Before long, a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring slowly rose from the Evil Thunder Flood Dragon's corpse, then floated above Qin Xuan's head.
"This... is that your fourth Soul Skill, Dark Soul-Breaking Kill?" Yue Guan rushed to the center of the shallow crater, his face full of shock.
Qin Xuan gave a quiet "Mm" in reply, then released the Nine Nether Evil God Tiger.
The Nine Nether Evil God Tiger then used Evil Emperor Hook to condense the Evil Thunder Flood Dragon's body and remnant soul into a crystal core, storing it in the alternate-dimensional space within its body.
"Xiao Xuan, from what I can tell, your Dark Soul-Breaking Kill seems to be a targeting skill?" Yue Guan asked in confusion.
Qin Xuan patiently explained, "This Soul Skill is indeed a targeting skill, and it can ignore all defensive Soul Skills."
"To stop Dark Soul-Breaking Kill, you can only meet me head-on or use a Soul Skill that grants brief invincibility to neutralize it."
"Xiao Xuan, your fourth Soul Skill is far too outrageous. How are the other Soul Masters supposed to survive?" Yue Guan laughed, then urged him, his eyes full of anticipation:
"Quickly, absorb the Soul Ring."
"I'm genuinely curious how heaven-defying your fifth Soul Skill will be!"
"Elder Chrysanthemum, there's no need to rush. I'll absorb the Soul Ring now." Qin Xuan smiled faintly, then looked toward Lake of Life in the distance, his sword-like brows knitting together.
"Though the Nine Nether Evil God Tiger is powerful, this is still a sixty-thousand-year Soul Ring."
"It'll take me at least a day and a night to absorb it."
"We're deep in the forest's Core Circle, where danger lurks everywhere. I don't know whether the Titan Giant Ape and Sky Azure Bull Python will attack us."
"After all, Spirit Hall is the Soul Beasts' mortal enemy!"
"But this Soul Ring is crucial to me. I went through so much trouble to obtain it. How could I give it up?"
"Sorry for the trouble, Elder Chrysanthemum. Please protect me while I cultivate."
"I'll absorb this Soul Ring as quickly as I can!"
Before Yue Guan could reply, Qin Xuan sat down where he was and began refining the Soul Ring's energy. Clearly, he had made up his mind.
Hearing this, Yue Guan's expression turned grave, and he couldn't help falling into thought:
'When I helped the Pope hunt the Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, Soft Bone Charm Rabbit, I came face-to-face with the Sky Azure Bull Python brothers.'
'Those two super Soul Beasts remember what I look like, and they hate Spirit Hall to the bone.'
'A battle this fierce took place less than five kilometers from Lake of Life. There's no way the Sky Azure Bull Python didn't notice.'
'Sigh... I was so caught up fighting the Evil Thunder Flood Dragon that I forgot about those two super Soul Beasts.'
'If I'd known, I should've lured the Evil Thunder Flood Dragon farther from Lake of Life before having Xiao Xuan hunt it.'
'If the Sky Azure Bull Python and Titan Giant Ape really come for us, I'll give my life to protect Xiao Xuan!'
At that thought, his gaze turned resolute. He had already steeled himself to face death!
Meanwhile.
In the heart of the Star Dou Great Forest, at Lake of Life.
"Big Brother, this is the perfect chance to take out that sissy Douluo!"
The Titan Giant Ape stood by the lake, shouting at the colossal creature before him, with the head of an ox and the body of a python.
It looked five or six stories tall, its presence deeply oppressive. Yet compared with the Sky Azure Bull Python, whose body stretched over a hundred meters, it was still dwarfed.
"We can't kill this Chrysanthemum Douluo yet," the Sky Azure Bull Python replied calmly, speaking in human words.
"Big Brother, don't you want to avenge Sister Xiao Wu's mother?" The Titan Giant Ape's eyes reddened with fury as he roared.
At those words, the Sky Azure Bull Python didn't get angry. Instead, he patiently explained the pros and cons:
"Second Brother, if you don't change that temper of yours, sooner or later you'll suffer at the hands of Soul Masters."
"With our strength, killing Chrysanthemum Douluo would be as easy as lifting a finger!"
"But according to Sister Xiao Wu, Spirit Hall is one of humanity's top powers and its most dangerous organization."
"They say Spirit Hall is guarded by at least ten Titled Douluo."
"If we kill Chrysanthemum Douluo, Spirit Hall will definitely send people to take revenge."
"Then wouldn't we be trapped like turtles in a jar?"
"And that black-clad youth's Martial Soul is terrifying."
"The evil, dark aura around him is very similar to Bibi Dong's, perhaps even stronger. Those two must have a deep connection."
"If we kill that youth, Bibi Dong may well do whatever it takes to drive us to our deaths."
"We struggled to cultivate to the hundred-thousand-year level. How could we throw our lives away for a moment's satisfaction?"
"Sister Xiao Wu's mother must be avenged, but now isn't the time!"
"We only need to wait patiently for the right moment!"
The Titan Giant Ape scratched his head at this, then punched down a nearby tree to vent his fury.
"Damn Spirit Hall!"
"One day, I'll make them pay in blood!"
The next morning.
Qin Xuan slowly opened his eyes, and a vast wave of Soul Power burst from his body.
After a full day and night, he had finally absorbed his fifth Soul Ring.
"Phew." Yue Guan's brows relaxed at the sight, and he let out a breath of relief.
"Looks like those two Soul Beasts didn't come looking for trouble," Qin Xuan said, still shaken.
He'd figured there was a fifty-fifty chance the Sky Azure Bull Python brothers would show up.
Once again, he'd bet right.
Setting aside the Titan Giant Ape, that single-celled creature, the Sky Azure Bull Python was far more capable of reading the situation and considering the bigger picture than Qin Xuan had imagined.
If the Sky Azure Bull Python had been even a little more impulsive, neither he nor Yue Guan might have escaped alive.
"Xiao Xuan, what's your fifth Soul Skill?" Yue Guan asked.
"After absorbing this Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring, my Soul Power rose by two levels, and I broke through to the Soul King realm."
"My fifth Soul Skill is called Nirvana Evil Thunder Array. It's a large-area control skill."
"This Soul Skill conjures several chains out of thin air to restrain enemies. The chains contain the power of evil thunder, which can not only severely injure and paralyze the body but also directly damage the spirit."
Qin Xuan explained gently, then thought to himself:
'This trip was truly a close call. I'll have to be more careful from now on and stop acting recklessly!'
'It's not like I have a cheat ability, unlike those other transmigrators!'
At that moment, Yue Guan said gravely, "We shouldn't stay here. Let's go."
As soon as he finished speaking,
he released the avatar of his Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum.
Seeing this, Qin Xuan hurriedly jumped into the center of the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum.
Then came a sonic boom.
In the blink of an eye, the two of them were a hundred meters away!
Clearly, Yue Guan feared those two Soul Beasts might change their minds and come after them. He'd released his Martial Soul Avatar to lead Qin Xuan quickly out of the forest's Core Circle.
The following morning, the two arrived in Spirit City.
Yue Guan had carried Qin Xuan through the air with his Martial Soul Avatar the whole way, and it had consumed a great deal of Soul Power.
After parting from Yue Guan, Qin Xuan hurried straight to Spirit Hall Academy.
As soon as he reached the entrance to the teaching building, he saw the students streaming toward the Soul Fighting Arena in a noisy crowd.
After asking a female student, he learned that Song Qingling had challenged Zhu Zhuqing to a Soul Fighting match!
Before you continue