"Consume the sign-in reward and increase the first Soul Ring, the Fire Glass Vine Serpent, by five hundred years!"
[ Ding! Level-one reward consumed. Fire Glass Vine Serpent Soul Ring duration +500! ]
[ Fire Glass Vine Serpent total duration: 500 years and 1 minute! ]
Ao Yin threw back his head and laughed, feeling utterly exhilarated.
Having the system as backup was truly wonderful. He could add years whenever he wanted; piling it up to a hundred thousand years in the future would be no problem!
A powerful force surged into his body through the Soul Ring. His Coiling Dragon Staff Martial Soul trembled slightly, and his strength skyrocketed.
"Awesome!!"
The Soul Ring's age had increased by five hundred years, and most importantly, there was no backlash whatsoever. He did not need to worry about his body being unable to withstand it.
Ao Yin impatiently activated his Martial Soul.
"First Soul Ring, appear!"
Soul Power slowly spread around him as a warm, scorching Soul Ring rose from beneath his feet.
Five hundred years should have meant a standard yellow ring, but when Ao Yin looked closely, he was stunned on the spot.
The Soul Ring was still a faint smoky white, without the slightest change!
He stared fixedly at the Soul Ring. By his own perception, it was undeniably a five-hundred-year Soul Ring, yet its appearance had not changed at all.
"Damn it! The Soul Ring's color only shows the pale white color from when it was first absorbed!"
Ao Yin raised a hand to his forehead, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
It was not that he feared attracting covetous eyes. It was just too embarrassing.
Others at least started with ten-year white rings, while his base color was the pale white of something less than a year old. Compared to them, it looked utterly shabby.
When he competed with others using Soul Rings in the future, the color alone would make his presence seem weaker by a notch.
On second thought, Ao Yin quickly got over it.
Color was all superficial. Strength was what truly mattered.
Who could have guessed that this unremarkable pale white Soul Ring could eventually be stacked to a terrifying age?
Playing the pig to eat the tiger was not a bad idea either!
"Pale white it is. It will be perfect for hiding my strength."
Ao Yin withdrew his Soul Ring, dusted himself off, and leaped toward the cave entrance.
This lava cavern was hidden deep within the core region of the Soul Hunting Forest, concealed to the extreme.
If not for the clues provided by the system, an ordinary person would never have found it.
Even if someone accidentally entered the lava cavern, it would have been difficult to notice the Vine Serpent dragon egg hidden beneath the lava river.
Today, he had truly stumbled upon incredible luck. Had he arrived even a moment later, the young serpent might have hatched and flown straight out of the Soul Hunting Forest.
Rustle, rustle—
The instant he emerged from the cave, heavy breathing rose from underground and rapidly approached him.
It had to be the aura leaked by the birth of the Fire Glass Vine Serpent earlier, which had alerted the dominant soul beast of this region.
The savage aura alone made every hair on Ao Yin's body stand on end.
Run!
The moment the thought surfaced, [Luo Yan Step] activated instantly, and his figure vanished from where he stood.
In the next instant, a gigantic palm that blotted out the sky crashed down. The ground where he had just stood collapsed into a huge pit.
Ao Yin's back turned cold as fear lingered in his heart.
The forest core was filled with thousand-year soul beasts, and perhaps even ten-thousand-year Ferocious Beasts lurked within.
When he had come here, he had only managed to arrive safely by following the clues.
That creature's aura earlier had been terrifying beyond measure. If he had been struck, he would have been crushed into pulp instantly.
He did not dare linger and sprinted at full speed toward the outer reaches of the forest.
Boom!
Just as he rushed out of the core region, a tremendous shockwave erupted ahead.
Yu Xiaogang and Tang San were locked in a fierce battle with the Datura Snake and the Six-Winged Frost Centipede!
"Hehe! My first Soul Ring is settled, but I still haven't found my second. Let's go take a look!"
Ao Yin smiled faintly and sped directly toward the battlefield.
Yu Xiaogang rode Luo Sanpao, racing wildly ahead!
"Hiss—"
Close behind him was a gigantic snow-white insect—the Six-Winged Frost Centipede.
To create an opportunity for Tang San to hunt the Datura Snake, Yu Xiaogang had made Luo Sanpao fart directly into the Six-Winged Frost Centipede's face, completely drawing its attention and luring it away.
Although the Six-Winged Frost Centipede had been bitten by the Datura Snake, it had temporarily sealed the venom with frost, and its strength was still not to be underestimated. Yu Xiaogang was only a two-ring soul master, and his Soul Power was limited. If this dragged on any longer, the Six-Winged Frost Centipede would catch him!
"Little San, you have to hurry! Your teacher can't hold on much longer!"
Elsewhere.
Tang San was locked in combat with the Datura Snake!
"Snake! You have earned your death!"
An eerie purple gleam flashed through Tang San's eyes. Activating [Purple Demon Eye], he instantly saw through the Datura Snake's movement pattern.
Tang San gave an evil smirk. His steps followed [Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track], his body flickering as he rapidly closed in on the Datura Snake.
At the same time, frost covered both his hands. He secretly drew bone-piercing needles from the Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges belt around his waist and hurled them fiercely using the Tang Sect's hidden weapon techniques.
Two bone-piercing needles shot forth.
Psh!
The needles stabbed viciously into the snake's eyes. "Hisss—" Writhing madly in agony, the Datura Snake thrashed about.
"Let me give you another blade! Die—"
Tang San drew a dagger, leaped up fiercely, and drove it through the Datura Snake's vital point.
Thud—
The Datura Snake fell in response, and a yellow Soul Ring rose into the air.
"This is... a Soul Ring?!"
Tang San was immediately overjoyed. He sat down cross-legged at once and began absorbing the Soul Ring according to the method Yu Xiaogang had taught him.
"Come, four-hundred-and-twenty-two-year Datura Snake!"
Tang San guided it with his Soul Power, and the yellow Soul Ring slowly flew toward his body.
However, just as the Datura Snake Soul Ring was about to enter Tang San's body, it stopped!
Hm?
"What's going on? Why can't I absorb the Soul Ring into my body?"
Tang San instantly realized something was wrong.
He even watched with his own eyes as the Datura Snake Soul Ring suddenly flew away, heading toward a certain direction.
And in that direction, a familiar figure suddenly appeared.
"Ao... Ao Yin?"
That person was none other than Ao Yin, who had just arrived.
"How is that possible? Don't soul beast Soul Rings only recognize the person who personally killed them? Why would it fly toward Ao Yin?"
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
Tang San's eyes turned bloodshot, and his mind shook violently.
Ao Yin smiled faintly. "In principle, that's true, but... the principle is in my hands now!"
One minute earlier.
[ Ding! The destiny fortune in this area has been detected stirring. The sign-in location has refreshed: Soul Hunting Forest! ]
[ Remaining sign-in attempts: 1! ]
[ Sign in immediately? ]
Ao Yin had been heading this way after hearing the commotion when the system notification suddenly sounded, leaving him slightly stunned.
Only then did he remember that he had not used today's sign-in attempt.
"Sign in!"
[ Ding! Congratulations, host. You have successfully signed in at the Soul Hunting Forest and obtained the Son of Destiny's Soul Ring—a 422-year Datura Snake Soul Ring! ]
[ Absorb it? ]
Oh?
Even Ao Yin was slightly taken aback. The system held grudges just like he did; it had actually stolen Tang San's first Soul Ring?
As he pondered this, a yellow Soul Ring flew toward him.
Tang San followed right behind it.
His face was filled with shock. "Ao Yin, what did you do to my Soul Ring?"
Ao Yin sneered. "Tang San, Tang San! You keep saying this is your Soul Ring?"
"Then call out to it. Does it dare answer you?"
Tang San's expression turned extremely ugly at those words.
"Datura Snake, come! Come to me..."
However, the yellow Soul Ring did not react at all, quietly hovering before Ao Yin.
Ao Yin crooked a finger slightly, and the yellow Soul Ring drifted onto his fingertip.
He said with a faint smile, "Is this the Soul Ring you cherish so dearly?"
Tang San swallowed, his voice trembling slightly. "Little Ao, this Soul Ring is very important to me..."
Bang!
Before Tang San could finish, Ao Yin clenched his Dragon Claw Hand and crushed the Datura Snake Soul Ring on the spot!
Ao Yin looked utterly unconcerned.
"What you cherish is worthless to me!"
Before you continue