Seeing how much importance Gu Yang placed on that strange black pearl, Bone Douluo could not help feeling curious.
This was the first time he had seen such a serious expression on Gu Yang's face.
"Brat, what treasure is that pearl? Is it worth so much attention?"
Gu Yang controlled the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger's Innate Evil God Pearl, making sure it could not seize the chance to escape, before saying with relief:
"Grandpa, this pearl is the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger's greatest treasure apart from its Soul Ring. No, even its Soul Ring isn't as valuable as this pearl."
"Oh? Is it really as extraordinary as you say? Aren't a Soul Beast's most valuable parts its Soul Ring and Soul Bones?" Bone Douluo did not seem entirely convinced. "Oh, right. Given how unusual this Dark Demon Evil God Tiger is, along with its cultivation of over sixty thousand years, it should definitely have produced a Soul Bone."
As he spoke, Bone Douluo prepared to search the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger's corpse.
Yet after searching through it, he found nothing.
"How strange. With this Dark Demon Evil God Tiger's strength, it actually had no Soul Bone?" Bone Douluo asked in puzzlement. "Could it be like that Dark Devil Tiger from before, requiring you to absorb its Soul Ring to obtain an External Soul Bone?"
Gu Yang shook his head. "Impossible. This Innate Evil God Pearl holds all the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger's power, so it won't produce a Soul Bone after death."
"Then how do you use this pearl?" Bone Douluo remained skeptical.
As for how to use the pearl, Gu Yang really did need to give it some thought.
But before studying the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger's Innate Evil God Pearl, Gu Yang first needed to absorb its Soul Ring.
The Soul Ring had a time limit; the Evil God Pearl did not.
His gaze returned to the black Soul Ring above the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger's corpse.
[Dark Demon Evil God Tiger, 65,271 years, absorption success rate: 100%, chance of obtaining a time-type Soul Skill after absorption: 37.5%, chance of obtaining a space-type Soul Skill after absorption: 19.5%, chance of obtaining a wind-attribute Soul Skill after absorption: 18%, chance of obtaining a lightning-attribute Soul Skill after absorption: 17%, chance of obtaining an evil-type Soul Skill after absorption: 8%.]
After seeing the AI's analysis of the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger, Gu Yang grew even more curious about the Soul Skill its Soul Ring would grant.
Apart from the two conventional attributes of wind and lightning, time, space, and evil could all be considered extremely rare attributes.
Most importantly, their probabilities were all quite high.
He extended his right hand, and stark white bones slowly emerged. Gu Yang immediately began absorbing the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger's Soul Ring.
The black Soul Ring above the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger's corpse instantly turned into a streak of light and flew toward Gu Yang.
With a flash, it transformed directly into a black Soul Ring beneath Gu Yang's feet, growing and shrinking, contracting and expanding.
At the same time, a vast, piercingly cold presence immediately stabbed into Gu Yang's body, wildly battering every joint and every part of his flesh.
Had Gu Yang's body not already been formidable thanks to Shikotsumyaku, that impact alone would likely have inflicted internal injuries.
What Gu Yang needed to do next was fully digest the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger's Soul Ring power and turn it entirely into his own Fifth Soul Ring.
As the Soul Ring's power slowly entered Gu Yang's body, the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger's enormous corpse beside him also began dissolving into wisps of gray vapor, gradually vanishing without a trace.
The Scripture of Supreme Mystery circulated ceaselessly within him, and Gu Yang also directly activated his Third Soul Skill, Holy Dragon's Protection, to bolster himself.
Working together, the two seemed to form a spatial millstone, nibbling away at the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger's Soul Ring power bit by bit.
The entire process held few complications. On the contrary, it went very smoothly.
With the support of his Third Soul Skill, the evil presence the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger had left in its Soul Ring could not affect Gu Yang at all.
The absorption lasted well over an hour. When Gu Yang let out a long breath and awoke from cultivation, he felt refreshed and clearheaded.
What delighted Gu Yang even more was that merely absorbing the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger's Soul Ring had raised his Soul Power directly to rank fifty-seven.
Those were seven ranks in the Soul King realm, showing just how astonishing the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger's own qualities were.
If its Soul Ring was already like this, how amazing would the Innate Evil God Pearl containing the essence of its entire being prove to be?
The bone whip contracted, bringing the Innate Evil God Pearl before Gu Yang.
Some often said the Innate Evil God Pearl was the greatest opportunity Tang San had missed. That was not wrong. After all, this pearl had indirectly created a deity and even changed Tang San's situation in the Divine Realm.
The Evil God Pearl was a fine thing, but the crucial question was how to use it.
"AI, how do I use this Innate Evil God Pearl?"
"Based on records concerning the Innate Evil God Pearl from the Douluo Continent and the Boundless Mainland, the Innate Evil God Pearl can be taken into the body by using blood as a catalyst."
"Put that in plain language."
"Spit a mouthful of blood onto the Innate Evil God Pearl, then swallow it whole."
That simple and crude?
Right, it seemed Zhou Weiqing of the Boundless Mainland had accidentally spilled his blood onto the Innate Evil God Pearl, then swallowed it by chance.
Since he could think of no other method, Gu Yang could only try this one first.
The bones in his arm shifted, and a moment later, a splash of blood spilled from his palm onto the Innate Evil God Pearl.
Once stained with blood, the Innate Evil God Pearl immediately began humming, then burst with black light.
He picked up the Innate Evil God Pearl, which felt icy in his hand. Taking a deep breath, Gu Yang swallowed it into his stomach.
It was a little hard to get down. Luckily, it wasn't too big. Any bigger, and I couldn't have swallowed it at all.
As soon as the Evil God Pearl entered his body, black light continuously enveloped Gu Yang, finally forming something like a black cocoon.
Within it, Gu Yang's body also began undergoing a kind of change.
A close look would have revealed that Gu Yang's bones, muscles, and meridians were all imperceptibly becoming tinged with a faint layer of gray.
A good half hour passed before these changes in Gu Yang's body finally stopped completely.
The black cocoon of light dispersed, revealing Gu Yang's figure once more.
At that instant, Bone Douluo actually sensed something unfamiliar about Gu Yang.
His appearance clearly had not changed at all; he was still just as rugged and handsome.
Yet he gave Bone Douluo a suffocating sense of coldness, dominance, evil, and uncanny strangeness.
"Brat?" Bone Douluo called tentatively.
"Hm? What is it, Grandpa?"
"That presence of yours... are you all right?" Bone Douluo asked softly.
Taking a deep breath and readjusting himself, Gu Yang suppressed that evil and dominance deep within his heart, returning to the way he had felt before.
"Don't worry, Grandpa. I'm fine!"
Sensing his Fifth Soul Skill and the changes in his body, Gu Yang's lips curved slightly as he said with considerable satisfaction, "Not only am I fine, but what I gained from absorbing the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger's Soul Ring and Innate Evil God Pearl is no less than what that Dark Devil Tiger gave me before!"