Sunset Forest!
With Chen Yuan's speed, it didn't take long for them to arrive. Under his guidance, the two of them entered the forest directly upon arrival.
The third soul ring Zhu Zhuqing needed was best suited to come from a feline-type soul beast, preferably around 1,700 years old. Therefore, exploring the outer and middle regions of the forest would suffice.
Although the Sunset Forest wasn't as vast as the Star Dou Great Forest, as the premier wild soul beast forest in the Heaven Dou Empire, it was still rich in soul beast resources.
Chen Yuan led the way, with Zhu Zhuqing following closely behind. As they ventured deeper into the forest, they encountered numerous soul beasts—ten-year, hundred-year, and even thousand-year ones. However, none of them matched the type or age they were looking for.
After several hours, they decided to take a break. Confident in his abilities, Chen Yuan not only lit a campfire but also caught two Soft Bone Rabbits. He skinned them, drained their blood, removed their internal organs, and roasted them over the fire. The sizzling sound and the aroma of the roasting meat soon filled the air.
Seeing this, Zhu Zhuqing felt uneasy and softly said:
"If you want to eat roasted meat, we can have as much as you want when we return. But this is a soul beast forest. If we attract a powerful soul beast, we could both be in danger."
Chen Yuan waved his hand, reassuring her:
"Don't worry. Even if we encounter a ten-thousand-year soul beast, I'm confident I can get us out safely. If the soul beast that's attracted happens to be the one you need, we won't have to waste time searching for it."
Seeing Chen Yuan's confident expression, Zhu Zhuqing felt slightly reassured. Indeed, with Chen Yuan's ability to fly on his sword, they could easily escape from most threats, except for powerful flying soul beasts.
Suddenly, a rustling sound came from the nearby forest. Zhu Zhuqing's heart skipped a beat. She stood up and cautiously walked toward the source of the noise, saying:
"I'll go see what's over there!"
Chen Yuan also put down the roasting Soft Bone Rabbit. If there was any danger, he would act immediately. At the same time, he was curious about what kind of soul beast might have been attracted.
"Roar!"
A low growl echoed, followed by a black shadow!
In an instant, Zhu Zhuqing collapsed to the ground, as if her spirit had been severely damaged. She lay there, her eyes vacant and lifeless.
Chen Yuan was also attacked. An endless darkness surged from all directions, trying to pull him into a world of shadows.
However, his spiritual power was extraordinary. Having consumed the Gazing Dewdrop, which allowed him to see through all things, he mobilized his spiritual power like a raging wave and uttered a single word: "Break!"
In an instant, all the darkness was dispelled. Chen Yuan stomped the ground and shot forward.
Before the black shadow could pounce on Zhu Zhuqing, Chen Yuan kicked it away. The soul beast let out a mournful cry, crashing into a large tree before falling to the ground. This allowed Chen Yuan to get a clear look at it.
It was a pitch-black leopard. Chen Yuan raised an eyebrow and said:
"A Shadow Beast. What luck! A soul beast that hides in the shadows, coming and going without a trace. It doesn't just hide in the darkness—it pulls its enemies into the darkness and then attacks. Among low-level soul beasts, it's one of the top predators."
Coincidentally, it was also a thousand-year soul beast. Chen Yuan didn't even bother summoning his martial soul. With a single step, he lunged forward again. Under the Shadow Beast's terrified gaze, he grabbed it by the scruff of its neck and rained down punches like a storm.
Soon, the 1,700-year Shadow Beast was on the verge of death under Chen Yuan's fists.
Dragging the Shadow Beast, Chen Yuan returned to Zhu Zhuqing's side. She was still in a daze.
"She hasn't woken up yet."
Chen Yuan crouched down, cradling Zhu Zhuqing in his arms. He patted her face and then pinched the area below her nose. After a while, Zhu Zhuqing's eyes regained their focus.
When she regained consciousness and saw Chen Yuan, she grabbed his sleeve, her heart racing and her breathing rapid. Fear still lingered in her eyes as she said with lingering dread:
"It was so dark just now... It felt like my world was nothing but darkness..."
Chen Yuan ruffled her hair and comforted her:
"You're safe now. Also, while I can wait for you to recover, this Shadow Beast won't last much longer. Hurry and kill it to absorb its soul ring. I think its ability is quite suitable for you."
The memory of being trapped in darkness, unable to escape, still haunted Zhu Zhuqing. Now, she looked at Chen Yuan with admiration in her eyes.
She then broke free from his embrace and turned to the Shadow Beast. Instantly, her Nether Spirit Cat martial soul activated. As if driven by some resentment, she delivered a fatal claw strike, killing the beast.
Soon, energy surged from its body, condensing into a purple soul ring. Zhu Zhuqing looked at the soul ring, calmed her emotions, and adjusted her state. Once she was ready, she sat down and summoned the soul ring. The purple ring floated toward her, settling around her body and merging into her.
Seeing that she had begun absorbing the soul ring, Chen Yuan returned to the campfire to continue roasting the Soft Bone Rabbit.
Several hours later, Zhu Zhuqing's aura stabilized, and a purple soul ring rose from beneath her feet, joining her two existing yellow soul rings.
A 1,700-year soul ring wasn't beyond her limits, so the absorption process went smoothly.
When she opened her eyes, they were filled with joy. She glanced around and, upon seeing Chen Yuan, exclaimed excitedly:
"Chen Yuan, I succeeded! And my soul power has increased to level 36! You were right—the effects of the Jade Muscle Bone Immortal Herb helped me gain seven levels of soul power."
Chen Yuan wasn't surprised, but he was curious about Zhu Zhuqing's third soul skill. It definitely wasn't the Netherworld Slash from the original story. He asked:
"That's natural. By the way, what's your third soul skill?"
Zhu Zhuqing didn't hide it:
"My third soul skill is called Netherworld Assault. It can be activated by making eye contact, pulling the enemy's consciousness into a shadow world. Once successful, the enemy will fall into the same state I was in earlier. Additionally, the enemy's attributes will decrease by 50%. Unless the enemy has extremely strong spiritual power, I can end the battle within a few breaths. Thank you. Because of you, I was able to obtain such a powerful soul skill."
Chen Yuan was also surprised. Although it wasn't an offensive skill, if used well, it could decisively determine the outcome of a battle. He smiled and said:
"Not bad. From now on, control-type and support-type soul masters will have no chance against you. Come over and have something to eat. We'll head back to the academy soon..."
Then, with a playful look, he added:
"By the way, Zhuqing, gratitude shouldn't just be expressed in words. Do you have any practical way to show it?"
Zhu Zhuqing was momentarily stunned. Then, biting her lip, she stood up and walked over to Chen Yuan. She quickly pecked him on the cheek before taking the roasted rabbit from his hands.
She then sat by the campfire, her legs together and tilted to one side, lowering her head to bite into the rabbit meat, trying to hide the blush on her face.
Chen Yuan chuckled softly, watching Zhu Zhuqing as she nibbled on the rabbit meat. His gaze gradually softened.
(End of Chapter)
Word Count : 1,317
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