First Soul Ring, Seven Soul Skills!

"Was this a calamity fated to befall the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect..."

Ning Xuanyuan glanced at Golza and Gagi and sighed with a bitter smile. Then he waved his hand, and an unremarkably ordinary little gray pagoda appeared in his palm.

He looked at Gagi, focusing on the glowing horn atop his head.

He gently pressed down with the little pagoda.

The pagoda seemed to weigh hundreds of millions of jin, suppressing the space for several li around.

With a bang, Gagi's barrier shattered.

The pointed horn on Gagi's head dimmed. Whether its power had been exhausted or it had been subjected to some kind of seal, no one knew.

The move left everyone dumbstruck.

Even Yu Yuanzhen had been helpless against that barrier, yet Ning Xuanyuan had dispelled it with ease.

He truly was a patriarch-level figure of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

His methods were extraordinary!

Ning Fengzhi said excitedly, "Patriarch, please save our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect!"

The disciples of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect also dropped to their knees as one, thousands of voices joining together.

"Patriarch, please strengthen our sect!"

"Patriarch, please strengthen our sect!"

"Patriarch, please strengthen our sect!"

Ning Xuanyuan looked at Sword Douluo, Yu Yuanzhen, and Xue Qinghe, then said gravely, "Everyone, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect now stands between life and death. My old body can scarcely hold out. Fellow cultivators, please lend me a hand! I, Ning Xuanyuan, will be eternally grateful!"

Ning Xuanyuan spoke the truth.

He had been able to break Gagi's barrier just now for two reasons.

For one, his sixth Soul Skill was specifically suited to countering barrier-type Soul Skills.

For another, Gagi's Soul Power had been exhausted by the successive attacks.

If he had to face two 300,000-year Soul Beasts alone, however, he would struggle to stop them even with cultivation that reached the heavens.

Xue Qinghe spoke up. "Rest assured, Elder Ning. We will naturally do everything we can to help."

Ning Xuanyuan nodded and said no more.

He suddenly threw the little pagoda from his hand. It hovered in midair and rapidly grew into a giant pagoda over a dozen zhang tall, radiating an ancient, unadorned light.

After bringing out his Martial Soul Avatar, Ning Xuanyuan gave a low shout. "Eighth Soul Skill, Four Symbols Seal the Heavens!"

In an instant, brilliant seven-colored light burst from the giant pagoda. It split into four and flew toward the east, south, west, and north.

The four ancient pagodas appeared separate, but were joined within, enclosing Golza and Gagi.

Sword Douluo was the first to move, flying onto the ancient pagoda in the north.

Bone Douluo followed close behind, heading for the ancient pagoda in the south.

Yu Yuanzhen went west, while Ning Xuanyuan sat atop the main pagoda in the east.

Once the four were seated, the ancient pagodas suddenly shot out thousands upon thousands of colored threads. The threads interwove to form a giant square net of many colors.

The four exerted themselves together, driving their Soul Power nearly to its limit.

The multicolored net blotted out the sky as it slowly descended, gradually enveloping Golza and Gagi.

"Roar!"

Golza spat out a pillar of fire, trying to break through the net.

But when the fire struck the net, it was like sinking into the sea, swallowed and dissolved in an instant.

Gagi's fleshy tendrils lashed at the net, sending sparks crackling through the air. Though the blows made the net sway from side to side, they could not tear it apart.

"Everyone, we must hold back their counterattack!"

Ning Xuanyuan shouted, beads of sweat dripping from his forehead.

Xue Qinghe gave an order. "Open fire! Keep them occupied!"

Ning Fengzhi barked, "All disciples, pour every last bit of Soul Power you have left into the pagodas! Lend the patriarch a hand!"

In an instant, cannon fire filled the sky.

Countless tiny streams of light flowed into the four ancient pagodas, making them blaze like four suns.

Much of Golza and Gagi's strength had already been spent, while the four men had gained everyone's assistance. As one side weakened and the other grew stronger, Golza and Gagi gradually fell into a disadvantage.

Yu Xiaogang stood with his hands behind his back and smiled. "With this, there should be no problem."

Tang San asked curiously, "Teacher, what Soul Skill are those four pagodas? Why haven't I seen anyone else use it? Rongrong never mentioned it either."

Yu Xiaogang cleared his throat and explained, "This is a secret of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. Few people know about it. The complete form of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Martial Soul is actually the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda. The conditions for transforming it into the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda are extremely demanding. Almost no one has managed it in the past hundred years, and Ning Xuanyuan was the one who did it a century ago. Back then, he was a figure of peerless grace and brilliance. He was my idol when I was a child. His eighth Soul Skill is called Myriad Treasures Seal the Heavens. It came from a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast and is extremely powerful! Once used, it can combine the strength of four people to form the Heaven-Locking Grand Array! As the name suggests, once the array is complete, it can lock down even someone with abilities as vast as the heavens! It is also the signature technique that made him famous, known as the foremost support Soul Skill of the age!"

Tang San and the others listened in astonishment. Such a Soul Skill actually existed in the world.

It could combine the strength of four people, making four one. If four Titled Douluo used it, as they were doing now, who in the world could escape?

Yu Xiaogang smiled faintly. "Watch closely. Those two Soul Beasts definitely won't escape. There's more to Ning Xuanyuan than you think. It's said that his ninth Soul Skill can even predict the future. He's a true genius, the kind that rarely appears in ten thousand years."

Inside Spirit Hall.

Everyone watched the events at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect unfold in the projection.

"Ning Xuanyuan is actually still alive."

"His Four Symbols Seal the Heavens is incredibly profound. It can merge the strength of four people into one. Some call it the foremost support skill of the age."

"Oh, give me a break. The old man has ability, sure, but he's still a bit short of first place. Everyone who calls him the best is just kissing his stinking feet, the kind who love to brag."

"Still, I don't think those two Soul Beasts can escape. Let's watch and see what happens."

Everyone discussed the matter, each offering an opinion.

They basically all thought Golza and Gagi would have a hard time escaping the blockade.

Only one person remained silent throughout.

It was Bibi Dong, seated on the imperial throne.

She gazed at the projection, lost in thought.

Even though the situation had become one-sided, she did not rush to a conclusion.

She knew full well that things could still change.

The person behind the scenes had yet to act!

Meanwhile.

On the mountaintop.

Black mist filled the sky, swirling around Qian Lingye and shrouding him tightly.

The two origins, from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile and the Hell Spirit Cat, had been thoroughly refined into one by the power of darkness.

The two completely different Martial Soul characteristics did not clash. Instead, the Great Old One's dark origin blended them together, turning them into the Soul Ring's most essential nourishment.

His eyes were tightly shut as he slowly mobilized the vast spiritual power accumulated over two lifetimes. The dark origin surged through his body like rivers.

The gestation of his self-produced Soul Ring had reached its final moment.

Hum-!!

A deep vibration burst out from within the young man, and a Soul Ring slowly rose from beneath his feet.

It bore none of the five colors commonly seen among Soul Masters on the Douluo Continent: white, yellow, purple, black, or red. The ring was as deep and dark as eternal night, its surface entwined with constantly flowing dark-gold patterns. It glimmered with a deep, shadowy light and radiated a pressure that did not belong to this world.

This was Qian Lingye's First Soul Ring.

[Detection: Host's First Soul Ring has formed.]

[Soul Ring type: Dark Origin Divine Ring]

[Equivalent age: 50,000 years. Possesses unlimited evolutionary potential and is not bound by the rules of Soul Rings.]

The iron law passed down on the continent since time immemorial—that a First Soul Ring could be no more than 423 years old-had been utterly broken in his case, reduced to empty words.

Qian Lingye slowly opened his eyes. A faint dark-gold light flashed through his pitch-black pupils.

Information about his Soul Skills appeared in his mind one after another.

"Seven Soul Skills!"

Qian Lingye was stunned.

When ordinary Soul Masters formed a Soul Ring, they gained only one Soul Skill. Only under exceptionally rare circumstances would two appear.

Yet his First Soul Ring had given him a full seven Soul Skills!

Qian Lingye glanced through the information on the seven Soul Skills and immediately understood.

Three of the Soul Skills had been replicated from the Hell Spirit Cat's origin: [Hell Stab], [Netherworld Hundred Claws], and [Netherworld Shadow Clone].

Three more had been replicated from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile's origin: [Strength Amplification], [Speed Amplification], and [Soul Power Amplification].

The last was a Soul Skill unique to him.

[Dark Origin First Soul Skill: Dark Contract.]

Qian Lingye concentrated on the skill's full description, waves surging in his heart.

[Dark Contract]: A Dark Contract can be formed with a Soul Beast or Soul Master. The target's soul will be permeated by a Dark Brand, forever preventing the slightest hostility or thought of betrayal toward the host.

The host can grant the contracted party a percentage-based increase to all attributes. The initial increase is 30%, and its magnitude is tied to the contracted party's strength.

At the same time, it grants the Dark Devouring trait, which counters all attributes except light. As the host's strength increases, the host can achieve complete control over the contracted target's soul.

Qian Lingye: "!!"

Shock.

Only that word could describe how Qian Lingye felt at that moment.

This First Soul Skill simply defied the heavens.

It increased all attributes by a percentage based on the target's strength.

If the other party's strength was trash, the increase would be negligible.

But if the other party was powerful, that 30% increase would be terrifying.

When two evenly matched people fought, a 10% advantage in strength was enough to decide the outcome.

With a 30% advantage, the other party would have almost no ability to fight back.

Under all the heavens, only Oscar's fourth Soul Skill, Excited Pink Sausage, could also increase all attributes, but it could only do so by 10%, and it had a time limit.

More frightening still, the Dark Contract could actually prevent the other party from ever betraying him and could even seize their soul.

This was simply the cruelest contract under heaven!

With a thought, Qian Lingye sent a wisp of his spirit to connect once more with Golza, far away at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

The next instant, the scene of the battlefield appeared in his mind.

With the Four Symbols Seal the Heavens Grand Array empowering them, Ning Xuanyuan and the other three had already firmly suppressed Golza and Gagi.

A giant seven-colored net covered the two beasts.

Though Golza and Gagi had not been routed, they were firmly trapped and covered in wounds, unable to advance another half step toward the earth's veins in the forbidden area.

At the sight, the faint smile on Qian Lingye's face slowly faded.

A layer of bone-chilling cold settled over his youthful face.

A bunch of rats dared join forces to suppress my little monsters?

I only wanted the treasures and didn't want to kill too many people, but since they insist on standing in my way, there's no need to hold back!

Qian Lingye slowly raised his right hand, his slender, pale fingertips curling slightly.

Vast, boundless dark origin gathered endlessly from the void around him.

It was none other than his First Soul Skill, Dark Contract!

The Dark Contract was directly bound to Qian Lingye's own summoned beasts. Moreover, its projection had no spatial restrictions; it could be used even across ten thousand li.

[Ding! Host's anger detected. Authority of Wrath activated.]

[Host's attributes increased by 100%.]

[Dark Contract skill effect increased by 100% (current total increase: 60%).]

"What!?"

Qian Lingye's pupils contracted.

He had forgotten about his Authority of Wrath.

The Authority of Wrath had actually raised his Dark Contract's amplification effect to 60%!

What a terrifying effect!

Qian Lingye sneered. "In that case, have a good taste of the gift I'm giving you!"

Rolling black mist swirled and condensed around his fingertip, its power building and climbing.

Then he thrust a finger forward!