Raising a Hundred-Thousand-Year Mirror Shadow Beast, External Soul Bone: Mirror-Image Heartguard!

The climate of the Frozen Forest was far harsher than they had imagined.

Bone-piercing winds swept past with shards of ice in their wake. Every breath felt like inhaling handfuls of knives, the chill cutting straight to the bone.

Thick snow blanketed the ground.

A single step often sank past the knees, making walking extremely difficult.

But to Chrysanthemum Douluo, Ghost Douluo, and Lin Hao, this was nothing.

All three could fly and were immune to the extreme cold here.

For Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo, that was because they were Titled Douluo-level powerhouses.

Lin Hao, meanwhile, relied on the immunity to ice and fire granted by Ice and Fire Body Tempering.

Compared with the harsh climate here,

the three were more worried about failing to find a suitable Mirror Shadow Beast.

Sure enough!

They searched the Frozen Forest for over half a month straight.

Yet they still failed to find a Mirror Shadow Beast over fifty thousand years old.

"These beasts really know how to hide!"

"Mirror Shadow Beasts usually inhabit caves or crevices rich in ice-attribute soul power. We've searched at least ten such locations around here, yet we haven't seen so much as a single mirror scale."

After investigating yet another cave that seemed to hold traces of a Mirror Shadow Beast,

Ghost Douluo hovered above a snow pine branch, his cold, shadowy gaze sweeping over the snowy valley below. It was giving him quite a headache.

Chrysanthemum Douluo was rather helpless as well.

"Mirror Shadow Beasts are rare to begin with, and they're cautious by nature. The slightest rustle of grass in the wind sends them fleeing into hiding. They can even take on the appearance of other soul beasts to throw us off."

"Finding one of the right age really isn't easy."

"No matter!"

Ghost Douluo took a deep breath and said,

"We've been promoted to consecrators of the Spirit Hall now. We no longer have to toil like oxen and horses for that Bibi Dong as we did when we were elders. We have plenty of time."

"If half a month isn't enough, we'll keep searching with little Hao for a month, three months, half a year..."

"I refuse to believe there isn't a Mirror Shadow Beast with around eighty thousand years of cultivation in this Far North!"

Persistence finally bore fruit.

One afternoon, half a month later,

the three arrived at the entrance to a secluded snowy valley.

Mountains enclosed the valley on three sides, and its entrance was narrow. Without a careful look, it would have been easy to miss.

Faint fluctuations of ice-attribute soul power drifted out from within, considerably denser than in the surrounding area.

Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo exchanged a glance, each seeing the same conclusion in the other's eyes.

This looked promising!

The three concealed their auras and slipped silently into the valley.

The snowy valley was far wider inside than they had imagined. Thick snow covered its floor, while crystalline icicles hung from the rocky walls on either side, refracting the weak sunlight into a dazzling array of colors.

Deep in the valley, a figure lay at the entrance to a cave half concealed by ice.

Silvery-white scales covered its entire body, each as smooth as a mirror, clearly reflecting the surrounding scenery.

It was roughly twenty feet long and resembled an enormous pangolin, though its head looked more like that of a legendary dragon, with a long snout, sharp teeth, and silvery-white eyes that gleamed coldly.

Its four razor-sharp claws were embedded deep in the ice.

"A Mirror Shadow Beast over eighty thousand years old!"

A keen light flashed in Chrysanthemum Douluo's eyes as he lowered his voice.

"That's a very good age!"

"If we can mature it to a hundred thousand years using supreme spirit medicine, it'll make the ideal fifth soul ring for little Hao!"

At that moment, the Mirror Shadow Beast also sensed the intruders. It abruptly raised its head and let out a piercing hiss, the scales covering its body suddenly lighting up.

The next instant, amid a dazzling burst of silver light,

two mirror images formed on either side of the Mirror Shadow Beast, taking the appearances of Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo. Even their auras were seventy or eighty percent similar!

At the same time, the Mirror Shadow Beast transformed into an enormous snow hare and fled swiftly into the depths of the cave.

"Clever beast! You really do have a few tricks!

"Ghost Douluo snorted coldly, his figure flickering as he summoned his ghost martial soul and underwent Martial Soul Possession.

He immediately unleashed his Seventh Soul Skill: Ghost Mei Avatar!

In an instant, Ghost Douluo's entire body became an enormous, illusory black shadow, darting through the air like a phantom as he charged toward the Mirror Shadow Beast.

Then his fourth soul ring lit up.

Fourth Soul Skill: Ghost Shadow Earthbound Hand!

As pitch-black shadows spread in all directions,

enormous black ghost hands emerged from them, their fingers spreading as they grabbed at the Mirror Shadow Beast disguised as a snow hare.

As for the mirror images of Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo,

though they possessed Soul Saint-level cultivation, they were nothing before two Titled Douluo. Chrysanthemum Douluo casually swept a beam of golden light across them, shattering them into a skyful of luminous motes.

The Mirror Shadow Beast was pinned firmly in place by Ghost Shadow Earthbound Hand. It struggled desperately but could not break free.

With Ghost Mei Avatar active, the binding strength of Ghost Shadow Earthbound Hand had reached a terrifying level, far beyond what an eighty-thousand-year soul beast could escape.

Chrysanthemum Douluo wasted no time either. His sixth soul ring lit up.

Sixth Soul Skill: Golden Stamen Flowing Rosy Clouds!

Petals like razor-sharp golden blades scattered from the singular velvet sky chrysanthemum martial soul in his palm, becoming streaks of golden light that repeatedly pierced the Mirror Shadow Beast's body and carved deep wounds into it.

The Mirror Shadow Beast let out an agonized scream. Great swaths of scales shattered and fell away, and its blood stained the surrounding snow red.

Its aura soon weakened by more than half.

"Little Hao, your turn!"

Chrysanthemum Douluo stopped and looked at Lin Hao.

Seeing this, Lin Hao took the first supreme spirit medicine-the Cold Jade Snow Lotus-from his storage Soul Tool.

The snow lotus was translucent as ice crystal from top to bottom and radiated a biting chill.

After walking over,

Lin Hao tossed the Cold Jade Snow Lotus straight toward the Mirror Shadow Beast.

The Mirror Shadow Beast was intelligent enough to know these people were hunting it.

But with supreme spirit medicine delivered right to its mouth while it was gravely injured and desperately needed energy to heal, grow stronger, and find a chance to escape,

the Mirror Shadow Beast could only open its bloody maw and swallow the Cold Jade Snow Lotus whole.

The instant the medicine entered its stomach, a vast surge of ice-attribute energy dissolved and poured into every limb and bone like a raging river.

Its injuries began healing at a speed visible to the naked eye. Shattered scales regrew, and its aura climbed steadily.

From over eighty thousand years, it quickly rose to over ninety-nine thousand.

In the end, however, the Mirror Shadow Beast remained stuck at the final threshold. It was only one step away from a hundred thousand years, yet an invisible barrier seemed to block its path, refusing to let it break through.

The Mirror Shadow Beast struggled wildly, trying to use its surging strength to escape the restraints of Ghost Shadow Earthbound Hand.

But with Ghost Mei Avatar active, Ghost Shadow Earthbound Hand remained firm as a rock.

No matter how it struggled, it could not break free.

"Still a little short!"

Chrysanthemum Douluo's brows furrowed slightly.

Without hesitation, Lin Hao immediately took out the second supreme spirit medicine-the Ice Jade Glazed Flower.

The herb was a translucent icy blue, its petals as thin as cicada wings, layered around a golden stamen. It radiated fluctuations of ice-attribute energy even purer and denser than those of the Cold Jade Snow Lotus.

Lin Hao tossed the Ice Jade Glazed Flower toward the Mirror Shadow Beast's mouth as well.

The Mirror Shadow Beast swallowed it in one gulp again.

In an instant, the medicinal power of the two supreme spirit medicines erupted together inside the Mirror Shadow Beast. Like two torrents merging into one, they became an unstoppable force that swept away rotten wood and dead branches, slamming fiercely into the hundred-thousand-year bottleneck!

Crack-!

Something seemed to shatter.

The Mirror Shadow Beast's aura surged violently. It had finally broken through to a hundred thousand years!

Its scales erupted with dazzling silvery-white light. Each became smoother and brighter, like a miniature mirror clearly reflecting everything around it.

Its body visibly grew a size larger, its claws became sharper, and the silver light in its eyes deepened. The pressure it radiated was now several times stronger than before!

"It worked!!"

Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo were both overjoyed, their eyes brimming with irrepressible excitement.

Using spirit medicine to raise a soul beast to a hundred thousand years and obtain a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring!

The idea really could be put into practice!

The Mirror Shadow Beast had only just broken through to a hundred thousand years.

The very next instant, Ghost Douluo unleashed his Ninth Soul Skill: Ghostly Apparitions, summoning even larger ghost hands from the shadows to hold the Mirror Shadow Beast firmly in place.

"Eighth Soul Skill: Holy Light Gate!"

Chrysanthemum Douluo followed immediately with an attack.

An enormous golden gate formed above Chrysanthemum Douluo's head. Its doors slowly opened, and a thick pillar of golden light crashed down from within, striking the Mirror Shadow Beast dead-on.

The Mirror Shadow Beast let out a despairing wail, its body struggling violently within the golden pillar. Ultimately, however, it could not withstand a Titled Douluo's full-powered strike, and its aura rapidly weakened.

At last, it collapsed to the ground, barely alive.

"Little Hao, hurry and deliver the finishing blow!"

After unleashing his eighth soul skill, Chrysanthemum Douluo turned to Lin Hao, his face filled with excitement and anticipation.

"Yes, Teacher!"

Lin Hao was just as excited. He took out the Silver Dragon Spear and strode forward, approaching the dying Mirror Shadow Beast before thrusting the spear sharply.

Squelch!

The spear tip pierced precisely through the Mirror Shadow Beast's eye socket and skull, killing it outright.

The next instant, countless motes of scarlet soul power drifted out of the Mirror Shadow Beast's corpse and slowly gathered in the air, forming a vivid, almost dripping scarlet Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring!

At the same time, a silvery-white ball of light burst out of the corpse and landed on the snow beside it.

"Is that... a hundred-thousand-year external soul bone?!"

When Lin Hao saw the precise shape within the silver light, he was instantly overwhelmed with surprise and excitement.

Hearing him, Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo froze for a moment, then hurried closer to look.

The soul bone dropped by the Mirror Shadow Beast was clearly none of the six conventional primary soul bones.

Instead, it was a silvery-white piece of bone shaped like a heartguard, its surface as smooth as a mirror. Faint streams of light could be seen swirling within it, and it radiated a strange, profound aura.