"Phew—!"
Lin Qing let out a long breath, and the golden light around him receded like an ebbing tide.
As soon as his Martial Soul dispersed,
pain and exhaustion came flooding over him like water through opened floodgates.
He swayed, dropped to one knee, and braced a hand against the scorched ground.
"Was it worth it?"
The Sky Azure Bull Python's massive body slithered over, making the ground tremble faintly.
Its vertical pupils, larger than lanterns, stared at the Blood-colored Soul Ring hovering in the air before turning toward Lin Qing.
"I could have intervened earlier."
Da Ming's voice was deep.
"You didn't need to push yourself this far."
With Da Ming coordinating with Lin Qing, taking down the Black Scaled Flood Dragon would have been easy.
"It was worth it."
Lin Qing grinned, revealing blood-stained teeth.
He raised a hand and wiped his mouth. Blood and mud mixed together, making him look rather miserable.
"How else am I supposed to become stronger if I don't risk my life?"
He took a 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 complete confidence.
Da Ming fell silent.
It looked at this human—covered in wounds, nearly drained of Soul Power, yet with eyes that shone frighteningly bright.
It had only seen what lay hidden in those eyes in a very small number of Soul Beast kings.
Refusal to yield.
Refusal to yield even in death.
Lin Qing pulled a small porcelain bottle from his clothes, poured out two Healing Pills, and stuffed them into his mouth.
He swallowed them without even chewing.
The bleeding temporarily stopped.
"Da Ming."
He sat cross-legged and looked up.
"I'll have to trouble you to guard me again. This time, it'll probably take a while."
The Sky Azure Bull Python nodded.
Its enormous body slowly coiled around Lin Qing, surrounding him like a living fortress.
Its vertical pupils vigilantly swept across the surrounding forest. Not a single disturbance could escape its senses.
Lin Qing closed his eyes and took 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 gave a muffled groan as veins bulged across his forehead.
Every muscle in his body convulsed, while an unnatural dark red spread across his skin.
His meridians swelled painfully under the violent energy. His Soul Power spun madly, trying to absorb the foreign force.
He clenched his teeth and circulated the Tai Xuan Scripture with all his strength.
The path of the Cultivation Technique lit up inside him with pale gold light, guiding the rampaging energy back onto the proper track.
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 of a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring existed on an entirely different level.
It was like soaking in a medicinal bath after childhood training—the sensation was as if every inch of his skin had been torn apart, then sewn back together with needle and thread.
It hurt like hell.
But he could endure it.
The foundation of a Titled Douluo showed its advantage at this moment.
His muscle fibers repeatedly broke down and repaired themselves, becoming denser and more powerful instead.
His bones were washed by the energy, producing a faint hum.
The real trouble was not in his body, but in his mind.
Within his Sea of Consciousness, a Black Scaled Flood Dragon formed from blood-red mist had gone berserk.
Its eyes were crimson as it bared its fangs and claws, tearing viciously at Lin Qing's mental core!
Soul Shock!
It was formed from the resentment and soul fragments left behind after a Soul Beast's death—the greatest obstacle to absorbing a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring.
"Trying this again?"
Lin Qing's Spirit Body stood within his Sea of Consciousness, watching the rampaging Flood Dragon phantom.
"The three Thousand Jun Ant Emperors pulled the same stunt 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 long slumbered in the depths of his Sea of Consciousness moved.
The Golden Dragon merely slowly 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 mental world.
The Black Scaled Flood Dragon fought desperately, spewing black breath and whipping its long tail. Every strike carried 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 swipe, another patch of mist scattered.
It was a crushing advantage on the 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 and flicked its tail in satisfaction.
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 went back to sleep.
Deeply concealing 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 controlling Soul Power as effortlessly as moving his own limbs was so satisfying that he nearly groaned aloud.
"Does this count as a snack?"
He laughed helplessly. "Why does my Martial Soul seem greedier than I am?"
The Soul Ring's energy began flowing in steadily.
His meridians continuously widened beneath the rushing Soul Power, greedily absorbing every bit of strength.
The entire process lasted for roughly two hours.
By the time the horizon turned pale with dawn, the last trace 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 stretched his limbs, and his bones crackled like popping 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.
The red glow reflected off his blood-smeared face, giving him an eerie air of dominance.
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%, grants Toxin Immunity.
As always, it was a brutal boost.
But this time, the main increase was to his 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 underhanded poison users anymore. Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor, Poison Douluo—come one, and I'll deal with one."
Just thinking about it felt great.
Seeing Lin Qing's four Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Rings, Da Ming's enormous vertical pupils were filled with complicated emotions.
It stared at Lin Qing for a long time before slowly speaking. "Lin Qing, you are the most unusual human I have ever seen."
It phrased it tactfully.
But Lin Qing understood the implication: Your rate of improvement makes no sense.
"Just good luck."
Lin Qing smiled and offered no further explanation.
The system, cashback, the dad buff—none of that could be explained.
He stood, dusted himself off, then walked toward the Black Scaled Flood Dragon's corpse.
A Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast was guaranteed to produce a Soul Bone. That was common knowledge on Douluo Continent.
It was like killing a BOSS in a game and being guaranteed equipment—a basic rule.
But after searching around the corpse for quite some time—
A Skull Bone? Nothing!
Arm bones? Nothing!
Leg bones? Trunk Bone? Nothing at all!
"That's strange..."
Lin Qing frowned and crouched beside the Flood Dragon's corpse.
"No Soul Bone? That shouldn't be possible."
He examined it again.
From the single horn atop the Black Scaled Flood Dragon's head to the tip of its tail, he overlooked nothing.
Still nothing.
"Is my luck really this bad?"
He muttered.
"A Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast not dropping a Soul Bone... the odds have to 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 once more,
a faint Soul Power Fluctuation suddenly reached his fingertips.
It was extremely weak.
Like a candle flame in the wind, ready to go out at any moment.
But it was special.
That fluctuation was not something 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 it was an External Soul Bone produced by a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast!
This thing was ten times rarer than an ordinary Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone! No, a hundred times rarer!
Throughout the continent's recorded history, there had been fewer than ten External Soul Bones!
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