"This one will do." Chen Ming nodded as he looked at the well-developed Blazing Winged Dragon before him. In his view, this Spirit Beast was more than worthy of becoming his fourth Spirit Ring.
Azure Luan Douluo gave a slight nod in response.
The next instant, he transformed into a streak of azure light and abruptly charged into the dragon pack. The power of violent winds swept outward, condensing into countless invisible blades that effortlessly wounded the large number of unnecessary Blazing Winged Dragons nearby.
Azure Luan Douluo raised two fingers like a blade and struck directly at the target Spirit Beast's neck, instantly shattering the Blazing Winged Dragon's spine.
Thanks to the astonishing vitality possessed by sub-dragon species, even with its spine crushed, the Blazing Winged Dragon did not immediately die. It had merely been reduced to permanent high-level paralysis.
Azure Luan Douluo casually grabbed the Blazing Winged Dragon like a dead dog and returned directly to Chen Ming's side, giving the Spirit Beast in his hand a small shake.
"Not bad. It developed quite well," Chen Ming commented approvingly as he observed the creature.
Qian Renfeng carried Chen Ming while Azure Luan Douluo restrained the Blazing Winged Dragon to prevent it from committing suicide. The three quickly departed from the volcanic island chain.
Eventually, they arrived upon an island untouched by volcanic eruptions and geological disasters.
Chen Ming took out the golden short staff formed from the One-Horned Tyrant Dragon's horn, infused it with Martial Soul energy, and transformed it into the Dragon Spear. With a single thrust, he ended the life of the completely paralyzed Blazing Winged Dragon.
A black Spirit Ring slowly rose from the corpse, radiating scorching heat.
Judging by its age, the Spirit Ring was likely between fifteen and sixteen thousand years old, at most not exceeding seventeen thousand years. For Chen Ming, this was an exceptionally suitable level for absorption.
"Ten-thousand-year Spirit Rings are completely different from thousand-year Spirit Rings." Azure Luan Douluo looked at the black Spirit Ring and spoke seriously. "A ten-thousand-year Spirit Ring doesn't merely contain Spirit Power. It also carries the lingering spiritual remnant of the Spirit Beast itself, which can directly assault a Spirit Master's mind."
"I know you definitely understand the characteristics of ten-thousand-year Spirit Rings already. But unless someone has personally experienced it, it's difficult to truly explain just how powerful the spiritual shock from those lingering remnants can be."
"Many powerful Spirit Masters throughout history chose to compromise at their fifth Spirit Ring and absorb a thousand-year Spirit Ring instead. Yet you're attempting to absorb a Spirit Ring at the level normally reserved for Spirit Emperors while still only obtaining your fourth Spirit Ring. This is simply too dangerous."
"Although I know you've definitely thought this through carefully, I still want to remind you one more time to be extremely cautious."
"If it truly proves impossible, then I'll go find another thousand-year Blazing Winged Dragon with a lower cultivation level. Don't take unnecessary risks over something like this."
Azure Luan Douluo continued speaking earnestly to Chen Ming.
If the Spirit Ring had only barely crossed into the ten-thousand-year level, then in Azure Luan Douluo's view, success would not have been impossible. But this Spirit Ring was clearly far beyond a simple freshly advanced ten-thousand-year Spirit Ring.
Back then, even Bibi Dong, relying on the advantage of her twin Martial Souls, had only barely managed to obtain a ten-thousand-year fourth Spirit Ring.
"Martial Uncle, my physical strength has never been my greatest advantage. On the contrary, it's my spiritual power."
"Ever since I was born, my spiritual power has been exceptionally strong. That's also why my thinking ability has always been so much greater than ordinary people."
"Although my Martial Soul does not possess spiritual attributes, my spiritual power itself is still purer and more powerful than that of any spiritual-type Spirit Master at the same level."
"As long as my Spirit Power and body can withstand it, then my spiritual power will be even more capable of enduring it."
"If that's the case, then go ahead and absorb it." Azure Luan Douluo nodded, acknowledging Chen Ming's reasoning. "But if you truly can't withstand it and suffer backlash, I will immediately intervene and forcibly interrupt the absorption process. With your talent, even if your future cultivation suffers some setbacks, you'll still be able to find ways to make up for them."
Even as he spoke, Azure Luan Douluo remained standing beside Chen Ming with extreme vigilance, prepared to act at any moment.
"Third Sworship, although my Martial Soul doesn't specialize in healing, it still possesses a small amount of restorative capability. When the time comes, I'll also do everything I can to help," Qian Renfeng added.
Under the protection of the two Titled Douluo, Chen Ming summoned his Martial Soul and adjusted his condition to its absolute peak.
First, he chewed and swallowed two Dragon Orchid leaves, then consumed two medicinal pills specifically meant to protect his meridians.
Only after all preparations were complete did Chen Ming finally begin absorbing the Spirit Ring.
Under the guidance of heaven and earth's laws, the black Spirit Ring slowly descended onto Chen Ming's body, gradually resonating with his Martial Soul. The origin energy within the Spirit Ring began flowing little by little into his Martial Soul.
At the same time, a lingering spiritual remnant filled with intense resentment invaded Chen Ming's spiritual sea alongside the fusion of that origin energy.
As a top-tier sub-dragon species, even without spiritual attributes, the Blazing Winged Dragon's remnant consciousness was still far stronger than that of ordinary Spirit Beasts of the same age.
Yet before that remnant—barely maintaining the shape it had possessed while alive—could inflict any influence upon Chen Ming, a cold and tyrannical wave of spiritual power pierced directly into it like a spear.
The portion embedded within the remnant then suddenly exploded outward.
From the inside out, Chen Ming's spiritual power completely shattered the Blazing Winged Dragon's lingering consciousness before absorbing it and refining it into pure spiritual energy.
Just as Chen Ming had said, the pressure of absorbing a ten-thousand-year Spirit Ring had never come from the spiritual aspect for him.
The true burden came from the immense energy contained within the Spirit Ring itself.
Chen Ming's Martial Soul was the Earth Sacred Dragon. On top of that, it had fused with the metallic essence granted by the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum. During the process of integrating the Dragon Spear, he had also absorbed the trace of golden essence blood contained within the One-Horned Tyrant Dragon's horn into himself.
Although it was not a true Golden Dragon in the orthodox sense, in some ways, it was no less extraordinary.
The bloodline of a higher true dragon possessed overwhelming suppression over lower sub-dragons.
Even though Chen Ming's Martial Soul did not belong to the Fire Dragon lineage, the nobility of his bloodline and source essence was still enough to completely suppress this Spirit Ring carrying Fire Dragon blood.
At first, the energy within the Spirit Ring could still struggle slightly.
But the moment the first strand of energy was successfully fused into Chen Ming's source essence, the instinctive resistance from the Spirit Ring—which had never been particularly strong to begin with—collapsed entirely.
The Fire Dragon bloodline, whose head was firmly pressed down by a superior existence, finally accepted reality at this moment. It obediently lowered itself and actively merged into Chen Ming's Martial Soul.
In merely a single hour, Chen Ming had already fused most of the energy from this sixteen-thousand-year Spirit Ring.
And as the dual fire-and-light source essence merged into his own origin, Chen Ming's body also began undergoing additional transformations.
His right eye became enveloped in crimson light, while his left eye—which had previously been altered by water and darkness attributes during the absorption of his third Spirit Ring—also began radiating Spirit Power.
The four different attributes contained within his eyes—water, fire, light, and darkness—began colliding violently against one another.
Ordinarily, the conflict between these four energies would have been enough to destroy Chen Ming's eyes with ease.
But at this moment, the all-encompassing carrying power inherited from the Mountain Dragon within his Martial Soul, along with its metallic essence, finally began to reveal their true capabilities.
...
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