After leaving the secluded chamber where he had been in seclusion, Luo Chen passed through a series of corridors and soon reached the main entrance of the Worship Hall.
From far away, he could already hear Qian Daoliu and the Fifth Worshipper, Guang Ling Douluo, talking outside.
Before Luo Chen had entered the chamber to break through to level 30, Qian Daoliu had promised to prepare a Soul Beast for his third Soul Ring in advance.
It seemed his Soul Ring was waiting outside.
A faint smile tugged at his lips, and Luo Chen quickened his pace.
Soon, he pushed open the doors. The dazzling sunlight made it hard for him to open his eyes.
Qian Daoliu and Guang Ling Douluo both turned toward the noise.
"Well, congratulations, Chen'er! You've broken through the level-30 bottleneck."
The smile on Guang Ling Douluo's face was even brighter than Qian Daoliu's. He flashed to Luo Chen's side and began checking whether he was feeling any discomfort after the breakthrough.
"Grandpa Guang Ling, I'm fine. Let's take a look at what you and Grandpa prepared for my third Soul Ring."
Luo Chen smiled and shook his head as Guang Ling Douluo leaned close, looking him up and down.
During this time, he had gotten along splendidly with the worshippers while training, and they all liked him very much.
Aside from Qian Daoliu, Guang Ling Douluo was arguably the worshipper who treated Luo Chen best. In turn, Luo Chen respected him greatly.
Qian Daoliu had said that he would send a worshipper to the Star Dou Great Forest to find a suitable Soul Beast for him. It seemed that worshipper had been Guang Ling Douluo.
At Luo Chen's words, Guang Ling Douluo laughed heartily and turned around, sweeping out one hand.
Boom—
With a cloud of dust billowing up from the ground, Guang Ling Douluo flung three enormous iron cages out of his storage pouch.
Luo Chen looked over. Each cage held a fierce Soul Beast.
Based on the knowledge of Soul Beasts he had recently acquired at Spirit Hall, he could tell that all three were between five and six thousand years old.
They were just right for the age and strength Luo Chen had asked for.
"Thank you, Grandpa Guang Ling!"
Unable to hide his delight, Luo Chen hurriedly clasped his hands and thanked Guang Ling Douluo.
Guang Ling Douluo proudly lifted his chin.
"Catching a few thousand-year Soul Beasts alive is child's play for me."
At the same time, Qian Daoliu, who had been silent until now, walked over to Luo Chen.
He smiled and patted Luo Chen on the shoulder.
"The Nether Wolf, the Soul-Burial Butterfly, and the Bone-Eroding Demon Spider. Chen'er, these three Soul Beasts were chosen by Guang Ling. They're all perfectly suited to the death attribute of your Death Spider Emperor. Each one would be a good choice. Pick one to become your third Soul Ring."
As he spoke, Qian Daoliu nodded to himself.
"As for the hundred-thousand-year Soft Bone Rabbit, don't worry. I've already sent people to keep an eye on it. At your current rate of cultivation, you'll be able to use it in just a few years."
"When the time comes, I'll personally take you to hunt it."
Luo Chen was slightly taken aback. He hadn't expected Qian Daoliu to have already made arrangements while he was in seclusion.
But he didn't say anything more. Since Qian Daoliu had sent people there, this was a perfect chance to see if Tang Hao was still around.
And if they were only keeping watch, Tang Hao probably wouldn't dare do anything that might expose his identity.
As Qian Daoliu had said, with Luo Chen's astonishing cultivation speed, he would be able to use the rabbit in just a few years. If Qian Daoliu really took him there himself, Tang Hao would barely have time to save his own skin, let alone Xiao Wu.
Having made up his mind, Luo Chen stopped dwelling on it. With his foreknowledge, Xiao Wu wouldn't escape him, whether or not anyone was watching her.
Right now, his third Soul Ring was the most pressing matter.
With the two Douluo's permission, Luo Chen walked toward the three enormous iron cages.
The chilling aura from the three Soul Beasts gathered together made him shiver.
He couldn't help activating his Death Spider Emperor Martial Soul.
As two purple Soul Rings slowly rose beneath his feet, an even stronger aura of death began to take shape around him.
Luo Chen himself hadn't noticed anything unusual, but the two Douluo behind him, who had been keeping a close eye on him, exchanged stunned looks.
Of course, it wasn't the two thousand-year Soul Rings. Luo Chen had shown those to them long ago. What caught their attention was the dense aura of death gathering around him.
"Chen'er, after breaking through to level 30, have you felt any discomfort?"
Qian Daoliu spoke slowly, interrupting Luo Chen as he focused on choosing a Soul Ring.
"Huh?"
Taken aback by the interruption, Luo Chen turned to look at the two of them. Qian Daoliu and Guang Ling Douluo were both staring at him with deadly serious expressions, and he couldn't understand why.
"No, I haven't. Grandpa, Grandpa Guang Ling, why are you looking at me like that? Is something wrong?"
His mind had stalled. Everything had been fine a moment ago. What had happened?
Curious, Luo Chen glanced back at his Martial Soul, the Death Spider Emperor. There was nothing wrong with it. It was still the same Spider Emperor, except its aura had grown a little stronger. Nothing else had changed.
As if he had seen Luo Chen's confusion, Qian Daoliu slowly walked over to him.
"Chen'er, have you ever heard of a domain?"
Luo Chen: "?"
"Grandpa, do you mean...?"
A flicker of shock flashed through Luo Chen's purple eyes, and he looked at Qian Daoliu with excitement.
He immediately understood what Qian Daoliu and Guang Ling Douluo's expressions had meant.
"Could I already have a domain?"
Then why hadn't he noticed it himself?
Confused, Luo Chen looked at Qian Daoliu and Guang Ling Douluo.
Qian Daoliu shook his head.
"You don't have a domain yet, but I've seen this kind of change before. After breaking through to level 30, your Death Spider Emperor Martial Soul has begun to show the embryonic form of a domain."
"It probably won't be long before you truly acquire a domain."
"After you absorb your Soul Ring, spend some time cultivating by my side. If you really do form a domain, I'll be able to teach you how to control it."
Luo Chen nodded quickly, his heart already soaring with joy.
How could he not know about the brokenly powerful domains? He had imagined that he might one day have one of his own, but he hadn't expected that its embryonic form would appear so soon.
And judging by the circumstances, this domain had probably awakened naturally as the Death Spider Emperor's Innate Domain, originating from the Martial Soul itself. That meant the domain he would acquire was bound to suit him perfectly.
It was undoubtedly wonderful news.
And if he remembered correctly, Bibi Dong in the original story also had an Innate Domain from the Death Spider Emperor. He just didn't know whether his was the same as hers.
If it was, he'd still be delighted.
But if it was different...
Luo Chen was already looking forward to finding out.
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