Tian E kept Tian Chen protected at his side as he studied the Iron Armored Crocodiles.
Soon, his gaze was drawn to the crocodile Soul Beast leading them. Unlike the pitch-black scales of the other Iron Armored Crocodiles, this one was golden all over, gleaming dazzlingly in the sunlight.
Perhaps it could no longer be called an Iron Armored Crocodile, but rather a Golden-armored Giant Crocodile.
Only one Soul Beast of this kind would appear in an Iron Armored Crocodile pack. It was the pack's sole king.
Barring any accidents, cultivating to the hundred-thousand-year level would pose no problem.
Moreover, the Golden-armored Giant Crocodile's bloodline was very close to that of their hereditary Golden Crocodile King. Of course, the Golden Crocodile King Martial Soul was certainly superior in quality to the Golden-armored Giant Crocodile.
It could be said that among crocodile Martial Souls, the Golden Crocodile King was the absolute king. Otherwise, it could not have been called the Golden Crocodile King.
Tian E carefully examined the Golden-armored Giant Crocodile's size, delight appearing on his face. Given his standing, few things could make him happy.
And this Golden-armored Giant Crocodile was clearly among them. It was an excellent match for their hereditary Golden Crocodile King Martial Soul, and its age was just right for his grandson. How could he not be delighted?
Back then, he had also wanted to obtain a Soul Ring from a Golden-armored Giant Crocodile. Unfortunately, even after completing his nine rings, he had never achieved that goal.
Having it fulfilled through his grandson now gave that wish somewhere to rest.
Then, with a casual wave of his hand, the phantom of his Martial Soul behind him let out a deafening roar.
Feeling this oppressive might, the surrounding Iron Armored Crocodiles fled swiftly like startled birds.
Tian E had no intention of slaughtering them to the last and paid no attention to the fleeing Iron Armored Crocodiles.
The golden giant crocodile was not so lucky. Its fate had been sealed the moment Tian E set his sights on it.
His overwhelming presence pinned it in place. Then a golden claw suddenly appeared out of thin air, severing its four limbs in an instant.
With a wretched scream, all the Golden-armored Giant Crocodile's scales fell off at once. After a few feeble howls, it stopped struggling.
Tian Chen found nothing strange about this. He would only have found it strange if his grandfather, with his level 98 cultivation, had struggled to deal with a hundred-year Soul Beast.
Tian E used his Soul Power to draw the golden giant crocodile, fully twenty meters long, before Tian Chen. He handed his grandson an exquisite dagger and urged him on.
"Chen'er, hurry and kill it to obtain its Soul Ring. A Golden-armored Giant Crocodile like this can only be encountered by chance, not sought out, and its cultivation is no more than five hundred years. Our hereditary Golden Crocodile King Martial Soul naturally suppresses crocodile Soul Beasts through its bloodline. Coupled with your current physique, you'll have no trouble at all absorbing this Soul Ring."
Tian Chen was somewhat dissatisfied with the Soul Ring's age. He felt that his current physique could at least handle a Soul Ring over six hundred years old.
Still, he knew his grandfather was not someone who shot arrows without a target.
Having read the illustrated Soul Beast guide, he also knew how formidable this Soul Beast was. It really did suit him very well.
Without the slightest hesitation, he took the dagger from Tian E, released his Martial Soul, and easily plunged it into the Golden-armored Giant Crocodile's skull.
With the enhancement of Martial Soul Possession, his strength had already reached a terrifying level.
What were crocodiles best at?
Aside from their formidable defenses and the terrifying bite force between their upper and lower jaws, it was sheer strength.
After he pulled out the bloodstained dagger, a bright yellow Soul Ring slowly emerged from the Golden-armored Giant Crocodile's body.
A faint trace of the Golden-armored Giant Crocodile's ferocity still lingered within the Soul Ring.
Since Tian Chen had chosen to absorb its Soul Ring, he would not dwell on anything else.
He directly guided the Soul Ring with his Soul Power, lowering it over himself from above.
Apart from feeling slightly unaccustomed to it at first, he encountered no other problems.
With his Martial Soul's bloodline suppression, he felt no pain whatsoever during the absorption process.
Instead, he felt a warm current of energy continually nourishing his body. Every aspect of his physical attributes was improving rapidly.
In less than an hour, Tian Chen easily absorbed the Golden-armored Giant Crocodile's Soul Ring. With his eyes closed, he carefully sensed the skill this Soul Ring had granted him. Even with his temperament, he could not help letting his delight show.
He opened his eyes excitedly and exchanged a glance with Tian E, who was guarding him at his side, before speaking impatiently.
"Grandpa, I want to find a Soul Beast to test my Soul Skill."
Tian E had no reason to refuse. Stroking his white beard, he smiled and nodded.
He understood his grandson's state of mind. He had gone through the same thing back then. He also wanted to see what Soul Skill this Golden-armored Giant Crocodile had granted his grandson.
In his view, it would certainly be stronger than his own first Soul Skill.
His first Soul Skill, Golden Crocodile Possession, simultaneously increased attack, defense, and strength by fifty percent.
Among first Soul Skills, it was unquestionably extremely formidable.
He was happy from the bottom of his heart that his grandson had encountered such an opportunity. Taking Tian Chen with him, he soared into the sky again and arrived at the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest.
They had been in the mixed zone earlier, where most Soul Beasts were at the thousand-year and ten-thousand-year levels, along with pack-living Soul Beasts like the Iron Armored Crocodiles.
Only this way could they hold their own territory. After all, some Soul Beasts were extremely territorial.
On the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest, hundred-year Soul Beasts were the most commonly seen, though thousand-year Soul Beasts could still be encountered.
In the original story, Oscar and Tang San had obtained their thousand-year Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent and thousand-year Man Faced Demon Spider on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest.
Both of those Soul Beasts were top-grade specimens.
With Tian E's powerful spiritual perception, the two soon found a suitable target.
It was a pack of Gale Demon Wolves. As frequent inhabitants of Soul Beast forests, they were very familiar to Tian Chen.
They also had only one innate Soul Skill-Wind Blade.
Tian E placed Tian Chen right in the middle of the Gale Demon Wolf pack, then concealed his presence in midair, keeping his eyes fixed on Tian Chen and preparing to intervene at any moment.
He was still a little worried about Tian Chen, even though he was only facing a pack of little ten-year wolves.
But the truth proved that he had worried needlessly.