Golden Scale Dragon Body, Toxin Immunity, Hundred-Thousand-Year Second Soul Skill

"Phew...!"

Lin Qing let out a long breath, and the golden light around him receded like a falling tide.

As his Martial Soul dispersed,

pain and exhaustion came crashing over him like floodwaters released from a dam.

He swayed, dropped to one knee, and braced a hand against the scorched ground.

"Was it worth it?"

The Sky Azure Bull Python's enormous body slithered over, making the ground tremble faintly.

Its vertical pupils, larger than lanterns, stared at the Blood-colored Soul Ring hanging in the air before turning to Lin Qing.

"I could have acted just now."

Da Ming's voice was deep.

"You didn't need to push yourself this far."

With it working alongside Lin Qing, taking down the Black Scaled Flood Dragon would have been easy.

"It was worth it."

Lin Qing grinned, revealing bloodstained teeth.

He raised a hand and wiped the corner of his mouth. Blood and mud were mixed together, making him look rather miserable.

"How else am I supposed to become stronger if I don't risk my life?"

He caught his breath.

"I've got some strength now. I can't keep relying on you and Er Ming to protect me, can I? That'd make me a freeloader."

He said it with perfect confidence.

Da Ming fell silent.

It looked at this human—covered in wounds, nearly drained of Soul Power, yet with eyes that gleamed frighteningly bright.

It had only seen what lay hidden in those eyes in a very small number of Soul Beast kings.

Refusal to admit defeat.

Even death would not make him yield.

Lin Qing pulled a small porcelain bottle from his clothes, poured out two Healing Pills, and shoved them into his mouth.

He swallowed them without even chewing.

The bleeding temporarily stopped.

"Da Ming."

He sat cross-legged and looked up at it.

"I'll have to trouble you to stand guard for me again. This time, it'll probably take a while."

The Sky Azure Bull Python nodded.

Its massive body slowly coiled around him, enclosing Lin Qing at the center like a living fortress.

Its vertical pupils vigilantly swept through the surrounding forest. Not a single movement escaped its senses.

Lin Qing closed his eyes and drew a deep breath.

His Soul Power extended outward and lightly touched the Blood-colored Soul Ring floating in midair.

The instant they made contact—

"Ungh!"

Lin Qing groaned, veins bulging across his forehead.

Every muscle in his body convulsed, while an unnatural dark red spread across the surface of his skin.

His meridians swelled painfully under the violent energy. His Soul Power spun frantically, trying to absorb the foreign force.

He clenched his teeth and circulated the Tai Xuan Scripture with all his strength.

The paths of the Cultivation Technique lit up with pale gold light inside his body, guiding the rampaging energy back onto the proper course.

This is way fiercer than the Thousand Jun Ant Emperor... Lin Qing complained inwardly.

When he had absorbed the three Ninety-Thousand-Year Soul Rings last time, it had hurt too, but it had still been within his limits.

This time was different.

The energy level of a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring belonged to an entirely different dimension.

It was like soaking in a medicinal bath after training as a child—the sensation was as though every inch of his skin had been torn apart and sewn back together with needle and thread.

It hurt like hell.

But he could endure it.

The foundations of a Titled Douluo revealed their advantage at this moment.

His muscle fibers were repeatedly destroyed and repaired, becoming denser and stronger instead.

Energy washed through his bones, making them emit a faint hum.

The real trouble was not his body, but his mind.

Within the Sea of Consciousness, a Black Scaled Flood Dragon condensed from blood-red mist was going mad.

Its eyes were crimson as it bared its fangs and claws, savagely tearing at Lin Qing's spiritual core!

Soul Shock!

It was formed from the resentment and soul fragments left behind after the Soul Beast's death—the greatest hurdle in absorbing a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring.

"This again?"

Lin Qing's Spirit Body stood within his Sea of Consciousness, watching the Flood Dragon phantom rampage about.

"The three Thousand Jun Ant Emperors did the same thing last time. Can't you Soul Beasts come up with something new? Like dancing? Or singing?"

Just as he thought that—

the Golden Dragon phantom that had been slumbering in the depths of his Sea of Consciousness moved.

The Golden Dragon merely opened its golden vertical pupils and gave the Blood Red Flood Dragon a cold glance.

Then it lunged straight at it.

What followed was a remarkably primitive and brutal scene.

The two Giant Beasts bit, clawed, and rolled through the spiritual world.

The Black Scaled Flood Dragon fought desperately, spewing black breath and lashing its long tail. Every strike was filled with overwhelming resentment.

But bloodline suppression was simply unreasonable.

With every bite from the Golden Dragon, the blood-red color on the Flood Dragon faded a little.

With every claw, a patch of mist scattered.

It was suppression from the very level of life itself.

Like a cat catching a mouse, it was only natural.

In less than half an hour, the battle was over.

The Golden Dragon swallowed the last trace of blood-red mist, then contentedly flicked its tail.

It even let out a burp—a burp on the spiritual level.

Then it sank back into the depths of the Sea of Consciousness and continued sleeping.

Having hidden its achievements and fame.

Lin Qing felt his Spiritual Power swell like an inflated balloon.

His sensory range expanded by more than thirty percent, and his control over Soul Power became far more precise.

The feeling of Soul Power flowing as naturally as moving his own limbs felt so good that he almost moaned.

"Does this count as a snack?"

He did not know whether to laugh or cry. "Why does it feel like my Martial Soul is greedier than I am?"

The Soul Ring's energy began flowing in steadily.

His meridians continuously expanded beneath the wash of roaring Soul Power, greedily absorbing every shred of strength.

The entire process lasted roughly two hours.

By the time the eastern sky turned pale, the last thread of energy had been completely absorbed.

Lin Qing opened his eyes.

Level 93!

He had jumped three levels in a row!

The energy of a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring truly was terrifying!

He moved his limbs, and his bones crackled like fried beans.

Soul Power surged through his body, far more abundant than before.

Four Blood Red Soul Rings rose from beneath his feet, like four blood-colored suns circling his body.

Red light reflected off his bloodstained face, giving him an eerie, domineering aura.

This Hundred-Thousand-Year Black Scaled Flood Dragon Soul Ring had granted him two Soul Skills.

[Fourth Soul Skill: Golden Dragon Four Transformations]: All Attribute Boost by 100%.

[Fourth Soul Skill: Golden Scale Dragon Body]: Strength Amplification 100%, Defense Amplification 200%, Speed Amplification 100%, gains Toxin Immunity.

As always, the boosts were brutally powerful.

But this time, the main boost was to defense.

And the "Toxin Immunity" effect made Lin Qing raise an eyebrow.

"Toxin Immunity..."

He muttered to himself.

"This effect is practical. I won't have to fear those sneaky bastards who use poison anymore. Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor, Poison Douluo—bring them on. I'll deal with them one at a time."

Just thinking about it felt great.

Seeing Lin Qing's four Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Rings, Da Ming's massive vertical pupils were filled with complicated emotions.

It stared at Lin Qing for a long while before slowly speaking. "Lin Qing, you are the most unusual human I have ever seen."

That was a tactful way of putting it.

But Lin Qing understood the implication: your rate of improvement makes no sense.

"Just good luck."

Lin Qing smiled and did not explain further.

The system, cashback, the daddy bonus—none of that could be explained.

He stood up and dusted the ash off his body before walking toward the Black Scaled Flood Dragon's corpse.

A Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast was guaranteed to yield a Soul Bone. That was common knowledge on Douluo Continent.

It was like killing a boss in a game and getting equipment—a basic rule.

But after searching beside the corpse for quite some time—

A Skull Bone? Nothing!

An arm bone? Nothing!

Leg bones? A Trunk Bone? Nothing at all!

"Strange..."

Lin Qing frowned and crouched beside the Flood Dragon's corpse.

"No Soul Bone? That shouldn't be possible."

He checked again.

From the Single Horn atop the Black Scaled Flood Dragon's head to the tip of its tail, he left no inch unchecked.

Still nothing.

"Could my luck really be this bad?"

He muttered.

"The odds of a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast not dropping a Soul Bone should be lower than winning the lottery, right?"

Suddenly, his fingers unconsciously tapped the largest Reverse Scale on the Flood Dragon's chest.

It felt cold and hard, no different from the surrounding scales.

But just as he was about to stand and inspect it again,

a trace of Soul Power Fluctuation suddenly reached his fingertips.

It was extremely faint.

Like a candle flame in the wind, ready to go out at any moment.

But it was special.

That was not a fluctuation an ordinary scale should possess!

"!!!"

Lin Qing's eyes lit up.

If it was not a conventional Soul Bone, then only one possibility remained—an External Soul Bone!

And an External Soul Bone produced by a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast!

This thing was ten times—no, a hundred times—rarer than an ordinary Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone!

Fewer than ten External Soul Bones had ever been recorded in the entire history of the continent!