Sorrow to the heart... pain to the lungs... agony to the liver and bowels... the soul left wandering... the spirit scattered... the mind in a daze...
The Seven Injuries Fist's Seven Absolutes Unification ignored all defenses and swept through everything in its path. Before the force of the punch, the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear's thick, iron-hard fur was no better than paper.
Boom!
In an instant, hidden force surged into its body, and the terrifying punch exploded like a landslide. The Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear's hind leg was blown apart. With a bang, flesh flew and shattered bone sprayed everywhere!
Roar—
The Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear cried out in pain. The ferocity in its eyes vanished in an instant, replaced by a fear so intense it nearly spilled from them. Its instincts told it that the terrifying, upright ape before it was someone it absolutely could not afford to provoke!
Run!
Or die!
It rolled over and tried to flee, but how could it run on only three legs?
"Trying to run?"
Li Jingzhe barked coldly. He moved with Lingbo Microsteps, his figure both real and illusory, as nimble as a ghost. The intent of his Seven Injuries Fist surged like a tide. He closed in and threw a punch!
Bam!
Roar—
The Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear's scream was especially shrill. Blood gushed from its tooth-filled maw!
It wanted so badly to escape, but it couldn't. The tearing agony that kept surging through its body left it unable to move. It wailed endlessly, wishing it were dead, and the birds and Soul Beasts within a ten-mile radius were so frightened that none dared land.
Li Jingzhe relaxed his stance and sat down nearby, letting the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear suffer under the force of the Seven Injuries Fist. That was exactly the effect he wanted... There was a popular saying in the Soul Master World: the more pain and torment a Soul Beast suffered before it died, the greater its chances of dropping a Soul Bone once it was finally released from its misery!
Since he had run into a Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear, there was no reason not to gamble on the chance of it dropping an External Soul Bone—the Dark Gold Terrorclaw. Even if it ultimately dropped one of the six main types of Soul Bone instead, it would still be a Soul Bone from a Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear. Its quality would be excellent, and it would surely fetch a sky-high price at the Heaven Dou Auction House!
As luck would have it, the Seven Injuries Fist was perfect for this... pain that cut to the heart... agony that pierced the bones... suffering worse than death!
A full half hour passed. The Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear's wails grew quieter and fainter, but it still hadn't died. That alone showed just how formidable the beast's physique was!
Just look at that Six-Ring Soul Emperor from earlier. He'd taken two punches from the Seven Injuries Fist and had been done for on the spot...
Li Jingzhe walked over, crouched down, and patted the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear on the head, as if soothing a victim. At that moment, its bear eyes actually revealed a humanlike desire to die.
"Time to go!"
As he spoke, Li Jingzhe's five fingers tightened around the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear's head.
Bam!
He crushed its skull outright, though it was even harder than fine iron. The Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear, already breathing its last, went completely limp. A purple Soul Ring tinged with black slowly rose into the air.
"God of Gambling, bless me!"
Li Jingzhe muttered the words and immediately sat down cross-legged... Absorbing a Soul Ring where a Soul Beast had just died was the safest option. The Soul Beasts in a given area were usually similar in strength, able to fight one another to a standstill. If one of them suddenly died, that meant a powerful being capable of killing them had appeared in the area. So, before the dead Soul Beast's aura faded, the others wouldn't dare approach.
Li Jingzhe silently circulated his Soul Power. His meridians were congested, making it difficult to move his Soul Power, but after his previous experiences using it, he had gradually found the knack;
The process was like pushing a grindstone: once you got it moving, it became much easier afterward.
He circulated his Soul Power and guided the Soul Ring down onto himself. The Muscle and Tendon Classic and the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Technique operated at the same time. The Soul Ring's energy was an external energy, too, just like the power Dugu Yan had returned to him last time. It needed to pass through his body again and again, gradually becoming one with his own inner power and Soul Power!
But the expected pain never came. With these two top-tier techniques guiding and channeling the energy, the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear's Soul Ring was as docile as a kitten.
And Soul Shock?
It was over before it even began!
So-called Soul Shock didn't mean that a Soul Beast's lingering will directly launched a mental attack against the Soul Master absorbing its Soul Ring. It was more like a ghost scaring someone: it could only take advantage of a Soul Master when the absorption grew increasingly difficult and they were physically and mentally exhausted.
The Dragon-Elephant Prajna Technique and the Muscle and Tendon Classic had the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear's Soul Ring energy firmly in their grasp. Absorbing the Soul Ring presented no difficulty at all, so there was no question of the process growing harder or leaving him exhausted. Naturally, Soul Shock had no chance to take hold.
The Soul Ring absorption went smoothly, without the slightest ripple. In just ten minutes, the sense of discord vanished completely. The Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear's Soul Ring energy had thoroughly blended with his existing Soul Power and inner power;
The feeling of being bound by shackles had also eased somewhat.
"It really works!"
A flash of delight crossed Li Jingzhe's eyes. With the absorption of his First Soul Ring complete, the Muscle and Tendon Classic, the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Technique, and Lingbo Microsteps had all advanced straight to the peak of the second stage. The feeling of being constrained had eased as well, and his Soul Power flowed more smoothly.
But when he calmed down and sensed the changes in his Soul Power... What the hell?
Li Jingzhe's expression changed at once!
Confusion... disbelief... utter bewilderment... Th-this couldn't be right, could it?
After absorbing his First Soul Ring, his Soul Power hadn't increased. It had actually dropped from level fifty-nine and a half to level fifty-six?
His Soul Power had decreased after he absorbed a Soul Ring?
What kind of unprecedented absurdity was this?
No wonder his Soul Power was flowing so much more smoothly. So the amount had simply decreased...
Only after circulating his Soul Power for three full cycles, inspecting it again and again as if sifting through it, did he finally discover what was wrong.
The confusion and disbelief faded from Li Jingzhe's face, replaced by incredulity and helpless amusement.
At a thought, a layer of dark gold armor covered his whole body!
An External Soul Bone!
That was why his Soul Power had decreased instead of increasing!
Simply put, his hunting method of first tormenting the beast and then releasing it had worked. The results had been immediate: he really had gotten a Soul Bone, and it was an External Soul Bone. He had absorbed it along with the Soul Ring.
But that was where the problem lay!
A Soul Bone absorbed along with a Soul Ring could only be an External Soul Bone. And when a Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear produced an External Soul Bone, there was a very high chance it would be a Dark Gold Terrorclaw;
According to Douluo Dalu II, absorbing an External Soul Bone—the Dark Gold Terrorclaw—was excruciating, as if the bones in one's hand were shattered inch by inch, fused together, then grown anew. Xiao Xiao in Douluo Dalu II had been unable to endure the agony of absorbing the Dark Gold Terrorclaw, and in the end, Huo Yuhao had gotten it instead.
But he was different. After being repeatedly tempered by the effects of the Bosi Qu Snake Gallbladder and the Vermilion Fruit, and strengthened again and again by the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Technique and the Muscle and Tendon Classic, his bones were hard enough, his body was strong enough, and his tolerance for pain was far beyond that of an ordinary person.
So he hadn't felt the slightest discomfort during the absorption of the External Soul Bone. He hadn't even noticed it...
As for why this External Soul Bone, which was probably a Dark Gold Terrorclaw, had turned into dark gold armor covering his entire body... Li Jingzhe thought it over and began to form a few vague guesses.
There was an eighty percent chance it was because of the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Technique and the Muscle and Tendon Classic!
First of all, External Soul Bones differed from the main types of Soul Bone. The main types were solid and had fixed structures, so after a Soul Master absorbed one, it could still be dropped if the corresponding limb was severed or the Soul Master was killed;
An External Soul Bone, on the other hand, could be understood as gaseous or liquid, with no fixed structure. Once absorbed by a Soul Master, it merged completely with them. Even if that Soul Master was killed, the External Soul Bone couldn't be dropped;
Before an External Soul Bone fully took shape, though, its structure could potentially be changed under certain conditions. After Tang San passed the divine trials, the Eight Spider Lances evolved into the Sea God Eight Wings. That was probably a similar principle: divine power had given the Eight Spider Lances the chance to undergo a second structural transformation!
Next came the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Technique and the Muscle and Tendon Classic he cultivated;
These two top-tier techniques strengthened his physique and improved his constitution, respectively. Both brought balanced improvements to his whole body. But the Dark Gold Terrorclaw only strengthened his hands, throwing that balance off. So it was very likely that, during the absorption and fusion process, this External Soul Bone—probably a Dark Gold Terrorclaw—had triggered the underlying code of the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Technique and the Muscle and Tendon Classic;
The Muscle and Tendon Classic reshaped his sinews and bones, improving his constitution and giving the Dark Gold Terrorclaw the potential to change its structure;
The Dragon-Elephant Prajna Technique had then spread the altered Dark Gold Terrorclaw across his entire body, forming this set of dark gold armor and restoring the balance;
But energy was conserved, and transformation came at a cost. The Soul Power he'd lost in the process had naturally become kindling, become nourishment!
"Heh..."
Li Jingzhe chuckled.
"So what does that make this? A Dark Gold Terrorclaw turned into Dark Gold Terror-Armor?"
Before you continue