Third Spirit Ability, Another Soul Cage Ability

Inside the Intermediate Spirit Ascension Platform, the trees grew taller and the foliage denser, while the air was thick with the stench of decay.

From the darkness of the forest came low, bestial roars—not from one, but from a pack, echoing back and forth through the gloom.

Gu Yue mobilized her spiritual power, spreading her perception into the surroundings. The wind element told her that something was approaching rapidly from the southeast—

"A soul beast is coming!"

"I know." Xiao Mu nodded, showing not the slightest surprise.

He raised his eyes to look at the patch of sky sliced up by the canopy above, then raised his hand and snapped his fingers.

"Jun Wu, burn the forest."

Jun Wu circled high above the forest, letting out a sharp, piercing cry that carried a note of excitement.

Flames poured down from the tips of its wings.

The fire landed on the canopy and spread instantly; the entire forest was ignited in a heartbeat. Tongues of flame licked at the trunks, erupting into a blaze as dazzling as the sun.

The roars of the beasts turned into whimpers within the fire, and then into silence.

A massive wave of spiritual power surged from the forest toward the three of them. Although the soul beasts in this Intermediate Spirit Ascension Platform were scattered, the mechanism dictated that the spiritual power would flow to the soul master closest to them.

As the spiritual power poured in, the soul ring at Xiao Mu's feet was instantly dyed with a purple hue, the light deepening continuously as it pushed toward the ten-thousand-year level.

His third soul ring naturally manifested beneath his feet, and a golden light ignited in the depths of his eyes.

However, with only this much spiritual power to split between three people and six soul rings, reaching the ten-thousand-year level was not so easy.

Outside the Spirit Ascension Platform, in the Spirit Pagoda monitoring room.

Red alarm lights rotated on the ceiling, casting flickering light and shadow across everyone's faces. Dozens of light screens flickered simultaneously, displaying the scene inside the Intermediate Spirit Ascension Platform—the forest was burning, soul beasts were fleeing, and the entire ecosystem was collapsing at a visible rate.

"No way, this is like a mouse getting into a rice jar!"

A staff member roared. This was a massive loss; they were paying the price for a Primary Spirit Ascension Platform while enjoying the Intermediate one.

That wasn't even the worst of it—they had wiped out so many soul beasts in the Intermediate Spirit Ascension Platform that repairing the environment would be a huge headache.

"Overtime, we have to work overtime again!" Another staff member stared at the screen, his voice trembling. "What do we do now? The fire is still spreading."

"That's simple, notify the Pagoda Master!" Another staff member, clearly more experienced, decided to pass the buck to the higher-ups so they wouldn't have to take the blame themselves.

In the sea of flames, Xiao Mu raised his hand, and Jun Wu dove from the sky, landing on his shoulder. Golden-red flames flowed between its feathers without scorching him in the slightest.

"These guys are really weak. But with this fire, ordinary thousand-year soul beasts won't dare to come near here."

Jun Wu was smug. Now that it was a thousand-year spirit, it felt that no soul beast could catch up to it.

"Brother, this really is the fastest way to increase spirit power!" Na'er was a bit excited, but then she thought about how, if this were reality, Jun Wu having such strength—

Di Tian would definitely not let it live. It might have been possible ten thousand years ago, but now, it was absolutely impossible.

There wasn't much forest left to begin with; it couldn't afford to be burned at all.

Xiao Mu glanced at Gu Yue and asked, "Why aren't you a thousand-year spirit yet?"

Gu Yue only then realized she had forgotten to change the color. She would just have to kill another thousand-year spirit later and change it then.

"Still a little short." Her voice carried a hint of embarrassment.

"Fine, then we'll find you another thousand-year soul beast!" Xiao Mu was speechless. He had thought the trip was successfully completed, but he hadn't expected Gu Yue to be such a drag.

Well, she was always hesitant in the original work, unable to make a decision on either side.

No wonder the ancients said, "He who hesitates is lost."

The ancients never deceived me.

The three continued forward, the flames ahead parting automatically under Jun Wu's command.

Gu Yue followed behind Xiao Mu, looking at the charred trees around them. It felt incredibly real, yet incredibly cruel. Perhaps humans had used similar methods to deal with the Star Dou Great Forest.

Na'er suddenly leaned close to Xiao Mu and said, "Brother, it seems something is following us."

"I know. It's been hovering around us; it probably thinks of us as prey." Xiao Mu analyzed briefly, "It should be a fire-attribute soul beast. The current flames aren't doing much damage to it."

"But it only keeps hovering because it senses a threat."

Suddenly, his field of perception shifted, and he looked ahead. His third soul ring shone, and a scene was reflected in his eyes.

His third soul skill was Observation; it allowed him to see fifteen seconds into the future, with a fifteen-second cooldown.

It was another "prison" skill—as long as the opponent could also predict, it could be countered.

It was another skill that every powerhouse could use, but disdained to.

He suspected that Jun Wu's ancestors were experts in fortune-telling.

Before long, the flames split open fifty meters away, revealing a massive figure.

It was a giant tiger, nearly a zhang tall at the shoulder, its entire body crimson. Its fur shimmered with a lava-like luster amidst the embers. Its pupils were pure gold, like two burning stars, appearing exceptionally striking in the charred forest.

A three-thousand-year Flame Demon Tiger.

Its right front paw stepped onto a charred rock, the claws sinking into the stone surface and leaving five melted gouges.

"This one, can you take it down?" Xiao Mu asked.

Gu Yue nodded, "That should be about right."

She didn't dwell on what the soul beast was; she could simply absorb its spiritual energy later to increase the age of her own soul rings.

The next moment, the Flame Demon Tiger finished assessing the trio, deeming them prey that could be hunted.

Its figure vanished from where it stood, flames exploding beneath its paws. Its form refracted through the firelight like a burning meteor, crashing straight toward Gu Yue.

"Let me handle this!" A cold glint flashed in Na'er's silver eyes. The tip of her spear traced a silver arc, colliding head-on with the Flame Demon Tiger's claws.

Metal clashed against metal, sparks flew, and the shockwave scattered the surrounding embers in every direction.

The Flame Demon Tiger was knocked back three steps, while Na'er retreated one, the shaft of her spear trembling slightly.

The strength of a three-thousand-year soul beast was no small pressure for her.

"Na'er, Gu Yue, let's attack together!" Xiao Mu said.

The first soul ring beneath his feet suddenly brightened, and a force field expanded around him, spreading toward Na'er like an invisible membrane.

As the vectors at the tip of the spear were fine-tuned, Na'er felt the Silver Dragon Spear in her hands suddenly grow light, as if lifted by some force.

Gu Yue also manipulated the wind elements to boost Na'er's speed, preparing for a charged strike.

"Brother, this move of yours is truly convenient; you can do anything!" Na'er exclaimed excitedly. With the gravity enhancement, her damage output was even stronger.

She didn't hesitate, leaping into the air as the spear tip traced a silver line through the sunlight, thrusting straight toward the Flame Demon Tiger's eyes.

This time, the speed was faster, and the force was heavier.

The Flame Demon Tiger roared, a deep red flame exploding into a large character before it, but Na'er's spear radiance had already pierced through the fire.

The spear tip plunged into the Flame Demon Tiger's neck, and dark red blood sprayed out instantly.

"Roar—"

The Flame Demon Tiger flew into a rage, struggling. But Xiao Mu would never give it such a chance; he pressed his force field down, suddenly doubling the gravity around the beast. The giant tiger's movements stalled, as if pinned down by an invisible mountain.

"Now!"

Na'er pulled back her spear and flipped her body in mid-air, the silver radiance thrusting straight into the Flame Demon Tiger's throat.

Gu Yue's attack was unleashed at this very moment, a massive wind blade cleaving the Flame Demon Tiger in two from top to bottom.

The terror in the demon tiger's eyes vanished in that instant, and a vast amount of spiritual energy surged forth.

It poured into the bodies of the three, and Gu Yue's two soul rings finally transformed into a brilliant purple.