Volume One

After some internal struggle, Tang San, that sly fox, ultimately chose to absorb the Ghost Vine soul ring first before taking Grandmaster back for treatment. It must be said, he really is a devoted disciple. For every four hundred years of cultivation, a Diamond Ape's height increases by one meter; this Diamond Ape was nearly four meters tall, meaning it was a thousand-year soul beast. Guided by that pale blue light, the seven-hundred-year Ghost Vine soul ring slowly drifted toward the top of Tang San's head. "Come to me, my second soul ring." As for Su Xing, "Take care of yourselves. I have matters to attend to, so I'm leaving." Su Xing glanced at the master and disciple, tapped his toes against the ground, and leaped onto a nearby tree. His figure flickered, and he vanished within a few movements. Su Xing rose and quickly darted out of the tent. Under the faint moonlight, he used the mental power from his external skull bone to scan the area and discovered two shadows chasing each other a thousand meters away. Su Xing's first soul skill is called Blood Blade Dance. This skill increases attack power by one hundred percent and adds a potent poison to his strikes. As his level increases, every ten levels, the attack power and poison potency increase by ten percent. "Roar!" The comfort brought by absorbing a soul ring is indescribable; it feels like floating on clouds, weightless, or entering the peak of bliss. One bear and one ape, one chasing and one fleeing—a lively scene indeed. Su Xing gave a light shout, and a deep yellow soul ring suddenly lit up on his body, circling up and down. There were Variegated Cats, Short-tailed Leopards, Datura Snakes, Black Demon Wolves, Wind Baboons—countless ten-year and hundred-year soul beasts, but he hadn't encountered a single one over a thousand years old. "What overbearing power!" The originally slender blades of grass began to grow longer and wider. The faint blue color took on a hint of black, and small barbs appeared—the very same barbs found on the Ghost Vine. No matter how tenacious the Ghost Vine's vitality was, after suffering such a grievous wound, it could not escape its fate of death. "First soul skill, Blood Blade Dance." One could only say this soul skill is impossible to guard against; it is an extremely insidious control skill. A stream of heat spread wildly through Tang San's body, flowing like a bubbling spring. Wherever it passed, the scorching pain vanished, leaving behind only a soothing, warm comfort. Thus, Tang San carried Grandmaster out of the Soul Hunting Forest. However, due to the massive difference in their builds, Grandmaster's legs dragged on the ground the entire way, eventually losing a layer of skin from the friction. The one being chased was an ape-type soul beast, gray-white in color, nearly three meters tall, and covered from head to toe in a thick layer of stone armor. Immediately after, the Blue Silver Grass began to change. Standing on a large tree in the Soul Hunting Forest, Su Xing looked up at the darkening sky, scanned his surroundings, chose a concealed spot, and set up his tent. A dull explosion echoed through the Soul Hunting Forest. Tang San had just been defending that contrarian Yu Xiaogang, but Su Xing didn't care about their survival; he only wanted to hunt soul beasts and obtain his second soul ring. After scattering some beast-repellent powder he had purchased in advance, Su Xing went to sleep. The next second, Tang San took out the short sword Grandmaster had given him, walked cautiously to the Ghost Vine, and stabbed it hard with one strike. The poison carried by the Blue Silver Grass's first soul ring had transformed into a neurotoxic paralytic after absorbing the Ghost Vine's soul ring; even if it evaporated into the air, it could still produce an effect. Tang San felt himself submerged in darkness. In the center of that darkness stood a lonely stalk of Blue Silver Grass, swaying gently. A pale red blade of light, a zhang wide, erupted from the sickle and slammed fiercely into the base of the Ghost Vine. Soon, the yellow soul ring above Tang San's head slowly contracted, finally turning into a solid, bracelet-sized golden ring that settled onto the Blue Silver Grass martial soul in his right palm. "Bang!" Tang San gasped, "A single strike to instantly kill a seven-hundred-year Ghost Vine? Is this Su's true strength?" Tang San focused his attention on the martial soul in his right hand. As the Ghost Vine soul ring approached, he felt an immense pressure. A faint yellow soul ring condensed above the Ghost Vine's corpse. Unlike the Thunder Leopard soul ring Tang San had seen before, the yellow soul ring produced by the Ghost Vine was not only exceptionally clear but also contained faint traces of purple. He had encountered many soul beasts along the way. The next moment, the Ghost Vine was flipped out of the soil and slammed heavily into a tree. Its underground stems were severed, and the thick vines gradually lost their vitality. Under the moonlight, it looked like a demon bear descending upon the world. As his mental power drew closer, Su Xing finally saw the true appearance of the two shadows. The second soul skill this Ghost Vine soul ring granted Tang San was Parasite. Su Xing swung his sickle violently. In an instant, Tang San felt as if he were burning; his body twitched involuntarily, and the Mysterious Heaven Skill within him seemed to be ignited by this sudden surge of power. With the injection of soul power, the effect of the Ghost Vine's Parasite ability would be fully unleashed by Tang San's Blue Silver Grass, and the parasitic seeds released would directly achieve the effect of Tang San's first soul skill, Bind... Tang San slowly raised his right hand, condensing a stream of soul power into his palm. Accompanied by a pale blue halo, the Blue Silver Grass grew from his palm. Next, Tang San gave Grandmaster some simple bandaging and fed him some water. Since Grandmaster remained unconscious, he had no ability to move on his own. Even before absorbing it, Tang San could clearly perceive the vast energy contained within. "It's actually the overlords of the Soul Hunting Forest, the Demonic Breaking Bear and the Diamond Ape." Su Xing was both shocked and delighted. "Boom!" In the middle of the night, a beast roar startled Su Xing awake. Tang San, seeing Grandmaster's vitality fading, realized that the plant-type soul beast, the Ghost Vine, seemed perfectly suited to be his second soul ring. "Did he... just leave like that?" Tang San looked in the direction where Su Xing had vanished with a look of shock, a flash of helplessness in his eyes. He had assumed Su Xing wouldn't abandon them. Su Xing's entire body was shrouded in golden light, as if plated in gold. The blade of his purple sickle flickered, releasing a thick aura of death. After obtaining the Ghost Vine soul ring, all of Tang San's attributes were greatly enhanced. The Blue Silver Grass became tougher and took on an appearance similar to the Ghost Vine. The one in pursuit was a bear-type soul beast over seven meters long, with grayish-brown fur, a massive build, and extremely sharp bear claws.