Ten-Thousand-Year Instant Thunder Dragon Hawk

"It's not that serious, Grandpa."

Seeing Yu Yuanzhen about to strike again, Yu Tianchen could only laugh helplessly as he explained the special properties of the two Immortal Herbs.

On top of that, Dugu Bo confirmed that Yu Tianchen really was fine.

That was the only thing that stopped Yu Yuanzhen's shoe from landing on Yu Tianchen's backside.

"Don't be so reckless next time!"

Yu Yuanzhen said sternly:

"Theory and reality are never quite the same. What would you do if something unexpected went wrong?"

"Got it, got it."

Yu Tianchen grinned and obediently let himself be lectured.

Nearby, Dugu Bo spoke up:

"Kid, there's still a lot of energy accumulated in your body. If you're thinking of absorbing any more of the herbs here, I suggest you wait."

"Be careful you don't overdo it."

"I understand."

Yu Tianchen nodded.

He hadn't planned to use up all the herbs right away anyway.

Now that he'd beaten Dugu Bo to the punch, the chances of Tang San discovering this place had already been reduced to almost nothing.

There was plenty of time. He could continue making plans once he'd figured out how to use the Immortal Herbs.

"Senior Dugu Bo, you can start preparing the Soul Bone now."

Yu Tianchen said to Dugu Bo:

"Once you've finished taking care of things here, we'll get ready to leave."

"All right."

Dugu Bo nodded:

"I'll go take care of the Soul Bone, then."

"Will you two stay here for now?"

"Mm."

Yu Tianchen nodded.

While Dugu Bo went to prepare the Soul Bone, Yu Tianchen took the opportunity to consume the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew.

If they had enough time,

he might even be able to search the Sunset Forest with Yu Yuanzhen for a suitable third Soul Ring.

Once they'd settled everything,

Dugu Bo left immediately.

After finding the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew, Yu Tianchen used it with Yu Yuanzhen by his side.

Compared to the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and the Infernal Delicate Apricot,

the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew was clearly much easier to digest.

It took only a short while.

Yu Tianchen had nearly finished absorbing it.

After he absorbed the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew, Yu Yuanzhen followed Yu Tianchen's request and took him into the Sunset Forest to search for a suitable third Soul Ring.

"Xiao Chen, isn't absorbing a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring too risky for you right now?"

As they made their way through the forest, Yu Yuanzhen still looked somewhat concerned.

A Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring and a Thousand-Year Soul Ring were worlds apart.

In Yu Yuanzhen's view, absorbing a Soul Ring of around nine thousand years would be the safest choice for Yu Tianchen right now.

After all, Yu Tianchen had only reached the Soul Elder realm.

Generally speaking, one had to reach level fifty, the Soul King realm, to withstand the mental shock of a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring.

"Don't worry, Grandpa."

Yu Tianchen said with a smile:

"I absorbed the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew earlier to prepare for absorbing a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring."

"That herb can greatly boost my mental strength. Now, absorbing a Soul Ring just over ten thousand years old shouldn't be a problem."

Yu Yuanzhen still had some reservations, but seeing how confident Yu Tianchen was, he ultimately said no more.

The Sunset Forest wasn't very large. Although it had plenty of Soul Beasts, most were between a thousand and ten thousand years old, and there weren't many older than that.

Yu Tianchen had already planned out his Soul Rings back when he was still in the clan.

For his Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring, he wanted a Soul Beast called the Instant Thunder Dragon Hawk.

According to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's records, this Soul Beast could be found in both the Star Dou Great Forest and the Sunset Forest.

The only uncertainty was whether any Instant Thunder Dragon Hawks older than ten thousand years lived in the Sunset Forest.

So Yu Tianchen was hoping to get lucky this time.

Unfortunately, luck wasn't something you could summon at will.

For several days straight, the grandfather and grandson came up empty-handed.

They didn't find a single Ten Thousand Year Steel Wing Thunder Hawk, and barely even came across any thousand-year ones.

"Looks like I'll have to go to the Star Dou Great Forest after all."

After yet another fruitless search, Yu Tianchen said with some disappointment as they headed back.

"It's fine. You were going to the Star Dou Great Forest anyway, weren't you?"

"There's no rush. You can get your Soul Ring once you're there."

Yu Yuanzhen, on the other hand, wasn't particularly disappointed.

Soul Beasts weren't something you could find just by looking, and the Sunset Forest wasn't a particularly large Soul Beast forest to begin with. It was perfectly normal not to find one.

"Mm, I guess that's our only option."

Yu Tianchen nodded. As the two chatted, they were already nearing the valley where the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well was located.

Just then, an urgent cry suddenly rang out from the distant woods.

Yu Tianchen and Yu Yuanzhen stopped at the same time and looked toward the sound.

"That sound... is it an Instant Thunder Dragon Hawk?"

Having encountered a thousand-year Instant Thunder Dragon Hawk before, both Yu Yuanzhen and Yu Tianchen recognized its cry.

But for some reason, compared to the thousand-year Instant Thunder Dragon Hawk they'd encountered, this cry sounded much deeper.

There was even a faint hint of a dragon's roar in it.

"Grandpa, judging by the sound, this must be an Instant Thunder Dragon Hawk with a high cultivation!"

Yu Tianchen listened closely, speaking excitedly to Yu Yuanzhen.

"Let's go take a look!"

Yu Yuanzhen didn't hesitate. He took Yu Tianchen with him and flew toward the source of the cry.

It didn't take long for them to reach the spot.

Yu Yuanzhen brought Yu Tianchen down onto a tree, and they began observing what was happening below.

The Instant Thunder Dragon Hawk was yellow and blue all over. It was called a Dragon Hawk because its feathers resembled dragon scales and it had horns on its head.

It was also famed for its speed, even possessing a skill much like teleportation. That was how it had earned the name Instant Thunder Dragon Hawk.

But now, this Soul Beast, renowned for its speed, was trapped beneath a huge web at the bottom of a pit. Its wings were wrapped in a mass of webbing as it struggled desperately.

Not far away, a long-bodied, gray spider crouched in a burrow. It watched the Instant Thunder Dragon Hawk with its cold little eyes, like a hunter toying with its prey, looking on with amusement as the creature struggled and slowly lost its life.

As it watched, it spat out another web from time to time, reinforcing the net covering the Instant Thunder Dragon Hawk to keep it from breaking free.

"Both the Earth Cave Demon Spider and the Instant Thunder Dragon Hawk have just reached the ten-thousand-year level..."

Watching the battle below, Yu Yuanzhen narrowed his eyes, then suddenly smiled:

"Xiao Chen, looks like your third Soul Ring is within reach!"

"Grandpa, be careful."

Yu Tianchen was excited too.

After all these days, he'd finally come across a Ten Thousand Year Instant Thunder Dragon Hawk!

Those days of searching hadn't been wasted!

Yu Yuanzhen moved quickly.

They were only two Soul Beasts that had just reached the ten-thousand-year level. He wouldn't have to exert himself much to deal with them.

With a few punches, he drove off the Earth Cave Demon Spider, which was still reluctant to give up its prey. At the same time, he beat the struggling Instant Thunder Dragon Hawk nearly half to death.

Then Yu Yuanzhen grabbed the Instant Thunder Dragon Hawk by the neck and returned to the tree where Yu Tianchen was waiting.

"Go on, Xiao Chen."

He dropped the nearly dying Instant Thunder Dragon Hawk at Yu Tianchen's feet and said:

"Take a moment to get yourself into the right condition before absorbing this Soul Ring."

"All right."

Yu Tianchen nodded and jumped straight down from the tree.

After briefly regulating his breathing and confirming that his mental state was at its peak, he walked up to the Instant Thunder Dragon Hawk and raised a hand, condensing a lightning sword.

As the Dragon Hawk watched helplessly, the lightning sword plunged straight into its head.

A faint black Soul Ring gathered around the Dragon Hawk and slowly appeared.

Yu Tianchen didn't hesitate. He sat down cross-legged, released his Martial Soul, activated the Great Sun Thunder Body, and began absorbing the Soul Ring.