Yue Guan paused, then sent the petals sweeping past from the side.
It was still ineffective.
He couldn't help saying, "This Soul Skill is way too unfair, isn't it?"
Gui Mei looked at the cloud and said, "Physical attacks are completely ineffective, and even energy attacks at the Soul Emperor level don't work."
Yue Guan said, "Old Ghost, I may not have used my Sixth Soul Skill at full strength, but it's still not something an ordinary Soul Master could withstand."
Bibi Dong saw that Yue Guan still wanted to keep testing and spoke up. "All right, Yue Guan. Stop."
At her words, Yue Guan immediately withdrew his Soul Skill.
The golden petals faded away, and the light of the Heaven-Reaching Chrysanthemum dimmed with them.
He looked at the dark purple cloud in the air, still wearing a somewhat unsatisfied expression.
Soul Skills like this were exceedingly rare.
He really did want to test it a few more times.
But Bibi Dong had already spoken, so he naturally wouldn't continue.
Bibi Dong looked up at the cloud Lu Chen had become, deep in thought.
She didn't know why the Azure Thunder Dragon Hawk had given Lu Chen a Soul Skill like this.
By all logic, such a Soul Skill didn't match the Azure Thunder Dragon Hawk's traits.
But from what she had seen so far, its effects were excellent.
It could even be said to far exceed what a First Soul Skill should be capable of.
Void Manifestation could nullify physical attacks and most energy attacks. That alone was an exceptionally powerful means of protection.
And Lu Chen had only obtained his First Soul Ring. As his Soul Power increased, this Soul Skill would only become more useful.
The only thing he hadn't demonstrated yet was the devouring ability he had mentioned.
Bibi Dong asked directly, "Xiao Chen, show us your devouring ability."
Lu Chen replied, "All right, Teacher."
The dark purple cloud drifted slowly through the air.
It didn't disperse at once or return to human form. Instead, it floated toward the Azure Thunder Dragon Hawk's corpse.
The Azure Thunder Dragon Hawk was dead, and Lu Chen had absorbed its Soul Ring. Only its corpse remained on the ground.
This eight-thousand-year-old Soul Beast had once been quite large. Even with its life force gone, its former ferocity was still evident.
Yue Guan and Gui Mei watched as the cloud drew near.
They, too, wanted to see what the devouring ability Lu Chen had mentioned was like.
The dark purple cloud slowly descended, enveloping the Azure Thunder Dragon Hawk's corpse.
At first, there was no obvious change.
But soon, dark purple lightning began to surge inside the cloud.
The lightning coursed through it, as if aiding some kind of devouring process.
The Azure Thunder Dragon Hawk's corpse began to slowly disintegrate.
Feathers, flesh, and bones all disappeared bit by bit inside the cloud, as if broken down and swallowed by some unseen force.
The smile gradually faded from Yue Guan's face.
Gui Mei remained silent, but his gaze had grown noticeably more intent.
Bibi Dong watched without saying a word.
The dark purple cloud continued to churn.
As the lightning flowed, the Azure Thunder Dragon Hawk's corpse dwindled bit by bit.
At last, under the three of them watching, the entire corpse disintegrated and vanished into the cloud.
After the Azure Thunder Dragon Hawk's corpse had disappeared completely, the camp fell silent for a moment.
The eight-thousand-year-old Soul Beast that had been lying on the ground was now gone without a single intact trace.
The dark purple cloud churned slowly, and the remaining flashes of lightning inside it gradually died down.
If they hadn't witnessed the whole process with their own eyes, they would have found it hard to believe that an Azure Thunder Dragon Hawk's corpse had once been here.
Yue Guan looked at the empty patch of ground, his expression complicated.
He had seen plenty of powerful Soul Skills and some exceptionally strange abilities.
But this was his first time seeing a Soul Skill like Lu Chen's, one that could both nullify attacks through Void Manifestation and directly devour a Soul Beast's corpse.
This ability was far too unusual.
It was the sort of thing that inspired awe and, at the same time, instinctive wariness.
Yue Guan couldn't help remarking, "Good thing Xiao Chen isn't an Evil Spirit Master."
Gui Mei glanced at him but said nothing.
Yue Guan went on, "Otherwise, an ability like this in the hands of an Evil Spirit Master would surely cause the mainland a great deal of trouble."
He wasn't exaggerating.
The Soul Master World had never lacked geniuses or powerful Soul Skills.
But devouring abilities were often the most dangerous, because they represented not just a means of attack but also a way of growing that could become uncontrollable.
Someone with a corrupt nature who possessed such an ability could easily go to extremes.
Bibi Dong's expression barely changed at Yue Guan's words.
She neither fully agreed nor contradicted him. She simply watched Lu Chen, still in the form of a dark purple cloud.
Lu Chen was her disciple.
She naturally trusted that she could keep an eye on him, and believed he wouldn't easily stray from the right path.
Still, Yue Guan wasn't entirely wrong.
This ability did require caution.
Once the Azure Thunder Dragon Hawk's corpse had been completely devoured, Bibi Dong said, "Xiao Chen, change back for now."
The dark purple cloud paused.
Then it began to contract toward its center.
The flowing dark purple light gathered bit by bit. The cloud, which had originally been dozens of meters across, gradually shrank until it finally took Lu Chen's shape again.
Lu Chen remained in his Martial Soul Possession state.
A deep purple Soul Ring slowly revolved beneath his feet, while the aura of the Colorful Dragon Shadow flickered faintly.
After landing, he checked his own condition first. Only after confirming that nothing was wrong did he look up at Bibi Dong.
Bibi Dong walked over to him, her gaze serious.
"After devouring it, do you feel unwell?"
Lu Chen shook his head.
"No, Teacher."
Bibi Dong didn't relax just yet. She asked again, "Is your Soul Power unstable? Has your mind been affected?"
Lu Chen checked again.
His Soul Power was circulating steadily.
His body felt fine.
His mind was clear, too.
While devouring the Azure Thunder Dragon Hawk's corpse, he hadn't felt any agitation, bloodlust, or loss of control.
To him, the whole process had been like absorbing, breaking down, and digesting a mass of residual energy from outside his body.
No nausea.
No rejection.
Not even the slightest disturbance to his mind.
So Lu Chen answered seriously, "Nothing is wrong."
Only then did Bibi Dong relax a little.
It was no wonder she was so concerned.
In the Soul Master World, Soul Skills related to devouring were often more than just powerful abilities.
Many devouring-type Soul Skills brought negative effects along with their strength.
Some affected the Soul Master's emotions.
Some gradually made the Soul Master bloodthirsty.
And some could even make Soul Masters dependent on devouring itself, leading them further and further from the proper path of cultivation.
So Bibi Dong had to make sure Lu Chen hadn't been affected.
Lu Chen understood her concern, of course.
But he knew that his circumstances were different from those of ordinary devouring-type Soul Skills.
His devouring ability wasn't an inherent power bestowed by the Azure Thunder Dragon Hawk. It was a force derived from the Leugocyte Martial Soul.
That was Leugocyte, after all.
The Universe Devourer.
Leugocyte itself possessed the ability to devour planets.
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