Slaying the Golden Spirit Cypress

Within the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Ning Fengzhi was utterly baffled when he saw Lin Gong's report.

"Uncle Bone, didn't Yang Xiong absorb a Dark Tortoise Soul Ring for his First Soul Ring? Wasn't he planning to follow The Way of Defense? Why does he want to absorb the Soul Ring of a Golden Spirit Cypress now?"

Bone Douluo's expression darkened slightly. "I originally thought this Yang Xiong was a clever one. Not only was his First Soul Ring opportunity exceptionally good, but his usual training methods at home were quite solid as well. I thought he wanted to follow The Way of Defense, so why did he suddenly choose this Golden Spirit Cypress? You should know that this Golden Spirit Cypress is nine hundred and eighty years old. Otherwise, why would it be this brat's turn?"

"I thought highly of him because he trained his body so diligently. Who would have thought he was another fool who didn't know his own limits?"

Ning Fengzhi pondered for a moment before speaking. "That doesn't seem right either. All of us high-level Soul Masters know that absorbing a Soul Ring isn't merely about its age. What matters even more is whether the Soul Beast itself is powerful. Although this Golden Spirit Cypress is less than a thousand years old, the difficulty of absorbing it definitely exceeds that of an ordinary thousand-year Soul Beast."

"Yang Xiong has read so many books. Could he really not understand such a basic principle? Has Whale Rubber truly enhanced his body to such an extent?"

Yang Xiong was one of the key individuals being watched in Class One, especially since he had discovered the secret of Whale Rubber and reported it to the sect. That was why he had been allowed to freely choose such a high-grade Soul Beast.

Bone Douluo snorted. "That brat is full of tricks. Since entering the library, not only has he studied my 'The Way of Defense,' he has even been cultivating Heart Separation Control. I simply can't understand what he is planning. Judging by his Body Forging progress, he was clearly a promising candidate for The Way of Defense, yet he chose a plant Soul Ring instead. He has truly disappointed me."

Ning Fengzhi was somewhat speechless upon hearing this. Bone Douluo's words were clearly tinged with resentment. After all, it was difficult to find a good prospect willing to specialize in The Way of Defense, especially since following the path of defense was particularly grueling.

"Uncle Bone, why don't you go take a look? You might be able to save his life at a critical moment. I rather like Yang Xiong."

Once the group truly entered the Soul Beast Forest, Yang Xiong felt that the surrounding environment had changed drastically. The entire forest was lush and verdant. Other than a narrow path, Blue Silver Grass and various weeds covered nearly every inch of the ground.

Every tree stood dozens of meters tall, and many of them were Soul Beasts. The entire Soul Beast Forest brimmed with the aura of life.

After entering the Soul Beast Forest, Yang Xiong felt as though he had stepped into a paradise secluded from the world. He found the vitality in the air deeply pleasing.

Especially since small Soul Beasts would occasionally dart out from the undergrowth. Though they were not very old, this alone showed just how numerous the Soul Beasts in the forest were.

One had to remember that this was merely a Soul Beast Forest raised by the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. Its area was likely not even one-tenth that of Sunset Forest, let alone the terrifying Star Dou Great Forest.

With their teacher and token, the group walked through the Soul Beast Forest under the guidance of specialized Soul Beast Forest managers and soul-hunting personnel.

The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect managed this Soul Beast Forest quite strictly. Not only did it contain various Soul Beasts captured from outside, but it also housed bred Soul Beasts and even conducted some Soul Beast trade.

The managers knew the types, numbers, and distribution of every Soul Beast in the forest like the backs of their hands, allowing them to find the desired Soul Beast at once.

After walking for more than half an hour, the group finally arrived at the Core Area of the Soul Beast Forest.

Before them stood an enormous cypress tree nearly fifty meters tall, with a trunk that measured a full three meters across. The entire cypress was golden, even its leaves gleaming gold. Yet not a single plant grew within a hundred-meter radius around it. This was the Golden Spirit Cypress.

Lin Gong looked at the Golden Spirit Cypress with amazement. "The Golden Spirit Cypress is known as one of the most top-tier Plant Spirit Beasts in the Soul Beast world. Its vitality is extraordinarily tenacious, and its trunk is as hard as refined iron. Even its leaves are exceptionally tough. All the nutrients in the soil within nearly a hundred meters of it have been absorbed, leaving the area completely barren. In particular, when it is attacked by enemies, its branches and leaves can shoot out like sharp swords. Some branches and leaves can even Entangle an enemy, and their power is extremely formidable. Even thousand-year Soul Beasts would find it difficult to resist."

"Most notably, its survival ability is terrifying. Even if it is cut in half at the waist, it can quickly grow back. Its roots extend dozens of meters underground, so it is normally very difficult to kill."

Yang Xiong stared at the Golden Spirit Cypress before him, his gaze burning with excitement. This was a rare strength-type Plant Spirit Beast that he had only found after searching through countless books.

Plant Spirit Beasts were relatively much harder to kill than animal-type Soul Beasts. Moreover, Yang Xiong needed to personally deliver the final blow, making it even more difficult.

The soul-hunting team, his father Yang Lin, and Lin Gong all attacked the Golden Spirit Cypress together, launching powerful assaults from every direction.

Yang Lin swung his Iron Sword, and six Soul Rings appeared around him. After consuming Whale Rubber and training hard for the past few years, Yang Lin had already broken through to the Soul Emperor Realm. His Soul Power had now reached level sixty-two.

Meanwhile, Lin Gong summoned countless purple bamboo stalks, which swiftly wrapped around the Golden Spirit Cypress. Every branch of the Golden Spirit Cypress was completely immobilized.

In only a few minutes, all the Golden Spirit Cypress's branches had been severed. Yang Lin had even cut off a large section of its trunk. Yet its vitality had not weakened much at all. Instead, an intense force emanated from its trunk, and the ground began to dry up. Clearly, it was trying to rapidly absorb usable energy to restore itself.

Yang Xiong could not worry about that now. He directly picked up an Iron Sword and slashed at it with all his strength. Yet when the sword struck the trunk, it produced the sound of metal clashing against metal. Even when it pierced into the trunk, only some golden liquid flowed out.

Yang Xiong gritted his teeth and unleashed his Body Martial Soul. At the same time, a yellow Soul Ring appeared, pushing the strength in his body to its limit.

Sure enough, with that strike, a large section of the Golden Spirit Cypress's trunk was directly severed. Yet it showed no sign of dying at all.

Lin Gong shouted from the side, "We won't be able to let Yang Xiong kill this Golden Spirit Cypress like this. We have to drive it into a desperate situation first."

Lin Gong's Soul Rings flashed, and countless purple bamboo stalks suddenly burst from the ground. The earth split open, and the massive Golden Spirit Cypress was actually lifted out of the soil by the purple bamboo.

The Golden Spirit Cypress's golden roots, each more than ten meters long, looked exceptionally terrifying. Like enormous tentacles, they could even sway through the air.

Yang Xiong put away his sword, and an enormous axe appeared in his hand. Without hesitation, he began chopping at those roots.

After countless consecutive strikes, nearly all the roots had been severed. Even the trunk had been split open, and golden liquid flooded the entire ground.

Only then did a yellow Soul Ring appear. This Soul Ring looked somewhat darker than an ordinary Hundred-Year Soul Ring. Yang Xiong finally let out a breath of relief. At the very least, his Second Soul Ring was secured.