The Thunder-Roaring Hell Vine's soul turned its head and stared straight at the Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords hovering in the air.
It clumsily crawled up Han Yu's arm and onto his shoulder, trying to touch the sword with its vines.
Crackle—
The vine tentacle was instantly jolted back by the Evil-Warding Divine Thunder on the sword.
It nestled against Han Yu's shoulder, aggrieved, and raised its slightly charred vine tentacle to wave it gently, as if complaining about the unfairness of it all.
Han Yu flicked it on the forehead, his finger passing through empty air.
He chuckled and said, "My divine thunder isn't something a little body like yours can touch."
Though he said that, a faint trace of Evil-Warding Divine Thunder flowed from his fingertip. He had deliberately separated it out, so it wouldn't cause any harm.
The Evil-Warding Divine Thunder gently caressed the soul.
Its charred vine tentacle instantly recovered, and it swayed its body excitedly. One vine pointed straight at the Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords, while another tugged at Han Yu's collar.
Han Yu was a little confused. He tried to grab it off his shoulder, but its limp vine wrapped around his finger, and it refused to come down no matter what.
"It seems interested in your Martial Soul," Ye Lingling said with a quiet laugh, arms folded.
The little fellow's endearing, goofy manner had charmed her. She crouched down and teased it with her finger.
Han Yu rested his chin in his hand, thoughtful, and murmured to himself, "Martial Soul?"
He wasn't unfamiliar with the Thunder-Roaring Hell Vine's current state.
A Soul Beast Sacrifice, after all.
But the appearance of this soul had made him think of another possibility.
A Soul Spirit.
In the era a million years later, the million-year-old Sky Dream Ice Silkworm had become Huo Gua's Soul Spirit.
Soul Beasts could become self-aware Soul Spirits, bond with Soul Masters, grow stronger alongside them, and grant them multiple Soul Rings.
Could the Thunder-Roaring Hell Vine be the first plant in the Soul Beast Realm to eat a crab?
With a thought, Han Yu summoned the Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords into his hand, and the Evil-Warding Divine Thunder coiling around the blade subsided.
The Thunder-Roaring Hell Vine's soul immediately slid down Han Yu's arm and pressed its entire body against the Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords, wrapping its vines tightly around the blade.
The next moment.
The golden lightning patterns on the Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords began to flow. The soul melted like molten iron, slowly sinking into the sword. A delicate cloud of thunder appeared at the hilt.
At the same time, the Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords seemed to come alive, trembling and swaying gently.
Green light shone from within the blade, flowing rhythmically around the golden lightning patterns.
Han Yu's eyes lit up, and he lightly rested a finger on the Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords.
Hum—
A clear sword chime rang out. The three-foot sword traced an arc through the air of its own accord before settling into Han Yu's palm.
He felt his Sword Heart Clarity, as though he and the Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords had nearly become one, forming a wondrous sense of symbiosis.
He didn't even need to swing the sword. With a mere turn of thought, the blade in his hand could shoot out in an instant, becoming a flying sword that fought his enemies on its own.
A hint of anticipation appeared in Han Yu's eyes. He focused his thoughts.
The Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords shot into the air, splitting into eight green sword-shadows. The true sword transformed into a streak of golden lightning and vanished, while a thundercloud appeared overhead and countless thunderbolts crashed down.
Amplified by the thunder, each of the eight sword-shadows became almost solid, converging to attack a single point.
At the same time, the true Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords followed close behind, arriving in an instant.
Seeing this, Han Yu nodded again and again, a satisfied smile spreading across his face.
He was delighted with the changes to his Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords Martial Soul. It was far more suited to him than he had expected a Soul Spirit to be.
A Soul Spirit merely provided the aid of an external Soul Beast, something like Luo Sanpao. That might greatly benefit a Beast Martial Soul Soul Master, but it couldn't compare to an effect like this sword spirit.
Perhaps this sword spirit could do far more than the abilities it had revealed on the surface.
"Holy Son, did it disappear?" Ye Lingling asked softly.
Han Yu recalled his Martial Soul and gently patted the blade, smiling as he said, "No. It merged into my Martial Soul."
The Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords trembled a few times, as if in response.
Han Yu took a deep breath and said, "All right, I need to focus on absorbing the Soul Ring now. Be careful."
"Oh, okay." Ye Lingling nodded obediently and stepped aside.
Only then did she realize that Han Yu had said he was going to absorb a Soul Ring. But this Soul Beast was clearly more than ten thousand years old, while Han Yu was only a Level 40 Soul Elder. He actually dared to set his sights on a Soul Beast like this.
She wanted to step forward and warn him, but the three-foot green sword was blocking her way. Anxious, she tried to get around it, only to be stopped again and again.
"Holy Son, a Soul Ring of this age will be extremely dangerous!" Ye Lingling cried, her voice filled with worry.
With his back to her, Han Yu casually waved a hand and said softly, "Don't worry. This is a Soul Beast Sacrifice. It's perfectly safe."
"Oh, all right, then." Ye Lingling frowned and stopped trying to move forward, though a trace of doubt remained in her eyes.
What was a Soul Beast Sacrifice? She had never heard of one.
Still, she trusted Han Yu's character. He wouldn't do anything unless he was sure of it.
As time passed.
Much later, the Thunder-Roaring Hell Vine's body began to grow hazy.
Starting with the vines that filled the sky, it turned inch by inch into drifting specks of light.
The specks circled in the air for a moment, then all flowed into Han Yu's body.
A hundred-thousand-year Torso Soul Bone condensed out of nowhere in the torso of his body.
A red Soul Ring rose in a spiral from beneath him.
Two purple, one black, and one red!
Ye Lingling stood frozen nearby, breathing rapidly. She stumbled back several steps, trembling, her face full of disbelief.
She swallowed and struggled to steady her emotions, her gaze fixed on the bewitching red Soul Ring.
Red! A hundred-thousand-year Soul Ring!
No standard Soul Ring Configuration on the continent included a Soul Ring of this level.
A hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast was beyond even a Titled Douluo's ability to defeat, let alone a Level 90 Soul Douluo. It simply wasn't something Soul Masters should dare to dream of.
And yet, right now, this hundred-thousand-year Soul Ring was quietly revolving beneath Han Yu.
"Grandma, I think I understand what you meant..." Ye Lingling murmured, her eyes full of admiration.
At last, she understood why her grandmother would rather divide the Ye Family than send her to Han Yu's side.
Someone like Han Yu, so long as he didn't fall before his time, would surely become a supreme powerhouse whose every step could shake the entire continent.
If she devoted herself to leading her people in serving Han Yu, the Ye Family's future would be anything but lowly.
No, perhaps...
She had another choice. She pressed both hands to her chest, calming her racing heartbeat as a thoughtful look surfaced in her eyes.
She had spent only a year with Han Yu and had not fallen for him, but the sense of security he gave her was irreplaceable.
Ever since she was little, Ye Lingling had been raised to understand that, as an auxiliary Soul Master, she had to follow a powerful Soul Master. When necessary, she might even have to offer her body to win them over. This had always been the Ye Family's way of survival.
She looked deeply at Han Yu. Her eyes shifted, her thoughts a tangled whirl.