Obtaining a Soul Ring

The Golden Extreme Beast was a Soul Beast that fed on ore.

Years of devouring ore made their armored hides as hard as iron, leaving ordinary blades unable to hurt them in the slightest.

Their claws were extremely sharp and could easily slice through all kinds of tough metal ores.

If they struck a human body, they could tear it into eight pieces in an instant.

Aside from that, whenever they encountered danger, they would immediately burrow underground and flee.

Their powerful defense and offense, combined with their nimble evasive abilities, naturally made Golden Extreme Beasts far more difficult to hunt.

Even Soul Hunting teams that specialized in hunting Soul Beasts did not want to provoke them.

Still, this really was an extremely suitable Soul Beast for Lin Yang.

As time trickled by, Lin Yang searched the vast forest, checking every place suitable for Golden Extreme Beasts, but found not the slightest trace of one.

He sighed softly. If there were no Golden Extreme Beasts in this final location either, he would have to settle for second best and look for another of his intended targets.

Then the two passed through the bushes and entered a rocky area.

As soon as they arrived, Lin Yang spotted all kinds of gnawed mineral fragments.

Without a doubt, these were scraps left behind by a Golden Extreme Beast.

There was definitely a Golden Extreme Beast in this area.

Lin Yang's breathing quickened slightly, and he quietly signaled to Zhao Bufan.

Zhao Bufan nodded slightly, then lightened his footsteps and began trailing far behind Lin Yang.

With the Transparent World, concealing his presence was as easy for Lin Yang as eating or drinking.

Using rocks and shrubs as cover, he finally found his target beneath a huge, shaded cliff face.

It was a Soul Beast nearly ten meters long, shaped like a giant lizard, its entire body covered in dark golden keratinous plates that looked hard and heavy.

Most striking of all were the several short but thick spikes growing along its back.

They made it look exceptionally ferocious and full of power.

Lin Yang silently counted seven short spikes in total, which meant this Golden Extreme Beast was already seven hundred years old.

A seven-hundred-year Soul Ring was already equivalent to an ordinary Soul Master's second Soul Ring.

Should I choose it or not?

If he did, he might have to face the risks of absorbing a Soul Ring beyond his level.

If he did not, he would probably have a hard time finding another Golden Extreme Beast anytime soon.

The thought lingered in Lin Yang's mind for only two seconds before he made his decision: this was the one.

Naturally, Lin Yang had not made that decision on a whim.

The most important thing when absorbing a Soul Ring beyond one's level was physical constitution.

Half a year of training as though his life depended on it, combined with Sun Breathing, had allowed him to further tap into his body's potential.

The other reason was his Demon Blood Martial Soul.

Even if he could not endure it, with the Demon Blood Martial Soul, his body would recover. At worst, he would lose a Soul Ring.

He acted as soon as he decided.

With a thought from Lin Yang, Crimson Interval appeared in his hand, and his gaze abruptly sharpened.

The next instant, his figure shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow.

Spiraling, searing flames coiled around the cold gleam of his blade as it thrust fiercely toward the Golden Extreme Beast's eyeball.

"Sun Breathing, Seventh Form: Sunflower Thrust!"

The Golden Extreme Beast's eyeball was very small, but it was enough for Lin Yang.

Clang-!

Just as the tip of the Nichirin Blade was about to pierce its eyeball.

The Golden Extreme Beast, having reacted, abruptly shut its eyes, instantly shielding them firmly beneath its thick armored hide.

The blade's tip struck the armored hide, immediately producing the ringing clash of metal.

Lin Yang's arm shook violently, and the web of his hand instantly went numb. This Golden Extreme Beast's defense far exceeded his expectations.

Using the recoil, Lin Yang twisted in midair and flew backward.

His soles scraped across the ground, leaving two straight tracks.

By now, the Golden Extreme Beast had fully reacted, its dark golden vertical pupils instantly locking onto the intruder, Lin Yang.

It opened its mouth wide and let out a low, furious roar like metal grinding against metal.

"Whew... not bad. Very impressive!"

Lin Yang drew a deep breath, and vast amounts of oxygen and Soul Power began filling his entire body.

A crimson, flame-shaped mark quietly appeared on his forehead, as though a flame were burning silently beneath his skin.

Demon Slayer Mark, activate!

After activating the Demon Slayer Mark, Lin Yang felt his heart pounding like a beaten drum. The Soul Power throughout his body seemed to boil as it flowed from his heart into every limb and bone.

The Golden Extreme Beast also seemed to sense that this human's presence was abruptly rising, gradually becoming dangerous.

Its thick limbs braced against the ground, its dark golden plates creaking.

The next moment, its limbs exerted force.

Its massive body thundered toward Lin Yang like a heavy war chariot, carrying the momentum to crush everything in its path.

Dust flew, and its momentum was terrifying, as though even walls of copper and iron before it would be smashed to pieces.

Yet through the Transparent World, the Golden Extreme Beast's seemingly unstoppable charge was riddled with flaws and openings.

The alignment of every muscle fiber and the load-bearing points between every bone were clearly visible.

That included the deadly weapons it was currently concealing: its pair of extremely sharp claws.

Just as it was about to crash into Lin Yang, a trace of cunning flashed through the Golden Extreme Beast's eyes.

The claws it had kept hidden suddenly lashed out.

Five hooked claws, as though forged from refined iron, sprang out, instantly slicing through the air with a piercing crack.

They slashed toward Lin Yang's body with the speed of thunder striking before one could cover one's ears.

This move of the Golden Extreme Beast was extremely underhanded. Who knew how many Soul Masters had fallen to it?

"Riiip-!"

The sharp claws swept past, but merely tore apart an afterimage.

"Sun Breathing, Fourth Form: Mirage Sun Rainbow!"

Lin Yang's calm voice came from above the Golden Extreme Beast.

When the Golden Extreme Beast looked up in astonishment, it found its vision already filled with a brilliant arc of fire.

"Sun Breathing, Ninth Form: Setting Sun Turn!"

Precise! Swift!

Graceful! Brilliant!

Following a graceful arc, the flame-wreathed Nichirin Blade skimmed lightly through the gap where its neck joined its head.

Boom!

The Golden Extreme Beast's massive, ferocious head abruptly separated from its body and fell to the ground, throwing up a cloud of dust.

Bright red blood swiftly soaked the rocks beneath it.

A bright yellow Soul Ring slowly condensed above the corpse.

"Whew..."

Lin Yang gently exhaled. His Demon Slayer Mark faded, and his surging Soul Power slowly settled.

At that moment, Zhao Bufan, hiding in the distance, wore a bewildered expression.

When he had seen Lin Yang being torn apart just now, he had felt as though the sky were collapsing.

Yet, unexpectedly, in no more than the blink of an eye, that terrifying Golden Extreme Beast's head had already hit the ground.

But then again, what was his role here?

Hadn't they agreed he would lie in ambush to prevent the Golden Extreme Beast from escaping?

After all that time he had spent preparing, he had ended up nothing more than a spectator.

"Zhao Bufan."

"Yes, boss!" Zhao Bufan immediately emerged from his hiding place.

"Stand guard for me. I'm going to absorb the Soul Ring."

"All right. Don't worry, boss."

Zhao Bufan patted his chest as he spoke.

Guiding the Soul Ring with his Soul Power, Lin Yang found the Golden Extreme Beast's den nearby.

He briefly cleaned it up and made some arrangements.

These arrangements were not only meant for Soul Beasts, but for people as well.

He could not afford to let down his guard against others, especially since he and Zhao Bufan also had a Soul Bone transaction between them.

After restoring himself to peak condition, Lin Yang looked at the Soul Ring before him. A sharp gleam flashed through his eyes, and he drew the Soul Ring over with his Soul Power.

The yellow Soul Ring rapidly contracted, fitting around the Nichirin Blade with absolute precision.

The instant it slipped into place, Lin Yang felt an unprecedentedly immense pressure bearing down on him, making every bone in his body creak.

A sharp, savage force surged madly into his body through his Martial Soul, like floodwaters released from a dam.

In the blink of an eye, it spread to every part of his body, as though it would burst him apart.

Naturally, Lin Yang dared not delay. He concentrated fully on circulating the Great Sun Meditation Method, guiding this force and continuously refining it into Soul Power.

The energy contained within a seven-hundred-year Soul Ring far exceeded his imagination.

Completely refining it was bound to take slow, painstaking work.

Just then, Lin Yang sensed something quietly absorbing the Soul Ring's energy.

Lin Yang focused his mind and investigated, discovering that the source drawing in the energy was actually his Demon Blood Martial Soul.

Strangely, after absorbing the Soul Ring's energy, the Demon Blood Martial Soul actually felt "full" for the first time in a long while.

Could it be that, under his strict "fasting" regimen, the Demon Blood Martial Soul had stopped eating flesh and blood and switched to Soul Rings?