The Ultimate Holy Shield Manifested, Zero in the Sea of Consciousness!
"Roar—!"
At the sight of the armor, the Radiant Sacred-Scale Tiger felt the holy presence it radiated. Its body trembled uncontrollably with fear, but it still gathered a massive ball of light in its mouth.
The Ultimate Armor did not interrupt its attack. It merely emitted a glow, tracing the illusory outline of a giant behind it.
The Radiant Sacred-Scale Tiger roared and raised its head. Once the light in its mouth had finished charging, a massive ball of light spewed forth, carrying a fierce presence as it blasted toward the Ultimate Armor.
Just as the ball of light was about to strike, the once-holy silver armor gradually broke apart and reassembled. In the instant before the attack landed, it formed a silvery-white shield.
The moment the ball of light struck the shield, it dissolved into golden points of light that merged into the illusory outline of the giant behind it.
"Shah!"
Before the Radiant Sacred-Scale Tiger could resist, the Ultimate Holy Shield transformed back into armor. The instant it clad the illusory figure, an earth-shaking battle cry suddenly rang through Lin Chen's Sea of Consciousness.
The battle cry was full of vigor, carrying boundless confidence and dominance.
The outline of the giant became completely solid, and a phantom of Ultraman Zero appeared abruptly in the Sea of Consciousness. The moment his enormous body manifested, it filled the entire sky.
Zero glanced at the Radiant Holy Scale Beast as though looking at a kitten.
The holy presence he radiated made the entire Sea of Consciousness tremble. It seemed that, if he wished, he could crush this space to pieces at any moment.
The once-ferocious Radiant Holy Scale Beast immediately became as docile as a kitten the moment it saw Zero. Relief appeared in its eyes, and it turned into an illusory wisp of light and vanished, with Soul Shock dissipating along with it.
As the Radiant Holy Scale Beast disappeared, Zero's figure also gradually faded from Lin Chen's Sea of Consciousness.
As Lin Chen sensed it, the phantom of Zero that had suddenly appeared did not seem to be guarding his Sea of Consciousness.
Rather, it was as though Zero had been trying to connect, only to be forcibly cut off for some reason.
"What's going on? Did I just see Zero?" Lin Chen blinked in confusion within his Sea of Consciousness. After Zero purified the Radiant Holy Scale Beast, the pressure on Lin Chen dropped sharply, leaving only the impact on his physical body.
Lin Chen had only just relaxed when the immense power contained within the Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring surged into his meridians, making him jerk from the pain.
"No... I can't worry about Zero now."
Lin Chen hurriedly steadied his mind and focused on guiding the absorption of the Soul Ring's power.
As the power continued to pour in, Lin Chen's body grew somewhat hot. Fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, and his face flushed slightly red.
But because Lin Chen's constitution was strong enough, he did not feel unable to endure it, and he held fast to his clarity of mind.
Throughout the process, Lin Chen circulated his Soul Power, trying to make his body adapt to the force. Every surge felt like hundreds of needles stabbing into him at once, making him howl inwardly with pain.
Gradually, the violent force began to grow docile, merging into his body and soul bit by bit.
Lin Chen could feel his strength steadily increasing as an even greater power took shape within him.
Finally, after several hours, Lin Chen successfully absorbed the Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring.
He slowly opened his eyes. A dark gleam flashed through them, and his presence surged.
Three Soul Rings, two purple and one black, floated around Lin Chen. The Ultimate Armor's might grew stronger, radiating waves of holy brilliance.
Feeling that holy presence, Dugu Bo's face filled with shock. "Kid, how does it feel to have a ten-thousand-year third ring?"
Lin Chen got to his feet and hopped excitedly on the spot. "I feel fantastic! I'm a level 33 Soul Elder now. It feels so good I could fly!"
Dugu Yan asked curiously, "Lin Chen, what's your third Soul Skill? This is an unprecedented ten-thousand-year third ring!"
An excited smile spread across Lin Chen's face. "My third Soul Skill is called Holy Radiance Possession. Its effect is simple: it just boosts all my attributes by 200 percent."
"What?! Two hundred percent!"
Dugu Bo was so shocked that he nearly stuck out his tongue. "Are you kidding? That one third Soul Skill of yours is much stronger than the fifth and sixth Soul Skills of many Soul Masters with optimal Soul Rings!"
Lin Chen spread his hands helplessly. "My third Soul Ring is ten thousand years old. Isn't it normal for me to be a little stronger than ordinary people?"
Dugu Yan asked curiously, "How long does it last?"
Lin Chen smiled, somewhat dissatisfied. "Not particularly long. It only lasts half an hour, which is barely enough, I suppose."
Dugu Bo patted his chest, calming his shock. "Whew... you really are a little monster. And half an hour isn't short, either. It's enough to last through a battle."
"Oh, right. After absorbing the Soul Ring, I gained a Soul Skill, and my Martial Soul also awakened a new form."
After waiting for Dugu Bo to calm down, Lin Chen opened his mouth again and spoke with a smile.
"Huh?" Dugu Bo blinked, his eyes full of astonishment. "Your Martial Soul has another form?"
"Of course." Lin Chen smiled mysteriously, then slowly called out in a low voice, "Ultimate Holy Shield!"
As his words fell, the Ultimate Armor he wore instantly broke apart and reassembled in front of him, becoming a silver shield.
The broad, thick silver shoulder armor became the face of the shield. The pentagonal power core at its center shimmered with diamond-like brilliance, while the two silver wings behind it flashed and snapped into place on either side.
Dugu Yan covered her mouth in surprise. "That's so cool! Is that a shield? Is its defense especially strong?"
Lin Chen nodded. "This shield is called the Ultimate Holy Shield. It's the Ultimate Armor's defensive form, and it can block any attack from the front. Of course, that's how it's described. In reality, there must be a limit to what it can withstand, but I don't know what that limit is."
Dugu Bo coughed twice. "Since you've finished absorbing your Soul Ring, let's continue looking for one. You've got yours, but my granddaughter still hasn't found a suitable one!"
Lin Chen turned the Ultimate Holy Shield into a bracelet and scratched his head awkwardly. "Senior Dugu, how about the two of you look for a Soul Ring first while I go back to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well to absorb the Immortal Herb?"
"Hmm? What do you mean by that, kid?" Dugu Bo asked with a cold snort.
Lin Chen hurriedly waved his hands and tried to persuade him. "I'm only trying to be more efficient. Senior Dugu, think about it. With a Titled Douluo like you there, wouldn't I just be wasting time going with Yanyan to hunt a thousand-year Soul Beast?"
When Dugu Yan heard this, she nodded as well. "Grandpa, Lin Chen's right. It wouldn't be much use for him to come along. He'd be better off spending that time cultivating."
Dugu Bo glanced at the awkward Lin Chen, then at Dugu Yan, who had spoken up for him. The coldness vanished from his face, and he tossed Lin Chen a token. "All right, I'm not an idiot. Since you want to leave, go on back."
"This token can open a path through the Poison Array. Take it and hurry along. Don't hold me up from taking Yanyan to hunt Soul Beasts!"