Black Jade Earth Dragon

The rock pit was about five meters deep, and at the bottom lay a massive four-legged beast.

It was a full size larger than the thousand-year soul beasts they had encountered before, nearly four meters long.

Its entire body was covered in dark brown scales. Unlike the flat, stone-slab patterns of a Gray-Armored Ridgeback Turtle, these scales formed layer upon layer of dragon-scale patterns with a metallic sheen.

Its limbs were as thick as pillars, and the rocks beneath each paw had been pressed into deep indentations by its gravity field over countless years.

The most striking feature was its spine.

A row of bony ridges rose along its back, stretching from its neck all the way to the base of its tail. Each ridge glimmered faintly with dark brown light, like solidified veins of the earth.

Xu Qingqing sucked in a sharp breath. "What... is that?"

Yue Guan narrowed his eyes, surprise coloring his tone.

"Black Jade Earth Dragon."

"A top-tier draconic subspecies close to a pure-blooded true dragon. It carries a mutated branch bloodline of the Mountain Dragon Clan. This kind of soul beast is incredibly rare in the Martial Soul Forest—practically extinct, even. After serving as an elder for so many years, this is my first time encountering one here."

"And it possesses an innate gravity domain. If you absorb its Spirit Ring, there's a good chance you'll gain a gravity-type soul skill."

Mountain Dragon Clan.

Those four words struck Ye Xunhuan's heart like a heavy hammer, making his pulse quicken.

This was no ordinary branch of the dragon race.

In the dragon race's pyramid hierarchy, the Nine Dragon Kings stood at the absolute peak.

They were the Mountain Dragon King, Fire Dragon King, Water Dragon King, Wind Dragon King, Dark Dragon King, Light Dragon King, Earth Dragon King, Space Dragon King, and Time Dragon King.

Other than the Dragon God, these nine were the true pillars of the dragon race.

And the Mountain Dragon King ranked first among the Nine Dragon Kings.

That "first" was not based on bloodline, but on combat power.

The Mountain Dragon King wielded ultimate strength and the laws of earth.

What kind of concept was that?

Strength represented pure physical destructive power, while the laws of earth represented absolute control over the land.

When the Mountain Dragon King stood upon the ground, it was the earth itself.

Within a radius of a thousand miles, mountains, rivers, rocks, and soil were all its weapons and armor.

In terms of pure land combat power, none of the Nine Dragon Kings could surpass it.

The other eight Dragon Kings might not even have been able to break through the Mountain Dragon King's defenses.

If compared to a human soul master, the Mountain Dragon King was an immensely enhanced version of Tang Chen, one of the Three Ultimate Douluo.

Truly invincible on land.

And what about Behemoths?

Behemoths were likewise kings of the earth. Strength, defense, vitality—they followed the path of overwhelming others through pure physical might.

It could be said that among the Nine Dragon Kings, the Mountain Dragon King's attributes were the closest match for a Behemoth's.

Both were undisputed kings of the land, both relying on pure strength and fleshly bodies to dominate.

If Behemoths had a dragon-race equivalent, it would be the Mountain Dragon King.

And within this Black Jade Earth Dragon lay a trace of mixed Mountain Dragon King bloodline.

That trace of bloodline should not be underestimated.

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion also possessed only a trace of Golden Dragon Bloodline, yet after taking human form, she could use its power to condense the Golden Dragon Martial Soul.

Just one trace was enough to make the Three-Eyed Golden Lion the auspicious beast of the Star Dou Forest, worshipped by countless beasts.

Although the Black Jade Earth Dragon possessed only a mixed trace of Mountain Dragon King bloodline, far inferior to the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's pure trace, it was still genuine Dragon King bloodline.

A soul beast with such a bloodline grade would be a rarity even in the Star Dou Forest, let alone the Martial Soul Forest.

Ye Xunhuan took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the excitement in his heart as he lowered his voice and asked,

"How old is it?"

Yue Guan closed his eyes and spread out his spiritual power once more.

This time, he sensed it more carefully. A flash of golden light flickered between his brows.

"Around 2,700 years."

2,700 years.

Ye Xunhuan nodded slightly.

The age was not entirely satisfactory.

He had calculated it before. After fusing with the Bronze Behemoth Bloodline, his body could easily withstand a 3,500-year Spirit Ring.

2,700 years left an 800-year gap beneath his limit.

But a soul beast with such a bloodline grade would be nearly impossible to find again if he let it go.

The appearance of a Black Jade Earth Dragon in the Martial Soul Forest was already an extremely unlikely event. Yue Guan had said himself that this was the first one he had encountered after so many years as an elder.

Who knew how long he would have to wait to find another soul beast that could rival this Black Jade Earth Dragon?

Besides, a 2,700-year top-tier draconic subspecies probably contained far more soul power than an ordinary 3,000-year soul beast.

The higher the bloodline grade, the denser the soul power at the same age, and the stronger the quality of the soul skill it produced.

He had to secure either bloodline or age.

But this Black Jade Earth Dragon had both. What was there to hesitate over?

"Elder Yue, I've decided on this Black Jade Earth Dragon."

Ye Xunhuan turned around and cupped his hands toward Yue Guan, his tone respectful.

Yue Guan clapped his hands, his golden hair flying behind him.

"Good! I'll deal with it right now."

He did not have the two youngsters hunt this Spirit Ring themselves this time.

This Black Jade Earth Dragon was, after all, a soul beast close to 3,000 years old, with an extraordinarily high bloodline grade—a top-tier draconic subspecies close to a pure-blooded true dragon.

In terms of raw combat power, it was already no weaker than a ten-thousand-year soul beast.

He was not at ease leaving it to the two youngsters.

Ye Xunhuan did not stubbornly insist on killing it himself, either.

He knew his limits.

The Black Jade Earth Dragon's bloodline grade was nearly comparable to that of the Titan Giant Ape and Azure Bull Python.

What level of soul beasts were the Titan Giant Ape and Azure Bull Python?

They were the two kings of the Star Dou Forest. At the ten-thousand-year level, they could rival ordinary hundred-thousand-year soul beasts, and even Titled Douluo did not dare provoke them lightly.

Though the Black Jade Earth Dragon was a draconic subspecies, and its bloodline was inferior to those two pure-blooded creatures, it still carried genuine Mountain Dragon King bloodline.

Ye Xunhuan considered himself a genius.

But fighting this Black Jade Earth Dragon with the cultivation of a one-ring soul master was still nothing more than a fool's dream.

Yue Guan walked to the edge of the rock pit and looked down at the Black Jade Earth Dragon from above.

His golden hair fluttered in the wind, and his golden armor reflected the sunlight. He looked like a golden deity.

The Black Jade Earth Dragon sensed the threat.

It abruptly raised its head, its dark golden beast eyes locking onto Yue Guan.

A deep dragon roar burst from its throat. It was not a roar, but a lower-frequency vibration—the Mountain Dragon Clan's method of intimidation.

The sound waves spread outward, and the rocks beneath their feet crackled as they fractured.

The loose stones around the pit were jolted into the air before falling back down.

Xu Qingqing's face went pale, and she instinctively took half a step back.

The bloodline within Ye Xunhuan's body was also provoked by that dragon roar, churning without his control.

The bloody feud between their two races had long been branded into their bloodlines.

Yet Yue Guan remained completely unfazed.

"Martial Soul Possession!"

His golden hair moved without wind. He raised his right hand, his slender fingers lightly pinching the air.

As though plucking a flower.

A petal of golden radiance bloomed from his fingertips.

Then came a second petal, a third, a fourth...

Golden petals spun and gathered in his palm, eventually forming the phantom of a complete chrysanthemum.

Strange Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum.

The petals were crystal-clear, each one flowing with golden radiance and exuding a refreshing fragrance.