Blue Silver Armor Attachment

[After a moment's consideration, you accepted Ah Yin's suggestion.]

[The golden patterns all over Ah Yin glowed faintly. Her Blue Silver Domain spread silently, a ring of pale golden ripples radiating from her true body into the surrounding wilderness.]

[Within mere breaths, Ah Yin reached through layer upon layer of trees and precisely located your target-]

[In a Thunder-Eroded Valley on the outskirts of the Blue Silver Forest, a Dark Thunder Scale Armor Dragon with twenty-two thousand years of cultivation was prowling.]

[She had intended to ask the Blue Silver King to act personally and hunt this Sub-Dragon Soul Beast for you, sparing you the danger.]

[You considered for a moment, but still shook your head and politely declined.]

[Throughout your cultivation thus far, you had mostly worked through theories behind closed doors and buried yourself in rigorous training. Your actual combat experience was ultimately too limited, and this astonishingly well-defended Sub-Dragon Soul Beast offered just the chance to hone your skills.]

[Ah Yin remained uneasy and insisted that the Blue Silver King follow in hiding, standing guard and supporting you against any mishap.]

[After a little thought, you nodded in agreement.]

[Following Ah Yin's directions, you brought the Blue Silver King to the outskirts of the Blue Silver Forest.]

[You signaled for the Blue Silver King to conceal himself first, then found a low-lying pass and activated your Third Soul Skill, "Myriad Forms Mimicry." Turning Blue Silver Grass into a broad-bladed earthen shovel, you bent down and began digging a pit.]

[In just an hour, a pit fifty feet wide and thirty feet deep took shape. You covered it with dead branches and loose soil, carefully disguising it until its surface looked no different from the ordinary forest floor.]

[With everything in place, you headed alone toward the Thunder-Eroded Valley.]

[The moment you entered the valley, a pungent, scorched smell struck you. Looking up, you saw a Dark Thunder Scale Armor Dragon lying among charred rocks, its eyes closed as it breathed thunder in and out.]

[Its immense body stood over ten feet tall, covered in thick, ink-black scales, each edged with dark purple lightning patterns. With every breath, tiny arcs of electricity leaped through the gaps in its armor; a massive, heavy, hammer-shaped tail dragged behind it, stirring wind and thunder as it swung.]

[Wherever it passed, trees withered and charred, and earth and stone cracked apart.]

[Your gaze settled on that tail hammer. Its fearsome surface bore eleven scattered spiral spikes, each gleaming with a cold, hard purple light.]

[This type of Soul Beast's age was measured by its tail spikes, each spike representing a thousand years of cultivation. Eleven corresponded precisely to twenty-two thousand years, matching Ah Yin's perception without the slightest discrepancy.]

[You hesitated no longer and stepped out to provoke it.]

[Blue Silver Grass shot from your palm, several vines forming a long whip that lashed viciously at its flank with a rush of wind.]

[The Dark Thunder Scale Armor Dragon abruptly raised its head, cold light flashing in its slit pupils as they swiftly locked onto you. A rolling growl rumbled from its throat, and it drove all four feet into the ground, lunging at you with the force of thunder.]

[You turned and fled, your movements light as a phantom as you darted into the woods.]

[It pursued hard on your heels, but its immense body was ultimately too cumbersome to keep up with your elusive footwork.]

[Unable to catch you, it flew into a rage. Lightning abruptly exploded around it, countless blue-purple arcs spreading outward along the ground. Wherever they passed, soil blackened and grass turned to ash.]

[You had anticipated this. Blue Silver Grass vines shot out and wrapped precisely around a branch of an ancient tree thick enough to encircle with both arms. Using it to swing yourself forward, you shot into the air like an arrow loosed from a bow, narrowly avoiding the electricity sweeping beneath your feet.]

[Its attack missed, and its furious roars intensified. Its tail hammer swept through the air, sending a crescent-shaped blue-purple lightning blade slicing straight toward your waist and abdomen.]

[You twisted at the waist, forcibly changing direction in midair. The lightning blade skimmed your clothing and slashed diagonally past you, striking an ancient tree ahead.]

[The trunk, thick enough for two people to encircle, snapped at once. Wisps of smoke rose from its charred break as splinters flew, giving off the bitter smell of scorched wood.]

[After both attacks failed, the Dark Thunder Scale Armor Dragon's ferocity subsided somewhat. It began to think of retreat and turned to return to the valley.]

[Seeing this, you did not pursue. You formed Blue Silver Grass into a spear over ten feet long, aiming its tip from afar at a weak point where the scales overlapped along the side of its neck.]

[Lowering your wrist and twisting your waist, you hurled it with force.]

[The spear tore through the air with a rush of wind. Though it failed to pierce the scales, it struck the side of its neck solidly, jolting its head sharply aside.]

[Already seething with anger, the Dark Thunder Scale Armor Dragon had its ferocity fully ignited by this neither-light-nor-heavy provocation.]

[It let out a mountain-shaking roar, wheeled around, and charged after you again.]

[Through the resonance between Blue Silver Grass and the surrounding vegetation, you sensed the terrain precisely, fighting as you retreated between the trees. Sometimes you darted close to lash it with a whip; sometimes you hurled a spear from afar. You remained within its sight all the while, yet never allowed it to touch you.]

[When it pursued, you fled; when it retreated, you harassed it. Through this repeated tug-of-war, you finally lured the enraged dragon step by step toward your prepared trap.]

[During the chase, its forefeet suddenly found empty air. With a tremendous crash, its enormous body slammed into the bottom of the pit.]

[The Dark Thunder Scale Armor Dragon roared in fury, kicking wildly with all four feet and smashing its tail hammer about, sending loose stones cascading down the pit walls. Yet it could not climb the thirty-foot walls.]

[Once its initial frenzy of struggling subsided a little, the bottom of the pit gradually quieted, leaving only heavy panting and the crackle of electricity.]

[After confirming that it truly could not escape anytime soon, you darted to the edge and leaned over to examine the trapped beast.]

[The Dark Thunder Scale Armor Dragon jerked its head up, its slit pupils fixed on you, its eyes filled with unwillingness and savagery.]

[With a slight stir of your Soul Power, dozens of Blue Silver Grass vines cascaded into the pit like a waterfall. The supple vines clung to its scales like a festering disease attached to bone as you simultaneously activated your Second Soul Skill, "Essence Devouring Absorption."]

[Tiny, densely packed pores silently opened, nibbling away at its Soul Power bit by bit.]

[Streams of violent yet pure lightning-attribute Soul Power flowed back up the vines, were converted into gentle energy through your Martial Soul Origin, and slowly entered your meridians.]

[Driven to retaliate by excruciating pain, the Dark Thunder Scale Armor Dragon smashed its tail hammer into the ground. A crescent-shaped blue-purple lightning blade slashed diagonally upward along the pit wall.]

[Alarm gripped your heart, and you rapidly retreated. The lightning blade skimmed your chest and flew diagonally into the sky, tracing a purple arc before dissipating completely.]

[When its strike missed, it went utterly berserk. Thunder surged around its body, countless electrical arcs bursting from the gaps in its scales and spreading through the pit like a spiderweb.]

[Without hesitation, you immediately severed every vine you had extended inside.]

[The electrical arcs struck the pit walls, blasting stone fragments everywhere and leaving scorch marks all over.]

[The vines you could not withdraw in time were swept by the blue-purple arcs and instantly blasted into charred fragments, which fluttered down to the bottom of the pit.]

[Once the lightning dispersed, you darted back to the edge. Using the Soul Power you had just absorbed to swiftly replenish your expenditure, you sent Blue Silver Grass twining around the Dark Thunder Scale Armor Dragon again and activated "Essence Devouring Absorption" once more, drawing out its remaining Soul Power at an unhurried pace.]

[As this tug-of-war repeated, the Dark Thunder Scale Armor Dragon's aura grew weaker and weaker, its struggles diminished, and most of the lightning around its body faded.]

[Just as its strength was about to run dry, a vicious gleam suddenly flashed in its eyes as it prepared for a trapped beast's final struggle.]

[You raised a hand and gestured into the shadows, signaling the Blue Silver King to act.]

[In an instant, countless Blue Silver Grass vines surged from underground, winding around its four feet and tail hammer in layers like steel cables. Supple leaves became thin blades, slipping precisely into the gaps between its scales and following its joints to lock them tight, completely sealing off its final counterattack.]

[The Dark Thunder Scale Armor Dragon let out an unwilling, mournful cry. Its limbs and tail hammer trembled with exertion, yet it could not move at all.]

[In the end, firmly bound, it was lifted by the Blue Silver King's vines and carried all the way back to the Blue Silver Ancestral Land.]

[When night grew black as ink and stars filled the sky.]

[You used "Myriad Forms Mimicry" to form a Blue Silver spear, concentrating extreme sharpness at its tip, and beneath the starlight, drove it into the vital spot beneath the dragon's reverse scale.]

[One strike killed it.]

[A pitch-black Soul Ring slowly rose. The pressure unique to a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring congealed the air, and the insects in the forest abruptly fell silent.]

[You sat cross-legged, focused your mind, and calmed your breathing. With your will, you drew the Soul Ring into your body and began absorbing it.]

[The instant the Soul Ring entered your body, a vast, violent surge of energy rushed into your meridians.]

[It was the essence of the Dark Thunder Scale Armor Dragon's lifetime of cultivation, bearing the dominance of a Sub-Dragon and the violence of lightning as it rampaged through every part of your body.]

[Your bones and sinews groaned under the burden. Blue-purple electrical arcs flickered faintly across your skin, and your meridians burned with searing pain, as though this power would tear you apart from within.]

[You gritted your teeth, relying on the resilient foundation forged through Ice and Fire Body Tempering to withstand each surge. At the same time, you circulated the "Zhou Tian Star Dou Art" at full strength, guiding this violent energy slowly through the acupoints of your body's circuit, breaking it down and dividing it bit by bit until it finally merged into your flesh and Martial Soul.]

[Yet before you could fully bring this surging Soul Power into order, a cold, savage resentment flowed backward along it and rushed straight into your Sea of Consciousness.]

[The phantom of the Dark Thunder Scale Armor Dragon's soul took shape within your Sea of Consciousness. Its scales bristled and lightning coiled around it as it roared soundlessly, baring its fangs and claws to tear at your spiritual awareness in an attempt to crush your consciousness completely.]

[This was the Soul Shock of a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring, the Soul Beast's most savage counterattack before death.]

[You had long been prepared.]

[Within your Sea of Consciousness, a Star Chart abruptly lit up, its stars all blossoming with clear, cool radiance.]

[Outside, high in the night sky, wisps of stellar power became silver threads, pouring through your Baihui Acupoint into your Sea of Consciousness. They interwove into dazzling silver chains that bound the dragon soul's resentment layer upon layer, strangling and grinding it away.]

[The dragon soul's resentment struggled madly amid the starlight, letting out soundless roars. In the end, it could not withstand the grinding suppression of the vast Star Power and dissolved into specks of black light, vanishing completely.]

[After an unknown length of time, you slowly opened your eyes. Starlight seemed to flash through them, deep and bright.]

[Your Soul Power Level broke through to forty-eight. At the same time, you obtained your Fourth Soul Skill-]

[Blue Silver Armor Attachment: dragon scales covered the body, impervious to all arts. A layer of alternating red and blue dragon-scale armor covered the surface of Blue Silver Grass, greatly enhancing physical defense and elemental resistance.]

[You opened your palm and summoned your Martial Soul, Blue Silver Grass.]

[It had long since lost its former softness and frailty. A dense layer of dark-black keratin had grown over its lustrous, jade-like stem, cool to the touch and harder than iron. The edges of its three main leaves had hardened slightly, displaying layered patterns like dragon scales; blue-purple electrical arcs traveled through its veins, appearing and disappearing, flickering light and dark.]

[You cut open the corpse.]

[Perhaps because you had repeatedly drained it while it was alive, its resentment had run deep. You unexpectedly discovered an External Soul Bone-the Dark Thunder Scale Armor Dragon's tailbone.]

[This Soul Bone had a fearsome shape, like a dark-black iron hammer covered in barbs. Each barb curved inward in a spiral, its hooked tip gleaming with a cold, hard purple-black light.]

[Although an External Soul Bone was incomparably precious, after examining it carefully for a moment, you ultimately disliked its hideous appearance and did not fuse with it immediately.]

[Then, remembering the karmic debt you owed Dugu Bo at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, you sealed it away for the time being, keeping it to settle that old debt in the future.]