That roar still echoed through the forest, and the air had already grown scorching hot.
Yan Lingji drew in her aura and silently slipped through the bushes, heading toward the sound.
She passed through the brambles, and the sight before her made her pupils contract.
It was a clearing in a valley, low-lying and surrounded by rocks.
The vegetation had been destroyed by the battle, leaving the ground charred black. The air was thick with the smell of sulfur and dust.
Two colossal beasts were locked in a fight to the death at the center of the clearing.
On the left stood a huge wolf, crimson from head to toe—
Three meters tall and six meters long, its entire body wreathed in nearly white flames. The air warped from the heat.
The Crimson Flame Sky Wolf, a twenty-thousand-year Soul Beast and the overlord of fire-type wolves.
On the right stood an even larger monster—
A cross between a giant bear and a pangolin, its body covered in thick, ochre scales, its limbs stout as pillars.
The Earth Rock Armor Beast, a twenty-thousand-year Soul Beast of pure earth attribute, with astonishing defenses.
At that moment, the two Soul Beasts were locked in a fierce stalemate.
The Crimson Flame Sky Wolf's fire could not burn through the Earth Rock Armor Beast's scales, while the latter's claws repeatedly struck empty air.
Both Soul Beasts had sustained serious injuries.
The Crimson Flame Sky Wolf's left hind leg had been ripped open, and deep claw marks scored its belly.
The Earth Rock Armor Beast's right eye had been gouged out. The scales on its left foreleg had cracked, slowing its movements.
Crouching behind a thicket, Yan Lingji curled her lips. "So this is the snipe and clam fighting that Master was talking about?"
"The fisherman naturally profits."
"Should we wait until they've nearly worn each other out before we strike?"
"Just as I'd hoped."
The two stayed hidden in the shadows, quietly watching the fight to the death.
But they weren't wasting their time—
A tentacle reached the corner of Yan Lingji's mouth.
She gave the tentacle, which looked like a Supreme Bone, a flirtatious glance, then parted her red lips.
As she savored it, she continued watching the battle.
It was just like snacking on melon seeds while watching a show.
As long as her master didn't start using Phantom Dragon Impact, she could still bear it.
The Crimson Flame Sky Wolf pounced again, gathering a ball of blazing white fire in its mouth and shooting it out with a thunderous blast.
The fireball slammed into the Earth Rock Armor Beast's back, exploding in a dazzling burst of light.
The Earth Rock Armor Beast let out a pained roar. Several scales on its back were blasted away, exposing bright red flesh.
It suddenly kicked off with its hind legs and rammed its head into the Crimson Flame Sky Wolf's belly.
The Crimson Flame Sky Wolf couldn't dodge in time. It was sent flying, tumbling several times before coming to a stop, with another horrifying wound now carved into its belly.
Both Soul Beasts were at the end of their strength.
The Crimson Flame Sky Wolf's flames had dimmed, and its body trembled;
The Earth Rock Armor Beast was breathing hard, blood frothing at its mouth.
"Almost," Jiang Ce whispered.
Yan Lingji nodded, battle lust rising in her eyes.
She soundlessly stepped out from the thicket, two pitch-black Venom swords taking shape in her hands.
The two Soul Beasts noticed the intruder almost simultaneously, but it was already too late.
Yan Lingji darted past like a ghost. A flash of sword light—and the Crimson Flame Sky Wolf's head flew off, blood gushing out.
With a swift spin, she flung one of her Venom swords. It flew straight into the Earth Rock Armor Beast's intact eye and pierced its brain.
The Earth Rock Armor Beast gave a muffled groan and crashed to the ground.
Two moves, and two twenty-thousand-year Soul Beasts were dead.
Yan Lingji put away her Venom swords and walked over to the Crimson Flame Sky Wolf's corpse.
A black Soul Ring slowly rose from the corpse—the ring of a twenty-thousand-year Soul Beast.
Yan Lingji sat cross-legged and guided the Soul Ring toward herself.
The black Soul Ring descended, and a vast, violent energy surged into her body.
This was her first Soul Ring since becoming a Soul Master, and it was a twenty-thousand-year one.
The Soul Ring's energy battered her meridians, bones, and every inch of her flesh.
Yan Lingji clenched her teeth. Fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead, and her face flushed red, then went pale.
But her body had been strengthened by Venom, and in the end, she still managed to tame this energy.
Yan Lingji cultivated the Fire Charm Technique, which tempered her mental strength. On top of that, Jiang Ce had tripled her stats, increasing her capacity, quality, and quantity by threefold.
In the end, the Crimson Flame Sky Wolf's resentment could only be obediently refined.
The Soul Ring completely merged into her
Yan Lingji opened her eyes, a flash of reddish-gold light gleaming in them.
She slowly raised her hand. A ball of fire gathered in her palm, tinged with a golden-white sheen and astonishingly hot.
"First Soul Skill—Flame Spirit Possession."
All attributes increased by 200%, with an additional 100% fire damage. Soul Power consumption decreased by 20%. Duration: two hours.
Yan Lingji murmured, and the flames suddenly surged, enveloping her whole body.
She could feel her strength, speed, defense, and mental power—every attribute had received a tremendous boost.
"Wonderful." Yan Lingji put out the flames and stood up, her Soul Power surging within her.
She closed her eyes and sensed her level. She had been at the threshold of level fifty-four, but after absorbing this twenty-thousand-year Soul Beast, she had broken through to level fifty-six, gaining more than two levels at once.
Jiang Ce didn't waste any time. Black tentacles instantly wrapped around the corpses of both Soul Beasts.
Devouring began.
Blazing Breath: Shoots out high-temperature fireballs, dealing 300% fire damage on hit.
Flame Core Body: Increases fire-type attack by 30% and fire resistance by 60%.
Bloodline Wolf King Pressure: Suppresses all attributes of lower-level enemies by 15%.
Rock Armor Protection: Increases physical defense by 120% and energy defense by 80%.
Earth Vein Resonance: Increases strength by 40% and health recovery speed by 300%.
Pulse Shockwave: Deals 100% area damage and knocks enemies back.
Jiang Ce added these skills to his collection.
His devouring limit increased accordingly—
The two twenty-thousand-year Soul Beasts contributed two thousand years each, for a total of four thousand years.
Jiang Ce's current limit had reached fifteen thousand years.
Yan Lingji received one-tenth of the feedback—four hundred years' worth of Soul Beast age.
Warm energy surged into her body again.
Yan Lingji had just finished absorbing her Soul Ring when this new power gave her another push—level fifty-seven.
"Hm?" Yan Lingji paused, then smiled. "Master, you've fed me another bite."
"How does it feel?"
"Delicious." Yan Lingji licked her lips. "I'm level fifty-seven now. From level fifty-two to fifty-seven, and in just two days."
"Let's keep moving," Jiang Ce said calmly.
Yan Lingji nodded and was about to set off when her gaze suddenly sharpened. She looked toward a nearby tree.
A few strands of silvery-white web clung to its trunk, glinting faintly in the sunlight.
"Master, look."
Spider silk.
It had a metallic sheen and extraordinary tensile strength.
Based on the memories of the mercenary he'd devoured, this was the webbing of a Man Faced Demon Spider.
A must-have for transmigrators: the External Soul Bone, Eight Spider Lances!
"Follow it," Jiang Ce said quietly, his voice tinged with urgency.
Yan Lingji didn't ask questions. She darted after the trail of webbing.
The strands grew denser, stretching from the ground into the treetops before vanishing into the depths of the forest.
Rustling sounds came from ahead, mixed with low, rumbling cries.
Yan Lingji silently parted the leaves—
In the clearing ahead, a huge black spider crouched over a Soul Beast's corpse, tearing into it.
Its body stood nearly two meters tall, supported by eight long, sharp legs, each pointed tip glinting coldly.
Its back was covered in a black carapace, with the faint outlines of human faces appearing across it—
Twisted and savage, like a human face contorted in agony.
A two-thousand-year Man Faced Demon Spider.
Yan Lingji immediately swung her sword and cut it down.
"Check its corpse and see if it really has Eight Spider Lances."
"Yes!"
Before you continue