Looking at the body of the soul beast lying motionless on the floor, its chest barely rising, Qian Renxue's eyes remained calm. The Horned Disguise Chameleon, eight meters long, had mottled skin shifting faintly between muted greens and browns, even while unconscious. A single curved horn protruded from its forehead like a crown, its slitted eyes sealed shut in its comatose state, the result of Dugu Bo's potent poisons.
The room was dead silent.
Qian Renxue slowly took out a dagger from her spatial soul guide, its blade slim and glinting faintly in the dim room. She stepped forward without hesitation.
Just then, Tianmeng's voice echoed in her spirit sea.
"Renxue, I understand that you want an illusion-based soul skill… but why this beast? It's so common. You could've chosen an Ice Silkworm, our clan are masters of illusion. You know that."
Qian Renxue didn't pause. Her hand holding the dagger remained steady, her gaze still locked on the beast. A small smile played at the corners of her lips. She had not explained the reason to them for choosing this soul beast.
"I know, Tianmeng. But the main reason I chose it isn't just for illusion. Look at the name. Horned Disguise Chameleon. Disguise, it's in its nature."
Electrolux's voice followed, curious. "Disguise… then its art of concealment must be exceptional."
Tianmeng snorted, dismissive. "Exceptional? It's a failed species. No elemental affinity, and their disguise is barely enough to fool predators. They're prey more than predator. Most soul beasts ignore them unless they're hungry."
Qian Renxue finally spoke, shaking her head.
"You're judging it from what it is now. But do you know why its species survives in such a harsh region like the northern tundra forest, despite not having any ice attribute powers? The predators there are cold-type; most soul beasts can't survive without matching that energy. And yet, this species does."
She crouched beside the beast, with caution ready to leave if it shows any movement.
"Do you know why, Tianmeng? Because they don't survive by fighting. There species survival is based on illusion and disguise. Unlike Ice Silkworm which have ice attribute and use illusion due to their spiritual nature. "
Neither Electrolux nor Tianmeng responded.
Qian Renxue's smile deepened.
"If a million-year Horned Disguise Chameleon exists, then it would be the most terrifying assassin on this continent. And I want to walk unseen when necessary."
Without another word, she gripped the dagger tighter, and drove it cleanly into the beast's eye.
Shlkk!
The blade pierced through the fragile membrane, bypassing bone, and went straight into the brain. The Horned Disguise Chameleon didn't even twitch. Its death was instant.
Motes of violet light began to rise from the corpse, dense and vivid, gathering in solemn reverence. They danced in the air, coalescing and forming a soul ring.
The ring spun once in place, its deep purple hue indicating the beast's age.
Blood was slowly pooling beneath the soul beast's lifeless body, staining the pale stone floor in deep crimson streaks. Qian Renxue frowned, her purple eyes narrowing slightly.
"Master," she called calmly, yet with weight in her voice, "can you open the gate to the Undead Realm?"
Electrolux appeared beside her like a silent wraith, his pale robes stirring despite the still air. He nodded, instantly understanding her intention, this was not a place to leave behind bloodied traces, not when secrecy was paramount.
A ripple shimmered across the room. The gate to the Undead Demiplane opened silently like a curtain of smoke being drawn aside.
With a small wave of his hand, Electrolux easily lifted the corpse. The lifeless Horned Disguise Chameleon was gently pushed into the Undead Realm. The hovering purple soul ring followed it, still connected to its origin.
Qian Renxue sighed and muttered, "Now I have to clean up this mess."
She stepped through the gate herself, and the room behind her was sealed once more. Inside the eerie Undead Realm, shrouded in a blue-gray glow, Qian Renxue looked at the soul beast's corpse lying still as stone. The soul ring floated over it, spinning slowly.
"Let's do it," she whispered.
She sat cross-legged before the ring, her body completely still. The moment she closed her eyes, her soul power resonated. The purple soul ring trembled, then began descending toward her.
The moment the ring touched her body, a vortex of energy erupted from within.
Tianmeng, hovering silently in the background of her spirit sea, opened his eyes. "Hmph. As before, I'll increase the age of this soul ring."
Without further delay, he poured his pure soul energy into the soul ring.
The transformation began immediately.
The original purple color deepened and darkened into black, then steadily shifted into a bloody red. From the red, faint golden lines began to shimmer along its edges. One… two… five… eight… ten—ten golden threads, carved with divine glow, etched themselves into the soul ring like heavenly inscriptions.
As the golden lines completed their formation, the soul ring's color changed completely, into gold.
It was not merely a golden ring, it was a million-year soul ring.
Then, the air trembled.
A divine pressure emerged from her back. A tall, indistinct figure, shrouded in holy mist, began to rise behind her. Twelve massive wings unfurled, their form still unclear and covered in a sacred haze. The silhouette emanated a terrifying blend of holiness and mystery, as if it had descended from the something unknown.
This was the true form of her angelic martial soul, which was still a mystery.
The newly formed golden soul ring aligned itself, joining the two others already present behind her martial soul. The three rings glowed with resonant brilliance, forming a trinity of divine.