Second Soul Skill: Phantom Spear Strangulation

Outside the cave, earthshaking ape howls rose in wave after wave.

The Beast-Luring Incense had utterly scrambled the Hehuan Ape King's mind, leaving nothing but a savage urge to mate. Against the Blazing Demon Ape, he had already fallen behind.

But just as their battle to the death reached a fever pitch, another, far deeper beast roar thundered out.

Boom!!

The earth shuddered violently, and swaths of trees snapped and toppled.

A crimson giant ape, mountainous in size, came striding forward, trampling everything beneath his feet.

Faint crimson flames burned over his entire body. Most striking were his feet, covered in three layers of snow-white fur. Each layer represented ten thousand years. Three layers...

A thirty-thousand-year Blazing Demon Ape!

He was the very same monster that had forced Ning Chengyi and Bibi Dong off the cliff earlier.

He, too, had been drawn into the beast tide by the Beast-Luring Incense, unleashing every ounce of his ferocity.

Seeing the two Soul King apes locked in combat, the Blazing Demon Ape's eyes turned blood-red. Making no distinction between friend and foe, he hurled a massive fist wrapped in scorching currents straight into the center of the battlefield.

"Roar!!"

One punch blasted a crater straight into the ground.

The Hehuan Ape King had already burned through his last reserves fighting the Blazing Demon Ape who had only just reached Soul King level. How could he withstand the onslaught of a thirty-thousand-year Blazing Demon Ape?

Several short, piercing screams rang out.

Within just a few exchanges, the thirty-thousand-year Blazing Demon Ape tore the Hehuan Ape King apart.

Seeing the situation turn dire, the smaller Blazing Demon Ape dared not meet this demon ape head-on. Dragging his wounded body along, he turned and fled into the depths of the forest.

But the larger Blazing Demon Ape was in terrible shape as well, despite his victory.

Several wounds cut deep enough to expose bone. Great patches of crimson fur had been torn away, and the power of his flames flickered. His labored breathing could be heard from far away. He was already close to burning through his last reserves.

Inside the cave.

Through the gaps in the vines, Ning Chengyi had watched the entire battle outside. His eyes brightened slightly.

A thirty-thousand-year demon ape!

If he could make him his second Soul Ring, it would be a genuine black Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring!

His first Soul Ring was already a thousand-year one. If his second jumped straight to ten thousand years, his strength would soar once more.

"I want this Blazing Demon Ape," Ning Chengyi said softly. His grip on the Desolation-Suppressing God-Breaking Spear tightened slightly, and a burning eagerness flashed in his eyes.

Beside him, Bibi Dong immediately knitted her brows.

The Twin Spider Brightflower was steadily neutralizing the toxins inside her, and her Soul Power was slowly recovering. But the hidden injuries left by forcibly burning the poison for a burst of power remained. Her body was still far from fully healed.

"You're mad," Bibi Dong said gravely. "You've only just broken through to level twenty. Even with your second martial soul constantly nourishing your physical foundation, your body is nowhere near capable of withstanding the backlash of a thirty-thousand-year Soul Ring. Your first thousand-year Soul Ring was already a hairbreadth from disaster. Force yourself to take a ten-thousand-year one, and its power will tear your meridians apart. Your body will burst, and you'll die."

"Phantom Butterfly can help cushion it." Ning Chengyi refused to give up.

"Even after being transformed by the Moonlit Perching Butterfly Flower, Phantom Butterfly isn't all-powerful." Bibi Dong shook her head, her gaze stern. "Don't gamble your life for a moment of strength. Only while you're alive do you have endless possibilities. Lose your life for a Soul Ring, and everything else becomes empty talk."

Ning Chengyi stared at the Blazing Demon Ape outside, whose aura was steadily weakening, and weighed his options again and again.

It was true. Thirty thousand years was simply too terrifying.

Even if the ape had already burned through his last reserves, the savage power contained in his Soul Ring would not diminish in the slightest.

After a long while, he slowly exhaled, suppressing the restless urge within him.

"All right. I'll listen to you. I'll give him up."

The chaos outside was still far from over.

The beast tide continued rampaging everywhere, with hordes of Soul Beasts slaughtering one another.

Many Soul Beasts at the very peak of the thousand-year range had suffered severe injuries in the melee. Driven even madder by pain, they searched everywhere for isolated Soul Masters, pouncing to kill anyone they saw.

From time to time, the dying screams of Soul Masters rang through the woods, one after another, making their hearts tighten.

"There's no telling how long it'll take for the beast tide to retreat. We can't stay holed up in this cave forever." Bibi Dong stood and stretched her limbs.

By now, she had recovered most of her strength. The netherflower poison inside her had been suppressed, and her Soul Power had returned to the Soul Ancestor level. She simply could no longer burn her essence recklessly as she had before.

"While the beast tide hasn't completely dispersed, let's go out and find a suitable Soul Beast ourselves. We'll end the fight quickly, take the Soul Ring, and leave this area immediately."

Ning Chengyi nodded. "I wonder how Old Zhao and the others are doing." Worry lingered in his eyes.

The powerful spiritual perception granted by the Wisdom Skull spread outward. Every rustle within several hundred meters appeared clearly in his mind.

The Phantom Butterfly Spirit Tide quietly appeared on his shoulder. Butterfly dust drifted softly down, concealing their auras so the hordes of frenzied Soul Beasts would not notice them.

Keeping low and using the trees for cover, the two quietly left the vine-covered cave.

In the distance, the Blazing Demon Ape was still panting where he stood. But Ning Chengyi had withdrawn his gaze and no longer looked at him.

With the Wisdom Skull's Spiritual Detection, they avoided packs of crazed Soul Beasts along the way and continued searching through the dense forest.

Half an hour later.

A heavy, ferocious aura entered Ning Chengyi's perception.

In a rocky valley ahead, an enormous beast lay panting on the ground. Hard black armor covered his entire body, and a spiral horn grew from his head.

A nine-thousand-year Black-Armored Spiral Rhino.

A shell as hard as steel encased his entire body. His spiral horn could unleash vibrational impacts, and his tremendous strength perfectly suited the Desolation-Suppressing God-Breaking Spear's aggressive fighting style.

He, too, had been caught up in the beast tide. Several wounds of varying depths marked his body, and his movements were no longer swift, but his defenses remained terrifying.

"Nine thousand years. Still the pinnacle below ten thousand." Bibi Dong swept her gaze over the enormous beast and quickly assessed him. "With your current physique and the Phantom Butterfly Spirit Tide continuously cushioning the strain, you should just barely be able to endure it. I'll beat him to the brink of death and leave him one last breath. You finish him and take the Soul Ring."

"All right." Ning Chengyi tightened his grip on the Desolation-Suppressing God-Breaking Spear, and his purple first Soul Ring slowly lit up.

Bibi Dong said no more. Soul Rings rose beneath her feet, four rings shimmering around her.

Several spectral Spider Spears of the death spider emperor materialized out of thin air. Without any unnecessary flourish, they shot straight toward the Black-Armored Spiral Rhino.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!!

Several dark-purple Spider Spears pierced through the air.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The Black-Armored Spiral Rhino roared in fury. His horn vibrated, and sparks flew from his black armor as his hard shell blocked most of the attacks.

But even with only Soul Ancestor strength, Bibi Dong still possessed a Titled Douluo's depth of combat experience.

Within moments.

The Black-Armored Spiral Rhino kept bellowing in pain. His wounds grew increasingly severe, his massive body staggered and swayed, and his strength rapidly ebbed.

"That should do."

Bibi Dong pulled back. The Black-Armored Spiral Rhino collapsed to his knees, breathing heavily. His vitality had fallen to the brink of death, but he still clung to one final breath.

"Your turn."

Without further hesitation, Ning Chengyi surged forward.

"Hah!!"

Gripping the Desolation-Suppressing God-Breaking Spear with both hands, he poured every bit of his Soul Power into its shaft.

A biting cold gleam shone along the spear, and the Thousand-Year Soul Ring blazed brightly.

"First Soul Skill: Mystic Edge, Leveling Mountains!"

Domineering spear force howled forth, stabbing viciously toward the vulnerable point on the Black-Armored Spiral Rhino's head.

Squelch!!

A muffled sound rang out.

The Black-Armored Spiral Rhino's enormous body convulsed violently. His massive head slammed onto the rocky ground, and he fell completely still.

A Soul Ring, so deep purple it was almost black, slowly rose above the giant beast's corpse.

Nine thousand years!

The purple-black Soul Ring shimmered, its savage, weighty power rolling toward them.

"Sit down quickly and draw in the Soul Ring. Ideally, have your second martial soul protect your meridians with everything it has," Bibi Dong reminded him gravely.

Ning Chengyi sat cross-legged on the ground and took a deep breath. Extending both hands, he drew the Black-Armored Spiral Rhino's black Soul Ring toward him and slowly merged it into his body.

Boom!!

The instant it entered him, savage power like mountains and seas surged madly through every limb and bone.

Waves of tearing pain shot through his muscles and bones.

The Phantom Butterfly Spirit Tide on his shoulder immediately spread at full strength. Butterfly dust filled the air and drifted down, while gentle life energy wrapped his meridians in layer after layer, continuously cushioning and neutralizing the destructive backlash from the Soul Ring.

The Wisdom Skull's spiritual power also began working in tandem, helping him channel the Soul Power rampaging in every direction.

The black Soul Ring sank into his body little by little.

His second Soul Ring!

It slowly appeared behind Ning Chengyi, the purple ring tinged with a faint black glow.

At the same time, information about an entirely new Soul Skill flooded his mind.

Second Soul Skill: Phantom Spear Strangulation!

The Desolation-Suppressing God-Breaking Spear could be imbued with the Black-Armored Spiral Rhino's unique vibrational strangulation force.

After the spear tip struck its target, the shaft would instantly produce high-frequency spiral vibrations, frantically shredding flesh and meridians from within. Even if the enemy wore thick armor, the force could travel inward through the wound and wreak havoc. The technique was insidious and vicious, with tremendous destructive power.

Wasn't this just an absurdly powerful version of striking an ox through a mountain?

But before Ning Chengyi could think much more about it, the savage Soul Power inside him continued surging.

Twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three!

Breaking through one barrier after another, Ning Chengyi's Soul Power finally settled firmly at level twenty-three.

After a long while, the Soul Ring absorption finally ended.

Ning Chengyi slowly opened his eyes, and two cold gleams flashed through them.

He tightened his grip on the Desolation-Suppressing God-Breaking Spear and tried activating his second Soul Skill. The shaft trembled slightly as a strange spiral force quietly gathered within it.

"Very strong," Ning Chengyi murmured.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the dense forest.

Li Huo had led the remaining members of the Fierce Wolf Group into a dilapidated cave. His face was thunderous.

The beast tide had run rampant, more than half his men had been lost, and he had failed to seize the Soul Bone. Worse, a sick woman had beaten him into a humiliating retreat. The fury in his heart nearly burned him to ashes.

His men had also found the deranged Li Qiuping in a patch of bushes.

After what the Hehuan Ape had done to him, Li Qiuping's mind had completely unraveled. He babbled nonsense, and his lower body was utterly ruined. He could be said to have been destroyed completely.

Seeing his son reduced to this state, Li Huo's eyes nearly split with rage, and all the savagery of his lion martial soul erupted.

And seeing the mangled state of his son's backside only stoked the fury in his heart.

"Zhu Qianxun! Ning Chengyi!!"

His low, teeth-grinding roar rang through the forest.

"The beast tide will retreat soon. Once things settle down, we'll head straight back to Small Town." Li Huo's gaze turned vicious. "Old Zhu and his wife are that woman's foster parents. Once we have those two in our hands, I refuse to believe we can't draw those two out!"

The few surviving Fierce Wolf Group members beside him wore solemn expressions and silently nodded in assent.

The roars of the beast tide still echoed in the distance.

The danger in the woods outside the cave had not yet entirely passed.

Feeling the tremendous increase in his strength, Ning Chengyi turned to Bibi Dong beside him.

"We should head back to Small Town."

Bibi Dong nodded gently, but a faint trace of unease passed between her brows.