Chapter 166: The Frightened Qian Renxue
There had been no detailed record of the Nightmare beast in the Spirit Hall archives.
No one had ever truly seen its body—not even the weaker ones.
Whenever a Nightmare was slain, the only thing left behind was its spirit ring after the fog dispersed.
It was among the most mysterious of all spirit beasts.
But now, through the sight of his soul threads, Luo Ling finally beheld the Nightmare's true form.
It was like a drifting soul—semi-transparent, amorphous—and surrounded by writhing tendrils that floated around an irregular spherical body.
When Luo Ling released his crimson, corrosive soul threads, the Nightmare sensed danger. Its tendrils shuddered violently, twisting in alarm.
The moment his threads made contact, Luo Ling discovered something astonishing—the Nightmare's tendrils shared the same nature as his own soul threads.
Through that contact, he sensed its emotions.
It was fear—pure, primal fear. The eerie red light along his threads spread like wildfire, coiling tightly around the Nightmare's body.
This was mental combat at its highest level. The Nightmare's spiritual strength, equal to that of an eighty-thousand-year beast, was nearly on par with Luo Ling's own—spiritual power comparable to a Titled Douluo's.
Luo Ling's expression turned exhilarated.
At the edge of the fog, Qian Renxue and the others had no idea what form the battle had taken, but the thinning mist around them was proof enough that Luo Ling was fighting the Nightmare on the spiritual plane.
They could neither see nor sense such a confrontation.
As the fight continued, the red glow surrounding Luo Ling grew darker and more intense.
The Nightmare faltered, thrashing its tendrils wildly in an attempt to flee—but Luo Ling's soul threads had already ensnared it.
Ten minutes later, Luo Ling exhaled deeply. The Nightmare hung motionless in the air, lifeless, its consciousness completely subdued.
The odd fog surrounding them dissipated at once.
When Qian Renxue looked at Luo Ling, she felt an involuntary chill. A battle fought entirely through spiritual power felt terrifyingly strange, not least because it was seemingly inescapable.
"L-Luo Ling... is it over?" she asked hesitantly.
Luo Ling turned, smiling faintly. "Of course."
Summoning his Shadow Scythe—a weapon enhanced by his spirit fusion, allowing it to harm soul bodies directly—he swung without hesitation.
The Nightmare's form convulsed once before dissolving into motes of light.
A moment later, a deep black spirit ring materialized in the air.
The sight left Qian Renxue and the others dazed.
An eighty-thousand-year Nightmare beast—defeated so easily? Even Titled Douluo avoided such creatures, yet Luo Ling had dispatched it almost effortlessly.
They hadn't even understood what he'd done.
Did that mean Luo Ling's spiritual strength now matched a Titled Douluo's—or surpassed it?
If he absorbed this ring, how powerful would he become then?
The four onlookers could only stare in awe at him, their expressions filled with newfound respect.
Power like his demanded reverence.
Without explanation, Luo Ling sat cross-legged and began absorbing the Nightmare's spirit ring.
His fused spirit state faded, and the Crow Shadow Puppet disappeared, leaving only the faint crimson gleam in his eyes.
Ghost Douluo instinctively moved closer, standing guard.
The process caused Luo Ling little strain, and an incense stick's time later, he opened his eyes, satisfaction gleaming within them.
The Nightmare had granted him exactly what he desired—a spiritual technique capable of creating illusions.
Moreover, his martial spirit had grown even stronger. He no longer needed to enter fusion form to perceive the web of soul threads.
Through those threads, he could now craft illusions freely. Turning someone into a puppet still required fusion form, but this alone was a tremendous breakthrough.
A contented smile crossed his lips.
"How is it?" Qian Renxue asked curiously.
Nightmares were nearly impossible to hunt, especially one of such high age, and she was dying to know what spirit ability he had gained.
Luo Ling's eyes glinted with mischief as he replied. In the next second, reality itself changed.
The gloomy Star Dou Forest was gone. Above them stretched an infinite, starlit sky. Beneath their feet gleamed a flawless, mirror-like surface of water.
Hovering overhead was a vast azure planet, shining magnificently in the endless dark.
"What… is this?" Qian Renxue asked, wide-eyed.
It felt as though she were floating in the depths of space—the stars close enough to touch, the giant blue world filling her vision.
Luo Ling didn't answer. He only looked up, lost in the sight of that familiar planet—the Blue Star from his distant memories, his truest connection to a forgotten life.
His sixth spirit skill—Abyss of Dreams.
It allowed him to weave illusions of any shape, any world. Judging from the stupefied looks on their faces—Qian Renxue and even the three Titled Douluo—his illusions were indistinguishable from reality.
None of them could sense it wasn't real.
If even Titled Douluo could be deceived so easily, how could any enemy resist him? Once trapped in his illusion, they wouldn't even realize the battle was no longer real.
It was nothing like Shi Nian's crude dreams or Canghui Academy's Seven Asura Mirage.
Given enough spiritual strength, Luo Ling could construct an entire illusory city if he wished.
While Qian Renxue and the others were still marveling, the massive blue planet suddenly began to glow blood red.
Their eyes widened in terror as the world expanded and exploded with a deafening roar.
"Ah!" Qian Renxue screamed, instinctively diving into Luo Ling's arms.
It was pure, primal terror—the fear of the unknown magnified a thousandfold. Before something of such immense scale, they felt as helpless as insects.
"Seems my illusion works quite well," Luo Ling said with a soft chuckle, holding Qian Renxue's trembling body.
Her shivering slowed, turning rigid as realization dawned. When she opened her eyes again, the stars and the blue planet were gone—replaced once more by the familiar forest canopy.
The three Titled Douluo nearby were pale and shaken, clearly spooked by what they'd just witnessed.
"Was that… was that all fake?" Qian Renxue still couldn't take a steady breath.
"Of course," Luo Ling said with a faint shrug.
Feeling his warmth, she steadied herself—only to suddenly notice how tightly she was pressed against him. Her face flushed crimson as she quickly broke free, stepping back awkwardly.
Clearing her throat twice to compose herself, she changed the subject deliberately. "So that was your sixth spirit skill?"
"Yes," Luo Ling replied calmly, ignoring her embarrassment. "My sixth spirit ability—Abyss of Dreams. It allows me to construct illusions."
(END CHAPTER)
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