Ma Xiaotao muttered under her breath.
She had actually guessed right.
The Soul Beasts protected in the core region at least obeyed Di Tian's commands.
But this Azure Blood Dragon Beast relied on the Dragon race bloodline in its body and paid no heed to those in the core region. It didn't even take the Ferocious Beasts seriously, and devoured every Soul Beast that passed through its territory.
It hadn't even spared the young ones.
If Di Tian hadn't considered the trace of Dragon race bloodline in its body, he would have taught the creature a lesson long ago.
Now that the old fellow was under attack by humans, the other Soul Beasts were naturally enjoying the show.
Di Tian swept his gaze over the perimeter but said nothing, simply waiting quietly.
This battle clearly wouldn't end so quickly.
Even with Xuan Zi and Yan Shaozhe joining forces against the Azure Blood Dragon Beast, the battle still wouldn't end soon. After all, the Azure Blood Dragon Beast was a turtle-type Soul Beast, with an exceptionally powerful defense.
The two could only work together, wearing it down with the burns inflicted by the Bright Phoenix.
The battle lasted two days and three nights.
Only then did they finally gravely wound the Azure Blood Dragon Beast, which had been hiding in its shell. Without someone delivering the final blow, it might have taken several more days for the creature to die completely.
Xuan Zi and Yan Shaozhe had also exhausted their Soul Power.
Xuan Zi had even sustained injuries.
But he didn't care about such minor wounds. He only looked at Ma Xiaotao in the distance and gave a cold snort, calling her back through telepathy. Then he spoke to Lu Heqiu in an ill-tempered voice.
"You picked this Soul Beast!"
"I'd like to see how you plan to obtain its Soul Ring!"
"A hundred thousand years, and you actually dared to choose a hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast! I could hand you a knife, and you wouldn't even know how to take its life. So tell me, how are you going to absorb its Soul Ring?"
Xuan Zi showed no mercy at all as he spoke. Even though he was facing a child, his tone remained harsh. He really didn't believe this little fellow could absorb it.
Yan Shaozhe stood beside him without saying a word.
He also wanted to see what Lu Heqiu would do.
The first step in hunting a Soul Ring was to kill the Soul Beast with your own hands. Only a Soul Master who had ended a Soul Beast's life was qualified to absorb its Soul Ring. But this little fellow didn't even have a Soul Skill yet. Hunting a Soul Ring was nothing short of a pipe dream.
Hand him a knife?
What a joke!
Aside from the famous carving knives listed on the rankings,
what kind of knife could pierce the body of this Azure Blood Dragon Beast, let alone end its life?
Faced with Xuan Zi's roar, Lu Heqiu merely pointed down, indicating that Ma Xiaotao should take him to the ground. Ma Xiaotao picked Lu Heqiu up, and she was also somewhat annoyed with Xuan Zi.
He was a child, but did that make you a child too, Elder?
Yelling like that...
Ma Xiaotao carried Lu Heqiu down and set him in front of the Azure Blood Dragon Beast. By now, it was already at death's door, with wounds all over its body. Half its head stuck out of its shell, and it no longer had the strength to pull it all the way back in.
There were several wounds on its head: burns inflicted by Yan Shaozhe's Bright Phoenix, and gashes from Xuan Zi's Godly Taotie Bull attacks.
Ma Xiaotao took a short knife from her Soul Tool and handed it to Lu Heqiu, gesturing for him to try stabbing one of the Azure Blood Dragon Beast's wounds. If he couldn't even pierce an existing wound, there was probably no hope.
Lu Heqiu didn't take the short knife Ma Xiaotao offered. Instead, he staggered over to the Azure Blood Dragon Beast.
He took a quick look.
Then his seemingly harmless little hand shot straight toward one of its wounds!
The wound, already oozing emerald-green blood, was punched into a small crater by Lu Heqiu. The Azure Blood Dragon Beast's tightly shut eyes trembled from the pain.
Lu Heqiu didn't stop. He switched hands and punched the wound again.
His little hands alternated, moving so fast that they blurred.
Each punch whipped up a gust of wind, making the Azure Blood Dragon Beast shudder.
Xuan Zi's mouth twitched. He always had a habit of treating the little fellow like an ordinary person, but he hadn't realized this kid wasn't ordinary at all!
Even before his seal was undone and his Martial Soul awakened, his strength had already surpassed Dai Yueheng's.
Now that the seal had begun to leak and his Martial Soul had awakened, how could this kid be ordinary!?
Yan Shaozhe's expression relaxed a little. Xuan Zi was probably about to eat his words. A knife really couldn't get in; forcing one inside might even snap the blade. Yet this little fellow was actually beating the Azure Blood Dragon Beast to death with his fists!
What could anyone say to that?!
A blood-red Soul Ring appeared above the Azure Blood Dragon Beast.
It marked the complete downfall of the Azure Blood Dragon Beast, which had reigned supreme in the Star Dou Great Forest for a hundred and twenty thousand years.
Lu Heqiu's hands had turned emerald green, clearly drenched all the way up his arms in the Azure Blood Dragon Beast's blood. He didn't care in the slightest. Instead, he licked the blood from his hands. This was blood that carried Bi An's bloodline!
It was a tremendous tonic for anyone!
Lu Heqiu wolfed down several mouthfuls. Just as he was about to keep drinking, Xuan Zi picked him up again.
"What are you doing, kid?"
"A Soul Ring only remains for a limited time after a Soul Beast dies."
"If you don't hurry up and absorb it, it'll disappear!"
Lu Heqiu looked at Xuan Zi disdainfully and pointed at the Soul Beast's body. Xuan Zi didn't understand, but Ma Xiaotao, who knew Lu Heqiu extremely well, understood what he meant.
"Elder Xuan."
"The little fellow means..."
"Shouldn't we dig out the Soul Bone first?"
Lu Heqiu nodded repeatedly, leaving Xuan Zi even more baffled. It was true that a Soul Ring and Soul Bone from the same Soul Beast could have the greatest effect when absorbed by the same person, but who absorbed a Soul Bone before a Soul Ring?
A Soul Ring could disappear, but a Soul Bone wouldn't!
Yan Shaozhe, standing nearby, understood Lu Heqiu's meaning too after Ma Xiaotao translated for him.
"Elder Xuan."
"The little fellow wants to strengthen his physique with a Soul Bone before absorbing the Soul Ring. That would be safer for him."
As soon as Yan Shaozhe finished speaking, Xuan Zi waved a hand, his voice clearly even angrier.
"Outrageous!"
"Can he absorb a Soul Bone in an hour!?"
"Absorbing the Soul Bone means he'll have to give up this Soul Ring!"
Yan Shaozhe, however, wore a relaxed smile.
"If he can't, then he can give it up."
"Absorbing a Soul Bone is much less dangerous than absorbing a Soul Ring. If something goes wrong, as long as it's a limb Soul Bone, the worst that can happen is that the little fellow loses a limb."
"That's still better than exploding to death, isn't it?"
As he spoke, Yan Shaozhe used a Soul Skill to divide the Azure Blood Dragon Beast's body and began searching for the Soul Bone it had produced. He didn't waste even its blood, collecting it in several huge glass bottles to take back to the academy.
As the light faded,
Yan Shaozhe's expression darkened again.
"It seems even this Soul Bone..."
"...is beyond the little fellow's ability to absorb!"
Before you continue