King · Burning Heaven Sovereign Flame!

The vast fluctuations of life energy inside the cave slowly subsided.

Qian Qizhou had successfully absorbed the Hundred-Thousand-Year Blue Silver Emperor's right leg bone, not only completely making up for the hidden damage caused by his earlier overexertion of Soul Power.

His Soul Power Level had also soared with the energy contained in the Soul Bone, breaking straight through the threshold of level forty!

He only needed to obtain one more Soul Ring to officially become a Soul Ancestor.

He opened his eyes and felt the far more abundant and pure Soul Power within him, along with the immense life energy contained in his right leg. A hint of satisfaction flashed in his eyes.

With the Hundred-Thousand-Year Blue Silver Emperor's Soul Bone, its powerful vitality meant he probably wouldn't have to worry about getting injured again.

As long as he didn't die, even the most severe injuries could heal.

Qian Qizhou slowly rose to his feet and smiled at Snow Empress beside him. "Sister Snow, thank you for guarding me. I feel much better, and..."

He clenched his fist, sensing the barrier at level forty. "I need to find a suitable fourth Soul Ring."

Thanks to the feeling of abundant Soul Power coursing through him, he was in quite a good mood. He planned to get his Soul Ring as soon as possible and then go home to rest.

But he had no idea that, during this time, the situation outside had already been turned upside down.

Snow Empress nodded and said simply, "Go to the Star Dou Forest. There probably aren't any Soul Beasts suited to your Martial Soul's attributes in the Far North."

Qian Qizhou nodded. He had no objections to Snow Empress's suggestion.

After all, Snow Empress had lived for hundreds of thousands of years. She naturally knew much more about Soul Beasts than he did.

The two set off at once, flying toward the Star Dou Forest.

Along the way, Qian Qizhou keenly noticed something out of place.

The Star Dou Forest seemed quieter than usual.

He could even glimpse several fully armed squads of Soul Masters hurrying through the distance with grave expressions. They all seemed to be heading toward the forest's outskirts.

"Things seem a little unsettled?" Qian Qizhou murmured, frowning slightly.

If he hadn't mistaken them, the people in the distance weren't dressed like ordinary Soul Hunting squads. They looked more like members of Spirit Hall.

Snow Empress followed his gaze and glanced at the departing Soul Masters, but she paid them no mind. She simply said, "Let's get your Soul Ring first."

Soon, they reached a scorching valley thick with the smell of sulfur.

The rocks inside the valley were crimson, and fine cracks in the ground seeped scalding steam.

Snow Empress stopped and pointed toward a cave deep in the valley, where searing lava continuously bubbled out. "It's in there—a Molten Heart Scorpion with about nineteen thousand years of cultivation."

As she spoke, she seemed to sense something and added, "It's coming out to forage."

Sure enough, the next moment, a sharp shriek rang out from inside the cave.

Then a giant scorpion, its entire body seemingly made of dark red molten rock, burst out. Pale flames burned on its tail, and it was four or five meters long.

Its ferocious red gaze instantly locked onto the uninvited guests at the valley's entrance.

Without hesitation, it charged straight at them.

Facing the roaring Molten Heart Scorpion, a flash of purple light flickered in Qian Qizhou's eyes. Engulfing Lightning appeared in his hand, and he charged to meet it head-on!

The Molten Heart Scorpion's enormous pincers came crashing down, wrapped in searing lava, while its tail, burning with pale flames, struck toward Qian Qizhou's back like a venomous whip.

Qian Qizhou flashed sideways, dodging the pincers' heavy blow, then swept his Naginata backhandedly. A fierce streak of purple lightning slashed across the scorpion's tail.

"Clang!"

Lightning and fire collided, erupting in a piercing boom and scattering sparks of energy in every direction.

In that single exchange, Qian Qizhou sensed how strange the pale flames were. They clung fiercely and had the ability to burn away Soul Power.

But the flames couldn't touch him at all.

And his lightning was even more domineering, tearing through the flames with ease.

The remaining force of the lightning surged up the scorpion's tail, making the Molten Heart Scorpion let out a pained shriek and jerk its tail back.

"Pfft!"

The lightning pierced straight through its body!

The Molten Heart Scorpion's huge body convulsed violently, then crashed to the ground. The flames around it went out completely, and a black Soul Ring slowly rose from its corpse.

Qian Qizhou didn't hesitate. He immediately sat cross-legged beside the Molten Heart Scorpion's corpse, steadied his Soul Power, and began drawing the black Soul Ring toward himself.

The moment the Soul Ring settled over him, a frenzied, scorching energy—as if it could melt his meridians—surged wildly into his body.

The energy of a ten-thousand-year fire-type Soul Beast was already extremely domineering, and the Molten Heart Scorpion was an especially high-quality one.

His skin turned red-hot in an instant.

However, after being strengthened by the Blue Silver Emperor Soul Bone, his meridians were exceptionally resilient, and the immense life energy began circulating on its own to protect him.

At the same time, his own authority over fire actively met the invading power and absorbed it.

Watching this, Snow Empress said with some astonishment, "Seeing it in person really is something else. This kind of ability..."

Even at her current level, as the emperor of ice and snow, she couldn't command all the ice and snow.

Yet Qian Qizhou, a mere Soul Elder, could—and as his Soul Power grew, this ability would only become more powerful.

As time slowly passed, the profound black Soul Ring finally merged completely with Qian Qizhou's body, and he successfully absorbed it.

He slowly opened his eyes. A glimmer flashed across them and vanished, while his Soul Power settled at level forty-two.

Qian Qizhou stirred with a thought, wanting to test the might of his fourth Soul Skill.

"Sister Snow, watch my new Soul Skill."

With that, he flew into the sky, and the fourth Soul Ring beneath his feet suddenly lit up. "King · Burning Heaven Sovereign Flame!"

In an instant, the vast stretch of sky above him was dyed a vivid red, with him at its center.

Terrifying heat descended. The moisture in the air evaporated in an instant, and the surrounding trees caught fire.

Then an endless sea of flames appeared out of thin air beneath the reddened sky.

Even Snow Empress could feel the terrifying might of this domain, and she assessed its power with some curiosity.

Qian Qizhou, too, was pleased as he sensed the Soul Skill's strength and the Soul Power it consumed. With a thought, he recalled the Soul Skill, and the flames vanished with it.

There was another part of the Soul Skill he hadn't unleashed. If he used its full power, he was sure he could handle a Soul Emperor.

He turned to Snow Empress, ready to speak, but saw her frown slightly. Her cool voice carried a trace of confusion. "Something's wrong."

At her words, Qian Qizhou froze for a moment, then looked around and understood.

That was right. It was too quiet...

Even though he hadn't gone all out, his hunt just now and his use of the fourth Soul Skill had caused a tremendous commotion. That should have alarmed every Soul Beast nearby, or at least stirred up a disturbance.

Besides, they were in the mixed zone, where ten-thousand-year Soul Beasts were fairly common.

But now, the surroundings were frighteningly silent.

Forget Soul Beasts being drawn over—even the insects and birds that had been living nearby had fallen completely silent.