45,000 Years of Crimson Flame Golden Phoenix Eagle! Aurora Golden Phoenix Seal! Refining Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower, Level 40!

To the southeast, in a region of scorching volcanic rock.

Huang Yan retracted his Eight Phoenix Wings and landed steadily, his gaze locked onto a giant bird ahead, its entire body wreathed in crimson flames.

"Forty-five thousand years?"

Huang Yan raised an eyebrow, a cold sneer tugging at the corner of his mouth:

"No wonder it could resonate with my bloodline; it turns out there is a trace of pure Fire Phoenix blood within its body."

"Skree--!"

The Crimson Flame Golden Phoenix Eagle stared fixedly at Huang Yan, letting out a greedy, piercing shriek.

It could sense that if it devoured the human before it, its bloodline would undergo a complete metamorphosis!

"Want to eat me?"

Huang Yan scoffed in disdain, his eyes brimming with murderous intent:

"I'm afraid you don't have the life for it!

It just so happens I'll use you to test my newly acquired Eight Phoenix Wings!"

Before the words had even faded, the eight golden wings on Huang Yan's back snapped open, and he transformed into a streak of golden lightning, exploding forward.

"Phoenix Wing Heaven Slash!"

Huang Yan let out a low shout.

Extremely blinding golden blades of light instantly condensed along the edges of the eight wings.

With a shrill whistle that tore through the air, he slashed fiercely toward the Crimson Flame Golden Phoenix Eagle!

"Boom--!"

The crimson flames the Crimson Flame Golden Phoenix Eagle took such pride in crumbled instantly like paper before the ultimate fire of the Bright Phoenix!

"Skree!"

A miserable, shrill cry echoed through the heavens.

In a single exchange, the defenses of the Crimson Flame Golden Phoenix Eagle were completely shredded, its massive body smashed violently into the rocks as blood sprayed wildly.

"Pathetic."

Huang Yan looked down at the dying giant bird from above, his tone indifferent:

"Absolute bloodline suppression, combined with the power of an External Soul Bone—killing you is like slaughtering a dog."

Huang Yan raised his hand, and a cluster of brilliant golden flames danced in his palm.

"It's over. Be a good boy and become my soul ring!"

The golden flames roared out, instantly engulfing the Crimson Flame Golden Phoenix Eagle completely.

A moment later, a deep black soul ring slowly emerged from the charred corpse.

"A forty-five-thousand-year-old ten-thousand-year soul ring. Just right."

Huang Yan nodded in satisfaction and sat down cross-legged.

"Next, it is time to absorb the soul ring."

Huang Yan closed his eyes, guiding the black soul ring to settle over his body, and began to refine it with all his might.

Half an hour later.

The black light swirling around Huang Yan gradually receded, merging completely into his body.

Huang Yan slowly opened his eyes, feeling the soul power surging like a river within him, and a satisfied arc tugged at his lips.

"Level thirty-nine."

Huang Yan clenched his fist, feeling the strength filling his body, and chuckled:

"A nine-level jump in one go; that was within my expectations."

Huang Yan did not feel the slightest bit surprised by this exaggerated leap in levels.

"A forty-five-thousand-year-old ten-thousand-year soul ring contains an immense amount of energy to begin with."

Huang Yan muttered to himself, his eyes flashing with brilliance:

"Furthermore, when I originally used the fifty-thousand-year origin to possess Ma Hongjun and reshape this body, that vast energy was not completely exhausted. A large portion of that foundation remained hidden within me, and now it has naturally converted into soul power.

With the two combined, it is perfectly reasonable that I surged directly from level thirty to level thirty-nine."

The soul power increase brought about by absorbing a soul ring beyond one's level is not actually as exaggerated as many people think.

One must know that when Tang San absorbed his fourth ten-thousand-year ring, he only increased by one level.

After stretching his body slightly, Huang Yan moved his mind, and the third deep black soul ring beneath his feet suddenly lit up.

"Not only did my soul power skyrocket, but this Crimson Flame Golden Phoenix Eagle also brought me a rather powerful third soul skill."

Huang Yan raised his right hand.

A blinding crimson-gold flame instantly compressed within his palm.

It transformed into a shimmering golden phoenix seal, radiating a heart-stopping aura of destruction.

"Third Soul Skill, Aurora Golden Phoenix Seal!"

Huang Yan sneered and slammed the light seal in his hand toward the hard volcanic rock wall in the distance.

"Boom--!"

A deafening explosion rang out, and the solid rock wall was instantly blasted into a massive, deep crater.

Terrifying golden waves of fire, mixed with extreme heat, swept wildly in all directions, melting everything in their path.

An incredibly terrifying single-target burst; upon impact, it triggers a wide-range burning effect of the Bright Phoenix fire.

Its power is directly linked to the strength of my Phoenix Fire.

The stronger I am, the greater the power of my Phoenix Fire, and the more devastating this third soul skill becomes!

Very good!

Once I reach the Soul Saint realm, the power of this Aurora Golden Phoenix Seal will be comparable to the ninth soul skill of an average Title Douluo!

Huang Yan looked at the destruction before him and clapped his hands in satisfaction.

"Very good, I am only one step away from level forty."

Huang Yan retracted his martial soul, flipped his wrist, and retrieved the immortal herb Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower from his storage ring.

"I am only one level away from level forty; rather than wasting time on bitter cultivation, I might as well use this immortal herb to break through the bottleneck directly."

Huang Yan looked at the immortal herb in his hand, a mocking smile curling his lips:

"Tang San, my apologies, but I will be accepting the treasures within the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well without any hesitation."

"Originally, this thing was meant for Ma Hongjun to purify his evil fire, but now, it is merely nourishment for me to break through to level forty!"

Without any hesitation, Huang Yan stuffed the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower into his mouth, chewed, and swallowed it.

He then sat cross-legged once more, circulating his soul power to begin refining it.

The immortal herb melted upon contact, turning into an extremely pure fire-attribute medicinal force that instantly surged through his meridians to every limb and bone.

For Huang Yan, who possessed the top-tier Bright Phoenix bloodline, this immortal herb did not need to purify any bloodline impurities; he only needed to greedily devour the vast energy contained within it.

A mere half-hour later.

"Hum--!"

A surge of soul power, far more formidable than before, erupted from Huang Yan, shattering the surrounding gravel into dust.

He slowly opened his eyes, exhaled a breath of scorching, turbid air, and golden light flickered in his eyes.

"Level forty, achieved as naturally as water flowing into a channel."

Huang Yan stood up and stretched his limbs, listening to the cracking sounds from within his body, and smiled with satisfaction.

"Not only has my soul power reached level forty, but after the baptism of the immortal herb, my physical constitution and meridian strength have been elevated to a new level."

"Now, even if I were to absorb a 70,000-year limit soul ring, there would be absolutely no risk."

Huang Yan raised his head, his gaze once again cast toward the depths of the Star Dou Great Forest, recalling the two other directions he had sensed through his bloodline earlier.

"Due north, and northwest..."

Excitement and greed flickered in Huang Yan's eyes as he muttered to himself:

"I wonder what surprises the remaining two pieces of prey will bring me?"

Huang Yan sneered, and eight dazzling golden phoenix wings instantly unfurled from his back.

"Don't be impatient, I'm coming for you now."

"Fourth soul ring, here I come!"

As his voice fell, Huang Yan did not linger for a moment.

He transformed into a brilliant streak of golden light, tearing through the air as he sped directly toward the north.