Ye Liangchen had successfully obtained his first spirit ring. Next, they needed to find Su Lin's seventh spirit ring.
Ever since arriving in the Star Dou Forest, Su Lin had kept close to protect him. As someone who knew how to repay kindness, Ye Liangchen naturally had to help her in return.
That evening, after everyone finished dinner, Ye Liangchen secretly took a Foundation Establishment Golden Pill from the Game Backpack while the three women were clearing the dishes. He mixed it into some mint-flavored Sugar Beans and pretended to eat them.
As the three women bustled about boiling water and washing dishes, Ye Liangchen poured three more cups of hot water, placed them on the table, and waited quietly.
"Little Chen, you just finished eating. Why are you having snacks again?"
After finishing the cleanup, Lan Xiao Die and the other two saw the little fellow quietly eating Sugar Beans and could not help smiling.
"Aunt Lan, Teacher Su Lin, have some Sugar Beans too."
Ye Liangchen picked up the Sugar Beans and held them to the three women's mouths. This sort of interaction between a child and his elders made them feel deeply sweet and happy.
To them, the little fellow was practically like a son. They doted on him beyond measure. It could be summed up in one sentence: they feared he would melt if held in their mouths, yet feared he would fall if cradled in their palms.
"Little Chen is such a good boy."
"Crunch... crunch..."
As the three women chewed the Sugar Beans, their hearts filled with sweetness. Ye Liangchen also played up his childish nature, constantly feeding them more. This mother-and-child-like interaction delighted Lan Xiao Die and the others, and Su Lin unknowingly swallowed the Foundation Establishment Golden Pill.
"Aunt Lan, Teacher Su Lin, drink some water."
Ye Liangchen also handed them the warm water on the table. Sugar Beans were a snack made from a type of bean similar to broad beans, and eating them called for water.
To keep Su Lin from noticing anything unusual, Ye Liangchen had racked his brains. Having her drink a cup of warm water left her whole body feeling pleasantly warm, much like the effects of a Foundation Establishment Pill.
"Smack..."
"Our Little Chen is so wonderful..."
After drinking the warm water, Su Lin excitedly pulled Ye Liangchen into her arms and kissed his face several times. Her heart felt warm.
"Senior Sisters, I want to be Little Chen's Godmother. You do not mind, do you?"
Su Lin asked the Lan Xiao Die sisters, thinking that being doted on by such an adorable son would be pure bliss.
"Su Lin, you are about to become Little Chen's teacher, and now you want to be his mother too? Do not push your luck!" The Lan Xiao Die sisters pressed hands to their foreheads, unable to bear looking at her.
They knew this woman had once liked Ye Feng. Now, it seemed she had truly transferred that affection to his son. Worried that she might one day take advantage of the little fellow, they decisively refused. If anyone is going to be Little Chen's mother, it should be us. Why would it be your turn?
Damn it! I only did this to make you take the Foundation Establishment Pill, and now you want to be my mother? Terrifying.
A thousand alpacas stampeded through Ye Liangchen's heart. He quickly broke free from Su Lin's embrace, ran to an open area, and began practicing Myriad Plum Blossom Swordplay.
"Hehe... Su Lin! Look, you scared Little Chen away." The Lan Xiao Die sisters burst into laughter.
"Sigh! Senior Sisters, Little Chen lost his parents early and is so pitiful. As the saying goes, a child without a mother is like a blade of grass. I only wanted to give him some motherly care." Su Lin smiled charmingly.
"Enough. Little Chen may have lost his parents, but he still has us to spoil him. You are our junior sister too, and all of us are the little fellow's Dao Protectors. When you think about it, you are practically like his mother as well."
"I know. Both Senior Sisters have already offered up your daughters. In the future, you will count as the little fellow's real mothers."
"The little fellow is so outstanding. Naturally, we have to save him for our daughters. This is called keeping the good water within the family."
"Haha..."
The three women discussed such matters in low voices, occasionally breaking into sweet laughter. As they watched the little fellow practicing Sword Techniques in the distance, their eyes were filled with indulgent affection.
While practicing his Sword Techniques, Ye Liangchen grumbled inwardly, Getting the people around me to take Foundation Establishment Golden Pills without letting them notice anything strange is truly exhausting! I have resorted to acting cute and spoiled, using every trick a child can use.
This is too hard!
Fortunately, Su Lin did not notice anything unusual, allowing Ye Liangchen to let out a long breath.
She was only thirty-eight years old now, with level seventy Soul Power. Her aptitude was decent as well. With his help, reaching the rank of Titled Douluo would not be a problem.
To find Su Lin's seventh spirit ring, they had to venture deeper into the Star Dou Forest. Since she was about to advance to Soul Saint, the Lan Xiao Die sisters needed to find her a Soul Beast over thirty thousand years old at the very least.
"Su Lin, protect Little Chen. We are about to enter the region inhabited by ten-thousand-year Soul Beasts. It is extremely dangerous."
Early the next morning, the group set off toward the region inhabited by ten-thousand-year Soul Beasts. Lan Xiao Die led the way in front, Lan Xiao Ling brought up the rear, while Su Lin and Ye Liangchen stayed in the middle.
"Do not worry, Senior Sisters. I will protect Little Chen with my life." Su Lin patted her full chest and assured them.
"Awwooo..."
"Caw, caw, caw..."
All kinds of Soul Beast cries rang out from the depths of the forest from time to time. The sounds alone made their scalps tingle. Ten-thousand-year Soul Beasts were truly terrifying.
Ye Liangchen held the Silver Dragon King's Inverse Scale in his hand to guard against accidents. He just did not know whether Di Tian would intervene. After all, humans and Soul Beasts stood opposed to one another. They were about to kill Soul Beasts, yet they wanted the other side to help them. Ye Liangchen felt that was highly unreliable.
Whatever. It was worth a gamble. Di Tian had said that if he encountered a problem he could not solve, he could ask him for help.
"Little Chen, are you taking out that scale because you plan to call for reinforcements?" Su Lin stroked the little fellow's head and asked with a smile.
"Of course! What if a powerful Soul Beast attacks and Aunt Lan and the others cannot defeat it? Did Di Tian not say we could seek him out if we ran into trouble?"
Ye Liangchen grinned. If these three women learned that Di Tian was actually an eight-hundred-thousand-year Golden Eyed Black Dragon King, they would surely be scared senseless.
"What a clever little rascal." The Lan Xiao Die sisters smiled brilliantly at his quick-witted appearance.
At the same time, several thousand meters away from Ye Liangchen's group, Di Tian and Bi Ji stood atop a mountain, observing them. Four more figures stood behind them, all Fierce Beasts.
The four Fierce Beasts were Xiong Jun, Zi Ji, Ten Thousand Demon King, and Scarlet King. All of them were Fierce Beasts over two hundred thousand years old. Xiong Jun had even reached four hundred thousand years. He was a Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear whose strength was terrifying, second only to Di Tian.
"Boss, are we really just going to watch them hunt members of our Soul Beast clan? I say we should just eat them." Xiong Jun waved his enormous fist and spoke arrogantly. In his eyes, humans were mere ants fit only to become his food.
"Sigh! What a brainless fool."
Bi Ji, Scarlet King, Zi Ji, and Ten Thousand Demon King all shook their heads, mocking Xiong Jun. They found this fellow, whose intelligence did not match his strength, rather amusing.
"Idiot. If you dare touch that little boy, the Lord will skin you alive. The little fellow belongs to the Goddess of Life. If the Destruction God King becomes enraged, our entire Soul Beast clan will be finished. You have lived for four hundred thousand years, yet all you know is fighting and killing. Your brain has not improved at all."
"The Lord is building a good relationship with that little fellow because she values his future. As long as he can grow stronger and kill the Asura God, he will count as our ally."
"Our Soul Beast clan numbers in the millions. Countless Soul Beasts slaughter one another, resulting in endless death and injury."
"If allowing them to kill a few Soul Beasts can change our future fate, it is nothing. Besides, those Soul Beasts are not even our core members."
Di Tian berated Xiong Jun mercilessly, leaving the fellow utterly dumbfounded.
"Boss, I was only saying it."
Xiong Jun scratched his head foolishly, looking deeply aggrieved, which made the other Fierce Beasts burst into laughter.
Ye Liangchen's group continued searching the depths of the forest for Soul Beasts, unaware that Di Tian and the others had been watching them the entire time.
Though the Star Dou Forest had many varieties of Soul Beasts, finding one suitable for oneself was not easy. They searched for three straight days without finding a ten-thousand-year Soul Beast suitable for Su Lin's seventh spirit ring.
"Splash, splash..."
"There is a river here. Let us rest for a while."
On the morning of the fourth day, the group passed through a dense forest and arrived at a riverbank. They planned to rest, eat some dry rations, and recover their strength.
"Splash, splash... bang, bang..."
At that moment, the sounds of Soul Beasts fighting came from a small lake a thousand meters ahead, drawing everyone's attention.
"Roar, roar..."
A forty-meter-long blue Flood Dragon burst from the lake with a roar before plunging back into the water. The Soul Beast in the lake was a twenty-meter-long giant crocodile, its bloody maw wide open as it waited in battle formation.
"Aunt Lan, two ten-thousand-year Soul Beasts are fighting in the lake. Let us go take a look. One of them might have a spirit ring suitable for Teacher Su Lin."
Ye Liangchen had sharp eyes. From the markings on the two Soul Beasts, he could tell that both were at least thirty thousand years old. The blue Flood Dragon was likely even older and perfectly suited to a water-attribute Martial Soul.
"Su Lin, your spirit ring has been found."
"Senior Sister, both of those Soul Beasts are excellent."
"It has not been easy. We have searched for nearly four days, and we have finally gotten what we wanted."
The three women were thrilled and quickly hurried toward the lake with Ye Liangchen.
"Roar, roar..."
"Splash... bang, bang..."
The two Soul Beasts were fighting fiercely. The waters of the lake, spanning two square kilometers, churned violently beneath them, sending up enormous waves. Waves two to three meters high crashed against the rocks along the shore, creating continuous booming sounds.
Ye Liangchen and the others stopped five hundred meters from the shore, hiding behind a massive boulder. They concealed their auras and quietly watched the life-and-death battle between the two Soul Beasts.
"Su Lin, that Long-Mouthed Crocodile is thirty-eight thousand years old, while that Blue Scaled Flood Dragon is forty-two thousand years old. Both are top-tier Soul Beasts. Which one do you choose?"
Lan Xiao Die carefully examined the markings on the two Soul Beasts and quickly determined their ages.
"Of course I want the Flood Dragon. It is over forty thousand years old, so it has to be stronger than the thirty-eight-thousand-year one." Su Lin chose the Blue Scaled Flood Dragon without hesitation.
"Both Soul Beasts are currently at their peak and still have plenty of strength. It would be best to wait until they are exhausted before acting."
The Lan Xiao Die sisters exchanged a look. If they attacked now and the two Soul Beasts joined forces, things would become troublesome.
Ye Liangchen carefully watched the battle between the two Soul Beasts. They were probably fighting over control of this lake. There were no other powerful Soul Beasts in the lake, so the Long-Mouthed Crocodile was likely the ruler of these waters.
"Crack..."
Just as the Flood Dragon tried to wrap its body around the giant crocodile, the latter suddenly turned and bit down on the Flood Dragon's waist before rapidly rolling over.
"Splash..."
A crocodile's bite force was incredibly powerful, especially that of a twenty-meter-long giant crocodile. Its strength was unimaginable.
"Roar, roar..."
The blue Flood Dragon cried out in pain, then immediately turned and bit down at the base of the giant crocodile's tail, trying to throw it off.
"Splash... bang, bang..."
Neither Soul Beast was willing to release its bite as they wrestled in the water. The giant crocodile relied on its strength to roll continuously, while the Blue Flood Dragon used its sharp teeth to bite down hard on the crocodile's tail.
"Crack... crack..."
"Roar, roar... awwooo..."
An hour later, two miserable cries echoed from the lake. The giant crocodile's entire tail had been bitten off, while the Blue Flood Dragon's bones had been crushed in the middle of its body by the crocodile's bite, leaving only its skin connecting the two halves.
The two Soul Beasts had ultimately left one another severely wounded, to the great delight of Lan Xiao Die and the others.
"Now! Move!"
"Martial Soul Avatar."
"Buzz, buzz..."
The Lan Xiao Die sisters immediately unleashed their respective Martial Souls, then activated their seventh spirit ability, Martial Soul Avatar. With the Martial Soul Avatar's enhancement, their combat power reached its peak.
"Bang, bang..."
"Mystic Ice Thorns..."
"Water Arrow Technique..."
"Like Water, Gentle Passion."
"Mystic Ice Dragon Flight."
Taking advantage of their weakness, the sisters unleashed a barrage of spirit abilities. After a relentless bombardment, they finally reduced both Soul Beasts to their last breaths.
"Su Lin, do it."
Lan Xiao Ling flashed to Ye Liangchen's side and protected the little fellow while allowing Su Lin to launch the final blow.
"Thank you, Senior Sisters."
"Sixth Spirit Ability: Water Sky Line."
Water formed by Su Lin's hands condensed into a three-meter-long spear that shot toward the Blue Flood Dragon's head.
"Bang..."
"Awwooo..."
The spear pierced straight through the Blue Flood Dragon's head. Already on the verge of death, it let out a final cry under Su Lin's powerful Water Sky Line attack and immediately died.
"Bang..."
"Ice Pillar Strike."
To prevent any accidents, Lan Xiao Die directly used her Fifth Spirit Ability to kill the Long-Mouthed Crocodile, blasting its body onto the shore.
"Buzz, buzz..."
After the Blue Flood Dragon died, its Soul Power gradually condensed into a large black ring that radiated a powerful aura. Su Lin immediately sat cross-legged and began absorbing the forty-two-thousand-year spirit ring.
"Ha..."
For Su Lin, a forty-two-thousand-year spirit ring was an extremely difficult challenge. She let out a sharp cry, gritted her teeth, and held on with all her strength.
"Will Teacher Su Lin be all right?" Seeing Su Lin drenched in sweat and suffering greatly, Ye Liangchen felt somewhat worried.
"Little Chen, do not worry. In theory, there will be no problem as long as the seventh ring does not exceed fifty thousand years. Su Lin has cultivated the Primordial Chaos Sutra recently, so her body has become much stronger. She will be fine." Lan Xiao Ling explained.
"Aunt Ling, then how old were your seventh spirit rings?" Ye Liangchen asked curiously.
"My seventh ring was thirty-eight thousand years old, while my sister's was forty thousand years old. Su Lin's seventh ring is considered very high in age."
"That giant crocodile was actually pretty good too."
"It was, but the forty-two-thousand-year Blue Flood Dragon was even better."
Lan Xiao Ling discussed the two Soul Beasts with Ye Liangchen and felt happy for Su Lin.
Lan Xiao Die stood at a distance, standing guard for Su Lin. When she saw the giant crocodile's spirit ring gradually dissipating in the distance, she sighed. "What a pity. Such a good spirit ring."
At that moment, Lan Xiao Die walked to the giant crocodile's corpse and carefully sensed it with Soul Power. Her eyes suddenly lit up. She immediately took out a large knife from her Soul Tool and began dissecting the crocodile.
A quarter of an hour later, a glowing Spirit Bone appeared, radiating powerful Soul Power.
"A Spirit Bone."
Lan Xiao Ling cried out and pulled Ye Liangchen over to Lan Xiao Die's side.
"Aunt Lan, a thirty-eight-thousand-year Left Arm Spirit Bone. Our luck is incredible."
Over the past two years, Ye Liangchen had read many books and learned a great deal about the different types of Spirit Bones. This Left Arm Spirit Bone was also a strength-type one.
"Yes! On this trip to the Star Dou Forest, we not only obtained perfect spirit rings for Little Chen and Su Lin, but also gained a Spirit Bone."
"Sis, that Blue Flood Dragon might have a Spirit Bone too."
"Right. Let us check immediately."
The group quickly went to the Blue Flood Dragon's corpse. Su Lin was still working hard to absorb the spirit ring, so, not wanting to disturb her, the sisters carried the Blue Flood Dragon's body farther away.
"Let us be quieter. We absolutely cannot disturb Su Lin."
"Buzz, buzz..."
The sisters used their Soul Power to sense every part of the Blue Flood Dragon's body. In the next moment, their eyes brightened, and they cried out in unison, "Another Spirit Bone!"
Seeing two Spirit Bones drop in a row, Ye Liangchen could not help sighing inwardly. Could this be the luck brought by my cheat? Even the people around me are benefiting from it?
The appearance of the Spirit Bone thrilled the Lan Xiao Die sisters. In the end, they extracted a Right Leg Spirit Bone from the Blue Flood Dragon's corpse, also a strength-type one.
The two Spirit Bones were thirty-eight thousand and forty-two thousand years old respectively. If auctioned off, they could each sell for at least tens of millions of Gold Soul Coins.
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