Leugocyte Awakens

Gui Mei emerged from the shadows, clutching a ten-meter-long purple dragon-type soul beast.

The soul beast was covered in dark purple scales, its body slender and ferocious. Even though it was heavily injured and suppressed by Gui Mei, it still exuded an extremely fierce aura.

Gui Mei walked to the center of the camp and casually tossed the soul beast onto the ground.

With a muffled thud.

The ground trembled slightly.

Yue Guan let out a surprised "Oh" upon seeing the soul beast clearly.

He stepped closer and examined it carefully.

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

Yue Guan frowned. "I thought they were long extinct?"

Hell Demon Dragon.

As soon as these words were spoken, Bibi Dong's gaze also fell upon the purple dragon-type soul beast.

Lu Chen was also somewhat surprised.

Hell Demon Dragon?

His first thought was of Zi Ji, one of the fierce beasts in the Star Dou Forest.

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

Could this Hell Demon Dragon before them be one of Zi Ji's kin?

This thought flashed through Lu Chen's mind.

He didn't voice it.

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 gradually becoming 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, its injuries still evident.

But it hadn't completely lost consciousness. A low growl emanated from its throat, clearly indicating its ferocity had not been extinguished.

Yue Guan ignored its struggles and turned to Bibi Dong.

"Your Majesty."

"Although this Hell Demon Dragon is also a ten-thousand-year soul beast, its quality is extremely high."

His tone was much more cautious than before.

"It's different from ordinary ten-thousand-year dragon-type soul beasts."

"With its bloodline quality, can Little Chen really absorb it?"

Bibi Dong did not answer immediately.

She was also assessing the situation.

If it were just an ordinary ten-thousand-year dragon-type soul beast, and Lu Chen was confident, she would let him try.

But the Hell Demon Dragon was different.

This type of soul beast had a higher bloodline level, and the residual mental impact would be stronger.

The soul ring it provided would by no means be comparable to an ordinary ten-thousand-year soul ring.

Bibi Dong looked at Lu Chen.

Yue Guan looked at Lu Chen.

Gui Mei also looked at Lu Chen.

All three pairs of eyes fell on him simultaneously.

Lu Chen stood before the Hell Demon Dragon, carefully sensing its aura.

It was indeed very strong.

Much stronger than the Azure Thunder Dragon Hawk.

But he did not flinch.

After a moment, Lu Chen looked up and said, "I think I can absorb it."

Yue Guan immediately frowned.

"Little Chen, don't push yourself."

He pointed at the Hell Demon Dragon on the ground.

"At worst, we can choose another; this soul beast is not as simple as it looks."

Yue Guan still 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.

Although it was only at the ten-thousand-year level, its bloodline quality was undeniable, and the pressure brought by its soul ring would be anything but weak.

More importantly, ten-thousand-year soul rings carried the residual soul shock from the beast's death, especially in the case of dragon-type soul beasts.

Dragon-type soul beasts were inherently ferocious; the stronger their bloodline, the harder it was to deal with the resentment left behind after death.

Yue Guan opened his mouth, preparing to say more, but Bibi Dong raised a hand to interrupt him.

"That is enough."

Yue Guan stopped and looked at Bibi Dong.

Bibi Dong's gaze remained fixed on Lu Chen as she said in a calm tone, "Since Xiao Chen is confident, let him try."

Yue Guan frowned slightly.

"But Your Majesty, this is a Hell Demon Dragon, after all."

"I know."

Bibi Dong did not look away.

"That is why I will be watching."

She paused before continuing, "If an accident truly occurs, I will interrupt his absorption immediately."

With those words, Yue Guan could no longer continue his persuasion.

He knew Bibi Dong's character well.

Since she had already made her decision, it meant she had already weighed the risks.

Furthermore, when Lu Chen absorbed the eight-thousand-year Azure Thunder Dragon Hawk soul ring earlier, he had indeed shown no signs of struggle.

However, a ten-thousand-year soul ring was different after all.

Yue Guan looked at Lu Chen and said earnestly, "Xiao Chen, you must think this through carefully. Once the soul ring absorption begins, there is very little outsiders can do to help you."

Lu Chen nodded.

"Grandpa Ju, I understand."

Gui Mei stood to the side without speaking.

He merely watched the suppressed Hell Demon Dragon on the ground, confirming that the soul beast had only one breath left and no chance of a counterattack.

Lu Chen stepped forward.

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

Even though it had been severely wounded by Gui Mei, a remnant of ferocity still lingered in its eyes.

Lu Chen did not hesitate.

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

The dagger sank into the vital point.

The Hell Demon Dragon's body shuddered violently, its limbs struggling instinctively for a few moments, and its tail lashed against the ground for an instant.

But it no longer had the strength to resist further.

A few breaths later, those fierce eyes dimmed completely.

The Hell Demon Dragon was dead.

A dense black radiance coalesced above its corpse, quickly forming a pitch-black soul ring.

The black soul ring rotated slowly, exuding the heavy aura characteristic of a ten-thousand-year soul beast.

That fluctuation was heavier and more oppressive than that of 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, colorful light surged from his body.

His Leugocyte martial soul manifested.

His first soul ring rose from beneath his feet, deep purple light swirling around him.

At the same time, the black soul ring was drawn in, slowly approaching until it descended, enveloping Lu Chen within it.

The absorption of his second soul ring had officially begun.

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

However, this time, they were no longer as doubtful of Lu Chen's physical endurance as they had been before.

Absorbing an eight-thousand-year Azure Thunder Dragon Hawk as a first soul ring was already shocking enough to the secular world.

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

This had already proven that his physical constitution truly far exceeded common logic.

Therefore, at this moment, the three of them were not truly worried about the soul ring's power impacting his body, but rather the soul shock brought about by a ten-thousand-year soul ring.

Bibi Dong's hand had not moved away once.

Should Lu Chen's mental state show any abnormalities, she would intervene immediately.

Meanwhile, Lu Chen's consciousness had already sunk into his sea of consciousness.

His sea of consciousness remained tranquil.

It was deep, vast, and carried an indescribable sense of oppression.

And deep within this sea of consciousness, the massive figure of Leugocyte floated silently, as if slumbering, yet also as if it had always existed there, becoming the true core of this mental world.

Lu Chen stood within the sea of consciousness, his expression very calm.

A moment later, a cold and ferocious aura suddenly intruded into the sea of consciousness.

Lu Chen looked up.

"It's here."

No sooner had the words left his lips than the mental remnant of a Purple Demon Dragon lunged into his sea of consciousness.

The phantom of the demon dragon was even more hideous than its corpse in the outside world, its eyes filled with resentment and madness.

The moment it appeared, it locked onto Lu Chen's mental projection, opened its dragon maw to unleash a silent roar, and then lunged directly toward Lu Chen.

It intended to tear Lu Chen's spirit to shreds.

This was the instinctive resentment of a soul beast after death, and it was also the most dangerous aspect of a ten-thousand-year soul ring.

Lu Chen watched the charging Purple Demon Dragon, preparing to attempt resistance.

But just then, Leugocyte, who had been floating deep within the sea of consciousness, suddenly opened its eyes.