Quasi-Soul Ancestor, Life's Watch and the Third Talent, Death Canyon

With the two Princesses' departure, Dragon City returned to its former tranquility.

Yu Tianjun purged Yu Yuanjue's evil soul power four times a month. Combined with cultivation resources consisting mainly of pesticides, supplemented by rare natural treasures, his cultivation efficiency was astonishing.

Half a year passed, and Yu Tianjun surged straight to Level 40, becoming a Quasi-Soul Ancestor before he was even eleven.

That night, Grandfather and Grandson sat facing each other. The Spirit Devouring Fierce Blade and the Jade Box lay side by side, gifts from the Princesses of the two great empires.

"The Spirit Devouring Fierce Blade's curse originated from a Titled Douluo who was an Evil Soul Master, but too much time has passed. Before Ultimate Darkness, it won't withstand a single blow."

With practiced ease, Yu Tianjun released Qilin Origin Flame, burning a circuit around the Spirit Devouring Fierce Blade. Black fumes billowed from its surface like steam rising from cooked soup.

In moments, the Spirit Devouring Fierce Blade regained its original appearance—a translucent green blade came into view, as though carved from a single piece of Life Crystal, radiating refreshing Life Energy.

The Blade of Life's Watch contained immense life energy, and its usefulness rivaled the top ten Ranked Carving Knives.

"Done." Yu Tianjun withdrew his origin flame.

"It truly is a treasure."

Yu Yuanjue stared wide-eyed. He had never seen such a treasure in his life.

Perhaps only the Golden Tree in the Shrek Inner Court and the Life Energy of the Great Ferocious Land in the Star Dou Great Forest could compare.

"This blade killed so many owners without falling off the rankings. That means it must once have ranked extremely high."

Yu Tianjun tried drawing out the blade's Life Energy and gestured for Yu Yuanjue to lend a hand.

"Your body urgently needs replenishing with Life Energy, Grandfather. Shall we try?"

After half a year of treatment sessions, the Evil Soul Power accumulated in Yu Yuanjue's body had largely been cleared away. He could cleanse the remaining scattered remnants himself.

During treatment, Yu Tianjun had become acutely aware that Yu Yuanjue's body was strong outside but hollow within. Decades of struggle had made his soul power's nature exceptionally fierce and domineering. In essence, he had been burning his vitality to resist, leaving his entire body riddled with injuries.

A glimpse through a narrow tube was enough to spot the leopard's markings. Though Yu Tianjun's cultivation was shallow, he could still determine that Yu Yuanjue's vitality was nearly exhausted. Attempting a breakthrough would leave him nine chances of death against one of survival.

The Blade of Life's Watch could resolve this problem.

"Good. Let's do it together, grandson."

Yu Yuanjue did not stand on ceremony. He used his Level 96 soul power to draw out the Life Energy and pour it into both his own body and Yu Tianjun's.

As the Super Douluo exerted his power, Yu Tianjun quickly steadied his breathing and focused, receiving the Life Energy through meditation.

Seeing that his grandson was doing well, Yu Yuanjue summoned Yu Xiaokong and the Red Dragon Grand Elder to guard them, then settled down to refine the aura of life.

Calling it refinement was an exaggeration; it required little effort. The gentle radiance entered his body and merged into every limb and bone, steaming away impurities and cleansing his meridians and bone cavities.

This old Heavenly Dragon was fortunate. His injuries had not reached Mu En's severity; no amount of clean water could fill a wooden bucket leaking from every side.

Boom!

Half the night passed before Yu Yuanjue opened his eyes a sliver beneath his thin, rugged brows, which resembled gnarled old pines. His gaze was bright and sharp.

With the slightest stir of thought, wind and thunder rumbled between those mighty palms that had suffered torment for so many years. All traces of evil were gone.

After showering away his sweat, the old man felt his soul power become more active than ever. Strength suppressed for years rebounded from rock bottom, repeatedly surging between the peak of Level 96 and the threshold of Level 97.

This was a sign that a breakthrough was imminent!

If he seized this chance to enter seclusion and absorbed one or two Soul Bones, he would certainly advance another step—within a month or two at best, or half a year to a year at most!

As he surveyed the sect, Yu Tianjun slowly awakened from meditation, while his eldest son and the Grand Elder remained in deep meditation. An urge to throw back his head and laugh rose in the old Heavenly Dragon's heart.

Heaven blessed the Heavenly Dragon Sect!

"Grandfather, guard me."

Feeling light and free throughout his body, Yu Tianjun picked up the Black Jade Qilin Core and swallowed it. The luminous silhouette of his Dark Qilin martial soul manifested, refining it alongside him.

Vina had said this core was similar in nature to the Ten Headed Fierce Yang Serpent's. Yu Tianjun did not know whether eating it would produce a fourth Soul Ring, but he could digest it now.

There was nothing Ultimate Darkness could not dissolve. He had absolute confidence in his body and martial soul.

Yu Yuanjue naturally agreed. Though the opportunity for seclusion was precious, how could it compare with guarding his grandson?

The wait lasted three days. The changes from Yu Tianjun refining the core were not as immediate as Ma Hongjun's, mainly because the Dark Qilin itself was already flawless. Yu Tianjun remained peerlessly handsome, and his frame grew even taller.

"How do you feel?" Yu Yuanjue eagerly asked about his exceptional grandson's gains.

"An improvement across the board. Even my Innate Domain has expanded."

Black light flickered in Yu Tianjun's eyes. Rings of dark ripples spread from beneath his feet, extending a hundred meters.

Wherever the darkness passed, light dwindled until it was barely visible to the naked eye, and sound seemed to lose its medium of transmission.

Even with Yu Yuanjue's powerful cultivation, he briefly felt his soul power perception vanish, while his spiritual power and spiritual lock lost their target.

Innate Domain: Qilin's Sovereign Domain.

When deployed in Dark Qilin form, opponents within the domain could not extend their soul power perception. There was no light or sound, and spiritual abilities such as spiritual detection and spiritual lock also failed.

Within the domain, all enemies leaked soul power, replenishing Yu Tianjun's expenditure, while Darkness Escape Technique allowed him to teleport inside it.

If Yu Tianjun wished, Light Element Soul Masters and holy Soul Masters who entered the domain would become deaf, their soul power only flowing out and never in, while suffering the powerful suppression of Ultimate Darkness.

This was the biggest reason Yu Tianjun believed he had the makings of a Holy Spirit Cult leader.

Unless a Soul Master with ultimate light appeared, or he faced a Holy Angel directly, light could only take a detour. He could force a Radiant Sacred Dragon of the same level to retreat three leagues and make a Bright Phoenix weep endlessly.

Furthermore, this domain exerted its strongest suppression on darkness Soul Masters. An ultimate attribute looked down upon every existence beneath the ultimate level.

Yu Yuanjue extended his perception and marveled. "Your darkness is purer now. Once you become a Soul Ancestor, this domain will be able to affect even Soul Saints to some degree."

"That's not all. I awakened my third ultimate attribute talent, though I hope I never need to use it."

Yu Tianjun stood and explained his greatest gain to Yu Yuanjue.

Ultimate martial souls were born with ultimate attribute talents. Upon awakening, his Dark Qilin had possessed its first talent, Darkness Escape Technique. Its second talent, Myriad Forms, had awakened under the effects of Pesticide.

And now he had a third: Ruinous Devour.

It consumed all his soul power to create a miniature black hole, activated his divine beast bloodline, and merged his body into darkness, forcibly swallowing the target into the black hole to erase or devour them.

Devouring meant devouring everything belonging to the enemy.

In a sense, ultimate talents reflected an ultimate martial soul's strength. Huo Gua's Ice Jade Scorpion had only one talent, cold, while the Three-Eyed Cat Lady's Golden Dragon possessed three great ultimate talents.

Yu Tianjun felt he was not as uniquely blessed as the Three-Eyed Cat Lady. His other two talents might have awakened sooner or later, but only at a higher cultivation realm.

Pesticide provided a powerful stimulus, and the Qilin Inner Core's effects were quite good too.

After examining him for some time, Yu Yuanjue gave a gratifying assessment. "Your body can easily withstand the impact of a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring, and your spiritual power is strong enough too."

"By my estimate, even a top-tier darkness Soul Beast under fifteen thousand years old would pose no problem. That might not even be your limit."

Yu Yuanjue's estimate was relatively conservative. Absorbing Soul Rings beyond the normal limit was a privilege reserved for supreme geniuses, such as the Sea God ten thousand years ago, the current Sea God Pavilion Master, and the Body Sect Master.

Yu Tianjun's potential was limitless. He could attempt to absorb a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring for his seventh ring; there was no need to take risks over a few thousand years for his fourth.

"As long as there are no problems. I need to prepare for soul hunting. Before, I took others to the Far North. Now I'm going to Death Canyon myself."

With his elder's approval, Yu Tianjun felt even more confident. He boldly placed top-tier darkness Soul Beasts on his list for his fourth Soul Ring—the stronger, the better.

The Star Dou Great Forest bordered Shrek Academy and was the continent's largest soul-hunting ground, encompassing countless varieties. Every Soul Master had a chance to find a suitable Soul Beast there.

But too many people made exposure easier. Death Canyon was different. It was a paradise for darkness Soul Beasts, located in the heartland between the three nations. Few Soul Masters dared enter, and suitable targets were easier to find.

Yu Tianjun's first three Soul Rings had all been hunted there, coming respectively from a hundred-year Dark Qilin Beast, a thousand-year Dark-Scaled Flood Dragon, and a thousand-year Shadowblade Qilin.

"You need protection while soul hunting. Unfortunately, I must seize this chance to enter seclusion. Your father and Xinghuo have entered deep meditation, so I can only have your second uncle accompany you."

Yu Yuanjue said quietly, "Your Ultimate Darkness can enhance his darkness attribute, which puts my mind largely at ease. Still, be careful."

An Ultimate Soul Master could help a powerful practitioner of the same attribute rise to that same ultimate level. Yu Tianjun's second uncle, Yu Xiaoying, was a Soul Douluo. If Yu Tianjun granted him Ultimate Darkness, ordinary Titled Douluos would be no match for him. But the old man did not want Yu Tianjun forced into using this trump card.

Once he used it, it would be best to silence the enemy for good.

"I understand."

Yu Tianjun softly agreed. With his current strength, once his Ultimate Darkness emerged, even a ten-thousand-year darkness Soul Beast with a supreme bloodline would meet a bitter end. He could complete the hunt alone.

Bringing his second uncle was merely insurance.

"Be careful in everything."

Death Canyon lay in the southeastern Heaven Dou Empire. Its vast terrain resembled a divine beast reclining upon the earth, with wetlands and swamps throughout its interior. White mist shrouded it year-round, and miasma permeated the air. Rich in poison and darkness Soul Beasts, it held danger at every turn and was a nightmare for Soul Masters below Soul King.

Ten thousand years ago, it had been a trial ground controlled by Spirit Hall, reserved for supreme geniuses and elite Soul Masters above Soul King. A Blackstone Wall and Black Iron Checkpoints had been built around its perimeter to prevent the canyon's Soul Beasts from escaping and attacking humans.

After Spirit Hall's demise, its assets were divided up, but this place alone had fallen into no faction's hands. Shrek Academy built its city beside the Star Dou Great Forest, while the Tang Sect held sway in Heaven Dou City. Neither of the two great empires had the inclination or ability to take over this savage land.

"Every time I come here, I feel completely at home. This truly is a sacred cultivation ground for us poisonous spider Soul Masters. It's a pity the academy hasn't brought it under its control."

After ten thousand years, the Ancient Sentry Barrier built by Spirit Hall had long fallen into disuse. Four streaks of soul light shot across the distant sky, and one of them spoke in a gloomy voice.

"Bi Yangde, the academy naturally has its own considerations. Spirit Hall forcibly claimed a sacred soul-hunting ground for itself. How could Shrek do such a thing?"

The leading streak of soul light took the shape of a phoenix soaring through the heavens. Brilliant and dazzling, it crossed the gray sky, then landed to reveal the face of Shrek's Martial Soul Department Dean, Yan Shaozhe.

"Dean, of course we understand the academy's greatness. We just think it's a pity. None of the Three Great Empires can manage this place. Only the academy could make proper use of its resources."

The streaks of soul light landed in succession. A purple-haired woman who looked to be in her thirties, wearing a skintight outfit patterned with spiderwebs, covered her lips and chuckled. Her long nails were painted a deep black, and the silhouette of an enormous spider flashed behind her before vanishing.

"Senior Sister Mo is right. That's exactly what I meant." The young man named Bi Yangde strode over and grinned at Yan Shaozhe.

The instant he withdrew his soul power, some of the poisonous miasma in the surrounding white mist was drawn back with it. Clearly, he possessed a top-tier poison martial soul.

The last man wore a calm expression, his aura deep and condensed. "Dean, will you act alongside us?"

"No. I'll only support you from behind."

Yan Shaozhe shook his head. "The environment here makes me very uncomfortable. Bi Yangde is hunting his seventh Soul Ring; you and Mo Yun accompanying him will be enough, Shi Xing. Remember not to venture deep into the Heaven and Earth Forbidden Zone extending into the canyon. There are some creatures there that even I am extremely wary of."

"You two are elites who have already graduated from the Inner Court, former members of the Shrek Seven Devils. Hunting a top-tier Soul Beast for Bi Yangde should be no problem. Ideally, you can find a Death Spider Emperor that shares his origin."

"Historical records state that Spirit Hall's final Supreme Pontiff, the Rakshasa God Bibi Dong, found a hundred-thousand-year Death Spider Emperor here and turned it into her ninth Soul Ring. I believe you'll reap a fine harvest."

"I'll support you from behind."

"Thank you, Dean, and thank you to the academy for nurturing us." The three thanked him in unison, then eagerly entered Death Canyon.

Eight Soul Rings in the optimal configuration rose beneath Shi Xing's and Mo Yun's feet, while Bi Yangde had six.

Yan Shaozhe frowned slightly, tapped his toes against the ground, and moved forward, disappearing into the depths of the mist.

Had these three not been members of the Shrek Seven Devils who stayed at the academy, he would not have personally supported them from behind. Xuan Zi had previously been responsible for such matters.

Two hours later.

Two figures concealed in the shadows appeared and slowly walked into Death Canyon.

"Tianjun, you're hunting a ten-thousand-year Soul Beast this time. We might not find anything suitable in the outer Desolate Valley Wetlands. We need to enter the Miasma Rift, the canyon's second layer.

"The miasma there is twice as dense. Soul Masters below Soul King risk losing their way, and the ten-thousand-year Soul Beasts are generally fierce and savage. Stay close."

Yu Xiaoying dismissed his martial soul and scouted ahead in black armor, his expression somewhat grave.

"Don't worry. Death Canyon's natural elements are compatible with me and drawn to me. My combat strength will increase greatly here."

Yu Tianjun smiled. "Working together, we could make even a ten-thousand-year darkness true dragon lie flat."

"That's right! Together, even your father couldn't beat us."

Yu Xiaoying's lips curled, but he immediately reminded himself not to get too carried away and cautioned Yu Tianjun:

"Even so, Death Canyon also has the Death Core Zone. Alongside the Star Dou Core Zone and the Far North Core Zone, it's one of humanity's five great Heaven and Earth Forbidden Zones. Soul Beasts from the Core Zone occasionally come out to forage.

"According to legends handed down by our predecessors, the Core Zone is ruled by two ferocious beast overlords. Their cultivation might fall short of the Three Emperors, but it is no lower than the Myriad Demon King's or Xiong Jun's. Only Spirit Hall's former Angel Grand Enshrined could reach an agreement with them to maintain a balance.

"A Super Douluo once ventured deep inside and was never heard from again.

"Beneath those ferocious beasts are several hundred-thousand-year kings. Legend says that once you enter, your only chance of survival is to find a Mystical Bird of Yin-Yang Balance. I wouldn't dare go in."