Fourth Soul Skill, Blue Sea Tide Melody!

How could Xiao Lin possibly let this opportunity slip away?

His flute melody suddenly became urgent as the invisible net of Ambush from Ten Sides began to rapidly tighten. Countless invisible arrows and spears condensed from every direction, pouring down upon Azure Luan like a raging storm!

At the same time, Xiao Lin himself moved.

He stepped through the Phoenix Cry Nine Heavens Step, leaving afterimages in the air. Holding the Nine Phoenix Ceremonial Flute, he was like an unsheathed sword as he thrust toward Azure Luan's abdomen!

Jade Flute Swordsmanship—Second Form, Phoenix Dance Nine Heavens!

With a piercing whistle through the air, the flute struck Azure Luan's abdomen with perfect accuracy!

Squelch!

The flute pierced through Azure Luan's feathers and skin, plunging into its body. Warm blood flowed down the flute and dripped onto the ground.

Azure Luan let out a pained cry and struggled violently. With a savage sweep of its left leg, it flung Dugu Yan and her whip away. Then it turned its head, its amber-like eyes filled with fury and killing intent as it fixed its gaze on Xiao Lin.

It opened its mouth, and a mass of azure energy gathered in its throat, radiating a terrifying aura.

That was Azure Luan's innate skill—Azure Luan Heavenly Fire!

Xiao Lin's pupils suddenly contracted.

He could feel that the power of that attack was enough to level everything within a hundred meters!

But he did not retreat.

He took a deep breath, raised the Nine Phoenix Ceremonial Flute to his lips, and played the final note.

It was an incomparably high and sharp note, as though it could tear apart the heavens.

Then he poured all his Soul Power into the flute and fiercely thrust it toward Azure Luan's open mouth!

Jade Flute Swordsmanship—Third Form, Flute Shatters the Firmament!

This strike contained all his Soul Power, all his will, and all his spirit!

The flute became a bolt of azure lightning, accurately stabbing into Azure Luan's mouth, piercing through its throat and emerging from the back of its neck!

Azure Luan's body suddenly stiffened.

The Azure Luan Heavenly Fire still gathering inside its mouth erupted violently!

BOOM!!!

The terrifying explosion echoed through the forest. The shockwave uprooted the surrounding trees and hurled them away. Xiao Lin was also blasted backward by the shockwave, crashing heavily into a large tree. His throat sweetened, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.

But he did not fall.

Supporting himself against the trunk, he struggled to his feet and looked toward the center of the explosion.

Azure Luan's enormous body was slowly collapsing to the ground.

Its eyes still held a trace of disbelief.

Even in death, it had never imagined that it would die at the hands of a human Soul Elder.

A dark purple ball of light slowly rose from its corpse.

A twenty-three-thousand-year Soul Ring shimmered with a profound and mysterious purple glow beneath the sunlight.

Azure Luan's enormous body crashed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Leaning on the Nine Phoenix Ceremonial Flute, Xiao Lin gasped for breath, his chest rising and falling violently.

A trace of blood stained the corner of his mouth, and several tears had been ripped into his azure robe by the shockwave, revealing bleeding skin beneath. Though he looked thoroughly battered, his eyes shone brilliantly with the exhilaration of victory.

He had personally slain a twenty-three-thousand-year Azure Luan, a top-tier mutated Soul Beast whose combat power rivaled that of a Soul Emperor.

The process had been dangerous, and Dugu Yan's crucial strike had been vital in the end, but regardless, he had done it.

"Are you alright?" Dugu Yan hurried over and supported his swaying body, her eyes full of concern.

"I'm fine. Just a little drained." Xiao Lin waved his hand to indicate that he was alright, then turned to look at the black sphere of light slowly rising above Azure Luan's corpse.

A Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring.

Its profound black surface glimmered with a dark and mysterious sheen under the sunlight, radiating powerful energy fluctuations.

"A twenty-three-thousand-year Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring..." Xiao Lin took a deep breath, suppressing his excitement as he sat cross-legged. "Stand guard for me."

Dugu Yan nodded, gripping her whip as she vigilantly scanned the surroundings.

Xiao Lin closed his eyes and activated his Soul Power to draw in the Soul Ring. As though answering a summons, the black sphere slowly floated toward him, circling his body several times before suddenly plunging into the martial soul within him.

Boom!

A violent yet pure surge of energy instantly flooded through his limbs and bones, several times fiercer than when he had absorbed his third Soul Ring! The resentment and life force of the twenty-three-thousand-year Soul Beast were like a burst dam, crashing wildly through his meridians and trying to destroy his will.

Xiao Lin guarded his mind and guided the violent energy along a specific route. A faint azure-gold glow emerged over the surface of his body. It was the martial soul power of the Nine Phoenix Ceremonial Flute protecting his vital veins.

The body tempered by the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and Infernal Delicate Apricot displayed astonishing resilience at that moment. Though the violent energy was fierce, it could not inflict any substantial damage upon his meridians.

Time passed second by second.

After roughly two hours, Xiao Lin's aura gradually stabilized.

He slowly opened his eyes. A deep black gleam flashed through his jade-colored pupils before quickly fading away.

Four Soul Rings slowly revolved around the Nine Phoenix Ceremonial Flute—one yellow, two purple, and one black—shining brightly beneath the sunlight.

His fourth Soul Ring had been successfully added.

The Soul Power within him also surged as though propelled by a rocket, rising from level forty and breaking through level forty-one, forty-two, forty-three... before finally stopping at the peak of level forty-eight.

"Level forty-eight..." Xiao Lin clenched his fist, feeling the surging Soul Power in his body as an involuntary smile rose to his lips.

The medicinal power of the immortal herbs that had settled within his body was greatly stimulated during the absorption of the Soul Ring, transforming into the purest Soul Power and pushing him straight to level forty-eight. He only needed two more levels to break through into the Soul King realm.

"You... how many levels did you gain?" Dugu Yan widened her eyes and asked in disbelief.

"Eight levels." Xiao Lin answered casually.

"Eight levels?!" Dugu Yan's voice cracked. "You gained eight levels from absorbing a single Soul Ring?!"

"The immortal herbs deserve the credit." Xiao Lin smiled. "Most of the medicinal power I refined before had settled inside my body. Absorbing this Soul Ring stimulated it, which is why I improved so much."

Dugu Yan opened her mouth, but in the end, she could only shake her head helplessly. "Monster... you really are a monster..."

Xiao Lin ignored her complaint and closed his eyes, carefully sensing the fourth soul skill he had just acquired.

A moment later, he opened his eyes, and a flash of delight appeared in them.

"Fourth Soul Skill—Blue Sea Tide Melody!"

The effect of this soul skill had far exceeded his expectations.

Blue Sea Tide Melody used flute music to imitate the nine transformations of ocean tides, each layer building upon the last and growing stronger and stronger.

Within the range covered by the melody, an enemy's Soul Power circulation would gradually become chaotic, their attacks would veer off target, and illusions of rolling waves would appear in their vision. If an enemy harbored evil intentions, they could even fall into a heart demon illusion and slaughter one another.

Most terrifying of all was the final strike at the end of the melody—it compressed all the force of the tides into a single blow, unleashing five times the damage!

"It has both powerful offense and control, and it only gets stronger over time..." Xiao Lin murmured, excitement gleaming in his eyes. "This is practically a soul skill tailor-made for me."

He rose to his feet and stretched his body. He felt completely refreshed, as though he had strength to spare without end.

But before long, a new question presented itself: where should he go next?

Though his strength had increased greatly, one hidden danger continued to weigh on his mind—Tang Hao.

He had already absorbed that Hundred-Thousand-Year Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone, and he had planted the Blue Silver Emperor's original body in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

Tang Hao was now searching across the continent like a madman. If he discovered that Xiao Lin had stolen those things, the consequences would be unimaginable.

What worried Xiao Lin even more was whether Tang Hao had left some safeguard on the soul bone, such as a special mark or a means of sensing it. If Tang Hao could detect the soul bone's aura, then Xiao Lin would be found no matter where he hid.

"I need to find somewhere safe enough." Xiao Lin frowned as he calculated inwardly. "Dugu Bo alone probably can't stop an enraged Clear Sky Douluo. I need stronger protection..."