The northeastern mixed zone of the Star Dou Great Forest.
In a certain dead forest.
A pitch-black mantis, about ten feet long, seemed to be chewing on something.
Beside it lay the mangled corpse of another mantis.
The corpse was a size smaller than the living mantis, and seemed to have been only a few hundred years old.
At the sight of this, Qin Xuan stopped fifty meters away from the Shadow Mantis.
Even a thousand-year Soul Beast can't change its animal nature.
The one lying on the ground was clearly a male mantis.
It seems this female Shadow Mantis killed him a long time ago. The forelimbs of his corpse have already been completely devoured.
Just as Qin Xuan was thinking, the Shadow Mantis noticed him.
Seeing that he was merely a human child who hadn't yet obtained a Soul Ring,
the Shadow Mantis spread its sharp blades, beat its wings hard, and lunged toward Qin Xuan.
"Impudent!"
At that moment, a golden streak of light shot down from midair toward the Shadow Mantis.
Boom—
Just as the Shadow Mantis was about to reach Qin Xuan, the golden streak struck its abdomen.
It blasted the creature three yards away.
Once the light faded,
Qin Xuan could finally see that the golden flash had been nothing more than a single brilliant golden petal!
With just that one strike, the Shadow Mantis's abdomen was bleeding profusely. It had suffered a grievous wound and could barely even stand.
He looked up.
Qin Xuan saw that the one who had launched the attack was Yue Guan.
He had already arrived at the scene, but had been concealing his presence in midair.
"Xiaoxuan, go deliver the finishing blow to the Shadow Mantis." Yue Guan put away his Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum Martial Soul, landed beside Qin Xuan, and reminded him.
"As expected of Elder Chrysanthemum, a Titled Douluo. What a superb technique!" Qin Xuan politely replied, then summoned the Nine Nether Evil God Tiger.
Though it was only a dark shadow at that moment, the Nine Nether Evil God Tiger still towered three yards high, its presence deeply oppressive.
Watching the Nine Nether Evil God Tiger approach, its eyes blood-red and its face filled with greed,
the Shadow Mantis's pupils contracted, its eyes brimming with fear.
It bore the intense pain, turned around, and tried to flee.
Roar—
With a thunderous tiger's roar,
the Nine Nether Evil God Tiger sprang forward and landed directly on the Shadow Mantis's back.
Then it swung a tiger paw sideways at the Shadow Mantis's head.
With a thud,
the Shadow Mantis's head burst like a watermelon, smashed to pieces!
It's already this powerful as a mere afterimage. Once it gains its Martial Soul Avatar, won't the Nine Nether Evil God Tiger's abilities be enough to instantly kill Soul Masters of the same rank?
Though his face remained calm at the sight, Yue Guan was deeply astonished inside.
A moment later,
a purple Soul Ring emerged from the Shadow Mantis's corpse.
Without a word, Qin Xuan sat down on the spot and began absorbing the Soul Ring.
The Nine Nether Evil God Tiger didn't disappear.
It flicked the hook at the tip of its tail, piercing the Shadow Mantis's corpse.
Then, as the hook pulled back, a wondrous sight unfolded.
A miniature black hole, three meters in diameter, appeared above the corpse.
As a gale howled,
the black hole unleashed a powerful suction.
Black strands of energy flowed from the Shadow Mantis's corpse and were all sucked into the hole.
In just a moment,
the Shadow Mantis's blood essence and soul energy had been drained completely!
Its corpse now resembled a deflated balloon. All its flesh and blood were gone, leaving behind only a husk.
After finishing, the Nine Nether Evil God Tiger's shadow began to fade, eventually merging into Qin Xuan's body.
This ability was called the Evil Emperor Hook, and was far more powerful than the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger's Evil God Hook.
The Evil Emperor Hook's devouring was extraordinarily overbearing. It could instantly drain a target's Soul Power, life force, and blood essence; it could even extract their bloodline and absorb it into its user.
Qin Xuan could also derive the abilities of a Soul Master or Soul Beast from their bloodline. It was an ability that defied the heavens!
Anyone devoured by the Nine Nether Evil God Tiger, whether human or Soul Beast, would have their soul scattered, with no chance of reincarnation!
Watching Qin Xuan, who remained utterly composed, Yue Guan looked astonished, and a trace of fear flashed in his eyes.
He wanted to ask a few things, but worried he might disturb Qin Xuan as he absorbed the Soul Ring. So he kept silent and sighed inwardly:
What an extraordinary Nine Nether Evil God Tiger. It even has the monstrous ability to devour!
Come to think of it, Qin Xuan's Nine Nether Evil God Tiger seems very similar to the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger of legend.
But its speed and power of devouring far surpass that Dark Demon Evil God Tiger!
If a Soul Master were devoured, wouldn't their soul be scattered too, leaving them unable to enter the cycle of reincarnation?
About half an hour passed.
Qin Xuan still sat on the ground, his expression unchanged, though a fine layer of sweat had appeared on his forehead.
Seeing this, Yue Guan let out a deep breath of relief.
After all, absorbing a thousand-year Soul Ring as a First Soul Ring meant a serious leap beyond one's limits, far beyond what a Soul Master's body could withstand.
Since ancient times, there had never been a precedent of anyone absorbing a thousand-year Soul Ring as their First Soul Ring.
If Qin Xuan succeeded in absorbing one, he would undoubtedly create a miracle!
At the thought, Yue Guan's eyes burned with excitement, filled with anticipation.
Meanwhile, Qin Xuan, who was absorbing the Soul Ring's energy, was also taken by surprise.
He had prepared himself to endure the pain the energy's impact would inflict on his internal organs.
But the pain he had expected never came.
Instead, the thousand-year Soul Ring's energy flowed like a gentle stream, progressing steadily, and the absorption went very smoothly.
As for the thousand-year Soul Beast's resentment, it was even less worth mentioning.
The instant the Shadow Mantis's resentment appeared in the Sea of Consciousness, the Nine Nether Evil God Tiger devoured it. It didn't even get a chance to fight back...
Another ten minutes passed.
Qin Xuan suddenly opened his eyes and stood up, his aura surging.
A purple Soul Ring rose from his feet.
"My heavens! He absorbed a thousand-year Soul Ring in just forty minutes!" Yue Guan swiftly darted to Qin Xuan's side, unable to believe it.
Hearing this, Qin Xuan replied with delight:
"I didn't expect to absorb it so quickly either."
"I have the Nine Nether Evil God Tiger's power to thank for that."
"If I'd recklessly tried to absorb a thousand-year Soul Ring with an ordinary White Tiger Martial Soul, I'd only have ended up exploding and dying."
Yue Guan sighed with emotion. "With a thousand-year Soul Ring as your First Soul Ring, Xiaoxuan, you can call yourself the first person in the Douluo Continent."
"Speaking of which, your First Soul Skill is an offensive one, right? And that Nine Nether Evil God Tiger seems able to devour a Soul Beast's blood essence and convert it into its own Soul Power?"
"Mm." Qin Xuan nodded slightly and calmly answered each question:
"After absorbing this thousand-year Soul Ring, I broke through to the Soul Grandmaster realm and advanced two levels."
"My First Soul Skill is called Dark Fire Wind Blade. It's indeed an offensive Soul Skill."
"This Soul Skill can instantly launch several fire blades, with extremely powerful cutting force. Its range reaches a full hundred meters."
"With my current Soul Power, I can release at most five fire blades at once."
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