Dragon Mane

Wang Chuan eyed the Dragon-Headed Jackal King with a strange expression.

The pack of Red-Headed Jackals he had observed earlier possessed cultivation levels of no more than forty thousand years.

As for the leader of such a pack, Wang Chuan had subconsciously assumed it would have at least that level of cultivation, and given its Sub-Dragon bloodline, its combat power should be comparable to a Soul Douluo, making for a fierce battle.

But now, face-to-face with his opponent, Wang Chuan realized his estimate was wildly off.

According to the intelligence provided by the Ge Clan, the criteria for judging a Dragon-Headed Jackal King before ten thousand years of age were the same as for the Red-Headed Jackals.

However, once they surpassed ten thousand years, a scale would appear on the mane of their neck; each additional scale signified another ten thousand years of cultivation.

As for further details, the books did not say.

It was unclear whether the Ge Clan had intentionally omitted them or if this type of Spirit Beast was so rare that the Ge Clan's own intelligence was pitifully scarce.

Yet, the Dragon-Headed Jackal King before him had only a single scale on its neck!

This meant that this creature, with only ten thousand years of cultivation, was ruling over a pack of Red-Headed Jackals consisting of over a dozen ten-thousand-year Spirit Beasts.

Wang Chuan certainly did not believe this was dominance brought about by bloodline.

Because for these brutal creatures, or indeed the vast majority of Spirit Beasts, strength was far more authoritative than bloodline.

Otherwise, beings like the Sky Azure Bull Python or the Titan Giant Ape would not have ended up being raised by Xiao Wu's mother.

After this brief exchange, Wang Chuan not only confirmed that the creature possessed mental attributes, but its physical attack strength was also not inferior to those sixty or seventy-thousand-year Spirit Beasts, which was already comparable to the combat power of a Soul Douluo.

But one had to remember, according to the intelligence provided by the Ge Clan.

The creature in front of him was merely a ten-thousand-year Spirit Beast!

Its potential was almost catching up to a Titan Giant Ape!

That was why Wang Chuan felt his estimate was so incredibly off.

However, this also meant that the opponent would surely provide him with a powerful Spirit Ring and would even contribute to the transformation of Golden Scale. Furthermore, since its cultivation was under twenty thousand years—far below his original worst-case scenario—absorbing it would be an absolute breeze.

With that, Wang Chuan began to smile happily.

Seeing the creature currently biting down on him, Wang Chuan subconsciously felt that the fastest way to end the fight was to use internal destruction techniques to blow the creature apart from the inside.

But Wang Chuan quickly dismissed this brutal idea.

After all, if he really did that, the Dragon-Headed Jackal King would end up in pieces, and he wouldn't be able to maximize the use of its resources.

Wang Chuan's gaze sharpened, and he activated his Observation Haki.

Through their close-quarters contact, Wang Chuan locked directly onto the opponent's heart.

Six Styles: Finger Pistol!

The Finger Pistol, wreathed in Armament Haki, struck out fiercely, instantly piercing the body of the Dragon-Headed Jackal King.

Compared to the Titan Golden Python from before, the Dragon-Headed Jackal King, with only canine-like skin for defense, had negligible defensive power. Combined with its smaller size, Wang Chuan pierced its heart with a single strike.

Feeling the excruciating pain from its heart, the Dragon-Headed Jackal King glared in disbelief.

It had only just become the leader of the jackal pack, only just become the hegemon of this region, and now it was dying—it was so unwilling... ah...

But no matter how much resentment the Dragon-Headed Jackal King felt, the total destruction of its vital heart had already sealed its fate.

Finally, under the influence of the laws of heaven and earth, a black Spirit Ring slowly condensed and emerged.

Wang Chuan did not rush to absorb it, however; he grabbed the Dragon-Headed Jackal King and headed back toward the direction of the previous battle at high speed, collecting the remaining corpses of the Red-Headed Jackals.

Immediately after, Wang Chuan rushed toward the location of Zhao Wuji.

Including the time Wang Chuan spent watching the show, the entire battle had lasted less than fifteen minutes.

This was not because the Red-Headed Jackals were weak; their strength was evident from how they had surrounded and slaughtered the Copper-Armored Giant Elephants without giving them a chance to fight back.

It was simply that the power Wang Chuan unleashed in that instant was too monstrous, and it was an area-of-effect skill that killed them in droves.

However, Zhao Wuji did not take any of this to heart.

He was simply relieved to see his boss return safely.

Wang Chuan was still in no hurry to absorb the Spirit Ring, as the duration a Spirit Ring could persist increased with its age; he had plenty of time to prepare.

Upon seeing Zhao Wuji, Wang Chuan said directly.

"Old Zhao, the objective is achieved. Let's scram."

Zhao Wuji immediately followed Wang Chuan, sprinting rapidly along the path they had already scouted and cleared of danger.

Eventually, the two arrived at a safe spot they had chosen earlier.

It was a small, dark cave on the shaded side of a hill, where not a blade of grass grew.

After greeting Zhao Wuji, Wang Chuan ducked inside, blocked the cave entrance with stones, and began to summon Golden Scale to refine the Spirit Ring.

The moment it appeared, Golden Scale communicated impatiently with Wang Chuan, and the pitch-black ten-thousand-year Spirit Ring settled onto its body.

In an instant, surging spirit power, just like before, rushed from Golden Scale directly into Wang Chuan's body.

Throughout this process, Wang Chuan felt no discomfort; he only felt a warm sensation spreading throughout his entire body.

Outside, the body length of Golden Scale once again experienced a leap in growth, reaching ten meters and nearly filling the entire small cave to the point of bursting.

Other than that, there were no major changes to Golden Scale, though red dragon manes slowly began to grow along its neck, giving it the true majesty of the legendary Eastern divine dragon.

In the blink of an eye, half a day passed, and Wang Chuan slowly opened his eyes.

The ten-thousand-year Spirit Ring had been successfully refined.

As for the Soul Shock that usually accompanies the refining of a ten-thousand-year Spirit Ring?

Wang Chuan realized he had underestimated himself earlier.

The mental attack formed by the mere remnant soul of the Dragon-Headed Jackal King was no different from a light scratch to him now.

However, after regaining his composure, Wang Chuan thought it made sense.

He hadn't even feared the mental attacks of the Dragon-Headed Jackal King in its prime, so what was a mere remnant soul?

Noticing Wang Chuan's awakening, Golden Scale leaned its head—now a size larger—closer, rubbing against him as eagerly as a puppy.

Caught off guard, Wang Chuan was almost knocked over.

But Wang Chuan did not blame it; instead, he stroked Golden Scale's head, a look of satisfaction appearing in his eyes as he sighed with emotion.

"You've grown again, Golden Scale. It seems the path we chose is the right one, even if the process is a bit winding.

But I believe you will definitely grow into a Five-Clawed Golden Dragon that soars through the nine heavens."

Afterward, Wang Chuan connected with Golden Scale's mind, feeling a bit curious about what spirit skill this ten-thousand-year Spirit Ring could provide, though he didn't hold much hope in his heart.

Because, just like Luo Sanpao, Wang Chuan always felt that these spirit skills weren't prepared for him.

Golden Scale's first spirit skill was named Golden Power, which could increase its strength attribute by one hundred percent for half an hour.

Soon, things went as Wang Chuan had expected; Golden Scale's second spirit skill was indeed not for his own use either.

It was named Roaring Dragon Rage, a sonic-type mental attack spirit skill, which likely evolved from the mental attack the Dragon-Headed Jackal King had used against him earlier.