Qin Heng landed steadily, put away the Asura Magic Dagger, and let out a long breath. His Fifth Soul Ring was about to be his.
To prevent any accidents while absorbing the Soul Ring, such as the other Titan Giant Ape returning.
Qin Heng hoisted the Titan Giant Ape's corpse onto his shoulder and ran all the way from the Core Zone to the Mixed Zone of the Star Dou Great Forest.
He found the nest of a ten-thousand-year Bear-type Soul Beast in the Mixed Zone. After driving away the Earth Explosion Bear, Qin Heng set down the Titan Giant Ape's corpse and began absorbing his Fifth Soul Ring.
A 58,000-year Fifth Soul Ring was just right for Qin Heng at his current level. Absorbing it put him under some pressure, but not much.
In just two hours, he had completed the absorption and obtained a fifth soul skill called Gravity Control. (It had been introduced before, so there was no need to elaborate here.)
Absorbing a Soul Ring beyond his limit allowed Qin Heng to leap straight to level 53.
Afterward, he eagerly inspected the Titan Giant Ape's corpse. The moment he did, Qin Heng froze, because he had actually discovered a Soul Bone.
It was a Left Arm Bone—a 58,000-year Titan Giant Ape Left Arm Bone. It was unquestionably a rare treasure.
However, Qin Heng had high standards for his Soul Bones. He had only fused with the Wisdom Skull of Mental Condensation because it could greatly increase his spiritual power, helping him better control his External Soul Bone and manipulate his clones.
Therefore, even though this Soul Bone shared the same origin as his Fifth Soul Ring, he had no intention of absorbing it.
After storing the Soul Beast in his Storage Ring, Qin Heng began testing his fifth soul skill.
Following a week of experiments, he could already wield his fifth soul skill as easily as his own arm.
Then Qin Heng activated Shift Shadow and vanished from the Star Dou Great Forest in the blink of an eye.
After using Shift Shadow several times in succession, Qin Heng returned to the small courtyard he rented.
Having acquired his Fifth Soul Ring, Qin Heng's ability to preserve his life had greatly increased. His courage grew accordingly, and he began using his clone to spy on the White Tiger Duke Mansion.
Compared to the original body, Qin Heng's clone possessed an exceedingly convenient ability: it could alter its build and appearance. After all, it was a clone formed from Soul Power and spiritual power, so Qin Heng could mold it however he pleased.
Qin Heng molded the clone into the appearance of a seven- or eight-year-old child, used spiritual Simulation to conceal its Soul Power aura, and often controlled it to wander around in front of the White Tiger Duke Mansion.
About a week later, the clone finally encountered Douluo II's Child of Destiny, Huo Yuhao.
Huo Yuhao should have been eight years old this year, yet he looked only six or seven. Before the age of ten, even a single year made an enormous difference for children.
Huo Yuhao was clearly malnourished. His body was extremely thin and frail, as though a breeze could knock him over.
"Qin Heng" silently activated Illusion Pupil and observed him for a while, confirming that Huo Yuhao's Soul Power Level was just over level 6.
"Qin Heng" did not rashly approach Huo Yuhao. He merely wanted to use this Child of Destiny to completely confirm the timeline. Previously, he had only made some guesses about it, but seeing Huo Yuhao now finally allowed him to verify them.
"Tormented throughout his childhood in the White Tiger Duke Mansion, with his mother even murdered by the Duchess. After gaining some strength in cultivation, he still didn't wipe out that filthy White Tiger Duke Mansion. He even let Dai Hao become emperor. More tragically, he brought that heartless bastard Dai Hao to the God Realm. God King Tang's dog chain really is tight!" "Qin Heng" sighed, and the clone promptly dissipated.
He had no intention of helping Huo Yuhao, nor did he intend to leave any contingencies on him. Their only intersection would probably be fighting over Electrolux!
"Speaking of Electrolux, it seems I need to obtain the Spirit-Devouring Carving Knife. Without it, I'm afraid it'll be difficult to steal Electrolux away." Thinking of this, Qin Heng decided to lie in wait for the Annual Grand Auction at the Starlight Auction House.
He specifically went to make inquiries and confirmed that the Starlight Auction House's Annual Grand Auction would take place in two months.
However, the Annual Grand Auction was not an event just anyone could attend. Such a grand auction was invitation-only, and anyone wishing to participate had to find a way to obtain an invitation.
This was no difficult matter for Qin Heng. The 58,000-year Titan Giant Ape Left Arm Bone in his possession was perfect for the task.
The next day, Qin Heng created a clone, had it wear a black robe, covered its entire body with spiritual power, and headed straight for the Starlight Auction House.
The Starlight Auction House was a top-tier auction house directly under the Star Luo Empire's royal family. Located in the Core Zone of Star Luo City, it was one of the auction institutions with the highest standards and greatest number of treasures on the continent. Its entire exterior was built from Starlight Crystal, making it resemble a crown of stars at night; inside, it was magnificently decorated and divided into multiple floors and halls.
It was not uncommon for someone like Qin Heng, dressed entirely in black robes, to seek entry to the Auction House. As long as they possessed the appropriate credentials, they could enter. Unfortunately, Qin Heng had none, so he was stopped.
"Please hold, sir!" a guard of the Auction House called out, blocking Qin Heng.
Qin Heng said nothing and directly unleashed the spiritual pressure of a Titled Douluo.
The Auction House immediately fell into chaos. Before long, a Titled Douluo flew out from within the Starlight Auction House.
This Titled Douluo had thick knuckles and skin with a metallic sheen. With such distinctive features, he was undoubtedly Giant Strength Douluo Cheng Gang, the man the Ice Empress had called the weakest Titled Douluo in the original work.
Cheng Gang stared gravely at "Qin Heng," who was concealed beneath the black robe. Mainly because "Qin Heng's" spiritual power was too strong; Cheng Gang believed his own spiritual power was far inferior to "Qin Heng's."
"My friend, this old man is Giant Strength Douluo Cheng Gang, State Protector Douluo of the Star Luo Empire. May I ask whether you have business at our Starlight Auction House?"
"This old man wishes to auction a Soul Bone." As he spoke, "Qin Heng" flipped his right hand, producing a specially made leather pouch.
Cheng Gang relaxed upon hearing that. So he was here to do business. That made things easy.
"My friend, may I ask how old this Soul Bone is, which part it is, and what Soul Beast produced it?"
"It is 58,000 years old. It is a Left Arm Bone, produced by a Titan Giant Ape."
"What?! A 58,000-year Titan Giant Ape Left Arm Bone?!" Cheng Gang could not help crying out. Then he looked greedily at the leather pouch in "Qin Heng's" hand.
Even the Auction House guards and some nearby Soul Masters could not help looking toward the leather pouch in "Qin Heng's" hand.
"Qin Heng" snorted coldly and slowly rose into the air. Spiritual pressure swept outward, and the guards outside the Auction House, along with some nearby Soul Masters with comparatively weak spiritual power, fainted one after another beneath it.
Cheng Gang immediately sensed that things were going badly. His gaze instantly cleared. "My friend, I mean no harm. Please calm down!"
"Qin Heng" snorted. "I heard that the Starlight Auction House of the Star Luo Empire had always conducted business with integrity, which was why I brought this Soul Bone here for consignment. I never expected such petty behavior. At this rate, this old man might as well make the trip to the Sun Moon Empire."
With that, "Qin Heng" turned and flew away.
"Your Excellency, please wait!" At that moment, a Blue-Eyed Woman of peerless beauty emerged from the Starlight Auction House. She possessed an air of nobility and often wore a lavish palace dress; at a glance, she was clearly no ordinary person.
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