The Hunt

Spirit Hall, Pope Hall.

"I can release him, but first you must agree to one condition."

Pope Bibi Dong's voice filled the hall with authority, pressing down on Yu Xiaogang until he could barely breathe.

With her strength and power, she could have killed Yu Xiaogang outright without worrying about the consequences.

Yet she did not.

"Name it. Whatever you ask, I'll agree."

Hearing there was room to negotiate, Yu Xiaogang's eyes lit up. He raised his head toward the pope who looked down on him.

Bibi Dong tossed a short blade onto the floor. "Cut off one of your fingers in front of me, and I'll release him."

One finger...

Flender, you're going to owe me a huge favor!

Without hesitating, Yu Xiaogang snatched up the blade and moved to cut off his index finger.

Bibi Dong flicked a finger. Soul Power spread out and knocked the blade from his hand.

Her feelings were in turmoil, but her expression betrayed nothing. Emotions she had buried deep inside stirred for the first time in ages.

"What a useless man... I've changed my mind. I haven't thought of a condition yet, so I'll let your friend go for now."

"I'll collect the debt another day. If you dare deny it, I can always capture him again."

Bibi Dong rose and turned her back on Yu Xiaogang. A tear slipped from the corner of her eye.

Why... couldn't you go that far for me?

Meanwhile, Lu Mingzi had reached the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest.

He leaped down from the carriage and walked slowly inside.

"It's been so long since I saw the Star Dou Great Forest. To think it's become like this."

Demonic Thought's voice rang out in his mind.

Lu Mingzi could not be bothered to argue with him and kept moving.

The Soul Beasts on the outskirts were mostly of low age, almost all Hundred-Year Soul Beasts. Thousand-Year Soul Beasts were another matter entirely.

They were pitifully scarce.

He planned to hunt near the edge of the inner region while remaining in the outer forest, though doing so was risky.

He could all too easily run into a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast.

But if he did not, his progress would be far too slow.

At my current strength, I should be able to survive an encounter with a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast.

Without a trace of fear, Lu Mingzi pushed straight into the deeper forest.

Most of the Soul Beasts he met along the way were Hundred-Year Soul Beasts. Despite their low age, they all attacked him.

Lu Mingzi blew them apart with a punch, sending flesh and blood flying.

He had no idea where those Soul Beasts found the nerve.

"Deep Blue."

He sat cross-legged on the ground and silently called its name. A deep-blue interface appeared.

"The First Soul Ring still hasn't changed."

He was a little disappointed. His First Soul Ring had been stuck at 999 years for a long time, with no option to break through.

It made him wonder whether the system could even advance a Hundred-Year Soul Ring into a Thousand-Year Soul Ring.

Or perhaps... the cost of breaking through was enormous.

He had just killed more than forty Hundred-Year Soul Beasts and collected twenty units of Soul Blood.

That was enough to improve a Thousand-Year Soul Ring once.

Upgrade!

Lu Mingzi gave the command in his mind, choosing to raise his third Soul Ring by one level.

Hiss!

The deep-blue interface shook violently, vanished for a moment, then reappeared before him with its information updated.

[Third Soul Skill: 8,300 years, Mystic Body, Fire-Bathed Method. Special effect: Level Eight Unyielding Body]

"Unyielding Body has reached level eight."

Lu Mingzi looked up and studied the Deep Blue interface in silence.

The Third Soul Skill's main effects were defense and an unyielding body that could greatly resist control effects.

It could also strengthen his body.

"Time to go."

He stood up, but before he could brush the dust from his backside, a roar sounded in the distance.

Roar!

The Soul Beast's cry rolled toward him, loud as thunder. Lu Mingzi could not help covering his ears.

Even someone with a body as tough as his had to guard against that roar. That alone showed how powerful the beast was.

"Well, well, we've got work to do, kid. With a voice that loud, it's probably a Soul Beast close to ten thousand years old."

Demonic Thought sounded thrilled, eager for a fight.

Lu Mingzi rolled his eyes. Demonic Thought never seemed to take anything seriously.

Then again, Demonic Thought was only a disembodied consciousness.

Perhaps he had no proper form to begin with.

"Good timing. Let's see whether the stronger me can take on a Soul Beast close to ten thousand years old."

Lu Mingzi hurried toward the source of the sound. The roar grew louder and louder, almost enough to rupture his eardrums.

"Kid, don't tell me you can't beat this thing. You can't be worse than the inheritor before the last one, can you?"

The fight had not even begun, and Demonic Thought was already doubting Lu Mingzi's strength.

"Oh? So there's been an inheritor even more useless than me. I won't lose, though."

Lu Mingzi was intrigued by the inheritor Demonic Thought mentioned, but his confidence remained unshaken.

In the distance, a huge black shadow soared into the clouds. Its massive body blotted out the sky before plunging down like a meteor.

"Get out of the way!"

Demonic Thought shouted a warning.

Lu Mingzi had already leaped back to dodge, moving well before Demonic Thought finished speaking.

Boom!

The enormous Soul Beast slammed into the ground. The shock wave shattered the surrounding trees, and countless cracks spread beneath its feet.

A thick cloud of dust billowed up as it landed.

Without hesitation, Lu Mingzi released his Martial Soul, the Demonfire Blade.

Thud! Thud!

The Soul Beast's footsteps were deafening. It emerged from the dust, its shape gradually coming into view.

It was a Titan Giant Ape close to ten thousand years old!

"I didn't expect this species to have one at the thousand-year level."

Lu Mingzi stared at the hulking black figure before him. The Titan Giant Ape stared back.

It looked as though it were sizing up its prey.

Lu Mingzi's aura was only at the Soul Elder level. Before a member of a species as powerful as the Titan Giant Ape, he seemed feeble.

But the Titan Giant Ape did not know that Lu Mingzi was no ordinary Soul Elder. His body was stronger than those of some Soul Beasts.

Roar!

The Titan Giant Ape roared in fury. Only then did Lu Mingzi realize he had trespassed on its territory.

It did not matter. He had come to hunt Soul Beasts in the first place.

First Soul Skill: Void Spirit Slash!

Lu Mingzi drew the Demonfire Blade and charged at the Titan Giant Ape like lightning. He brought the blade down, Soul Power surging through it!

Flames erupted along the edge, and billowing poisonous fumes poured out. Black patterns lit up on Lu Mingzi's arm as Demonic Qi swept in without end.

Poison, fire, and Demonic Qi mingled together, multiplying the power of his slash several times over!

Bang!

The Titan Giant Ape raised a fist to block. As it caught the blow, its expression darkened. It realized how fearsome Lu Mingzi was.

It had misjudged him. Lu Mingzi might be a Soul Elder, but his strength went far beyond that.

Roar! Roar!

After two roars, the Titan Giant Ape retreated rapidly. An indelible wound marred its arm, where poison and Demonic Qi were eating into it.

It tried to flee and seek help from the elders of its kind. But the moment it turned, Lu Mingzi appeared before it.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Second Soul Skill! Third Soul Skill!

Blazing with battle lust, Lu Mingzi unleashed his Soul Skills in quick succession. His whole body became a figure of fire, and more than a dozen flaming blade arcs shot out in different directions!

Roar!

More than half the flaming blades struck the Titan Giant Ape. Its breathing stopped for good.

"Well done! That's the inheritor the Angel God chose. Kill everyone who gets in your way!"

Spirit Hall.

Qian Renxue pushed open the door to the Training Room. It was pitch-dark inside; not a single oil lamp had been lit.

"Where's Little Mingzi?"

She looked around, but Lu Mingzi was nowhere to be seen. Fury flared in her eyes.

"Ci Xue!"

"At your service."

Ci Xue appeared in an instant and knelt before Qian Renxue.

Right. Ci Xue was protecting me, and Snake Lance went to watch that Soul Saint.

No one was watching Lu Mingzi at all.

At the thought, Qian Renxue stamped her foot in frustration!

"Lu! Ming! Zi! When I find you, I'm tying you up in the basement for a whole year!"