Chapter 8: Encountering Hu Liena
Standing atop a tall tree, Luo Ling gazed down at the shadowy forest below.
It had been two hours since he entered the Spirit Hunting Forest. Dawn was approaching, and still, he hadn't seen even the shadow of the Phantom Ghost Bird.
Though he hadn't expected to find it immediately, disappointment still lingered on his face.
Shaking his head helplessly, he jumped down from the tree.
Finding a concealed clearing within the forest, he set up a small tent and lit a fire.
Lighting a fire in the forest at night was dangerous, but Luo Ling didn't care.
He took out the corpse of the Soft Bone Rabbit he had hunted earlier, cleaned it with his dagger, and began to roast it.
Before long, he had eaten his fill. The sky above the treetops was already tinged with pale white.
Dawn was breaking—signaling that the Phantom Ghost Bird would not appear again.
Sighing inwardly, Luo Ling sprinkled beast-repelling powder around the tent and crawled inside to rest.
A loud roar shattered the tranquility.
He had barely closed his eyes when a lion's roar jolted him awake.
He sprang from the tent, peering through the dim morning haze. About a few hundred meters away, two figures were dashing toward him—one ahead, one behind.
Narrowing his eyes, he sent a crow to scout, instantly seeing everything through its vision.
The one in front was a young girl with short golden hair, two yellow soul rings pulsing beneath her.
Behind her, a huge lion cloaked in flames bounded after her—it radiated fierce power.
"A Crimson Flame Lion… over five meters long, a thousand-year soul beast!"
Recognition flashed instantly in Luo Ling's eyes.
The Crimson Flame Lion was among the strongest beasts in this forest—born with mastery over fire and terrifying physical strength.
Watching the chase, Luo Ling's expression tensed.
The girl fired bursts of pink flame at the lion as she ran, but they barely harmed it.
Same fire attribute—but her flames were clearly weaker than the beast's.
After thinking quickly for a few seconds, Luo Ling made his decision—he turned and ran.
…
Hu Liena sprinted at full speed, her face pale and furious.
She had been resting peacefully the night before when her teacher suddenly ordered her into the forest for nighttime training.
That, in itself, wasn't the issue—until, barely half an hour in, she encountered a thousand-year Crimson Flame Lion.
In a forest mostly filled with ten-year soul beasts, a thousand-year beast was practically unheard of.
Cursing her luck inwardly, Hu Liena suddenly spotted someone ahead.
A boy—silver-haired, about seven or eight years old.
She didn't despair. A child that young couldn't possibly be alone in the forest; surely an elder was nearby.
She opened her mouth to call for help—but the boy turned his head, and without hesitation, bolted the other way!
"Hey, you brat! Don't you have a conscience? Go get your elders and help me!" Hu Liena shouted angrily.
A conscience? What is this, the civilized society of my past life? Luo Ling sneered inwardly.
Ignoring her entirely, he activated his martial soul—a pale-yellow ring glowed beneath his feet.
"First Soul Skill: Dark Weave."
Invisible threads shot out, and Luo Ling's body soared upward, swinging gracefully between trees like a ghostly spider.
From the shadows, Chrysanthemum Douluo and Bibi Dong, who had been secretly observing, exchanged helpless looks.
Neither knew whether to laugh at Hu Liena's naivety or Luo Ling's ruthlessness.
"Unbelievable!" Hu Liena yelled, wide-eyed and furious, but she could do nothing.
The chase continued—a girl, a lion, and now an unwilling boy caught in the middle.
Luo Ling, after all, was only an eleven-level Soul Master. Before long, Hu Liena and the Crimson Flame Lion caught up.
"Hey, miss, could you stop following me? That damn lion's after you, not me!" Luo Ling snapped, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
"If I'm dying, you're coming with me! Let's see you run now!" Hu Liena shouted, puffing angrily between breaths.
"You think I'll just stand here and wait to die? I'm a Soul Master—not a hero!"
"Then tell your elders to come out and help!"
"If I had any elders, would I still be running for my life?" Luo Ling roared back, veins bulging.
Hu Liena blinked, momentarily stunned by his response.
During their brief argument, the Crimson Flame Lion caught up. It roared and lunged forward, aiming straight at Hu Liena.
Fire surged, scorching the surrounding air. Hu Liena froze, stunned in place.
Are you kidding me? Who freezes up at a time like this? Luo Ling cursed inwardly.
As the beast's claws descended toward the golden-haired girl, even Chrysanthemum Douluo in the shadows considered intervening.
But before he could move, a black shadow leapt forward, tackling Hu Liena to the ground as the lion's claws slammed down—missing her and tearing into the shadow instead.
The impact sent the black figure flying, smashing through several nearby trees.
Hu Liena stared blankly, her face pale, watching the body crumple to the ground.
"How long do you plan on just sitting there?"
Luo Ling's cold voice echoed through the forest.
He stood some distance away, manipulating dark threads that tightly bound the furious lion.
He had made his move after all.
Hu Liena blinked in confusion. She looked at the unharmed Luo Ling, then at the identical figure lying broken on the ground.
But this wasn't the time to question. She ran to Luo Ling's side as the dark threads snapped one by one.
The Crimson Flame Lion roared, now turning its burning eyes on Luo Ling.
While bound, the dark threads had drained a portion of the lion's life force and soul power—an invasive sensation that made the beast furious.
Taking a steady breath, Luo Ling recalled the battered Raven Shadow Puppet to his side.
The puppet was in terrible shape, its black feathers tattered and fading, its form unstable. But Luo Ling wasn't worried.
The Raven Shadow Puppet was made entirely of dark energy; as long as he had soul power, it could recover.
"What's your martial soul? What skills do you have?" Luo Ling demanded, eyes locked on the prowling lion.
"What?" Hu Liena blinked.
"I said—what's your martial soul and soul skills?" Luo Ling repeated, impatiently. "We have no choice but to fight together, or we'll both die. I need to know what you can do!"
Understanding dawned, and she quickly answered, "My martial soul is the Demon Fox. My first soul skill is Foxfire Command—I can control foxfire to attack. The second is Fox Charm, a group mental charm ability."
"Demon Fox… Foxfire Command… Fox Charm…" Luo Ling muttered, eyes widening slowly.
Wasn't that Hu Liena's martial soul and skill set?
He turned sharply to examine the girl—from her golden hair to the faint fox tail behind her—and realization struck.
Golden hair, fox tail… she was identical to the version in the anime!
(END CHAPTER)
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