Undying Body: Etherealization! Death Scythe Blade: Burst! Golden Crocodile: Could Qian Yu already rival a Titled Douluo?

A flicker of satisfaction crossed Qian Yu's eyes.

"Just as I thought."

He increased the pressure, condensed his Soul Power into a blade, and sliced off his left pinky at the root.

The instant the severed finger hit the ground, a dark golden light flared brightly.

The finger turned into a cloud of dark golden mist and shot back to Qian Yu, merging with the light at the stump.

In the blink of an eye, his pinky had regrown, completely unharmed.

Qian Yu flexed his finger. It moved as nimbly as before, without the slightest stiffness.

"Even if my body is battered to pieces, it can still reassemble..."

Qian Yu murmured to himself, gaining a clear understanding of the Soul Skill's life-saving power.

"As long as my opponent isn't a god, they can never truly kill me while I'm in the Undying Body state."

This Soul Skill was exactly like Bibi Dong's [Undying Body] in the original story.

But Qian Yu could feel that, because he possessed Twin Martial Souls and two Ultimate Attributes,

the Soul Skill seemed even stronger when used by him.

"Next, [Undying Body: Etherealization]."

With a shift in his thoughts, the flow of his Soul Power suddenly changed.

His body began to blur, its edges spreading like ink soaking into water.

Before long, he had become a dark golden humanoid mass of energy, shimmering with light yet entirely lacking physical substance.

Qian Yu looked down at his hands, now transformed into energy, and tried reaching his right hand into the stone table before him.

His arm sank into the tabletop without resistance, as though the hard bluestone were nothing but an illusion.

He withdrew his hand, took out an iron dagger, and slowly thrust it toward his chest.

The dagger sank into his energy-form body. There was no blood, no wound, not even the slightest resistance.

Qian Yu took stock of how he felt.

His Soul Power was steadily draining, but quite slowly.

"With my Soul Power reserves at level eighty-six, I can maintain this ethereal state for half an hour without a problem."

Qian Yu ended the etherealization, and his body solidified again.

"Like the other life-saving divine skill, an energy-form body is completely immune to physical attacks and can greatly weaken energy attacks, too."

"Unless my opponent can directly annihilate the source of my Soul Power, then—"

The corners of Qian Yu's mouth lifted slightly.

"Then I'm just as immortal."

One Undying Body Soul Skill let him reassemble and regenerate on a physical level; the other let him evade and weaken attacks on an energy level.

Together, they complemented each other perfectly.

"Worthy of a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring."

Qian Yu marveled inwardly.

"These two Soul Skills alone are enough to make me invincible in battles against Titled Douluo."

He withdrew his Soul Rings and shifted his attention to his arms.

The Hundred Thousand Year Death Spider Emperor left and right arm bones had each granted him a Soul Skill, too.

And both Soul Bones had the same Soul Skills.

Qian Yu rose to his feet and held his arms out to either side.

"Hundred Thousand Year Death Spider Emperor Left Arm Bone Soul Skill!"

Dark golden light surged from his left arm, and the entire limb began to transform.

His muscle fibers rearranged, his bones stretched and warped, and a pitch-black layer of armor formed across his skin.

In the blink of an eye, his left arm transformed into a massive black scythe!

Its blade was long and sleek, its curve sharp, and its edge glinted with a chilling light, as though it could cut through anything in the world.

"Hundred Thousand Year Death Spider Emperor Right Arm Bone Soul Skill!"

[Death Scythe Blade]!

The same transformation took place on his right arm.

Within moments, Qian Yu's arms had vanished, replaced by two enormous black scythes connected to his body.

The blades trembled slightly, giving off a low hum.

Qian Yu tried swinging his arms.

Or rather, swinging the two giant scythes.

Black arcs flashed through the quiet chamber, slicing the air with a sharp whine.

He stepped forward and slashed with both scythes crossed.

Two black blades of light shot from the scythes, carving a pair of intersecting gashes an inch deep into the chamber wall.

That wall was built of special stone, strong enough to withstand a Soul Douluo's full-powered strike.

"What razor-sharp blades of light..."

Qian Yu looked at the marks on the wall and nodded to himself.

"If a basic swing has this much power, then if I infuse it with Soul Power..."

Qian Yu didn't continue testing. The chamber couldn't withstand his full strength.

"Second Soul Skill!"

Qian Yu shifted his thoughts again.

Dark red patterns spread across both giant scythes, running along their blades like blood vessels.

A violent surge of Soul Power emanated from them.

[Death Scythe Blade: Burst]

The effect of this Soul Skill was simple.

It detonated both giant scythes at once.

The powerful explosion could block an enemy's attack and inflict devastating damage.

Of course, the drawback was just as clear.

Both scythes would shatter, and it would take time for them to recover.

"With my current Soul Power, restoring them at full strength would take about the time it takes an incense stick to burn."

Qian Yu dispelled the transformation in his arms. The giant scythes slowly shrank, turning back into normal arms.

"Six Soul Skills: two for survival, two for close combat, and one for a burst of power!"

Qian Yu flexed his fingers with satisfaction.

"Combined with the Ultimate Darkness Attribute of my Dark Sacred Dragon,

even against a Super Douluo, I'm confident I can defeat them!"

"And if I add the Ultimate Fire of my Blazing Angel Martial Soul..."

A glimmer of anticipation flashed through Qian Yu's eyes.

But soon, he pushed the thought aside.

"No rush. I'll master these six Soul Skills first."

Qian Yu sat cross-legged again and began practicing how to switch between the six Soul Skills and combine them.

Time slipped quietly by in the chamber.

Outside the window, night deepened.

In the depths of Spirit Hall's dungeon, a man with a deathly pale face huddled in a corner, muttering a certain name to himself.

In another place, inside an elegantly furnished bedchamber,

a purple-haired girl sat by the window, gazing at the night sky, lost in thought.

The three-day countdown had begun.

Qian Yu remained completely unaware of it.

Or rather, he didn't care in the slightest.

His world had always held only cultivation and godhood.

As for women?

"My senior brother insisted on foisting her on me..."

During a break from practicing his Soul Skills, Qian Yu thought of that stubborn, aloof figure and shook his head.

"Then I'll keep her."

"Besides—"

Qian Yu summoned two pitch-black giant scythes again.

"There's nothing in this world that I, Qian Yu, can't hold on to."

Atop Offering Mountain.

Qian Yu summoned the Six-Winged Blazing Angel, took flight with a flap of his wings, and gripped the Blazing Angel Sword.

He looked mighty and imposing.

The elemental energies of fire, holiness, and light blazed forth.

Inside the Worship Hall.

Qian Daoliu sensed that familiar presence, opened his eyes, and smiled.

"My dear disciple, you're here."

Qian Yu landed in front of the hall. With a thought, the doors swung open.

He returned his Martial Soul to his body and strode inside with a smile.

"Teacher, venerable elders."

Qian Yu looked around and greeted them with a cupped fist and a smile.

"Haha, Qian Yu, after your seclusion this time, you might already be strong enough to rival a Titled Douluo, right?"

Golden Crocodile looked Qian Yu up and down and laughed heartily.

"Big brother told us all about it."

"An eighth Soul Ring that's a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring, and two Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bones!"

"Tsk, tsk, this is the first time I've ever seen a Soul Beast drop two Soul Bones at once!"

"And Hundred Thousand Year ones at that!"