Chapter 225: The Soul Rift Fiend
Before long, three tents stood pitched on the valley floor.
Luo Ling shared one with Hu Liena. Porcupinefish Douluo and Snake Lance Douluo occupied another. The third belonged to Qian Renxue alone.
When Qian Renxue caught sight of Luo Ling and Hu Liena's closeness, an inexplicable bitterness rose in her chest.
Back in the Crown Prince's mansion, Luo Ling's relationship with Hu Liena had already seemed… unusual. Now, seeing them so intimate—sharing the same bed—was far beyond what she could ignore.
"What's wrong, Xue'er? You want to sleep with us too?" Luo Ling teased when he noticed her odd stare.
"P–Pervert! Who would want to share a tent with you two?!" Qian Renxue's face flushed crimson, and she bolted into her tent in a flustered panic.
Hu Liena smiled smugly, hugging Luo Ling's arm tightly, a silent declaration of ownership.
As long as Qian Renxue didn't harbor any real desire for Luo Ling, that was good enough for her.
Shaking his head in mild amusement, Luo Ling ignored the princess's reaction and drew Hu Liena back into their tent.
Outside, the two Titled Douluos kept watch in shifts as night settled over the valley.
…
Seven days slipped by in uneasy calm.
Each dawn turned to dusk without so much as a hint of the Soul Rift Fiend. Not a ripple disturbed the valley's peace.
"Your Highness, I don't think this so-called Soul Rift Fiend is even here," Porcupinefish Douluo said helplessly. "We've been here a full week without seeing a single thing."
Qian Renxue was equally frustrated—tired of doing nothing but watching Luo Ling and Hu Liena's constant affection.
Hu Liena, on the other hand, was overjoyed; spending quiet days and nights with Luo Ling reminded her of their time together in the City of Slaughter.
Luo Ling stood silently in the center of the valley, the wind brushing past. He, too, began to suspect that Da Ming had been mistaken.
His spiritual senses had scanned the entire valley, but there was nothing—no life of any kind.
Two possibilities came to mind: either the Soul Rift Fiend's concealment exceeded even his perception… or nothing at all existed here.
Just as doubt began to creep in, Luo Ling suddenly looked up sharply.
He had missed something obvious.
This was the Star Dou Forest—teeming with life, home to countless spirit beasts. Yet this valley, though vast and rich with water and trees, hosted not a single creature.
Not one spirit beast… not one sign of life for seven entire days.
Impossible.
"Your Highness?" Snake Lance Douluo noticed Luo Ling's strange expression and asked uncertainly.
Luo Ling's lips curved into a chilling smile. "We've been deceived," he said softly.
Scarlet light flared in his eyes as the world shifted before him.
The once-lush forest turned gray and lifeless—trees, grass, even the air itself devoid of vitality.
He finally understood what had felt so off.
There were no Spirit Threads anywhere.
Every plant, every stone lacked the faint spiritual lines that signified the essence of life.
This entire valley was fake.
As the sky darkened, Luo Ling's gaze lifted to the glowing full moon above.
Through the moonlight's illusionary shimmer, he suddenly saw it—the short, writhing Spirit Threads crawling toward them.
Everything below was false. Only that moon in the heavens was alive.
"I've found you," Luo Ling murmured, a wicked grin spreading across his face.
Countless black feathers manifested around him, merging into a massive, spectral crow. With a scream of despair, it shot toward the moon.
The crimson-eyed raven's shriek split the air as it lunged upward. The pale moon quivered violently in response.
Then, impossibly, it turned—changing shape into a colossal, unblinking eye staring down from the heavens.
Even Hu Liena and the others saw it now, shock rippling through their ranks.
Only a fool would fail to realize—they had been trapped.
The fear-crow slammed against that single, monstrous eye. The entire valley shook, shattering like a mirror into pieces.
The lush landscape vanished, replaced by a field of corpses and bones. The stench of decay filled the air; rot and death spread across the valley.
Even Da Ming and Er Ming, watching from afar, were horrified.
The Azure Bull Python found itself coiled in a filthy, blood-stained swamp, while the Titan Giant Ape stood beside the skeletal remains of a massive dragon.
"What is this?!" Er Ming roared, leaping in alarm.
Da Ming lifted from the muck, his serpentine features dark with dread.
"We… were caught in an illusion," Luo Ling said grimly, scanning the horrific graveyard.
For seven days they had lived in a perfect dream—a realistic illusion so flawless even he hadn't sensed it.
Its craftsmanship rivaled his own Abyssal Dream domain.
His face hardened. To weave an illusion powerful enough to ensnare not only him but also two Titled Douluos and two hundred-thousand-year beasts meant one thing—the Soul Rift Fiend's mental strength exceeded his own.
Using the same tactics as with the Shadow Devouring Beast would be futile.
The others' faces grew pale. To be trapped so completely, without any of them noticing—it was terrifying.
The moon in the sky vanished abruptly.
Everyone looked upward—and froze.
In its place hovered hundreds of space-like tears splitting open one by one. Staring from within each void were colossal, turning eyes—hundreds of them, crimson and gleaming, fixed on those below.
"So this… is the Soul Rift Fiend?" Luo Ling breathed, awe and disbelief mingling on his face.
The sight defied all logic.
In his understanding, spirit beasts of the Douluo Continent were animals, plants, or humanoids—never something like this.
He felt as if he were gazing upon one of the Outer Gods from a myth of madness—an entity of pure fear, incomprehensible and profane.
"Da Ming… is that really the Soul Rift Fiend?" Er Ming whispered, voice trembling.
Even Da Ming's composure wavered as he stared skyward. This was nothing like the creature he had fought a thousand years ago.
A chilling thought struck him—could that battle long ago have taken place entirely within this same mirage? Had he never truly faced the real Soul Rift Fiend?
The burial ground grew eerily silent.
Hundreds of monstrous eyes regarded the group without moving, unblinking, unfeeling.
Porcupinefish Douluo and Snake Lance Douluo stood ready, while Da Ming and Er Ming braced for battle.
They had come to watch, yet they themselves were now ensnared.
Luo Ling's crimson eyes glimmered faintly. In his sight, endless Spirit Threads connected every single one of those monstrous eyes together into one vast, horrifying network.
(END CHAPTER)
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