Chapter 158: Listen to Me, I'll Take You Flying!
Ning Rongrong quickly came to understand his reasoning, and an excited determination flashed across her face.
"Then what are we waiting for? Hurry and find me a Nightmare Beast—one around five thousand years old. I'll push my fourth spirit ring absorption to its limit!"
Confidence radiated from her; after all, she had just consumed an immortal herb and evolved her martial spirit.
She felt stronger than ever—ready to be the protagonist of her own story.
"Only five thousand years? Rongrong, you're underestimating yourself. At least six thousand!"
Her mouth fell open in shock.
She was confident—not suicidal.
"Trust me. No problem. Listen to me—I'll take you flying," Dugu Feng said calmly.
He swept Ning Rongrong into his arms and stepped out of the carriage.
Mounting the Emerald Dragon Serpent, they sped straight toward the Sunset Forest.
The Nightmare Beast was a fairly common soul beast, spider-like and adept at concealing itself.
But Dugu Feng had already learned its habits from Shi Nian, making it easy enough to locate.
Just like with Ye Lingling, they landed atop a mountain at the forest's center and waited.
The two Emerald Dragon Serpents dived into the forest in search of their target.
This time, it took longer.
Half a day passed before they returned, carrying their prey.
It was a creature resembling a silkworm, though enormous—about six meters long, with a pale, jade-like body that glowed in waves of white luminescence.
Each pulse of light was mesmerizing, capable of drawing onlookers into a dreamlike trance.
"It's really six thousand years old!" Ning Rongrong's eyes glittered with eagerness.
The normal limit for a fourth spirit ring was five thousand years—was she truly going to surpass that threshold?
"The energy of the Qiluo Tulip still lingers inside you, and your newly evolved Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda has transformed your martial spirit's essence. What's there to fear?" Dugu Feng said seriously.
Ning Rongrong wasn't afraid. She trusted him completely—and besides, she wanted to test her limits.
She strode forward proudly, drew a dagger, and ended the Nightmare Beast's life in one swift motion.
Then she released her Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda.
Dugu Feng thought for a moment, then handed her a Dragon Zhi leaf to consume for support.
The Nightmare Beast truly had six thousand years of cultivation.
While the lingering medicinal power of the Qiluo Tulip helped, the real hidden key lay in the golden core within her body.
Even if she couldn't endure it, Dugu Feng could intervene with the core's power to assist her.
Without that safeguard, he would never have dared gamble this high.
Ning Rongrong sat cross-legged on the ground, the pagoda floating before her hands.
A steady stream of soul power guided the purple-black aura rising from the slain Nightmare Beast, which began surging toward her.
The immense energy flooded into her body at once—so much that her light-blue dress disintegrated instantly.
Fortunately, she had prepared in advance, wearing the same Eight-Treasure Soft Armor that Dugu Feng had.
The thin armor clung to her like a second skin, rippling with her labored breathing.
The Nightmare Beast's immense energy far exceeded the limits of what her body could initially endure.
A spray of blood escaped her lips as crimson beads seeped from her skin.
She was already severely injured.
But the power of the Qiluo Tulip awoke within her.
Golden light once again enveloped her form, making her look like a goddess descending from the heavens.
Her wounds healed in an instant.
Still, the Nightmare Beast's energy refused to be subdued—it continued raging within her.
Again she was wounded, again the immortal herb's power healed her.
Under normal circumstances, such residual energy from the Qiluo Tulip would take years—perhaps until the Soul Sage stage—to fully absorb.
Yet under the pressure of life and death, those dormant forces were awakened, helping her process the overwhelming power of the ring.
Dugu Feng hadn't intervened yet. He watched carefully, ready to act if she truly faltered.
From the beginning, he had known Ning Rongrong wasn't just the pampered princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
She possessed both ambition and determination.
Her earlier reactions had confirmed it—when he suggested the six-thousand-year limit, she'd been shocked at first, then eager to try.
She wasn't one to accept mediocrity—if she was destined for greatness, then she had to fight for it.
If she could withstand this, her rewards would be unmatched.
He recalled what Shi Nian had told him—his own head bone came from a Nightmare Beast, called the Illusory Wisdom Skull Bone.
Its skill created an Illusory Space.
Shi Nian's martial spirit, being "Dream Remnant," specialized in illusions, and together with that bone, he had become nearly unstoppable.
Dugu Feng believed Shi Nian's success had come from the perfect compatibility of martial spirit and soul beast.
Now, Ning Rongrong's Nine Treasure Pagoda, with its extraordinary adaptability, matched the Nightmare Beast just as well.
Would a soul bone manifest for her too?
His heart raced with anticipation.
He hoped he wouldn't have to assist her.
If she could achieve this with her own willpower, the outcome would be even more remarkable.
Time passed, and Ning Rongrong's body shook violently.
The Nine Treasure Pagoda shone with brilliant light, orbiting her as though sharing its strength.
Through his core's spiritual sense, Dugu Feng detected that the worst of the storm had passed. The energy was now being absorbed steadily but painfully—a long, grueling process.
He stayed alert, watching closely.
Hours passed.
Gradually, the pagoda's fourth spirit ring took fuller shape, and the wild fluctuations of power began to calm.
Dugu Feng's eyes brightened—she was succeeding.
At last, he glanced toward the dead Nightmare Beast.
Its massive body had shriveled completely, its once pearly glow turned dark and cracked.
Yet above it, faint purple light still lingered.
Extending his spiritual sense, Dugu Feng felt a sudden pull—an illusionary ripple.
His eyes widened.
"A soul bone!"
It had truly appeared.
He pointed his finger—boom!
The dead body shattered, revealing a glittering, multicolored skull-shaped bone about three inches wide, gleaming like a miniature crystal head.
"A head bone!"
Excitement surged in Dugu Feng's chest.
Ning Rongrong's fortune was truly extraordinary—though luck alone wasn't the reason. Her effort and courage had brought this outcome.
With this head bone, the power of the team's Skill Fusion Technique would leap to new heights.
And given that the ability was likely tied to illusions, it would be an incredible match.
As a newly advanced Soul Ancestor integrating the Seven Shura Illusion Realm, Ning Rongrong would already bring immense improvement.
But now—with her amplification ability, her evolved Nine Treasure Pagoda, and this illusion-type soul bone—
Dugu Feng couldn't help but smile.
This is going to be beautiful.
(END CHAPTER)
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