The Third Soul Skill, Demon Devour, Bloodlust

Seeing the three of them looking at him with curious eyes, Ban Shu remained unhurried, reaching out to summon his martial soul.

"Take a look."

Qian Xunji and the others hurriedly inspected the weapon in Ban Shu's hand, but no matter how they looked, they found nothing out of the ordinary.

"Xiao Ban, stop keeping us in suspense. Tell us, what exactly has changed?" Qian Xunji finally couldn't help but urge him.

"Alright, I'll tell you now."

Ban Shu laid the Painted Halberd flat, pointing to the blood-colored patterns extending from the two crescent blades on the head, as well as the slightly elongated tip. "Actually, it's this."

"This..."

Qian Xunji and the others looked at one another, none of them understanding what Ban Shu meant.

"Aren't these just ordinary stripes? What's different about them?" Bibi Dong was very confused.

"Very different!"

Ban Shu nodded solemnly, then hesitated for a moment. "Actually, I'm not sure if this counts as a type of... spirit bone."

"A spirit bone?"

Ban Shu nodded, pointing to the patterns. "Don't let these patterns fool you; they are actually the result of the Painted Halberd fusing with the beak of the Demon-Devouring Mosquito."

"With this, whenever the Painted Halberd strikes an enemy, it can absorb their blood energy to heal itself. Simply put, it's blood-sucking."

"It's that powerful?"

Golden Crocodile Douluo was astonished. He certainly knew how terrifyingly valuable this was; blood-sucking and spirit-sucking combined was definitely not as simple as one plus one equals two.

It could be said that from now on, Ban Shu would no longer fear being surrounded, as the enemy would likely be unable to outlast him.

"That's not all."

Ban Shu flourished the Painted Halberd. "This ability is just like a spirit bone; it consumes very little energy, allowing the Demon-Devouring effect to easily maintain a balance and achieve a perpetual state."

Bibi Dong, standing to the side, opened her mouth in surprise. "Doesn't that mean the more enemies you face, Xiao Ban, the more terrifying your strength becomes?"

"Exactly, that's the logic." Ban Shu nodded in agreement.

The more enemies there were, the greater his endurance; the greater his endurance, the faster he could eliminate them—so the more enemies there were, the fewer there would be.

"How terrifying!"

Golden Crocodile Douluo shook his head with a sigh. This was truly a monster; if Ban Shu had been born in his own generation, there would likely be nothing left for the rest of them to do.

Even that incredibly talented ancestor of the Clear Sky Sect would not dare claim he could defeat the current Ban Shu while at level thirty.

"But fortunately, Ban Shu is one of our own."

Golden Crocodile Douluo chuckled to himself. Just wait—in the sect tournament a few years from now, he would let the people of the Clear Sky Sect see Ban Shu's strength and properly extinguish their arrogance.

"Alright, the sun is about to rise. Let's pick up the pace, get out of the Star Dou Great Forest, rest up properly, and then head to the ruins."

Golden Crocodile Douluo looked at the sky, where the sun's rays were gradually illuminating the horizon. Sleep was out of the question, so they might as well leave the forest and find a village or town outside to rest.

"Agreed."

After resting in a village near the Star Dou Great Forest, the four of them set off once again on their journey to find the ruins.

While on the way, Golden Crocodile Douluo shared some stories from his youth.

"I still remember when I was only forty, in the prime of my life, adventuring alone across the Douluo Continent. So many years have passed in the blink of an eye; time truly spares no one."

Looking at the desolate rocks and mountains around them, Golden Crocodile Douluo stroked his beard and sighed.

"That's not true, Grandpa Golden Crocodile, you're still very young."

Ban Shu comforted him from the side. "For a Title Douluo, your current age is nothing more than that of a young man. How can you say time spares no one?"

"Hahahaha, well said! I am still young!"

Ban Shu's words were very pleasing to Golden Crocodile, who laughed heartily and strode forward. "Keep up, the ruins are not far ahead."

"Uncle Golden Crocodile, wait for us!"

Because Qian Xunji had to look after Ban Shu and Bibi Dong, he could only travel slowly. Seeing how excited Golden Crocodile had become, he could only glare helplessly at Ban Shu.

"Xiao Ban, look at your big mouth!"

"I... I was just trying to cheer up Grandpa Golden Crocodile." Ban Shu scratched his head helplessly. Who knew the man would suddenly become as energetic as if he'd been injected with stimulants?

"Forget it, we need to catch up!"

Qian Xunji shook his head helplessly, grabbed one person in each hand, channeled his spirit power, and tapped his feet against the ground to chase after Golden Crocodile Douluo.

"..."

"Grandpa Golden Crocodile, is this what you call 'not far'? We've traveled hundreds of miles, why aren't we there yet?"

Bibi Dong, being carried, looked at the road ahead and complained speechlessly.

"That's right. These few hundred miles are just a warm-up for me, so of course it counts as not far."

Golden Crocodile looked around, muttering to himself, "I remember it being right around here. Why is it gone?"

"No way, right?"

Ban Shu stared blankly at Golden Crocodile Douluo. "Grandpa Golden Crocodile, you're joking, right?"

"Ah, hahahaha, of course I'm joking. How could I possibly forget the way?"

Golden Crocodile Douluo looked around and pointed toward a valley to the side. "The ruins are right there, let's go."

The three of them exchanged glances, none of them truly believing what Golden Crocodile Douluo had said, but since things had reached this point, they had no choice but to follow.

"Found it! I told you, how could I possibly forget the way?"

Golden Crocodile Douluo arrived outside a deep, secluded cave. "This is it. This is where I found that box back then."

Looking at the deep cave before him, Ban Shu hurriedly took out the box. To his surprise, purple runes began to light up on its surface, flickering slowly as if responding to something.

"It seems this is the place."

Qian Xunji looked at the box in Ban Shu's hands and nodded thoughtfully. "Let's go."

"Mm."

Ban Shu held the box aloft and walked in the lead, with Golden Crocodile Douluo beside him and Qian Xunji bringing up the rear.

The cave was very deep and more spacious than imagined, though it contained various types of structures that did not look naturally formed.

It was a pity that most of these structures were already ruined, making it impossible to discern their purpose, and they instead became obstacles in their path.

After finally passing through these architectural ruins, the group finally arrived at a place that looked like a main hall.

At the very front of the palace, two massive stone statues stood silently.

These two statues were forty to fifty meters tall; one appeared to be male, and the other female.

The male held a scepter in one hand, while his other hand seemed to be supporting something, though it was empty.

The woman was holding up a large tree with both hands, with nothing else unusual about her.

Ban Shu stepped forward and looked at the box in his hand, thinking that this object must be what the man was meant to be supporting.