Inside the secret chamber, Dai Weisi took a deep breath and brought his mind to its peak condition.
He hesitated no longer. With a thought, the Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring floating in his system storage, radiating an eerie red light, appeared before him.
"Come on!"
Drawn by his will, the red Soul Ring slowly drifted toward him.
The instant the Soul Ring touched him, Dai Weisi felt as though an ancient Ferocious Beast had swallowed his soul whole!
"Boom-!"
Boundless baleful Qi and resentment crashed through his mental defenses like a sea of blood bursting through a dam, flooding wildly into every limb and bone.
A tremor rose from the depths of his soul, as though hundreds of millions of unwilling souls were roaring and howling in his mind, intent on tearing his consciousness to shreds!
"Arghhh!"
Even with Dai Weisi's steadfast will, he could not suppress a howl of pain.
His body shook violently, and tiny beads of blood seeped from his skin. He looked like a man drenched in blood, a terrifying sight.
This was only the beginning!
Close behind came an impact of energy as vast as an abyss.
Just how terrifying was the energy of a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast? That incomparably tyrannical power rampaged through his meridians, as though it would burst his entire body apart!
His bones groaned, his meridians ruptured inch by inch, and his internal organs felt as though an invisible hand had seized them and was kneading them relentlessly.
Just as his consciousness was on the verge of being swallowed by the boundless baleful Qi, a thread of warm golden light quietly kindled deep within his dantian.
It was the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum!
After he had taken the Immortal Herb, most of its medicinal power had long since fused with his body, forging an indestructible body.
But some of its purest essence still lay hidden within him.
Now, stimulated by this destructive force, the last of its medicinal power was finally unleashed in full!
Warm, pure energy flowed through his entire body in an instant, like a clear spring.
Wherever it passed, his torn meridians rapidly healed, growing tougher and wider; his groaning bones were covered in golden light and crackled sharply, as though undergoing some sacred transformation.
At the same time, the Golden Hawksbill Turtle Torso Bone in his chest and the Soul Bones in his entire right arm all erupted with brilliant light!
The Golden Hawksbill Turtle Torso Bone released a soft earthy-yellow halo, while the newly fused Blood Fiend Demon Tiger Right Arm Bone and the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear Right Palm Bone he already possessed seemed like brothers reunited after years apart. Two forces from the same source, yet each with its own distinct character, crashed together!
Black-and-red blood fiend Qi and brilliant dark golden light intertwined and fused, finally forming a deeper, more powerful dark golden-red light that made his entire right arm look like the arm of a god or a demon.
The fused power surged back up his arm's meridians and actually met the raging Soul Ring energy head-on, forcibly suppressing, ordering, and guiding it!
Attacked from within and without, the once-wild Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring energy was finally tamed, bit by bit.
Dai Weisi kept a firm hold on his mind, guiding the immense power along his cultivation method's route to wash over his body again and again. With each cycle, his presence grew stronger.
After an unknown length of time, the last trace of Soul Ring energy was fully refined and absorbed, and the sixth Soul Ring circling his body finally stabilized.
Purple, yellow, purple, purple, black, red!
Light flowed over the six Soul Rings, and the eerie red of the last one in particular radiated a pressure that made the heart tremble!
Dai Weisi slowly opened his eyes. Feeling the explosive power within him, he could not keep the corners of his mouth from rising.
His Soul Power had reached level sixty-five!
Absorbing a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring and Soul Bone had raised him five levels at once!
And it was not over yet!
"System, use the reward: Soul Power Level +5!"
[Ding! Confirmed. Host's Soul Power Level +5!]
As soon as the words fell, a vast surge of energy, purer and gentler than what he had absorbed from the Soul Ring, appeared out of nowhere inside him and instantly fused into every limb and bone.
Level sixty-six!
Level sixty-seven!
Level sixty-eight!
Level sixty-nine!
Level seventy!
The bottleneck burst open! In the space of a few breaths, his Soul Power soared straight from level sixty-five to the peak of level seventy!
"Haha... hahahaha!"
Dai Weisi could contain himself no longer and burst into hearty laughter.
Level seventy!
A twenty-four-year-old level-seventy Soul Emperor!
Just one last Soul Ring stood between him and the Soul Saint realm that countless Soul Masters dreamed of reaching! What a terrifying cultivation speed!
As his laughter gradually subsided, he sat cross-legged again and composed himself.
His rapidly increased power would take time to grow accustomed to and control. He had to make this entirely new power second nature.
Early the next morning, a lavishly decorated but not overly ostentatious carriage slowly passed through the gates of Star Luo City.
Inside the carriage, the atmosphere was somewhat delicate.
Dai Weisi rested with his eyes closed, while Zhu Zhuyun sat quietly beside him, occasionally glancing at him out of the corner of her eye, unable to conceal the tenderness and admiration in her gaze.
Across from them, Zhu Zhuqing sat upright in black clothes, her face cold as frost. Yet deep in her cool eyes, stormy waves were surging.
Big Sister... has actually reached level fifty!
She had already suspected as much when Dai Weisi announced the previous night that he would obtain a Soul Ring for Zhu Zhuyun.
Now, sitting in the carriage, she could clearly feel that the Soul Power fluctuations coming from Zhu Zhuyun had firmly crossed the threshold into the Soul King realm.
How long has it been?
I'm still congratulating myself on breaking through to level forty-two, yet Big Sister...
A complicated emotion spread through Zhu Zhuqing's heart.
Is it jealousy? Resentment? Or... a trace of wavering that even I refuse to acknowledge?
"Your Highness,"
Zhu Zhuyun finally could not resist speaking up, breaking the silence.
"Where... are we going? Judging by the direction, it doesn't seem like we're headed to the Star Dou Great Forest?"
She was indeed full of questions.
Obtaining a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring was no easy task.
The Star Dou Great Forest was vast and boundless, with an abundance of species, making it the best choice. Yet they were heading in the opposite direction.
And with so few people?
Dai Weisi opened his eyes, a gleam flashing briefly through them. He looked at Zhu Zhuyun and smiled calmly.
"The Sunset Forest."
"As for safety,"
He reached out and gently pinched Zhu Zhuyun's cheek, his voice carrying unquestionable confidence.
"With me here, what are you worried about?"
Naturally, he would not mention that his real trump card, the level-ninety-three Titled Douluo Shi Mo, was currently in his system space and could appear at any time.
The Sunset Forest?
Zhu Zhuyun was still pondering the name when Zhu Zhuqing, sitting opposite her, trembled, and a glimmer flashed through her eyes.
The Sunset Forest! Isn't that place... Poison Douluo Dugu Bo's territory?!
Two scenes flashed through her mind.
In one, when Spirit Hall had laid an ambush to intercept and kill Tang San, a green figure had descended from the sky. It was Dugu Bo!
In the other, during the finals of the continent-wide Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament, when Spirit Hall's Pope Bibi Dong personally stepped forward to exert pressure, that same eccentric, ill-tempered old monster had stepped up without hesitation and protected Tang San alongside Ning Fengzhi and Sword Douluo.
Dugu Bo and Tang San's relationship was certainly no ordinary one!
A bold thought flashed through Zhu Zhuqing's mind like lightning.
If... if I can find a chance to meet Dugu Bo and tell him about the situation Dai Mubai and I are in...
Given Dugu Bo's disposition and Tang San's character, would he stand by and do nothing?
In an instant, Zhu Zhuqing's heart, which had nearly fallen silent, began to beat fiercely again.
She saw hope-the hope of escaping Dai Weisi's clutches!
She quietly lowered her head, hiding the secret delight and excitement in her eyes, but her slightly clenched fists betrayed the unrest in her heart.
Dai Weisi, do you think you have everything under control?
Just wait. As long as there's even the slightest chance, I, Zhu Zhuqing, will never accept my fate!