It was as if he'd been bewitched.
Ye Chen's gaze clung to the stunning woman before him. He wasn't unfamiliar with beautiful women, but this one stirred something far deeper, an inexplicable allure that seemed to tug at his very soul.
His right hand, almost as if moved by some sinful instinct, began to reach out—but at the last moment, Ye Chen snapped back to his senses. Forcing his eyes away, he clenched his jaw and exhaled hard, just barely restraining himself.
Silently, he took off his coat and gently draped it over the woman's body.
Time slowed around him. Every second felt like an eternity—part torture, part bliss. He wished it would end, yet at the same time, he never wanted it to.
Just then, a dark purple soul ring began to glow around the woman. Her body stirred from its meditative state as her eyes slowly opened.
She was keen—too keen. The moment her gaze locked onto Ye Chen's, she caught the lingering heat in his eyes. Her attention shifted to the coat on her shoulders, and for a moment, an uncharacteristic softness flickered in her eyes… but it was quickly replaced with icy resolve.
"Thank you… for the coat," she said coldly. "But you've seen my body. That means you have to die."
Ye Chen opened his mouth to respond, but didn't get the chance. The woman's spirit power erupted without warning, and in an instant, she activated her soul skill—Charm.
A massive golden fox appeared behind her. Her ears sharpened into fox-like points, a fluffy tail shimmered behind her, and her entire figure radiated an entrancing crimson glow.
Her eyes flashed with a pink gleam as she traced a finger slowly across her lips. Her every move oozed sensuality. Then, she arched her lithe body, letting Ye Chen's coat slide off her shoulders and fall to the ground.
Red charm energy burst from her body, striking Ye Chen directly. His soul power was instantly suppressed—nearly half of it sealed. His expression shifted from startled to dazed.
"Wait… His soul power was just around level 30. How did it suddenly jump to 38 after absorbing that soul ring?" she thought, narrowing her eyes. "Good thing I used Charm. Otherwise, I might not have been able to stop him."
"Hot… I feel so hot…"
Ye Chen's voice trembled. He fumbled at his clothing, eyes locked on her like a predator ensnared in lust. A pink heart-shaped glint flickered in the depths of his pupils.
He stumbled toward her, one step at a time, peeling off his clothes as if in a trance.
The woman didn't panic. She knew well—any man hit by her Charm skill would be lost to reason, consumed by a temporary, overwhelming desire for her.
She raised her hand slowly. A crackling mass of white lightning formed at her fingertips, pulsing violently.
"Die."
Her voice was devoid of hesitation. Her gaze passed over the man's coat still on the ground. A flicker of regret flashed in her eyes, but she did not hold back. She hurled the lightning like a dragon leaping from the sea—it engulfed Ye Chen in a flash of blinding light.
She turned away. From her spatial necklace, she retrieved a set of elegant violet armor and sheer pink silk robes. As she dressed, she muttered to herself:
"Remember the name of the one who killed you—Hu Liena. Not that you'll live to speak it."
She turned to leave the Star Dou Forest.
But just as she took her first step, two strong arms suddenly wrapped around her from behind. The next moment, she was tackled to the ground.
Dust scattered.
"What the—?!"
Hu Liena struggled, trying to break free. But the grip was ironclad—unyielding.
"This doesn't make sense," she thought. "That was my fourth soul skill… with a 9,000-year-old Black-White Thunderhawk soul ring! Even someone at the same level would be severely injured, let alone a soul master whose power was just suppressed…"
Before she could finish the thought, her body was flipped.
Her heart stopped.
Ye Chen was alive.
And he had changed.
His already handsome features had grown even more striking, almost inhumanly beautiful. Twelve pitch-black angelic wings stretched out from his back, shivering slightly as waves of dark, oppressive spirit energy rolled out from them.
His eyes glowed a sinister, unnatural red.
He looked nothing short of a demon.
"Let me go!" she shouted, unwilling to be restrained.
Her soul power surged. Above her head, it took the form of a massive, writhing black thunder serpent.
"Ssshhhhh—"
The air crackled as the serpent coiled tighter, its body brimming with lethal energy. It was the full force of her fourth soul skill—her strongest move.
She didn't hesitate. She launched the thunder serpent toward Ye Chen.
The serpent roared through the air and slammed into his chest, tearing through flesh and leaving a gaping, scorched hole where his heart should have been.
Blood poured from the wound. Ye Chen's body went rigid.
Finally, he stopped moving.
"He's… finally dead," Hu Liena muttered, panting heavily. Her chest burned from the scratch wounds he had left. "So damn rough... like a beast."
She retrieved another change of clothes, but just as she was about to dress, her eyes caught something.
A twitch.
His fingers moved.
Her breath caught in her throat.
She stared—this wasn't her imagination.
The massive wound in his chest began to throb with dark energy. Before her stunned eyes, flesh began to regenerate—muscle, bone, even a beating heart grew back within seconds.
In less than a minute, the wound was gone—as if it had never existed.
Hu Liena collapsed to the ground in shock, completely forgetting to run.
And the next moment, Ye Chen's shadow loomed over her, falling like a mountain as he pinned her down once more.
Next chapter: 18+