"Forget it. Why am I telling you all this?"
"Ah, I'm old. Truly old!"
"At my age, it's easy for a familiar sight to stir old feelings. When I brought your father here back then-it still seems so vivid."
"I never imagined that time would slip away, the years flashing past like a shuttle through a loom. In the blink of an eye, my dear grandson has already grown so much."
Meng Zhongqi sighed, his voice wistful.
"Grandpa, let's hurry!"
Meng Qianqiu had only a few hazy memories of his parents. Those memories were blurry, but the feelings were intense and warm.
As a child, Meng Qianqiu had dreamed of his parents so many times, but alas, their time together in those dreams was far too brief.
"Let's go!"
"Hunting down your fifth ring is what we came here to do."
Meng Zhongqi collected himself. At this moment, he was once again Ice Toad Douluo, a Titled Douluo of formidable strength.
"Qiu'er!"
"That crater below is the Blazing Fire Dragon clan's habitat. Blazing Flame Fire Dragons normally live on magma."
"Quickly use a ranged Soul Skill and lure that Blazing Fire Dragon King out for me, so I can lend you a hand."
Meng Zhongqi pointed at the active volcano below. He dared not use an ice-type Soul Skill. Ice and fire would clash, and things could easily end in a massive explosion.
Meng Qianqiu's ranged Soul Skill was fire-attributed. Having him lure out the Blazing Fire Dragon King now was a perfect match for his specialty.
"Second Soul Skill-Flamethrower!"
Meng Qianqiu immediately gave the order. The Manggu Vermilion Toad on his shoulder gathered fiery light in its mouth, forming a blazing pillar of light.
Boom!
The two-inch Manggu Vermilion Toad spat a thread of fire from its mouth. The fire swelled in the wind, becoming a Flamethrower.
The flames blazed fiercely, their light searing!
Terrifying heat spread with the flames, and the Flamethrower spat out by the Manggu Vermilion Toad also carried an ultimate fire poison.
Ultimate Fire, plus Ultimate Poison!
The two entwined, forming a terrifying destructive force. This single strike alone had already devastated the living creatures in the area below.
Roar!
A dragon's roar came from below.
A group of Blazing Fire Dragons appeared within the active volcano below. They threw back their heads and roared, unleashing waves of terrifying bellows.
"Blazing Fire Dragons actually can't fly?"
The sight immediately delighted Meng Qianqiu. So these Blazing Fire Dragons shared the same trait as Groudon.
"Hahaha! Blazing Fire Dragons that can't fly!"
"Blazing Fire Dragons are an absolute disgrace to dragonkind!"
"They're all earth dragons, but Dugu Bo's Golden-Eyed Earth Dragon Martial Soul at least has a pair of wings. It can flap them a few times, at any rate!"
"These Blazing Fire Dragons don't even have wings!"
At this sight, Meng Qianqiu nearly laughed himself silly.
"Qiu'er, be careful!"
"Don't get careless. Caution keeps a ship sailing for ten thousand years."
"Blazing Fire Dragons may not be able to fly, but they can spit Molten Fire Dragon Bombs from their mouths to attack creatures that can."
"Molten Fire Dragon Bombs are made of magma and fire-attributed energy. Once this Soul Skill takes shape, its explosive power is quite astonishing."
"There are quite a few Blazing Fire Dragons down there. If you provoke the whole crowd, I can't guarantee I'll be able to protect you."
Age had made Meng Zhongqi shrewd. Seeing Meng Qianqiu relentlessly mock these Blazing Fire Dragons, he did not forget to remind him.
"Molten Fire Dragon Bomb!"
"This Soul Skill can actually explode?"
At those words, Meng Qianqiu was almost dumbfounded. Wasn't this Soul Skill essentially firing a cannonball? And it even came with explosive damage.
The effects of this Soul Skill were simply incredible.
"Then next, it's my turn to take the stage."
Seeing that all the Blazing Fire Dragons had appeared, Meng Zhongqi stepped forward, and a surge of ice-attributed energy rapidly spread.
The ninety-eight-thousand-year Ice Heart Jade Toad torso bone's Soul Bone Skill: Deep Cold Ice Seal. It fired out energy, unleashed freezing ice, and sealed ten thousand miles in ice.
Meng Zhongqi held nothing back. His Soul Bone Skill, Deep Cold Ice Seal, combined with his Innate Domain, Ice Prison Poison Swamp, and freezing cold instantly swept across heaven and earth.
For a moment, the mountain, from top to bottom, was pure white!
"Sixth Soul Skill-Ice of Corrosion!"
Meng Zhongqi unleashed his sixth Soul Skill. An enormous ice-blue frog appeared behind him, and beneath his feet, his sixth Soul Ring flashed.
The pitch-black sixth Soul Ring immediately burst with radiant light.
"Qiu'er, hurry and act!"
"I can't keep this crater sealed in ice for long. Half a quarter-hour at most. Any longer, and the volcano will be at risk of exploding."
Meng Zhongqi called Meng Qianqiu over. With him personally taking action, Meng Qianqiu could obtain the Soul Ring with practically no effort at all.
Meng Qianqiu did not object to Meng Zhongqi's help. As the saying went, connections were also a reflection of one's strength.
With connections like these, not using them would also be a waste of resources. It was better to put everything to its fullest use; that, too, could count as a virtue.
"Half a quarter-hour?"
"That's enough time!"
Meng Qianqiu nodded, then approached the Blazing Fire Dragon King. The Manggu Vermilion Toad spat out a mouthful of poisonous gas, and flesh and bone slowly dissolved.
A pitch-black Soul Ring appeared before Meng Qianqiu.
"Phew..."
"A forty-thousand-year Blazing Fire Dragon King. Its age is even higher than I expected, comparable to an ordinary Soul Master's seventh Soul Ring."
"I've absorbed the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew and consumed aromatic silk beauty. My mind and body have both drawn infinitely close to perfection."
"This time, I really am putting my life on the line!"
Meng Qianqiu gritted his teeth. This was a Soul Ring over forty thousand years old. Claiming it would be easy to absorb would certainly be a lie. Its age was far too high.
Meng Qianqiu released the Manggu Vermilion Toad, intending to combine the strength of Soul Beast and Soul Master to refine this forty-thousand-year fifth ring together.
Buzzz...
As the Manggu Vermilion Toad swallowed the Soul Ring, a terrifying surge of Soul Power immediately emerged and bore down on Meng Qianqiu.
"What terrifying Soul Power pressure!"
"As expected of a forty-thousand-year Blazing Fire Dragon King!"
Meng Qianqiu clenched his jaw. This time, he felt unprecedented pressure. A forty-thousand-year Soul Ring was simply too old.
"Am I supposed to just give up like this?"
Meng Qianqiu gritted his teeth, a trace of blood appearing in his mouth. He had never accepted defeat, and he feared hardship even less when it came to cultivation!
"Golden Toad Qi-Locking Method, refine it with everything you've got!"
The cultivation instructions for the Golden Toad Qi-Locking Method surfaced in Meng Qianqiu's mind. He had only just reached the introductory stage of this Daoist Qigong practice.
An immense surge of Soul Power coursed through his limbs and bones!
Meng Qianqiu sat with his five centers facing heaven, carefully guarding his mind. The Golden Toad Qi-Locking Method circulated rapidly, slowly drawing in this immense Soul Power!
"Jiang-ang, jiang-ang!"
Beside him, the Manggu Vermilion Toad seemed to have comprehended the Golden Toad Qi-Locking Method as well. Its cheeks bulged, and every breath thundered.
Whenever the Manggu Vermilion Toad breathed in and out the spiritual currents, it let out a bellow like an ox. The sound resembled both an ox's bellow and a dragon's cry.
The roughly two-inch-long Manggu Vermilion Toad lay on Meng Qianqiu's right shoulder, intermittently breathing in and out the Qi currents of heaven and earth, digesting the immense Soul Power within its body.
Time trickled past.
Soon, half a quarter-hour had passed.
"Sure enough, was this still too much of a stretch?"
A flicker of hesitation crossed Meng Zhongqi's eyes. Interrupting the Soul Ring absorption ritual now would undoubtedly spell trouble for Meng Qianqiu.
"Life and death are ordained by fate; wealth and honor lie with heaven!"
"If it really won't work, I'll find another way!"
After much hesitation, Meng Zhongqi decided to wait a little longer!
Even if it meant risking a volcanic eruption and a massive explosion, he had to hold on and buy Meng Qianqiu more time.
This act was undoubtedly a race against Death!
Rumble!
After an unknown length of time, another disturbance came from the crater.
(Please give monthly tickets! Please give recommendation tickets!)