Third Soul Ring, Ten Thousand Year Golden Earth Dragon King, Xuan Zi is Causing Trouble Again

Mu Tianyi had never hated flying more than he did right now.

The wind poured into his mouth, pulling his skin back, his tears flying sideways; he felt like a tattered flag whipping in a gale.

He wanted to open his mouth to shout "slow down," but the moment he did, the wind stuffed his mouth full, choking back every sound.

Xuan Zi remained completely oblivious, clutching Mu Tianyi by the back of his collar. The gray mist beneath his feet churned more violently, and his speed surged once more.

He even began to hum a little tune, having completely forgotten that he was still carrying a nine-year-old child.

Mu Tianyi gave up struggling.

About half an hour later, Xuan Zi finally slowed down above a small town and descended slowly.

This was a supply point on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest, specifically for soul masters to rest and recuperate before hunting soul beasts.

The town was small, but it had everything—inns, blacksmith shops, and herb stores—with the air thick with a coarse, earthy scent of human life.

The two decided to rest here before entering the Star Dou Great Forest the next day.

The next day, Star Dou Great Forest.

"Tianyi, regarding your third soul ring, Mu En spoke to me yesterday. He has picked three soul beasts for you; you choose."

Mu Tianyi's spirits lifted at these words.

Xuan Zi counted on his fingers: "The first is a ten-thousand-year Bright Unicorn."

"That thing has a very pure light attribute and high compatibility with your martial soul. The soul skill will likely be a light-based buff or an offensive type."

Mu Tianyi nodded, not rushing to make a decision.

"The second is a twelve-thousand-year Overlord Dragon." When Xuan Zi mentioned this, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes. "That thing is fierce, with an incredibly heavy aura of slaughter."

"If you absorb its soul ring, it will at least grant you a power-attack soul skill and enhance your combat presence."

"The third—" Xuan Zi paused, his tone becoming more solemn, "is a fifteen-thousand-year Golden Earth Dragon King."

"The Golden Earth Dragon King possesses the bloodline of the legendary Golden Dragon, and this one even carries a trace of the Bright Sacred Dragon bloodline."

Xuan Zi looked back at him and grinned. "Xuan Zu said this is the one he recommends most."

"It shares the same origin as the Golden Earth-Scaled Dragon of your second soul ring, providing bloodline continuity."

Mu Tianyi pondered for a moment.

The Bright Unicorn was too specialized; that kind of buff-oriented path wasn't what he wanted.

The Overlord Dragon was fierce enough, but its aura of slaughter was too heavy, clashing somewhat with the holy nature of his Bright Sacred Dragon.

As for the Golden Earth Dragon King...

Bloodline continuity, attribute compatibility, and it could complement his second soul ring perfectly.

"That's the one." Mu Tianyi looked up, the light and shadows of the forest reflected in his dark eyes. "Grandpa Xuan, I want the Golden Earth Dragon King."

Xuan Zi nodded in understanding, wearing an expression that said, "I knew you'd pick this one."

"Alright, keep up. Grandpa Xuan will take you there."

The Golden Earth Dragon King lived on the edge of the ten-thousand-year soul beast mixed zone, in a relatively open hilly area.

Although Xuan Zi's sensory perception wasn't as terrifying as Mu En's, his strength as a ninety-eighth-level Super Douluo was undeniable; the distribution of soul beasts within a radius of several miles was perfectly clear to him.

In less than half an hour, he had locked onto the target.

"Over there."

Mu Tianyi looked in the direction Xuan Zi was pointing.

At the end of the hills, a massive dragon-shaped soul beast was coiled atop a giant rock.

Its entire body was covered in golden scales, each one like molten gold, refracting dazzling light under the sun.

It was a full three times larger than the Golden Earth-Scaled Dragon Mu Tianyi had hunted before.

Its limbs were thick as pillars, a row of sharp golden bone spurs rose along its spine, and a pair of vertical pupils scanned its territory coldly.

The sheer pressure of the dragon race radiating from it made the low-level soul beasts in the vicinity silent as cicadas; there wasn't a living thing within hundreds of meters.

"How about it? Good enough?" Xuan Zi stood beside Mu Tianyi, arms crossed, looking smug.

Mu Tianyi took a deep breath, suppressing the thumping of his heart. "More than enough."

"Then wait here."

As soon as Xuan Zi finished speaking, he vanished from where he stood.

Mu Tianyi's vision blurred.

He only saw a gray shadow streak across the hills.

In the next instant, that majestic Golden Earth Dragon King was struck as if by a massive mountain, its entire body crashing to the ground with a thunderous boom!

Boom!

Its colossal frame slammed into the earth, sending a sky-filling cloud of dust billowing into the air.

The Golden Earth Dragon King let out an angry roar, struggling to stand, but Xuan Zi kept one foot planted firmly on its head, remaining completely motionless.

A level 98 Super Douluo against a 15,000-year soul beast—it was just that unreasonable.

"Come on, Tianyi!" Xuan Zi beckoned to Mu Tianyi, his tone casual. "Hurry up, Grandpa is getting hungry."

The corner of Mu Tianyi's mouth twitched slightly as he trotted over.

Pinned to the ground, the Golden Earth Dragon King fixed its golden vertical pupils on the approaching Mu Tianyi, emitting a low, threatening growl.

Ignoring its gaze, Mu Tianyi stopped two steps away from the soul beast, took a deep breath, and slowly raised his right hand.

Two purple soul rings rose from beneath his feet, rotating slowly around him.

Behind him, the Bright Sacred Dragon martial soul condensed into a majestic, pale golden dragon shadow, its sacred aura spreading outward like a tidal wave.

The Golden Earth Dragon King's pupils constricted violently.

It felt a suppression emanating from the depths of its bloodline.

Even with 15,000 years of cultivation, it still felt instinctive fear when facing the higher-level Bright Sacred Dragon.

Mu Tianyi did not hesitate.

His first soul ring lit up: Sacred Dragon Rending Sky Claw.

Pale golden dragon scales covered his right arm, his fingers curled into claws, and sharp light condensed at his fingertips.

He stepped forward, raised the dragon claw high—

And brought it down.

Puchi—

The golden dragon claw pierced through the skull of the Golden Earth Dragon King, clean and decisive, killing it in a single blow.

The soul beast's struggles ceased instantly, and those golden vertical pupils lost all their luster.

A black soul ring slowly rose from the corpse.

Mu Tianyi withdrew his hand and stepped back, unable to hide the excitement in his eyes as he gazed at the black ten-thousand-year soul ring.

Hiss...

Such explosive power, truly terrifying.

Xuan Zi stood to the side, sighing with emotion.

Subconsciously, he flipped through the accounts of his own past in his mind.

Could he have achieved this when he was at the three-ring stage?

After thinking for a moment, Xuan Zi shook his head, a wry smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

Well, no comparison.

He pulled the wine gourd from his waist, flicked the wooden stopper open with his thumb, and tilted it back to pour into his mouth.

Two drops fell from the mouth of the gourd, and then nothing.

Xuan Zi smacked his lips, turned the gourd over, and peered through the opening.

It was completely empty inside.

"Damn, how is there no wine left?" He shook it stubbornly, then felt around in the food bag he carried, but it was also flat.

"The food is bottoming out too... Sigh, relying on these surrounding soul beasts, they're either tough as wood or mushy with no chewiness. How is a man supposed to live?"

Xuan Zi muttered with a distressed face, his gaze sweeping aimlessly around.

When he saw Mu Tianyi absorbing the soul ring, a sudden flash of inspiration struck him.

"Ah—I've got it!"