Douluo: One man returns, Fan Tianyin smashes Tang San to death

Although the Eight Extremes Collapse technique that Lu Yu taught her saved her life, she knew that her trials in this forest had only just begun.

The night in Starry Forest was so dark it seemed to drip ink, and the air was filled with the damp scent of earth and a faint smell of blood.

Hu Liena leaned against the rock wall of the side cave in the low mountain, her chest rising and falling slightly, her breathing still a little unsteady.

Her face was as pale as paper, and fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead. Her once magnificent red dress was now mottled with dust and bloodstains.

She lowered her eyes, her fingertips gently caressing a crystal-clear pill. A hint of hesitation flashed in her eyes, but she ultimately put the pill into her mouth.

The pill melted instantly upon entering the mouth, and a warm spiritual energy slid down the throat, slowly seeping into the limbs and bones, bringing a touch of warmth.

She closed her eyes, forcing herself to clear her mind and focus on guiding the medicine to repair the damaged meridians in her body.

The cave was small, just big enough for her to curl up inside.

The entrance to the cave was hidden by several low shrubs, whose branches and leaves swayed slightly in the night breeze, casting dappled shadows.

Behind the cave was a solid mountain, and in front was a dense forest, whose branches and leaves completely concealed the place.

Hu Liena chose this place because of its seclusion.

At this moment, she could clearly sense the dangers lurking in the Star Dou Forest—not only the lurking soul beasts, but also the mysterious "Myriad Races."

The resulting unease.

The man's words echoed repeatedly in her mind, carrying a hint of mockery and unfathomable meaning, making her heart feel heavy.

Half an incense stick's time later, she dragged her heavily injured body and went to great lengths to find this hiding place.

Her soul power was almost exhausted, and a deep, bone-revealing wound on her right arm was still throbbing with pain; it was a mark left from her fierce battle with the soul beast.

Even though she was the Holy Maiden of the Spirit Hall and possessed extraordinary strength, she felt utterly powerless at this moment.

Starry Forest has never been a safe place. She must recover as soon as possible, otherwise the consequences would be unimaginable if her whereabouts were exposed.

She took a deep breath, suppressing her unease, and closed her eyes to regulate her breathing.

Outside the cave, the occasional low roars of soul beasts could be heard, mixed with the sound of the wind, as if the forest was whispering some unspeakable secret.

Time passed second by second, and night gradually enveloped the entire forest.

Hu Liena's injuries slowly healed under the nourishment of the elixirs, her previously disordered soul power gradually stabilized, and her complexion regained some color.

She opened her eyes and tried to move her arms. Although they were still a little stiff, she had at least recovered 60% of her fighting strength.

She stood up, stretched gently, and prepared to leave the cave to continue her exploration deeper into the forest.

However, after taking only a few steps, a scorching heat rushed towards them, carrying a strong sense of threat.

"Oh, such a beautiful girl, all alone in this Starry Forest, what a waste of her talent."

A flippant voice came from not far away, carrying undisguised malice.

Hu Liena looked up abruptly and saw a young man in yellow slowly walking out of the woods.

He was tall and slender, with a handsome face but a hint of sinister intent. A ball of crimson flame flickered in his hand, casting an inconspicuous light and shadow on half of his face.

He looked Hu Liena up and down, a cruel smile curling at the corner of his mouth. "You dare to run around even when you're injured. You're really bold."

"Wouldn't it be a pity to die here?"

Hu Liena's heart tightened, and she instinctively activated her soul power, her fox tail martial soul faintly appearing behind her.

She stared coldly at the young man in yellow, her voice low and deep: "Who are you? What do you want?"

The opponent's aura was powerful, and the fluctuations in his soul power indicated that he was at least a level 74 Soul Saint, far exceeding her current strength.

She silently assessed her own condition, her brows furrowing slightly.

"What are you doing? Haha, a lone man and a lone woman, meeting in the deep forest, what do you think they could be doing?"

The young man in yellow laughed even more arrogantly, and the flames in his hand suddenly surged, transforming into a fire serpent that rushed straight at Hu Liena.

Hu Liena dodged the fire snake with a quick movement, but it grazed the hem of her clothes, scorching a piece of fabric and filling the air with the smell of burning.

She knew things were going badly; her opponent's speed and strength far exceeded her expectations, and she had no chance of winning if they fought head-on.

The battle quickly unfolded in the forest.

The young man in yellow attacked like a storm, each palm strike carrying scorching flames, forcing Hu Liena to retreat step by step.

Although her soul skills were exquisite, she was unable to use them effectively while still recovering from her injuries.

After a few moves, her right shoulder was grazed by flames, and the sharp pain made her groan and stagger backward.

Seeing this, the young man in yellow gleamed with smugness and pressed closer, his smile growing increasingly sinister: "Holy Maiden, the genius of the Spirit Hall is nothing more than this."

"Just surrender obediently, and I'll make your suffering less."

Hu Liena gritted her teeth, a resolute glint in her eyes.

She forcefully summoned her soul power, rapidly forming hand seals in front of her, her soul power surging wildly within her body, condensing into a violent force.

Seeing that she still dared to resist, the young man in yellow sneered: "A death throes? In your current state, how much strength can you possibly muster?"

He raised his palm, ready to end the fight with a single blow.

However, just as he was about to grab Hu Liena, she shouted in a low voice: "Eight Extremes Collapse!"

A terrifying power erupted from her body, as if the air was being torn apart, producing a sharp, explosive sound.

The young man in yellow's pupils contracted sharply, and the contempt on his face instantly turned into terror.

He tried to raise his arm to block, but felt an overwhelming force sweep over him and slam into his chest.

With a cracking sound, his internal organs seemed to be shattered by a giant hammer, and his whole body flew backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily into an ancient tree, whose trunk broke in response.

His eyes widened, blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, and his face was filled with disbelief. The next moment, he was lifeless.

Hu Liena staggered a few steps, knelt on one knee, and gasped for breath.

Her soul power was completely exhausted, and her internal injuries were aggravated by this all-out attack. She felt a sweet taste in her throat and spat out a mouthful of blood, staining the ground in front of her red.

She forced herself to stand up and, with heavy steps, slowly made her way back to the cave.

During the journey, she vomited blood twice more. Every step she took felt like stepping on a knife's edge, and the excruciating pain almost made her faint.

Half an hour later, she finally returned to the cave, collapsed against the rock wall, and tremblingly took out the last pill and swallowed it.

While closing her eyes to regulate her breathing, she unexpectedly discovered that although her soul power was empty, her meridians had become wider and the remaining soul power was more condensed, as if her soul power limit had been broken through in a life-or-death battle.

She gave a bitter smile and murmured, "I never expected that after almost losing my life, I would have such a gain."

She closed her eyes, fell into a deep sleep, and her consciousness gradually faded.

The next day at noon, sunlight streamed through the gaps in the leaves into the cave, dappling the surface of Hu Liena's face.

She slowly opened her eyes, her pupils suddenly contracting—a figure had appeared at the cave entrance. The person was backlit, tall and straight, with a cool and aloof demeanor, as if they had become one with the forest.

Hu Liena's heart tightened, and her hand instinctively pressed against the dagger at her waist, her soul power quietly circulating.

However, when the person turned around and she saw that familiar face, she was stunned: "Lu Yu? What are you doing here?"

Lu Yu's gaze swept over her, his tone calm but with a hint of concern: "Your injuries are too severe, I can't ignore them."

He walked slowly closer, squatted down, and carefully observed her condition.

Hu Liena frowned, her tone tinged with doubt and displeasure: "Didn't we agree that you wouldn't interfere with my training? You saw what happened last night?"

Lu Yu nodded, his gaze deep: "I saw your battle with that young man in yellow, and I also saw your previous battles."

You're very strong, but you're pushing yourself too hard.

He paused, then added, "I didn't do anything; I just helped stabilize your injuries."

Hu Liena was taken aback. She looked down to check herself and was surprised to find that her injuries had mostly healed. The soul power in her meridians flowed smoothly, even stronger than when she was at her peak.

She looked up at Lu Yu, her eyes full of doubt: "How did you do that?"

Lu Yu smiled, a meaningful glint in his eyes: "You'll find out later."

He didn't explain further, but instead said, "The Star Dou Forest has been quite turbulent lately. In addition to the myriad races, many Soul Masters have also poured in, their motives unknown."

What did you discover?

Hu Liena frowned, recalling what she had seen along the way: "On my way here, I saw many corpses of soul beasts and humans. The soul bones on the soul beast corpses had not been removed, and the wounds did not seem to be caused by humans or soul beasts. It was very strange."

She paused, her gaze turning serious. "Moreover, the way those Soul Masters died was also very strange, as if they were crushed to death by some powerful force."

Upon hearing this, Lu Yu's eyes flashed with a thoughtful expression: "When I flew over from high above, I also saw many signs of battle, especially the corpses of human soul masters deep in the forest, whose deaths were similar to your description."

He took out a token from his pocket and handed it to Hu Liena. "This belongs to that young man in yellow. Do you recognize it?"

Hu Liena took the token and examined it carefully.

The token was engraved with an unfamiliar mark, its lines intricate and its presence eerie.

She shook her head: "I've met most of the powerful families in the Martial Soul Empire, and this mark doesn't belong to us."

It could be from other forces, such as…

She looked at Lu Yu, and the two of them almost simultaneously thought of the same name—the Gara Empire.

Lu Yu pondered for a moment and suggested, "Something big may have happened in this forest. Perhaps a treasure has appeared, which is why so many Soul Masters have come here."

Shall we go check it out?

Hu Liena, however, scoffed, "Treasures? Apart from sword cultivators who can benefit from high-quality swords, what treasures can other soul masters use? The Martial Soul Empire has conducted extensive research in this area, but we haven't heard of any special ones."

Upon hearing this, Lu Yu smiled and said, "Perhaps I'm overthinking it."

Just as he was about to say something more, a deafening roar suddenly came from afar.

Even though it was thousands of feet away, the ground still trembled violently, and stone chips fell from the cave.

Hu Liena suddenly stood up and looked out of the cave at the same time as Lu Yu.

In the sky, lightning flashed faintly, and countless dark auras rose up like a tide, carrying a chilling sense of oppression.

Even more bizarrely, a huge corpse appeared in mid-air, emanating a chilling aura.

Hu Liena's pupils contracted sharply, and her voice trembled slightly: "What is that thing?"

Lu Yu's gaze was equally solemn. He stared at the corpse, remaining silent for a long time, a sense of unknown fear permeating the air.

Deep in the Starry Forest, the night was as dark as ink, and the dense canopy of trees blocked out the starlight, leaving only sparse points of light swaying among the trees.

Lu Yu and Hu Liena walked side by side, the fallen leaves under their feet rustling softly. A damp, chilly air filled the air, as if the entire forest was whispering some unknown secret.

Hu Liena's steps were slightly hesitant, her fox tail spirit ring swaying slightly behind her, emitting a faint glow that reflected on her delicate yet slightly uneasy face.

She stopped, staring ahead, her voice trembling slightly: "Lu Yu, look over there... what are those? Why are they floating in mid-air? They look like human corpses, so strange and eerie."

Lu Yu followed her gaze, his pupils shrinking slightly.

In the distant canyon, a blurry figure hovered in mid-air, the surrounding airflow seemingly distorted by an invisible force, stirring up clouds of dust and fallen leaves.

That "corpse"

It wasn't still, but rather slowly rotating with the airflow, as if being lifted up by some mysterious force.

Lu Yu frowned. Although he had ventured deep into the Star Dou Forest many times, this was the first time he had ever seen such a bizarre sight.

His heart raced slightly, but he calmly analyzed the situation in his mind: "It's impossible for a corpse to appear out of thin air; something special must have happened."

He turned to look at Hu Liena, his tone calm yet tinged with inquiry: "Let's go take a look, but be careful."

Hu Liena nodded, a hint of hesitation flashing in her eyes, but it was quickly replaced by determination.

She flew side by side with Lu Yu towards the canyon.

The wind whistled through the woods, mingling with the rustling of leaves, like a low, menacing warning.

The closer they got to the canyon, the stronger the fluctuations of soul energy in the air became, carrying a dizzying sense of oppression.

Lu Yu had keen senses. He noticed that the surrounding scenery seemed to be distorted by this force. The branches of the trees were slightly bent, and the grass on the ground was moving without wind, as if the entire canyon was shrouded by an invisible force.

Upon reaching the edge of the canyon, Lu Yu and Hu Liena stopped.

The sight before them made them hold their breath.

In the center of the canyon, on a clearing, lie several indistinct "corpses".

Floating in mid-air, the surrounding air currents formed a huge vortex, stirring up dust and gravel, and emitting a low rumble.

Those "corpses"

The face was obscured, as if shrouded in a thin mist. There was neither the stench of decay nor the deathly aura of an ordinary corpse; instead, it exuded a powerful aura of soul energy.

This aura surged in like a tide, making Lu Yu feel a tightness in his chest, as if his soul power was being slightly suppressed.

"What is this place……"

Hu Liena's voice was so low it was almost a soliloquy, her eyes darting between the corpses and the air currents, filled with obvious apprehension.

Lu Yu did not answer immediately. His gaze swept around and he noticed that the ancient trees around the canyon were old and thick, their bark covered with the marks of time, as if silently telling the story of the ancient and mysterious nature of this area.

He said in a low voice, "This aura is not simple; it may be related to some kind of special power."

Let's observe first and not act rashly. (End of Chapter)