Three kilometers away from the Rock Snake colony, at the foot of a mountain, a pitch-black portal five meters in diameter abruptly tore open. To an uninformed observer, it looked like a spatial wormhole from an alien invasion.
The moment this portal appeared, a smaller, three-meter-wide Spatial Portal had already manifested ahead of it. Three figures stepped out: Gu Rong, Gu Xuan, and Li Li.
Hardly had they appeared when the larger portal coughed out the Spatial Demon Dragon. Its face bore a human-like expression of pure terror, and it was glancing back over its shoulder as if petrified that something might have followed it through the void.
As it exited the portal and turned its head, the beast gave a violent shudder. Three humans had appeared before it out of nowhere. Without taking time to process the situation, the dragon instinctively tried to trigger another Spatial Portal to flee.
But it was too late. Gu Rong calmly extended his right hand. Ash-gray soul power swirled, instantly locking down the surrounding space. This was Gu Rong's mastery over the laws of space—a technique similar to a "Spatial Lock." It was more than enough to paralyze a mere thirty-thousand-year Spatial Demon Dragon.
In fact, the dragon reaching the thirty-thousand-year mark was a slight surprise to Gu Rong; over a year ago, it had only been at twenty-eight thousand years.
"Since you've delivered yourself to our doorstep, why the rush to leave?" Gu Rong said with a faint smile. Behind him, four ancient, thick bone spikes materialized. With a flick of his wrist, they shot forward, skewering the dragon's limbs.
Due to the spatial energy infused within the spikes, the dragon found itself unable to mobilize its innate abilities. It felt like the absolute suppression of a sovereign over a subordinate.
Gu Xuan watched the struggling dragon and nodded. This was his fourth ring. After two months of searching—two months of wasted time—he had finally found his prize.
He extended his right hand. Five dark-gold terrorclaws, each a meter long, unsheathed with a metallic ring. He stepped toward the dragon and drove the unstoppable claws of the Darkgold Terrorclaw Bear straight into its skull.
The Spatial Demon Dragon convulsed violently once, then went limp as its life force faded. Moments later, a black soul ring began to coalesce above its body.
Gu Rong looked at Gu Xuan and cautioned him. "If you find you cannot handle it, do not force it. Even if you fail, I can interrupt the process in time. A damaged foundation can be repaired later. But remember, do not be reckless. Too many geniuses in the Soul Master world have met their end by exploding while trying to absorb rings beyond their limits. This old man doesn't want to see a white-haired man sending off a black-haired youth."
Gu Xuan nodded solemnly. "I understand."
With that, he sat cross-legged, calming his mind and regulating his breathing to prepare for the absorption.
Li Li blinked her large eyes and whispered to Gu Rong. "Grandpa Bone, can Big Brother really absorb a thirty-thousand-year fourth ring?"
Gu Rong patted her head. "Li Li, your Brother Gu Xuan never does anything he isn't certain of. All we can do is watch over him." Li Li nodded and kept her eyes glued to Gu Xuan.
Since they were in the outer regions of the Star Dou Great Forest, powerful soul beasts were rare. With Gu Rong present, nothing short of a hundred-thousand-year beast could interfere with the process.
Fifteen minutes later, Gu Xuan activated his Martial Soul and used his soul power to draw the ring in. For this fourth ring, he was determined.
A thirty-thousand-year fourth ring... if he succeeded, his foundation for the Divine Realm would be unshakable. In the original story, even Tang San's fifth ring was only twenty-five thousand years old. Of course, Gu Xuan's physical constitution far surpassed Tang San's at this stage. Furthermore, Gu Xuan's Martial Soul was essentially a Body Martial Soul—though that term didn't exist yet in this era. While the Bone Dragon sounded like a Beast Martial Soul, it was a mutation of a skeletal frame, and the physical amplification of a Body Martial Soul was far superior to that of a Beast Martial Soul. This was the source of his confidence.
This was Gu Xuan's fourth time absorbing a ring, and he was now a veteran. As the ring settled over him, the terrifying soul power pressure within it erupted. Gu Xuan didn't just endure the pressure; he actively guided it to temper his body, refusing to waste a single drop of energy.
The process was long. Ordinarily, a genius would take three hours to absorb a ring. But Gu Xuan had already been at it for half a day, twelve hours.
The pitch-black ring was now circling his body, positioned above his two yellow and one purple rings. Another hour passed before the fourth ring finally locked into place. Gu Xuan snapped his eyes open, a sharp light flashing in his heterochromatic pupils. Four rings—two yellow, one purple, one black—rhythmically pulsed around him, shimmering brilliantly.
"Rank 45..." Gu Xuan felt the surging power within him and exhaled a cloud of turbid air.
Gu Rong was ecstatic. With his level, he could clearly sense Gu Xuan's cultivation. Just as Gu Xuan said, he was now a Rank 45 Soul Ancestor. Moreover, this wasn't an unstable jump; his soul power was dense and heavy. He only needed a little time to familiarize himself with this explosive growth to master it perfectly. This was far faster than level-by-level cultivation.
"As expected of a thirty-thousand-year ring," Gu Rong marveled. "It actually boosted you by five full ranks."
Li Li was equally stunned, her hand over her mouth. Her education in the Sect made her well aware of how terrifying this achievement was.
However, just as Gu Rong was about to ask about the fourth soul skill, his expression suddenly shifted. He glared toward the horizon, his brow furrowed. "This terrifying fluctuation... a hundred-thousand-year soul beast?! But this is the outer region. Why would a hundred-thousand-year beast come out this far?"
Hearing this, Gu Xuan thought for a moment and said. "Grandpa, is it possible that a treasure has appeared, drawing it out?"
Gu Rong nodded. "It's possible. Let's hide our presence and head over to take a look."
Normally, Gu Rong wouldn't risk taking the children near such a threat. But now that he was at Rank 97, he was confident. While he might not be able to solo a hundred-thousand-year beast easily, he could certainly guarantee a safe retreat.
Gu Xuan and Li Li nodded. "Understood."
(End of Chapter)
---
Leave a 5 star Review and a Power Stone.