Chapter 195: Senior Brother! A God-Given Opportunity
Moist mist drifted through the dense, overlapping foliage, clinging to the ancient bark like a second skin. The air within the Star Dou Great Forest hung heavy and thick, carrying that unique, pungent scent of decaying vegetation, damp earth, and the faint, metallic tang of blood that always lingered in this primal domain.
Du Busi, Liu Yuan, and Long Aotian moved with practiced stealth through the dense underbrush, their footsteps silent against the carpet of rotting leaves.
At the forefront, Du Busi released a faint, yet terrifyingly pure trace of his aura. It was just enough to warn off the low-level Soul Beasts lurking in the shadows. Any creature that sensed that oppressive pressure immediately scattered into the depths of the woods, ensuring the trio an absolutely peaceful journey.
"Liu Yuan," Du Busi suddenly spoke, his gravelly voice breaking the quiet rustle of the leaves. "That... 'Soul Spirit' concept you mentioned on the road earlier. Are you absolutely certain it can work?"
The old man stopped in his tracks and turned to look at his disciple. His gaze—usually sharp and unyielding—now held a rare, deep trace of solemnity as he stared at Liu Yuan.
Shortly after they had crossed the outer perimeter of the forest, Liu Yuan had fully disclosed his extended theory regarding the "Soul Contract," officially dubbing the resulting entity a "Soul Spirit."
Liu Yuan nodded, his expression as calm and pragmatic as ever. "Master, Senior Brother," he began, his voice steady. "Under normal circumstances, when Soul Masters hunt Soul Beasts for their Soul Rings, the beast's soul violently dissipates the moment its physical body perishes. The resulting ring is merely a condensation of its residual energy and resentment."
"My theoretical concept involves using an extremely high-level spiritual secret technique. The goal is to strip the soul from a Soul Beast at the exact moment it teeters on the verge of death, bypassing the usual dissipation process to transform it into a pure, stable energy spirit body."
"In this state, it would no longer depend on a physical vessel to survive. Instead, it would reside directly within our Spiritual Sea, forming a symbiotic bond."
Long Aotian listened with rapt attention, his brow furrowing as he processed the sheer magnitude of the idea. He rubbed his chin in thought before asking, "If it truly works as you say, this spirit body wouldn't just provide a Soul Ring. It could actively assist us in battle? It might even autonomously control the release of Soul Skills while we focus on other threats?"
"Exactly." Liu Yuan shifted his gaze to Long Aotian, speaking with absolute certainty. "This method places immense demands on a Soul Master's spiritual power. However, Senior Brother, you have already absorbed a hundred-thousand-year power-type left arm bone. Both your physical constitution and your spiritual will have been tempered to a level that far surpasses anyone else at your rank."
"If we can execute this successfully, your sixth Soul Ring will no longer be a rigid, dead object. It will become a living partner, retaining all of its innate combat instincts."
The reason Liu Yuan chose to reveal this heaven-defying secret now was not out of a desire to use Long Aotian as a mere test subject.
After absorbing two pieces of the Gold of Life, the fragment of Electrolux slumbering within his Spiritual Sea had recovered a level of divine soul power far exceeding what it would have possessed under normal circumstances.
With the Holy Necromancer personally overseeing the ritual, the success rate of forging a Soul Spirit was practically guaranteed to be flawless.
Since this was an unmatched opportunity that could exponentially enhance one's combat prowess, Liu Yuan naturally wouldn't forget the Senior Brother who had consistently supported and protected him within the sect.
Du Busi took a long, deep breath. As he looked into the youth's deep, purple-gold Double Pupils, a flood of memories surfaced in his mind—a continuous string of impossible miracles this boy had orchestrated since the day he joined the Body Sect.
"Though it sounds utterly shocking and completely world-defying... since you are the one proposing it, this old man believes you." Du Busi reached out, his massive hand patting Liu Yuan heavily on the shoulder with rough affection. He then turned his imposing gaze toward Long Aotian. "Aotian, what do you think?"
Long Aotian threw his head back and laughed heartily, the sound echoing softly through the dense trees. He stepped forward and lightly bumped his fist against Liu Yuan's shoulder. "Since my Junior Brother is willing to share such a heaven-defying trump card, how could I, as your Senior Brother, possibly cower in fear?"
His eyes burned with a fierce, martial light. "If we truly encounter a suitable power-type Soul Beast today, I am more than willing to be the first to try."
Having reached a firm consensus, the three of them adjusted their formation and continued to push deeper into the treacherous heart of the forest.
However, the process of hunting down their primary target—the Void-Shattering Beast—proved to be anything but smooth.
This particular species of Soul Beast was not only incredibly rare, but it possessed an innate, terrifying mastery over concealment and spatial manipulation.
Liu Yuan activated his Double Pupils multiple times, the purple-gold light fracturing the surrounding space as he scanned the subtle fluctuations in the void. Yet, despite his overwhelming visual prowess, he only managed to catch fleeting, residual traces of its scent.
"Void-Shattering Beasts are naturally born assassins, meant to hide within the deepest shadows," Du Busi noted, his eyes scanning the dark canopy above.
"Liu Yuan, do not be anxious. Top-tier prey like this always requires a fair bit of patience to corner."
Just as the old man spoke to comfort his disciple, his nostrils suddenly flared. His head snapped toward the southeast, his eyes narrowing into dangerous slits.
"However, it seems your Senior Brother's luck is quite good today. The power fluctuations erupting from that direction are incredibly violent. Let's go take a look."
Instantly restraining their auras to the absolute minimum, the three of them kicked off the ground. They darted through the dense canopy like three soundless phantoms, leaving only the faint rustle of leaves in their wake.
After weaving through a suffocating patch of towering ancient trees that completely blotted out the sun, the dense foliage abruptly gave way, and the view ahead opened up into a scene of absolute devastation.
It was a massive clearing, forcibly carved out of the ancient forest by the sheer kinetic force of a violent battle. Every single tree within a radius of several hundred meters had been violently snapped like brittle twigs, the ground churned into a chaotic mess of mud and splintered wood.
In the very center of this ruined landscape, two towering behemoths were locked in a brutal, uncompromising death match.
On the left stood a Vigorous Vajra Ape, towering at roughly five meters tall.
Its exaggerated muscles bulged beneath its skin like slabs of solid granite. Its signature dark gold fur was heavily matted and soaked in fresh blood, yet it fought with a frenzied madness. Every swing of its massive, boulder-like fists tore through the air, generating dull, concussive sonic booms that rattled the eardrums.
Judging by the sheer density of its aura, this was clearly a peak existence with a cultivation base hovering around twenty-eight thousand years.
Its opponent was an Earth-Splitting Rhino, a terrifying creature entirely encased in thick, bluish-black armor scales.
The rhino's physical bulk was even more massive than the ape's, resembling a moving, armored mountain. The spiraling, metallic long horn protruding from its snout flashed with a heart-palpitating, icy light, dripping with gore.
With every heavy step it took, the earth groaned and trembled, deep fissures spider-webbing outward from its hooves.
"These two beasts are fighting with everything they have," Long Aotian commented in a low, hushed voice, his eyes locked onto the brutal spectacle.
Down in the ruined field, the Vigorous Vajra Ape let out a deafening, furious roar. It kicked off the shattered ground with explosive violence, its massive frame soaring high into the air, temporarily blotting out the sunlight.
It brought its massive, muscular forelimbs together above its head, locking its fists into a fleshy hammer. With the crushing force of a falling meteor, it smashed down toward the Earth-Splitting Rhino's exposed back.
The Earth-Splitting Rhino was not to be outdone. It let out a deep, rumbling grunt, its hind hooves frantically digging trenches into the soil to anchor itself. Just as the ape descended, the rhino suddenly snapped its head upward, thrusting its massive spiral horn directly into the path of the Vajra Ape's devastating double-fist strike.
BOOM!
The terrifying shockwave of the collision erupted outward in a visible ring of compressed air. A wild, howling gale kicked up a storm of crushed stones and splintered wood, forcing the observing trio to narrow their eyes against the debris.
The rhino's horn cleanly pierced straight through the Vajra Ape's right arm. Jagged white bone fragments erupted from the ape's flesh, and a fountain of hot, crimson blood sprayed wildly into the air.
However, the Earth-Splitting Rhino did not escape unscathed. Because it had borne the absolute full force of the ape's desperate, ten-thousand-ton strike, its entire spine let out a sickening, tooth-aching crack. Its heavy, mountain-like body instantly lost its structural integrity, crashing heavily to its front knees and sending tremors through the earth.
The Vajra Ape landed heavily, letting out a shrill scream of agony. Ignoring its ruined right arm, it used its remaining left arm to wrap around the rhino's thick neck in a vice-like chokehold, frantically attempting to throttle the life out of its crippled opponent.
In its death throes, the Earth-Splitting Rhino twisted its massive body with frantic, chaotic violence. Its razor-sharp long horn repeatedly gored into the Vajra Ape's exposed abdomen, tearing through muscle and pulling out gruesome strings of internal organs with every savage thrust.
In the span of just a few short breaths, the brutal exchange came to an end. The two twenty-thousand-plus-year Soul Beasts, which had been so terrifyingly imposing just moments ago, now both collapsed heavily into a rapidly expanding pool of their mingled blood.
The Vigorous Vajra Ape's chest heaved weakly, its breathing becoming extremely faint and ragged. The majestic dark gold luster of its fur rapidly faded into a dull, lifeless brown.
Beneath it, the Earth-Splitting Rhino was similarly down to its absolute last breaths, its huge, bloodshot eyeballs already beginning to glaze over with the unmistakable haze of impending death.
Standing silently on a high branch overlooking the carnage, Liu Yuan's Double Pupils pulsed with a faint purple-gold light. His enhanced vision clearly captured the rapidly fading life origin of both Soul Beasts. He turned to look at Long Aotian, a sharp, calculating light flashing in his eyes.
"One excels in sheer explosive power, while the other is a master of absolute defense and kinetic impact," Liu Yuan said, his voice calm but laced with obvious satisfaction. "Senior Brother, this truly is a god-given opportunity."
"Both of these Soul Beasts belong to the pinnacle of the power-type category. Either one of them is perfectly suitable for you to absorb as your sixth ring."
"But the most important—and by far the rarest—point is that they are already hovering on the very brink of death."
"And this fatal state wasn't caused by us hunting them down. It was entirely brought about by their own mutual destruction."
"In other words, they harbor no direct resentment or hatred toward us for their current predicament."
"This fulfills one of the strictest and most difficult requirements for forging a Soul Spirit: the Soul Beast must be entirely willing to form the contract. Under normal circumstances, convincing a proud, high-tier Soul Beast to willingly submit is practically impossible. But right now, the situation is completely different. If they refuse to cooperate, their souls will shatter and they will be dead in a matter of minutes anyway. We are offering them their only chance at survival."
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