Qian Renxue nearly face-planted but managed to regain her balance, thanks to her Six-Winged Angel martial soul granting her exceptional innate balance.
Still, almost eating dirt left her fuming. In her mind, she silently cursed Qin Feng.
As Qian Renxue mentally grumbled, Qin Feng gracefully stepped out of the spatial rift, standing behind her.
She immediately put on a forced smile. "Great Tiger King, why did you bring me here? Is there something you want me to do?"
Qin Feng glanced at her indifferently, then raised his head and let out a powerful tiger roar.
"Roar!"
The resounding roar shook the earth, and sounds of movement erupted from all directions in the forest. Countless flocks of birds took flight in panic, scattering into the sky.
Qian Renxue's curious gaze followed the commotion. In the distance, dust rose from the forest, billowing like a sandstorm sweeping through the trees. The ground trembled with increasing intensity as an unknown force drew closer.
In the next moment, she saw a 90,000-year soul beast appear on a distant hillside. Then two, three, a hundred—countless soul beasts, their numbers dark and overwhelming, a terrifying sight. Behind the 90,000-year soul beasts were 50,000-year, 60,000-year, 70,000-year, and 80,000-year soul beasts, their numbers dense and uncountable, at least a thousand strong by a conservative estimate.
Following them were 10,000-year to 50,000-year soul beasts, so numerous Qian Renxue couldn't even begin to count them, as they filled the hills and plains. Beyond them were thousand-year soul beasts, their numbers stretching endlessly, blanketing the entire forest as far as the eye could see.
Why had the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger suddenly summoned all these soul beasts? Was it planning to wage war against humans?
Qian Renxue's puzzled gaze turned to Qin Feng, unsure what he was scheming. Why gather so many soul beasts all of a sudden? Surely, eating her didn't require such a grand display—she was just one small human, hardly enough to share among so many.
At the same time, she was awestruck by the tiger's terrifying influence. A single roar had summoned an uncountable army of soul beasts. If this Dark Demon Evil God Tiger had ambitions to conquer the continent, this army could sweep through the human world unchallenged, their ferocity unmatched.
If she had such a soul beast army, she wouldn't have needed to make that bet with that woman. She wouldn't have had to abandon her position as the young master of the Martial Soul Hall, go undercover in the Heaven Dou Empire, scheme to elevate Xue Qinghe to crown prince, and then quietly replace him to seize control of the empire without bloodshed. With this army, the Heaven Dou Empire would surrender in minutes.
Qin Feng knew the blonde girl must be full of questions. His tiger eyes scanned the soul beast army that had answered his call. Feeling his gaze, the charging beasts halted abruptly, bowing their proud heads in reverence.
Like a commander inspecting his troops, Qin Feng slowly walked past Qian Renxue, his eyes sweeping over the soul beast army. In her confused gaze, he spoke solemnly, "I summoned you all here to introduce someone."
His gaze shifted to Qian Renxue. "As you can see, this human beside me."
"Indeed, the one I'm introducing is this human by my side."
He paused, then turned to her. "By the way, human girl, what's your name?" Qin Feng realized he didn't know her name as he prepared to introduce her to the soul beasts.
Qian Renxue froze, caught off guard. She hadn't expected Qin Feng to summon this army just to introduce her. For a moment, she was at a loss.
"I… I… My name is Xue'er!" she stammered, deciding her real name, Qian Renxue, was too risky to reveal. The Dark Demon Evil God Tiger, though a soul beast, was highly intelligent. It might know of the Martial Soul Hall, a top power in the human world. The surname "Qian" was rare and could easily be linked to her grandfather and father.
Using the alias "Xue'er" was a calculated choice. Her grandfather and father often called her Xue'er, so she was used to responding to it. In front of them, it was fine, but with the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger, using a false name risked angering it. If it realized she, a seemingly harmless girl, was deceiving it with human cunning, it might devour her in a rage.
"Did you hear that? This human beside me is called Xue'er. From now on, when you see her in the forest, do not treat her as food," Qin Feng declared.
"Wait!" He suddenly turned back, his gaze sharp and wary as he looked at the seemingly innocent Qian Renxue.
Xue'er… Isn't that Qian Renxue's nickname? Could it really be that coincidental?
He quickly shook his head, dismissing the thought. Impossible. Qian Renxue was the cherished gem of the Martial Soul Hall, the young master of the Angel Clan. At this point in time, with Qian Xunji still alive, why would she be in the Star Dou Forest? Besides, when he found her, she was being chased. As the young master of the Martial Soul Hall, how could she lack bodyguards? If she were Qian Renxue, where were Snake Lance Douluo She Long and Porcupinefish Douluo Ci Xue in that situation?
Qin Feng brushed the idea aside and continued introducing "Xue'er" to his soul beast subordinates, instructing them not to treat her as prey—she was under his protection.
"King, why are you keeping a human?" a 90,000-year soul beast asked, staring at Xue'er with soul speech, its tone laced with confusion.
Several other 90,000-year soul beasts nodded, echoing the question in beast language. They couldn't understand why their king would suddenly decide to keep a human, especially one who didn't seem particularly extraordinary.
Raise her to fatten her up for devouring? That seemed pointless. From an energy conversion perspective, it was inefficient. Instead of raising a human to become a powerful Titled Douluo, it would be far more practical to devour the resources used to cultivate her. After all, nurturing a strong human soul master required the sacrifice of at least nine powerful soul beasts.
Wouldn't it be better to just eat those soul beasts directly?