The Second Soul Ring, Bloodshadow Mantis

Ten days later, at dusk.

The sun was setting, and evening clouds filled the sky.

Star Dou Great Forest, Mixed Area.

Unlike the Outer Area, where soul power was sparse,

the ancient trees in the Mixed Area were more lush, their branches crisscrossing overhead.

Beast roars rang endlessly through the forest, and a fierce, savage aura rushed toward them.

The air was thick with the mingled scents of blood and fresh vegetation.

According to Gui Mei, most soul beasts in the Outer Area were a hundred years old.

But near the entrance to the Mixed Area, it was already territory for thousand-year soul beasts.

The deeper they went into the Mixed Area, the closer they came to the Core Area, and naturally, the higher the cultivation of the soul beasts they encountered.

Every step was fraught with danger.

After flying over the entrance to the Mixed Area, Gui Mei brought Su Qi safely to the ground.

Seeing that night was approaching, he deliberately cautioned, "Your Highness the Holy Son, this is the central region of the Mixed Area. Ten-thousand-year soul beasts have been sighted here, and many soul beasts hunt at night. You must not leave my side without permission."

"Alright. I'll trouble Ghost Elder to worry over me." Su Qi answered, solemnity filling his eyes.

Over the past ten days, he and Gui Mei had been searching around the entrance to the Mixed Area for traces of the Swordtail Silver Dragon.

Along the way, they had encountered quite a few thousand-year soul beasts.

Such as Gale Demon Wolves, Ghost Tigers, Human-Faced Demon Spiders, Thunderclap Vajra Apes, and more.

All kinds of soul beasts appeared one after another.

Every time they encountered one, Gui Mei stood by without intervening, protecting them only from the shadows.

Su Qi faced them alone, becoming proficient in using his First Soul Skill.

In his past life, he had been a Level 96 Titled Douluo and had completed a hundred killings in Slaughter City.

Thus, Su Qi possessed extremely rich combat experience, and every one of his fighting techniques was designed to kill.

With the Asura Demon Sword Martial Soul and the aid of his First Soul Skill, Asura Sword Intent, he could completely hunt a soul beast that had only just reached a thousand years of cultivation by himself.

And if Gui Mei grew suspicious of such practiced combat techniques, he could brush it off by saying that a Deity had taught him in a dream.

After ten days of fighting thousand-year soul beasts near the entrance to the Mixed Area, Su Qi's use of his First Soul Skill had become second nature.

In order to find stronger soul beasts to use as opponents, as well as a Swordtail Silver Dragon with higher cultivation, Gui Mei had brought him deeper into the central region of the Mixed Area.

Roar—

A wild boar over four meters long suddenly charged out of the forest ahead. It was a fierce soul beast known as the Boar King, possessed extremely strong territorial instincts, and had roughly two thousand years of cultivation.

Seeing this, Gui Mei transformed into a Ghost Shadow and retreated into the distance, leaving Su Qi to face it alone.

The Asura Demon Sword Martial Soul was released, and the Killing God Domain simultaneously spread over a hundred meters.

Su Qi's first soul ring lit up.

The brilliant yellow soul ring burst with light, carrying killing intent as it spread outward and instantly intimidated the charging Boar King.

At that moment, the First Soul Skill, Asura Sword Intent, activated!

Every attribute beneficial to attack doubled explosively!

Su Qi gripped the hilt with both hands and swept the Asura Demon Sword horizontally. A blood-red slash, accompanied by a violent shriek through the air, exploded against the Boar King's tusks.

Bang!

Squeal!

Along with the thunderous blast came not only the Boar King's cry of pain, but also the whistling sound of another blood-red slash cutting through the air.

Empowered by the First Soul Skill, Asura Sword Intent, the Asura Demon Sword's attack speed was astonishing. In almost a single second, Su Qi swung out five blood-red slashes.

First suppressed and weakened by the Killing God Domain, then forced to take a blood-red slash head-on, the Boar King could not help feeling fear and turned to flee.

But the five blood-red slashes were simply too fast.

Before the Boar King had even escaped ten meters, all of them had already exploded at its tail.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

In an instant, the sharp slashes tore through flesh, sending blood spraying everywhere.

Squeal! Squeal! Squeal!

As the piercing screams faded, the Boar King's tail had been severed. It endured the agonizing pain and fled, leaving only its thick, blood-red tail on the ground.

Soul beast resources were limited. Whenever Su Qi fought soul beasts, he merely drove them away and did not kill them all.

Only when he needed ingredients would he cut a few pieces of meat from certain soul beasts.

The Boar King's severed tail was perfect for dinner.

That night, a bright moon hung overhead.

In an open clearing in the Mixed Area, Gui Mei and Su Qi built a fire and began grilling the Boar King's tail meat over charcoal.

It was said that one could not light fires in a soul beast forest.

After all, firelight could attract soul beasts or draw the attention of other soul beasts, leaving one in constant danger.

However, things were different when a powerful expert led the way.

Especially with a Titled Douluo like Gui Mei leading them, they felt entirely safe.

As they sat by the fire grilling meat, Gui Mei saw that Su Qi had just finished regulating his breathing and suggested, "Your Highness the Holy Son, rest well tonight."

"Like the Swordspine Demon Tiger, the Swordtail Silver Dragon feeds on ores and metals. Tomorrow morning, we'll try our luck at the nearby mines. We should gain something."

"Alright, I'll follow Ghost Elder's arrangements." Su Qi answered. With his keen eyesight, he could tell that the tail meat over the fire was done.

Just as the two prepared to enjoy dinner, a fierce gust suddenly swept through the woods.

Screech!

A piercing sound tore through the night's silence.

A crimson afterimage shot from the shadows of the trees and snatched away the cooked tail meat.

Gui Mei reacted swiftly, grabbing Su Qi and pulling him away in time, thus avoiding an attack from the crimson afterimage.

Su Qi's gaze sharpened, and he saw it clearly at once.

That crimson afterimage was a Bloodshadow Mantis with an exceptionally strange appearance.

It was over three meters long, blood-red all over, and tall and slender. It far exceeded ordinary mantis soul beasts in size and resembled a humanoid beast.

Its right forelimb was a standard, jet-black, razor-sharp scythe that gleamed with chilling light.

Its left forelimb, however, had mutated, splitting into five fingers and taking the form of a claw.

Its claw blades interlocked layer upon layer. Judging from its physical traits and soul power aura, its cultivation was at least over two thousand years.

"It's a Mutated Bloodshadow Mantis!"

"After developing a mutated bloodline, this beast's talents became bizarre and far surpassed those of its kind!"

Gui Mei set Su Qi down, unable to help feeling relieved.

Fortunately, he had remained vigilant the entire time. No matter how strange the Bloodshadow Mantis's movement technique was, it ultimately could not take Su Qi from his grasp.

Helpless, it could only snatch away the freshly grilled tail meat.

"It seems this Mutated Bloodshadow Mantis is starving! Such an exaggerated appetite should be related to the ability it gained through mutation."

"Holy Son, the Bloodshadow Mantis is also highly suitable as a soul ring for a sword martial soul. This type of soul beast already possesses a top-tier bloodline, and after mutating, its bloodline must surely exceed even that! Why not make it your soul ring?"

Hearing Gui Mei's suggestion, Su Qi quickly weighed it in his mind.

The Swordtail Silver Dragon's innate ability was to make its sword-like tail pierce enemies like an electric drill, making it exceptionally aggressive and destructive.

If it became a soul ring for the Asura Demon Sword, he should obtain a powerful offensive soul skill that attacked like an electric drill.

The Bloodshadow Mantis's forelimbs resembled two scythes, emphasizing sharpness and attack speed. The soul skill it bestowed would most likely be related to amplification.

Choosing an amplification-type soul skill for his second soul ring, just as he had for his first, seemed rather good.

Besides, this was a Mutated Bloodshadow Mantis. It was bound to bring a surprise!

After weighing it for a moment, Su Qi nodded. "Alright, Ghost Elder. We'll choose this Bloodshadow Mantis. I'll leave it to you!"

"Mm. Holy Son, stand inside the circle and do not move. I'll be back shortly."

With that, Gui Mei used soul power to create a circle on the ground, then transformed into a Ghost Shadow and chased after the Bloodshadow Mantis.

Su Qi hurried into the circle. The next moment, countless Ghost Shadows coiled around its perimeter, forming a barrier similar to a protective boundary.

From the memories of his past life, he knew this was one of Gui Mei's nine soul skills. It seemed to be called Ghost Gate.

This soul skill could weaken the defenses of enemies within the circle or form a barrier to protect allies.