He kept circulating the Heavenly Corpse Transformation technique, absorbing the energy brought by the Soul Ring and rapidly strengthening the Soul Power within his body.
Two more hours passed, and he reached his limit again. The increasingly vast energy made him feel as though he could burst apart at any moment.
"Roar! Martial Soul, appear!"
The Zombie Martial Soul appeared and quickly merged with him. His physical constitution strengthened again under the Martial Soul's enhancement, and the pain within his body eased somewhat.
Tang Hao had been standing dazed at the entrance to his home for three hours. He could sense the energy growing ever more vast. As early as an hour ago, its fluctuations had already far exceeded what a level-ten Soul Master could absorb.
Yet another hour passed, and Jiang Chen still hadn't finished absorbing it. For a level-ten Soul Master, those energy fluctuations had already become lethal.
An ordinary level-ten Soul Master would probably have lasted no more than three seconds under the impact of that energy before exploding and dying.
By then, a yellow ring of energy had formed around Jiang Chen. As time passed, its color grew deeper and deeper.
After his Martial Soul Possession, Jiang Chen's constitution had improved, but the closer he came to the end, the more terrifying the energy surging through his body became. In less than an hour, he reached his limit for the third time.
He felt as if his whole body were about to be torn apart. The agony reached deep into his soul.
He cracked his eyes open and saw that the yellow circle around him had changed. Its deep yellow was beginning to turn purple.
"Has it reached a thousand years?" Jiang Chen was delighted.
A Thousand-Year Soul Ring far surpassed the theories Yu Xiaogang had researched. Jiang Chen hadn't expected he could reach such a point either.
"No, this Soul Ring hasn't completely turned purple yet. I can hold on!"
Jiang Chen closed his eyes again. His entire body was in such pain that he convulsed. Filthy impurities mixed with copious sweat, leaving him greasy, while a foul stench filled the whole room.
His skin had begun to seep blood. Veins bulged all over his body beneath his skin, threatening to burst.
Jiang Chen's consciousness was hazy. He didn't know how long he had held on. At last, the surging energy gradually weakened and mysteriously vanished.
His mind clouded, Jiang Chen, who had endured more than four hours of torment, could no longer hold on. The moment his nerves relaxed, he fell unconscious.
Tang Hao, standing nearby, finally let out a long breath. He had waited for more than four hours. In another two or three, it would be dawn.
He lay back down, but for a long time, he couldn't fall asleep.
His powerful mental strength sensed that Jiang Chen hadn't failed to absorb the Soul Ring. He had actually succeeded in absorbing that terrifying Soul Ring.
Tang Hao didn't know how many years Jiang Chen's Soul Ring had reached, but he imagined it must be astonishing.
If Jiang Chen survived, he would surely become famous across the Douluo Continent one day!
"Xiao Chen, Xiao Chen!" Old Jack knocked on Jiang Chen's door in confusion.
The sun was already high in the sky. Given Jiang Chen's usual habits, he should have been up long ago, but the door still hadn't opened.
After knocking several times without getting a response, Old Jack pushed the door open with force—and immediately saw Jiang Chen, covered in blood and grime.
A foul smell poured out, several times worse than the stench of a latrine.
Old Jack furrowed his brow and hurried over in alarm.
"Xiao Chen, Xiao Chen, what happened to you?"
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