Absorbing an Eighty-Thousand-Year Soul Ring!

Dai Fei stood before the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Tiger's corpse, his chest heaving. His Soul Power was nearly exhausted, and the Qi and blood in his body churned incessantly.

The lingering might of Geng Metal Qi still clung to his right fist. The blood-red light on its surface gradually faded, replaced by waves of intense pain.

The fighting from beginning to end, plus that last strike of "Geng Metal Sacred Art: White Tiger Slaughter," had drained almost all his strength. Even the Soul Power in his body had nearly run dry.

Yet he knew it was not time to rest.

The eighty-thousand-year-old Dark Gold Dreadclaw Tiger had fallen, and its Soul Ring was slowly taking shape: a deep black ring radiating energy fluctuations that made his heart tremble.

Dai Fei took a deep breath and forced down his fatigue, a trace of resolve flashing in his eyes.

He circulated the Geng Metal Sacred Art at full strength, frantically recovering his stamina and Soul Power.

"The eighty-thousand-year Soul Ring... it's the key to my breakthrough to Soul Saint!"

Dai Fei sat cross-legged and formed a hand seal, slowly circulating the Soul Power in his body in an attempt to recover some strength.

He knew absorbing an eighty-thousand-year Soul Ring would be no easy task, especially with his Soul Power nearly exhausted. The slightest mistake could leave him at the mercy of the ring's violent energy. At best, he would suffer severe injuries; at worst, his soul would scatter.

"Hum-"

Above the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Tiger's corpse, the black Soul Ring had fully formed, radiating a suffocating pressure.

Without hesitation, Dai Fei raised a hand and waved it, using his Soul Power to draw the black Soul Ring slowly toward his body.

"Come on!"

Dai Fei let out a low shout, and the Soul Ring instantly enveloped his body.

The next moment, a torrent of violent energy flooded into him, instantly smashing through his Soul Power defenses.

Dai Fei felt as though countless blades were slicing through every meridian in his body. The intense pain drew an involuntary grunt from him, veins bulged on his forehead, and cold sweat instantly soaked his clothes.

"Boom!"

The energy in the Soul Ring rampaged through his body like a raging beast.

Under its onslaught, Dai Fei's meridians were on the verge of bursting apart.

Fine lines of blood began to appear across his skin. Blood trickled down his body, staining his robes red.

"I can't give up... I absolutely can't give up!"

Dai Fei gritted his teeth and forcibly circulated his Soul Power, trying to guide the violent energy.

But the energy of the eighty-thousand-year Soul Ring was simply too vast. His Soul Power was as insignificant as an ant before it.

Every attempt to guide it was ruthlessly crushed by the energy.

"Argh-!"

Dai Fei let out a low roar, his eyes already bloodshot.

His consciousness began to blur, and all manner of illusions appeared in his mind.

The Dark Gold Dreadclaw Tiger's roar echoed in his ears, as though it meant to devour him whole.

His spiritual world began to collapse, and countless negative emotions surged in like a tide. Fear, despair, rage... they nearly destroyed his reason entirely.

I can't fall here... I absolutely can't!

A powerful will suddenly erupted in Dai Fei's heart. His eyes snapped open, and a flash of golden light passed through them.

The Geng Metal Qi in his body was fully roused at that moment. The White Tiger Sacred Beast's power awakened from his bloodline and formed a golden barrier, protecting his mind.

White Tiger Sacred Beast, lend me your strength!

Dai Fei shouted inwardly. The Geng Metal Qi in his body surged madly, engaging the energy in the Soul Ring in a fierce struggle.

The two forces collided repeatedly inside him. Every collision made his body shudder violently, and blood spilled from his mouth, staining the front of his robe red.

"Boom!"

Just as Dai Fei was about to reach his limit, his Torso Bone suddenly lit up, and the power of the White Tiger Sacred Beast Torso Armor was fully unleashed.

A powerful force of Geng Metal erupted from within him, instantly suppressing the violent energy in the Soul Ring.

Dai Fei felt the pain in his body suddenly ease. The Soul Ring's energy began to seep slowly into his meridians, becoming his own strength.

"I did it!"

Joy rose in Dai Fei's heart, but he knew this was only the beginning.

The energy of an eighty-thousand-year Soul Ring was too vast. To absorb it completely, he would have to endure an even more painful ordeal.

His body began to tremble slightly as the Soul Ring's energy washed over his meridians again and again, each surge bringing intense pain.

A faint golden glow began to appear on his skin. It was the Geng Metal Qi repairing his body.

Time passed second by second. Dai Fei's consciousness gradually blurred, but his will remained firm.

Scenes from his cultivation kept appearing in his mind. From his initial weakness to his present strength, every step had been filled with hardship and sweat.

He knew he could not fall here, or all his efforts would go down the drain.

"Boom!"

Suddenly, a deafening sound erupted from within Dai Fei, and the energy in the Soul Ring finally merged completely with his body.

His meridians were thoroughly widened at that moment, and his Soul Power circulated several times faster than before.

A faint golden glow appeared on the surface of his body, a sign that the Geng Metal Qi had fully merged with his bloodline.

"My Seventh Soul Ring... I finally did it!"

Dai Fei slowly opened his eyes, a flash of golden light passing through them.

His presence was several times stronger than before, and the Soul Power throughout his body was as vast as an ocean.

He knew he had successfully broken through to the Soul Saint realm, becoming one of the youngest Soul Saints on the continent.

But just as he was about to breathe a sigh of relief, an unexpected change occurred!

"Roar-!"

A heaven-shaking roar rang out in his spiritual world, and Dai Fei's consciousness was instantly pulled into a dark space.

A giant Dark Gold Dreadclaw Tiger appeared before him. It was the eighty-thousand-year Soul Beast he had just killed.

Fury burned in its eyes, and the golden markings all over its body shone with dazzling light, as though it meant to devour him whole.

"Human, you dared to kill me!"

"Neither of us shall rest until the other is dead!!!"

The Dark Gold Dreadclaw Tiger's voice echoed like thunder in Dai Fei's mind. It lunged at him, its sharp claws aimed straight at his throat.

"This is... a Soul Beast's spiritual backlash!"

Dai Fei was startled, but he did not panic.

He knew this was a trial one had to face when absorbing a high-age Soul Ring.

If he could not overcome the Soul Beast's spiritual backlash, his soul would be utterly destroyed, and he would become a walking corpse.

"Hmph! A mere remnant of spiritual resentment left after death, and you think you can turn the tables?!"

"Sacred Beast White Tiger! Geng Metal Sacred Art, suppress and kill it!!!!!!!"

Dai Fei shouted inwardly. The Geng Metal Qi in his body surged madly, forming the phantom of a giant white tiger that engaged the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Tiger in a fierce fight.

The two forces clashed repeatedly in the spiritual world, each collision violently shaking Dai Fei's consciousness.

"Boom!"

The Dark Gold Dreadclaw Tiger's claw slammed into the white tiger phantom, and the impact sent Dai Fei's consciousness reeling backward.

A trace of blood seeped from his mouth. Battle in the spiritual world was more perilous than physical combat; the slightest mistake could doom him beyond redemption.