Absorbing the Mutant Thousand-Year Soul Ring, Defying the Heavens

Ghost Douluo Gui Mei released his hands.

The mountain-like Dark Nightmare Demon Tiger slammed heavily onto the scorched earth in front of Su Chen.

It splashed up a patch of foul-smelling mud.

This two-thousand-five-hundred-year-old soul beast, possessing an ancient mutated bloodline, was now in a wretched state.

Its skull was severely dented from a kick by Yue Guan.

Its two thick forelegs had been snapped clean off.

White, jagged bone fragments pierced through its black fur.

Dark red blood flowed across the ground.

Yet, even so, the Demon Tiger had not completely perished.

Its scarlet beastly eyes stared fixedly at the approaching Su Chen.

Its gaze was filled with extreme resentment and violence.

It opened its blood-red maw, which burned with black flames.

A rumbling, threatening growl emanated from its throat as it attempted to unleash a mental shockwave with its final strength.

An invisible black mental shockwave erupted from the center of the Demon Tiger's brow, heading straight for Su Chen's brain.

"Holy Son, watch out!"

Yue Guan called out a warning from the side.

He was just about to strike to disperse the mental shock, but Su Chen did not even blink.

The Million-Year Head Soul Bone in his mind flickered slightly, and a tangible mental barrier instantly formed before him.

Bang.

The black mental shockwave collided with the barrier, shattering instantly like an egg hitting a solid city wall.

The Demon Tiger suffered a mental backlash, blood streaming from its seven orifices as it let out a cry of extreme agony.

"You ignorant beast."

Su Chen's eyes were cold.

He raised his left hand, and thick black mist roiled in his palm.

The God-Slaying Magic Spear, imbued with the ultimate attributes of darkness and destruction, instantly condensed into shape.

Dark red dragon-scale patterns shimmered along the spear shaft, radiating a terrifying pressure that made one's heart tremble.

Su Chen did not hesitate in the slightest.

He gripped the spear shaft, aimed at the Demon Tiger's sunken skull, and thrust it down with all his might.

Puchi.

The sharp spear tip met no resistance, piercing directly through the Demon Tiger's hard skull and completely pulverizing its brain.

The Demon Tiger's massive body twitched violently twice before going completely limp on the ground, devoid of any vital signs.

Following the death of the Demon Tiger, Specks of deep purple light began to converge above its corpse.

They eventually coalesced into a deep-hued purple spirit ring, its surface even burning with a faint layer of black demonic flames.

This was a mutated spirit ring of two thousand five hundred years.

The energy fluctuations it emitted.

Were even more violent than those of a standard three-thousand-year spirit ring.

The temperature of the surrounding air plummeted abruptly.

A suffocating aura of destruction spread in all directions.

Yue Guan stared at the deep purple spirit ring hovering in mid-air.

A fine layer of cold sweat seeped from his forehead.

"Your Highness Holy Son, have you truly considered this carefully?"

Yue Guan could not help but speak up once more.

"The energy purity of this spirit ring is far too high, and it carries a corrosive attribute. Once absorbed into the body, this corrosive energy will act directly upon the inner walls of your meridians."

Gui Mei also furrowed his brows tightly.

"Yue Guan is right. While we can interrupt the absorption process, if the energy erupts too violently in an instant, we might not even be able to protect your meridians in time."

Faced with the repeated warnings of the two Titled Douluo.

Su Chen merely waved his hand indifferently.

"Guard me."

"Without my command, no matter what happens, you are not to intervene."

Su Chen's tone carried an irresistible majesty.

He walked to the corpse of the Demon Tiger.

And sat cross-legged directly on the blood-soaked, scorched earth.

He laid the God-Slaying Magic Spear horizontally across his knees.

His eyes closed slightly.

His breathing gradually became long and steady.

The Chaos God-Demon Art within his body began to run at full speed.

The black and white vortex at his dantian accelerated its rotation.

Drawing in the energy from the outside world.

Come.

Su Chen chanted silently in his heart.

He raised his right hand.

His spirit power transformed into a thread.

Precisely guiding the deep purple spirit ring in mid-air.

The spirit ring shuddered slightly.

Then, it transformed into a stream of purple-black light.

It settled directly over Su Chen's head.

And slowly pressed downward along his body.

BOOM.

The moment the spirit ring made contact with Su Chen's body.

An indescribably violent surge of energy.

Like a burst dam, it flooded madly into his body through his pores.

This energy was laced with extreme brutality and intense corrosiveness.

The black brocade robe on Su Chen's body was instantly shredded by the violent air currents.

Revealing his well-proportioned, sturdy upper body.

A layer of dark purple demonic patterns immediately surfaced on his skin.

His originally fair skin turned crimson.

Blood vessels bulged beneath his skin like coiling dragons.

As if they were about to burst at any moment.

Su Chen gritted his teeth tightly.

Blue veins stood out prominently on his forehead.

The tearing sensation radiating from his meridians.

Far exceeded the pain he had felt when consuming the Marrow Cleansing Pill previously.

The Marrow Cleansing Pill was a gentle transformation.

Whereas the soul power of this Mutated Demon Tiger was pure destruction.

It frantically scoured the inner walls of Su Chen's meridians.

Attempting to completely destroy this body that did not belong to it.

"Damn it. The energy is too violent."

Yue Guan watched from ten meters away, his heart leaping in terror.

His hands had already condensed golden soul power.

Ready at any moment to forcibly sever the connection between Su Chen and the soul ring.

"Wait."

Gui Mei pressed down on Yue Guan's wrist.

"Look at his body."

Yue Guan looked closely.

He discovered with shock.

That although Su Chen's meridians had been stretched to their limit.

To the point where fine beads of blood were seeping out from his skin.

Those blood vessels showed no signs of rupturing.

It was as if a resilient force existed within Su Chen's body.

Hardly bearing the brunt of this destructive impact.

It was precisely the perfect body reshaped by the Marrow Cleansing Pill that was playing its part.

If it were an ordinary six-year-old child.

Even a genius with Innate Full Soul Power.

Within the first breath of contact with this energy.

Their meridians would have already shattered inch by inch.

Inside Su Chen's body.

The Chaos God-Demon Art operated frantically.

The black and white vortex transformed into a massive grinder.

Forcibly crushing the violent Demon Tiger energy surging into his body.

Stripping away the impurities within.

Converting it into the purest dark soul power.

Continuously injecting it into the God-Slaying Magic Spear resting on his knees.

The God-Slaying Magic Spear emitted a joyful humming sound.

The dark red dragon scale patterns on the spear shaft seemed to come alive.

Greedily devouring this extreme dark power of the same origin.

Just as the collision within his physical body gradually reached a balance.

A more terrifying crisis descended.

The unwilling resentment of the 2,500-year-old mutated soul beast after its death.

Transformed into an illusory black giant tiger.

Following the soul power connection.

It charged directly into Su Chen's Sea of Consciousness.

This was the most lethal hurdle of absorbing a high-age soul ring beyond one's rank.

Many soul masters who barely managed to endure the physical strain.

Were the ones whose souls were scattered by the resentment of the soul beast at this stage.

Turning into idiots.

The black giant tiger roared within Su Chen's vast and boundless Sea of Consciousness.

It opened its massive maw.

Attempting to devour Su Chen's soul origin.

"A mere wisp of a remnant soul, yet you dare to act wantonly on my turf."

Su Chen's consciousness sneered within the Sea of Consciousness.

The Million-Year Head Soul Bone hovering above the Sea of Consciousness suddenly erupted with brilliant golden light.

A massive, tangible force of spiritual power, shocking to the point of absurdity.

In an instant, it transformed into a colossal golden sword that reached from the heavens to the earth.

The giant sword made no flashy movements.

Carrying the absolute pressure of a superior being.

It slashed down directly upon the roaring black giant tiger.

Bang.

In the face of this spiritual force, which even a Titled Douluo would have to temporarily avoid, the Dark Nightmare Demon Tiger's soul resentment did not even have time to let out a scream.

It was split in two by the golden giant sword.

Following this, it instantly dissipated into specks of light filling the sky.

It was thoroughly transformed into nourishment for the Sea of Consciousness.

Outside.

Su Chen's tightly furrowed brows suddenly relaxed.

The look of pain on his face gradually vanished.

The originally violent and rampaging purple-black soul ring.

At this moment, it became incomparably docile.

It slowly contracted.

Finally, it tightened securely around Su Chen's body.

Accompanied by a low hum.

The soul ring stopped pulsing.

It had completely stabilized.

Su Chen suddenly opened his eyes.

His left pupil had turned into a deep, pure black.

An unprecedentedly powerful aura erupted violently from within his body.

This aura whipped up the dust and fallen leaves on the ground.

Forming a black tornado several meters high.

Yue Guan and Gui Mei were forced to take two steps back.

The eyes of the two peak Douluo were filled with incredulous shock.

"He actually succeeded."

Yue Guan's voice was trembling.

"A twenty-five-hundred-year first soul ring. And it's a mutated Dark Nightmare Demon Tiger."

"This has completely exceeded the scope of human cognition. That theory of Yu Xiaogang's is nothing but a massive joke in front of the Holy Son."

Gui Mei took a deep breath.

"Not only did he succeed, his aura is more than just a little bit stronger than before. The level twenty bottleneck has been completely shattered. He has now gained the qualifications to break through to a Soul Grand Master."

Su Chen slowly stood up.

He felt his entire body filled with explosive power.

The medicinal efficacy of the Marrow Cleansing Pill had been further stimulated during the process of absorbing the soul ring.

His bones and meridians had been widened and reinforced once more.

His current raw physical strength.

Had definitely approached the terrifying threshold of three thousand jin.

"Ding."

The system's mechanical prompt sounded in Su Chen's mind right on cue.

"Congratulations to the host for successfully absorbing a twenty-five-hundred-year mutated soul ring beyond your level."

"God-level selection mission completed."

"Rewards being distributed."

"Host's dark attribute affinity has been increased to one hundred percent."

"The first soul skill of the God-Slaying Magic Spear has automatically evolved into a growth-type god-level skill: Endless Dark Prison."

"Soul Power Level increased by two levels. Current Soul Power: Level 22."

Su Chen felt the soul power within his body surging once again.

He lowered his head to look at the God-Slaying Magic Spear in his left hand.

On the originally pitch-black shaft of the spear.

An arcane, deep purple pattern had emerged.

That was the skill imprint bestowed by his first soul ring.

Not only that.

Under the enhancement of his one hundred percent dark attribute affinity.

Su Chen felt a strange resonance between himself and the energy lurking in the dark corners of this forest.

It was as if he were the very embodiment of darkness.

Just as Su Chen prepared to test the power of his first soul skill.

A sudden change occurred.

The pale purple poisonous miasma that had previously only covered the perimeter of the basin suddenly began to churn violently.

The few remaining rays of sunlight in the sky were completely blotted out.

The surrounding light dimmed to the extreme in an instant.

It was as if night had fallen prematurely.

An ancient and evil aura.

Descended upon the basin without any warning.

This aura was different from the pure, violent rage of the Dark Nightmare Demon Tiger.

Instead, it carried an extreme chill that seemed capable of freezing the soul.

Yue Guan and Gui Mei's expressions changed drastically.

Without a moment's hesitation, they summoned their nine soul rings.

The two of them instantly stood in front of Su Chen.

Facing a formidable enemy.

"Old Ghost, this aura is not right."

Yue Guan held the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum in his palm.

His gaze was locked tightly onto the black clouds in mid-air.

"This is definitely not something that should exist in the outer perimeter. It is at least a top-tier evil beast of over fifty thousand years."

Black mist swirled around Gui Mei's body.

"It is coming for the Holy Son. The trace of ancient bloodline within the Dark Nightmare Demon Tiger has been triggered, drawing the attention of some old monster from the depths of this forest."

In mid-air.

The churning black clouds began to collapse inward.

Vaguely.

A black phantom, dozens of meters tall, slowly took shape within the clouds.

The phantom looked down at the three people below from its vantage point.

Two blood-red lights, resembling ghost fires, ignited on the phantom's face.

They locked directly onto Su Chen below.

An irresistible sense of oppression, as heavy as a physical mountain, pressed down.

Even the thick, ancient trees within a hundred meters began to groan and snap under the weight of this pressure.