Bright Sparrow

The Soul King was struck repeatedly by Lin Yao and Ye Guyi, his life force rapidly fading. Just as he turned to flee, the Soul Emperor's sixth soul skill was unleashed.

A massive wolf's head erupted from the ground out of thin air, snapping its jaws shut and biting the Evil Soul Master Soul King off at the waist.

After finishing off the Soul King, the Soul Emperor expertly poured oil over the corpse, struck a fire starter, and burned the remains until nothing was left.

Having been extremely cautious and staying within the outer perimeter since entering the Star Dou Great Forest, the Soul Emperor only relaxed once the flames died down and he confirmed the Evil Soul Master had been thoroughly reduced to ash.

It was clear that in the worldview of a normal soul master, Evil Soul Masters were even more terrifying than soul beasts.

Lin Yao certainly had no intention of rushing the Soul Emperor; he understood that the man was considering the safety of his own family.

Seeing the Soul Emperor's grave demeanor, Ye Guyi turned to Lin Yao and said, "I've brought trouble upon you both."

Lin Yao shook his head and replied to Ye Guyi, "It's nothing. We would have crossed paths with Evil Soul Masters sooner or later. These maniacs aren't the type to leave you alone just because you don't provoke them. By the way, how did your soul ring absorption go?"

Ye Guyi sighed at the mention, clenched her fists, and told Lin Yao, "I was halfway through when those soul masters interrupted me. Fortunately, I had a secret technique passed down from my ancestors to protect me, otherwise, I would have been crippled by now. I'll have to find another suitable soul beast to absorb."

Lin Yao sighed and teased Ye Guyi, "Isn't that just a waste?"

Ye Guyi said helplessly, "Tell me about it. It's all the Evil Soul Masters' fault."

Lin Yao nodded slightly, then asked Ye Guyi, "Do you need our help?"

The Soul Emperor couldn't help but look up slightly, though he remained silent. Clearly, for him, a thousand-year soul beast in the outer perimeter was nothing more than two extra days of work.

Ye Guyi hesitated for a moment, and perhaps due to some internal impulse, she nodded. "I'd appreciate it."

Lin Yao gave a slight nod. After a brief frown, the Soul Emperor smoothed his brow and said to Lin Yao, "Based on the commonalities of soul beast attributes, dark-attribute and light-attribute soul beasts shouldn't live too far apart, as they hunt and attack one another. We might as well try our luck where you hunted your second soul ring."

Lin Yao nodded. This Soul Emperor was truly worthy of being someone who grew up alongside his father; once a decision was made, he immediately shifted his mindset to minimize the time spent on this trip.

As the right-hand man who frequently accompanied Lin Xueli, the Soul Emperor had already weighed the pros and cons. This young girl named Ye Guyi had great potential, and if he could pull her in to befriend the young master, it would be a valuable asset for Lin Yao.

Therefore, he did not oppose Lin Yao's righteous act of helping. After playing the "bad cop" for a moment, he led Lin Yao and Ye Guyi toward the hunting ground he had recommended.

Ye Guyi was hunting for her third soul ring. Reaching the Soul Venerable level before the age of twenty was surprising even to Lin Yao, though according to Ye Guyi, this was mainly due to the Holy Angel Martial Soul's advantage of rapidly gaining soul power after killing Evil Soul Masters, meaning her actual foundation wasn't as solid as Lin Yao's.

The concept of "solid soul power" wasn't widely recognized in fan fiction, but in the current situation, the difference was significant.

Although Ye Guyi had ten more levels of soul power than Lin Yao, in terms of pure martial soul sustainability, Lin Yao could match her.

This level of soul power density surprised not only Ye Guyi but also the Soul Emperor.

Afterward, the three returned to the area where the Dark Earth Dragon had been. Using that as a center point, they searched in a radiating pattern and quickly found a suitable soul beast for Ye Guyi.

It was a crow-like avian soul beast with golden feathers all over its body and a crimson glow in its eyes.

The Soul Emperor recognized the beast, explaining that it was a pure light-element soul beast called a Bright Sparrow. It was extremely friendly to those with pure hearts and had been used in the past as a special beast to test the loyalty of subordinates.

However, toward those with malicious intent, this soul beast would unleash formidable combat power, causing the wicked to shrink back in fear.

Ye Guyi became interested the moment she saw the bird, and after locking eyes with her, the Bright Sparrow suddenly spread its golden wings and dove toward her.

The Soul Emperor pulled Lin Yao to the side, fearing that their own mindsets might interfere with the Bright Sparrow's judgment.

Seeing the two move away from Ye Guyi, the Bright Sparrow let out an eagle-like cry and charged toward them instead.

Lin Yao waved his left hand, activating Dragon Transformation. Black dragon scales covered his arm, and he firmly grabbed the Bright Sparrow's beak.

Slamming the bird into the ground, Lin Yao shouted to Ye Guyi, "Come on!"

Ye Guyi no longer hesitated, drawing her golden angel sword.

With one strike, she pinned the Bright Sparrow to the ground, and a purple soul ring floated upward. The color of this ring was noticeably paler than Lin Yao's second soul ring, likely just barely over the thousand-year mark.

It was no wonder Lin Yao could so easily pin the Bright Sparrow to the ground in his Dragon Transformation state.

Looking at the pale purple ring, Ye Guyi cast a look of gratitude toward Lin Yao, nodded, and sat cross-legged to begin the absorption.

Lin Yao and the Soul Emperor naturally saw the good deed through to the end, standing silently on either side to guard her.

By the time Ye Guyi finished absorbing the ring, the sky had grown dark. The Soul Emperor pondered for a moment before deciding to find an old ironwood tree, carving out a hole for the three of them to rest for the night.

That evening, Ye Guyi used her Holy Angel Martial Soul to start a fire. It wasn't an ordinary flame; it produced very little smoke and wouldn't attract the attention of most soul beasts.

"What will you do now? The Evil Soul Masters have their eyes on you," Lin Yao asked Ye Guyi.

She remained silent for a moment before replying, "I'll just take it one step at a time. As long as I don't die, I can improve with every battle. Even that Soul King-level Evil Soul Master we killed with your help brought me a boost in soul power. I suppose that's the destiny of the Holy Angel Martial Soul."

Lin Yao looked at Ye Guyi and said, "If you're willing, I can offer you a second path..."