Cyclops Nest

He acquired two Soul Rings in succession.

Long Zhanye was thrilled beyond measure.

However.

Not only did Old Man Gu show no intention of leaving, but an even more fanatical gleam flashed in his eyes.

"Since we're already here and have gotten two decent Soul Rings... why not pull off something big before we leave?"

He lowered his voice and pointed toward a remote corner deeper within the habitat. "When I was scouting over there just now—"

"I saw a Cyclops whose right leg had been severed at the root. It was an old injury, and it could barely move. It looked like it had been badly injured by some natural enemy and had only barely made it back."

"I estimate its cultivation at... at least forty thousand years! Strike while it's down and take its life! The three of us will go together and end this quickly!"

Fortune was found amid danger!

The three exchanged glances, all stirred by the bold plan, and quickly made their way toward the direction Old Man Gu had indicated.

Soon.

They found their target in a desolate corner piled with discarded bones and rocks.

It was an exceptionally massive Cyclops, but its right leg was missing from the root. Though the wound had healed, it had left behind a hideous scar.

It could only rely on its left leg and a thick stone club to barely support itself as it moved, looking utterly wretched.

As the three silently drew near, the crippled Cyclops seemed to sense the danger.

Fear appeared in its huge single eye as it let out a low, warning whimper.

It even tried to prop itself up with its stone club and limp deeper into the habitat.

But how could its crippled body escape three agile humans who had come prepared?

"Attack!" Old Man Gu shouted in a low voice. This time, he actually revealed his Martial Soul first!

His entire right arm suddenly swelled, muscles bulging as dense blue-black patterns like scales emerged over its skin.

His whole arm emanated a heavy aura, yet one tinged with decay.

His Martial Soul was his entire right arm!

However.

What surprised Long Zhanye was—

When the Soul Rings beneath Old Man Gu's feet lit up one after another—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black...

Two more Soul Rings slowly rose after those six!

These two Soul Rings were a dull grayish white!

Like faded old cloth, they carried no trace of Soul Power fluctuations or pressure, merely floating there in silence.

They formed a stark and bizarre contrast with the six gleaming Soul Rings before them.

"This... this is..." Long Zhanye was shocked.

He had never seen or been able to understand such a situation. Why did a Soul Emperor have eight Soul Rings?

And why were the final two such strange gray rings?

Seeming to notice Long Zhanye's confusion, Zhua Yun quickly explained in an extremely low voice.

"Master's Martial Soul is his right arm. It was originally quite ordinary, but he became obsessed with alchemy and researching Martial Souls."

"For centuries, he repeatedly tempered this arm with countless rare medicines and special methods. It has long since been transformed, its toughness and power far surpassing that of an ordinary arm."

"He calls it—the 'Qilin Arm.'"

Zhua Yun's tone carried a trace of heaviness. "As for why Master is now a Soul Emperor but has eight Soul Rings..."

"That is because Master was once a Soul Douluo-level powerhouse."

"A Soul Douluo?!" Long Zhanye's heart jolted.

Zhua Yun nodded, lowering his voice further. "Unfortunately, later, because of..."

"Certain reasons, Master's cultivation suffered a devastating blow and plummeted all the way to his current level sixty-seven. It could never be restored."

"The Soul Rings that should have been his seventh and eighth also lost their luster, becoming the kind of 'Dead Rings' you see now."

"They can no longer provide Soul Skills or attribute boosts. They are merely proof that they once existed... no more than decorations."

His cultivation had plummeted?!

Those four words struck Long Zhanye's heart.

They immediately reminded him of how his father, Long Yufeng, had stagnated in cultivation due to heart disease, as well as how his own Martial Soul had been crippled and he had nearly become a useless man.

A pang of shared misery, along with an even deeper doubt, surged through him.

What had this knowledgeable, unfathomably capable Elder Gu encountered back then to fall from a Soul Douluo to this state?

Long Zhanye could not help asking, "Elder Gu, back then he..."

"Don't ask!" Zhua Yun interrupted Long Zhanye, something he rarely did, his tone resolute.

A flash of pain and deep taboo passed through his eyes. "This matter... is Master's greatest taboo. Do not mention it again."

Seeing Zhua Yun's reaction, Long Zhanye's heart tightened. He knew there had to be some unspeakable secret behind it.

So he immediately fell silent and buried his questions deep inside.

At this moment.

Old Man Gu was already swinging his extraordinary "Qilin Arm."

Like a humanoid beast, he charged fiercely at the crippled Forty-Thousand-Year Cyclops!

Although his Soul Power was only at the Soul Emperor level, the sheer force unleashed by that arm, tempered through countless trials, was terrifying!

His fist wind howled. Every blow was as heavy as a mountain, smashing into the Cyclops's arms with muffled booms.

Though the Cyclops had the foundation of forty thousand years of cultivation, it was badly wounded and crippled. It likely could not even use thirty percent of its full strength.

Under Old Man Gu's savage assault, it could only endure the blows passively, roaring in fury and pain yet unable to mount an effective counterattack.

Its rough skin was smashed open and torn apart, and even its bones had become warped.

Zhua Yun and Long Zhanye also swiftly joined the battle, harassing and attacking from the sides.

Under the siege of the three, the pitiful crippled Cyclops was soon beaten to within an inch of its life and collapsed to the ground.

At last, Long Zhanye stepped forward and delivered the final blow with the Azure Underworld Dagger.

What followed was the absorption of this Forty-Thousand-Year Soul Ring.

This time, the Soul Ring's energy was even more immense. Long Zhanye sat cross-legged, focused completely, and guided the impact of Soul Power.

It took nearly five full hours.

By the time daylight had fully broken and bright morning light spread across the eastern sky—

He finally succeeded in drawing the Soul Ring into his body!

Success! His third Soul Ring, forty thousand years!

Not only that, the vast Soul Ring energy pushed his Soul Power another great step forward, directly raising it to level fifty-two!

However.

Before he could properly savor the joy of success, Old Man Gu's expression suddenly changed.

He anxiously looked toward the entrance of the basin, where heavy footsteps like muffled thunder seemed to be gradually gathering!

"Not good! It's daylight! Those Cyclopes that went out to forage are starting to return!"

"Leave, now! We must get out before they return to the nest in large numbers!"

"Quick! Quick! Quick!"

Old Man Gu urged them repeatedly, his voice carrying an unprecedented tension.

The two no longer had time to worry about anything else. They immediately retreated madly toward the outskirts of the habitat along the route they had come from, moving as fast as they could.

Behind them.

The footsteps of the returning Cyclopes grew closer and louder, driving them to flee for their lives...