"What a terrifying power… It doesn't feel like something an ordinary soul beast or soul master could unleash."
Ning Rongrong's face paled slightly as she instinctively moved closer to Hu Liena.
Hu Liena's brows furrowed deeply. With her broader knowledge as the Pope's disciple, she could sense a sacred, ancient, and sacrificial aura within that golden light, which filled her with a foreboding sense of dread.
She instinctively glanced around, searching for the comforting presence she relied on to discuss the situation.
However, when she did so, her heart sank abruptly.
"Where's Dai Chengfeng?"
Hu Liena's voice carried a hint of panic, even though she didn't realize it herself.
Upon hearing this, Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong also immediately looked around.
Only then did they realize with shock that Dai Chengfeng, who should have been by their side, had vanished without them noticing!
"He was just behind us a moment ago!"
Ning Rongrong grew anxious, stamping her foot. "How could he disappear in the blink of an eye?"
Zhu Zhuqing didn't say anything, but her previously cold eyes turned sharp as blades, and her entire demeanor grew icy. She quickly scanned the chaotic crowd, trying to find his familiar figure—but found nothing.
Connecting the dots between the earth-shattering phenomenon from earlier and Dai Chengfeng's sudden disappearance, a terrifying thought simultaneously crossed all three women's minds…
Could Dai Chengfeng's mysterious disappearance be related to the terrifying phenomenon outside the town?
Had he encountered some kind of danger?
"This is bad!" Hu Liena decisively exclaimed, "Let's hurry out of the town and search for him! He might have gone in that direction!"
The three women no longer cared about shopping or pondering why Dai Chengfeng had left alone. Their hearts were now filled with worry and anxiety.
They immediately activated their movement techniques, rushing against the flow of curious onlookers heading out of town, moving as fast as possible toward the city gates.
Ning Rongrong had even prepared her Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda, ready to provide support at any moment.
When they anxiously rushed out of Qingmu Town and followed the faint residual energy traces to the forest clearing where Dai Chengfeng was located, the sight before them froze them in place.
Under the moonlight, Dai Chengfeng stood there unharmed, seemingly looking down at his palm with a relieved and gentle smile on his lips.
Moreover, the soul power fluctuations emanating from him had clearly reached the sixty-level bottleneck!
And they vaguely sensed that Dai Chengfeng's aura had undergone subtle changes, becoming deeper and exuding an indescribable sense of majesty.
"Dai Chengfeng!" x 3
Zhu Zhuqing, Hu Liena, and Ning Rongrong almost shouted in unison.
Their voices carried a mix of relief and lingering fear as they hurriedly ran toward him.
By this time, Dai Chengfeng had already reabsorbed Qiu'er into his body.
Hearing their calls, he pretended to look up in surprise. But when he saw the unmasked concern on the three women's faces, his heart warmed slightly, though he also felt a pang of guilt.
He quickly walked over to meet them.
"How did you all get here?" Dai Chengfeng tried to keep his tone calm.
"You dare ask!"
Hu Liena rushed forward, her beautiful eyes swiftly scanning him to confirm he wasn't injured. Only then did she let out a sigh of relief, followed by a slightly reproachful question:
"What was that huge commotion earlier?"
"You suddenly disappeared! Do you know how worried we were? Did you plan to leave on your own?"
Ning Rongrong chimed in angrily: "Exactly! You scared us half to death! We thought you'd been captured by some powerful soul beast!"
Zhu Zhuqing remained silent, but her clear eyes were fixed intently on Dai Chengfeng, waiting for his explanation.
Dai Chengfeng looked at the three concerned and questioning faces before him. He knew he needed a plausible explanation for both the strange phenomenon and his sudden disappearance.
He had already prepared his story. Sighing, he adopted a look of "helplessness" and "relief":
"I'm sorry for making you worry."
"It happened so suddenly that I didn't have time to inform you."
He gestured to the residual, still unsettled strange energy fluctuations around them and the faint traces of the complex sacrificial array on the ground, beginning his half-true, half-false explanation:
"I didn't mean to leave."
"I was halfway through our walk when I suddenly sensed an oddly familiar and powerful spatial fluctuation, seemingly connected to a peculiar artifact I had stumbled upon before."
"That artifact seemed to trigger some ancient inheritance or sealed site, manifesting here."
"I was afraid of missing the opportunity, and I also didn't want to put you in danger, so I came alone to investigate."
"To my surprise, this turned out to be the entrance to a tiny ancient secret realm. The phenomenon earlier occurred when the realm opened and then quickly closed again."
"I was fortunate enough to enter it, underwent some trials, and obtained a bit of inheritance along with my fifth soul ring. My soul power also rose to Level 60."
Dai Chengfeng demonstrated his Level 60 soul power fluctuations and the stunning rose-gold fifth soul ring.
"The secret realm has vanished, and I had just come out, preparing to go back and find you. I didn't expect you to arrive first."
Although this explanation was somewhat far-fetched, encounters with secret realms weren't unheard of in the Douluo Continent. Moreover, Dai Chengfeng's significant increase in soul power and his acquisition of what appeared to be a unique soul ring made the story somewhat believable.
Most importantly, he was safe and sound.
Hu Liena was skeptical but couldn't quite dismiss it. The sacrificial feeling from that golden light had left a deep impression on her.
Since Dai Chengfeng didn't want to elaborate further, she refrained from pressing him too hard, as long as he was alright.
She shot him a glare: "If you ever pull another disappearing act like this without a word, just wait and see how we'll deal with you!"
Ning Rongrong's eyes sparkled with curiosity about the "secret realm encounter" Dai Chengfeng had mentioned:
"An ancient secret realm? Sounds amazing! Your luck is incredible, Dai Chengfeng!"
Zhu Zhuqing's eyes flickered slightly. Without asking further, she simply said in a calm tone:
"As long as you're safe, that's all that matters."
Dai Chengfeng inwardly sighed in relief, knowing he had temporarily managed to smooth things over.
He chuckled and changed the subject: "Well, it was all just a false alarm."
"Everything's fine now. Let's head back. We still have a journey ahead of us tomorrow."
Seeing Dai Chengfeng's relaxed demeanor, the three women each had their own thoughts but ultimately set their worries aside.
The group walked under the moonlight, returning to Qingmu Town.
Dai Chengfeng walked in the middle, feeling the surging power within his body.
The fifth soul ring, the Fate Skull soul bone, the leap in soul power—and most importantly, the awakening of his second martial soul, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion—allowed Qiu'er to remain by his side in this incredible way…
"This journey to the Great Star Dou Forest hasn't even reached the Great Star Dou Forest yet…"
"My strength and foundation have already undergone an earth-shaking transformation."
"Now, I wonder who should I choose for my sixth soul ring?"
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