The Immortal Herb dissolved immediately upon entering her mouth, transforming into an indescribably gentle, warm current that instantly surged into every limb and bone!
"Boom—!"
Zhu Zhuqing felt as if her body had turned into a furnace that had been ignited!
The majestic medicinal power, like a breached flood, frantically scoured her Meridians, bones, and even every single cell!
A faint red light appeared on the surface of her body, the blood vessels beneath her skin were clearly visible, and her spirit power circulated, purified, compressed, and then skyrocketed within her body at an unprecedented speed!
Level Thirty-Eight!
Level Thirty-Nine!
Level Forty!
Bottleneck? Non-existent!
That Level Forty barrier, which an ordinary Spirit Master would need several years to impact, was as thin as a piece of window paper before the medicinal power of this Divine Grade Immortal Herb—it broke with just a poke!
Level Forty-One!
Level Forty-Five!
...
Finally, when that violent energy slowly subsided and completely integrated into her body, Zhu Zhuqing's spirit power fluctuation settled steadily at a level that made Zhu Zhuyun stop breathing.
Level Forty-Nine!
A full twelve levels!
She ascended from a Level Thirty-Seven Soul Elder in one leap, directly soaring to a Level Forty-Nine Soul Ancestor!
This was no longer a miracle; this was a divine act!
Zhu Zhuqing slowly opened her eyes, feeling the unprecedented, almost overflowing powerful strength within her body.
She even had the illusion that the current her could easily crush the previous ten versions of herself!
This was a true transformation!
She raised her head, her gaze locking onto the man standing with his hands behind his back at the very first moment.
All the gratitude, shock, and adoration finally transformed into the most primal impulse.
She rushed forward again, but instead of a kiss, she embraced him tightly with all the strength in her body.
Burying her head against his chest, all the gratitude, shock, and adoration turned into silent reliance and belonging in that moment.
Zhu Zhuyun, standing nearby, had completely fallen into a daze.
She looked at the sickeningly sweet scene before her, then glanced at the Ten Thousand Year Soul Beast that was battered and barely clinging to life in the dense forest not far away, and finally couldn't help but speak, breaking the atmosphere.
"Ahem... I say, can you two stop for a moment?"
"That guy... is still hanging on by a thread."
Hearing this, Zhu Zhuqing's pretty face instantly flushed red again, and she hurriedly retreated from Li Yifei's embrace, lowering her head shyly.
She quickly walked to the front of the Shadow-Stealth Scorpion-Tail Leopard, extended her sharp cat claws, and cleanly ended its life.
A deep, ominous black spirit ring slowly emerged from the Spirit Beast's corpse.
Zhu Zhuyun walked forward and carefully sensed the energy fluctuation emanating from the spirit ring. Its color was black and lustrous, even faintly showing a hint of ominous dark red.
Her expression became extremely solemn: "This energy intensity... this Spirit Beast's cultivation is probably far beyond ten thousand years, at least around fifteen thousand years!"
Fifteen thousand years!
This number made Zhu Zhuqing, whose strength had just surged, sink in heart as well.
Although her physical fitness had been strengthened by the Immortal Herb, the absorption limit for her third spirit ring was at most slightly over ten thousand years.
Fifteen thousand years was still a deadly poison sufficient to make her explode and die!
Just as both sisters felt troubled, Li Yifei walked over.
He glanced at the black spirit ring and spoke with a tone as casual as if he were commenting on roadside weeds.
"The age is a bit high."
After speaking, under the horrified gazes of the two sisters, he extended a single finger toward that spirit ring.
No Spirit manifested, no Spirit Ability light shone.
But Zhu Zhuyun and Zhu Zhuqing clearly felt a special power, one that was incomprehensible and ineffable, enveloping the spirit ring.
It was as if an invisible carving knife was erasing the patterns representing ten thousand years of time upon that spirit ring, stroke by stroke.
Immediately following that, a scene that completely collapsed Zhu Zhuyun's worldview occurred.
The color of the black spirit ring, which represented ten thousand years of cultivation, actually began to fade at a speed visible to the naked eye!
From that deep, inky black, it slowly turned into ordinary black, and then from ordinary black, it turned into a pale black tinged with a bit of hollowness!
The spirit ring's energy fluctuation also sharply decayed along with it!
It had been forcibly 'downgraded'!
It was forcefully suppressed from fifteen thousand years down to just touching the threshold of ten thousand years!
Time Reversal!
The consumption for the Time Reversal of inanimate objects was in the lowest tier!
"Go ahead."
Li Yifei withdrew his finger and said to the petrified Zhu Zhuqing.
"Now, it's just right for you."
Zhu Zhuqing mechanically took a step and walked to the spirit ring, sitting down cross-legged.
Zhu Zhuyun suppressed the turbulent waves in her heart and stood guard for her sister.
The spirit ring was drawn over and slowly settled onto Zhu Zhuqing's body.
The absorption process was unexpectedly smooth.
With the solid foundation laid by the Immortal Herb, and with Li Yifei precisely controlling the spirit ring's age, Zhu Zhuqing encountered almost no obstacles.
However, just as the black spirit ring was about to be completely absorbed and merge with her—!
A sudden change occurred!
Zhu Zhuqing's body suddenly trembled violently, and an aura not belonging to her, filled with coldness, brutality, and resentment, violently erupted from the spirit ring!
That aura transformed into a blurry phantom of the Scorpion-Tail Leopard, opening its massive maw, intending to turn the tables and rush into Zhu Zhuqing's Sea of Consciousness!
Zhu Zhuyun was greatly alarmed and cried out:
"Not good! It's the remnant Soul of the Shadow-Stealth Scorpion-Tail Leopard causing trouble!"
Spirit Beast Remnant Soul Backlash!
This was one of the most dangerous and unsolvable desperate situations when a Spirit Master absorbed a spirit ring!
External parties could not intervene in confrontations at the spiritual level.
Once the Spirit Master's will was crushed by the remnant Soul, the lighter result was mental confusion, and the heavier result was directly becoming an idiot reduced to a walking corpse!
Zhu Zhuyun's heart suddenly clenched, and a chilling fear shot straight up her spine to the crown of her head!
She watched helplessly as her sister's body shook violently like a sieve, and that pretty face, flushed from absorbing the Immortal Herb,
At this moment, it was turning pale at a speed visible to the naked eye, with wisps of black Qi seeping out from around her body, carrying misfortune and resentment.
What to do?
What could she do?
Zhu Zhuyun's mind went blank; she could do nothing but worry frantically!
Just as she was extremely anxious and even prepared to recklessly use her spirit power to impact that spirit ring, a voice carrying a hint of playfulness and contempt sounded beside her ear.
"A beast that won't rest even in death dares to play tricks with the Soul in front of me?"
Li Yifei remained standing in place, not even changing his posture.
He looked at the struggling Zhu Zhuqing, and a trace of genuine coldness finally appeared in his eyes, which were usually as still as an ancient well.
That was not the coldness toward an enemy, but the indifference of a deity looking down upon an ant attempting to provoke heavenly might.
He didn't even approach.
He merely made a phantom grab in the direction of Zhu Zhuqing across the void.
"Screeech—!!!"