Chapter 114: with translation of chapter title

Qian Renxue hid in the dark, and suddenly a three-meter-long red fox tail sprouted from her tailbone.

Under the disguise of the angel's skull, two yellow, two purple, and one black—five soul rings—slowly undulated around the fox tail, and the strongest Soul King, the Red Fox Demon, made a grand entrance.

"Kekeke——!"

In the damp, dense forest, a chilling laugh suddenly echoed from all around Ye Feng.

Ye Feng's heart jolted, "Damn, how does Douluo Continent still have a Spirit Hall!" Before he could react, a mass of crimson flame suddenly blasted from behind him.

The horrible heat produced a crackling sizzle; Ye Feng did a clumsy donkey roll to dodge Qian Renxue's flame, then quickly turned sideways, fiercely staring at the white-robed figure behind him. His Azure Lotus Soul Sword appeared, and three soul rings—one yellow and two purple—appeared on his Azure Lotus Soul Sword.

But his gaze met a bloody, bloodthirsty bright red pupil, and an invisible spiritual surge rushed toward Ye Feng's mind.

It's over, this round is doomed; the moment he saw those eyes, Ye Feng thought, "Uh-oh," but before he could react, his entire mind instantly lost consciousness.

Qian Renxue cautiously used her spiritual power to secretly strike Ye Feng; to avoid being recognized, she simply employed her spiritual power to construct an illusion, immersing him in it, without even using her eye soul bone.

Ye Feng's body went limp, and in the next moment Qian Renxue appeared behind him, supporting his head and laying him flat on the grass.

Hehe, didn't expect that, little bro—mental attack is the true sneak attack.

Qian Renxue didn't directly take his gourd; taking it without harming him would be too deliberate, too purposeful—she needed him to escape on his own, then unintentionally leave his gourd behind.

Just as Qian Renxue was about to feed him medicine, Ye Feng's previously dull gaze suddenly cleared, his second soul ring blazed bright, his Azure Lotus Soul Sword expanded a notch, and he instantly lay on the ground and slashed horizontally; an azure sword light like a net surged toward Qian Renxue, and he rolled away in a donkey roll.

Oh? Playing possum? Qian Renxue gave a light snort, her surging spiritual wave directly crushed the sword net, her hoarse, unpleasant voice asked with interest: "Little brat, weren't you hit by my mental attack? How did you recover so quickly?"

Ye Feng looked at the five soul rings on the red tail behind the white-robed figure, his heart turning ice-cold—it was a Soul King! And he attacked without a word.

How could he reveal his trump card to a stranger of unknown origin? Just a glance at that white-robed person's eyes had dragged him into the illusion—if not for his Azure Lotus Soul Sword also having its own consciousness, which awakened him.

At this moment, with his consciousness trapped in the illusion, he was surely doomed to die.

Ye Feng's gaze sank, and to be safe, he dared not look at the masked person's upper body, instead fixing his eyes on the lower half—Good grief, another Uchiha? Is this the ninja world? Just like him, this red-pupiled masked person is also a Soul Master with a spiritual attribute.

Ye Feng took a deep breath to calm his racing heart, then cautiously asked: "Senior, why would you attack a junior like me? I have no grudge with you—why would you take my life without a word?"

Qian Renxue snorted disdainfully, then laughed wildly in a dark, muffled male voice: "Kekeke, as the Red Fox Demon I act as I please—what need is there for grudges or hatred? I kill when I want to, and that's how the grudge arises."

Ignoring Ye Feng's changing expression, she continued: "You're young, but your vital energy is abundant; once I devour your flesh and blood, my wounds will surely heal, perhaps even improve, so I can go take revenge on that damned Spirit Hall! Ah—! That damned Spirit Hall, I've only eaten a few people—why hunt me down?"

Her voice was extremely resentful, like an evil spirit's, her mental state extremely unstable, as she screamed wildly.

Hearing her words, Ye Feng's face turned deathly pale—"Evil... evil Soul Master! Every evil Soul Master's methods are extremely vicious; even the weakest can kill across realms with their aberrant means, let alone this evil Soul Master before him, whose soul ring configuration happens to be the optimal setup."

He had originally wanted to say he was from the Spirit Hall to make her hesitate, but he immediately shut up; luckily he hadn't spoken, or he'd surely be torn apart. Where had the guardian beside him, tasked with protecting his safety, gone? Why wasn't he coming to the rescue now? Ye Feng tried to ingratiate himself with a fawning smile: "Senior, you're right—it's just eating a few people, isn't it? How dare the Spirit Hall treat you like this! It's utterly hateful—why don't I take you to find those damned Spirit Hall Soul Masters? They're much tastier than me!"

"Master, this way! Ah, spit—Sir! I'll show you the way! My meat isn't tasty at all—it's dry and tough!"

"I know a peerless genius named Xiao Yuan! He's from the Spirit Hall! He even has twin martial souls! Most importantly, the Pontiff himself even wanted to promote him to Holy Son! Sir, let me take you to eat him!"

The gloomy Red Fox Demon fell silent for a moment, seemingly even she hadn't expected Ye Feng to say such a thing, and for a while she stood there awkwardly.

Ye Feng, you guy are still a guide, huh?

Then she suddenly let out a sharp, shrill laugh, the harsh sound like fingernails scraping a blackboard, making people feel extremely uneasy.

"Hahaha——! Little brat, don't even think of fooling me! You're from the Spirit Hall! You wouldn't think a Soul Master would come to save you, would you? The Soul Emperor protecting you has already been lured away by me—now, even if you shouted till your throat broke, no one would come to your rescue."

Ye Feng wasn't so foolish as to actually shout till his throat broke—he was facing an evil Soul Master, mentally unstable and man-eating, this is Douluo's Uncle Ba; even if he were about to die, he wouldn't waste time on a stale joke.

Thud! A resonant, powerful sound rang out—Ye Feng thudded to his knees! He said with a bitter face: "Sir, you don't know—I'm not actually from the Spirit Hall! I'm also a member of the Fallen Soul Masters! That despicable Spirit Hall does all kinds of evil, full of tricks, barbaric and rude! My parents were both killed by the Spirit Hall!"

"To resist the brutal Spirit Hall, the Grand Elder founded a sect—Holy Spirit Church—open only to Fallen Soul Masters! Our Holy Spirit Church's creed is to endure for eternity and unify the martial world!"

"Young man, you've received the order from the Holy Spirit Church's Honorary Grand Elder Xuan Lao to infiltrate the Spirit Hall on an undercover mission! All evil Soul Masters under heaven are disciples of the Holy Spirit Church—we're all one family!"

The Red Fox Demon stopped her hysterical laughter, stared blankly at the weeping Ye Feng kneeling on the ground, and said, "Huh? Holy Spirit Church? Xuan Lao? Nonsense! As a Fallen Soul Master, I've never even heard of that!"

She swallowed her speechlessness, then suddenly burst into a shrill, hysterical wail: "Wuu-wuu-wuu——I never expected even a brat like you to deceive me, wuu-wuu-wuu——I'm going to kill you!"

Although it was bright and sunny right now, a chilly wind kept blowing, and combined with the wailing, it really sent a shiver down Ye Feng's spine.

Seeing the Red Fox Demon charging at him, Ye Feng suddenly shouted: "I have the Holy Spirit Church's Grand Elder backing me from behind! If you attack me, there will be no place left for you, Red Fox Demon, in this world!"

The Red Fox Demon remained unmoved; her fox tail behind her swept like a broom, lightly brushing Ye Feng: "Hahaha, even if it's true, so what? No one's around here—once I devour you whole, who'd notice? Kekeke——" But just then, in her blood-red eyes she saw two soul rings flash—two precious thousand-year soul rings—as their light spread across Ye Feng's body.

Ye Feng's jet-black eyes instantly blazed forth, crystal clear, as if an azure light like myriad stars flashed for a moment, and his whole being became intensely focused.

After his Azure Lotus Soul Sword evolved, his martial soul gained the ability to devour others' soul power, absorbing it through contact.

But actually, the Azure Lotus Sword's innate property is a peculiar spiritual attribute; his martial soul is quite unusual—just by constantly drinking and writing poetry, it's as if he cultivates in a mimetic environment, so his spiritual and soul power grow extremely fast, to the point that even Qian Daoliu says he has limitless potential.

Ye Feng raised his now-crystal-clear Azure Lotus Soul Sword; as a fellow spiritual-attribute Soul Master, what's wrong with copying Huo Yuhao's self-created soul skill? How romantic!

He stepped forward with his left foot toward the fox tail, and Ye Feng's eyes, filled with azure hue, suddenly softened, his gaze gentle, as if gazing into the distance—within his eyes there was only one emotion: longing! A solid golden silhouette quietly appeared behind him.

It was a girl, her long hair flowing loose behind her, her whole figure golden all over, but her appearance stunned the Red Fox Demon—couldn't that be Qian Renxue? Just not quite like the present Qian Renxue; it was her as a child.

The golden light-shadow quietly appeared before Ye Feng, then suddenly turned to face him; Ye Feng and the golden figure gazed at each other with deep affection, his gaze becoming more entranced, and at the same moment an indescribable aura burst forth from his body.

Ye Feng's gaze instantly grew even softer; at this moment, in his eyes there was no trace of the opposing evil Soul Master, the Red Fox Demon—only longing.

Longing is a profound thing, and only a spiritual-attribute Soul Master can manifest it as a tangible thread—my snow sister, how long have we not seen each other until today, all for that ridiculous, laughable Heavenly Dou Empire undercover plot, that hateful Bibi Dong! For her own selfish desires she actually just drove us apart.

It's been over two years straight! Do you, now, miss me as I miss you?

As he thought, Ye Feng's eye sockets even grew slightly moist, and he murmured: "Three Styles of the Love Sword, first style—love arises unknown, deepens without end—Love's Rise!"

Under Ye Feng's reluctant gaze, the golden figure before him suddenly merged into his Azure Lotus Soul Sword in his hand; the blue blade instantly turned brilliant gold, and Ye Feng gently swung—immediately it blasted toward the Red Fox Demon's red tail.

The Red Fox Demon stared in astonishment at Ye Feng's incoming sword move, the corner of her mouth twitching—"Holy shit, this bastard Abstract Bro just met her and already pulled off such a huge mess."

How the hell is he still following Huo Yuhao's template? Three Styles of the Love Sword? Damn, isn't that the Haodong Triple Absolute? I'm fucked—seeing that golden figure identical to my childhood self, the Red Fox Demon only feels goosebumps popping up all over, an inexplicable chill, truly ominous!

No wonder Grandpa mysteriously said before leaving that seeing Ye Feng would be a surprise—this isn't a surprise, it's a fright! Damn, this guy's too abstract—luckily the name is Three Styles of the Love Sword, not Maple-Snow Triple Absolute; if he were a bit more careful, outsiders probably wouldn't know that golden figure is her as a child, otherwise she'd definitely kill this abstract bastard, too damn disgusting!

The Red Fox Demon's originally gentle movements instantly turned clean and decisive; her scarlet tail coiled with scorching flames, she heavily swept at Ye Feng's Azure Lotus Soul Sword in his hand.

She didn't even want to see Ye Feng's remaining two sword styles—she just wanted to knock him down quickly.

Qian Renxue's Blazing Flame Fox Demon tailbone was absorbed when she had four rings; it was originally thirty thousand years of cultivation, but now it has also undergone two transformations—even though its power is fairly ordinary to Qian Renxue, to Ye Feng it's quite a tough opponent.

"Clang!"

In the crisp ringing, Ye Feng's body shuddered violently, and his Azure Lotus Soul Sword in his hand was just flung away.

The brilliant golden sword light, like a stain wiped clean, was smashed to pieces by the Red Fox Demon's tail.

The tail smashed heavily into Ye Feng's body, red flames blazing; Ye Feng's physique was actually blown away like a cannonball, crashing hard into the bushes behind, with only a burst of explosion and the sound of ripping clothes heard, unknown how many trees were knocked down.

The Red Fox Demon gazed coldly at Ye Feng's direction; after Ye Feng, dust‑covered and grimy, crawled out of the bushes, his state was so wretched that even the word 'wretched' fell short, a trace of blood hung at the corner of his mouth, his right arm still trembling, his splendid and carefree azure robe had been burned by the flames into beggar's garb, with various unknown flowers and grasses haphazardly attached, all colorful.

The Red Fox Demon's gloomy voice sounded: "How come? I thought you'd seize the chance to flee while I blasted you away—why aren't you running?"

Ye Feng had just risen when he spat another mouthful of blood, holding his neck stiffly as he said, "I am the most orthodox evil soul master—what do I have to run for? Moreover, you're a Soul King; I simply can't escape. Otherwise you wouldn't have deliberately flung me into the bushes just to torment me. Young master, I've seen all kinds of evil soul masters; you're playing this trick with me."

"I've used this up long ago when hunting Spirit Hall soul masters! You merely want my flesh and blood to heal your own wounds; I can help you recover better—if you agree to let me go, I'll hand this over to you."

The Red Fox Demon felt a flicker of interest upon hearing that, but she still scoffed, "What good could a puny Soul Elder like you have? Even if you're a thousand‑year second ring, you're still just a Soul Elder."

"Don't even think about deceiving me—just obediently let me eat you!"

Ye Feng's eyes reddened as he stared fixedly at the Red Fox Demon.

"I just took your full‑force blow head‑on, yet I'm fine as if nothing happened—what am I deceiving you about? After you blasted me away, I deliberately used that treasure to recover a bit, which is why I'm back now; but I've hidden that thing away. If you kill me and devour my flesh, you'll never find it."

"At worst I'll self‑destruct right away—back when I wasn't undercover in Spirit Hall, I was famed in the Holy Spirit Cult as the Death God's Envoy, the strongest Soul Elder! I excel at a clean, swift corpse‑explosion technique; if you won't let me live, then you won't live either! At worst I'll turn myself into a corpse and blow up!"

"Even if you're a Soul King, you won't be able to stop a Soul Elder's self‑destruction in time—do you dare to gamble?"

The Red Fox Demon glanced at the wooden gourd tied at his waist; this fellow Ye Feng really has impressive mental fortitude—perhaps after being frightened by the Snake Spear Battle Master earlier, he'd lain awake half the night, angry and reflecting, and even now he's still trying to deceive her.

Brothers, regarding updates, the author now has absolutely no time for 6000‑word chapters; my school wants me to start the proposal report early, which should have been done in October, but the key is I haven't even finished my graduation design, and I'm still the team's ox‑horse group leader, I have to work during the day, and after work I still have to finish the graduation design and the proposal report—it's utterly painful, and the most annoying part is that the proposal report isn't done just by writing it once; it has to be revised over and over.

What's worse is that I happen to have a little bit of talent stored away; in my third year I was an assistant in the professor's workshop, so now that he has something good he suddenly thinks of me, he's assigned me a project and directly put my name on it—I just found out today that I have to lead a team on a project, and they gave me three thousand yuan. Brothers, the author simply can't refuse his mentor, so for now I can only manage 4000‑word updates; even pushing to the limit each day won't cause a hiatus, but I really have no time to write 6000‑word chapters, I'm truly sorry, brothers. Today is clearly Sunday, yet I'm exhausted like a dead dog; tomorrow I have to go to work, then come back to work on the project, write, and finally finish the graduation design—6000 words is absolutely out of the question. Brothers, I don't even have time to read the comments now; I used to love reading and replying to them, but these days I truly have no time, rushing around day and night, pulling all‑nighters; the only chance I get is to nap at the company at noon tomorrow, which might help a little—my roommates keep joking, saying how I haven't dropped dead yet.

(End of chapter)