Ascension, Old Six

"Roar, roar, roar!"

The giant silver-white dragon beneath Na'er's feet sniffed left and right. Upon spotting Jiang Xiu, it let out a loud, joyful cry, increased its speed, and quickly arrived at his side.

"Little White, well done."

Na'er jumped down from the dragon and patted its head.

Seeing this, Jiang Xiu chuckled. This silver-white dragon was none other than the Spirit Pagoda's seventh Unyielding Soul Spirit, known as the Void Spirit Dragon. It possessed a pure spatial attribute, which was why Na'er had absorbed it.

The Void Spirit Dragon had originally been unruly and rebellious, but the moment it saw Na'er, its knees went weak, and it immediately wanted to bow down in submission.

So much for being an "Unyielding Soul Spirit"—it only regretted not meeting a wise master like Na'er sooner.

After all, by becoming Na'er's soul spirit, this Void Spirit Dragon could be considered to have secured a stable, prestigious position with a bright future ahead.

"Let's go. It's time for our 'harmonious and friendly' duo to handle some Soul Beasts!"

Na'er waved her delicate fist. Led by the Dark Night Raven, she and Jiang Xiu walked into the forest, the raven having already scouted the direction.

"Roar, roar, roar!"

Before long, the two arrived at a lake. Gathered by the water was a pride of lions. These lions had fiery red fur, with wisps of flame dancing at the tips of each strand. Every one of them stood over five meters tall; this was a pack of Flame Lion Kings.

At a rough glance, there were nearly thirty Flame Lions, each with at least a century of cultivation, while the few in the center radiated an aura only found in millennium-level beasts.

The Flame Lion pack noticed Jiang Xiu and Na'er. They stood up one after another, baring their fangs and emitting fierce, low growls as wisps of scorching flame surged over their bodies.

The massive Flame Lion King at the lead looked up at the Dark Night Raven circling above Jiang Xiu and let out a low roar.

It was clearly saying, "So you're the one who led these two humans here?"

"Alright, let's move. They're just a bunch of big kittens. Boss, I'll give you all the energy from this batch; let's get your first two soul rings to break through to the ten-thousand-year level."

Na'er gave a sharp cry, and a silver light flashed in her hand. The Silver Dragon Spear appeared instantly. The moment its cold, sharp edge glinted, she charged into the pride with the spear in hand.

In an instant, silver-white spear flowers stained with blood bloomed continuously in the air. Lion roars and dragon cries intertwined, accompanied by the constant sound of painful wails.

Suddenly, clusters of flames gathered in the mouths of the Flame Lions, instantly transforming into a dense sea of fire that surged toward Na'er.

"Little Black, let's help out too."

Jiang Xiu called out, his Shadow Monarch martial soul instantly possessing him. His target was the Flame Lion King, which was skulking about, preparing to ambush Na'er.

"Boom, boom, boom!"

A violent explosion rang out as the flames were blocked by a wall of darkness. A frigid aura permeated the air, and countless plumes of white smoke rose up.

Before the pride could react, Jiang Xiu's figure darted out from the smoke. He unleashed a barrage of fierce punches, his potent blood energy fully mobilized. A millennium-level Flame Lion, unable to dodge in time, was instantly blown apart by an uppercut from Jiang Xiu, exploding into a sky full of fiery red energy.

The Body Sect's combat techniques focused on the self—the ego. It was in the heat of flesh-and-blood combat that one could best temper oneself.

In an instant, the once-quiet forest descended into chaos.

In a hidden thicket beside the lake, a man and a woman were skulking, secretly observing the intense battle not far away.

"Brother Kun, is this really going to work? These two look very strong."

The heavily made-up woman asked the burly man beside her, her tone laced with worry.

"What are you afraid of? This Flame Lion pack is one of the three strongest tribes in this Primary Spirit Ascension Platform. Even if these two wipe them all out, they'll definitely be exhausted. We'll just swoop in and reap the rewards."

The burly man spoke in a low voice, his intent clear: he planned to snatch the energy from the Flame Lions.

During a riot in the Spirit Ascension Platform, the energy left behind by dead Soul Beasts wasn't restricted; anyone could absorb it. That was why many people acted as scavengers, stealing the spoils of others.

However, since the Spirit Ascension Platform was a semi-virtual world, as long as it wasn't too excessive, the Spirit Pagoda tacitly allowed it.

"What? Don't you want to increase your soul ring age? Once we promote to Soul Ancestors, we won't be able to enter this Primary Spirit Ascension Platform anymore. We can't afford the fees for the Intermediate Spirit Ascension Platform in the short term, so we might as well grab what we can here."

Brother Kun said with a hint of implication, as the Primary Spirit Ascension Platform was only open to those below the Soul Ancestor rank.

"Brother Kun, of course I'll listen to you."

The heavily made-up woman paused, then gave a coquettish laugh and pressed herself against him.

"Hmph, good. But your questioning just now has left me quite 'heated.' You know what to do when we get out of here."

Brother Kun said triumphantly, his eyes drifting downward.

"This concubine understands~~~"

The woman said, feigning shyness.

The two continued to watch the battle. As the fight progressed, a flicker of wariness appeared in Brother Kun's eyes, for the strength Jiang Xiu and Na'er displayed didn't look like that of two-ring Great Soul Masters at all.

Furthermore, their rich and practiced combat techniques didn't look like those of children.

"Forget it, this is our only chance. A Soul Venerable against Great Soul Masters—the advantage is mine!"

Having made up his mind, Brother Kun began to prepare himself.

As time passed, the Flame Lion pack suffered heavy casualties. Only two millennium-level Flame Lions remained, and both were covered in wounds, their internal fiery red energy leaking out.

"Roar, roar, roar."

The Flame Lion King kept roaring at the Dark Night Raven, as if scolding it for being a traitor.

"Very well, welcome the lullaby of your deaths."

Na'er flicked her long spear, sending blood splattering from the Silver Dragon Spear. After exchanging a glance with Jiang Xiu, they each charged toward one of the Flame Lion Kings.

"Whoosh!"

"Boom!"

Following two thunderous roars, the two Flame Lion Kings dissolved into spheres of fiery red energy. At the same time, all the previously slain Flame Lions also transformed into crimson energy, drifting suspended in mid-air.

"Sixteen to thirteen. I'm the MVP this time, Boss; you just coasted to a win."

Na'er tapped her small finger, two tiny dimples appearing on her pretty face as she chuckled.

"You two have been watching for quite a while now. Aren't you going to come out?"

Jiang Xiu smiled faintly, his gaze shifting toward the distance.

"Clap, clap, clap!"

As Jiang Xiu's voice faded, two figures emerged from the jungle—the very same pair who had been hiding in the shadows.

Brother Kun looked at Jiang Xiu, a hint of mockery flashing in his eyes as he spoke.

"You two must be quite exhausted. I'll give you one chance: leave immediately, or else you can prepare to forfeit this Spirit Ascension."

"That's right, listen to Brother Kun, or we'll have to take action."

The heavily made-up woman swayed her body, speaking in a seductive tone.

Simultaneously, three soul rings—two yellow and one purple—appeared beneath their feet, the two yellow century-level rings already showing faint traces of purple.

"Brother Kun? A chicken and a 'Kun'—you two are quite the perfect match."

Na'er let out a cold snort, the Silver Dragon Spear in her hand blooming with a chilling light once more. She had no habit of handing over the spoils she had already earned to others for free.

As for those who dared to make an enemy of Great King Na'er, they either ended up in total defeat or fled for their lives.