Absorbing the Soul Ring

The party of eight walked through the dense forest, and from time to time, some Soul Beasts with little intelligence ignored the First Elder's pressure and barged into their path.

Xu Mingxi was protected among the elders as he walked, thinking about his future.

According to his original plan, he wanted to encompass the three lights of Sun Moon Star, and this Moon Embracing Flower was the Soul Beast Xu Mingxi had chosen to strengthen the moon attribute of his Star Crown.

This kind of Soul Beast was famous for its resemblance to gazing at the moon, its skill at storing moonlight, and its use of moonlight to attack.

As for sunlight, Xu Mingxi decided to place it in the Seventh Soul Ring, a soul ring position of vital importance to soul masters.

"Mingxi, pay attention. We're already close to the core area. You must be careful."

The Second Elder's reminder snapped Xu Mingxi awake. He no longer dared to let his mind wander and watched his surroundings vigilantly.

Rustling sounds kept coming from between the trees, and Xu Mingxi kept feeling as if something were spying on him.

Suddenly, a dense swarm of small Soul Beasts rushed out of the forest.

"They're Thousand Jun Ants. Everyone, be careful."

Enough ants could bite an elephant to death. The First Elder flew high into the air to search for the direction of the Thousand Jun Ant King.

The others all lit up their Star Crowns one after another. Their Fourth Soul Rings lit at the same time, and Star's Protection firmly shielded everyone.

Only then did Dugu Xin discover in horror that there was actually a Titled Douluo in the group, and that the rest were all Soul Douluo.

He began to feel shocked by the Star Crown Sect's powerful strength, but at the same time, he rejoiced. It seemed he had found himself a powerful backer.

Soon, the First Elder discovered the Thousand Jun Ant King's location and directly unleashed his Ninth Soul Skill, Great Wilderness Starfall.

A black soul ring rose from the spot, and the Thousand Jun Ants surrounding Xu Mingxi gradually retreated.

"What a pity about this Black Soul Ring. Judging by its appearance, it should be around eleven thousand years old, just right to serve as a Fifth Soul Ring."

"All right, Grandpa, hurry and see whether it has a Soul Bone or not, then we'll keep going."

Xu Mingxi and the others had not held out any hope at all. Who would have thought that just as they were about to leave, they heard his grandfather's delighted cheer?

Could it really have one? Was the drop rate of the Thousand Jun Ant clan this high?

"Mingxi, a Ten Thousand Year Right Leg Bone. It's yours."

"Grandpa, leave it for someone in the sect who needs it more."

This Soul Bone might be able to help an elder stuck at a bottleneck break through.

And to be honest, Xu Mingxi rather looked down on it. Not only did its attribute not match him, but its age was also too low.

Beside him, Dugu Xin was practically drooling as he watched, but he knew his place. This could never belong to him, so he forced himself to look away.

"Good. Then I'll put it away for now and hand it to the Sect Master when we return."

Once the First Elder had spoken, who would dare object? The party of eight set out again toward Moon Lake. This time, they did not encounter any further obstacles and safely reached the area around Moon Lake.

Though it was called a lake, Xu Mingxi could not see where the opposite shore was at all. The water here was extremely clear, like a mirror, able to clearly reflect Xu Mingxi's handsome face.

"We'll set up camp here today. Tomorrow, we'll begin searching along Moon Lake. We must find the Moon Embracing Flower."

Two elders came out to keep watch through the night, while the rest of the group fell asleep one after another.

Xu Mingxi had originally wanted to sleep as well, but as soon as he closed his eyes, he seemed to feel something in Moon Lake attracting him. Yet when he opened his eyes, it was as if he could no longer sense anything.

He passed the night in this half-dazed state, and the next day, Xu Mingxi, sporting huge dark circles under his eyes, was scolded by his grandfather. Did he not know he needed to conserve his energy in the wild? And he had still stayed up late.

Everyone packed up their tents and began exploring along the lakeshore.

Lakes had always been places where Soul Beasts came to drink, and from time to time, Soul Beasts arrived.

Xu Mingxi and the others drove the Soul Beasts away while continuing along the lake.

Unfortunately, after walking for an entire day, they had only discovered a Moon Embracing Flower of around five thousand years. Its age was far too low, and Xu Mingxi simply could not accept it.

He had originally wanted to repeat the same trick and use moonlight to draw the Moon Embracing Flower out on its own.

But after thinking about it, Xu Mingxi gave up. Given how attractive Moon Essence was to plant-type Soul Beasts, it would be amusing if he ended up luring out the Ten Thousand Demons King.

They could only use the clumsy method, slowly walking along the lake while observing their surroundings.

Finally, just as they were about to circle the entire lake, everyone at last saw traces of the Moon Embracing Flower.

This was only because it was night. The Moon Embracing Flower seemed to be absorbing moonlight, making that whole area shine brightly.

The First Elder lightly stepped forward to inspect it, and his expression immediately turned ugly as he withdrew.

"That is indeed the Moon Embracing Flower. It's just that it seems to have already reached fourteen thousand years.

According to the sect's investigations and research, the Fifth Soul Ring is basically best between ten thousand and twelve thousand years.

Absorbing the soul ring of this Moon Embracing Flower carries the danger of your body exploding."

Before Xu Mingxi could speak, the Fourth Elder beside him opened her mouth. In her heart, she did not want Xu Mingxi to risk his life absorbing this soul ring.

"Right, and based on my experience, absorbing the soul ring of a Ten Thousand Year Soul Beast seems to cause a certain impact on the soul. You must not act rashly."

Xu Mingxi was surprised to discover that his sect actually knew quite a lot.

"Grandpa, elders, I think I can absorb it.

The soul rings of plant-type Soul Beasts are already relatively gentle, my compatibility with the Moon Embracing Flower is also quite good, and I've received the sect's Medicinal Baths since I was little. I've never stopped training either. I can definitely withstand it."

The First Elder had wanted to say something more, but when he saw the determination in Xu Mingxi's eyes, he said no more.

Even his own grandfather had agreed, so the others naturally had no reason to object. The Second Elder and the two control-type elders each cast Star Guiding Art, directly pinning the Moon Embracing Flower in place.

Immediately after, two stars fell from the sky and struck it, leaving it badly wounded.

Dugu Xin went numb just watching from the side. So soul hunting was this simple and brutal?

Then what had all his bitter struggle and bloody fighting back then even counted for? When you were out in the world, background and influence still mattered after all.

Xu Mingxi took out a dagger and slashed straight at the roots of the Moon Gazing Flower. Seeing that no soul ring appeared, he struck a few more times.

This time, a Black Soul Ring finally rose slowly into view.

Xu Mingxi seized the moment, sat cross-legged on the ground, and began drawing in the soul ring. The elders gathered around to protect him, while Dugu Xin sensibly stood at the very outer edge.

Time passed second by second, and for the first time, Xu Mingxi felt immense pain.

His body seemed to be bearing tremendous pressure, and Xu Mingxi's soul was also being battered.

Fortunately, Xu Mingxi had taken Medicinal Baths since childhood. His physical strength could not be called high, but he was tough.

He had originally thought that, having lived two lives, his soul could be considered fairly powerful. He had not expected the impact from the remnant soul of the Moon Embracing Flower to be this violent.

Wasn't it just a few extra cuts? Do you have to hold such a grudge? Xu Mingxi clenched his teeth and endured as he forcibly drew in the soul ring.

The surrounding elders all watched nervously, but the First Elder seemed to notice something and suddenly snapped his head toward the depths of the forest.

"Everyone, be careful."