Hunting the Eternal Dark Jellyfish

In less than two days, Chen Xin had led Wang Chuan deep into the outer reaches of the Star Dou Great Forest. Towering ancient trees blotted out the sky, while sunlight filtered through gaps in the leaves, scattering mottled specks of light. The air was thick with the damp scent of vegetation and the faint, indistinct pressure of soul beasts.

"Xiao Chuan, are you truly certain you want your second soul ring to directly challenge the thousand-year level?" Chen Xin stopped, the Seven Kill Sword in his hand trembling faintly. His tone was filled with gravity—when ordinary soul masters broke through to Soul Grandmaster, absorbing a hundred-year soul ring was already the limit. A thousand-year soul ring's Soul Power impact could cause one to explode and die with the slightest mistake.

Wang Chuan met his master's worried gaze, but his eyes were exceptionally resolute. A pale green phantom of the Ambrosial Arbor slowly emerged in his palm, its branches and leaves swaying with vigorous vitality. "Master, I've confirmed it again and again. The Jianmu Spirit nourishes my meridians and body every day. My physique has long surpassed that of soul masters at the same level. Besides, I have always remembered that cultivation is a path that defies the heavens. If I want to be stronger than others, I cannot fear taking risks."

Chen Xin looked at the stubbornness and clarity in the youth's eyes, then finally let out a helpless sigh. Yet his tone carried a little more encouragement. "Fine. Since you possess such determination, I will not stop you. But if you feel any discomfort later, you must tell me immediately. Do not force yourself."

As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Xin seemed to recall something. With a flick of his wrist, he put away the Seven Kill Sword, then bent down and grabbed Wang Chuan by the collar. With a tap of his toes, he shot toward a hidden valley deep within the forest like an arrow loosed from its bow. The wind howled past his ears, and Wang Chuan saw the scenery blur backward at tremendous speed. In less than half an incense stick's time, the two landed at the entrance of a dark cave.

The sound of gently flowing water came from within the cave, and the deeper they went, the cooler the air became. Before long, a subterranean lake shimmering with a dim glow appeared before them. Its surface was as still as black satin, without even a single ripple. Chen Xin lowered his voice and pointed at the lake. "Wang Chuan, the soul beast we seek is called the Eternal Dark Jellyfish. It does not live in ordinary waters, but hides in the depths of this underground lake. Its body is translucent dark black or deep blue, and its bell can reach a diameter of three meters. When its tentacles spread out, they resemble a galaxy in the night sky—beautiful, but deadly."

Wang Chuan focused on the lake's surface and felt as though all the surrounding light was converging toward the water. Even the Soul Power in the air was several degrees thinner than at the cave entrance. "Do you feel it?" Chen Xin's voice sounded at just the right moment, carrying a guiding note. "The temperature, light, and Soul Power here have not vanished into nothingness. They have been 'gathered' in one place by some force. Most powerful soul beasts possess an innate domain. The Eternal Dark Jellyfish's domain is 'Absorption'—it can silently draw in the energy around it to strengthen itself."

He patted Wang Chuan on the shoulder and continued, "Try calming your mind and sense it with your spirit. Your first spirit is Nothingness, naturally connected to the energy between heaven and earth. You should be able to perceive that 'nothingness' attraction more clearly than ordinary people—that is where the Eternal Dark Jellyfish's presence lies."

Wang Chuan closed his eyes as instructed, drawing all his Soul Power inward as the aura of the Jianmu Spirit slowly spread out. Soon, he sensed a faint yet constant pulling force beneath the lake's surface, as though an invisible hand were quietly tugging at everything around it. At that moment, Chen Xin gathered a wisp of pale golden Soul Power at his fingertip and lightly tapped toward the lake.

"Bzz—"

The instant the Soul Power entered the water, circles of ripples abruptly spread across the previously calm lake. Then, the water at its center slowly began to bulge upward. A translucent dark-blue bell gradually rose above the surface, with countless slender tentacles hanging from its edges. The tentacles were dotted with tiny fluorescent lights, and as they swayed, they resembled a flowing galaxy, breathtakingly beautiful. But with its appearance, the surrounding light visibly darkened, and the Soul Power in the air grew even thinner. A dangerous aura rushed toward them.

Chen Xin did not immediately act. He merely said to Wang Chuan in a grave voice, "Go. Use your blade to find its core. Remember, ordinary Soul Power attacks are useless against its tentacles. They will only be absorbed by it. What you need to find is the brightest point beneath its bell—that is its energy center, and also its only weakness."

Wang Chuan nodded. His spirit, Nothingness, was unsheathed in an instant, and the world seemed to lose its color as cold light flashed. He kicked off from the ground and leaped toward the lake like Gui Mei. At the same time, he circulated the Grand Void Transformation Art, leaving several afterimages in the air as he skimmed as close to the surface as possible, avoiding the tentacles' attack range.

"Swish, swish—"

The Eternal Dark Jellyfish instantly sensed the vibrant Soul Power. Its tentacles, which had been swaying slowly, suddenly accelerated like countless nimble water snakes, winding toward Wang Chuan. His gaze sharpened, and he swung his blade at the nearest tentacle. Yet when the edge passed through it, it met no resistance at all, as though cutting through flowing water. Not only did he fail to sever it, he also felt a thread of Soul Power being drawn from his body through the blade and into the tentacle.

Just as expected. Wang Chuan's heart tightened. He immediately withdrew his blade and changed moves, nimbly twisting through the air to evade one deadly tentacle after another. But there were simply too many tentacles. They densely sealed off his retreat, and in only a few moments, he was forced into a dead corner at the lake's edge. Several blue-glowing tentacles were already inches away, carrying bone-piercing cold.

At this critical moment, Chen Xin did not draw his sword to help. Instead, he held two fingers together like a sword and pointed toward Wang Chuan from afar. His low shout rang like a morning bell and evening drum, piercing through the turbulent sounds of water. "With a heart as clear as ice, even the collapse of heaven cannot shake you! Withdraw your Soul Power and make it unable to 'sense' you!"

Those words instantly awakened Wang Chuan. He immediately abandoned his outwardly released Soul Power defense and drew all his Soul Power inward. At the same time, he activated Nothingness's trait, making his aura as nonexistent as the surrounding air. The next second, the tentacles that had been rushing toward him suddenly halted, their movements visibly slowing—having lost their Soul Power "target," the Eternal Dark Jellyfish's attack immediately lost its direction.

Now!

Wang Chuan seized that instant of stillness. His eyes blazed as he pierced through the dark water and precisely locked onto the faint yet brilliant point of light beneath the Eternal Dark Jellyfish's bell—that was its energy core! He took a deep breath and gathered all his Soul Power and will into the blade of Nothingness. His body and katana instantly transformed into a black blur, slashing toward the core.

First Soul Skill: River Sever - No Return!

This strike released no excess Soul Power and bore no dazzling effects. It held only ultimate speed and an angle precise to the finest fraction. The blade light was like a nonexistent black line, silently passing through the gaps between the tentacles and striking the energy core directly.

"Pop—"

A crisp sound, so faint it was almost inaudible, like a bubble bursting. The Eternal Dark Jellyfish's energy core instantly dimmed and shattered. Then its enormous bell began to tremble violently, while the fluorescence on its tentacles rapidly went out. Within only a few breaths, its massive body transformed into countless streams of pure black energy. As if drawn by an invisible force, they converged toward Wang Chuan, finally condensing behind him into a deep purple soul ring—the mark of a thousand-year soul beast.