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Li Luochen brought the two women to this secret location. Zhu Zhuqing wore a cold and aloof expression, while Ning Rongrong blinked her big eyes curiously, observing her surroundings until she noticed Xiao Wu.
"Oh? Isn't that Xiao Wu? Why is she still naked? Director Li, don't tell me you're thinking… But you already have four women! How can you still be eyeing Xiao Wu? Aren't you afraid your harem will catch fire?"
Ning Rongrong smirked mischievously, clearly enjoying the teasing.
Li Luochen's face darkened. While it was true that Xiao Wu had grown into a fine figure and stirred some primal desires, it wasn't something to be said aloud.
Li Luochen promptly flicked Ning Rongrong on the head, causing the little witch to burst into tears.
"What are you thinking about? This is a transformed soul beast—a hundred-thousand-year Soft Boned Rabbit. I called you here to use your illusion skill on her. I'll use my spiritual power to make her fall into a trance and offer herself as a sacrifice to Zhu Zhuqing. Understand?"
Ning Rongrong rubbed her head, where a bump had already formed from the hit, and glared at Li Luochen with resentment.
She muttered inwardly, 'He must've been struck where it hurts.'
"But didn't Xiao Wu meet several Title Douluos before? Why wasn't she discovered back then?"
Zhu Zhuqing suddenly asked. She vividly remembered that Shrek Academy had both Title Douluos and Soul Conquerors who could easily see through transformed soul beasts.
"As for that, she used a herb called Breath Concealing Grass to hide her soul beast aura. My spiritual power is strong enough to pierce through illusions—I saw right away that she wasn't human."
Li Luochen explained directly, having prepared his reasoning in advance. He certainly wouldn't admit that he had known Xiao Wu was a transformed soul beast all along.
Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong said nothing further. They hadn't expected that the lively and cheerful Xiao Wu they once studied alongside was actually a soul beast! Humans and soul beasts were naturally opposed, so at most, they felt pity for this unlucky rabbit.
"All right, let's begin. Rongrong, release the illusion. Remember, the deepest part of the illusion should feature Tang San."
Li Luochen instructed Ning Rongrong to cast the illusion, setting Tang San as the central character.
A radiant glow erupted from Ning Rongrong's head, and it shot toward Xiao Wu's spiritual sea. The moment she entered, Ning Rongrong felt strained. Despite being a high-level Soul Emperor with a head spirit bone and Soul Conqueror-level spiritual power, she found it difficult.
This only confirmed that Xiao Wu was indeed a transformed soul beast. Her spiritual power was far too strong for an ordinary human. More importantly, within Xiao Wu's spiritual sea lay energy identical to her own aura—though it was currently sealed.
Li Luochen placed a hand on Ning Rongrong's shoulder, channeling his divine consciousness to bolster the illusion she was creating. Instantly, Ning Rongrong felt much more at ease, and her consciousness was suddenly transported to a strange space.
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Within the Illusion
Xiao Wu, dressed in pink, was happily hopping around, picking flowers. Not far away, Tang San sat cross-legged, meditating.
Suddenly, two figures appeared in the scene—but neither Tang San nor Xiao Wu noticed them.
Upon closer inspection, the two figures were faint and out of place in this world.
"What is this? Huh? Big Brother Chen (following Oscar's way of addressing him), where are we?"
Ning Rongrong asked in confusion.
"This is the illusory world Xiao Wu is immersed in. They can't see us. The illusion is set up—now it's time to watch the show."
Li Luochen whispered softly.
Inside the illusion, Xiao Wu wove the flowers and vines into a wreath and placed it on Tang San's head.
Tang San opened his eyes, gazing at Xiao Wu with tenderness.
"Brother, it looks great on you. All right, brother, comb my hair for me."
Xiao Wu loosened her scorpion braid and turned her back to Tang San, who pulled out a wooden comb.
The man and woman combed hair together in this serene place, surrounded by beautiful scenery—an ideal spot for seclusion.
But the tranquility didn't last long. Suddenly, the sky darkened from clear blue to pitch black, and dozens of figures surrounded the area.
Tang San and Xiao Wu instantly stood up, ready for battle.
The newcomers were the Spirit Hall's Title Douluos and Soul Conquerors, led by Pope Bibi Dong.
Why Bibi Dong? Because she was Xiao Wu's mother's killer!
Though Ning Rongrong initiated the illusion, the story within it was crafted by Li Luochen. While he couldn't create illusions himself and needed a medium, his divine consciousness could still alter the fixed illusion.
Thus, Li Luochen orchestrated an elaborate drama for Xiao Wu!
Within the illusion, Tang San released his soul rings—two yellow, two purple, and four black. His Blue Silver Grass bloomed, but its presence paled in comparison to the Spirit Hall's forces.
Bibi Dong unleashed her own soul rings—the soul rings of the Devouring Soul Spider Empress. In the sixth soul ring position, Xiao Wu sensed her mother's aura.
"That's Mother's soul ring! Damn you, Spirit Hall!"
"Heh, I didn't expect there to be a remnant left. You must be the last abomination."
Bibi Dong sneered, then waved her hand. The heads of Titan Ape and Azure Bull Python suddenly appeared out of thin air.
"It's Da Ming and Er Ming! You even killed them! How despicable!"
"Hmph! I'm just short of one hundred-thousand-year soul ring. Go reunite with them."
Eight soul rings of the Devouring Soul Spider Empress emerged around Bibi Dong, their overwhelming presence engulfing the area.
At this moment, Tang San stepped forward.
"If you want to harm Xiao Wu, you'll have to step over my corpse!"
With that, Tang San charged forward. He unleashed his Blue Silver Grass, activated his soul skills—and was swiftly defeated.
Ning Rongrong burst out laughing at the sight. "What a bold statement! I didn't expect him to be so weak."
"Brother!" Xiao Wu's eyes turned red, and she bit her lip until it bled.
Seeing Tang San on the verge of being killed by Bibi Dong, Xiao Wu's emotions surged, causing the entire illusion to shake.
Li Luochen sensed that Xiao Wu was about to awaken due to the shock. He quickly withdrew Ning Rongrong's consciousness, leaving behind a trace of divine consciousness in Xiao Wu's mind before departing.
---
In Reality
Xiao Wu, submerged in the large medicinal vat, suddenly stood up—though her eyes remained closed.
Her body had awakened, but her mind was still trapped within the illusion.
Zhu Zhuqing looked on in confusion, then turned to Li Luochen and Ning Rongrong, who had returned to normal. Seeing them relax, she let out a sigh of relief.
"Zhuqing, move a little closer to Xiao Wu. It'll make it easier for her to offer herself as a sacrifice to you."
Following Li Luochen's instructions, Zhu Zhuqing walked toward Xiao Wu. She trusted Li Luochen completely—more than she trusted herself.
At this moment, a beam of light condensed at Li Luochen's forehead and shot toward Xiao Wu's head.
Xiao Wu's eyes snapped open, though her gaze was hazy. She stared at Zhu Zhuqing, muttering something under her breath.
"Brother, don't leave me. We'll be together forever. Ahhhhh—"
As soon as she finished speaking, a powerful magnetic field radiated from Xiao Wu's body—the sacrificial aura of a hundred-thousand-year soul beast.
Li Luochen had planted a trace of divine consciousness within Xiao Wu's spiritual sea earlier, enough to deceive her senses. She mistook Zhu Zhuqing for Tang San.
Without hesitation, she began the sacrificial process. Once a hundred-thousand-year soul beast started the ritual, it was irreversible. Even if Xiao Wu regained clarity later, it would be too late—she could only die in bitter resentment.
Such was the overwhelming oppression of the Douluo Continent upon soul beasts. No matter how talented or strong, soul beasts had no chance to rise above it.
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