Crisis!

Watching Long Yun draw the soul ring before him, Yue Guan's expression grew much more solemn. He silently worried for Long Yun. A first soul ring over seven hundred years old—Long Yun was absolutely the first. At least, Yue Guan had never seen or even heard of anyone else on the continent whose first soul ring was over seven hundred years old, much less one from a Super Soul Beast.

If word of this spread across the continent, it would certainly cause an earth-shaking uproar. Many people would probably be so shocked their jaws would drop! Even with the strength of a Titled Douluo, Yue Guan could not help but feel stunned as he watched Long Yun absorb this seven-hundred-year soul ring. But more than shock, he felt anticipation—anticipation that Long Yun would succeed, and anticipation for what heights he might reach after absorbing a soul ring over seven hundred years old as his very first.

"Come on, Long Yun! You have to succeed!" Yue Guan kept his eyes on Long Yun and muttered under his breath.

The moment the soul ring began merging with his martial soul, powerful Soul Power started pouring in from the top of Long Yun's head and spreading throughout his body. As this Soul Power entered him, Yun Tian felt his head grow several times heavier, as though an invisible mountain were pressing down on it. The pressure made Long Yun feel as if his head were about to split apart, while a buzzing sound repeatedly rang through his mind.

As Long Yun's head was wracked with pain, drastic changes also began occurring throughout his body. Rather than changes, though, it would have been more accurate to call them pain.

The instant the energy from the Soul Devouring Magic Wolf King's soul ring entered Long Yun's body, it displayed its ferocious nature. The Soul Devouring Magic Wolf King's soul ring energy also possessed the ability to devour souls. Thus, upon entering Long Yun's body, it was like a starving wolf charging into a flock of sheep, madly devouring the Soul Power within him.

Although the Soul Power in Long Yun's body had the strength of level twenty, he had never absorbed a soul ring before, so his Soul Power had not been strengthened and could not be considered powerful. Even though the strength of his martial soul made the quality of his Soul Power far superior to ordinary Soul Power, it was still insufficient compared with the Soul Power of a seven-hundred-year-old Soul Devouring Magic Wolf King. Therefore, when faced with the Soul Devouring Magic Wolf King's Soul Power, the Soul Power in Long Yun's body had almost no ability to resist and quickly collapsed.

As his Soul Power was devoured, Long Yun suffered considerable backlash. The aura around him began to weaken, while the Soul Power within the Soul Devouring Magic Wolf King's soul ring ran rampant inside his body, ceaselessly battering his blood vessels, meridians, and flesh. The intense pain caused Long Yun's face to twist into a savage grimace.

For the first second or two, Long Yun was still able to endure. He clenched his teeth tightly, and though his face was contorted in pain, he could still hold on. But soon, the pain intensified severalfold. The agony of his flesh, blood vessels, and meridians constantly being torn apart replaced the previous pain, leaving Long Yun unable to endure any longer. Miserable cries of pain occasionally escaped him.

When Yue Guan heard those cries, his gaze sharpened and anxiety appeared on his face. At the same time, his arms, which had been folded across his chest, clenched into fists. He knew Long Yun was suffering tremendous pain and was showing signs that he could no longer hold on. He might be unable to withstand the immense energy within the soul ring, but aside from standing nearby and watching, Yue Guan had no other option.

Once a soul master began absorbing a soul ring, no one else could offer even the slightest help. Even a Titled Douluo was no exception. Thus, Yue Guan could give Long Yun no assistance now; he could only cheer for him in his heart!

Long Yun's body slowly began trembling, and as time passed, the trembling grew increasingly violent. A new color appeared on his white clothes—red!

Fine cracks began appearing across Long Yun's body. They resembled thin strands of thread winding around him, and blood seeped from those cracks, gradually dyeing his clothes crimson.

Veins bulged across Long Yun's forehead like wriggling earthworms, making for a somewhat horrifying sight. Bead-like drops of sweat also continually fell from him.

Does it have to hurt this much? This really is trying to kill me! Long Yun roared inwardly. The pain had nearly broken his mentality. How was this absorbing a soul ring? This was outright torture! At that moment, he desperately wished someone could give him a sedative injection—no, two injections. Could a person really endure this kind of pain? Was this a joke?

If this goes on, I'm afraid I really will die beneath this energy. Although Long Yun was suffering unprecedented pain, felt as though his entire body no longer belonged to him, and had his mind clouded in a daze, he sensed the dire state he was in. He bit the tip of his tongue, forcibly keeping himself barely conscious.

But how am I supposed to hold on? The soul ring's energy is like a ferocious starving wolf, constantly tearing at the flesh inside my body. My own Soul Power doesn't even have the strength to fight back. What am I supposed to do?

And the energy in this soul ring seems endless, pouring into my body without stopping. My body is already holding a huge amount of energy that hasn't been converted. If this continues, I'll definitely be blown apart by this energy. This can't go on. Long Yun rapidly analyzed his situation.

He felt like a balloon, while the soul ring was an air pump that kept inflating him. Even though he had long since reached capacity, it showed no intention of stopping. If this continued, the only outcome awaiting him would be explosion.

How can I turn this situation around? Long Yun thought anxiously. By now, he was beginning to regret absorbing this soul ring. If it had been the soul ring of another seven-hundred-year soul beast, he could have accepted it. At worst, it would have been painful, and perhaps he could have endured it until it passed.

But the Soul Devouring Magic Wolf King's soul ring was clearly different from other soul rings because it possessed an ability other soul beasts did not—devouring!

Normally, when absorbing a soul ring, the energy within it would gradually be absorbed and converted by the soul master's own Soul Power once it entered the body. Once all the energy in the soul ring had been absorbed, the absorption would be considered successful. The danger lay only in the soul ring's energy being too powerful for the soul master to endure, potentially causing their body to explode and kill them. Yet Long Yun was not only facing soul ring energy that was far too powerful; he also faced the risk of being unable to absorb and convert it at all, and might even be devoured in return. This was far more dangerous than the former situation.

System! System, are you there? Long Yun could only place his hopes on that mysterious and powerful system. Other than it, he could think of no solution.

The system was his last hope.

Long Yun frantically called out to the system in his heart, hoping to receive its help, but silence was all that answered him. This made him even more anxious.

System, don't play dead now! Hurry up and help me! If you don't help me, I'm going to die here! Please, come out quickly! Long Yun roared inwardly. At a time like this, why had the system still not come out to display its divine power?

"Why can't you solve such a trivial matter yourself? Why do you need my help?" The system's icy voice suddenly rang out in Long Yun's mind.

Although its voice was cold and utterly devoid of emotion, to Long Yun, it sounded like heavenly music. "System, help me quickly!" At this moment, Long Yun did not dare waste a single word and immediately pleaded.

"But none of my functions include helping you deal with crises. Besides, if I help you this time, you will call for me again the next time you absorb a soul ring. I cannot possibly help you every time, can I?" the system said.

"Just help me this once. I promise I won't trouble you again next time." Long Yun could tell that the system likely had a way to help him, but was afraid he would become dependent on it, so he hurriedly made a promise.

"But I cannot help you for nothing," the system said.

Damn it! You're setting conditions now? Even amid such tremendous pain, Long Yun could not help complaining. The system said nothing.

Seeing that the system did not respond, Long Yun immediately grew anxious. "Fine, fine. Tell me your conditions! As long as I can do it, I definitely will. Just help me get through this crisis first!" He could feel that the energy within his body had reached the limit of what it could bear. If he delayed any longer, he would truly be finished.

"Remember what you said," the system said.

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