Douluo: Breathing Makes Me Stronger, Tang San Is Terrified!

In the blink of an eye, Lu Chen charged before the old man again. A wild gale swept in, whipping up his robe and sending his long blue hair flying wildly.

Rip!

Lu Chen's Blue Silver Overlord Spear tore through the flesh on the old man's chest once more, blasting a bloody hole through it and shredding his internal organs.

The old man's lips trembled. He closed his eyes, his face twisted in pain.

He truly had no options left!

In the next instant, the old man's body twisted, and he used his damage-transfer ability once again to recover completely.

But this time, he suddenly cried out in panic:

"Human, consider today my defeat! You've already killed me nine times. If you kill me again, I'll really die!"

"Let's discuss this. You want my Spirit Ring and Spirit Bone? I can sacrifice myself to you, allowing you to absorb my Spirit Ring and Spirit Bone without any danger."

"But you must swear that once you gain the ability to bring back the dead, you must revive me and restore my freedom."

"You are a Blue Silver Emperor. With the life force of the Blue Silver Emperor, it isn't impossible for you to gain the power to bring back the dead."

"Think it over carefully. Otherwise, with my hundred-thousand-year cultivation, absorbing my Spirit Ring and Spirit Bone won't be so easy."

Hearing this, Lu Chen immediately stopped attacking.

So this old man only had the ability to transfer damage nine times.

Still, that was already incredible.

Lu Chen carefully considered the old man's proposal as well.

If this Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast was willing to sacrifice itself voluntarily, then he truly could absorb its Spirit Ring and Spirit Bone without any danger.

Lu Chen probed, "Then why don't you introduce yourself first?"

Ten-Thousand-Year Nine-Grade Ginseng King

Upon hearing Lu Chen's question, the old man revealed a hint of pride.

"My true form is a Ten-Thousand-Year Nine-Grade Ginseng King, named Ziyang Life-Returning Ginseng. Each grade represents ten thousand years of cultivation. As a Nine-Grade Ginseng King, I was born with ninety thousand years of cultivation."

"After cultivating for merely ten thousand years, I became a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast and mastered all manner of miraculous abilities—Earth Escape, Transformation, damage transfer, healing injuries and curing illnesses..."

By the end, the old man's mood had turned dejected.

"As a ginseng, no matter how great my cultivation may be, I cannot learn any offensive skills. I only possess a few means of saving my life."

"Which of the Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts and Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts in the Star Dou Forest hasn't set its sights on me? They all wanted to devour me, increase their cultivation, and become even stronger."

"But none of them could catch me. Within this forest, I can use Earth Escape to leave whenever I wish. Yet today, I encountered you, human brat. You actually poisoned the soil. I really have been defeated."

"I do not wish to die. Once my soul scatters, I will truly be finished. As long as you swear now that you will immediately revive me and restore my freedom once you gain the power to bring back the dead, I can sacrifice myself to you at once."

While the old man spoke, Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan approached as well.

Having heard the old man's words, Dugu Bo clicked his tongue in amazement.

"So this is a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast. This is the first time in my life I've seen one. A Ten-Thousand-Year Nine-Grade Ginseng King, with each grade equal to ten thousand years of cultivation—it truly is astounding."

"What a pity it has no combat ability. I had not even made a move before this Ten-Thousand-Year Nine-Grade Ginseng King was already subdued."

Dugu Yan stared unblinkingly at Lu Chen. Her pretty little face beamed with delight as she sincerely felt happy for him.

"Lan Chen, congratulations. It seems you're about to gain a hundred-thousand-year Eighth Spirit Ring."

Lu Chen turned to Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan.

"Brother Dugu, Yanyan, once the sacrifice begins, I'll have to trouble you two to stand guard for me."

Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan nodded without hesitation.

Lu Chen then looked back at the old man, his expression solemn.

"I can accept your proposal. As long as you are willing to sacrifice yourself to me, once I gain the ability to bring back the dead, I will certainly revive you and restore your freedom."

"I hope you do not try anything. The person beside me is a Titled Douluo. If you make any improper move, he can take your life at any time."

The old man looked at Dugu Bo, obvious wariness appearing in his eyes.

"I smell a familiar scent on you. You were the one who poisoned the ground beneath us, weren't you?"

Dugu Bo nodded calmly in admission.

The old man's face turned incomparably ugly. If Dugu Bo had not poisoned the earth, he would never have ended up in this situation.

With his Earth Escape ability, he could come and go as he pleased. No one could have caught him.

After a while, the old man looked at Lu Chen again, wearing an expression of complete resignation.

"I will sacrifice myself obediently, but I hope you can make a formal oath. Otherwise, I cannot rest easy."

Lu Chen considered it briefly. For a hundred-thousand-year Spirit Ring and Spirit Bone, an oath was worth making.

"I swear upon my Blue Silver Emperor Martial Soul that if Ziyang Life-Returning Ginseng sacrifices itself to me, then once I gain the ability to bring back the dead, I will certainly revive it and restore its freedom. If I violate this oath, may my Martial Soul Collapse and my cultivation never advance another step for the rest of my life."

Hearing Lu Chen's oath, the old man let out a breath of relief. Although he would lose his cultivation, at least he could preserve his life.

"My cultivation is yours now!"

As his words fell, boundless purple light suddenly burst from the old man's body. Terrifying energy fluctuations swiftly sealed off the surrounding heavens and earth, forming a special barrier.

Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan were both sent flying by that energy, while Lu Chen alone remained inside the barrier.

This old man truly possessed a hundred thousand years of cultivation. As he released it now, even Dugu Bo felt a suffocating pressure in his heart, while Dugu Yan could barely breathe.

If all of the old man's abilities had not been focused on survival—

Lu Chen would never have been able to take down a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast without enduring a brutal battle.

Inside the special barrier!

The old man's figure gradually became transparent. As the sacrifice began, the energy within his body was being rapidly extracted.

The enormous energy extracted from him poured continuously into Lu Chen's body.

Lu Chen only felt a vast, surging torrent of energy sweep through his body, filling his meridians to the brim.

Because the old man had voluntarily sacrificed himself, this immense energy scarcely needed refining before it actively merged into Lu Chen's limbs, organs, and every part of his body.

Under the washing of that energy, every cell in his body underwent a complete transformation, being strengthened again and again. He felt himself growing stronger every moment.

It was not merely a transformation of his body!

It also included a transformation of his spirit!

The massive energy of a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast nourished Lu Chen in every aspect. From body to soul, he underwent a complete rebirth and strengthening.

Lu Chen felt his spirit surge. He fully activated his Blue Silver Emperor Martial Soul and began accelerating his absorption of the enormous energy.

He felt warmth inside and outside his body, as though he were soaking in a hot spring.

Time seemed to lose all meaning. By the time Lu Chen came back to his senses—

Twelve hours had already passed!

After absorbing the energy for an entire day, Lu Chen successfully absorbed the old man's Spirit Ring and Spirit Bone. Because the old man had sacrificed himself voluntarily, Lu Chen did not feel the slightest pain.

At that moment, Lu Chen opened his clear azure eyes, brilliant light gleaming within them.

He rose from the ground and casually moved his limbs. A series of crackling sounds like popping beans erupted throughout his body.

"This feels incredible. Power is endlessly surging up from within my body!"

Lu Chen sighed, then carefully sensed his own Soul Power.

"My Soul Power has shot directly from level 80 to level 84. Excellent. This has saved me at least half a year of cultivation time."

At the same time, seeing Lu Chen awaken, Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan immediately walked over from afar and congratulated him.

Unable to suppress his curiosity, Dugu Bo asked, "Lan Chen, hundred-thousand-year Spirit Rings and Spirit Bones are treasures universally recognized by the Spirit Master world. After absorbing a hundred-thousand-year Spirit Ring and Spirit Bone, what improvements have they brought you?"

Hearing this, Lu Chen could not suppress the upward curve of his lips. He was simply too happy. He did not hide anything and replied honestly.

"Let's start with the Spirit Bone skills. This hundred-thousand-year Ziyang Life-Returning Ginseng gave me a Left Leg Bone. The Left Leg Bone contains two skills: Earth Escape and Transformation."

"Earth Escape is exactly as its name suggests. It allows me to enter the earth. If I encounter enemies in the future, as long as I hide underground, practically no one will be able to do anything to me."

"Transformation can alter the body from the inside out. That old man's true form was a Ten-Thousand-Year Nine-Grade Ginseng King. He was a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, yet he had not transformed into human form and recultivated. He relied on this Transformation skill to turn himself into a human."

Lu Chen possessed the camouflage ability of the Blue Silver Domain, but that camouflage was, in essence, merely putting a mask over himself. His body did not undergo any fundamental change.

But this Transformation ability could genuinely alter the body. It could not only turn him into another person, but even into a Soul Beast. Naturally, he could not gain the abilities of that person or Soul Beast; he would only completely take on their outward appearance.

Substitute Blue Silver Emperor, Reincarnation Blue Silver Emperor

Earth Escape!

Transformation!

These were both highly practical support abilities, but they were not enough to make anyone gasp in shock.

What Lu Chen said next was the true focus.

"The hundred-thousand-year Eighth Spirit Ring granted to me by the Ten-Thousand-Year Nine-Grade Ginseng King has two skills in total. The first is called Substitute Blue Silver Emperor, and the second is called Reincarnation Blue Silver Emperor."

"As for their effects, I'll demonstrate them for you right now..."

As his words fell, Lu Chen summoned his Blue Silver Emperor Martial Soul.

A Blue Silver Emperor, crystalline and translucent, with golden patterns covering its roots and leaves, grew from thin air before Lu Chen.

Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, red—two yellow, two purple, three black, and one red. That final red Spirit Ring glimmered with an eerie radiance, exuding a terrifying pressure that made hearts tremble.

Lu Chen's first six Spirit Rings had all been disguised by him. Otherwise, his Spirit Ring configuration would have been even more shocking.

After all, his true Spirit Ring configuration was purple, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, red—three purple, four black, and one red. It defied common sense and was enough to make anyone's jaw drop.

At this moment, Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan were both drawn to Lu Chen's Eighth Spirit Ring, which glimmered with eerie red light.

A red Spirit Ring!

A hundred-thousand-year Spirit Ring!

In the current continent, even Titled Douluo with a hundred-thousand-year Spirit Ring as their Ninth Spirit Ring were exceedingly rare. Yet Lu Chen had obtained a hundred-thousand-year Spirit Ring as his Eighth Spirit Ring.

No wonder Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan could barely take their eyes off it.

Lu Chen let out a low shout.

"Eighth Spirit Skill, Substitute Blue Silver Emperor!"

As soon as he spoke, his Eighth Spirit Ring, which glimmered with eerie light, lit up with incomparably dazzling brilliance.

Soul Power flowed endlessly from Lu Chen's body into his Blue Silver Emperor Martial Soul.

His Blue Silver Emperor Martial Soul bloomed with light!

Within that radiant glow, his Blue Silver Emperor Martial Soul split into two palm-sized Blue Silver Emperors.

Lu Chen raised both hands at once and took the two palm-sized Blue Silver Emperors into his hands.

He casually tossed one of them to Dugu Bo.

Dugu Bo caught it instinctively, then looked at Lu Chen in confusion.

Lu Chen walked over to Dugu Yan, gently took her slender jade-like hand, and placed the other palm-sized Blue Silver Emperor into her palm with utmost solemnity.

"Yanyan, you must keep this Substitute Blue Silver Emperor safe and carry it with you at all times."

"Carry it on you, and you will be linked to it by your aura. Nourish it with your Soul Power in the future, and it will never wither."

"If one day in the future you suffer fatal harm, the fatal harm you receive will be transferred to the Substitute Blue Silver Emperor."

"It is equivalent to giving someone an extra life. That is the effect of the Substitute Blue Silver Emperor."

Faced with Lu Chen's series of intimate actions, Dugu Yan felt exceptionally sweet inside. The way she looked at Lu Chen was practically dripping with affection.

Dugu Yan did not truly take in Lu Chen's explanation of the Substitute Blue Silver Emperor's effect at all.

It was only because Lu Chen had personally placed this Substitute Blue Silver Emperor in her hand that she clutched it tightly, her voice filled with boundless tenderness as she said: