And at that moment...
The instant he stepped into the Star Dou Great Forest, the stench of rotting vegetation rushed into Ning Feng's nostrils.
Ning Feng looked extremely wary.
He knew this was the most dangerous place on the entire Douluo Continent. The slightest lapse in caution could cost him his life on the spot.
So he didn't dare let his guard down for a moment.
He advanced carefully, keeping an eye on his surroundings as he began searching for Soul Beasts that suited him.
As for his third Soul Ring, he had already settled on a clear plan.
In fact, that much was evident from the first two Soul Rings Ning Feng had chosen—
He had consistently chosen Soul Rings that could enhance his own abilities.
He had figured it out long ago.
He could replace offensive Soul Skills entirely by developing abilities on his own.
For example, if Tang San hadn't absorbed the Mandala Snake Soul Ring ten thousand years ago, would his Blue Silver Grass really have been unable to Bind people?
Ning Feng thought that was impossible. It was the sort of thing anyone could learn with a little practice.
What's more, the potential of Self-Created Soul Skills was actually very high. During Douluo II, neither Huo Yuhao's Self-Created Soul Skills nor Ji Juechen's Self-Created Soul Skills were in the least bit weaker than the Soul Skills they could have obtained from Soul Beasts.
But there was one thing Self-Created Soul Skills couldn't do: they couldn't grant Soul Masters the same sort of self-enhancing abilities as Soul Beast Soul Skills.
That was why Ning Feng didn't intend to absorb any "offensive Soul Rings."
His plan was to use all his Soul Rings to "enhance himself."
That way, in actual combat, he could use Soul Beast Soul Skills to raise his stats, then fight his opponents with Self-Created Soul Skills.
This would allow him to raise his potential to the greatest extent.
So...
Ning Feng had set his sights on several specific Soul Beasts—
The Explosive Tiger, the Mountain-Moving Ape, or the Berserk Lion.
These Soul Beasts were renowned in the Soul Beast Realm for their strength and explosive power. Their bloodlines contained genes that could unleash violent boosts.
If he absorbed one of their Soul Rings, there was a good chance he'd gain an enhancement-type Soul Skill that could continuously boost all his attributes or his strength.
"They're just a little rare..."
"Hope things go smoothly."
Ning Feng made his way slowly through the dense forest.
He spread his six arms slightly, keeping them poised to strike at any moment, while doing his best to silence his footsteps.
However, the vastness of the Star Dou Great Forest exceeded his expectations.
He spent several days wandering its outer reaches. Though he encountered quite a few Soul Beasts, most were either too weak or completely unsuited to his needs.
Finding the right Soul Beast was far more tedious and dangerous than he'd imagined.
It wasn't until dusk on the fifth day, as Ning Feng was preparing to find a hidden hollow in a tree to spend the night, that a cold, rank wind swept out of the bushes ahead.
He stopped, his body tensing instinctively.
He pushed aside the dead branches blocking his way, and his pupils contracted sharply.
Less than thirty meters ahead of him lay a huge pit.
Standing around it were more than a dozen Shadow-Stalking Wolves, each several hundred years old. Their bodies were pitch-black, and their eyes glimmered with a faint green light.
Worse still, he was directly downwind. His scent had already given him away.
The dozen or so Shadow-Stalking Wolves slowly turned around, and low growls followed.
"Awoooo—!"
The lead wolf let out a shrill howl.
The next second, the pack sprang into action.
They quickly spread out, fanning around Ning Feng to encircle him.
The huge wolf leading the pack was the fastest. Its paws touched the ground without a sound as it became a black blur, lunging straight for Ning Feng's throat.
"Looks like I can't avoid this."
Ning Feng's gaze hardened, and the Soul Power he'd been building up within him erupted in an instant.
"Three Heads and Six Arms, activate!"
As his Soul Power surged violently, Ning Feng's body transformed in an instant.
His shoulders swelled, and two new heads emerged, their eyes opening as they tracked the blind spots on either side.
At the same time, four arms shot out from beneath his armpits. Together with his original arms, they formed a formidable stance.
"First Soul Skill, Three Saints Suppress the World!"
"Second Soul Skill, Six Paths Control Heaven!"
One yellow and one purple Soul Ring spun wildly beneath his feet, their dazzling light illuminating the dark corner of the forest.
Under the boost of the two Soul Skills, Ning Feng's muscles creaked with a grating sound. All his attributes increased by forty percent, and then his strength rose by another eighty percent.
"Get lost!"
The lead wolf had already pounced within striking distance, its foul stench washing over him.
Ning Feng snorted coldly and punched with both arms raised to meet it head-on.
The first punch struck the Shadow-Stalking Wolf squarely in its open jaws.
With a sharp crack, the wolf's teeth—powerful enough to bite through steel—were smashed to powder by the force of the blow.
The second punch followed immediately, slamming into its forehead.
The powerful fist force tore straight through it. The lead wolf didn't even have time to howl before its head burst like a smashed watermelon, its lifeless body hurled several meters away.
But the pack wasn't frightened off.
Several more Shadow-Stalking Wolves seized their chance and leaped at him from the flanks.
The fists on either side of Ning Feng swung in turn, each punch carrying the force to shatter a mountain. Every wolf that lunged at him was struck down with precision.
Just then, a cunning Shadow-Stalking Wolf used its companions as cover to circle silently behind Ning Feng. It opened its jaws wide and lunged for the back of his neck.
An ordinary Soul Master might have struggled to react in time to an attack from behind, but Ning Feng had three heads.
The head at the back clearly caught the wolf's movement.
"Six Extremes: Collapse Fist!"
The two arms behind Ning Feng whipped backward, his fists tracing an odd arc through the air.
The force of the punches was compressed, making no great sound. But the instant his fist hit the Shadow-Stalking Wolf in the chest, that force erupted inside it.
The wolf's body abruptly caved inward midair. Its bones shattered, and it crumpled to the ground.
The battle reached a fever pitch.
Ning Feng was like a precise killing machine, his six arms striking in turn as his fists swept through the forest.
He wasted no movement. Every punch was aimed at maximum efficiency.
Before long, the ground was carpeted with wolf corpses, and purple-black blood stained the weeds.
A few minutes later, the last Shadow-Stalking Wolf breathed its last beneath Ning Feng's heavy fist.
Ning Feng dismissed his Martial Soul and stood amid the corpses, his chest rising and falling slightly.
Though the battle hadn't lasted long, the intense Soul Power expenditure and concentration had left him somewhat tired.
"It's finally over..."
"No, I need to get out of here. Quickly."
He let out a deep breath and prepared to leave the blood-soaked area at once to find somewhere else to stay.
But at that very moment, something unexpected happened.
The sky above the once-bright forest suddenly darkened without warning.
An indescribable pressure descended from above. Then the vast, ethereal voice of an old man thundered directly in Ning Feng's ear.
"With the sun and moon in my grasp and the stars at my fingertips, none in this world can compare to me!"
"I never thought that I, Electrolux, would still have a remnant soul left in this world!"
"Ha ha ha ha!"
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