Fusing the Fourth Soul Ring, a Surge in Strength

"Phew."

Qin Yu took a deep breath and shook his head. "It's fine."

If he had been a human Soul Master, fusing with this External Soul Bone would have sent his strength soaring.

The problem was that he wasn't human!

The thought of having a hundred-thousand-year Eight Spider Lances and being unable to fuse with it left Qin Yu cold.

"I'll keep it for now. Maybe I'll find another way to fuse with it later." Qin Yu adjusted his mindset and prepared to absorb the Soul Ring.

He approached the dying Hell Demon Dragon and, with a thought, summoned his Purple Brilliant Heaven Destroying Dragon martial soul.

Roar!

With a dragon's cry, most of Qin Yu's body transformed. His scales were no longer purely dark purple; they now held traces of gold.

Beneath those purple-gold scales, his regal aura grew stronger, as though he were an emperor.

Three Soul Rings descended: one yellow, one purple, and one black.

Shhk!

Without hesitation, Qin Yu drove his Dragon Claw into the Hell Demon Dragon's neck, swift and decisive, minimizing its pain.

The Hell Demon Dragon did not resist. As its life slipped away, a flicker of relief crossed its eyes.

Zi JI sighed.

She had witnessed it all but could do nothing.

Perhaps the Soul Ring it left behind would be another way for its life to continue alongside Qin Yu.

Hum...

Above the Hell Demon Dragon's corpse, a Soul Ring as black as ink rapidly took shape.

Just as Qin Yu was about to absorb it, silver light burst outward. Waves of draconic pressure radiated from it, sealing off the area.

The silver light enveloped Qin Yu and the Hell Demon Dragon's corpse, preventing Di Tian and the others from sensing what happened inside.

"It's the Master!"

Di Tian and the others bowed their heads in utmost respect.

Even the proud Three-Eyed Golden Lion lowered her head, not daring to fool around.

At the same time, Qin Yu heard Gu Yuena's voice within the silver light. "Qin Yu, keep your Devouring Ability secret for now."

"All right."

Qin Yu nodded. He set aside the Soul Ring for the moment and used his Purple Brilliant Heaven Destroying Dragon's Devouring Ability to consume the draconic bloodline within the Hell Demon Dragon.

In moments, he had devoured every trace of its draconic bloodline.

Soon, Qin Yu's own draconic bloodline reached the peak of the Sub-Dragon level, just one step away from True Dragon.

"Just short? Then I'll give you a push," Gu Yuena's voice came again.

The Silver Dragon Reverse Scale then produced a drop of dragon blood for Qin Yu to devour.

Roar!

With a roar, Qin Yu's aura changed. It was as though he had been reborn, and the power surging from him was astonishing.

Having advanced to True Dragon, Qin Yu's draconic pressure rose another level. Every purple-gold scale grew more lustrous, shimmering with a regal glow.

"Phew."

Qin Yu let out a long breath and chuckled. "Thanks."

"Just don't disappoint me." Gu Yuena's voice sounded in Qin Yu's mind, then gradually fell silent.

"I won't."

After replying, Qin Yu sat cross-legged and circulated his Soul Power, drawing the Soul Ring toward him.

The Soul Ring drifted over and hovered above his head. Vast energy poured into his body.

The fusion began.

It was bound to take time. The older a Soul Ring was, the longer it took to absorb and fuse with.

Absorbing a sixty-six-thousand-year Soul Ring could easily take an entire day.

Fortunately, Qin Yu's draconic bloodline had just advanced to True Dragon, and the Hell Demon Dragon had offered no resistance.

Three two-hour periods later.

Qin Yu finished absorbing the Soul Ring's energy and fused it with his martial soul.

His Soul Power Level rose rapidly as well. The lingering potency of the Immortal Herbs, combined with the Soul Ring's energy, raised it by a full five levels.

Level forty-five Soul Ancestor!

Beyond his increase in Soul Power, Qin Yu's dragon transformation had undergone a breakthrough.

Roar!

Dragon cries reverberated within Qin Yu as a pair of enormous wings unfurled from his back, stretching three meters long.

The wings were dark purple, traced with gold, and dotted with strange spheres of light that resembled black holes.

Having reached the Soul Ancestor realm, Qin Yu had finally gained dragon wings and the ability to fight in the air.

I gained wings at Soul Ancestor. What will I gain when I reach Soul King?

Dragon horns? A tail? Or a domain?

Qin Yu looked forward to his future transformations more than ever.

More than horns or a tail, he hoped for a domain.

His draconic bloodline was now at the True Dragon level. It would be strange if it came without an innate domain.

Hum...

Four Soul Rings descended in a flash: one yellow, one purple, and two black.

Two Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings at the Soul Ancestor level—and one of them over sixty thousand years old. It was an extraordinary set of rings.

Qin Yu examined the Soul Skill granted by his Fourth Soul Ring.

Purple Emperor Annihilation Claw.

It condensed Soul Power into the phantom of a dragon claw, locked onto a target, and struck from above. He could also conjure several claw phantoms at once.

The only problem was its Soul Power cost.

Conjuring just one Purple Emperor Annihilation Claw consumed nearly half of Qin Yu's Soul Power.

At his current level, he could either unleash two claws at once or use the skill twice in succession.

With a cost that high, its power must be formidable. It should rival a Soul Sage's attack, Qin Yu thought.

A sixty-six-thousand-year Fourth Soul Ring!

Many Soul Sages did not even have a Seventh Soul Ring that old.

"I'm already in Star Dou Forest. I might as well find a Soul Beast to test it on and get a sense of my strength."

Qin Yu smiled and withdrew his martial soul.

As though sensing he was done, the silver light that had blocked outside perception gradually receded, its energy returning to the reverse scale in his mind.

"It's almost dark. Absorbing that Soul Ring must have taken a while."

Qin Yu glanced at the sky, then toward Di Tian and the others nearby.

Even after reaching Soul Ancestor and growing much stronger, he still could not fathom their strength. To his senses, they remained as unfathomable as an abyss.

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion was the exception.

He could make out a little of her strength.

"Young Master?" Zi JI stepped forward, a question in her voice.

"It's done." Qin Yu nodded and looked at the Hell Demon Dragon's corpse behind him. "It's gone. Give it a proper burial."

"All right."

Zi JI nodded and left with the Hell Demon Dragon's corpse.

When Qin Yu turned back, Di Tian was gone too.

But his instincts told him Di Tian had not truly left. He was hiding somewhere nearby, silently keeping watch.

"Young Master, Star Dou Forest doesn't have as many delicacies as the human world. I could only find these spirit fruits..." Bi Ji had brought over a dozen of them from somewhere.

"That's fine. I'll find food myself."

Qin Yu smiled and took a spirit fruit. As he bit into it, he looked at the Three-Eyed Golden Lion. "Want some roasted meat?"

"What's roasted meat?"

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion tilted her head, looking puzzled.

"Roasted meat is..."

Qin Yu paused, the corner of his mouth lifting in a mischievous grin. "You cut a piece of meat off yourself and roast it over a fire until the fat sizzles. Then you sprinkle on some seasoning. It smells incredible."

"One bite, and it's the best thing you've ever tasted."