Hu Liena's Secret Letter
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After leaving the Blue Silver Emperor's valley, Nan Feng traveled northwest. Autumn leaves were crushed into dust beneath his feet with his Shrinking the Ground to an Inch, almost instantaneous steps. His Peng Eye gleamed quietly with golden light, Treasure-Appraising Spirit Light's spiritual light, with its multicolored spectrum covering a thousand paces, clearly displayed every fluctuation of Spiritual Power along the way. He traveled for seven days, traversing the northern edge of Sunset Forest and a desolate hilly region, arriving at an abandoned town on the evening of the eighth day. Most of the houses in the town had collapsed, leaving only a few stone walls and half-built chimneys standing silently in the twilight. The streets were overgrown with waist-high withered grass. His Treasure-Appraising Spirit Light spread throughout his mind. There was no trace of any Soul Beast or humans in the town, only a few faint points of Spiritual Power pulsating quietly deep underground—the lingering echoes of the earth's spiritual veins.
Nan Feng sat cross-legged behind a relatively intact stone wall deep within the town, the Tower Realm Light Membrane forming three layers of protection around him. He had only been immersed in cultivation for less than a quarter of an hour Treasure-Appraising Spirit Light suddenly detected an extremely fast-moving point of Spiritual Power approaching from the outskirts of the town. The point of Soul Power fluctuation was very weak, only a blurry outline within a thousand-step perception, but its movement speed was extremely fast, and its movement method was also very peculiar, as if leaping in the shadows, changing direction with each leap, its trajectory completely irregular.
Nan Feng opened his eyes. His Peng Eye gleamed with a golden light, piercing through the twilight and the obscuring ruins. He saw a slender figure moving swiftly in the shadows on the outskirts of the town. The figure was shrouded in a large gray cloak, the hood pulled low, obscuring its face. The figure leaped behind a section of broken wall in the center of the town, crouched for a few moments, then took something from its robes and hurled it forcefully in Nan Feng's direction. The object traced an arc through the air, landing three steps away in the Nan Feng grass with a soft rustling sound. Then the figure turned and ran, faster than it had come, disappearing into the depths of the dense forest on the outskirts of the town in a few leaps.
Nan Feng didn't immediately pick up the item. His Treasure-Appraising Spirit Light's spiritual light tracked the figure's Spiritual Power points in his mind until it completely disappeared from his perception range. The figure's Soul Power fluctuations exhibited a strange rhythm as it moved, like the aura of some kind of fox-like Soul Beast, but also carrying a faint lingering trace of Rakshasa Divine Power.
He stood up and walked to the patch of withered grass. His Treasure-Appraising Spirit Light locked onto a tiny point of Spiritual Power within the grass—a small, thumb-sized crumpled piece of paper. A thin membrane of Soul Power Soul Power its surface, completely isolating any fluctuations in Spiritual Power within. Nan Feng picked up the paper; the moment his fingertips touched its surface, the membrane shattered, transforming into a faint golden thread that merged into his meridians. The paper unfolded in his palm, revealing a small sheet of paper. On it was drawn a fox tail and a tower, the fox tail Entanglement around the tower, surrounded by several rapid wavy lines. Below the drawing was only a line of tiny, hastily written text, "The Spirit Hall has issued a kill order, for Titled Douluo level. Bibi Dong has become extremely interested in the Primordial World Power within your soul—she says she wants to 'capture her alive for research.' I can't stop her for now. Be careful. —Na"
Nan Feng held the thin paper in her palm. The ink on the paper still retained a faint warmth, left by the person who wrote it in haste. Hu Liena. She risked her life to deliver this warning inside the Spirit Hall. A kill order at the level of Titled Douluo, personally ordered by Bibi Dong to capture her alive, and Hu Liena said she couldn't hold them off for the time being—this meant the pursuit was already on its way, possibly arriving within days, or perhaps within hours.
Old Huai poked its head out from the immortal tree, its semi-transparent remnant soul trembling violently within the Tower Spirit Space. "That girl, Hu Liena," Old Huai's voice carried a complex gravity, "She's transmitting this kind of information within the Spirit Hall. Once discovered, the Rakshasa Curse will directly backfire on her soul. The curse Bibi Dong planted in her soul isn't just a constraint—it's also surveillance. If Bibi Dong senses any disturbance in the curse, Hu Liena will die."
Nan Feng stored the thin paper into the Tower Spirit Space. The paper ball floated beside the Ice Crystal Amulet in the Tower Spirit Space, the fox tail and tower pattern on the ink stain glowing slightly in the cyan-gold immortal light. He sensed that the Primordial World Power in his dantian resonated faintly the moment the paper ball entered the tower, the frequency of which was exactly the same as the aftereffect of Hu Liena's Rakshasa Curse. That aftereffect was extremely faint, like the last wisp of Hu Liena's soul energy left on the paper in her haste.
She was gambling with her life.
Nan Feng stood up. The light membrane of the Tower Realm retracted from his body, and he conjured the tower body from his palm. The nine-story bronze tower slowly rotated in the twilight, and the Samsara Return to the Void pattern on the sixth floor and the Reincarnation pattern on the seventh floor lit up simultaneously, with black and silver-blue light intertwining. The Treasure-Appraising Spirit Light light re-laid out the Spiritual Power map within a thousand steps in his mind, Peng Eye scanned every corner in his pupils. The kill order was for Titled Douluo level— Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan and Ghost Douluo Gui Mei. Old Huai had seen Chrysanthemum Douluo at the Soul Master Tournament; that person was a level 94 Titled Douluo with the Martial Soul of the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum. Ghost Douluo's strength was comparable to Chrysanthemum Douluo's, and his Martial Soul was Gui Mei, with extremely strong speed and stealth abilities. With two Titled Douluo pursuing him at the same time, plus the possible hidden agents that the Spirit Hall might have placed along the way, he had no chance of winning in a head-on confrontation with his level 77 Soul Power.
But he didn't need to confront them head-on. He was stuck at level 77, which wasn't a multiple of ten, so his Soul Power couldn't increase. He needed to be level 80 to absorb the seventh ring, and the Nine Netherworlds Dark Python in the Abyss was a target he had to hunt down within three months—because Ah Yin's remnant soul only had three months left. Time was of the essence, and pursuers were behind him; he had no way out.
Nan Feng retracted the tower into his palm. He took a step in the northwest, activated his Shrinking the Ground to an Inch, and his figure left a trail of afterimages in the twilight. He didn't continue on the main road but turned towards the mountainous area in the northwest. The Treasure-Appraising Spirit Light continued to spread in his mind, clearly presenting every fluctuation of Spiritual Power within his Thousand-Step Perception. He walked for half the night and arrived at a secluded valley before dawn. A stream gushed out from the rock wall in the valley, and the stream gathered into a small pool at the bottom of the valley. The pool was crystal clear and surrounded by low shrubs and herbs. The Treasure-Appraising Spirit Light detected a fist-sized piece of Cold Iron Core at the bottom of the pool. It was about three thousand years old and would be a good material for forging Soul Tool.
He didn't stop. The kill order had been issued, and Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo's speed far surpassed that of ordinary Soul Master. He had to cover a sufficient distance before dawn. He continued northwest, passing through two dense forests and a swamp, arriving at an abandoned Soul Hunting camp at noon the next day. The camp contained several low stone huts, the hearths inside long since cold, with traces of dried beast blood remaining on the stoves. His Treasure-Appraising Spirit Light detected several faint auras of Soul Beast around the camp, all low-level Soul Beast under a thousand years old, posing no threat to him at present.
Nan Feng found a relatively intact stone house in the camp, and the Tower Realm Light Membrane formed three layers of protection around him. He sat down cross-legged, took out the letter from the Tower Spirit Space, and read it again. Hu Liena's handwriting was more messy than when she wrote the secret letter in the Slaughter City, and there was obvious trembling at the end of the strokes. She was nervous, but she still managed to send out the information in the shortest possible time.
"Na." Nan Feng murmured the name. He remembered what Hu Liena had said in the Slaughter City— "If one day you can break the curse on my soul... I will come to find you." She had been waiting. But now she was risking the backlash of the Rakshasa Curse to deliver the information for the kill order, and he remembered this kindness.
The Old Huai poked its head out from the immortal tree, its semi-transparent remnant soul flickering in the Tower Spirit Space. "Since Hu Liena was able to send a message, it means she can still move around inside the Spirit Hall. But she said 'cannot hold them off for now,' which means Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo have already set off. At their speed, they will catch up with you in three days at most. Although your Shrinking the Ground to an Inch is fast, Titled Douluo's Soul Power reserves far exceed those of Soul Emperor, and their endurance is inferior."
Nan Feng nodded. He folded the letter and put it back into the Tower Spirit Space. The crumpled paper floated quietly next to the Ice Crystal Amulet crystal talisman, the fox tail and tower on the ink stain glowing slightly in the cyan-gold immortal light. His Soul Power was stuck at level 77, unable to increase beyond a multiple of ten, but the liquid Primordial World Power in his dantian was more solidified than before under the nourishment of the Life Origin Stone and the Ice Crystal Amulet. The Peng Eye quietly shimmered with golden light in their pupils, the multicolored spectrum of the Treasure-Appraising Spirit Light covered a range of a thousand steps, and the third level of Shrinking the Ground to an Inch continued to settle in his meridians. The seventh level of the tower was fully opened, the Samsara Power slowly flowing in his meridians, and the Power of Return to the Void formed six black annihilation patterns on the surface of the tower.
Three days. He needs to reach the outer edge of the Abyss within three days. The Abyss is located in the southern part of the Far North permafrost zone in the northwest of the continent. Starting from his current location, traveling at full speed using the Shrinking the Ground to an Inch " technique would take two and a half days. After reaching the outer edge of the Abyss, the Nine Netherworlds Dark Python will be in the deepest part of the Abyss, and hunting it will take time. However, when Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo catch up, he can use the complex terrain and poisonous fog environment of the Abyss to maneuver around them.
Old Huai suddenly spoke up. "Nan Feng, you have another path."
Nan Feng looked at the Old Huai.
"Dugu Bo," Old Huai said, "Poison Douluo is in Sunset Forest. If you head south, you can get there within three days. Dugu Bo owes you a favor—he said he would step in to get you out if you were captured by the Spirit Hall. Two Titled Douluo are chasing you; although Dugu Bo is struggling to fight them both, he can at least buy you some time."
Nan Feng was silent for a moment. Dugu Bo was in Sunset Forest, and it would indeed take three days to reach him by going south. However, Ah Yin's remnant soul only had three months left, and going south meant taking a detour, which would waste time and put Ah Yin's remnant soul in greater danger. Moreover, Dugu Bo's favors were reserved for those "captured by the Spirit Hall," and now it was a pursuit, not a capture.
"No," Nan Feng said. "I'll go straight to the Abyss. After hunting the Nine Netherworlds Dark Python, my Soul Power will break through level 85. Even if Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo catch up then, I'll still have a fighting chance."
Old Huai was silent for a moment, then a very soft sigh came from the Immortal Tree. "If you've made up your mind, then go. But remember, the Nine Netherworlds Dark Python is a 120,000-year-old Soul Beast, stronger than the Golden-Eyed Peng King. In your current state, a head-on confrontation is very risky. Moreover, the kill order is at the Titled Douluo level—if Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo catch up with you while you're hunting the Nine Netherworlds Dark Python, you'll be attacked from both sides."
Nan Feng stood up. The light membrane of the Tower Realm retracted from his body, and he conjured the tower from his palm. The nine-story bronze tower slowly rotated in the afternoon sunlight, and the Return to the Void pattern on the sixth floor and the Samsara pattern on the seventh floor lit up simultaneously. He looked at the tower in his palm and remained silent for a while.
"Then let them chase," Nan Feng said. "By the time they catch up, I'll have my seventh ring."
He took a step northwest. Shrinking the Ground to an Inch, his figure left a trail of afterimages in the Soul Hunting Hunter camp, instantly appearing a hundred paces away. The red ribbon on his left wrist fluttered in the afternoon heat. In the Tower Spirit Space, the Ice Crystal Amulet and Hu Liena's secret letter floated quietly, their silver-blue ice patterns and dark fox tail designs reflecting each other in the cyan-gold immortal light.
Three days. Abyss. Nine Netherworlds Dark Python. Seventh Ring. Then -- Level 85. Then, Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo, if you can catch up.
Nan Feng's figure moved swiftly through the mountainous forests to the northwest, his footwork, Shrinking the Ground to an Inch, leaving intermittent traces on fallen leaves and pebbles. Peng Eye scanned every inch of land in front of him, and on the Spiritual Power map that his Treasure-Appraising Spirit Light spread in his mind, the direction of the Abyss was getting closer and closer.