Gift from the Lord of Soul Hunting Forest

Xiao Tianyang sat cross-legged on the ground, a wisp of flame blooming in his palm.

At the same time, he used Soul Power with his other hand to guide the black Soul Ring into his body.

The accident during his last Soul Ring absorption had been caused by his own lack of knowledge and Miao Zhenshan's negligence.

This time, he had not exceeded the limit by much. At the very least, the Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring before him was only two thousand years beyond the mission requirement.

The Soul Ring had barely settled above his head when Xiao Tianyang felt himself shrouded in malice.

It was the resentment left behind by the Ice Soul Demonic Lotus before its death!

But Xiao Tianyang had already experienced this once. There was no way he would fall for it again.

The Crimson Lotus Karmic Fire lit up within his mind, instantly burning that evil intent to ashes!

But what came next was the crucial part!

The surging Soul Power tore Xiao Tianyang's body apart with unstoppable force, battering his exceptionally resilient meridians one after another!

But it was useless. Before this Soul Power, everything was merely decoration.

Or rather, at this level, Xiao Tianyang was still not strong enough to withstand such Soul Power.

It was almost exactly like last time. Cracks split open across Xiao Tianyang's body, blood seeping through his skin.

In less than three breaths, his entire body had been dyed crimson, looking utterly terrifying!

Of course, the Three Thousand Blazing Flame and the Spirit of the Flame would keep him from dying.

As for how painful the process was, perhaps only he himself could understand.

The muscles throughout his body trembled. Apart from his beating heart, all his other organs had ceased functioning.

Even his brain had completely lost consciousness, leaving his whole body heavy and dazed.

Xiao Tianyang even seemed to feel as though he had already left this world.

At the same time, outside.

The Merged Exotic Fire in Xiao Tianyang's hand trembled, visibly collapsing inward before releasing flames once more...

The cycle repeated for an unknown amount of time. At last, the flame in his hand took shape, transforming into an incomparably enchanting Black Lotus that slowly bloomed.

Its seedpod was pale red, with three lotus seeds upon it: dark red, light green, and blackish purple.

The lotus leaves were equally unusual. A closer look revealed that the Black Lotus was not a plant at all, but a crystal.

Wisps of fiery patterns rippled within it, each representing one of the Exotic Fire Martial Souls Xiao Tianyang possessed.

However, this phenomenon lasted only a moment before turning back into the Merged Exotic Fire.

At that moment, Xiao Tianyang opened his eyes as well and exhaled a breath of turbid air.

Two Soul Rings, one purple and one black, rose and fell around him.

"Ding!"

"Congratulations, Host, for completing the Side Quest, [Second Soul Ring]!"

"Reward obtained: Lottery Points ×2000!"

"This is even more absurd. My Soul Power only rose by two levels."

Xiao Tianyang could not help shaking his head. "I thought I had already passed the hardest part. I didn't expect it was only just beginning."

He had thought the quality of his Soul Power would only have such a noticeable effect during the early stages.

But after seeing the levels gained from absorbing a twenty-thousand-year Soul Ring, Xiao Tianyang realized he had been wrong.

Perhaps the further he advanced, the slower his Soul Power would increase.

Of course, its quality would also grow higher and higher.

He stood up and gave a light hop in place, feeling that his body had become much lighter.

He then loosely clenched his fist, finding that his strength had increased considerably as well.

Xiao Tianyang could not help nodding in satisfaction.

After working so hard for so long, naturally he was happy to see the rewards.

What was more, once he returned, he could even do two consecutive draws.

"Woof!"

Xiao Tianyang instantly became alert. Looking toward the source of the sound, he sprinted over at top speed.

That had been a signal—Bubu's warning to the other party not to come any closer!

After passing through the forest, Xiao Tianyang quickly reached his destination.

When he saw the scene before him, his pupils shrank, and the Ancient Divine Eyes opened at once.

"Roar!"

"Woof!"

Two low growls rang out in quick succession.

The first roar came from the Soul Beast facing Bubu.

It stood ten meters tall and had the body of an elephant, yet possessed three long trunks. Its two White Ivory tusks gleamed with cold light, making it look anything but friendly.

Of course, Bubu was terrified inside, but it had not forgotten that Xiao Tianyang stood behind it.

Thus, even though every hair on its back stood on end, Bubu did not retreat a single step.

Only when a hand smoothed down the fur on its back did Bubu lower its head and hide behind Xiao Tianyang.

"I'll handle this."

Xiao Tianyang looked up at the Soul Beast before him, and the solemnity in his eyes faded somewhat.

Soul Beast: High Mountain Mammoth
Age: 93,461 years
Identity: Lord of Soul Hunting Forest

It was precisely because he had seen this information that Xiao Tianyang had not chosen to flee.

Of course, that was assuming he could outrun it.

So he was panicking inside, even if this might be one of the mission's reward stages.

But then Xiao Tianyang noticed that the High Mountain Mammoth's eyes actually seemed somewhat resentful?

What the hell is this?

But the next moment, Xiao Tianyang understood.

One of its trunks held something and placed it before him.

Then the High Mountain Mammoth turned and left, looking back at Xiao Tianyang every few steps.

Only after it had run far away and vanished from sight did it let out a mournful howl.

"So it was forced to give me a gift. No wonder it had that expression..."

Xiao Tianyang could not help internally mocking the system's stinginess, though that did not affect his mood as he looked at the reward before him.

It was a skull bone, icy cold to the touch and earth-yellow in color.

A sweep from his Divine Eyes brought all its information into view.

Soul Bone: Adamantine Skull
Age: 99,999 years
Attached Skill: Adamantine Indestructibility [Forms a light membrane around the user, making them impervious to blades, weapons, water, and fire]
Origin: A High Mountain Mammoth that was only one step away from becoming a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast

"Only one year short..."

Xiao Tianyang was somewhat speechless. The system really was a scammer.

Even so, he took out a wooden box, stored the skull bone inside, and put it away.

At times, Xiao Tianyang liked to prepare for a rainy day.

For example, the wooden boxes of various sizes stored in his Nether Sea Ring had basically been purchased according to the proportions of the six major Soul Bone types.

It counted as preparation, after all. He would need them sooner or later.

Suddenly, Xiao Tianyang looked at Bubu. "Do you want this Soul Bone?"

The first reason he would not absorb this Soul Bone was, naturally, that its age had not reached a hundred thousand years.

But more importantly, this Soul Bone was not particularly suitable for him.

Xiao Tianyang was not the type of Soul Master who relied purely on close combat. If possible, he would not let his enemies get close to him.

Especially when he had Ebony and White Ivory.

So, if he could choose, the Soul Bones he wanted would be ones focused on strength and speed.

Not this sort of Defense Type Soul Bone.

But just then, Xiao Tianyang thought of Bubu.

This fellow had no attack skills. It could only run fast and hide well, but what if someone caught it?

This Soul Bone might just save its dog life.

"Woof!"

Xiao Tianyang's expression froze, and he said somewhat helplessly, "You really are a dog with dreams. But wait until I've gathered mine first before saying something like that."

What Bubu meant was roughly: "Master, all your Soul Bones are over a hundred thousand years old. If mine is below a hundred thousand years, wouldn't that disgrace you?"

Its words made sense and were pleasant to hear, but unfortunately, Xiao Tianyang did not have a single one yet.