After keeping watch beside the stream for two days, the two left to search elsewhere. There probably would not be any particularly good Soul Beasts nearby, and they could return if they truly found nothing.
Yet by sheer coincidence, only half a day after leaving, they actually found an excellent Soul Beast.
As they passed through a grove, an enormous number of bee Soul Beasts emerged from the trees. Though not particularly large, they were still the size of eggs, and their overwhelming numbers blotted out the sky. Yang Zhentian pulled his son away at once.
Yang Podi still seemed a little shaken. "Dad, those looked like Sunset Bees just now. Why were there so many?"
"That's right, those were Sunset Bees. They're Soul Beasts unique to Sunset Forest, and a type that agility-type Soul Masters favor."
Yang Podi thought for a moment. "Dad, something seems wrong. Why were there so many Sunset Bees just now? And they all seemed to be heading in the same direction, as though they were fighting something."
"Something is indeed wrong. Could some Soul Beast have dared to steal their honey? That's far too bold. Sunset Bees are one of Sunset Forest's overlords, after all, and they're renowned for their numbers."
"Dad, why don't we take a look? Any Soul Beast that dares provoke Sunset Bees probably isn't ordinary."
After a moment's thought, Yang Zhentian took Yang Podi on a detour in the direction the Sunset Bees had flown. They arrived at a mud pool, where countless Sunset Bees flew back and forth above its surface.
Only after half a day did the Sunset Bees seem willing to let the matter rest, gradually departing.
Several more hours passed before a bear actually crawled out of the mud pool. It looked somewhat clumsy, but its intimidating presence was considerable.
The bear rolled several times across the grass, shedding a fair amount of the mud on its body. It seemed quite intelligent. Then it ran to a nearby stream and jumped straight in, intending to bathe and wash away the sludge covering it.
But perhaps its luck was simply too poor. A sudden roar rang out from the bear, as though something in the water had bitten it.
The clumsy bear immediately began struggling desperately, and the entire stream turned blood-red.
The bear finally seemed to scramble ashore with all its strength, but the Soul Beast that had wounded it actually pursued it onto the bank.
With the mud washed off, the bear's full appearance was finally revealed. It was actually a ten-thousand-year Earth Demon Bear. Earth Demon Bears were exceptionally formidable, with even more astonishing strength. Almost no ten-thousand-year Soul Beast could match it, making it something of an overlord. No wonder it had dared provoke the Sunset Bees.
Yet the Soul Beast attacking it seemed even more terrifying. A golden crocodile emerged from the stream, its entire body covered in thick golden armor. It was over ten meters long, and its tail was particularly fearsome, resembling a spiked club, yet with an extremely sharp tip.
Yang Zhentian and Yang Podi spoke at the same time. "Yellow Golden Crocodile!"
Yang Zhentian examined it closely. "No, that's not a Yellow Golden Crocodile. It's a Gold Crocodile King."
Yang Podi hurriedly asked, "Dad, how old is this Gold Crocodile King?"
"Judging by its length and the condition of its teeth, it should be between 3,500 and 4,000 years old."
"This Gold Crocodile King is the one. I want it for my third Soul Ring."
On the battlefield, the Earth Demon Bear had already suffered grievous injuries after just a few exchanges. One arm had even been bitten clean off, while a full-strength swipe of its claws across the Gold Crocodile King's body left only a shallow mark, without drawing so much as a drop of blood.
Yang Zhentian swiftly summoned his Soul Breaking Spear and eight Soul Rings. His Soul Rings flashed as he flew toward the battlefield and struck at the Gold Crocodile King's mouth, punching a wound straight through it.
But the Gold Crocodile King seemed exceptionally ferocious. It bit down directly on the Soul Breaking Spear, stopping its advance. Then its enormous tail lashed toward Yang Zhentian, seeking to force him back.
Yang Zhentian was already a high-level Soul Douluo. How could this strike drive him back? He pulled out his Soul Breaking Spear and thrust it at the Gold Crocodile King's tail. A piercing clang of metal against metal rang out, and a massive wound appeared on its tail.
Yang Zhentian's Soul Rings flashed again. This time, the Soul Breaking Spear stabbed straight into the Gold Crocodile King's body, opening another large hole from which blood poured in torrents.
The Gold Crocodile King seemed to be in great pain and turned to flee toward the stream.
But how could Yang Zhentian let it leave? This time, he unleashed his sixth Soul Skill. A black Soul Ring flashed, and the Soul Breaking Spear shot toward the Gold Crocodile King, pinning it to the ground and piercing clean through its body.
After suffering repeated heavy blows, the Gold Crocodile King clearly would not survive. It lay on the ground, still writhing, seemingly unwilling to accept its fate.
The Earth Demon Bear, meanwhile, had long since seized the opportunity to escape, leaving a bear arm on the ground. Perhaps foolish bears had a fool's luck.
"Son, come kill this Gold Crocodile King."
Hearing this, Yang Podi hurried over to his father.
"Dad, with attacks like those, won't this Gold Crocodile King die too soon?"
"How could it? This Gold Crocodile King's vitality is tremendous. Hurry up and kill it."
Yang Podi thrust his Soul Breaking Spear at the Gold Crocodile King's eye, piercing straight through it. Seeing that it continued to thrash and had actually survived the blow, he could only stab his Soul Breaking Spear into its other eye. Only then did the Gold Crocodile King slowly stop moving, and a purple Soul Ring appeared above its corpse.
Yang Podi sat beside the Gold Crocodile King's corpse and summoned his Soul Breaking Spear Martial Soul in his right hand, drawing the purple Soul Ring toward himself.
As the Soul Ring flew onto his body, an immense force seemed to surge from it. The Soul Power throughout his body seemed to run wild, as though he were engulfed in a sea of fire. It was countless times more painful than when Yang Podi had absorbed his first Soul Ring.
Gradually, a purple Soul Ring appeared around the spear like a bracelet. Yet the pain seemed only to have begun. His right hand-indeed, his entire body-felt as though it were submerged in magma, every cell and every wisp of his soul being tempered.
Within his mind, too, it was as though there were a sea of fire, where a giant seemed to stand with a spear in hand, facing heaven and earth unyieldingly.
Only after a full six hours did Yang Podi's body gradually settle, and the Soul Power within him slowly stabilized after its explosive increase.
The giant within his mind now seemed to bear a trace of silver and a trace of gold, while the Soul Breaking Spear had grown heavier and more substantial, its tip sharper, like a peerless divine weapon.
With that, Yang Podi successfully absorbed his third Soul Ring from the four-thousand-year Gold Crocodile King. This Soul Ring brought tremendous benefits, amounting to far more than merely a powerful Soul Skill.