Leugocyte Awakens

Gui Mei stepped out of the shadows, holding a ten-meter-long purple dragon-type Soul Beast.

Its body was covered in dark purple scales, long and fearsomely contorted. Even after Gui Mei had gravely wounded and subdued it, it still radiated a vicious aura.

Gui Mei walked to the center of the camp and casually tossed the Soul Beast to the ground.

There was a dull thud.

The ground trembled slightly.

When Yue Guan got a good look at the Soul Beast, he let out a startled "Huh?"

He stepped closer and studied it carefully.

"Old Ghost, where did you find a Hell Demon Dragon?"

Yue Guan frowned. "I thought they'd gone extinct long ago."

Hell Demon Dragon.

At those words, Bibi Dong's gaze also fell on the purple dragon-type Soul Beast.

Lu Chen was just as surprised.

A Hell Demon Dragon?

The first thing that came to mind was Zi JI, one of the Ferocious Beasts of the Star Dou Forest.

Zi JI's true form seemed to be the Hell Demon Dragon King.

Could this Hell Demon Dragon be one of her kin?

The thought flashed through Lu Chen's mind.

He didn't say it aloud.

Gui Mei replied, "It was quite a coincidence."

"I was originally looking for that Dark Earth Dragon."

"But while tracking it, I found this one."

Yue Guan looked at the Hell Demon Dragon on the ground, his expression growing serious.

"This is much rarer than a Dark Earth Dragon."

Gui Mei nodded.

"So I brought it back."

The Hell Demon Dragon lay on the ground, visibly injured.

But it hadn't completely lost consciousness. A low growl rumbled in its throat, its ferocity clearly undiminished.

Yue Guan ignored its feeble struggles and turned to Bibi Dong.

"Your Holiness the Pope."

"Although this Hell Demon Dragon is also a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, its quality is extremely high."

His tone was far more cautious than before.

"It's not like ordinary ten-thousand-year dragon-type Soul Beasts."

"With its bloodline, can Xiao Chen really absorb it?"

Bibi Dong didn't answer right away.

She was assessing the situation too.

If it were just an ordinary ten-thousand-year dragon-type Soul Beast, she would let Lu Chen try, since he was confident.

But the Hell Demon Dragon was different.

Its bloodline was of a higher order, and the spiritual shock it left behind would be much stronger.

The Soul Ring it produced was nothing like an ordinary Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring.

Bibi Dong looked at Lu Chen.

Yue Guan looked at Lu Chen.

Gui Mei looked at Lu Chen as well.

All three sets of eyes fell on him at once.

Standing before the Hell Demon Dragon, Lu Chen carefully sensed its aura.

It was indeed powerful.

Much stronger than the Azure Thunder Dragon Hawk.

But he didn't back down.

After a moment, Lu Chen raised his head and said, "I think I can absorb it."

Yue Guan frowned at once.

"Xiao Chen, don't try to prove yourself."

He pointed to the Hell Demon Dragon on the ground.

"We can always find another one. This Soul Beast is no simple matter."

Yue Guan wanted to persuade him further.

A Soul Beast like the Hell Demon Dragon was in a completely different league from ordinary Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts.

Though it was only at the ten-thousand-year level, its bloodline quality spoke for itself. The pressure from its Soul Ring would be immense.

More importantly, Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings carried the lingering spiritual shock of the dead Soul Beast, especially when it was a dragon-type.

Dragon-type Soul Beasts were naturally fierce. The stronger their bloodline, the harder it was to deal with the resentment they left behind after death.

Yue Guan opened his mouth, ready to say more, but Bibi Dong raised a hand and cut him off first.

"That's enough."

Yue Guan stopped and looked at Bibi Dong.

Her gaze remained fixed on Lu Chen, and she said calmly, "If Xiao Chen is confident, let him try."

Yue Guan's brow furrowed.

"But Your Holiness the Pope, this is a Hell Demon Dragon."

"I know."

Bibi Dong didn't look away.

"So I'll be watching."

She paused, then continued, "If anything goes wrong, I'll stop him immediately."

At that, Yue Guan could no longer press the matter.

He knew Bibi Dong's temperament.

If she'd made up her mind, she'd already weighed the risks.

Besides, when Lu Chen absorbed the eight-thousand-year Azure Thunder Dragon Hawk Soul Ring, he hadn't shown the slightest strain.

Still, a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring was different.

Yue Guan looked at Lu Chen and said seriously, "Xiao Chen, think it through. Once you begin absorbing a Soul Ring, there's very little anyone else can do to help."

Lu Chen nodded.

"Grandpa Ju, I understand."

Gui Mei stood to one side without speaking.

He simply watched the subdued Hell Demon Dragon, making sure it had only one breath left and no chance of fighting back.

Lu Chen stepped forward.

The Hell Demon Dragon lay on the ground, its dark purple scales rising and falling slightly as weak, low growls rumbled from its throat.

Though Gui Mei had gravely wounded it, its eyes still held a trace of ferocity.

Lu Chen didn't hesitate.

He drew the purple dagger, gripped it tightly, and drove it into the Hell Demon Dragon's head.

The dagger sank into a vital spot.

The Hell Demon Dragon's body jolted violently. Its limbs thrashed instinctively a few times, and its tail whipped against the ground for an instant.

But it no longer had the strength to resist further.

A few breaths later, the ferocity in its eyes faded completely.

The Hell Demon Dragon was dead.

A dense black light gathered above its corpse, quickly forming a pitch-black Soul Ring.

The black Soul Ring turned slowly, radiating the weighty aura of a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast.

Its fluctuation was heavier and more oppressive than the Azure Thunder Dragon Hawk's deep purple Soul Ring.

Yue Guan and Gui Mei both looked at Lu Chen.

Bibi Dong reminded him, "Xiao Chen, keep your mind steady."

Lu Chen nodded.

He sat cross-legged beside the Hell Demon Dragon's corpse.

The next moment, multicolored light surged from his body.

Leugocyte's Martial Soul Possession.

The First Soul Ring rose from beneath his feet, its deep purple glow circling him.

At the same time, the black Soul Ring slowly drew closer under the pull, then gradually descended and enveloped Lu Chen.

The absorption of his Second Soul Ring had officially begun.

Bibi Dong, Yue Guan, and Gui Mei stood to one side, their expressions more solemn than before.

Still, they no longer doubted Lu Chen's body's ability to withstand it as much as they had earlier.

Absorbing an eight-thousand-year Azure Thunder Dragon Hawk as his First Soul Ring was already enough to shock the world.

Not only had Lu Chen succeeded, but the process had been so smooth it was almost absurd.

That proved his physical strength was far beyond the norm.

So now, what truly worried the three of them wasn't the Soul Ring's force on his body, but the spiritual shock that came with a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring.

Bibi Dong's hand remained raised.

The moment Lu Chen showed any sign of mental distress, she would intervene.

At the same time, Lu Chen's consciousness had already sunk into his Sea of Consciousness.

His Sea of Consciousness remained peaceful.

Deep and vast, it carried an indescribable sense of pressure.

And deep within it, Leugocyte's enormous figure floated silently, as though asleep, yet also as though it had always been there—the true core of this spiritual world.

Lu Chen stood in the Sea of Consciousness, his expression calm.

A moment later, a cold, vicious aura suddenly invaded his Sea of Consciousness.

Lu Chen looked up.

"Here it comes."

As soon as the words left his mouth, the spiritual remnant of a purple demon dragon charged into his Sea of Consciousness.

The dragon's phantom was even more fearsome than the corpse outside, its eyes full of hatred and madness.

The instant it appeared, it locked onto Lu Chen's spiritual form, opened its jaws, and let out a silent roar before lunging straight at him.

It meant to tear Lu Chen's spirit apart.

This was the instinctive resentment of a dead Soul Beast—and the most dangerous part of a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring.

Lu Chen watched the purple demon dragon charging at him, ready to try to resist.

But just then, Leugocyte, which had been floating deep within the Sea of Consciousness, suddenly opened its eyes.