Chapter 40: Martial Spirit Domain and Ultimate Darkness
The soul was truly a mysterious thing.
Bibi Dong's emotional reaction completely caught Ruo Ling off guard.
Could it be… I've already replaced Yu Xiaogang in her heart? he thought silently, putting his clothes back on. Under Bibi Dong's unabashed gaze, he took out two more herbs — Autumn Water Dew and Shadow Night Vine.
"Xiao Ling, are you sure these two herbs are safe?" Bibi Dong asked, still concerned.
"No problem at all, Teacher," Ruo Ling said with a confident grin.
He picked up the Autumn Water Dew first. It was said to greatly enhance spiritual strength and grant clairvoyant insight — "Fiery Golden Eyes."
I wonder if this will enhance my Desire Soul as well, he thought with anticipation. Tilting the crystal-clear herb, he let a few drops of the liquid fall onto his tongue.
A rush of coolness spread instantly to the depths of his spirit.
After half a moment, the chill subsided. The world around him seemed sharper, brighter, bursting with invisible detail. Before he realized it, he had entered a trance—his soul drifting outside his body.
Floating above, he opened his eyes and looked down.
Within his field of vision, he could see the very souls of Bibi Dong, Chrysanthemum Douluo, Dugu Bo—and even the plants themselves—all glowing faintly with unique colors and light.
Bibi Dong's aura shimmered a melancholic blue; Chrysanthemum Douluo's pulsed orange with excitement; Dugu Bo's glowed deep green—serene and restrained.
"Can I… influence their emotions?" Ruo Ling murmured, realization dawning.
At that instant, an ethereal, unseen energy spread from his body outward.
The three below instantly sensed it, looking up in astonishment as Ruo Ling floated midair like a spirit.
"Xiao Ling?" Bibi Dong called out eagerly, her emotional aura turning pink in response.
Ruo Ling gave her a small nod but said nothing, continuing to observe the transformation within himself.
"This… this is a Domain?" Bibi Dong suddenly exclaimed in surprise.
Ruo Ling didn't answer, though he knew she was right. He could feel it—within this realm, his spirit power was amplified by thirty percent, while anyone inside would suffer a similar suppression.
But that was not all. Exiting his astral state, he maintained the domain and turned toward Dugu Bo.
"Elder, would you like to help me test this new power?" Ruo Ling asked with a bright, teasing smile.
Bibi Dong and Chrysanthemum Douluo were out of the question as test subjects—but Dugu Bo, on the other hand…
The Poison Douluo hesitated, forcing an awkward grin. But when Bibi Dong's cool gaze fell upon him, his spine straightened instantly, and he nodded.
"Be gentle, young friend. I'm old; I can't handle too much trouble."
"Don't worry, Elder, it won't hurt," Ruo Ling said kindly before activating his domain.
Within the invisible field, Dugu Bo's emotional aura began to shift.
He could feel it too—his mood flickering uncontrollably from joy to fear, from fury to confusion, emotions shifting in chaotic waves.
As they surged, his mind started slipping, filled with irrational impulses.
"What… what's happening to me?" Dugu Bo stammered in bewilderment.
Ruo Ling's eyes gleamed with excitement before he recalled the energy.
"Xiao Ling, what was that?" Bibi Dong asked curiously.
"This is my newly awakened Martial Spirit Domain," Ruo Ling said slowly. "Let's call it the Domain of Consciousness."
"It allows me to sense and subtly manipulate the emotional states of any beings within range."
"I can amplify feelings like rage, fear, envy—or suppress them entirely."
"When a target's emotion reaches an extreme, they lose rational control, consumed by that emotion."
"Of course, I can also use it to calm them—soothe turmoil, alter their mood in reverse."
"That's it?" Bibi Dong blinked.
The others exchanged confused looks. Such a strange ability… wasn't it kind of useless?
Ruo Ling noticed their reactions but smiled faintly.
This kind of power suited him perfectly.
Perhaps it lacked raw killing potential compared to things like Killing God Domain or Blue Silver Domain—but it consumed almost no energy, was completely undetectable, and could be cast silently.
He could influence anyone's emotions without them even realizing it.
The ultimate tool for manipulation—the perfect weapon for someone who preferred subtlety to brute force.
"Oh, and within my domain," Ruo Ling added, "my mental strength increases by thirty percent, while opponents' is reduced by the same. I can toggle this at will without affecting the emotional influence."
Bibi Dong nodded at last. That explanation fit the standard traits of domains—each providing both enhancement and suppression.
Even Chrysanthemum Douluo and Dugu Bo looked envious. Though both were Titled Douluo, neither had ever awakened a domain of their own.
"Xiao Ling, will you take the last herb too?" Bibi Dong asked, glancing at the Shadow Night Vine beside him.
Ruo Ling nodded, though puzzlement flickered in his mind.
Normally, immortal herbs required long digestion, but for him, each one's energy was absorbed cleanly—no remnants, no signs of struggle.
Even his soul power hadn't shifted—still at level 29.
He sat cross-legged again and placed the dark vine in his mouth.
The herb's pure darkness resonated instantly with his Crow Shadow Puppet.
A deep shadow rose around him, suffused with endless gloom. The puppet slowly morphed into the shape of a black raven.
Nearly an hour later, the raven opened its crimson eyes.
Darkness swept outward in silence—the entire Icefire Yin Yang Well was swallowed in pitch-black void.
Even Bibi Dong and the others, meditating nearby, felt it. Their senses vanished; sight and soul both plunged into oppressive night.
From within that darkness, countless pairs of red eyes opened—like the gaze of an abyssal sea of spirits.
Ruo Ling's own eyes opened at the center, startled by the vision.
Something stirred on his shoulder—a crow perched calmly there, wings folded. His Crow Shadow Puppet had taken physical form.
"So… you were a raven all along?" Ruo Ling muttered under his breath with a twitch of amusement.
He didn't dwell on it, dispelling the darkness around them.
As light returned, he found the others staring straight at him, unmoving.
He rubbed his head awkwardly. "Uh… I think I accidentally awakened another domain."
"This one lets me envelop everything in darkness, banishing all light. It boosts my strength by twenty percent and suppresses others by the same. Inside it, I can summon black ravens to attack."
"Oh—and my Crow Shadow Puppet seems to have evolved too. Its darkness has reached… the level of absolute darkness."
He spoke casually, but Dugu Bo's eyes flashed with envy.
Years he had spent guarding this treasure ground, yet he had never uncovered such miracles.
"Young friend," he said hesitantly after a pause, "could you perhaps… look around and see if any of these herbs might suit me?"
(END CHAPTER)
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