Self-Condensed Soul Ring

"Heh. You ask who I am, but why should I tell you?"

The person who looked exactly like Lu Mingzi spoke, with no intention of revealing anything about himself.

He looks exactly like me, and the Black Egg had already shattered when he appeared.

He's probably the Demonic Thought mentioned in the black book. I wonder what effect he'll have on me.

Lu Mingzi stared at the broken black shell floating on his Spiritual Sea and began to suspect the truth.

The birth of a Demonic Thought was highly likely to affect his mind, but since this one had only just hatched, its influence was negligible.

The moment I mentioned I could control Demonic Qi freely, the Demonic Thought jumped out and claimed the credit.

Could his hatching be why controlling Demonic Qi suddenly feels so effortless?

"If you won't tell me who you are, I won't force you. Stay here by yourself."

"I can control Demonic Qi freely now. It must be because I've grown stronger."

Lu Mingzi spoke coldly, then continued talking to himself, deliberately loud enough for the Demonic Thought to hear.

"Bastard! That was clearly my doing!"

At those last words, the Demonic Thought flew into a rage and finally lost his restraint.

"Oh? Your doing? Tell me more."

Seeing that the Demonic Thought had taken the bait, Lu Mingzi sat on the water and watched him quietly.

"Bastard! You tricked me into talking!"

The Demonic Thought cursed in fury, his whole face rapidly growing hot.

"You're my Demonic Thought, aren't you? If so, we come from the same source. There's no need to hide who you are."

Lu Mingzi's expression suddenly turned serious.

The Demonic Thought had been born in his Spiritual Sea, formed from the Demonic Qi of his Demonic Angel Martial Soul, and possessed a will of his own.

"Fine. Of all the inheritors I've seen, you're the cleverest."

The Demonic Thought sat down on the sea as well and spoke evenly.

"Inheritors? What does that mean?"

Lu Mingzi looked utterly puzzled. He did not understand what the Demonic Thought meant.

"Exactly what it sounds like: inheritors of the Demonic Angel. I may have only just been born, but I have the previous Demonic Thought's memories."

"We're getting off track. That's not what I wanted to discuss with you."

"Then what do you want to discuss? Since you have the previous Demonic Thought's memories, you should know how to bring out the Demonic Angel's full power."

Lu Mingzi stared at the Demonic Thought, hoping to draw out information about his Martial Soul.

"You're too weak. Never mind that you haven't mastered devouring power or Divine Yin Light. Even your Soul Power falls short of that little girl surnamed Qian with the Six-Winged Angel."

The Demonic Thought shook his head helplessly.

"Come on, I've only cultivated for six years. How could I compare to her?"

Lu Mingzi shot back, refusing to take the mockery.

"The previous inheritor was born with level-thirty Soul Power and could wield Divine Yin Power from birth."

"Oh, and Divine Yin Power is the Demonic Qi coming from your arm. Yours is just far too weak."

At that, the Demonic Thought shook his head again, his gaze full of disdain for Lu Mingzi.

"What's more, that inheritor had a Hundred-Year Soul Ring from birth. Compared with him, you really are weak."

He added the last jab without missing a chance to mock Lu Mingzi.

What? Born with a Soul Ring?

"That's impossible!"

Lu Mingzi's gaze was unwavering.

"The Angel Lineage can condense its own Soul Rings, though it's a little harder for the Six-Winged Angel."

"The Demonic Angel is the opposite. This kind of angel possesses devouring power, so condensing its own Soul Rings isn't difficult."

Lu Mingzi's face stiffened, his expression turning grim.

Compared with the previous inheritor, he did fall short. No—he lagged far behind.

The Demonic Thought probably was not lying. Condensing one's own Soul Rings had to be real.

A self-condensed Soul Ring was exceptionally compatible with its Martial Soul, and the Soul Skills it produced were stronger than those from an absorbed ring.

But...

"How do I strengthen my devouring power? How strong does it need to be before I can condense my own Soul Ring?"

Lu Mingzi fired off question after question until the Demonic Thought grew impatient and felt his head swelling.

"You're no different from a country bumpkin."

"You!"

"Forget it. I'll tell you."

The Demonic Thought gave a few cold laughs, then continued, "It's simple, really. Use your devouring ability more. You can devour the bodies of Soul Beasts or Immortal Herbs."

"With your current ability, the most you could condense is a hundred-year ring."

Lu Mingzi ignored the mockery and fell into thought instead.

My Soul Power is only level thirty-two. I haven't reached the Soul Elder bottleneck yet, so even if I could condense a Soul Ring, I couldn't absorb it.

The most important thing now is to raise my Soul Power and get better at using devouring power along the way.

But... I have Deep Blue!

Once I reach level forty, so what if the ring is only a hundred years old?

Even if it's a ten-year Soul Ring, I can max it out!

At the thought, Lu Mingzi let out such a sinister laugh that even the Demonic Thought could no longer tell—

Was he the demon, or was the boy before him?

"So what do you plan to do?"

Once Lu Mingzi finished laughing, the Demonic Thought spoke up and asked about his plans.

The Demonic Thought's chief purpose after hatching was to teach the inheritor how to cultivate and grow stronger.

If the inheritor became a god, he would become one too, gain a body of his own, and be free.

If the inheritor died... he would die as well.

"My Soul Power Level isn't high enough. Raising it is what matters most right now."

Lu Mingzi stood, left the Training Room, and set out for the Star Dou Great Forest.

His third Soul Ring was currently 7,300 years old, still short of the thousand-year tier's peak.

He planned to collect Soul Blood Units to increase his third Soul Ring's age while devouring Soul Beast bodies to strengthen his devouring power.

As for Immortal Herbs, the only place that came to mind was the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

But that was Poison Douluo Dugu Bo's territory, and it was filled with deadly poisonous mist. Even a Soul Douluo who went in would be certain to die.

Let alone a Soul Elder like him.

If I go there without permission, I'm bound to anger Dugu Bo. I'll have to think this through.

Lu Mingzi boarded a carriage belonging to a merchant caravan that would pass through the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest.

Meanwhile, an uninvited guest arrived at the Pope Hall.

Dressed in black, Yu Xiaogang used the Pope Token to force his way deep into the Pope Hall.

The Pope Hall was vast. Its main chamber glittered with gold and splendor, sacred, intricate patterns covered the walls, and several flawlessly carved statues stood on either side of the passage.

"Stop! Who are you?"

The speaker was Chrysanthemum Douluo. He had been reporting to the Pope when this unfamiliar man appeared.

When Yu Xiaogang gave no response, Chrysanthemum Douluo immediately summoned his Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum Martial Soul. A crushing wave of Soul Power bore down on the spot.

Just as that pressure was about to strike Yu Xiaogang, the Pope, seated on her throne, raised a hand slightly.

Chrysanthemum Douluo's Soul Power dispersed at once.

"You may leave."

The Pope's voice was soft and melodious, yet carried unmistakable authority. She looked down at Yu Xiaogang, her eyes cold.

Chrysanthemum Douluo nodded and swiftly left the Pope Hall.

"Tell me why you came."

The doors closed, and the Pope's voice echoed throughout the hall.

"Bibi Dong, a friend of mine... was taken by your people. I hope you'll let him go."

Yu Xiaogang fell silent for a moment, then raised his head to look at Bibi Dong.

Bibi Dong sat quietly on her throne, wearing a purple-gold crown and holding a two-meter scepter encrusted with countless dazzling gems.

"Why should I help you?" she asked evenly.

"I..."

Yu Xiaogang fell speechless. His gaze dimmed, and he lowered his head without realizing it. He could think of no reason the Pope would help him.

"I can help you, but you must agree to one condition."