His Soul Power stopped at level forty-five, with four Soul Rings slowly revolving at his side. Before Luo Chen could feel out the new changes brought by his fourth Soul Ring, his Spirit Sea suddenly shook violently.
An immense wave of spiritual power surged out from within him, so overwhelming it was suffocating. It didn't flow outward, but inward, as if something deep in his soul had awakened and was frantically devouring the energy around it.
Blood-red light blazed from Luo Chen's brow, and the Evil Emperor's voice exploded in his mind, carrying a frenzy of excitement unlike anything he had ever heard before.
"This emperor has finally recovered to the ten-thousand-year level!"
The Evil Emperor's aura surged, pushing Luo Chen's spiritual power in the Spirit Abyss Realm to nearly seven thousand points in an instant, with eight thousand almost within reach.
Luo Chen felt as if an invisible giant hand were stirring his Spirit Sea, raising towering waves. The silver-white water churned, and countless specks of temporal energy were swept up by that spiritual power, like fireflies in a hurricane.
But the next second, the Evil Emperor's voice abruptly fell silent. That immense spiritual power suddenly contracted, as though something had forcefully pinned it down. It compressed, condensed, and changed shape, finally turning into a fist-sized purple orb that sank into the deepest part of Luo Chen's Spirit Sea.
Evil Eye patterns flowed across the orb's surface, ancient and ferocious, carrying a hint of a king's oppressive majesty. It hung there quietly, like an embryo taking shape.
"Evil Emperor?" Luo Chen called into his Spirit Sea.
There was no answer.
"Xiao Xiezi?"
Still no answer.
Luo Chen furrowed his brow. He could sense the vitality within that purple orb, stronger than ever before.
The Evil Emperor hadn't disappeared, of course. He was simply sleeping, undergoing metamorphosis.
The remnant soul that had been dwelling in Luo Chen's Spirit Sea had recovered to the form of an Evil Eye Tyrant. But it looked like it would take some time for him to awaken again—a different kind of "evolution," perhaps!
At the very moment the purple orb sank into the depths of his Spirit Sea, the Gulu Balls at Luo Chen's waist all began to tremble, one after another, like dominoes falling.
The first was the Blazing Wolf. Flames ignited across the surface of its ordinary Gulu Ball, turning it orange-red, then deep red. The Hundred-Year Blazing Wolf inside howled so loudly it shook the heavens, its flames surging skyward until the whole ball glowed red-hot. Its age skyrocketed: eight hundred years... one thousand... one thousand five hundred... It didn't stop until it reached two thousand years.
Its body also changed, from an ordinary wolf into a giant wolf over two and a half meters tall at the shoulder. Golden-red flames streamed behind it like a cloak, and a hint of dark gold appeared in its eyes.
The second was the Plate Armor Turtle. Dense cracks spread across its earth-yellow ball, while a metallic sheen surfaced on its shell. Its age easily rose from three hundred to eight hundred years. Its body grew from the size of a millstone to that of a small van, and sharp bone spurs sprouted from its shell. It also moved much faster.
The third was the Feather Eagle, a Hundred-Year flying Soul Beast that Luo Chen had caught with Meng Shenji while they were at school. Its feathers changed from pale gray to silver-white, its wingspan widened from two meters to four, and tiny arcs of electricity coiled around its beak and talons. Its age broke through to eight hundred years, its speed at least doubled, and it gained a natural ability to cloak itself in lightning.
The fourth was the Beetle Immortal, a Hundred-Year Soul Beast caught on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest. It had always been the least noticeable of the bunch.
Its shell had been a dull gray, its six legs short and thick, and its long, slender antennae made it look like an oversized longhorn beetle.
Now its shell had turned a deep bronze, gleaming like metal. Its six legs had grown long and powerful, and the antennae on its head were like a pair of radio masts, able to detect fluctuations in spiritual power for miles around. It had actually evolved a spiritual-type talent, and its age had broken through to seven hundred years. Its form was evolving from an ordinary beetle into something resembling a rhinoceros beetle. Inside its Gulu Ball, it gave a series of "ka-ka" cries, its six legs kicking as though it were getting used to its new body.
The fifth was the Ice Feather Eagle. Its ball made the biggest commotion, a thick layer of frost forming across its surface, webbed with cracks that glowed a deep blue.
Its age soared directly from eight hundred to two thousand years—its training in the Far North Ice Plains had given it enough foundation, and it all erupted at once. Its wingspan widened from four meters to six, and its feathers changed from snow-white to icy blue, each one seeming to have been carved from crystal. When it spread its wings, the power of ice condensed around it into tiny ice crystals that glittered in the air like stars.
The sixth was the Ghost Vine. Tiny vines sprouted all over the surface of its dark green ball, each bearing dark purple barbs. Its age broke through from six hundred to one thousand five hundred years. The evolved Ghost Vine was no longer just an ordinary vine. A blurry human face had grown in the center of its vines. Its features were indistinct, but its joy, anger, sorrow, and delight were plain to see. When a Plant-type Soul Beast evolved a human face, it meant it was advancing toward a higher form of life. Perhaps in a few thousand more years, it could possess a full sense of self, just like the Blue Silver Emperor.
The seventh was Zhao Xi. The Dull Ball lit up, weaving azure and deep blue light together and casting a dreamlike glow throughout the cave. Zhao and Xi's cultivation had already reached twenty thousand years along with the evolution of their Soul Rings. They had also taken human form, appearing as two little children. They should be called Xi'er and Bing'er now. Unlike the other Soul Beasts, they didn't struggle violently. They simply stood hand in hand at the center of the ball, floating in midair, natural and harmonious.
All eight Gulu Balls trembled at once, and eight differently colored lights intertwined and collided in the cave before merging into a seven-colored pillar of light that shot through a crack in the cave and straight into the sky.
Luo Chen stood at the center of the pillar of light, his silver-white hair whipping in the wind. Four Soul Rings revolved at his side: purplish-red-gold, purple, purple, and black. At that moment, spiritual power, Soul Power, Soul Beasts, and Martial Souls fused together perfectly.
The Evil Emperor had fallen asleep, but his power hadn't vanished. It had merely transformed into a higher form. He was metamorphosing, being reborn.
Luo Chen looked down at the Gulu Balls at his waist, feeling each Soul Beast's evolution. A sense of fulfillment unlike anything he had ever known welled up inside him. He gently patted the pouch at his waist. "Sleep well, you guys. When you wake up, I'll take you to fight."
The eight Gulu Balls all gave a slight tremble, as if answering him. The Tide Jellyfish and Shadow Ghost Tiger had grown somewhat stronger, but they hadn't evolved again.
Moonlight streamed through the crack in the cave and fell on Luo Chen. His shadow stretched long, and his silver-white hair fluttered gently in the night breeze.
The Hourglass Mark between his brows shimmered faintly in the dusky blue light, purple and silver-white intertwining like a door slowly swinging open.
"It's time to find a way out. An'an must be getting worried!"
Before you continue