"Ten thousand years? Nana, are you serious?! You absorbed a ten-thousand-year soul ring at Rank Forty?"
Bibi Dong was visibly shaken.
At first, she had been furious. From her perspective, allowing a Soul Ancestor to absorb a ten-thousand-year soul ring was nothing short of courting death. It violated every established theory regarding soul rings and cultivation.
Yet Hu Liena was standing before her—alive, healthy, and brimming with power.
If Hu Liena truly had absorbed the soul ring of a ten-thousand-year Bewitching Nine-Tailed Fox and emerged unscathed, then this completely overturned Bibi Dong's understanding.
For the first time, doubt crept into her heart.
She had always placed absolute faith in the martial soul theories she had learned in her youth—those proposed by Yu Xiaogang. But now, she could not help questioning whether those theories were truly flawless.
Perhaps she had momentarily forgotten that Yin Zhang's fourth soul ring itself was already ten thousand years old—excluding those later enhanced through special means.
Hu Liena nodded earnestly.
"Teacher, I really didn't lie to you. I truly absorbed a ten-thousand-year soul ring."
As she spoke, she summoned her martial soul.
The fox demon appeared, radiating charm and spiritual pressure. Immediately afterward, four soul rings emerged beneath her feet and slowly expanded, their light intertwining with her aura and making her allure even more pronounced.
Bibi Dong, however, remained unaffected. As a woman herself—and a Title Douluo with twin martial souls—she naturally possessed a will far stronger than ordinary people.
After a moment, she sighed softly, her tone carrying both relief and concern.
"That's good… Your fourth soul ring being ten thousand years old is an incredible achievement. But remember this—what happened this time was fortune favoring you. When you reach Rank Fifty and become a Soul King, you must be extremely cautious. Absorb soul rings strictly within the limits appropriate for your level. If anything were to go wrong, your teacher would be heartbroken."
Hu Liena felt warmth bloom in her chest. She was happy—happy that her teacher genuinely cared for her.
Still, after hesitating briefly, she added:
"Teacher… actually, Brother Zhang's fourth soul ring is also at the ten-thousand-year level. And I don't know how he did it, but his other soul rings have also been raised to ten-thousand-year quality."
Bibi Dong froze.
She already knew about Yin Zhang's fourth soul ring, but hearing that all of his soul rings had reached the ten-thousand-year level left her completely stunned.
In her understanding, only gods—existences standing above all mortals—could accomplish such a thing.
And she herself was already undergoing the Rakshasa God's Nine Trials.
Yet those trials only aided her at the very beginning. As time passed, they began to restrict her, suppressing her growth and preventing her from fully unleashing her strength—as if deliberately holding her back.
She endured it all for the sake of the divine position.
What frustrated her even more was that she didn't even know how to abandon the Rakshasa trials. Even if she wanted to stop, she simply couldn't.
Was it possible that Yin Zhang had already become the successor of some god?
The more she thought about it, the more likely it seemed.
This realization made her inwardly curse her own misfortune.
Still, there was a more immediate issue.
Who exactly was this "Elder Yunshan" that Hu Liena had mentioned?
Bibi Dong was certain—there had never been such a person within Spirit Hall, nor among the enshrined elders she knew so well.
Frowning, she asked, "Nana, one last question. Who exactly is this Elder Yunshan?"
Hu Liena didn't hide anything.
Yin Zhang had already instructed her—if anyone asked, she should simply say that Yin Zhang had helped Yunshan, and because of that favor, as well as Yin Zhang's personal charisma, Yunshan chose to follow him and join Spirit Hall.
Moreover, Hu Liena herself believed this information would only elevate Yin Zhang's standing.
So she answered calmly:
"Elder Yunshan's martial soul is of the wind attribute. More precisely, he can freely control wind and shape it however he wishes."
She paused, then added the final sentence:
"He's a Rank Ninety-Seven peak Douluo. And his ninth soul ring… is one hundred thousand years old."
Bibi Dong stood rooted to the spot.
What did she just hear?!
Rank Ninety-Seven—and a hundred-thousand-year ninth soul ring?!
Even though Bibi Dong herself possessed a hundred-thousand-year soul ring, and even more than one due to her twin martial souls, this was still shocking beyond belief.
Her two titled Douluo clones—each at Rank Ninety-Five peak—could perform a martial soul fusion skill, but compared to the overall strength gathering within the main hall, it still felt insufficient.
While Bibi Dong was still reeling from the news, Yin Zhang had already brought Yunshan to the summit where the Hall of Offerings stood.
Looking at the familiar mountain, Yin Zhang felt a wave of emotion.
Back then, he had been captured by Bibi Dong and brought to Spirit Hall. Soon after, Golden Crocodile Douluo took him in as a disciple and personally guided his cultivation, even ordering him to climb this very mountain.
Only a few short years had passed.
Now, Yin Zhang's soul power had reached Rank Seventy-Five. In terms of actual combat strength, he could already defeat most of the enshrined elders. As for Jin E and Qian Daoliu—those two Rank Ninety-Nine Limit Douluos—he hadn't fought them yet, so the outcome remained unknown.
He also couldn't help thinking about Qian Gu Yunying.
Several months had passed. Their time in the Killing City should have ended by now. He hoped nothing had gone wrong.
After leaving the Hall of Offerings, he planned to find Qian Gu Yunying and spend some proper time together.
At that moment, the massive gates of the Hall of Offerings slowly opened as Yin Zhang and Yunshan landed.
The interior was majestic.
A colossal angel statue stood at the center.
At the foremost position sat Qian Daoliu.
To either side were Golden Crocodile, Azure Phoenix, Golden Lion, Thousand-Pound Staff, and Demon-Slaying Staff—the six great enshrined elders.
Yin Zhang and Yunshan exchanged a glance and stepped inside.
The instant they entered, all eyes turned toward them.
More precisely, everyone's gaze lingered on Yin Zhang for a few breaths—before shifting decisively to Yunshan.
At that moment, Jin E had only two thoughts in mind.
First, Yin Zhang's aura had clearly grown even stronger.
Second…
Who exactly was this Yunshan?