Tian Ling looked at the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger bowing its head and let out a bird-like cry.
I still liked you better when you were unruly and defiant; could you go back to that?
This guy had looked down on him earlier, and now that Tian Ling had found an opportunity, he couldn't help but rub it in.
The Dark Demon Evil God Tiger raised its head, glaring at Tian Ling with its blood-red eyes, and let out an arrogant tiger roar.
Do you want a beating?!
Tian Ling: I just want to know, does your tiger face hurt right now?
The Dark Demon Evil God Tiger: You damn mutt bird, it seems you really are looking for a beating.
.
Afterward, a tiger and a bird engaged in a hearty "friendly" exchange using beast language. Although Yun Ming could not understand them, judging by the increasingly indignant emotions of the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger, it seemed the tiger was losing the verbal battle. But this was only natural; no matter how smart the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger was, could it out-talk Tian Ling, who had been baptized by human society? Impossible.
Watching the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger get increasingly worked up, Yun Ming spoke up to interrupt them.
"Alright, you two stop for a moment. Let's get down to business."
Hearing Yun Ming speak, the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger let out a stubborn roar.
It's business that saved you.
Tian Ling shot a look of disdain at the little tiger and said nothing more.
Yun Ming turned to the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger and said.
"Next, I will guide the condensation of your Soul Imprint. You must relax your body and cooperate with me to merge your innate instincts with the Soul Imprint. Everything must be done willingly, and then we shall forge the contract."
"Roar—"
The Dark Demon Evil God Tiger let out a low growl, indicating it understood.
Yun Ming stared intently at the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger, and the Soul Spirit Ritual officially began.
With the active cooperation of the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger, Yun Ming quickly located its Soul Imprint and Spiritual Origin.
After finding the origin, Yun Ming began to use his own Spiritual Power to guide the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger's Soul Imprint, Spiritual Origin, and the mysterious energy contained within its Innate Bloodline to begin the condensation process.
About half an hour later, a burst of intense golden light erupted from the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger. The golden light from its entire body slowly converged toward its forehead. Where the golden light drained away, the flesh and fur of the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger withered and dimmed, as if its essence had been hollowed out.
Seeing that the origin had successfully condensed, Yun Ming began to chant the Soul Spirit Incantation.
This was the first version of the Soul Spirit Secret Technique left behind by Huo Yuhao at Shrek Academy. Compared to the latest version modified by the Spirit Pagoda twenty thousand years later—which was more stringent and resembled a slave contract—this version was more like signing an equal contract with a Soul Beast, making it much friendlier to them.
The pronunciation of the incantation was awkward, yet it seemed capable of shaking the heavens and the earth. Accompanied by Yun Ming's chanting, a golden Hexagram began to take shape on the ground, enveloping both Yun Ming and the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger.
Seeing that the time was ripe, Yun Ming injected his Spiritual Power into the formation beneath his feet.
As the Spiritual Power filled it, the Hexagram beneath their feet became increasingly brilliant. Strange symbols began to rise, circling their bodies, while gentle spiritual fluctuations and Soul Power fluctuations swirled around them as well.
Time passed second by second; the light within the Hexagram grew stronger, and the number of symbols increased.
Suddenly, all the symbols surged into Yun Ming's body like a hundred rivers returning to the sea. The Dark Demon Evil God Tiger's body tilted and it collapsed within the Hexagram, losing all signs of Life. Meanwhile, inside Yun Ming's Atlas Divine Spear, a majestic pitch-black tiger appeared—it was none other than the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger.
With the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger having lost its life, the final victor of this life-and-death battle was decided. The surrounding space began to shatter, and after Yun Ming experienced another transition from a dark world to a bright one, he returned to the Star Dou Great Forest.
As he returned to the real world, without the suppression of the Life and Death Arena, Yun Ming's cultivation was fully restored.
Yun Ming greeted Dugu Bo and Gu Rong, telling them he needed to refine his Spirit Ring, then sat cross-legged on the ground. He withdrew his consciousness into his body and began to communicate with the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger.
Yun Ming's spiritual form looked at the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger in front of him, which was a scaled-down version of its adult self, and asked.
"How is it? How does it feel to be a Soul Spirit?"
The Dark Demon Evil God Tiger looked at Yun Ming with a complex expression. They had been mortal enemies not long ago, yet now they were suddenly bound by fate. It responded with a touch of sentiment.
"Freer than I imagined."
As the first Soul Spirit of this era, and having signed a relatively fair original Soul Spirit contract, the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger possessed a degree of freedom comparable to Huo Yuhao's Snow Empress Soul Spirit in the future. Aside from not being able to leave Yun Ming's body for too long, it was essentially free in all other aspects.
Yun Ming sensed this as well and responded with a smile.
"I am a bit surprised too, but this is quite good."
"Let's introduce ourselves properly! My new friend."
"My name is Yun Ming, what about you?"
Hearing how Yun Ming addressed it, the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger felt a bit strange, and an unusual emotion spread within its heart. For a Dark Demon Evil God Tiger that cultivated by devouring beasts, it was destined to be lonely from birth. Now that Yun Ming had suddenly called it a friend, it felt very odd!
But how could a tiger like him show that? The Dark Demon Evil God Tiger replied in its usual tone.
"You can call me Evil King."
Yun Ming nodded and said.
"Evil King? That suits you quite well."
"From now on, let's cooperate well! I will make sure you get what you wish for."
Evil King nodded. He had gone all-in now and had no other choice; he could only assist Yun Ming with all his might to become a god.
Yun Ming returned to the main topic.
"Evil King, I need you to provide me with a Spirit Ring now."
The Evil King was prepared for this and acted immediately.
Gray source energy surged from its body, converging toward the Atlas Divine Spear not far away. It ultimately condensed into a Black Soul Ring that was at least a size larger than a normal soul ring. Furthermore, during the birth of this soul ring, his original first three soul rings seemed to dim significantly. Of course, this wasn't because the first three rings had actually changed; it was simply a matter of comparison, as they lacked a certain spirituality compared to the final two rings.
The soul ring condensed successfully, and the level fifty barrier of Yun Ming shattered in response. Driven by the Evil King's formidable source energy, Yun Ming's Soul Power cultivation began to skyrocket.
Level fifty-one. Level fifty-two. It finally stopped only after reaching level fifty-five.
In the original timeline, after Tang San hunted the Evil King and obtained his soul ring, his Soul Power cultivation rose directly from level ninety-three to level ninety-four and a half. Providing one and a half levels of Soul Power at the Title Douluo level shows just how vast the Evil King's source Soul Power was; it was only reasonable that it could raise Yun Ming by five levels.
In fact, it was fortunate that Yun Ming completed the Soul Spirit contract within the Life and Death Arena, a Domain of the Gods capable of suppressing godhood. Otherwise, like the Snow Empress in later generations, most of his cultivation would have been confiscated by the laws of Douluo Star. If that had happened, he likely would have gained nothing other than breaking through to level fifty-one.
Moreover, what delighted Yun Ming was that the soul skill the Evil King evolved for him was indeed as powerful as he had initially expected. He was very satisfied!
After the advancement was complete, Yun Ming said to the Evil King.
"Do you want to go outside and take a look?"
The Evil King's pair of blood-red eyes glanced at Yun Ming gloomily before it transformed into a streak of black light, vanishing into the Atlas Divine Spear. Only one sentence remained in the mental space.
"No. Remember to take my corpse; there is a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone inside."
Seeing the look in the Evil King's eyes, Yun Ming recalled what the situation was like outside. Two enemies who had beaten him to a pulp and his own battered, bruised corpse—it really didn't seem like a good idea to go out right now.
Yun Ming withdrew from his internal space and opened his eyes, seeing Gu Rong and Dugu Bo guarding him.
"Many thanks to both seniors for your help this time. This junior has successfully broken through."
The two nodded and did not ask further; it would have been inappropriate. Dugu Bo looked at the Evil King's corpse and said with some regret.
"What a pity. No soul bone was born this time. Otherwise, the soul bone of such a powerful Super Soul Beast would certainly be a top-tier treasure no less than a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone!"
Gu Rong also felt a slight sense of regret.
Hearing Dugu Bo's words, a flash of realization crossed Yun Ming's eyes. It seemed the Evil King had played a trick, not wanting his soul bone to fall into the hands of others! But that was fine; he also needed this soul bone to forge his Battle Armor. As for the two Title Douluo, he could just provide compensation to Dugu Yan and Ning Rongrong later.
Yun Ming stepped forward to collect the Evil King's tattered, shriveled corpse and said calmly.
"All things have their own destiny; one should not force it."
The two Title Douluo merely sighed in regret, nodded, and voiced their agreement.
"Indeed."
As for seeing Yun Ming take the corpse away, although they were a bit puzzled, they didn't think much of it. After all, soul bones usually dropped on the spot, so they simply assumed Yun Ming had other uses for it.
The soul hunting mission ended, and the three returned to Heaven Dou City.
ps: Seeking monthly tickets, seeking recommendations.
───────────────
Translated by: randomtranslator.com
Proofread by: DaoistReader