Gu Yue's Plans, The Last Straw

"Gu Yue, are you being too clever for your own good? Do you think I hadn't considered that?"

Na'er glanced at Gu Yue, seeing right through her thoughts.

"What, is it not feasible?"

Gu Yue furrowed her delicate brows, asking in confusion.

"Right now, Boss can only extract the shadows of the deceased who have been dead for no more than a day. Although this duration will increase as Boss's cultivation improves, it isn't as perfect as you imagine."

Na'er shrugged her graceful shoulders helplessly; she had thought of it herself, but ultimately abandoned the idea.

"Though the True Dragons are dead, the Dragon Soul remains. How can you be certain whether they are truly dead or not?"

Gu Yue's beautiful eyes flashed as she spoke unhurriedly.

"Fine, if you want to test it, then go ahead. But the Dragon Valley is currently held by the Tang Sect, and the Tang Sect's strength is not to be underestimated—they even have Limit Douluo among their ranks. How do you intend to go there?"

"And another thing, the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, formed from the remains of the Water and Fire Dragon Kings after they fell, is also under the Tang Sect's control. I never imagined that after healing for so long, the treasures of our Dragon Clan would be occupied by others."

A trace of anger flashed in Na'er's purple eyes as she spoke with resentment. These two places were the burial grounds of their Dragon Clan; how could they tolerate such encroachment?

"In this world where strength is supreme, isn't that just how it is? The winner takes all, and the loser eats dust."

"Either you have everything, or you have nothing at all."

Gu Yue's black pupils were as calm as autumn water as she spoke slowly.

The reason she joined the Spirit Pagoda, aside from its inherent strength, was that she valued the friction between the Spirit Pagoda, the Tang Sect, and Shrek Academy.

What she needed to do now was climb step by step to the pinnacle of the Spirit Pagoda and become the final straw that broke the tense relationship between these three major powers.

Once she arrived, the blue sky for the Soul Beast clan would finally dawn!

"Do as you please. Regardless, I believe in Boss."

Na'er tilted her head slightly, watching Jiang Xiu, who was currently absorbing the spirit bone. She, Na'er, would be the greatest angel investor.

"To revive the Soul Beast clan, it seems Jiang Xiu is indispensable. Extracting the shadows of the dead for one's own use—that is truly powerful."

Ripples appeared in Gu Yue's beautiful eyes. She suddenly felt that Jiang Xiu's second soul skill wasn't so mediocre after all; after all, a martial soul that exceeded all standards couldn't possibly have weak soul skills.

"By the way, what is Jiang Xiu's first soul skill?"

Gu Yue asked softly, as if remembering something. She had never seen Jiang Xiu display his first soul skill before.

"Why would I tell you?"

Na'er pouted, ignoring Gu Yue. How could she, Na'er, ever betray her own Boss? Her primary trait was loyalty!

Just then, a sudden change occurred. Jiang Xiu's aura surged violently, and a sharp, piercing edge suddenly erupted.

"Puchi!"

A crisp sound rang out as five dark-gold terrorclaws suddenly extended from Jiang Xiu's right palm. They were three feet long, shimmering with golden light and carving "hissing" sounds into the air.

Jiang Xiu slowly opened his eyes, a flash of gold vanishing deep within his purple irises.

"How does it feel?"

Na'er leaned her head toward Jiang Xiu, asking with anticipation.

"Very good. This external spirit bone contains the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear's innate soul skill: Dark Gold Terrorclaw."

Jiang Xiu said softly, sensing that as his cultivation grew and he nurtured the Dark Gold Terrorclaws, the soul skill would very likely undergo further evolution.

He remembered that the strongest of the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear clan, Xiong Jun, had once managed to injure Di Tian, the former strongest powerhouse on the continent, with a single Sky-Ripping Claw.

"Roar!"

Suddenly, a dull sound echoed through the forest. The tall surrounding trees swayed, and the ground trembled rhythmically.

Following that, a behemoth nearly ten meters tall, covered in ice-blue crystals, appeared. It possessed a pair of white ivory tusks three meters long that shimmered with a faint, eerie light. Its four thick legs were like giant pillars, white mist puffed from its mouth, and its dark red eyes were fixed firmly on the three of them.

"A thousand-year Diamond Mammoth? Even this extinct Soul Beast can be replicated. Jiang Xiu, this is the perfect chance to test your Dark Gold Terrorclaw."

Seeing it appear, Na'er was not panicked; instead, she was eager to see it in action. The Diamond Mammoth was known for having the top-tier defense in the Soul Beast world; its crystalline body was indestructible, and even at a thousand years of cultivation, its defense surpassed that of ordinary ten-thousand-year Soul Beasts.

"Alright."

Jiang Xiu nodded slightly and stood up to stretch his limbs. His soul rings had broken through to the ten-thousand-year limit, but Na'er still needed to continue her spirit ascension. He might as well see exactly what these Dark Gold Terrorclaws could do.

"Roar!"

The Diamond Mammoth let out an angry roar, stepped forward with its massive legs, lowered its giant tusks, and began to charge toward the three of them, kicking up dust from the surrounding ground.

"Hiss, hiss, hiss!"

Jiang Xiu channeled the soul power within his body, pouring it frantically into the Dark Gold Terrorclaws on his right hand. The claws began to bloom with brilliant golden light, their length surged, and sharp claw shadows emerged.

In Jiang Xiu's hands, the power of these Dark Gold Terrorclaws seemed even greater than those of the original Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear.

"Boom!"

Jiang Xiu stepped forward, his entire figure rushing out instantly. The Dark Gold Terrorclaws on his right hand trailed dark-gold afterimages, the five claws spreading wide as he struck toward the Diamond Mammoth's midsection.

"Clang, clang, clang!"

A harsh, grating sound erupted as the Dark Gold Terrorclaw collided with the Diamond Mammoth's thick tusks, but it lasted only a heartbeat before the ivory snapped. Like a hot knife through butter, the Dark Gold Terrorclaw sliced effortlessly through the crystalline surface of the Diamond Mammoth, plunging deep into its flesh.

Under the moonlight, the treetops swayed slightly as shadows of man and beast crossed paths.

A moment later, the light faded from the Diamond Mammoth's dark red eyes. Its massive body was cleaved into six pieces, collapsing with a thunderous crash before dissolving into pure energy.

Na'er and Gu Yue exchanged a look of shock. Based on the Dark Gold Terrorclaw the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear had just unleashed, they had assumed Jiang Xiu would need at least two or three strikes to slay the Diamond Mammoth; they hadn't expected a one-hit kill.

"You're so huge, yet so useless."

Watching the Diamond Mammoth dissipate, Na'er remarked with a sense of exasperation.

"One-tenth of my soul power consumed—that's acceptable."

Jiang Xiu turned back, silently gauging the drain on his soul power. With his current reserves, he could unleash such a powerful soul skill nine times. Furthermore, the Dark Gold Terrorclaw possessed a unique trait: armor penetration.

I owe Aunt Leng another favor this time; it seems the debt I have to repay in the future just grew a little larger.

He whispered to himself, making a mental note. After all, if Leng Yaozhu hadn't been there, Vice Pagoda Master Liu certainly wouldn't have handed it over so readily.

He was also well aware of the predicament Leng Yaozhu currently faced: the Qiangu Family.

"Na'er, come over and absorb it."

Jiang Xiu called out.

"Alright!"

Na'er had no objections. Once she finished absorbing the energy, the trio resumed their hunting journey, as Jiang Xiu's age limit had increased, but Gu Yue and Na'er's had not.

On the other side.

"Little sister, what are you thinking about?"

Xu Xiaoyu watched his sister, who had been lost in thought, and asked after a moment of hesitation.

"The soul power Jiang Xiu just unleashed seemed to be of the Ultimate Darkness attribute, and my Star Wheel Ice Staff actually felt a tremor under the night sky."

Xu Xiaoyan weighed her words before replying softly.

Hearing this, Xu Xiaoyu let out a slow sigh of relief; it was good that it wasn't what he had feared.

"Big brother, what are you thinking about? You don't think I'm some love-struck fool, do you?"

Seeing his reaction, Xu Xiaoyan arched an eyebrow, as if she had seen right through him.

"No... nothing. The wind is quite noisy today..."

Xu Xiaoyu's expression froze, and he began to whistle, refusing to look at his sister.

"Big brother, you're done for. I'm telling Dad when we get back."

At that moment, a demonic voice rang in Xu Xiaoyu's ear.

"No, please!"