At this moment, she suddenly felt as if time had slowed down. Everything around her became sluggish and quiet, and she could almost hear the beating of her own heart.
Lu Leng was smiling. Their faces were less than a centimeter apart, and if they moved any closer, their lips would touch. Hu Liena could even feel the warm breath radiating from Lu Leng's body.
Yet, Lu Leng's expression remained cold, a faint smile playing on his lips, his eyes filled with the confidence of someone who had complete control. His handsome face still carried a hint of youthfulness, but in Hu Liena's eyes, it suddenly seemed unexpectedly reliable.
"Lu Leng..."
Hu Liena called out instinctively. As she looked at the two spirit rings around him—one purple and one black—her heart raced, and it felt as if her blood had frozen in her veins.
"Boom!"
The sound of a blade being unsheathed echoed, and in the next moment, the ferocious Bloodthirsty Crimson Fox that had been menacing them was reduced to a pile of minced flesh.
Blood splattered onto Hu Liena's face, the scalding heat snapping her back to reality. But when she regained her senses and saw the scene before her, she was so shocked that she momentarily lost her composure.
"You wanted that fox's spirit ring, right?" Lu Leng asked.
Hearing his question, Hu Liena's mind was too muddled to fully process his words. She simply nodded and replied, "Yes."
"Easy," Lu Leng said with a light chuckle. He then pointed his Zhanluo Blade at the Pink Peach Fox. "Hey, your husband's dead. Want to go find him? If you hurry, you might still catch up."
Of course, the Pink Peach Fox couldn't speak. Its response was a shrill screech, accompanied by a soul-shaking wave of energy.
"Let me send you on your way. You don't mind if I collect a toll, do you?"
Lu Leng spoke casually, and with a thunderous roar, a purple lightning bolt as thick as a barrel descended from the clear sky, striking the Pink Peach Fox directly.
"Awoo—"
A pained howl echoed as the Pink Peach Fox was split in two. Fortunately, the strike hit the latter half of its body, so it wasn't completely dead yet.
"The toll—one spirit ring," Lu Leng said, holding up a finger.
He then turned to Hu Liena. "Hurry up, what are you waiting for? If it dies, I'm not responsible."
"Huh? Oh!"
Hu Liena had just regained her senses, but she was once again stunned by Lu Leng's brutal and terrifying methods.
Thankfully, her martial soul was the Demon Fox, granting her strong mental resilience. She quickly snapped out of it and hurried over to the Pink Peach Fox, finishing it off. A beautiful purple spirit ring appeared.
She stared at the spirit ring, her eyes filled with hesitation. She glanced at Lu Leng, then let out a soft sigh. Her expression hardened with determination, and she sat down cross-legged, beginning to guide the absorption of the spirit ring.
"A two-thousand-year spirit ring—I can absorb it too."
A competitive spirit rose within Hu Liena. They were both disciples of the same teacher. Even if she couldn't surpass him, she would at least keep up with his pace!
The power of the purple spirit ring was immense. As soon as she began absorbing it, Hu Liena's face contorted in pain. But thanks to her strong mental strength, after about half an hour, her expression gradually relaxed. It was clear that she had successfully absorbed the spirit ring.
Lu Leng, who had been standing guard nearby, also relaxed when he saw this.
But at that very moment, something unexpected happened. Hu Liena suddenly let out a cry of pain, biting her lip hard, her brows twisted in agony. She looked to be in extreme distress.
"This... why does this feel familiar?" Lu Leng muttered as he watched her, suddenly reminded of what had happened to him a month ago.
"By the way, Hu Liena has a tail-like external soul bone that hasn't appeared before. Could it have been obtained from this soul beast?" Lu Leng thought more and more that this was possible.
If that were true, then even though he had an anomaly in the Douluo Continent, the wheel of history hadn't deviated significantly.
If that's the case, wouldn't Tang San still destroy the Spirit Hall? Should he go and kill Tang San first? But Tang San is protected by Tang Hao, making it quite difficult to kill him. Maybe he should just inform the Spirit Hall directly? As he pondered this, Hu Liena let out another painful groan.
"Focus on your spirit, you must hold on. I'll protect you!" Seeing this, Lu Leng quickly reminded her.
Hearing Lu Leng's voice, Hu Liena's trembling body visibly stabilized.
Lu Leng glanced around. Xie Yue and Yan hadn't woken up yet. This was the most critical moment for Hu Liena.
As time passed, the pain on Hu Liena's face gradually peaked before finally subsiding into calmness.
Lu Leng knew that Hu Liena had succeeded.
At the same time, a red, slightly pink fox tail grew from the base of her spine, right above her buttocks. The tail swayed gently, soft and adorable, making Lu Leng want to reach out and touch it.
It felt soft to the touch, and he couldn't help but keep his hand on it.
"Both of us have external soul bones, but mine felt like giving birth, while she seems completely fine." Lu Leng couldn't help but complain. Who's the protagonist here, him or her? Suddenly, Lu Leng's eyes widened as if he had discovered something new.
Following his gaze, it turned out that the tail had torn through Hu Liena's pants, revealing a tempting patch of snow-white skin.
Though not much was exposed, the curves were distinct, the contour clear, and it was incredibly alluring!
"What are you looking at?" Hu Liena opened her eyes, ready to thank Lu Leng, but noticed his gaze was a bit off.
"The tail, it's so perky."
"Perky...?"
"No, the tail is so white."
"White...?"
"Ah!!!" Hu Liena instantly realized something and quickly turned around, her pretty face flushing red. "Don't look!!!"
Lu Leng immediately turned his back. "Don't worry, I didn't see anything."
"Don't say it!!!"
"Really, I'm not lying. I just saw a patch of white... no, a red tail."
"I said don't say it!!!" Hu Liena screamed, like a furious little cow.
Lu Leng quickly covered his mouth and nodded frantically like a chick pecking at rice.
Hu Liena's expression softened a bit, and she hurriedly covered herself with a set of clothes.
"Alright, you can turn around now." Hu Liena's voice was suddenly barely audible.
After making sure he heard correctly, Lu Leng slowly turned around and saw that she had already retracted her tail, which made him breathe a sigh of relief.
He didn't mean to look; it was just an accident.
The atmosphere was awkward.
Hu Liena's gaze was evasive, not daring to look at Lu Leng. Her face was still flushed, her expression shy and charming, with a hint of unintentional allure that made Lu Leng stare again.
"Are they okay?" Hu Liena, feeling the awkwardness, quickly changed the subject.
"It's fine, I've already treated their injuries. They should wake up soon," Lu Leng turned his head away, avoiding Hu Liena's gaze. This woman was truly bewitching.
Hu Liena blinked her beautiful eyes, unsure of what to say, and the atmosphere once again became awkward.
Fortunately, Xie Yue and Yan soon regained consciousness.
"Is everyone alright? What about the spirit beast?" Xie Yue asked. Although he and Yan had been regained consciousness, his mind was clear, and he knew what he had done. However, he had no recollection of what happened after he fainted.