Domain

By this point, Lie Yan was already staring in shock.

This was far beyond the boost provided by an ordinary Soul Bone that was over two hundred thousand years old.

But Lie Xu hadn't finished. He continued explaining to everyone.

"The fourth is a Soul Bone domain skill—Ten Thousand Beasts."

"A domain?!" Everyone cried out in unison. Only Qian Renxue looked at them in confusion. She had a rough idea of what a domain was and knew they were difficult to obtain, but she had no concept of just how difficult.

Lie Xu nodded and exhaled. "Within a ten-kilometer radius, Soul Beasts with less Soul Power than me will submit unconditionally;

"Those with more Soul Power than me will also be forcibly suppressed. Even if I ran into a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast right now, I could briefly intimidate it.

"The range and suppressive force will keep expanding and growing stronger as my Soul Power increases."

Lie Xu paused, then continued, "And this domain can stack with Berserk and Beast Might."

"Berserk will transform into a group enhancement skill, sending everyone into a frenzy. Besides boosting all my attributes by two hundred percent, it'll increase the attributes of anyone with less Soul Power than me by one hundred percent, those at the same level by eighty percent, and those above me will also get an all-attribute boost, though it'll decrease by twenty percent for every ten levels.

"Beast Might will evolve into a soul-control skill: 'Holy Might Soul Capture.'"

"Anyone within my domain will be controlled indiscriminately through their soul. They'll obey my every command. Those with weaker spiritual power than me will be completely controlled. If their spiritual power is higher than mine, the duration will be shorter and they'll be much harder to control."

His voice fell.

Xiao Jiu leaped to the ground and instantly transformed into a three-meter-tall, golden, two-headed giant lion.

"Grandpa, let's test it. Don't resist."

Lie Xu also took the opportunity to put some distance between himself and the others.

A burst of crimson-gold light erupted from the spinal region of Xiao Jiu's back, and a crimson domain spread out with a thunderous roar!

"Is this Soul Bone sharing?" Qian Daoliu had appeared in the courtyard at some point. He couldn't help exclaiming at the sight.

Roar—!!!

As the Nine Spirit Primal Saint's avatar appeared behind Xiao Jiu, its pressure pierced the heavens and earth!

Lie Yan felt his body stiffen and his soul freeze. He lost consciousness for half a second.

When he came to, his face was filled with shock. "I'm a level ninety-seven Super Douluo! And your domain still affected me for an instant?!"

Lie Xu's spiritual power was heavily depleted. His knees weakened.

"Brother Xu!" Qian Renxue hurried over and caught him.

Lie Xu smiled and was just about to say he was fine when his vision went black and he fainted.

"Brother Xu!"

Qian Renxue cried out in alarm.

In the next instant, Qian Daoliu appeared and took Lie Xu from Qian Renxue's arms. He immediately used his Soul Power to examine him. After a moment, he let out a long breath. "His spiritual power and Soul Power are just depleted. It's nothing serious. He'll be fine after some rest."

"But... this Soul Bone domain is terrifying."

He looked down at the unconscious boy, his expression grave.

"The Star Dou Great Forest... I'm afraid he can't go there the way he used to anymore."

When Qian Renxue heard her grandfather say Lie Xu was all right, she finally relaxed. But his next words made her curious again.

"Why not, Grandpa? Why can't Brother Xu go to the Star Dou Great Forest anymore?"

As he channeled Soul Power into Lie Xu, Qian Daoliu explained to Qian Renxue.

"It's not that he can't go. He just can't swagger into the Star Dou Great Forest like before, or hunt Soul Beasts there and absorb their Soul Rings like everyone else."

"Why, Grandpa?" Qian Renxue still didn't understand.

"Because Xiao Xu's aura now resembles that of an emperor among Soul Beasts. The moment he steps into the Star Dou Great Forest, it'll be like a new Beast Emperor entering the territory of the old one. The old emperor will sense him immediately."

"Xiao Xue, what do you think the old Beast Emperor would do when it saw a new one?"

Without a moment's hesitation, Qian Renxue replied, "It would kill anything that threatened its position..."

Only then did Qian Renxue understand. "But, Grandpa, Brother Xu isn't a Soul Beast."

Qian Daoliu lightly flicked Qian Renxue on the forehead. "Silly girl, do you think those Soul Beasts will listen to reason? Besides, Soul Beasts can shed their beast forms and cultivate human bodies once they reach a hundred thousand years. Do you think those hundred-thousand-year Soul Beasts will simply consider him a human?"

Qian Renxue opened her mouth, but didn't know what to say. She could only ask timidly, "Grandpa, what do we do, then? There are lots of Soul Beasts that can only be found in the Star Dou Great Forest. How will Brother Xu get his Soul Rings in the future?"

Qian Daoliu handed the unconscious Lie Xu over to the healing Soul Master who had arrived, then sighed.

"Alas, for now, there's no good solution. We can only take things one step at a time—or perhaps find some rare treasure that can conceal his aura..."

Lie Xu woke up three days later.

He was lying in a soft carriage, with his head resting on Qian Renxue's lap. She was gently massaging his forehead with her little hands.

"Brother Xu, you're finally awake!" The girl's eyes were red. She had clearly been worried for a long time.

"I'm fine. Sorry for worrying you." Lie Xu grinned. He had already awakened his Martial Soul, and he'd eaten plenty of rare treasures and Soul Beast meat since he was young, so his physique was far beyond that of an ordinary person.

But his body was still that of a six-year-old child. After going several days without food or water, he was naturally a little weak.

Seeing her younger brother like this, Chi Yuan handed Qian Renxue some pastries and warm water so she could feed them to Lie Xu.

Across from them, Qian Daoliu watched Lie Xu, who had only just awakened, with a grave expression.

"Xiao Xu, do you understand what your Soul Bone domain means?"

Lie Xu chewed on a pastry, sat up against the carriage, and shook his head.

"Ten Thousand Beasts submitting to you, souls intimidated... The moment you enter the Star Dou Great Forest, the ten-thousand-year Soul Beasts in its depths will sense you. Everything you do will be exposed to them, and they'll see any Soul Beasts you hunt as a provocation."

Lie Xu's heart tightened.

He knew the Star Dou Great Forest was home to the most powerful Soul Beasts on the continent. The slightest misstep could bring utter ruin.

"And that's not all," Qian Daoliu said gravely. "You and Xiao Xue were both born with innate level twenty Soul Power, and your Martial Souls are extraordinary. Right now, all the forces on the continent have their eyes on Spirit Hall.

"Star Dou Town is also a tangled mess. The Seven Great Sects, the two great empires, and all kinds of desperate outlaws are watching you from the shadows."

Lie Yan clenched his fists until his knuckles cracked. "What's there to fear? Big brother, with us here, nobody can lay a hand on our grandson!"

Qian Daoliu nodded in agreement with what Mighty Lion Douluo had said. At present, no one on the continent dared to openly challenge Spirit Hall. At most, they acted like rats in a gutter, resorting to underhanded tricks.

No one noticed the cold glint that flashed through Lie Xu's eyes.

Just what he needed.

He needed a few whetstones to test whether his blade was sharp...