The Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear was an extremely rare Soul Beast. Even in the Star Dou Great Forest, it was difficult to encounter one. Murong Fuhai spread his spiritual power around them to search the area.
However, even after a whole day, they still hadn't found one. The Star Dou Great Forest was enormous. If they couldn't find one in the outskirts, they would have to enter the inner area, where the danger far surpassed that of the outer area. Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts were everywhere, and they might even encounter a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast.
That night, they found a place to camp. Murong Fuhai patted Murong Huai on the head and said with a smile:
"Huai'er, are you getting a little impatient?"
"No. Finding a Soul Beast depends on luck, and even more so when we're looking for a top-grade one like the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear. I can be patient." Murong Huai shook his head.
Murong Fuhai nodded. "Go on, get some rest. We'll look again tomorrow morning."
After all, Murong Huai and the other two were still children. Their stamina couldn't compare to the adults'. Murong Huai nodded and went into the tent to rest.
Murong Fuhai's figure blurred, and he sat cross-legged on a tree branch, closing his eyes to rest. As for keeping watch, the others would naturally take care of it.
At dawn, the Star Dou Great Forest shed its somber silence and welcomed the first light of a new day.
Murong Huai and the other two emerged from their tents one after another. Murong Fuhai appeared before them.
"Since you're awake, let's get going."
The others nodded and continued searching the area around the inner circle. Murong Fuhai kept using his spiritual power to scout their surroundings. Along the way, they encountered several Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts, all of which Chen Xin and Gu Rong dealt with.
They also encountered a sixty-thousand-year-old Diamond Mammoth. Without even using his Martial Soul, Murong Fuhai smashed its tusks with nothing but his iron fists and crippled one of its legs, sending it fleeing in panic.
"Roar—"
Murong Fuhai's eyes lit up. He'd found one. He led everyone forward at a swift pace until they reached the top of a valley. Below them, two Soul Beasts were locked in battle: a Diamond Tiger of around three thousand years, and a Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear.
The two fought ferociously, both bearing injuries. The Diamond Tiger was already covered in wounds, its body marked with claw gashes so deep its bones showed.
After roughly estimating the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear's age, Murong Fuhai shook his head.
"What a pity. This Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear is over eight hundred years old, far beyond the limit for a First Spirit Ring. Let's go."
At that, Murong Huai looked down at the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear and clenched his fist. "Wait, Dad. I want this one!"
Hearing Murong Huai's words, Murong Fuhai immediately shook his head and refused.
"No. This Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear is too old. If you force yourself to absorb its Spirit Ring, it could cause irreversible damage to your body, or even make you explode and die. We can't take that risk."
"That's right, Brother Murong. This Soul Beast is over eight hundred years old. It's too dangerous," Bibi Dong urged from the side.
But Murong Huai shook his head. "No, Dad. I'm not taking a risk. My Martial Soul is telling me to do this. Since awakening my Martial Soul, my physical strength has become several times greater than that of others at the same level. I'm confident I can absorb this Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear's Spirit Ring."
Murong Huai figured that with his twenty levels of Soul Power, absorbing a Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear that was less than a thousand years old shouldn't be a problem. But Murong Fuhai still wouldn't agree.
"No. If it were an ordinary Soul Beast, eight hundred years would be acceptable. But this is a Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear, a Soul Beast species at the very top of the pyramid. Even at eight hundred years old, absorbing its Spirit Ring would be as difficult as absorbing that of an ordinary three- or four-thousand-year-old Soul Beast. You—"
"Dad, have you forgotten what happened when I awakened my Martial Soul?" Murong Huai cut him off.
At those words, Murong Fuhai froze. He hadn't been there when Murong Huai awakened his Martial Soul, but he had been at the military camp outside Spirit City.
The terrifying pressure back then had blotted out the sky and blotted out the sun. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers in the camp had been pressed to the ground, and he had been no exception. It had lasted for just one breath, but everyone had felt the threat of death—a threat they couldn't fight back against.
Remembering it, Murong Fuhai hesitated. Seeing this, Murong Huai continued:
"Dad, don't worry. If I can't absorb it, you're a Titled Douluo. You can use your powerful external force to stop the process. It won't put my life in danger."
Murong Fuhai thought it over. He did have a way to interrupt Murong Huai's absorption, and at worst, they would lose a Spirit Ring slot. Once they returned, they could use medicine to help him recover, and he wouldn't suffer much harm. He thought again of that pressure, sighed, and relented.
"Fine. Go ahead and absorb it. If anything goes wrong, I'll stop you immediately."
Chen Xin and Gu Rong were also surprised that Murong Fuhai had agreed. But they couldn't say anything. Instead, without drawing attention, they moved beside Ning Fengzhi. If anything happened, they would immediately take him and flee the Star Dou Great Forest.
Murong Huai nodded. Murong Fuhai raised his hand, and a huge palm formed from black Soul Power slammed down toward the two beasts in the valley.
With a boom, sand and stones flew, the ground cracked, and clouds of dust billowed upward.
When the dust settled, only the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear remained, barely alive. The Diamond Tiger had been smashed into a pulp.
"Huai'er, go ahead!"
Murong Huai nodded. Golden light shimmered from his right hand, and the Immortal Lord Nine-Arrival Sword appeared in his grasp. He leaped down, drew the sword, and plunged its golden blade straight into the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear's neck, ending its life.
A deep-yellow Spirit Ring coalesced above the corpse. Looking at it, Murong Fuhai asked Murong Huai sternly:
"Huai'er, are you absolutely sure? It's not too late to change your mind."
"I'm sure."
Murong Huai took a deep breath, sat cross-legged on the ground, and began drawing in the Spirit Ring. The deep-yellow ring settled around his body, and in an instant, immense pressure flooded his entire being.
Murong Huai felt a domineering force tearing at his muscles. The pain was unbearable. Seeing this, Murong Fuhai prepared to act at any moment. If Murong Huai showed any sign of trouble, he would stop him immediately.
Murong Huai could feel what seemed like a flood beast rampaging through his body. He clenched his teeth and balled both hands into fists.
"Holy crap, the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear's energy is way too violent!"
Just then, a wisp of purple energy appeared, instantly dispelling the pressure. It guided the Spirit Ring's power, tempering Murong Huai's body.
Murong Fuhai had seen Murong Huai's pained expression and was about to intervene and stop the process. But then Murong Huai's breathing steadied again.
"Strange. Could it be Huai'er's Martial Soul?"
Chen Xin and Gu Rong were astonished, too. He'd actually made it through. All that remained was to convert the power into Soul Power, so there shouldn't be any danger. The two exchanged a glance, both breathing a sigh of relief.
If anything had happened to Murong Huai, they couldn't have guaranteed that this Demon Dragon Douluo wouldn't go berserk and kill everyone. Now that he was all right, they finally felt at ease.
But above all, they were astonished. Someone had actually managed to absorb a Spirit Ring beyond the limit as their First Spirit Ring—and it was from a top-grade Soul Beast like the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear.
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