Second Spirit Ring

Led by Hui Huo, the three rushed to the Crimson Lotus Demonic Dragon Residence at top speed.

Due to the Crimson Lotus Demonic Dragon's intimidation, there was not a second soul beast to be found within several miles of its residence. However, this was also related to the location it had chosen. Truly powerful ten-thousand-year soul beasts would choose to dwell deep within the central region of the Star Dou Great Forest and would not think much of this fringe area near the outer perimeter.

The Crimson Lotus Demonic Dragon's senses were exceptionally sharp. The moment Xiao Yu and the others stepped into its territory, its enormous body, which had been curled up with its eyes closed in rest, instantly unfurled. It charged straight at the three of them with terrifying momentum.

"Beast, what sharp senses!"

If a mere thousand-year Crimson Lotus Demonic Dragon could detect the three of them, while Hui Huo, an eight-ring Soul Douluo, and Miao, a seven-ring Soul Sage, lacked even the spiritual awareness to sense the Crimson Lotus Demonic Dragon coming to kill them, they might as well smash their heads into tofu.

"Miao, protect the Young Master! Leave this beast to me!"

Hui Huo shouted at Miao. His martial soul instantly possessed him, revealing eight soul rings in the optimal configuration: two yellow, two purple, and four black. He charged toward the approaching Hell Demon Dragon.

Both man and dragon moved at astonishing speed. In just a few breaths, they collided head-on.

"Roar!"

Seeing someone charge at it, the Crimson Lotus Demonic Dragon immediately opened its gaping maw and roared at Hui Huo. Its earthshaking dragon roar carried a fierce gale.

Yet Hui Huo, with his profound cultivation, was not affected in the slightest. His speed did not slow by even half a fraction. In the blink of an eye, he arrived before the demonic dragon, clenched his right hand into a fist, and drove it viciously into the dragon's massive head.

It was only one punch, but when it landed on the Crimson Lotus Demonic Dragon's head, it was like a boulder crashing down. Pain sent the Crimson Lotus Demonic Dragon into an even louder roar. It staggered several steps back and glared at Hui Huo, its eyes filled with horrifying killing intent.

The dragon twisted its body, and the currents around it churned chaotically. In an instant, it condensed around thirty flaming bullets. With another roar, the flaming bullets swarmed toward Hui Huo.

"Fourth Spirit Skill, Black Flame Impact!"

Hui Huo immediately counterattacked. His fourth soul ring lit up, and a halo nearly a meter wide appeared above his head. Black flames surged from the halo with a piercing howl. After swallowing every incoming red flaming bullet, the black flames continued onward without losing momentum, shooting straight toward the Crimson Lotus Demonic Dragon.

The Crimson Lotus Demonic Dragon was too slow to dodge and took the attack head-on. The terrifying black flames possessed boundless destructive power. If the Crimson Lotus Demonic Dragon did not inherently possess a fire attribute, it would likely have already been burned to ashes.

Even so, the Crimson Lotus Demonic Dragon was burned into continuous shrieks, repeatedly letting out chilling roars. Its huge body gradually blackened beneath the burning black flames, and its proudly raised head slowly lowered.

Only after beating the Crimson Lotus Demonic Dragon to the brink of death did Hui Huo withdraw his spirit skill. He casually grabbed the demonic dragon. The dragon, weighing more than a hundred pounds, seemed as weightless as a feather in Hui Huo's hand. Carrying it lightly, he flew back at great speed and soon returned to Xiao Yu's side.

"Young Master, act quickly and finish this beast."

After Hui Huo's barrage of black flames, the Crimson Lotus Demonic Dragon had only one breath left. If Xiao Yu hesitated any longer, even that breath would be gone. Soul masters could only absorb the soul rings of soul beasts they killed themselves. Otherwise, all this effort would have been for nothing.

Xiao Yu naturally understood this. Without hesitation, he drew a dagger and thrust it into the Crimson Lotus Demonic Dragon's vital point. Already on the verge of death, the Crimson Lotus Demonic Dragon struggled only a few times before losing its life. A purple ring of light slowly rose from its enormous body.

Sitting cross-legged, Xiao Yu took a deep breath and began circulating his Soul Power to absorb the soul ring.

Drawn by his Soul Power, the soul ring radiating a faint purple glow descended onto Xiao Yu's body. Although Xiao Yu had made plenty of preparations beforehand, absorbing a soul ring beyond his level was no easy matter. The instant he absorbed the soul ring, intense pain spread throughout his body. The agony relentlessly assaulted his nerves, making even his breathing rapid.

Keep your mind steady. Stay conscious!

Xiao Yu clenched his teeth and repeatedly reminded himself in his heart.

Time passed second by second. The domineering power of the soul ring coursed through Xiao Yu's body, constantly scouring it as though washing it clean. The extreme pain made veins bulge across his body, sweat covered his forehead, and traces of blood seeped from his tightly bitten lips.

Who knew how long passed like this? Xiao Yu, who had become nearly numb from the pain, seemed to hear the sound of an egg cracking open. The soul ring power circulating through his entire body seemed to have found an outlet and surged out wildly.

It worked!

Xiao Yu quietly breathed a sigh of relief. He had endured the hardest part. The rest would now fall into place naturally.

"Ding! Detected that the host has killed and absorbed a thousand-year soul ring with another's assistance. Mission evaluation: Black-level. Congratulations, Host, you have obtained one Black-level character selection opportunity."

As the system prompt sounded, the absorption of the second soul ring was declared complete. Without hesitation, Xiao Yu quickly opened the system shop and used the Spirit Ring Disguise he had exchanged for 300 diamonds not long ago, changing his originally purple-glowing second soul ring into yellow.

"Whew, it's finally over!"

Xiao Yu let out a long breath, rose from the ground, and rubbed his legs, which had gone somewhat numb from sitting cross-legged for so long.

Hui Huo and Miao, who had been standing guard around Xiao Yu, immediately came to his side. Hui Huo had always been a man of few words, but Miao asked curiously, "Young Master, what kind of skill did this thousand-year soul ring grant you?"

"My Second Spirit Skill is called Shadow Gale Bursting Bullet. It should be a fusion of my martial soul's darkness attribute and the Crimson Lotus Demonic Dragon's flaming bullets. It has a long-range attack effect, with a straight-line range of roughly twenty meters. I can fire it without limit until my Soul Power is exhausted."

There was naturally no need for him to hide anything from Hui Huo and Miao, so he laid out the abilities of his Second Spirit Skill in full.

"Not a bad skill!"

Both Hui Huo and Miao nodded in approval upon hearing this, acknowledging Xiao Yu's Second Spirit Skill.

"The soul ring has been absorbed. Let's leave quickly."

Xiao Yu hastily said so. This Crimson Lotus Demonic Dragon looked like a lone creature, but who knew whether it had any distant relatives? Though sub-dragons could not compare to true dragon bloodlines, they were still beings capable of grinding opponents of the same level into the ground. If a ten-thousand-year one showed up, it would be no small trouble for them.

Hui Huo and Miao nodded together. They naturally understood Xiao Yu's concerns. The three quickly tidied up and swiftly departed, flying in the direction of the Star Dou Great Forest.