Mutated Illusion-Covering Mirror Fox, Second Soul Ring

The number of soul beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest was visibly far greater than in the Icebound Forest. The scenery also perfectly matched Ling Jing's fixed impression—lush vegetation, towering ancient trees blocking out the sky and sun, vines coiling around trunks like pythons, a layer of fallen leaves beneath his feet thick enough to cover his ankles, and unknown sounds occasionally echoing from the distance.

But with Qian Daoliu, one of the three great Peerless Douluo, beside him, along with Golden Crocodile Douluo, a rank ninety-eight Second Worship, Ling Jing found it hard to feel any sense of urgency.

Before long, Qian Daoliu stopped beneath the canopy of a massive ancient tree and gestured for Ling Jing to look ahead.

In the clearing ahead, seven or eight deer-like soul beasts covered in azure scales were lowering their heads to forage. Pale azure currents swirled around their antlers, and every breath they took sent tiny whirlwinds spraying from their nostrils.

"Azure-Scaled Wind Deer, a herd-dwelling soul beast. They are mild-tempered and excel in wind attributes," Qian Daoliu said softly. "The leader with three ring patterns on its antlers has roughly twenty-three hundred years of cultivation. The more ring patterns on the antlers, the greater its age."

Though it was not a suitable soul beast for him, Ling Jing still nodded and committed it to memory.

Whether the knowledge was useful or not, he would remember it first.

As he watched, the leading Azure-Scaled Wind Deer suddenly raised its head alertly, its ears standing straight up as its nose twitched rapidly.

The next moment, the entire herd of Azure-Scaled Wind Deer bolted into the forest almost simultaneously. They were astonishingly fast, vanishing into the depths of the woods within a few breaths.

Hmm?

Ling Jing's gaze sharpened slightly. In the next instant, a deep roar came from nearby, carrying a strong stench of blood.

Immediately afterward, a massive black tiger slowly emerged from the forest. Dark red light flickered in its tiger eyes, and a smear of scarlet blood still lingered at the corner of its mouth.

This black tiger's aura was clearly far stronger than that of the Azure-Scaled Wind Deer herd. Faint black mist curled around its body, and wherever it stepped, the plants beneath its feet quickly withered.

"Dark Nightmare Demon Tiger, roughly four thousand years old." Qian Daoliu's voice remained calm. "It excels in mental attacks and darkness attributes. It is a troublesome opponent for most soul masters."

Dark Nightmare Demon Tiger?

It did look somewhat similar to the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger. He wondered if it was some variant of the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger.

Aside from those two types of soul beasts, Ling Jing saw many others along the way, including the Man Faced Demon Spider Bibi Dong would have hunted at his cultivation level, all manner of draconic soul beasts, and even several of the rarer soul beasts he had just listed.

But none of them had the right age.

They continued onward, stopping and starting along the way, and nearly two hours passed without them noticing.

Just as Ling Jing thought they might not find a suitable soul beast today and would have to stay in the Star Dou Great Forest, Qian Daoliu and Golden Crocodile Douluo suddenly stopped. Almost simultaneously, they looked toward the dense woods in the northwest.

"I didn't expect it... Our luck is rather good."

Qian Daoliu chuckled, the corners of his lips lifting slightly.

As he spoke, Golden Crocodile Douluo's figure flashed away.

A moment later, Golden Crocodile Douluo returned with an additional soul beast in his hand.

It was a fox-like soul beast, though somewhat larger than an ordinary fox, roughly the size of a medium-sized dog. The most eye-catching thing about it was its fur. Its entire body was a shade somewhere between silver-white and crystal, each hair resembling a carefully polished shard of mirror. As it breathed, the fur trembled faintly and refracted dazzling light.

A small diamond-shaped mark rested on its forehead, like a miniature mirror, faintly emitting an eerie glow.

Looking at the soul beast struggling constantly to escape, Ling Jing frowned, then revealed a surprised expression. "This is actually an Illusion-Covering Mirror Fox?"

"Illusion-Covering Mirror Fox?"

Bibi Dong raised a brow. Although she had taught Ling Jing much of the Martial Soul theory in Qian Xunji's stead, Ling Jing also regularly read ancient texts on his own to learn about various Martial Soul theories.

Even she had never heard of a soul beast like the Illusion-Covering Mirror Fox.

"The Illusion-Covering Mirror Fox is a variant of the Mirror Fox and is extremely rare. It is born with the ability to create mirror images and illusions, hunting through illusory clones realistic enough to pass for the real thing. Moreover, when creating mirror images, it can even use illusions to make it impossible for enemies to distinguish its true body."

Ling Jing gave a simple explanation.

The reason he had not mentioned the Illusion-Covering Mirror Fox earlier was because it was even rarer than the Ice-Pattern Mirror Beast and the Mirror Beast. In the ancient text from Spirit Hall, the words 'suspected extinct' had even been used to describe it.

He had not expected to encounter such a rare soul beast on his very first day in the Star Dou Great Forest.

"Little Jing, this is no ordinary Illusion-Covering Mirror Fox. In my opinion, it has already mutated."

Golden Crocodile Douluo grinned. "Not only can this Illusion-Covering Mirror Fox create mirror images, but while I was chasing it, it could even switch places with its mirror-image clone. If I hadn't been careful, this little beast might really have escaped!"

It could switch places with its own mirror-image clone?

Ling Jing's breathing immediately grew rapid.

"This Illusion-Covering Mirror Fox is roughly two thousand years old, right within the limit you can absorb." Qian Daoliu looked at Ling Jing, expectation in his eyes. "Little Jing, kill it and absorb its Soul Ring."

"Understood."

Ling Jing instantly grasped Qian Daoliu's meaning. The Mirror Beast Emperor Martial Soul possessed him, and a yellow Soul Ring rose beneath his feet.

Immediately afterward, the yellow Soul Ring flickered faintly.

The Mirror Beast Emperor Martial Soul's first soul skill, Mirror Image Proliferation!

The next instant, an identical Ling Jing suddenly appeared at Ling Jing's side—the original Ling Jing quietly transformed, completing the possession of the Seraphim Martial Soul in an instant, while the clone copied the Death Spider Emperor Martial Soul.

At the sight, Qian Daoliu and Golden Crocodile Douluo exchanged a glance, both seeing the excitement in each other's eyes.

Exactly!

This was it!

This was precisely the scene they had envisioned!

Ling Jing alone could coordinate the Seraphim Martial Soul with other top-tier Martial Souls!

And this current state was merely Ling Jing's most basic form... Once his cultivation rose in the future, once the number of Martial Souls he could copy gradually increased, and once he copied even more top-tier Martial Souls...

Ling Jing alone would be a powerful soul master squad!

However, Bibi Dong curled her lips at the side, looking far from pleased.

Why had Little Jing chosen for his true body to copy the Seraphim Martial Soul, while only letting the clone copy her Death Spider Emperor Martial Soul!?

Noticing Qian Daoliu beside her, Bibi Dong bit her lip and ultimately suppressed the thought.

After a year and a half of cultivation, Ling Jing's training in the Heart Separation Control Method had begun to show results. With only one clone at the moment, he controlled it with complete ease, and a faint smile could not help appearing on his lips.

Of course, if he had known what Bibi Dong was thinking right now, he probably would not have been able to smile.

Actually... the reason his true body used the Six-Winged Angel was not because Qian Daoliu was beside him. The most fundamental reason was that the Seraphim Martial Soul looked a little more handsome after possession, while the Death Spider Emperor after possession... was simply somewhat frightening.

Even with Bibi Dong's appearance, possessing the Death Spider Emperor Martial Soul made her look somewhat sinister and seductive.

By comparison, the Angel Martial Soul was indeed more handsome.

The first Soul Rings beneath Ling Jing's true body and clone flickered almost simultaneously.

The Seraphim Martial Soul's first soul skill, Angel Thrust!

The Death Spider Emperor Martial Soul's first soul skill, Death Entanglement!

The two entirely different Martial Souls were unleashed respectively by Ling Jing's true body and clone, yet their timing was perfect.

The instant Golden Crocodile Douluo released his grip, the Death Spider Emperor's venom suddenly arrived and landed directly on the Mutated Illusion-Covering Mirror Fox.

The corrosive venom instantly made the Illusion-Covering Mirror Fox let out a shrill scream. In the next instant, Ling Jing gripped the Angel Sacred Sword and descended in a flash, piercing its body with precision.

After a brief cry of agony, the Illusion-Covering Mirror Fox's body collapsed limply to the ground.

A purple Soul Ring slowly rose from its corpse, radiating mysterious and magnificent light through the dim forest.

Qian Daoliu and Golden Crocodile Douluo exchanged another glance.

Golden Crocodile Douluo was better off; he merely felt shocked and gratified. But Qian Daoliu had already begun calculating in his heart.

Given Bibi Dong's talent, she should break through the ninth ring and become a Titled Douluo within a few years.

Then, Qian Xunji could directly yield his position to Bibi Dong, allowing Bibi Dong to take over as Pope and appoint Ling Jing as the Holy Son of Spirit Hall.

By the time Ling Jing broke through the ninth ring, Bibi Dong could step down and enter the Worship Hall, passing the position of Pope to Ling Jing. By then, Xiao Xue should have grown up as well...

Spirit Hall's future would be secure for at least three generations!

Judging by the timeline... Spirit Hall could prosper for at least another three hundred years!

Ling Jing did not notice Qian Daoliu indulging in his fantasies. He merely took a deep breath and sat down cross-legged beside the Illusion-Covering Mirror Fox's corpse.

He extended his right hand, guiding the purple Soul Ring closer. As though responding to a summons, the Soul Ring slowly drifted toward his body, finally hovering above his head before beginning to flow into him.

When the Soul Ring completely enveloped his body, a vast and pure energy surged into him like a burst dam.

Although a two-thousand-year Soul Ring had already completely exceeded the limit a Soul Grandmaster could absorb, Ling Jing's physical condition had long been greatly enhanced. He did not feel much pain. Instead, he felt a wave of comfort.