A Feint

The faint blue flames had started as a single spark, but their numbers were slowly increasing.

They began gathering around the blood-red soul ring. The high temperature burning within those faint blue flames infused with demonic attributes even surpassed Xu Xiao's Extreme Fire.

"It's not dead yet!"

Xu Xiao cursed the Tower of Myriad Laws ten thousand times in his heart. If this were on the Douluo Continent, this Ox Demon soul beast would have long since been dead. Yet the Tower of Myriad Laws just had to create this disgusting second-stage Ox Demon!

Of course, he would not obediently wait for the Ox Demon to enter its second stage and cause trouble. There was no guarantee they could win. Besides, even if he wasted a Fixed Soul Cannon Shell, what if this soul beast had a third stage?

Xu Xiao had every reason to suspect that with skin this thick, it was not an opponent they could defeat quickly. The recommended team composition in the Tower of Myriad Laws included a Defense System Title Douluo, presumably so someone could stand in front and draw the damage.

The other two would have to keep wearing down the Ox Demon's outer hide. Even if they won in the end, the Super Douluo's Soul Power would be nearly depleted!

But that strategy did not suit him and the Snow Empress. Though they possessed the combat power of Title Douluos, they did not have the other party's vast reserves of Soul Power to sustain this prolonged soul-ring hunt.

Seeing that the Ox Demon was about to revive, Xu Xiao detected a familiar burning sensation from the blood-red soul ring.

He sneered. "Looks like I'm quite lucky!"

Second Spirit Ability, Second Stage Burn Detonation!

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

"Not good!" Xu Xiao stood in front of the Snow Empress as his Martial Soul True Body Armor activated.

The intense heat wave generated by the second-stage explosion sent the two people in the sky flying far away before they finally came to a stop.

A massive mushroom cloud rose from the spot, and even the clouds overhead were scorched red by the blazing heat.

Only after confirming that the Ox Demon was finally dead did the two dare approach.

"Are you alright? You blocked seventy percent of the heat wave's impact for me just now. This is not the time to absorb the soul ring."

Xu Xiao dismissed his True Body Armor and gave her a reassuring look before sitting cross-legged to heal his injuries.

The Tower of Myriad Laws thoughtfully provided him with rapid healing services. Otherwise, his internal injuries might not have healed before this soul ring dissipated.

The Snow Empress also sat down to heal. This was the Tower of Myriad Laws. Aside from the two-hundred-thousand-year soul beast they had encountered at the beginning, there were no other enemies, so there was no need for anyone to stand guard.

Very soon, Xu Xiao's powerful physique and self-healing ability showed their effects. His injuries had been more severe than the Snow Empress's, yet he recovered faster than she did.

The deep, rich blood-red color resembled congealed blood, dazzling and piercingly crimson.

"Huh!"

Xu Xiao discovered in surprise that the soul ring also carried an intense Demonic Nature.

That Blazing Flame Bull Demon must have harbored great resentment at failing to enter its second stage. After its already terrifying Demonic Nature absorbed that resentment, he did not know whether he could still absorb it successfully.

Whatever. Even if he failed, he would not die.

Xu Xiao immediately drew the soul ring toward himself. A heavy pulling force seemed to be resisting his absorption.

"You beast, now that you're dead, stay dead!"

Divine radiance howled within his Double Pupil, easily shattering the source of that pulling force. The soul ring smoothly settled around Xu Xiao's body.

"Moo!"

At that moment, an unyielding demonic cry rang out from within the soul ring. Purple Demonic Flame ignited around Xu Xiao out of thin air, as if it intended to consume him completely.

Yet all of his attention was focused on the Blazing Flame Bull Demon's Soul Impact.

The phantom of the second-stage Ox Demon, its entire body burning with purple Demonic Flame, commanded the flames to fly toward Xu Xiao. "Insolent fool, today I'll make your soul scatter and your spirit perish!"

Xu Xiao had had enough of this second-stage Ox Demon's Demonic Flame harassment. If the first-stage Ox Demon had been a mindless idiot who only knew how to swing an axe, a hotheaded fool prone to rage—

Then the second stage was a cunning, calculating schemer. It had harassed Xu Xiao with Demonic Flame from far away, intending to wear him to death!

With that thought, he hesitated no longer. The power of his Double Pupil instantly gathered a heaven-destroying force and erupted with brilliant light!

The Ox Demon tried to repeat its old trick and evade the attack, but its body was bound by an invisible force. Its humiliated gaze was filled with unwillingness as it finally faced the Destruction Beam.

Crack!

A sound like a vase shattering rang out. The Ox Demon's second-stage phantom ultimately could not withstand the Double Pupil's attack and shattered apart.

Seeing that no third-stage Ox Demon phantom emerged, Xu Xiao secretly breathed a sigh of relief. This thing was truly hard to kill. If not for his Double Pupil, an ordinary soul master would only have been continuously worn down by the Demonic Flame until the absorption ultimately failed!

Outside.

As the blood-red soul ring flashed with light and was absorbed into Xu Xiao's body, his Soul Power easily broke through to Level 61. Yet the momentum of his breakthrough did not stop there.

Level 62, Level 63, Level 64—only when he was about to reach Level 65 did his Soul Power lose momentum and fail to break through.

When he opened his eyes, Xu Xiao inhaled the icy chill through his nose. A pair of clear ice-blue eyes hovered only a finger's breadth away from his own.

"Sister Xue, I succeeded. I'm now a Level 64 Assault System Spirit Emperor." His calm tone carried a trace of delight.

"You are very strong now. Even I may no longer be your match."

The Snow Empress used her hand to examine Xu Xiao's body. Xu Xiao felt the cool sensation spreading across his body, while a sudden heat surged through his lower abdomen.

As if sensing something suddenly growing, the Snow Empress stopped examining him. An imperceptible smile appeared at the corner of her lips.

"Your physical strength now rivals that of a Level 98 Super Douluo among Beast Soul Masters. If I did not know you were human, I might really have thought you were a Fierce Beast that had taken human form."

Xu Xiao grabbed the hand the Snow Empress had intended to withdraw.

"Because I had you, I was able to defeat that Ox Demon. For our first battle, we worked together rather well. I just wonder whether there's a chance for us to have a Martial Soul Fusion Skill."

Xu Xiao naturally knew they did not have a Martial Soul Fusion Skill. He had learned that long ago during their later Dual Cultivation. He merely wanted more physical contact with this icy, mature beauty.

The Snow Empress rolled her eyes at Xu Xiao.

She did not resist, merely asking curiously, "After fighting for so long, hurry and tell your big sister about your soul abilities."

"My Sixth Spirit Ability is Absolute Defense. At my current stage, it can ignore any damage below God-tier for two hours. Of course, after using it, I can only remain where I am and cannot attack the enemy."

"Below God-tier?!"

The icy aura within the Snow Empress was nearly thrown out of control by Xu Xiao's words.

"That's right. The second ability it grants is the one we just used to stop that Ox Demon from entering its second stage: Entering Demonic State!"

"Entering Demonic State?" The Snow Empress looked worried.

"Will there be any side effects?"

Xu Xiao smiled and soothed the hand she was gripping tightly. "None at all. After Entering Demonic State, I actually become extremely rational. I gain a demonic attribute that restrains all other attributes, and in this state, my combat power temporarily surges!"

After bringing the Snow Empress to the reception area, Xu Xiao received a request for an audience from Xu Jiawei and his sister, Xu Jiujiu, after leaving the Tower of Myriad Laws.

Xu Xiao had no particular reaction upon meeting Xu Jiujiu for the first time. There were already too many peerless beauties around him; he had long developed an immunity to them.

However, the very first thing she said made Xu Xiao's waist ache.

"Brother Xiao, when will you marry me?"