Of course, Qin Xiao's gains did not end there.
Crack-boom!
With a wave of his hand, a bolt of lightning fell out of thin air and slammed into the Titan Giant Ape's body.
Without the reinforcement of Soul Power, the Titan Giant Ape was as fragile as paper before the lightning.
In an instant, its hill-sized body turned to ash beneath the lightning.
Clack.
A crystalline bone dropped to the ground.
"A Soul Bone."
Once Qin Xiao saw what had fallen, a smile curled his lips.
He beckoned, and the Soul Bone fell into his hand as though drawn by an invisible force.
Just as in the original story, it was a left arm bone.
"This will be my first Soul Bone."
"A hundred thousand years. Not bad, I suppose."
Of course, if other Soul Masters heard that, they might have spat out a mouthful of blood.
A Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone was not merely "not bad"-it was far beyond that.
It was already a sacred treasure of legend!
Countless Soul Masters would not dare dream of such a treasure, let alone possess one!
Before long, Qin Xiao had absorbed and refined the left arm bone dropped by the Titan Giant Ape.
This Soul Bone also held two skills: Gravity Mire and Titan Sky Shatter.
Titan Sky Shatter, the Titan Giant Ape's signature skill, had an unmistakable offensive advantage. It displayed the Titan Giant Ape's overwhelming might to the fullest, boasting tremendous power.
With Qin Xiao's cultivation behind it, probably no one below Soul Douluo could withstand it.
Gravity Mire, meanwhile, was a typical control skill that could drastically increase the gravity within a designated area. As Qin Xiao understood it, this counted as a soft-control skill.
Without a doubt, these two Soul Skills were no different from the abilities the Titan Giant Ape provided in the original story.
"Haven't you watched enough yet?"
At that moment, Qin Xiao looked into the distance.
He had discovered someone spying from there while he was still fighting the Titan Giant Ape.
Moreover, two of the presences among those people were familiar to him.
They should have belonged to Meng Yiran and Snake Granny.
That made the last person's identity all but obvious: Dragon Duke!
Rustle, rustle...
A soft rustling suddenly came from the dense forest.
Three figures emerged.
"I am Dragon Duke. My respects, Your Holiness!"
Dragon Duke bowed as he spoke, his attitude impeccably respectful, without any of the airs one would expect from a Soul Douluo above rank eighty.
Of course.
Even with ten times the courage, he would not have dared.
Although he and Snake Granny could join forces to contend with a Titled Douluo, that was all they could do-contend.
The ruthless man before them had slain even the Titan Giant Ape, an overlord among Soul Beasts stronger than an ordinary Titled Douluo.
The gulf between them was like an impassable chasm.
There was nothing wrong with lowering his posture a little.
"Chao Tianxiang."
"Meng Yiran."
"We pay our respects, Your Holiness."
At that moment, Snake Granny and Meng Yiran also bowed to Qin Xiao.
"I didn't expect us to meet again so soon."
Qin Xiao smiled faintly, looking as though he were greeting old friends of many years.
However.
Neither Snake Granny nor Meng Yiran dared respond.
They knew Qin Xiao must have more to say...
Sure enough.
Qin Xiao spoke again. "I'm curious. What kept you lingering out there instead of leaving? Were you planning to wait until the Titan Giant Ape and I had both battered each other, then reap the fisherman's reward?"
What? Reap the fisherman's reward?
Dragon Duke's pupils abruptly contracted. He dared not accept such a weighty accusation.
He hurriedly waved his hands. "Your Holiness, you give me far too much credit. I'm merely a humble Soul Douluo. Even with my wife helping, we wouldn't be a match for one of your hands."
As he spoke, he pointed at Meng Yiran beside him. "My granddaughter needs a Soul Beast for her Soul Ring. Unfortunately, that Soul Beast fled into the dense forest behind you. And just now, we vaguely noticed that it had been injured by the shock waves from your battle with the Titan Giant Ape..."
Huh? So that was it?
Qin Xiao could not help muttering inwardly.
But upon closer consideration, Dragon Duke's explanation made sense.
Even a starved camel was bigger than a horse. Whether he or the Titan Giant Ape emerged victorious, this couple could not swoop in to pick over the remains.
Not even if they could rival a Titled Douluo.
As he relaxed, Qin Xiao suddenly realized something.
They said they were pursuing a Soul Beast?
Could it be...
Qin Xiao asked, "What Soul Beast were you tracking?"
"A Man Faced Demon Spider," Dragon Duke answered without hesitation.
It really was a Man Faced Demon Spider? Could it be the same one?
A powerful curiosity immediately arose in Qin Xiao's heart.
"Since you've discovered that Man Faced Demon Spider in the forest behind me, go and look for it."
As he spoke, he shifted slightly aside, signaling that Dragon Duke and the others could pass.
"Thank you for accommodating us, Your Holiness."
Dragon Duke was overjoyed. He then told Snake Granny and Meng Yiran beside him, "Wait here. I'll go take a look."
As his words fell, Dragon Duke turned into a black shadow and vanished into the dense forest behind Qin Xiao.
Before long.
He returned, dragging a huge, dying spider behind him.
A Man Faced Demon Spider!
Everyone present recognized the enormous creature.
"Yiran, come quickly. This demon spider is still warm..."
"Pah."
"It still has a breath left in it. You can kill it and use it as your Soul Ring."
Dragon Duke beckoned to Meng Yiran.
"All right," Meng Yiran answered brightly, hurrying over.
Swish, swish, swish...
Streaks of cold light flashed, swiftly piercing the weakest parts of the Man Faced Demon Spider's body.
Soon, the Man Faced Demon Spider, which had over a thousand years of cultivation, stopped struggling, and a purple Thousand-Year Soul Ring condensed.
"I'm finally going to get my third ring."
Meng Yiran's voice held mixed emotions and a touch of wistfulness.
The Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent had been snatched away from her before, and she had nearly lost this Man Faced Demon Spider too. Acquiring her third Soul Ring had certainly been a road full of twists and bumps.
"Yiran, what are you standing there for? Hurry and refine it," Dragon Duke urged anxiously.
"Yes!"
Meng Yiran nodded firmly, then sat cross-legged. As though drawn toward her, the Soul Ring settled above her head.
At the sight, Dragon Duke and Snake Granny instinctively glanced at Qin Xiao.
They still remembered that the Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring condensed by the Titan Giant Ape earlier had seemingly been absorbed by Qin Xiao.
It was utterly outrageous!
Qin Xiao ignored their little movements. Instead, he stared intently at Meng Yiran, curiosity written all over his face.
He wanted to know whether Meng Yiran could obtain the External Soul Bone, the Eight Spider Lances.
To Dragon Duke and Snake Granny, however, the scene looked entirely different.
They looked at Qin Xiao, then at Meng Yiran, before exchanging a glance.
Could His Holiness be interested in Yiran?
This...
That would be a blessing as great as the heavens!
Heaven Dou City.
In a private room on the second floor of the Moonlight Pavilion, a shabby man sat at a table, drinking fine wine pot after pot.
No one would have imagined that such an unkempt man could be found in an upscale establishment frequented by princes, princesses, and imperial nobles.
But the mere fact that his name was Tang Hao made his presence in the Moonlight Pavilion perfectly reasonable.
He had not lied to Tang San. After parting with Tang San, he had come to Heaven Dou City.
Nor had he come to the Moonlight Pavilion to drown himself in drink. He was waiting for someone: Tang Xiao, the current master of the Clear Sky Sect and his dear elder brother.
Qin Xiao's overwhelming strength had placed him under unprecedented pressure. Apart from the Clear Sky Sect and Tang Xiao, he could think of no one to ask for help.
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