"Su Ming, get to it. Quickly," Yue Guan ordered calmly, his hands clasped behind his back.
Su Ming stepped forward without expression.
Looking at those ghostly green phoenix eyes, filled with resentment and fear, Su Ming didn't hesitate. He struck with his right palm, and his powerful Soul Power smashed the creature's head to pieces.
The Nine-Nether Soul-Snatching Owl's body spasmed violently a few times, then lost all signs of life.
Buzz!
Specks of black light gathered above its enormous corpse. In just a dozen seconds, a black Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring, radiating deathly stillness and icy cold, hung quietly in midair.
At the sight of the pitch-black Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring, Yue Guan's expression turned grave again. He warned in a low voice, "Kid, I'll warn you one last time. A Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring's energy is extremely violent, and the Nine-Nether Soul-Snatching Owl excels at soul attacks. Its lingering resentment is incredibly powerful. If you can't hold on, not even the gods can save you."
Su Ming said nothing.
He simply lifted his robe and sat cross-legged beneath the Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring.
"Whew..."
After taking a deep breath, Su Ming raised his right hand.
Drawn by the Ultimate Evil Soul Power within him, the pitch-black Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring trembled slightly, then transformed into a thick torrent of black energy and surged wildly into Su Ming's body.
Boom!
The instant the Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring's vast energy entered him, Su Ming's body shuddered violently.
Fine beads of blood seeped from the surface of his skin. The veins on his forehead bulged as he endured an unimaginably violent tearing pain.
But the real danger lay on the battlefield of his mind.
"Caw!"
Within Su Ming's sea of consciousness, the Nine-Nether Soul-Snatching Owl's lingering obsession transformed into a massive vengeful spirit. It roared furiously, trying to devour Su Ming's soul.
Facing this ferocious Ten-Thousand-Year resentment, Su Ming's consciousness remained utterly calm.
Deep within his soul, he watched the lunging vengeful spirit with cold indifference. At that moment, the Martial Soul Origin within him erupted.
With a thunderous roar, an enormous Evil Phoenix, its entire body wreathed in Ultimate Evil black flames, burst into the sky within Su Ming's sea of consciousness.
This was the absolute might of an Ultimate Attribute Martial Soul!
Before this Evil Phoenix, which commanded endless Ultimate Evil black flames, the Nine-Nether Soul-Snatching Owl's Ten-Thousand-Year resentment was like snow before the blazing sun.
The Evil Phoenix let out a piercing cry and opened its beak, swallowing the Nine-Nether Soul-Snatching Owl's lingering obsession in one bite.
The resentment struggled, but could do nothing except become nourishment for the Evil Phoenix!
This was the Evil Phoenix's innate devouring Soul Skill. It countered all avian Soul Beasts, and was even more effective against all evil, resentful energy!
This was the confidence that let Su Ming face the Soul Shock head-on!
With the soul's resentment no longer interfering, the violent energy in his body began to submit under the forceful suppression of his Soul Power, slowly flowing into his extraordinary meridians.
Time passed, second by second.
Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan stood guard nearby. His expression gradually shifted from grave concern to utter astonishment.
He could clearly see Su Ming's complexion returning to normal at a visible pace.
His body, which had been shuddering violently, also steadied.
The absorption process was painful, but Su Ming was as hard as a boulder, showing no sign of collapse.
Two whole days and nights passed.
With a soft buzz, the Soul Power hovering around Su Ming completely withdrew into his body.
Su Ming slowly opened his eyes. His Soul Rings began to rise one after another beneath his feet.
Yellow! Yellow! Purple!
After the first three Soul Rings rose, a profound, pure-black Soul Ring appeared in fourth place, hanging quietly as it pulsed slowly.
Twelve years old, a four-ring Soul Ancestor with a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring!
Yue Guan had lived for half his life, yet even he couldn't help swallowing hard at the sight.
Suppressing his shock, he hurried over and asked, barely able to contain his eagerness, "Little Monster, you really succeeded!"
"Tell me quickly, what kind of Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Skill did your fourth Soul Ring give you? This is a Ten-Thousand-Year fourth ring!"
Su Ming stood up and brushed the dust off his clothes.
Feeling the information conveyed by his fourth Soul Ring, the corner of his mouth lifted in a rare smile.
He looked up at Yue Guan and introduced it with a faint smile. "My fourth Soul Skill is called... Nine-Nether Resentful Phoenix Cry."
Nine-Nether Resentful Phoenix Cry?
Yue Guan watched him, curious and expectant.
Su Ming explained, "It's a bizarre Soul Skill that targets a single opponent."
"When I use it, the Evil Phoenix behind me opens its eyes. Any single target within my field of vision that meets its gaze will be forced to suffer the Five Decays of Heaven and Man."
"Under this effect, the opponent's Martial Soul will tremble under the suppression of my Martial Soul's rank."
At this point, Su Ming paused, the curve of his smile deepening. "And this Soul Skill also comes with an absolute rule-based seal."
"An absolute seal?" At the word "seal," Chrysanthemum Douluo suddenly held his breath.
Su Ming nodded. "Yes, a seal! As long as the opponent's Soul Rings are lower in age than my fourth Soul Ring, every one of them will be suppressed by my Soul Skill, no matter how many they have. Their Soul Rings will be forcibly sealed for three seconds."
"During those three seconds, the opponent won't be able to use any Soul Skills corresponding to the sealed Soul Rings."
After hearing Su Ming's explanation, even Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan, a Titled Douluo, felt a chill shoot straight through him.
"F-forcibly seal Soul Rings for three seconds? And every Soul Ring that's lower in age than your fourth one?"
"In other words, every Soul Ring under thirteen thousand five hundred years???"
Yue Guan's voice trembled.
What did this mean?
In the Soul Master World, in most cases, anyone who hadn't reached the Soul Saint rank—including Soul Kings and even Soul Emperors—wouldn't have Soul Rings older than twelve thousand years among their first five, or even first six, Soul Rings!
In other words, unless Su Ming ran into a monster, he would absolutely suppress his opponents.
Anyone facing Su Ming's fourth Soul Skill would find their Soul Skills turned gray for the first three seconds. They wouldn't be able to use them at all!
That wouldn't matter much in a Soul Fighting match where the combatants only fought to a point. At worst, they would lose.
But in a fight to the death, they would be helpless puppets for those three seconds, unable to use their Soul Skills and left at their opponent's mercy!
This wasn't an ordinary Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Skill. It was an insidious, bizarre divine skill that shattered the conventional logic of combat in the Soul Master World!
"A monster... His Holiness the Pope has truly raised an unimaginably terrifying monster this time..."
Looking at the cold-faced boy before him, Yue Guan felt a chill run down his spine.
Thank goodness the boy was on his side. He didn't even dare imagine what it would be like if he were an enemy.