Ten Great Primordial Fires of the Great Wilderness

It was only because this Mandala Snake's cultivation was not very high—just two thousand years. If it had been three thousand years, Ye Chen probably would not have dealt with it so easily.

Over the past five years, he had practiced techniques with Mu En during the day and meditated at night.

He had devoted nearly all his time to cultivation. Wasn't it all for the day when he could finally show what he was capable of?

Feeling the power of his Second Soul Skill, Ye Chen smiled in satisfaction.

Although the Mandala Snake's weakness was not its tail, losing half of it was like losing half its life.

At the severed end of its tail, some of its internal organs were even faintly exposed.

Ye Chen knew well the principle of striking while his opponent was down. Moreover, while his Second Soul Skill was powerful, its duration was very limited.

With his current Soul Power, the adhesion effect of that holy light and netherflame could only last a mere five seconds.

Therefore, in order to end the battle as quickly as possible, Ye Chen lightly pushed off the ground and nimbly performed a three-hundred-and-sixty-degree flip above the Mandala Snake.

When he landed, a massive gash had already appeared across the Mandala Snake's back. Pale white bones were exposed, and its clearly visible heart still beat slowly, sending out waves of hot, fetid air.

The Mandala Snake was now covered in gruesome wounds and no longer had even a trace of strength left.

Ye Chen did not kill it right away. He intended to keep it alive for Tang Ya to choose from herself.

His Second Soul Skill was originally holy light and netherflame capable of destroying all things. He had merely deliberately attached them to his palms to look cool.

So far, this was the only function he had discovered, but he knew that his Second Soul Skill was not so simple.

As though it had sensed the tragic state of the other Mandala Snake, the one facing Bei Bei let out a shrill cry. It ignored Bei Bei's attacks striking its body and charged forward desperately.

It seemed these two were companions—or perhaps mates.

The two-thousand-year Mandala Snake was clearly male. Hearing the female Mandala Snake's cries, it had wanted to come to her rescue, only to end up staying here first.

Watching this scene, Ye Chen felt an indescribable emotion in his heart.

Was this really right?

Ye Chen could not help asking himself inwardly.

Between human Soul Masters and soul beasts, there seemed to have always been only killing and being killed. Even though Huo Yuhao later founded the Spirit Pagoda with his own hands, he had still failed to prevent the soul beasts from nearing extinction.

He also wanted to find a way to perfectly resolve the relationship between the two, ideally achieving a state of balance.

While Ye Chen was deep in thought, Bei Bei had also finished his battle.

Because that Mandala Snake had fallen into a berserk state at the very end, recklessly trying to kill the human blocking its path, Bei Bei had suffered a few minor injuries as well.

However, they had not damaged his muscles or bones, so they were nothing serious.

"Hey, niece-in-law, make your choice. See which one you want to absorb." Ye Chen walked over to Tang Ya, who had watched the entire spectacle from the sidelines, and said listlessly.

Looking at the treatment she was getting, she had solved the problem without even lifting a finger. And with two Mandala Snakes of different cultivation ages before her, she could choose whichever she pleased.

"Thank you, Xiao Chen."

Tang Ya recovered from her shock and thanked him somewhat bashfully.

Her double-lidded eyes, framed by long lashes, blinked repeatedly, as though she wanted to see through Ye Chen's very anatomy.

Was he even human? Not only were both his first and second soul rings millennium-grade, his strength was this monstrous too!

Of course, Tang Ya had automatically ignored the fact that Ye Chen had called her "niece-in-law."

This was hardly the first or second time he had done so. Though she had resisted a little at first, Ye Chen's seniority was what it was.

Tang Ya did not know Ye Chen's soul ring configuration, which was why she had displayed such shock.

Bei Bei, on the other hand, had clearly known long ago and was no longer surprised.

After weighing her options, Tang Ya ultimately chose the thousand-year Mandala Snake that had been captured first.

It was not that she did not want to absorb the two-thousand-year one. No one did not wish to become stronger.

But one had to know one's limits.

Tang Ya understood her own situation. There was only one outcome if she forced herself to absorb it: under the influence of the Mandala Snake's resentment, she would be unable to withstand two thousand years of Soul Power and explode to death.

This soul beast had died so miserably. Who knew how powerful its resentment would become?

Tang Ya sat cross-legged on the ground and began absorbing the thousand-year Mandala Snake's soul ring, while Bei Bei stood guard beside her.

His previous green robe was clearly no longer wearable, covered as it was in foul-smelling blood. Bei Bei could only take out a new set of clothes from his storage ring and change behind a tree.

Ye Chen leaned against a massive tree and stared blankly into space.

Over the past few years, he had figured out quite a few things. His Second Martial Soul, Taiyin Youying, remained a mystery, but he had gained a rough understanding of his primary Martial Soul, the Fusang Divine Tree.

For example, like his First Soul Skill, this Second Soul Skill had not come from the soul beast he had hunted.

They seemed to be innate skills of the Fusang Divine Tree Martial Soul. As long as the cultivation age was suitable, no matter what attribute the soul beast possessed, it would grant him a fixed Soul Skill.

Besides that, he had also confirmed that the flame which had appeared when he fused his first soul ring was indeed Nirvana Fire, one of the Ten Great Primordial Fires of the Great Wilderness.

Because the same thing had happened when Ye Chen fused his second soul ring.

Unlike the first time, what had appeared this time was the hellish flame that emerged whenever he used his Second Soul Skill.

From Ye Chen's understanding, this was clearly Netherworld Ghost Fire, one of the Ten Great Primordial Fires!

Having confirmed this, he also confirmed his earlier suspicion that the first flame was Nirvana Fire.

Though even more questions filled his mind, Ye Chen had discerned a pattern.

With every major breakthrough in his realm, the Fusang Divine Tree underwent an evolution and gained another Three-legged Golden Crow.

Each Three-legged Golden Crow wielded one of the Ten Great Primordial Fires of the Great Wilderness and tempered his body once. After every tempering, the strength of his body would rise to a new level.

Ye Chen classified this form of tempering as Divine Fire Body Tempering.

He knew that ten Three-legged Golden Crows resided upon the Fusang Divine Tree.

Did that mean that when the Fusang Divine Tree reached its final form and he underwent the tenth Divine Fire Body Tempering, it would be the moment he attained godhood?

And he would possess ten kinds of primordial fire as well?

Although this did not quite match Ye Chen's memories, it seemed to be the only explanation for now.

The two primordial fires he currently possessed were still far from the legendary level of burning the heavens and destroying the earth.

At present, with the amplification effect of Ye Chen's First Soul Skill and his twenty-ninth-level Soul Power Level, his Second Soul Skill could barely unleash power at the peak of the three-ring level.

That Mandala Snake's cultivation had been low, and it had been far too careless.

Had it been even slightly prepared, Ye Chen would not have been able to kill it in an instant.

Unable to figure it out, he simply set the matter aside. As his cultivation improved, these things would eventually come to light.

Ye Chen sat cross-legged and entered meditation.

Even while meditating, a Soul Master remained aware of the outside world and could respond to sudden danger.

But too many things had happened that day, causing Ye Chen to forget one crucial matter.

Today was the final day of the two-month cycle!

Whenever this day arrived, as soon as he entered meditation or fell asleep, he would feel a tearing pain in his eyes, while his body seemed to slip beyond his control.

When the first ray of dawn pierced through the dense branches and leaves of the forest and fell upon Ye Chen's face, the night of agony finally came to an end.

Ye Chen opened his eyes, a lingering fear rising in his heart.

How had he forgotten something so important? Fortunately, he had not encountered any danger. Otherwise, with his body completely beyond his control, wouldn't he have been like fish on a chopping block, left to be slaughtered by beasts?

After a single night, Ye Chen felt that his mind had become much clearer. Even the tiny details he had previously been unable to notice now appeared distinctly within his sight.

He had no way of seeing his own eyes right now. If he could, he would have been astonished to discover that the faint pink of his left eye had deepened considerably, becoming a crystalline peach pink.

His right eye remained a pure sky blue, but it too had become far deeper than before.