"A bit underwhelming!"
By the time Ji Yang finished his advancement and clearly felt the changes that had taken place throughout his body,
the Sky Azure Bull Python and the Titan Giant Ape had also finished absorbing the power of the three kinds of pills and sensed the progress they had made.
The remark just now had come from the Titan Giant Ape.
To him, the improvement these three kinds of pills brought was simply minuscule, far from ideal.
The Sky Azure Bull Python, however, held a different opinion.
He swung his tail and smacked the Titan Giant Ape's "pig brain" hard, looking thoroughly exasperated.
"You're still not satisfied with this, Er Ming? You should know these pills were refined from thousand-year and ten-thousand-year soul beasts. If devouring soul beasts of those same cultivation levels gave us even a tenth of the improvement these pills did, that would already be a lot."
The Sky Azure Bull Python reminded him.
"Uh... you've got a point!"
Realization dawned belatedly on the Titan Giant Ape, leaving him looking embarrassed.
He had actually forgotten that the pills they had taken came from "utterly unremarkable" thousand-year and ten-thousand-year soul beasts.
If they had devoured those thousand-year and ten-thousand-year soul beasts themselves and fully digested their cultivation, they would not have gained much improvement.
They might even have remained entirely unchanged.
After all, they were already exalted hundred-thousand-year soul beasts. They could only accumulate cultivation through slow, steady practice, and it was difficult to gain any substantial improvement by eating other "low-ranking" soul beasts!
Only by devouring soul beasts with powerful bloodlines, or naturally exceptional soul beasts like themselves, could they gain a relatively significant improvement.
Yet the Soul Power Pills Ji Yang had refined from thousand-year and ten-thousand-year soul beasts had increased their cultivation by nearly a tenth of those beasts' cultivation ages.
That was simply too powerful-and too frightening.
This meant that, as long as subsequent Soul Power Pills were not much worse than these in cultivation age and potency, they only needed to eat a few dozen to a hundred more to reach two hundred thousand years of cultivation and enter the ranks of ferocious beasts.
In terms of soul beasts, that would amount to roughly one or two hundred thousand-year and ten-thousand-year soul beasts.
For the soul beasts currently living in the Star Dou Great Forest, that number was practically a single hair off nine oxen. They could easily afford the loss.
At that thought, the eyes of the Sky Azure Bull Python and the Titan Giant Ape burned with eagerness.
If they had not wanted to strengthen their bloodlines further so they could weather their two-hundred-thousand-year heavenly tribulation more safely, the impatient pair would have set out again immediately and captured hundreds of soul beasts with cultivation ages in the thousands and tens of thousands for Ji Yang.
"As long as they work! Now you should feel more reassured, and look forward to our shared future even more, right?"
Seeing the eager expressions on the Sky Azure Bull Python and the Titan Giant Ape, Ji Yang said with a soft laugh.
"Of course!"
The Sky Azure Bull Python and the Titan Giant Ape exchanged a glance, then looked at Ji Yang with absolute certainty and nodded vigorously.
At this point, they wanted to enshrine Ji Yang and worship him as the "Dragon God."
He was nothing less than a priceless treasure bestowed upon their Soul Beast Clan by heaven!
If anyone dared target Ji Yang or even hurt him in the future, they would gladly pound that person to death for him, without even needing to do it for Sister Xiao Wu's sake.
"Then keep looking for soul beasts. First, find some 'ordinary' ones for Xiao Wu and me to cultivate with, then look for ones that suit you."
"If you encounter any more evil human soul masters along the way, you can bring them back to me too!"
Ji Yang said with a smile.
"All right, we'll head out now!"
The Sky Azure Bull Python and the Titan Giant Ape nodded together.
With that, they left the Lake of Life once more and plunged into the vast Star Dou Great Forest to search for suitable prey.
Not long after the Sky Azure Bull Python and the Titan Giant Ape left, Xiao Wu returned to the Lake of Life after taking Ye Lingling for a stroll.
The disappearance of the Starwind Wolf, the Moonshadow Leopard, and the two scar-faced men did not draw Xiao Wu's attention-or rather, she did not care about it at all.
Ye Lingling, on the other hand, appeared somewhat surprised and curious, but quickly returned to normal and sensibly refrained from asking.
"Did Da Ming and Er Ming head out again?"
Xiao Wu came to Ji Yang's side, linked her arm through his right arm, and asked.
The question was actually rather unnecessary.
She had already guessed the answer without asking.
On her way back, she had heard the commotion as Da Ming and Er Ming left.
"Yes. The pills worked very well for them, so they rushed off to find more soul beasts. They'll prepare some for us while they're at it!"
Ji Yang replied with a light laugh.
"Hehe, that's good!"
Xiao Wu giggled, her face full of joy.
Although she had not witnessed it herself, Da Ming and Er Ming's reactions after taking the pills must have been quite "spectacular."
Standing to one side, "left out" of their conversation, Ye Lingling felt rather astonished as she listened to their cryptic exchange.
She had no idea what the pills Ji Yang and Xiao Wu were talking about were, or why they had anything to do with soul beasts.
As though sensing Ye Lingling's curious gaze, Ji Yang instinctively looked toward her.
He had almost forgotten that there was an innocent person here who had been dragged into all this.
Remembering the Life Sunflower Soul Spirit Pill he had also finished refining earlier but had yet to use, he felt a little "regretful."
Why did I refine that thing into a Soul Spirit Pill?
Now it was rather difficult to give it to Ye Lingling and let her absorb the corresponding soul ring.
Surely I can't just have Ye Lingling absorb the Life Sunflower Soul Spirit Pill and obtain the corresponding Life Sunflower soul spirit?
If he did, his secret would inevitably become known to Ye Lingling, an "outsider."
Why not turn Ye Lingling from an "outsider" into an "insider"?
The thought sprang unbidden into Ji Yang's mind.
By "insider," he naturally did not mean a "wife," but someone on his side.
Or, more precisely, a member of a faction he established.
If he failed to obtain a divine position and become a god in the future, leaving him with only the path of self-created godhood and ascension through faith, he would indeed need a faction and plenty of allies to expand his influence and gather more power of faith.
Ye Lingling might be a suitable candidate.
Moreover, her grandfather Ye Renxin had connections and standing, which would make their future undertakings more convenient.
With those considerations in mind, Ji Yang made his decision.
And so, under Xiao Wu's puzzled gaze beside him, he extended an invitation to Ye Lingling.
"Would you like to join our faction? If you're willing, you'll receive tremendous benefits in the future. If nothing else, the curse inherent in your Ye Family's Nine Heart Begonia martial soul might finally be lifted!"
Ji Yang said.
This was how he chose to invite Ye Lingling.
Just as he had tempted Xiao Wu, the Sky Azure Bull Python, and the others with benefits, he now did the same to Ye Lingling.
In his view, the incentives he offered-especially the latter-would be nearly impossible for Ye Lingling to refuse.
The reason was simple!
The Ye Family had suffered under the Nine Heart Begonia for far too long!
Across generations, only two soul masters could possess the Nine Heart Begonia martial soul at the same time. That was the curse borne by the Ye Family, whose members possessed this martial soul.
If a new bearer of the Nine Heart Begonia martial soul appeared, one of the two existing soul masters who possessed it would die.
For the Ye Family, this was undoubtedly an agonizing curse.
Ye Lingling herself was an example. Because she had awakened the Nine Heart Begonia martial soul, her father or mother had died just like that. How could she not suffer? Her temperament had changed drastically afterward, leaving her aloof, withdrawn, and taciturn.
If given a choice, perhaps the thing Ye Lingling most wanted to abandon was her own Nine Heart Begonia martial soul.
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