The Nirvana Black Tortoise's corpse gradually floated up from beneath the sea.
"Whoosh!" A sharp sound split the air. Xue Hen raised his hand and caught the Imperial Power Sword as it flew back to him. The Human Emperor's phantom that had enveloped him gradually faded away, and the world returned to calm.
"Your defense is impressive. I had to use two Soul Skills, but your speed was lacking." Xue Hen looked down at the Nirvana Black Tortoise's corpse and spoke.
Then, just as he had done when absorbing the Life Giant Whale's Soul Ring, he descended from the sky and landed on the Nirvana Black Tortoise's corpse. He deactivated the Imperial Power Sword Martial Soul, activated the Emerald Swan Martial Soul, and sat cross-legged, using his Soul Power to envelop the blood-red Soul Ring that floated out of the turtle's corpse.
The absorption went just as smoothly as before. After about the time it took half an incense stick to burn, Xue Hen opened his eyes and stood up from the Nirvana Black Tortoise's corpse.
"Buzz~" A humming sound rang out, and another red Soul Ring appeared beneath his feet. Including the one from before, he had now bestowed two Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Rings upon his Emerald Swan Martial Soul.
"The second Soul Skill is 'Emerald Nirvana Curse' and 'Self-Immolation Nirvana'? A resurrection skill. Not bad." Xue Hen's lips curved slightly as he spoke.
The real world.
Before the Pope's Palace, Bibi Dong took a step forward, her voice filled with disbelief. "A resurrection skill?"
Behind her, Chrysanthemum Douluo's eyes widened in alarm. "The Soul Skill that Nirvana Black Tortoise gave him is a resurrection-type Soul Skill? How does it work? Are there no restrictions? Can he resurrect anyone he wants? Why didn't that kid explain all the effects like he did just now—uh."
Noticing Bibi Dong turn around and glare at him with a terrifying expression that clearly meant she thought he was being too noisy, Chrysanthemum Douluo panicked and hurriedly covered his mouth. Even so, a deep look of terror remained on his face.
That kid named Xue Hen... was too terrifying!
Shrek Academy.
In a tree not far from Tang San, a burly man clad entirely in a black cloak heard the voice coming from the Sky Screen. His eyes immediately lit up, and he grew excited.
"Resurrection... can he help me bring Ah Yin back to life?" the man murmured, his voice trembling.
Also at Shrek Academy.
Xiao Wu, Zhuqing, Rongrong, Dai Mubai, and the others stood at the cafeteria entrance, looking up at the scene in the sky. When she heard Xue Hen's words, Xiao Wu immediately grew excited too.
"Can his Soul Skill bring my mother back to life?" Xiao Wu thought.
At this moment, people all over the continent were discussing the second Soul Skill of Xue Hen's Emerald Swan Martial Soul. Countless people were hoping that his Soul Skill could resurrect someone dear to them.
They knew that even if his Soul Skill could do it, he might not agree to help them. Still, having one more sliver of hope was always a good thing. If his Soul Skill couldn't resurrect the person dear to them, then even if they found a way to persuade him to help in the future, it would be useless.
[After absorbing the Nirvana Black Tortoise's Soul Ring, Xue Hen didn't remain where he was. He put away the Nirvana Black Tortoise's corpse and continued searching the sea for Soul Beasts with cultivation bases exceeding 100,000 years.
Finally, a month later, thanks to his astonishing perception and a measure of luck, he found another Soul Beast with a cultivation base exceeding 100,000 years. It was called the Galaxy Jellyfish!
This Soul Beast had another name: the Galaxy Jellyfish Swarm!
The word "swarm" was added because it wasn't an individual creature, but a living collective made up of hundreds of millions of transparent jellyfish. When injured, they split apart; once healed, they joined together again.
After finding it, Xue Hen spent seven days and seven nights before he finally managed to kill it.
That's right. This Soul Hunt was much more difficult than hunting the Life Giant Whale and the Nirvana Black Tortoise. Not because the Galaxy Jellyfish was stronger—on the contrary, it was weak in battle. Though it was also a Soul Beast that had lived for over 100,000 years, it couldn't compare with the two Soul Beasts he had encountered before.
The reason it was so hard to kill was that it could keep splitting apart and healing by clustering together. To destroy it, he had to kill every small jellyfish capable of healing itself. It had truly taken a great deal of effort.
Fortunately, Xue Hen had a few tricks up his sleeve. The eighth Soul Skill of his Imperial Power Sword Martial Soul, "Light-Splitting Shadow-Forming," could conjure a rain of swords across the sky, unleashing indiscriminate, saturating attacks over an enormous area. Every sword carried an effect that prevented healing—with the exception of healing skills from the Emerald Swan, Life Ancient Tree, and Nine Heart Begonia Martial Souls. This allowed him to counter the little jellyfish's healing ability.
With this Soul Skill and a variety of other methods, Xue Hen spent seven days before finally killing the Galaxy Jellyfish and absorbing its Soul Ring.
After hunting the Galaxy Jellyfish, he continued searching the sea. This time, however, he found nothing for a long while.
Until one day, a White Dove Soul Beast brought him a letter.
On the sea, Xue Hen untied the letter from the White Dove's leg and opened it. His brows furrowed slightly. He decided to put his plan to hunt Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts on hold and complete the Soul Rings for his Emerald Swan Martial Soul, instead changing course and heading back to the continent.
He gazed toward the continent and murmured, "Fifteen years... It's time to take my revenge!"
Two months later.
The image on the Sky Screen suddenly went black, leaving only a final line of white text.
Immediately after, the image suddenly lit up again.
[A magnificent royal palace appeared on the Sky Screen. It was unmistakably the Balak Royal Palace that had appeared before everyone when the Sky Screen first emerged.]
In the real world, inside the Balak Royal Palace.
King Kundera of the Balak Kingdom and Ning Pianpian, his favorite concubine, saw the scene. The two of them instantly held their breath, their bodies trembling uncontrollably as fear spread through their hearts.
Could it be...
Just as they had feared.
[The palace was decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers, and everyone wore joyful expressions.
The members of the Balak Kingdom's royal family and its ministers had gathered together to witness the enfeoffment ceremony for Prince Xue Tian, the sixth prince, as heir apparent.
Under the direction of a highly respected elder of the royal family, Xue Tian, dressed in splendid robes, knelt before Kundera and Ning Pianpian. His expression was respectful, and a trace of excitement glimmered in his eyes.
He accepted the heir's seal and the imperial edict of appointment from Kundera. After listening to his father's instructions, he was about to say something in response.
However, a sudden change occurred.
"What a lively occasion. I hope you don't mind an uninvited guest—someone you banished." A cold voice suddenly came from outside the hall.
"Bang!" With a crash, dozens of figures clad in armor and wielding weapons flew into the hall.
They were all palace guards tasked with protecting this place.
Then, a young man stepped into the hall, one measured pace at a time. He wore moon-white robes and a Soul Tool necklace around his neck. His skin was fair, his features delicate, and he looked to be barely over twenty. A long sword was in his hand.
As he advanced, Soul Rings rose one after another from beneath his feet.
Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, red, red.]
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