Next, of course, they continued searching for a suitable Soul Beast for Ning Xiaochun.
They had originally planned to hunt the same two Soul Beasts as before, but then they stumbled upon an unexpected find.
"I think that Soul Beast would be a good fit for me."
Ning Xiaochun suddenly stopped and pointed to a Soul Beast nearby, crawling at an extremely slow pace.
A Magic Tree Sloth!
A Soul Beast with an extremely slow crawling speed. It had survived in Sunset Forest only thanks to its formidable defense and poison resistance, making it a top-tier mutated Soul Beast.
"Good idea!"
Shui Bing'er nodded and immediately sprang into action.
The fight ended much faster than they had expected.
The Magic Tree Sloth was a top-tier mutated Soul Beast renowned for its defense and poison resistance. Shui Bing'er froze it in place with her Ultimate Ice.
Then Dugu Yan's Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison ate away at its defenses. Finally, Ning Xiaochun landed a precise Soft Muscle Evil, and the two girls followed up with a combined strike, ending its life for good.
A deep purple Thousand-Year Soul Ring slowly rose from its massive body.
Ning Xiaochun didn't hesitate. He immediately sat cross-legged, circulated his Soul Power, and guided the purple Thousand-Year Soul Ring into his body.
He had already absorbed a Soul Ring once before. On top of that, both his pagodas had evolved, his foundation was solid, and the residual medicinal power of the Aromatic Silk Beauty protected him. The absorption went exceptionally smoothly.
The Soul Ring entered his body, and warm, surging energy flowed along his meridians before finally gathering in his dantian, where the Nine Killings Glazed Pagoda absorbed it with ease.
His Second Soul Ring was complete!
With the Second Soul Ring's help, his Soul Power surged upward like a rising tide.
Level 21... Level 22... Level 23... It climbed without a hitch, finally stopping firmly at the threshold of Level 25!
"Level 25!"
Ning Xiaochun opened his eyes, feeling the increase in his Soul Power, and his young face lit up with delight.
He knew that most of the credit went to the immense medicinal power of the Aromatic Silk Beauty, still lingering inside him and not yet fully absorbed. The Immortal Herb's effects were even more enduring and potent than he had imagined!
More importantly, clear information about his Second Soul Skill had appeared in his mind.
[Second Soul Skill: Foot-Stalling Bane]
Effect: Greatly reduces the target's movement and attack speed, making them feel as if they are trapped in deep-sea mud. Their movements become sluggish, making it difficult to pursue or dodge.
"Perfect!" Ning Xiaochun clenched his fist in excitement. Paired with his First Soul Skill, Soft Muscle Evil, one weakened strength while the other slowed speed. They were the perfect match!
When he faced Power Attack System or Agility Attack System opponents in the future, he could turn them into slow-moving weaklings! His safety would improve immensely!
"Congratulations, Xiaochun!" Dugu Yan was the first to come over, excitement shining in her green eyes.
"Level 25! You're leveling up way too fast! And that Second Soul Ring looks like it's at least twelve hundred years old, right? Your physical constitution is incredible!"
Shui Bing'er didn't say anything, but a note of relief and satisfaction showed in her ice-blue eyes as she gave a slight nod.
Even Hu Liena, following behind them, looked surprised.
He'd absorbed a Thousand-Year Soul Ring with such ease and gained five levels of Soul Power in one go. This kid's foundation was even more impressive than she'd imagined. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had really struck gold.
Ning Xiaochun got to his feet and stretched. He was just about to speak when an intense clash of Soul Power and roars erupted from the dense woods nearby! The commotion was far louder than when they'd hunted the Magic Tree Sloth.
"Something's happening!" Dugu Yan instantly went on alert, the faint phantom of the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor appearing behind her.
"Let's go take a look," Shui Bing'er said briefly, darting toward the source of the sounds. Ning Xiaochun and Dugu Yan followed at once, while Hu Liena trailed behind with interest.
They passed through a thick patch of bushes, and the sight before them made everyone pause in surprise.
A shocking battle was taking place in a relatively open clearing among the trees!
The combatants were unmistakably two powerful thousand-year Soul Beasts!
One was a giant serpent covered in silver-gray scales, with a pair of translucent wings sprouting from its back. It moved so fast that it left streaks of afterimages in the air!
Its body was lithe, and every lunge came with the roar of wind and thunder. Instead of venom, it spat out concentrated blades of wind that sliced through the air with sharp whistles!
It was the exceedingly rare mutated Soul Beast, the Lightning Demon Snake!
Facing it was a giant bird with icy-blue feathers as if carved from dark ice. Its wings stretched five or six meters across!
Its eyes were as sharp as blades. Each beat of its wings sent bitterly cold wind and ice spikes raining down, freezing patches of the ground. Its shrill cries carried a force that shook the soul!
It was another top-tier mutated Soul Beast—the Ice Demon Bird!
Both Soul Beasts were already covered in wounds, their auras in disarray. One of the Lightning Demon Snake's wings seemed injured, making its flight unsteady.
The Ice Demon Bird had a deep gash in its belly from a wind blade, and icy-blue blood dripped from the wound. Yet neither would back down. They clearly regarded each other as mortal enemies—or perhaps as perfect nourishment for evolution!
"Lightning Demon Snake! It must be at least three thousand years old!" Dugu Yan's eyes lit up, her voice trembling with excitement.
"This is a top-tier mutated Soul Beast! It has both wind and poison attributes, and its speed and attacks are terrifying! It's also incredibly rare! If my Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor can absorb its Soul Ring, I might gain wind abilities and make up for my lack of speed!"
"Ice Demon Bird, around four thousand years old."
Shui Bing'er kept her eyes fixed on the giant icy-blue bird. Her usually cool voice held a trace of excitement.
"It evolved from an ordinary Water Demon Bird and feeds on serpent and fish-type Soul Beasts. Its ice attribute is exceptionally pure. Its Soul Ring would greatly benefit my Ice Phoenix!"
Ning Xiaochun caught on too. This was like a pie falling from the sky!
They had just been worrying about where to find suitable Soul Rings for Shui Bing'er and Dugu Yan. Now two had practically landed in their laps, and both were top-tier mutated Soul Beasts with perfectly compatible attributes!
"Talk about getting a pillow just when you feel sleepy!" Ning Xiaochun's eyes lit up as he immediately assessed the situation.
"Both Soul Beasts are already at the end of their rope. After fighting this long, they probably don't have much strength left. We can swoop in and reap the rewards!"
He made his decision at once, a "steady, accurate, and ruthless" look on his young face.
"Once one of them wins, or they both end up badly wounded, we'll strike! Bing'er, you take the Ice Demon Bird; Sister Yan, you handle the Lightning Demon Snake! I'll weaken them with my Soul Skills!"
Both girls nodded, fighting spirit blazing in their eyes. Hu Liena stood off to one side with her arms crossed, watching with interest. She seemed curious to see how strong the two girls would become after absorbing such powerful Soul Rings.
The battle in the clearing had reached its climax.
The Lightning Demon Snake let out a sharp hiss and, ignoring its injuries, became a streak of silver-gray lightning. Trailing fierce wind blades, it launched one final assault on the Ice Demon Bird!
The Ice Demon Bird refused to back down. It snapped its wings together, sending countless icy-blue feathers shooting out like arrows, while also blasting a concentrated beam of icy-blue light from its mouth!
BOOM!!!
Wind blades and ice feathers, lightning and frost, collided violently in the center of the clearing! The terrifying shock wave snapped every tree around them! The ground exploded into a massive crater! Dust and smoke billowed everywhere!
Both Soul Beasts were flung backward by the blast and slammed into the ground. Their auras had dwindled to almost nothing; neither could fight any longer!
"Now!"
A glint flashed in Ning Xiaochun's eyes as he summoned the Nine Killings Glazed Pagoda without hesitation! The shadowy nine-story pagoda floated above his palm, radiating a heart-pounding aura!
"Nine Killings Nether Pagoda, emerging from the gloom—may you never dare to act so strong."
The familiar opening line rang out, but Ning Xiaochun's voice was more decisive and fierce than ever.
"First: Weaken!" A gray glow enveloped the wounded Lightning Demon Snake and Ice Demon Bird, leaving their already weakened bodies even more limp and powerless.
"Second: Slow!" His Second Soul Ring shone brightly! An invisible force of inertia wrapped around both Soul Beasts like a swamp, making even the slightest struggle agonizingly slow!
Two weakening Soul Skills struck the two thousand-year Soul Beasts, already on the verge of death, with pinpoint accuracy! They were utterly exhausted to begin with, and now they were no better than fish on a chopping board, unable to resist at all!
"Attack!" Ning Xiaochun barked.
Shui Bing'er had been waiting for this moment. At his words, she vanished from where she stood and appeared above the Ice Demon Bird in the next instant, the Ice Phoenix phantom spreading its wings and crying out behind her!
"First Soul Skill: Ice Seal!"
Before you continue