountered bandits, you dealt with them calmly. You haven't disappointed me." Bibi Dong nodded slightly, the firelight illuminating one side of her face. "From these real battles, I can see that you already understand your Martial Soul quite well, and you've made good use of your support and control Soul Skills together."
"There's still a lot I could improve. Before, I didn't understand Butterfly Suppresses the Nether Spring, the control Soul Skill of my First Soul Ring, very thoroughly. After this battle, I discovered another very useful thing it can do: interrupt an opponent's Soul Skill before it's released." Ning Buhui was not complacent, analyzing it rationally.
"When an opponent gathers Soul Power to release a skill, the black butterflies suddenly attach themselves. Because of the sudden 25% increase in Soul Power consumption, the amount they habitually draw on isn't enough to release the skill, and its release is forcibly interrupted. It's like it 'jams.' That's what makes this skill most special. The 0.5-second control after three attacks is also very useful. I think everything else is just icing on the cake."
Bibi Dong's gaze rested calmly on him. "I've seen many geniuses. You don't need to belittle yourself. Surviving a beast tide and defeating four opponents above your own rank makes you a genius among geniuses. But the fact that you can gain a better understanding of your skills through actual combat also shows that all the reading you usually do hasn't been for nothing."
Ning Buhui did not answer. He silently raised his eyes and looked toward the distant forest, dark as ink.
"What about you, Teacher?" he asked. "How were things on your side?"
At that, Bibi Dong fell silent for a moment, her face half-lit by the fire. After a long while, she said quietly, "Very troublesome."
Her tone was casual, as if she were describing someone else's inconsequential experience rather than a vicious battle fraught with danger.
"I originally expected that with a beast tide of that size, suppressing the leaders would be enough to make it fall apart on its own. But that wasn't the case."
She narrowed her eyes slightly, as though recalling the chaos in the forest.
"The first to come charging out was a Purple Lightning Thunder Eagle. Its outstretched wings were like low-hanging storm clouds. As it swooped in, the whole sky darkened, and lightning rained from its wings, charring every tree within a hundred meters. I intercepted it, intending to restrain and contain it. Before I could subdue it completely, a Nine Nether Underworld Jiao suddenly charged out from the south. Black mist coiled around its body, and every breath it exhaled was poisonous. Wherever the poison fell, even the earth and stone corroded and crumbled. I had to divide my attention to stop it, and just then, a third one charged in from the north."
Ning Buhui leaned forward slightly, listening with bated breath, unconsciously making even his breathing almost inaudible.
"It was an Earth Violent Bear close to a hundred thousand years old. A single stomp shattered half the mountain path, and its reverberating roar was enough to make a person's internal organs churn and shift." Bibi Dong's voice remained steady. "All three Ferocious Beasts were Soul Beasts close to a hundred thousand years old. They coordinated as if they had planned it beforehand, breaking out together. If I focused all my strength on killing one, the other two would put pressure on me, while the one I targeted would only flee rather than attack."
Ning Buhui frowned slightly and blurted out, "Didn't you say there were five close to a hundred thousand years old, Teacher? What about the other two?"
"That's what I was going to tell you next," Bibi Dong replied. "Afterward, the Scarlet Flame Demon Lion and the Profound Ice Giant Scorpion also appeared, one after the other. Their powers of fire and ice clashed and intertwined, turning nearly the entire entrance to the valley into a purgatory. I could only keep attacking to suppress those leaders while guiding the main body of the beast tide toward the north. By the time the last Soul Beasts had passed through, darkness had long since fallen. I saw that I had delayed them long enough, so I broke away and withdrew. If I wanted to leave, those Ferocious Beasts couldn't stop me."
"So many Soul Beasts close to a hundred thousand years old were hiding in Sunset Forest," Ning Buhui said softly.
"Mm." Bibi Dong answered calmly. "These Soul Beasts have awakened their intelligence and think no differently from humans. When nothing is happening, they hide away and cultivate, hoping to break through the hundred-thousand-year threshold sooner. I don't know what caused them to organize this beast tide."
Ning Buhui did not know either. Still, since Sunset Forest had Immortal Herbs and wondrous flowers, perhaps there were other rare treasures capable of attracting Soul Beasts as well.
He was also in awe of Bibi Dong's strength. She had held her ground while besieged by so many Soul Beasts, five of which were even close to a hundred thousand years old. Those were existences equivalent to human Titled Douluo.
Bibi Dong looked up at the sky. "Get some rest early. We won't travel tonight. At daybreak, we'll go straight to Thunderstorm Canyon."
Ning Buhui answered. He knew that with Bibi Dong there, he did not need to worry about safety. He took out a thin blanket and wrapped it around himself. The wind could still be heard in the forest, but it was much gentler than it had been during the beast tide. Leaning against the rock face, he fell sound asleep to its rustling.
At first light the next day, the two set out again.
The closer they got to the canyon, the harder the path became. The ground was covered with rocks of all sizes, some taller than a person and worn smooth and slippery by the wind. The mountain walls on either side grew higher and higher, squeezing the daylight into a narrow strip. Wind poured through the mouth of the valley with a wail, making it almost impossible to keep their eyes open.
Ning Buhui walked slowly, not daring to be careless with a single step. Gradually, he heard thunder. At first it was distant and muffled, as if rolling out from inside the mountain. As they drew nearer, the rumbles came faster and faster, almost merging into one continuous sound. He looked up and saw only flashes of blue and white in the daylight high above the distant rim of the valley, as if lightning might strike at any moment.
"We're here." Bibi Dong stopped.
Ning Buhui stopped beside her. Ahead, the valley suddenly opened up. The ground was a stretch of scorched black sand and stone, without a blade of grass, and a pungent burnt smell filled the air at the valley floor. Wind Thunder Winged Tigers lived in an environment like this. He saw several deep claw marks across the ground, each more than half a foot wide, as if a massive blade or axe had cleaved into it. Beside one of the marks was a small tuft of short, blue-violet fur, trembling gently in the wind.