Third Soul Ring

"That damn beast!"

Ignoring her own weakness, Liu Erlong strode over with her fists clenched and flames burning in her eyes.

Though the Spiked Earth Turtle had been badly wounded, it was still alive.

Liu Erlong threw punch after punch at its body, moving so fast that only afterimages could be seen.

She vented all her fury on the Spiked Earth Turtle.

Afraid that Liu Erlong would beat the Spiked Earth Turtle to death, Huangfu Ji quickly reminded her.

"Erlong, leave it alive. Don't beat it to death."

"I know." Though Liu Erlong struck heavily, she still knew her limits.

Zhao Yuan approached in horror.

It was his first time seeing such a violent side of Liu Erlong. It was truly terrifying.

Boom—!

Punch after punch slammed into the Spiked Earth Turtle's shell. Even when both her fists throbbed with pain, Liu Erlong did not stop.

She only stopped after the Spiked Earth Turtle no longer had the strength to struggle.

Gasping for breath, Liu Erlong's chest heaved violently. Huangfu Ji had nearly been seriously injured just now, all because of that beast.

Clearly, she had not seen someone secretly attack Huangfu Ji.

Afraid that Liu Erlong would beat the Spiked Earth Turtle to death, Huangfu Ji hurried over and killed it before sitting cross-legged to absorb its Soul Ring.

Purple light enveloped Huangfu Ji. The Soul Power fluctuations produced by the purple Soul Ring startled both Zhao Yuan and Liu Erlong.

"This Soul Beast is probably close to three thousand years old. At the very least, it must be two thousand nine hundred years old."

Zhao Yuan frowned. They had originally come to hunt a two-thousand-five-hundred-year-old Soul Beast, but they had not expected this one to be two thousand nine hundred years old.

However, the absorption of the Soul Ring had already begun. It was impossible to stop it now.

Liu Erlong frowned, her face full of concern.

A two-thousand-nine-hundred-year Soul Ring was not easy to absorb. The moment its Soul Power entered his body, Huangfu Ji felt a tremendous impact as the massive force continuously battered his meridians.

Fortunately, he could endure it.

His Martial Soul was originally dragon-type, and as his level increased, his physical strength would also improve to a certain extent. On top of that, he had previously consumed Whale Rubber.

There was also the fact that the Spiked Earth Turtle's power was not particularly domineering, especially after it had been beaten into that state.

Liu Erlong stood a short distance behind him to guard him, while Zhao Yuan held up his turtle shield behind him to prevent any accidents.

"There won't be any danger, right?" Liu Erlong looked at Huangfu Ji worriedly, her voice very soft. From the looks of it, Huangfu Ji showed no discomfort from absorbing the Soul Ring.

Everything was going smoothly, but it was still a two-thousand-nine-hundred-year Soul Ring.

Zhao Yuan also glanced over from time to time. If the Soul Ring was truly absorbed successfully, the value of Whale Rubber would probably soar several times over.

He could even imagine how furious Yuan Hao would be once he learned of Whale Rubber's effects. After all, he had been the one who sent it over.

As the Soul Ring absorption progressed, it became smoother and smoother. The initial pressure gradually faded, and Huangfu Ji's furrowed brows relaxed.

Time passed quickly. The sky gradually brightened, and the sun slowly rose over the eastern horizon. Sunlight streamed into the forest, dispersing the darkness around them.

Liu Erlong and Zhao Yuan had stayed awake all night, guarding Huangfu Ji's side.

Zhao Yuan yawned and stretched his body. At that moment, Huangfu Ji let out a comfortable groan.

Hearing the sound, Liu Erlong quickly looked over.

Huangfu Ji had successfully absorbed his third Soul Ring. When he opened his eyes, his aura suddenly surged. His Soul Power had now reached level thirty-one, and he had officially become a Soul Elder.

"He really did it." Zhao Yuan clasped his hands together, astonishment in his eyes.

The successful absorption of a two-thousand-nine-hundred-year Soul Ring proved the effects of Whale Rubber. Huangfu Ji could even be called the first person in a thousand years to achieve such a feat.

However, Whale Rubber was not easy to obtain. Ten-year and hundred-year varieties likely had little effect, while ordinary Soul Masters did not dare hunt thousand-year or ten-thousand-year whales. For land-based Soul Masters, fighting at sea was practically suicide—they could not use their strength properly.

Even sea Soul Masters did not dare casually hunt whale-type Soul Beasts after going out to sea. Even thousand-year whale-type Soul Beasts were not something ordinary Soul Ancestors or even Soul Kings dared provoke.

Moreover, some whale-type Soul Beasts traveled in groups. Offending one meant offending an entire school.

Huangfu Ji opened his eyes and stood up. With a shake of his body, his third Soul Ring lit up. Golden light then blazed around him, and a layer of Dragon Scale Armor formed from golden dragon scales covered his entire body.

With the Dragon Scale Armor enhancing his appearance, Huangfu Ji looked exceptionally imposing and noble.

"So this is your third Soul Skill? It doesn't seem particularly special." Liu Erlong rested her chin on her right hand and studied Huangfu Ji in confusion.

The armor dissipated, and Huangfu Ji smiled. "My third Soul Skill is called Dragon Scale Armor. After activating it, it removes my negative conditions, including control effects. At the same time, it increases my defense by seventy percent and weakens my opponent's attacks against me by thirty percent."

Zhao Yuan raised his left eyebrow and slightly opened his mouth in utter shock.

"My god, isn't that invincible?"

Increasing defense by seventy percent, removing negative conditions, and weakening an opponent's attacks—among those of the same rank, that was practically invincible.

"Invincible is overstating it, but there are only a handful among my peers who can defeat me." Huangfu Ji waved his hand. It was not that he had become arrogant; he truly had that confidence.

At the Soul Elder realm, so far, there was not a single person qualified to be his opponent.

Liu Erlong had once been able to match him blow for blow, but if they fought now, she would no longer be his opponent.

Seeing how exhausted the two of them looked, Huangfu Ji felt deeply moved. If not for Zhao Yuan last night, he would likely have been seriously injured.

"You've worked hard. Get some rest first. We'll leave around noon."

Liu Erlong nodded, then entered the tent to rest.

Zhao Yuan had originally intended to go into the tent as well, but seeing that only one remained, he gave up on the idea and fell asleep beside the campfire.

Looking at the quiet forest ahead, Huangfu Ji's expression darkened.

He could have completely avoided the Spiked Earth Turtle's attack last night. Others did not know it, but he did. The reason he had been unable to dodge was because someone had secretly attacked him. If his Dragon Wings had not been struck, how could he possibly have failed to evade it?

He could even determine that the person who had ambushed him was the same person who had tried to assassinate him at the academy.

That person had deliberately shot at his Dragon Wings, intending to create an accident and have him die under the Spiked Earth Turtle's attack. However, the attacker had clearly overlooked Zhao Yuan's presence. A defensive Soul Master was enough to protect him.

The attack left behind no evidence. That arrow had also been condensed from Soul Power and would dissipate after striking.

Still, he had roughly guessed who the culprit was.

None of Yuan Hao's trusted subordinates had bow-and-arrow Martial Souls, but there was one person in the military whose Martial Soul was a bow and arrow.

If it really was that person, then Huangfu Ji would have to mock him mercilessly.

A dignified general resorting to assassination.

After resting for half a day, the three of them left the forest.

The moment they emerged from the forest, they were dumbfounded. Their horses were gone.

"Damn it, thieves!" Zhao Yuan shouted.

Huangfu Ji felt somewhat awkward as well. After all, they had tied the horses up here without anyone watching them. Of course they would be stolen.

"What do we do?" Liu Erlong asked.

Huangfu Ji shrugged. "There's no choice. We'll have to go to the nearest city and buy horses first."