Tuoba Xi received a telepathic message from Tuoba Xuan just as Dugu Yan finished absorbing her Soul Ring.
The three of them immediately raced toward Tuoba Xuan.
As soon as they arrived, they all drew in sharp breaths.
"This is..." Tuoba Xi's voice trembled. "A thirty-thousand-year-old Void Bone-Eroding Dragon?"
Dugu Yan stared in disbelief. Her own fourth Soul Ring was only nine thousand years old, after all.
That was already older than the fourth Soul Rings of most Soul Masters.
But compared to Tuoba Xuan's fourth Soul Ring, her nine-thousand-year-old ring suddenly seemed unimpressive.
"Haha!" Dugu Bo's voice came out hoarse with shock. "Excellent. This Void Bone-Eroding Dragon's Soul Ring is perfect for you."
Tuoba Xuan nodded. "There's no time to waste. I'll absorb it now."
"Good," said Tuoba Xi. "Don't worry, Xuan. With your grandfather here, no one will disturb you."
Tuoba Xuan cleared his mind, sat cross-legged, and began absorbing the thirty-thousand-year-old Void Bone-Eroding Dragon's Soul Ring.
Absorbing a thirty-thousand-year-old Soul Ring as his fourth might have sounded utterly unbelievable.
But once they remembered that the one absorbing it was Tuoba Xuan, Tuoba Xi and the others immediately felt it was perfectly reasonable.
Time flew by in the blink of an eye. Half an hour passed.
Tuoba Xuan's aura gradually steadied, and the Void Bone-Eroding Dragon's aura vanished completely.
Tuoba Xuan's finger twitched. He suddenly felt a little disappointed.
The Void Bone-Eroding Dragon's age was still a bit too low.
But when he thought of the Soul Ring he had obtained, the trace of resentment in Tuoba Xuan's heart vanished without a trace.
Seeing him wake, Tuoba Xi hurried over.
"How do you feel, Xuan?"
"What's your Soul Power Level now?"
"How's your new Soul Skill?"
The barrage of questions left Tuoba Xuan unsure which to answer first.
Tuoba Xuan waved a hand, signaling his grandfather to calm down.
"Grandfather, I feel great."
"My Soul Power has reached level 48."
That was right. Tuoba Xuan's Soul Power Level had now reached level 48.
Although he had absorbed four Immortal Herbs, the medicinal effects weakened each time he absorbed another one.
Besides, he was a Soul Master with an Ultimate Attribute. After level 30, every level required a hundred times the effort of an ordinary Soul Master.
The concept of Ultimate Attributes did not exist in this era, but they were real all the same.
Still, Tuoba Xuan could feel that he was only a little short of breaking through again and reaching level 49. He was on the verge of becoming a Soul King.
"My new Soul Skill is called—Void Devour."
But Tuoba Xuan did not explain what the Soul Skill did. He only smiled, letting them know they would see soon enough.
The corners of the three older ones' mouths twitched. They could only suppress their curiosity.
"Right. Since the two youngsters have both taken care of what they needed to, let's go find that Golden Earth Dragon King," Dugu Bo said.
Tuoba Xuan and Tuoba Xi nodded in agreement.
"Yanyan, there's something..." Dugu Bo sighed. "This Soul Hunting expedition is extremely dangerous."
He didn't want to see his granddaughter get hurt.
"Even Tuoba and I can't guarantee your safety."
Dugu Bo lowered his voice. "Why don't you go back to the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well first? Once the three of us are done, we'll come back for you."
Dugu Yan, who had been eager to test her strength, froze.
She knew how dangerous an eighty-thousand-year-old Soul Beast was. But she and Tuoba Xuan were the same age.
Her grandfather's warning was directed only at her.
But then Dugu Yan's spirits sank. Tuoba Xuan had killed a thirty-thousand-year-old Void Bone-Eroding Dragon all by himself while still a Soul Elder.
His fourth Soul Ring was a feat beyond its era.
If she fought Tuoba Xuan now, she would probably be defeated in an instant.
That was a lie. She would have been defeated in an instant before, too.
Dugu Yan knew how to put the bigger picture first. She could only say helplessly, "All right, Grandfather. I'll go back to the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well and wait for you."
Seeing that Dugu Yan hadn't made a fuss, Dugu Bo nodded in satisfaction.
The three of them escorted Dugu Yan back to the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, then began searching the forest for traces of the Golden Earth Dragon King.
The Golden Earth Dragon King was an eighty-thousand-year-old Soul Beast, with a territory of its own.
And it was an old acquaintance of Dugu Bo's.
In a valley in Sunset Forest, the three of them readily spotted the Golden Earth Dragon King mating with a female Golden Earth Dragon.
Dugu Bo's mouth twitched, and anger flared inside him.
He had been searching for it with all his might, while the creature was off enjoying itself.
"Beast! Do you still remember your grandfather? Get out here and meet your death!"
His voice boomed like rolling thunder over the Golden Earth Dragon's territory.
The Golden Earth Dragon King, which had been about to thrust forward, jumped in fright. It pulled out and stared up at them in alarm.
When it saw that they were three humans, the Golden Earth Dragon King let out an enraged roar.
The Golden Earth Dragon King was a top-tier sub-draconic Soul Beast, its body covered in golden scales.
That made its defenses extraordinarily strong.
And this was the Golden Earth Dragon's territory. Several two-thousand-year-old Golden Earth Dragons were gathered around their king.
The Golden Earth Dragons roared as one, opening their spike-lined mouths and condensing golden spheres of light that they fired at Tuoba Xuan and the others.
"Stick to the plan!" Dugu Bo's body shuddered as all nine Soul Rings beneath him pulsed in unison.
"Seventh Soul Skill—Martial Soul Avatar!"
Dugu Bo immediately unleashed his Martial Soul Avatar. A gigantic Jade Scale Flood Dragon Emperor appeared behind him.
The Jade Scale Flood Dragon Emperor flicked its forked tongue and shuddered, spreading poison fog across the sky.
Yet the fog precisely avoided Tuoba Xi and Tuoba Xuan.
Dugu Bo went straight for the killing blow. Several ten-thousand-year-old Golden Earth Dragons beneath him immediately felt their bodies being corroded.
"As expected of the strongest mass-attack Titled Douluo on the continent. Truly formidable!"
Tuoba Xi growled, "But I can't let the name of our clan down, either."
"Seventh Soul Skill, Martial Soul Avatar!"
A massive phantom of a Holy Armor Earth Dragon appeared behind Tuoba Xi.
He, too, unleashed his Martial Soul Avatar at once. Radiating a rich golden light, he charged fearlessly at the Golden Earth Dragon King.
The situation had instantly become three against one.
The other ten-thousand-year-old Golden Earth Dragons had already succumbed to Dugu Bo's deadly poison and fallen.
"Eighth Soul Skill, Time Solidification!"
A cold glint flashed in Dugu Bo's eyes, and the Golden Earth Dragon King was instantly locked in place.
The Golden Earth Dragon King immediately felt immense pressure. Its attacks slowed to a crawl.
"I'll raise the stakes!" Tuoba Xi shouted excitedly. "Eighth Soul Skill, Holy Armor Heavenly Stellar Array!"
The Holy Armor Earth Dragon swung its broad claws. A strange golden array instantly merged with Dugu Bo's Time Solidification, suppressing the Golden Earth Dragon King completely.
Tuoba Xuan's lips curled up. "In that case, I'll raise the stakes, too!"
"Might of the Dragon King!"
Tuoba Xuan began to chant. Space around the Golden Earth Dragon King tore apart, and countless golden rays reached out from the void, pulling at its scales and mental power.
"Fourth Soul Skill, Void Devour!"
Tuoba Xuan's fourth Soul Skill had inherited the Void Bone-Eroding Dragon's traits perfectly.
It could tear open the space around an enemy while absorbing the enemy's Soul Power and mental power.
The Golden Earth Dragon King struggled desperately, its body trembling violently.
That was right. Unlike the Void Bone-Eroding Dragon, the Soul Power and mental power consumed by Void Devour replenished Tuoba Xuan himself.
And Void Banishment paired perfectly with another of Tuoba Xuan's Soul Skills.
Tuoba Xuan's eyes snapped open, golden light flashing.
"Can't take it already? We're not done yet!"
"Let's raise the stakes again!"
"First Soul Skill, Ten Thousand Jun Tremor!"