The Sixth Soul Ring

Before this, Ye Guchen used his spiritual power to kick Sky Dream Ice Silkworm inside the Martial Soul Space.

"What's wrong? Boss?"

Seeing that Ye Guchen finally acknowledged him, Tian Meng twisted his chubby body, rubbing against Ye Guchen's spiritual form while whimpering.

"Boss~ you finally acknowledged me, wuwuwu."

Looking at the greasy giant worm before him, Ye Guchen couldn't help but twitch his face.

"Enough, I need your help with something this time."

"If Boss asks, this little one will naturally go through fire and water!"

"Wait for my command!"

As the countdown ended, Ye Guchen snapped his eyes open and launched a soul shock at the 50,000-year Magma Demon Lion.

The intense spiritual impact instantly made its brain feel as if it were being torn apart.

"Roar...!"

The Magma Demon Lion rose in anger and lunged toward Ye Guchen.

The earth shattered beneath its claws, each step leaving a half-meter-deep scorched pit.

It was determined to tear this ignorant human ant to shreds.

Facing Ye Guchen's relentless spiritual harassment, the Magma Demon Lion rose angrily once more, spitting a beam of flame at the provoking human.

The moment the beam grazed the air, the surface of the rocks along its path began to melt, bubbling with dark red gas.

Ye Guchen dodged to the side, though his cheek was still grazed by the scorching heat, leaving a red mark.

He immediately borrowed Xiao Hong's flight ability, condensing a pair of fire wings behind him to soar into the air.

Ye Guchen knew well that with his Soul King soul power, even if his combat strength rivaled a high-level Soul Emperor, he stood no chance against a 50,000-year Magma Demon Lion on the ground.

It was better to seize air superiority and, exploiting its inability to fly, lure it into the encirclement.

"Roar!"

Seeing the provoking human suddenly take flight, the Magma Demon Lion grew even more furious, continuously launching flame beam attacks at Ye Guchen.

But all were narrowly dodged by Ye Guchen's agile movements.

He also took the opportunity to launch ice spike attacks at the demon lion below from time to time.

To provoke a fire-attribute soul beast, using its most hated ice-attribute skills was naturally the most effective method.

Sure enough, the demon lion stomped the earth, causing the rocks beneath its feet to crack outward like a spiderweb. Its massive body used the recoil to launch itself into the air toward Ye Guchen, determined to tear the human who dared to provoke it to pieces.

Seeing that it had lost its reason, Ye Guchen stopped stalling and feigned defeat, retreating toward the ambush zone.

"Attention, the demon lion has been lured over. Ling Luochen will block its retreat, and you all must act when the opportunity arises."

"Understood!"

Everyone circulated their soul power, watching the demon lion draw closer on the spiritual map, and aimed their ready-to-fire soul skills toward the valley below.

"It's here!"

Ye Guchen's figure streaked across the valley and stopped inside.

At this moment, the rocks within the valley began to shake violently, shedding countless fine debris.

Everyone crouched down, leg muscles tensed, ready to leap out at any moment.

"Now!"

The moment the demon lion entered the valley's encirclement, everyone unleashed the soul skills they had been brewing to the limit.

Every single soul skill landed solidly on the demon lion's massive body.

"Roar!"

The demon lion cried out in pain as blood gushed from the gashes on its shoulders, sizzling as it splattered against the rock walls. It turned to flee, but at that moment, Ling Luochen and Xiao Bing blocked the entrance.

Ice Jade Scorpion waved its two large pincers, spitting out a blast of cold air. As the cold air emerged, it condensed into ice spikes, forcefully pushing back the 50,000-year fire-attribute Magma Demon Lion.

Seeing this, everyone gasped.

Dai Yueheng stared at the point where the cold air met the demon lion's flames.

At the boundary of ice and fire, thick water mist radiated, and the space itself was distorted into transparent ripples; the ice did not melt immediately, and the fire could not advance a single step further.

Yet the Magma Demon Lion was a 50,000-year soul beast, while that Ice Jade Scorpion was only 20,000 years old.

"This is Ultimate Ice; it is truly terrifying!"

Ever since Ye Guchen was admitted to the inner courtyard as an exception, he had always maintained a low profile and never truly displayed his full strength.

Just this Ice Jade Scorpion, capable of growing alongside him, was enough to reflect Ye Guchen's strength from the side.

When all four pet beasts were gathered, even with only level 50 soul power, his combat strength would be no less than that of the level 60 Ma Xiaotao.

"Freeze!"

The ice wall condensed from Ultimate Ice was enough to intercept it for a moment.

Just then, a sudden change occurred.

The Magma Demon Lion, its retreat cut off by the ice wall, let out a shrill cry toward the sky. That cry was not one of anger, but a call for help.

The sound waves rippled outward in visible golden-red rings, bouncing off the valley walls and overlapping, causing the entire valley to hum and resonate.

"Damn it!" Ling Luochen's expression changed drastically. "It's summoning the pride!"

Chen Zifeng turned pale. "The Lava Lion King will hear—"

"I know." Ye Guchen interrupted him, his voice remaining calm.

Everyone simultaneously sensed that at the edge of their mental map, a massive, terrifying energy source was turning rapidly.

Deep within the Magma Mountain Range, a crimson pillar of fire shot into the sky, burning half the horizon a deep orange.

Even from miles away, the vibrations in the air caused by that roar made the soles of everyone's feet go numb.

The Lava Lion King was returning to assist.

It was much faster than expected.

"Tian Meng, now!"

Ye Guchen did not hesitate.

A massive surge of mental energy shot out from his eyes.

This strike contained the mental beam of Tian Meng, a million-year soul beast, released through Ye Guchen's Soul King physique.

The beam, like a sharp blade, instantly shattered the beast's mental sea.

The Magma Demon Lion's pupils suddenly dilated.

It was as if an invisible layer of glass had shattered inside its skull.

That subtle yet fatal sound could only be heard by Ye Guchen, like the breaking of a mirror.

The Magma Demon Lion's body maintained the momentum of its pounce, but it had already fallen into a coma.

That massive body, about five meters high and ten meters long, crashed and rolled over mid-stride.

The debris kicked up clattered against the valley walls, and the fine rain of stones lasted for a full three seconds before stopping.

The valley suddenly became terrifyingly quiet.

Dai Yueheng felt his own breathing amplified tenfold.

He stared at the carcass on the ground that didn't even twitch, his back soaked in cold sweat before he realized it.

That wasn't a battle; it was an execution.

If that strike had landed on me... He dared not think further, only gripping his fists tighter until his knuckles cracked.

"I won't let you leave me too far behind—never."

"Roar~!"

The moment the Magma Demon Lion fell, a furious roar from the Lava Lion King erupted in the distance.

That roar was no longer just sound; it was a solid wall of fire pushing out from the depths of the mountain range.

Birds miles away didn't have time to escape, being blasted into mists of blood in mid-air.

The Lava Lion King looked at the Fire Luan Bird that had been fleeing without attacking, and coupled with the fact that the soul power mark it had left on its kin was beginning to dim, it realized it had been tricked.

That was no ordinary soul power mark.

It was a blood-contract brand—a soul mark that could only be planted by direct lineage.

This fifty-thousand-year Magma Demon Lion was its son.

"Despicable!"

The Lava Lion King never expected that the soul beast before it was actually an accomplice of humans.

"Traitor to the soul beasts!"

Blood tears like magma overflowed from the Lava Lion King's eyes. Amidst its roar, towering flames ignited around its body, instantly turning trees within a hundred-meter radius into charcoal.

It sprinted madly toward the pride.

With every step it took, the earth trembled; ancient trees along the way were snapped in half by its impact, leaving a burning canyon in its wake.

"Screech~!"

Xiao Hong let out a piercing cry, simultaneously launching Fire Feather attacks in an attempt to entangle the Lava Lion King.

But the Lava Lion King had eyes only for the dimming soul power mark in the distance, having no energy to spare for this annoying Fire Luan Bird.

It charged straight toward the pride without a second thought.

Seeing that the Lava Lion King was no longer falling for the bait, Xiao Hong contacted Ye Guchen through their contract, informing him of everything.

"Not good!"

Ye Guchen's spiritual detection had already locked onto the terrifying source of soul power rapidly closing in. It was too fast—at least thirty percent faster than estimated.

"The Lava Lion King has returned to its nest and is locking onto us. Since it still needs some time to arrive, we must take the Magma Demon Lion's body and leave immediately!"

"Furthermore," for the first time, there was a clear sense of urgency in Ye Guchen's voice, "it shares a connection with this Magma Demon Lion. It can sense the location of the body. We must sever this link."

Hearing this, the expressions of the group turned grave as never before.

The Magma Demon Lion before them stood about five meters tall and was nearly ten meters long. Its massive size made it no easy task to transport without leaving a trail for the beast to track.

Ye Guchen did not dawdle; he took out his Contract Grimoire and summoned Xiao Hong back.

No matter the distance, every pet beast could be instantly recalled by Ye Guchen. Likewise, Ye Guchen could use his pet beasts as markers to teleport to their side.

"Skree!"

With a crisp cry, Xiao Hong was summoned back out of the Contract Grimoire by Ye Guchen.

"Xiao Hong, we need to take this with us. We'll have to store it in your space for now."

"Skree~"

Xiao Hong's reply echoed within his spiritual sea, carrying a hint of delight: "That would be great! A soul beast this big is enough for me to eat for a week!"

Every pet beast within the Contract Grimoire possessed a small, personalized space world most suitable for its survival.

Only Ye Guchen and the pet beasts could bring others inside, yet Ye Guchen always granted his pets ample personal freedom. Whenever he needed to borrow their living space, he would inform them beforehand, showing them the respect they were due.

"Skree~!"

With Xiao Hong's return, transporting the massive body of the Magma Demon Lion became simple.

Feeling the blood pact connection severed completely, the Lava Lion King was driven into a frenzy of rage.

It knew.

It knew its second son was dead.

Even the blood pact resonance had been forcibly blocked.

"ROAR-----!!!"

The Lava Lion King issued a command to the entire pride to hunt down the intruders.

That was no longer a mere roar; it was a blood-red shockwave of soul power radiating from its center, spreading across the entire Magma Mountain Range and covering everything within several miles.

The pride instantly rioted, stampeding through the Magma Mountain Range, roaring as every Magma Demon Lion's eyes burned with the same blood-red hue.

It was the rage shared by the Lava Lion King.

They swore to drag these intruders out and grind their bones to dust.

But it was too late for the pride to react now.

Assisted by spiritual detection and sharing, the group held their breath, moving slowly along the shadows of the cliff walls. Several times, patrolling Magma Demon Lions sprinted less than ten meters above them, their scorching saliva dripping onto the spots where they had just stood, burning hissing pits into the rock.

Yet, in the end, they escaped without danger.

The moment they moved beyond the range of the Magma Mountain Range, everyone exhaled the breath they had been holding for far too long.

"Roar~!"

By the time the Lava Lion King rushed back, there was no trace of the intruders left in the Magma Mountain Range.

It stood where its son's scent had last vanished, in the valley now trampled into ruins. The high heat slowly dissipated from its body, replaced by a far more terrifying silence.

From beginning to end, it hadn't even seen the faces of its opponents.

Who had killed its son?

Who had toyed with it?

It knew nothing.

The Lava Lion King stood alone in the center of the pride, slowly tilting its head back to let out a hoarse roar.

It was not anger.

It was grief.

The mountains returned the echoing cries, as if the entire Magma Mountain Range were wailing for it.

After moving far away from the Magma Mountain Range and confirming that the blood pact tracking had completely failed, Ye Guchen released the unconscious Magma Demon Lion.

The sky outside the valley was a clean, deep blue. Unlike the perpetual fire clouds of the Magma Mountain Range, one could see clouds here, and the white peaks of distant snow-capped mountains.

But no one was in the mood to appreciate the view.

"Sister Xiaotao, let's finish it here. We will guard you."

"Alright."

Ma Xiaotao did not stand on ceremony, unleashing a fireball directly at the Magma Demon Lion's head.

Before the Magma Demon Lion could even feel its final agony, a deep black soul ring emerged, emitting a chilling glow in the night, signaling its death.

Everyone watched that soul ring in silence. The silence lasted for a full three seconds.

"Second Soul Skill: Orange Soul, Fourth Soul Skill: Healing Green."

Two beams of support light broke the silence, enveloping the entire group and restoring everyone to their peak state.

It was the support light from Gongyang Mo's Rainbow Dragon martial soul.

"Truly worthy of being a top-tier support martial soul comparable to the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda!"

Feeling the effects of the support, Ye Guchen felt his exhaustion being drained away bit by bit, and he couldn't help but click his tongue in secret: It seems my fifth pet beast needs to have at least eighty or ninety percent of the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda's capabilities!

Although the Douluo Continent was vast, finding a suitable pet beast was still somewhat troublesome.

"Then I shall leave it to you all!"

Ma Xiaotao performed a cupped-fist salute to the group, then sat cross-legged, releasing her soul power to guide the fifty-thousand-year soul ring.

Seeing that the soul-hunting objective had been completed, the suffocating tension in the valley finally began to dissipate. Chen Zifeng let out a long breath, then leaned in with a cheeky grin.

"Brother Guchen, you have four pet beasts, right? Why did you only show us two?"

"Hey, I know this one!" Gongyang Mo raised his hand and leaned in. "He has a Geng Metal White Tiger pet beast, and it's with the outer courtyard's belle!"

"They say it's there to protect her, but as for the real motive... tsk tsk."

After saying this, he cast a meaningful look at Ye Guchen.

The group chuckled softly, the laughter echoing through the valley, finally bringing a sense of relief after completing the mission.

But Dai Yueheng did not laugh.

He leaned against the rock wall, watching Ye Guchen's profile, replaying the scene of the Magma Demon Lion being taken down over and over in his mind.

His gaze toward Ye Guchen became complex; the person before him always possessed a faint sense of confidence, remaining composed from beginning to end.

Presumably, even if you were alone, you could have easily hunted that Magma Demon Lion, right? Just how much strength are you hiding?