Soul Elder Lin Yi

Understanding Thunderclap Hellvine's resolve, Beibei said nothing more.

Lin Yi suddenly said from the side, "Are you willing to let it end like this?"

After a moment of silence, Thunderclap Hellvine said, "Of course I'm unwilling, but what else can I do?"

"I have a way. Perhaps it can help you live another life."

Thunderclap Hellvine shuddered, sending Lightning Slurry splashing beneath it. "What way?"

"Become my Soul Ring."

"I already agreed to become your Soul Ring. There is no need for you to deceive me."

Clearly, Thunderclap Hellvine thought Lin Yi meant that it would give its power to him, allowing Lin Yi to carry that power onward. That could also be considered another kind of life.

Lin Yi shook his head. "I'm not lying to you. Although you'll become my Soul Ring, your consciousness will remain. If you encounter an opportunity in the future, or if I become a god, I can revive you. You'll be able to live another life."

"Retain consciousness after becoming a Soul Ring? That's impossible."

Faced with Thunderclap Hellvine's doubts, Lin Yi said no more. He directly summoned Lin Tong and Lin Yao, letting the facts speak for themselves.

Seeing the Spirit Bodies of the Blue Silver King and Starfall Unicorn suddenly appear, Thunderclap Hellvine was deeply shaken. Its vines waved unconsciously, stirring wave after wave of Lightning Slurry.

"How did you do it?"

"To be honest, I don't know the exact reason. Perhaps because they willingly fused with me from the start, their souls attached themselves to the Soul Rings. Then, through the bloodline pull between members of the same race, their souls were awakened."

Beibei suddenly interjected, "A bloodline pull between members of the same race? But isn't Thunderclap Hellvine the only one left?"

"Back then, my Cultivation Level was still too weak, so I could only rely on the bloodline of the same race. But with my current Spiritual Power, I can already protect the Spirit Body during Soul Ring fusion."

"Fine." Thunderclap Hellvine's voice suddenly rang out.

"Child of the Plane, I hope you truly can let me live another life."

"I do not fear death. I merely want to know whether my race can break through this so-called fate!"

Lin Yi said solemnly, "I'm also looking forward to seeing just how powerful Thunderclap Hellvine can become."

Thunderclap Hellvine suddenly said, "Your body should be able to withstand my power, right?"

"I'm not sure. I originally wanted to fuse with it beneath the Golden Ancient Tree for an extra layer of protection."

"Then there is no need for that now. Since I am to fuse my soul with yours, only Sacrifice can achieve it."

Before Lin Yi could respond, Mu En suddenly began coughing uncontrollably.

"Master, are you alright?"

"Cough, cough, cough... It's nothing. It's just that the injuries in my body... cough, cough... were suddenly aggravated... cough, cough, cough..."

Mu En paused to steady his breathing before finally speaking. "It's fine. Continue. Don't mind me."

Yet inwardly, he could not help but be shocked. Sacrifice—again, it was Sacrifice. Even if the Starfall Unicorn had fused in a special manner, this was still the second Sacrifice. Including the Third Soul Ring, Lin Yi only had three Soul Rings in total.

Thunderclap Hellvine said, "Child of the Plane, leave this Thunderfall first."

"Is something wrong?"

"Since I am going to Sacrifice myself to you, I want to see what limit I can reach."

Hearing this, Lin Yi seemed to realize something. "Could it be that you intend to..."

"The stronger I become, the more benefits you should gain, right?"

"That may be true, but..."

Lin Yi now understood. Thunderclap Hellvine had already resolved to turn itself into a Soul Ring, so in its final moments, it wanted to absorb Thunder with all its strength. It wanted to see just how far it could reach before dying, whether it could break the fate that prevented Thunderclap Hellvine from surpassing fifty thousand years!

First, it would fulfill its wish and see its own limit.

Second, since Thunderclap Hellvine was about to Sacrifice itself and its life would end regardless, it might as well take one final gamble. The stronger Thunderclap Hellvine became, the more Lin Yi would benefit.

Understanding Thunderclap Hellvine's resolve, Lin Yi could only respect its will.

Thus, under Mu En's escort, the three of them left the Thunderfall.

After the three departed, lightning radiance burst from Thunderclap Hellvine's body. The Lightning Slurry beneath it rapidly diminished, all of it absorbed by Thunderclap Hellvine.

The dense Thunder within the Thunderfall seemed to boil. The entire Thunderfall began expanding, forcing Mu En to retreat again and again with Lin Yi and Beibei.

With a thunderous boom, the Thunderfall suddenly exploded. Thunder scattered across the sky, and amid it, a vine could vaguely be seen stretching freely, emanating a powerful aura.

A suction force seemed to come from the vine, drawing in all the surrounding Thunder. The Thunder continuously vanished, only to be replenished from all sides.

After a while, the replenishment speed could no longer keep up with the absorption speed, and blank areas began appearing around Thunderclap Hellvine.

As it rapidly absorbed Thunder, Thunderclap Hellvine's body gradually turned completely blue-violet, as though it had been formed from the Thunder filling the sky.

Sensing that the absorption had slowed, the vine seemed displeased. It stretched outward once more, allowing its vines to cover a larger area, and another blank region appeared.

This continued repeatedly. The empty area around Thunderclap Hellvine grew larger and larger, while its body expanded with every surge of absorbed Thunder.

An hour later, Thunderclap Hellvine's winding vines had grown large enough to rival the entire Thunderfall. The vines curled back, wrapping around the Thunderfall completely. At this moment, Thunderclap Hellvine's body looked as though it had been carved from blue-violet crystal. Even from afar, one could sense the endless Thunder flowing beneath its vines, compressed into a terrifying aura of Destruction.

The heavens over Lightning Strike Valley changed drastically. Although dark clouds still blanketed the sky, the constant lightning strikes had unknowingly fallen silent.

Such a sight was naturally noticed by the Soul Beasts within Lightning Strike Valley. Combined with the terrifying aura of Destruction spreading from the center of the valley, their instinct for survival drove every one of them to flee toward the valley's outskirts.

Fortunately, there were no towns nearby. Otherwise, a Beast Tide would have been unavoidable.

At some point, Thunderclap Hellvine's aura had broken through the fifty-thousand-year threshold.

Thunderclap Hellvine's fate had been completely shattered!

The first Thunderclap Hellvine in the history of Douluo Continent to surpass fifty thousand years had been born!

Lin Yi and the others seemed to hear an angry roar. Thunderclap Hellvine's vines curled again, actually drawing all the Thunder in the sky into its body. Not a trace of Thunder remained in Lightning Strike Valley.

Even though thunder still rumbled within the dark clouds on the horizon, for these hundred breaths, Lightning Strike Valley had completely become a region without lightning.

The price was that Thunderclap Hellvine's vines seemed ready to explode. Endless lightning radiance emerged from its body, as though Thunderclap Hellvine would self-destruct the next moment.

"Get ready."

Even at such a moment, Thunderclap Hellvine's voice remained calm.

Lin Yi did not dare delay. He immediately held his breath, focused his mind, entered a cultivation state, and guarded his spiritual platform as he waited for Thunderclap Hellvine's Sacrifice.

Its body suddenly shrank until it stood level with Lin Yi, and blue-violet flames abruptly ignited across Thunderclap Hellvine's body.

Only then did Lin Yi realize that Thunderclap Hellvine, after absorbing the entire Thunderfall, was now emitting the aura of seventy thousand years.

Seventy thousand years—an ordinary soul master's Eighth Soul Ring would be no more than this. For soul masters with weaker foundations, it would even be sufficient as a Ninth Soul Ring.

Yet Lin Yi only had three rings...

As the blue-violet flames surged upward, the Sacrifice had begun.

However, Thunderclap Hellvine's movements did not stop!

The blue-violet flames burned fiercely, covering Thunderclap Hellvine's entire body in an instant. Then the flames grew even more intense, actually turning purple. Only upon close inspection could one see that the purple was not pure, with faint blue light flickering within it.

A sigh sounded from within the flames. "Even with everything I have, I can only reach this level..."

Lin Yi stared blankly at the scene. Thunderclap Hellvine had actually used the flames of Sacrifice born from burning its life, together with its comprehension of Thunder, to raise the purity of its lightning element another level, reaching the level of half-step Extreme Lightning.

Lin Yi could not help saying, "As expected of the most talented member of the Thunderclap Hellvine race. Truly extraordinary."

Thunderclap Hellvine said nothing in response to Lin Yi's praise. Perhaps, in its view, failing to raise its Lightning Attribute to Extreme Lightning even after staking its life was no different from failure.

Under Mu En's numb gaze and Beibei's shocked one, Thunderclap Hellvine's body finally melted away completely and fused into Lin Yi's body.

A black Soul Ring radiating terrifying majesty appeared, settling around Lin Yi and reflecting against the two black Soul Rings from before.

Lin Yi pushed his Spiritual Power to its limit, urging the power of the Golden Tree to protect Thunderclap Hellvine's Spirit Body. Without the pull of a bloodline from the same race, even Lin Yi could not help feeling anxious.

But the calming effect of Extreme Light was indeed extraordinary. Lin Yi ultimately succeeded in protecting Thunderclap Hellvine's Spirit Body intact. However, after devouring endless Thunder and purifying its own Lightning Attribute, Thunderclap Hellvine's soul could no longer endure and fell into slumber.

As for Lin Yi, the Golden Tree emerged on its own, with three black Soul Rings rhythmically rising and falling around it.

Three rings, Soul Elder!