--- Chapter 35 ---
"Uh, How do I store this?"
[You can store it in the Inventory] Evo answered with a dull tone.
"Really?" Huo Yuhao asked for confirmation from Evo.
[Yes. Spirit Rings are considered items by the system]
[Even though Spirit Rings from an outside source are unstable because they contain remnants of Spirit Beast's last memory/ consciousness, bloodline, and raw energies. It's still an item]
Huo Yuhao couldn't help but laugh because of how convenient Evo was to him. He doesn't have time to develop the spirit ring storage tool built by the genius scientist Xuan Ziwen from the Sun and Moon Empire.
[Name: Great Waterfall Ape]
[Type: Spirit Ring/Spirit Beast]
[Age: 111.000 Years Old]
[Description: Great Waterfall Ape is a spirit beast native to this continent and possesses congenital physical prowess that rivals even Taotie in the early stage. It could control water elements and is known as the Water Behemoth among the spirit beasts]
[Spirit Skill: Water Control, Greater Waterfall's Crush]
"Oh?"
[Water Control]
[Manipulate the nearest body of water around you using spirit energy]
[Great Waterfall's Crush]
[An enormous silhouette roared to the sky and transformed into a destructive Waterfall that swept over the enemy with extreme water pressure]
"It's not bad. In case I can't find a more suitable spirit ring in the future. I can absorb this for the Chains of Heaven's fourth ring."
Huo Yuhao realized something and asked, "Wait, Spirit Rings can only get absorbed by the person who killed the spirit beasts. Does that mean the Spirit Ring from the system reward doesn't have that imprint?"
[Correct]
"What about this spirit ring." Huo Yuhao pointed at the red spirit ring above the Great Waterfall Ape's corpse. "Does storing it inside the Inventory erase the imprint?"
[Do you want the system to neutralize the spirit ring?]
"Evo, so smart." A grin was plastered all over Huo Yuhao's face because his system was easy to read. He noticed this fact after abusing Advance Training Quest for weeks. "And yes, I want to neutralize the spirit ring. Can you do it?"
"Is it possible?"
[Scanning...]
[...]
[It is possible. However, one year thoroughly was needed to run this protocol]
"I can upgrade the process with Upgrading Tickets to make it faster, right?"
[...]
[Yes. You can use 1 Silver Upgrading Ticket to hasten the process instantly]
[Do you want to use 1 Silver Upgrading Ticket on...]
"No, I'll do it later. Having Upgrading Tickets as currency is so pleasant." Huo Yuhao remarked while storing the Great Waterfall Ape's spirit ring in his Inventory. He glanced at this corpse and remembered 100.000 years old spirit beasts can form Spirit Bones.
Huo Yuhao activated the Eyes of the Lord and observed the Great Waterfall Ape's corpse, seeing every inch of the muscle tissue, bones, and organs. Heavenly Mirror is the innate ability of Huo Yuhao's eyes, allowing him to see his enemy's inside out.
He walked toward the shoulder area and used Eas to create a sharp scalpel. He coated the scalpel with Busoshoku Haki because the Great Waterfall Ape's skin is so tough. It's like cutting through rock.
After cutting through tough muscle tissue, Huo Yuhao could see a gleaming white bone. It released intense spirit energy with a blue hue. And he wasted 15 minutes taking it out.
[Name: Waterfall Ape Blade]
[Type: External Spirit Bone]
[Grade: S]
[Description: A precious spirit bone of the Great Waterfall Ape, having the shape of a pure white blade without any handle. It is located on the right shoulder area because that was Great Waterfall Ape's main shoulder arm]
[Spirit Skill: Water Stream Edge, Great Waterfall's Slash]
Huo Yuhao stared at the Waterfall Ape Blade and felt its sheer weight. This external spirit bone weighed over 420 kilograms and possessed a trace of the Great Waterfall's Ape bloodline. As for the spirit skills, they are self-explanatory.
Water Stream Edge allowed water to run on the blade surface and increased the sharpness by several folds. And Great Waterfall Slash was a wide-ranged skill that sent sharp water blades to the enemy.
"I won't absorb this spirit bone for now." He commented calmly while throwing the Great Waterfall Blade into his Inventory. "I had to research how Spirit Bone contains the Spirit Beast's ability. It might allow me to imbue spirit skills with other objects or create weapon based on it."
"For now, let's clean this place first."
Huo Yuhao placed the enormous corpse into his Inventory and stared at the destroyed land. Their fights smooshed some mountains together and buried the lake where the Great Waterfall Ape lives.
"I only have 40% spirit energy left, but that was more than enough." He crouched and gently touched the ground with his hand.
[Extreme Earth Manipulation]
Huo Yuhao closed his eyes and skillfully reshaped the land with his ability, flattening some land and fixing the lake. He shifted the mountain range to a circle-like shape with the lake in the center.
He chuckled slightly and whispered, "This place is big enough to fit the whole continent of Australia. The difference of size between the two worlds is hilarious."
"Goldy, come out."
Huo Yuhao instantly opened the Sub-Dimensional Space and let 17 oceanic spirit beasts enter the lake. They looked around the area curiously and felt weird as the lake was fresh water. He used Earth Manipulation to increase the mineral/salt content a little.
"You guys will protect this place now. Don't let anyone enter this besides people from Dragon Nest and me. Is that clear?" He stated while looking at the Imoogi. The snake dragon has become more obedient after getting defeated by him.
"Goldy, you're the leader of this little group. Tell me if one of them dares to fight my order because I won't spare their lives like before."
Goldy nodded his head and excitedly floated around by pedaling his tail. And the rest of the oceanic spirit beasts are shivering in fear because Huo Yuhao sounds serious. This young man was a devil.
"Any problem?" Huo Yuhao smiled at the spirit beast, and they shook their heads violently.
"Good."
"Then, I'll see you guys in a few hours."
Huo Yuhao vanished into thin air and appeared beside Qianye Ying'er, where he left his wormhole. He sighed in relief because everything was alright. "That was tiring." He said while drinking a recovery potion.
"Are you okay?" Qianye Ying'er asked while massaging his tense shoulders. "The earth is trembling violently a few times when you're gone, Yuhao."
"Well, that was me." He replied casually.
"Eh??"
...
...
Scathach, Huo Yun'er, and Murong Qianxue returned to the Huo Yuhao group an hour later. They have hunted and absorbed their spirit rings.
"There was an earthquake here. Was it you?" Scathach questioned while squinting her eyes a little at Huo Yuhao.
Huo Yuhao nodded and replied, "Yes, Shishou. I fought the leader of this mountain. Even though I wasted my spirit energy fighting that guy, everything was under my control."
Scathach excused herself and started to touch Huo Yuhao's muscles from top to bottom. She frowned because his muscle growth exceeded her training regiment's result by fighting spirit beast once. She seemed to underestimate her disciple's unique body.
"Hmm, I'll change your training from now on." She said while feeling a hand on top of her head.
Huo Yun'er stared at Scathach and indifferently said, "You might be Hao'er teacher, but I never allow you to molest him in broad daylight. Only I was allowed to do that."
Meanwhile, Huo Yuhao was speechless when hearing that but quickly noticed solemn looks on Qianye Ying'er and Murong Qianxue's faces. They seemed to take Huo Yun'er words seriously because she was the leader of Huo Yuhao's cult.
"There is no such a rule." Scathach countered with her usual cold tone. "I'll touch my disciple whenever I want."
Huo Yun'er and Scathach stared at each other fiercely, and Huo Yuhao sighed inside because he had to calm these two down immediately. The recently claimed territory would become a land of fire and destruction if he let them fight.
Growl~!
"Ah... I'm hungry. Can we return to the ship first?" Huo Yuhao beamed at them.
"Of course, Hao'er~!" Huo Yun'er responded instantly.
Scathach pouted and replied, "If my disciple says so."
After returning to the Yacht, Huo Yuhao sent some people to secure the border of his new territory with Spirit Radar because he couldn't let other Beast Lords take advantage of it. They are 100.000 years old Spirit Beasts, meaning their intellect is most likely at the same level as a human.
Huo Yuhao also placed Chains of Heavens around the border, setting Sakura Sealing Arrays and Bane of Monster skills. This combination would prevent any weak spirit beast from entering his territory. And the oceanic spirit beast in the lake will protect the area from the inside.
...
...
After dinner, Huo Yuhao sat on the leader's seat inside the meeting room. He threw a stack of paper on the table and looked at the people here. They are people he recruited based on intellect and skills, having the potential to help Dragon Nest.
He smiled at them and said, "We'll start Dragon Nest development now."