Fire God Domain

Ning Rongrong stuck out her tongue playfully and hurried away.

Sword Douluo shed the sharp, piercing aura he had directed at the Evil Soul Masters, speaking gently instead: "Young man, you should go as well. I will stand guard for you both."

"Understood, many thanks, Senior." Chu Qing bowed to the two of them before turning to walk toward the dying Flame Sovereign Mountain Lord.

"Old Chen, this lad is truly a fine seedling," Bone Douluo remarked, watching Chu Qing's retreating back.

"Indeed, he is impressive. He possesses strength, a resilient temperament, and remains unflustered in the face of danger. Most importantly, he has a kind heart. Our little princess was a complete stranger to him, yet he was willing to risk his life to save her. He is truly a rare talent." Sword Douluo Chen Xin smoothed his wrinkled robes, his gaze filled with unconcealable admiration.

"And the most critical point is that this young man is not even ten years old, yet he already possesses twenty levels of soul power. Do you know what that means?" Bone Douluo's eyes were bright, a sharp glint flashing within them.

"Innate Full Soul Power? And he is an Assault System Soul Master!" Sword Douluo's eyes lit up. He exchanged a glance with Bone Douluo, and a silent understanding passed between them.

Chu Qing paid no heed to their conversation, focusing entirely on absorbing the purple soul ring before him. Black flames emerged from his palms once more, rapidly enveloping the purple ring. Instantly, a massive surge of soul power flowed continuously into Chu Qing's body.

Sword Douluo frowned as he watched the boy absorbing the ring: "Although this youth is quite strong, it is a four-thousand-year soul beast after all. I fear it will not be so easy to absorb."

After all, for an ordinary person, a second soul ring of a few hundred years is already substantial. Many cannot even withstand a thousand-year ring, risking death by explosion as their bodies fail to contain the intensity of the soul power. A four-thousand-year Flame Sovereign Mountain Lord is even more dangerous, as fire-attribute soul power is notoriously violent and prone to causing accidents.

"No, I believe this lad will have no trouble." Bone Douluo gestured toward the boy. His expression was calm; though his eyes were tightly shut, there was no sign of agony. Even though the soul power was violent, it remained as still as a lake under the containment of the black flames, being steadily absorbed by Chu Qing.

Bone Douluo stroked his beard and laughed: "Old Sword, it seems your worries were unnecessary."

Indeed, the devouring nature of the Nihility Devouring Flame made absorbing any form of energy exceptionally easy for him. This was Chu Qing's greatest trump card in daring to hunt a four-thousand-year soul beast.

Nearby, the girl had already finished her absorption, a yellow soul ring circling around her.

"Sword Grandpa! Bone Grandpa! I did it! The Azure Flowing Light Snake I absorbed can increase the healing amplification of my Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda by 30%!" Ning Rongrong's face beamed with joy as she hopped toward the two Douluos.

The two Douluos made a shushing gesture, pointing toward Chu Qing, and the girl promptly clamped her mouth shut.

Chu Qing, sitting cross-legged around the soul ring, had reached the most critical moment. Soon, the ring was completely absorbed, and the carcass of the Flame Sovereign Mountain Lord vanished entirely, refined away by the Nihility Devouring Flame!

Chu Qing slowly opened his eyes, a smile spreading across his face.

"Success!"

He carefully sensed his own soul power and found it had more than doubled! It had actually reached level 25! A jump of five full levels in one go!

Truly worthy of being a four-thousand-year soul beast, the Flame Sovereign Mountain Lord!

"Young man, judging by your expression, I assume you succeeded? I wonder what the effect of your soul skill is?" Sword Douluo asked at the right moment.

Ning Rongrong also widened her eyes, watching him with curiosity.

"Many thanks for your concern, Senior. I did indeed obtain a rather good soul skill this time." Chu Qing grinned, radiating the spirited confidence of a successful youth.

He raised his hand and channeled his soul power. Black flames surged upward, appearing even more refined and pure than before.

Second Soul Skill! Flame Split Wave! A sheet of flame instantly erupted from around Chu Qing, pouring out toward the center of the great lake.

The center of the lake was blasted into a momentary void, the water within instantly vaporized! Furthermore, the surrounding lake water that touched these flames was also instantly evaporated, forming a deep, drained pit!

If the previous Chu Qing had only been firing off clusters of flame, then this Flame Split Wave represented a massive upgrade in power, speed, and range!

That was not all. Chu Qing sensed his physical state and felt that his body's strength had climbed more than one level! At less than ten years old, his physical constitution had reached an inconceivable degree.

Chu Qing walked to the giant boulder where the Azure Flowing Light Snake had been coiled. He withdrew his soul power, held his breath, and with a single hand, easily lifted the thousand-pound rock!

Ning Rongrong watched this scene, her eyes sparkling with stars. Her father had told her since she was small that, according to family tradition, she could only marry a combat-type Soul Master...

She hadn't paid much mind to it before, but now, different thoughts began to stir, and a strange, inexplicable emotion flickered in her eyes.

She was still too young to understand what this truly meant, but certain seeds had been quietly planted in her heart.

The two Douluos did not notice the girl's inner thoughts, focusing their full attention on the boy before them.

"The younger generation is to be feared, truly to be feared!" Sword Douluo muttered.

"Indeed, we are old. The future belongs to the young! How many years has it been since we've seen such a genius? No, calling him a genius is an understatement—he is a monster!"

Chu Qing did not notice the change in their demeanor, instead indulging in releasing his soul power, enjoying the sensation of overflowing strength.

"Little Qing, your soul skill is so immensely powerful; the soul power consumption must be quite significant, right?" Sword Douluo asked.

After all, everything has its pros and cons; such great power must surely come at a high cost.

"Indeed, the soul power consumption is quite significant."

"Phew, that's good. That's normal." Both Douluos wiped non-existent cold sweat from their foreheads, breathing a sigh of relief in unison.

"I can only cast it about twenty times or so in a row; it is a bit low on the count," Chu Qing said with a guileless smile.

"How... how many?" The two could hardly believe their ears. A soul skill of such terrifying power, and he could cast it that many times? Was he even human!

"It seems that is not all." With a thought from Chu Qing, a crimson domain spanning a fifty-meter radius unfolded. The entire area erupted into raging flames. A ten-year soul beast that accidentally wandered into the domain was instantly coated in black flames. It thrashed about, but no matter how it tried, it could not extinguish the fire on its body, and before long, it perished.

According to Chu Qing's experiments, at his current level, he could maintain it for about thirty seconds. Anyone or any soul beast caught in his domain would have their attack power instantly reduced by 30% and would be targeted by countless sparks of the Nihility Devouring Flame, suffering a continuous burning effect. While the damage was not as high as the main body, it was like a bone-gnawing poison, extremely difficult to extinguish.

Chu Qing scratched his head sheepishly and grinned at the two Douluos: "The duration of this domain isn't very long, though."