A Failure at Success: Yu Tianheng

Dugu Yan was so ashamed that she wished the ground would swallow her whole.

Seeing her sister look like that, Ye Lingling could not help but speak up.

"Yanyan had originally wanted to take it back for Senior Dugu to inspect, but..."

"Yu Tianheng said Soul Bones were precious, and taking it out would only invite covetous eyes. He said it would be better to absorb it directly."

Though she lacked confidence herself, she still tried to defend her sister.

Yu Mingfei chuckled. "Yu Tianheng was there too?"

"Yes. He accompanied her to the auction. He has always wanted to pursue Yanyan."

Ye Lingling said softly.

Yu Mingfei looked at Dugu Bo. "What about you? Your granddaughter was buying a Soul Bone, and you weren't there?"

Dugu Bo's old face stiffened, but he did not evade the question. "Prince Xue Xing invited this old man for drinks those days. This old man could not refuse."

After hearing the whole story, Yu Mingfei had already grasped the situation.

He did not beat around the bush.

"It can be treated."

Dugu Bo's eyes instantly lit up. "Really? Kid, don't you dare deceive this old man! If Yanyan suffers another mishap..."

"You sure talk a lot. Then don't come to me. Kill me and treat her yourself!"

"You!" Dugu Bo's blood surged, and his face immediately flushed red, but he still endured it.

Dugu Yan had already given up hope, but seeing Yu Mingfei so certain, a sliver of expectation rose in her heart.

These past days, she had endured the poison's erosion of her body day and night, yet she was unwilling to completely disperse her Poison Arts.

She could only maintain Martial Soul Possession, which placed an enormous burden on both her body and mind.

She even felt that she was about to forget how to walk with her legs.

"Dugu Bo, go find a fire-attribute Soul Beast. It must be alive, and it cannot be over seven hundred years old."

Yu Mingfei showed no courtesy as he ordered Dugu Bo around.

Seeing that he still hesitated, he explained, "The blood of a fire-attribute Soul Beast is naturally hot. It can suppress some toxins and render their toxicity inactive."

"The higher the Soul Beast's age, the stronger the properties of its blood. Your granddaughter is only a Soul Elder. With toxins devouring her body, she cannot withstand stronger Soul Beast blood."

Would this old man not know something like that?

Dugu Bo snorted coldly and vanished in a flash without another word.

Once he left, only Yu Mingfei, Dugu Yan, and Ye Lingling remained on the riverbank.

Yu Mingfei had no interest in chatting. He lowered his head and checked his belongings.

After drifting for an entire night, encountering two Ten-Thousand Year Soul Beasts, and finally being captured by Dugu Bo—

Fortunately, the wicker basket on his back was still there. Though it had loosened somewhat, the Blue Silver Emperor was still safely inside.

However, its condition was probably not very good now.

Ah Yin's consciousness had forcibly awakened yesterday, which seemed to have drained the Blue Silver Emperor greatly. The golden patterns on its leaves had already faded until they were nearly invisible.

After being washed by the river for an entire night, all the soil in the wicker basket had been swept away.

Driven by its instinct to survive, the Blue Silver Emperor had threaded its roots through the gaps in the basket's walls and anchored itself in place. Only then had it avoided being lost in the Nuoding River.

Yu Mingfei even found the cloth pouch containing the Azure Phosphorus Flower Powder he had stored among the Blue Silver Emperor's tangled roots.

While Dugu Bo went to search for a Soul Beast, Yu Mingfei dug up some soil by the river and replanted the Blue Silver Emperor.

Though he was somewhat wary of this reborn Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, he could not possibly abandon it.

Before long, Dugu Bo returned with a Hundred-Year Crimson Flame Beast the size of a leopard, its entire body crimson red.

The Crimson Flame Beast was a fire-attribute Soul Beast with an unpredictable temperament, sometimes violent and sometimes gentle. A ring of peculiar fur grew along its back, capable of spewing high-temperature flames.

That ring of fur was a rare material, and garments made from it were highly popular among the nobles of the two great empires.

"Kid, what do you think of this Crimson Flame Beast? Around six hundred and eighty years old."

To avoid affecting the properties of the Soul Beast's blood, Dugu Bo had not even used poison. He had restrained it solely with Soul Power.

"It'll do."

After giving it a cursory inspection, Yu Mingfei took the Crimson Flame Beast, drew his short blade, and drove it into the back of the beast's neck.

The Crimson Flame Beast died instantly, and a bright Hundred-Year Soul Ring condensed above its corpse.

Yu Mingfei sat cross-legged on the ground, his expression focused.

What Dugu Bo and the others expected next—drawing blood—never happened.

They watched eagerly, wanting to see how Yu Mingfei would suppress Dugu Yan's toxins.

But that Hundred-Year Soul Ring moved instead.

Guided by Yu Mingfei, it settled around his body.

Soul Power surged into him.

Under the gazes of the three of them, Yu Mingfei began absorbing his Second Soul Ring.

Dugu Bo froze, then his fury surged uncontrollably.

He trembled with anger, his fists clenched tight, yet he forced himself to endure.

The faint hope that had risen in Dugu Yan's heart shattered at once, and she fell silent.

Seeing this, Ye Lingling quietly took her right hand and comforted her in silence.

The scorching Soul Power of the fire-attribute Soul Beast flooded into his body.

Yu Mingfei calmly mobilized his own Soul Power and subdued it.

After experiencing the Martial Soul Fusion Skill with Liu Erlong, he had made up his mind that his Second Soul Ring would come from a fire-attribute Soul Beast.

Under normal circumstances, a Soul Beast had to be chosen according to a Soul Master's martial soul.

If a Soul Beast's attribute conflicted with the Soul Master's, not only would absorbing the Soul Ring become more dangerous, but it would also hinder the development of the martial soul and the Soul Master's future cultivation.

Yet Yu Mingfei had no such concern.

After mutating, his Dragon Clan Martial Soul possessed no attribute at all.

He could easily absorb Soul Rings dropped by Soul Beasts of other attributes.

Furthermore, while performing the Martial Soul Fusion Skill with Liu Erlong, the Eight Spider Lances within Yu Mingfei had displayed their devouring ability.

They had retained a trace of the fire attribute and life force from Liu Erlong's Fire Dragon martial soul within Yu Mingfei's body.

This gave Yu Mingfei a stronger affinity for fire-attribute Soul Rings.

Therefore, he decided to make full use of that advantage and take the fire-attribute route with his Second Soul Ring.

[During the Martial Soul Fusion process, you used the Eight Spider Lances to devour part of the Red Dragon Bloodline. Clever you thought of using the mutated fire-attribute bloodline to influence the Soul Ring absorption process. Congratulations, you have invented Word Spirit: Blazing.]

His Second Soul Skill, Word Spirit: Blazing, could generate a massive amount of fierce flames accompanied by high-temperature shockwaves when activated.

Yu Mingfei opened his eyes in satisfaction.

Though the Word Spirit created by the mutation of his Second Soul Skill was not as powerful as Jun Yan, which he could use during Martial Soul Possession with Liu Erlong, he could at least use it on his own.

As for Word Spirit: Lord Flame, because it absolutely required the Martial Soul Fusion Skill with Liu Erlong, Yu Mingfei could only stare helplessly at it for now.

Dugu Bo suppressed his anger and waited for Yu Mingfei to finish absorbing the Soul Ring.

"Kid, you'd better not be deceiving this old man."

Yu Mingfei ignored him.

At the end of the day, this was not his responsibility anyway.

He walked over to Dugu Yan and carefully examined her condition.

Her face was pale with a bluish-black tint.

Her haggard appearance instead added a touch of pitiful charm to Dugu Yan.

The Serpent Tail formed after Martial Soul Possession possessed an unusual beauty as well.

"Can you undo your Martial Soul Possession?" Yu Mingfei asked.

Dugu Yan shook her head numbly.

"There is still some medicinal power from the Nine-Petal Golden Orchid in my body, so I can barely suppress the spread of the poison through the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Martial Soul Possession."

"But my martial soul has already been damaged. This state cannot last much longer."

"If I want to undo Martial Soul Possession, I must first take the Nine-Petal Golden Orchid and dissolve most of the poison."

"Otherwise, the moment I undo my martial soul, I'll die."

Dugu Yan held nothing back and revealed the entire situation.

Yu Mingfei nodded and extended his left hand to her.

Dugu Yan obediently placed her right hand in his.

Smack—

Yu Mingfei slapped it away.

"Didn't you absorb a leg Soul Bone? The poison first went out of control from the Soul Bone, so why are you handing me your hand? Give me your tail."

"Oh."

With an obedient expression, Dugu Yan lifted her slender Serpent Tail from the river and placed it in Yu Mingfei's hand.

The short blade swept down, cutting through the scales on Dugu Yan's Serpent Tail and exposing a bone-deep wound.

Poisonous blood flowed out, hissing against the ground.

The blood was mixed red and black, and a foul stench spread through the air.

Yu Mingfei tossed aside the short blade and plunged his five fingers into the wound on her Serpent Tail.

The instant he touched the wound, the uncontrolled toxins inside Dugu Yan's body immediately crawled up Yu Mingfei's arm.

A dark bluish-green color spread rapidly, reaching his shoulder in the blink of an eye.

Watching from the side, Ye Lingling could not help letting out a soft cry, then quickly covered her mouth, afraid of disturbing them.

Yu Mingfei remained unhurried. His lips moved slightly as he softly chanted.

"Word Spirit: Deep Blood."