Chapter 201: The Destruction Beast Submits!
Down in the freezing depths of the glacial crevice, the Destruction Beast sensed the intrusion. In a fraction of a second, the hundred-thousand-year-old apex predator snapped from absolute dormancy into a lethal combat state. Dark red patterns flared to life across its thick, chitinous shell, vibrating with such violent intensity that the freezing air around it began to warp and distort.
It felt the looming threat. Yet, possessing the immense pride of a hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast, it refused to cower. Instead, the creature erupted from the icy abyss. Its massive, six-meter-long body tore through the howling wind, a jagged horn protruding from its skull aimed directly at Du Busi's chest. The charge was instantaneous, a decisive strike executed without a single warning growl.
Du Busi didn't even flinch. He stood rooted to the frozen earth, his hands casually tucked into his wide sleeves, his eyelids drooping as if he were half-asleep. A mere heartbeat before that devastating horn could impale him, an powerful aura erupted. Nine Soul Rings surged upward from beneath his feet in rapid succession: two yellow, two purple, two black, and three blood-red.
The three hundred-thousand-year rings bathed the dark glacial night in a thick, viscous crimson glow. The sheer tyrannical pressure they exuded instantly crushed the Destruction Beast's momentum. The massive creature slammed into an invisible wall of pure soul power exactly one meter away from the Body Sect Master. It thrashed wildly, its razor-sharp claws carving deep, jagged trenches into the solid ice below, yet it couldn't advance a single millimeter.
Chaotic grayish-white light flickered frantically in the beast's eyes as it let out a series of frantic, hissing shrieks.
Finally, Du Busi moved. He didn't bother summoning his Martial Soul Avatar. He merely slid his right hand from his sleeve, gathered a dense concentration of soul power in his palm, and delivered a casual, unflashy slap to the side of the beast's head.
There was no blinding explosion of light, only a terrifying, heavy kinetic force. The strike bypassed the creature's impenetrable chitinous armor entirely, sending a devastating shockwave directly into its skull. The sheer physical power flipped the six-meter behemoth through the air. It crashed down hard, skidding sideways across the jagged ice for over a dozen meters and shattering several massive boulders before grinding to a halt.
Trembling, the Destruction Beast struggled to its feet. Pure horror now flooded its grayish-white eyes. The casual slap hadn't inflicted fatal external wounds, but it had violently disrupted the flow of its soul power. It finally understood the terrifying truth: the human standing before it was an untouchable monster. Abandoning all thoughts of battle, the beast channeled the energy stored within its dark red patterns, attempting to tear open a spatial rift and flee into the void.
"Trying to run?" Du Busi scoffed.
He took a single, casual step. Space seemed to fold beneath his feet, and he instantly materialized in the air directly above the fleeing beast. Relying entirely on the monstrous physical strength cultivated by the Body Sect, he brought his foot down in a brutal stomp.
The crushing weight slammed the creature flat against the glacier. Before it could recover, Du Busi unleashed a relentless barrage of fists. He didn't use a single Soul Skill. Every punch carried a dense, localized shockwave that bypassed the shell and pulverized the beast's internal organs. The destructive energy that had coated its armor completely shattered, leaving the creature battered into a dazed, helpless stupor.
Watching from a safe distance, Long Aotian shook his head with a wry smile. "Master's combat style is always so direct."
"You could call it the absolute aesthetics of violence," Liu Yuan replied, his tone calm and analytical.
The once-proud Destruction Beast now lay completely limp on the shattered ice, its weak, ragged gasps signaling a rapidly fading life force. Du Busi reeled in his soul power and straightened his robes. He glanced back at his disciple.
"It has lost the ability to fight," the old man stated flatly. "Your turn."
Liu Yuan stepped forward, closing the distance to the fallen behemoth.
Sensing the youth's approach, the creature forced out one last, desperate roar. But under the lingering, oppressive weight of Du Busi's gaze, the sound was pitifully weak.
With a mere thought, Liu Yuan summoned the dark-gold Earth-Splitting Rhino Soul Spirit from Aotian's shoulder. The translucent, miniature rhino materialized above the Destruction Beast's head. Far from being intimidated by the hundred-thousand-year apex predator, the little spirit sniffed the air and sized the giant up with innocent curiosity.
The wariness in the Destruction Beast's eyes shifted into deep confusion as it stared at the spectral entity.
"As you can see," Liu Yuan said, crouching down to meet the beast's gaze. He initiated a direct mental link, his calm, pragmatic voice echoing clearly within the creature's Spiritual Sea. "This was once a twenty-thousand-year Earth-Splitting Rhino. It still exists in this world, just in a different form."
"You have ruled the Sun Moon Forest for a hundred thousand years," Liu Yuan continued, laying out the cold, hard facts. "But your Heavenly Tribulation is approaching. For a hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast, the lightning tribulation is a chasm of death. Once you fail and die, your wisdom, your formidable abilities, and a hundred millennia of bitter cultivation will be reduced to ash."
He held up two fingers. "Right now, you have two paths. First, become my Soul Spirit. In this form, you will gain a new kind of eternal life. If I ascend to godhood, you will rise to that realm alongside me. Second, I kill you right here, take your Soul Ring, and completely erase your consciousness from existence."
He didn't bother with flowery persuasion; he simply presented the cruelest reality of their world. As he spoke, Liu Yuan activated his Double Pupils. A terrifying, majestic surge of ancient energy flooded the clearing, allowing the beast to intuitively grasp the boundless depths of his talent and potential.
"You are strong," Liu Yuan said, his dual-pupiled gaze piercing straight into the creature's soul. "But I am stronger than you can possibly imagine. Following me offers a far greater future than waiting to be turned to cinders in this freezing wasteland."
The Destruction Beast fell utterly silent. A fierce struggle flickered within its grayish-white eyes. A creature of this age possessed intelligence rivaling any human's. It carefully weighed the absolute oblivion of death against the unmatched future this human offered. It looked at the calm youth, then back at the spectral rhino happily trotting in the air. The pure, stable soul power radiating from the little spirit finally tipped the scales.
Slowly, the massive beast lowered its heavy, battered head, pressing its snout against the ice in absolute submission.
"Smart choice." Liu Yuan stood, a faint look of satisfaction crossing his features. He immediately sent a command into his Spiritual Sea. "Elder Yi, begin."
"Understood," Electrolux's ancient, echoing voice replied.
A dense stream of gray necromantic energy began to pour from Liu Yuan's forehead, drifting down like mist to slowly envelop the Destruction Beast's massive frame.
To ensure the delicate ritual went undisturbed, Du Busi expanded his defensive domain, creating an impenetrable barrier around the clearing. His sharp eyes scanned the dark horizon, refusing to let a single trace of aura leak out or allow any external force to interfere.
Meanwhile, in another secluded river valley deep within the forest.
Huo Yuhao, Ke Ke, and Ju Zi were in the middle of conducting routine performance tests on their humanoid soul tools. Suddenly, all three of them froze, their hands hovering over their equipment.
A series of deep, rhythmic vibrations rolled through the frozen earth. This was no natural earthquake; these were the residual shockwaves of a titanic clash of soul power. Despite the vast distance separating them from the epicenter, Huo Yuhao's Ultimate Ice attribute reacted to the frigid environment, allowing him to perceive the violent fluctuations with crystal clarity within his Spiritual Sea.
"Yuhao, did you feel that?" Ke Ke asked, slowly lowering the core array blueprints she had been studying. Her brow furrowed as she peered into the pitch-black depths of the northern forest.
"I felt it," Huo Yuhao replied, his expression turning grave. He exchanged a serious glance with Ju Zi. "The energy fluctuations coming from that direction are incredibly intense."
Ju Zi's eyes gleamed with a mix of caution and curiosity. "Should we go take a look?"
Huo Yuhao stared into the dark woods, weighing the risks. After a long moment of silence, his jaw set with determination.
"Let's go."
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