If Golden Scale could help Tang Wulin absorb the remaining thirty percent of the Golden Dragon King's seal, then Tang Wulin's current predicament would be resolved.
At that thought, Yao Lao hurriedly told Old Tang what he had in mind.
After hearing Yao Lao out, Old Tang fell into deep thought.
"I'm not familiar with Soul Spirits, and I've never dealt with them. But I think the method you suggested is worth a try. If it doesn't work, I'll step in and save Tang Wulin."
"At least you've still got a bit of a conscience, you old geezer."
After getting Old Tang's approval, Yao Lao immediately sent a mental message to Tang Wulin. "Wulin, your situation is very bad. You might not be able to absorb the remaining thirty percent of the Golden Dragon King's seal inside your body. But Old Tang and I just came up with a solution. Your Soul Spirit, Golden Scale, might be able to help you absorb that remaining thirty percent. So you need to find a way to call Golden Scale back and have it help you."
Tang Wulin's consciousness was already very hazy. He was circulating the Flame Mantra almost entirely on instinct, but he still heard Yao Lao's voice. He couldn't speak, though, and was unable to answer him.
"So that's what it is. No wonder I kept feeling a force rampaging through my body."
Tang Wulin couldn't reply to Yao Lao, but he used the last of his consciousness to call Golden Scale back.
At first, when Yao Lao saw that Tang Wulin didn't respond, he thought Tang Wulin had lost consciousness completely and nearly asked Old Tang to step in and save him.
But when Golden Scale transformed into a streak of golden light and shot into Tang Wulin's body, Yao Lao understood that Tang Wulin was following his suggestion.
"Golden Scale, help me! Eat that mass of energy!"
Tang Wulin called out to Golden Scale in his heart.
Whether Golden Scale truly understood his plea or was simply acting on instinct, no one knew.
It began chasing the remaining thirty percent of the Golden Dragon King's power through Tang Wulin's body.
It wasn't moving very quickly, but it was steady. Every minute or two, Golden Scale absorbed another bit of the Golden Dragon King's power.
At the same time, Golden Scale's appearance changed as it absorbed more and more power.
At first, it had only two tiny bumps on its head. Soon, they gradually grew larger and spread apart, forming a pair of dragon horns.
Next, four golden claws grew one after another from beneath its body. The golden scales covering it grew brighter and brighter, its eyes shone more vividly, and several long, slender whiskers sprouted.
Finally, when Golden Scale had devoured the last bit of the Golden Dragon King's power, a scale on its forehead stood out, as if it had been crowned.
"Whew..."
Tang Wulin let out a long breath and slowly opened his eyes.
"Yao Lao, Old Tang!"
"Is it over?" Yao Lao asked softly, just to be sure.
Tang Wulin nodded with a smile of relief. "It's over."
Yao Lao laughed heartily as he came over and patted Tang Wulin on the shoulder. "Hahaha! I knew you could do it, you rascal!"
"Ow!" Tang Wulin said with a grimace.
Then Tang Wulin gently opened his palm, and a cluster of bone-white flames appeared in it. "Yao Lao, your Bone Spirit Cold Flame."
Yao Lao nodded slightly and reached out to grab it from the air. The Bone Spirit Cold Flame returned to his hand, then disappeared.
"Tang Wulin, you did very well," Old Tang said as he walked over. "If nothing unexpected happens, you'll be out of danger for the next few years. But you still can't waste any time, because the power of the next layer of the Golden Dragon King's seal will be even stronger and more violent. So you must improve your cultivation, spiritual power, and physical strength as quickly as possible."
Tang Wulin nodded solemnly. "Old Tang, when will the next layer of the seal arrive? And what heavenly treasures will I need?"
"The time for this seal to be lifted came early. Accordingly, the next one will be lifted early too, before you turn fourteen. As for the heavenly treasures you'll need, I've already engraved them in your memories. You can collect them gradually."
Sure enough, Tang Wulin felt that four things had appeared in his memories. But his head was still a little swollen, so he didn't try to recall them carefully.
"Now that you're all right, I'll be leaving. You can also feel out the benefits you gained from breaking through this seal, and you can keep practicing Yao Lao's Flame Mantra. That technique is incredibly powerful, no weaker than any cultivation method in this world."
After saying this, Old Tang turned into a streak of golden light and shot into Tang Wulin's body.
"My right hand?" Tang Wulin raised it and took a look. He couldn't see any changes, though he did seem to be quite a bit stronger.
But as soon as Tang Wulin clenched his right fist, a violent sensation surged in his heart. Then a layer of golden scales began to ripple across his right hand, spreading all the way to his shoulder before stopping. The scales on his palm were even denser, and his five fingers had become dragon claws.
"What is this...?"
Tang Wulin tried clenching his hand.
Power—such incredible power.
Tang Wulin had never felt such overwhelming strength. He felt like he could knock a soul-guided car flying with a single punch.
At the thought, Tang Wulin lightly pinched the bathtub with two fingers.
"Crack!"
The bathtub shattered instantly, and the little water left in it all drained away, leaving Tang Wulin sitting on the floor on his backside.
"Your dragon claw is quite special. Not only is it powerful, it also seems to have a pulverizing quality," Yao Lao said after observing it for a while.
"Is this the Golden Dragon King's power?" Tang Wulin looked at his arm, which was covered in golden scales, with seven-colored light shimmering within them.
Tang Wulin tried to withdraw the scales. Nothing unexpected happened; with a mere thought, his entire arm returned to normal.
Tang Wulin swung his arm again. It was still far stronger than before.
At that thought, Tang Wulin released his Martial Soul once more.
A tuft of Blue Silver Grass appeared in Tang Wulin's palm. Compared to before, it had grown much thicker, and golden veins had appeared along it. Tang Wulin tried pulling at the Blue Silver Grass and found that it was much tougher than before.
What shocked Tang Wulin even more was that the Soul Ring rising beneath his feet was no longer golden-yellow, but deep purple.
Purple meant a thousand-year Soul Ring. Had his Soul Spirit evolved into a Thousand-Year Soul Spirit? This was so sudden!
Tang Wulin sensed that his Soul Power Level had also risen to thirteen, a full two levels higher than before.
"Wulin, release Golden Scale and take a look," Yao Lao reminded him from the side.
"Okay!"
Tang Wulin answered and immediately released Golden Scale.
In an instant, Tang Wulin was shocked all over again.
Was this still the little snake Tang Wulin knew?
Golden Scale could now be called a golden dragon. It was not only a whole size larger than before, but it had also grown dragon horns, dragon claws, whiskers, and scales. No matter how you looked at it, it no longer resembled a snake.
Earlier, because Yao Lao had tempered it with the Bone Spirit Cold Flame, Golden Scale had had a few white scales mixed in with the others. But after absorbing the remaining thirty percent of the Golden Dragon King's power, every scale on its body had turned gold, much like the scales on Tang Wulin's right hand, with rainbow light rippling across them.
"I owe you one, Golden Scale!" Tang Wulin reached out and gently tapped Golden Scale on the head with a finger.
Golden Scale seemed to understand him. It stuck out its tongue and licked Tang Wulin's finger.
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