Chapter 14: The Second Soul Ring
Under Huo Hu's guidance, the three of them arrived at the residence of the Red Lotus Demon Dragon at an extremely fast pace.
Due to the intimidation of the Red Lotus Demon Dragon, there was simply no second soul beast within several miles of its territory. However, this was also related to its choice of residence. Truly powerful thousand-year soul beasts chose to reside deep within the central area of the Star Dou Great Forest, ignoring these peripheral areas near the outskirts.
The perception of the Red Lotus Demon Dragon was extremely sensitive. Just as Xiao Yu and his companions entered its sphere of influence, its massive body, previously curled up in a ball to rest, instantly opened up, and with an imposing aura, it charged straight toward them.
"Damned beast, what a sensitive perception!"
Even with a cultivation base of only a thousand years, the Red Lotus Demon Dragon could detect the arrival of Xiao Yu and his group. If Huo Hu, with his Soul Douluo cultivation, and Milo, with his Soul Saint cultivation, couldn't even sense the approach of the Red Lotus Demon Dragon, they might as well find a tofu to smash themselves with.
"Milo, protect the Young Master, leave this beast to me!"
Huo Hu shouted at Milo, his martial soul instantly manifesting. Two yellow, two purple, and four black soul rings, the perfect combination, appeared. He rushed towards the Hell Dragon coming at him.
Both Huo Hu and the dragon moved at extremely fast speeds, and within a few breaths, they collided head-on.
"Roar!"
Seeing someone approaching, the Red Lotus Demon Dragon immediately opened its huge mouth and roared at Huo Hu, emitting a shocking dragon chant accompanied by a strong gust of wind.
However, Huo Hu, with his profound cultivation, was not affected in the slightest. He didn't even slow down his pace, and in the blink of an eye, he arrived in front of the dragon. With his right hand clenched into a fist, he fiercely struck the dragon's huge head.
Although it was just a punch, it felt like a giant rock falling on the Red Lotus Demon Dragon's head. Under the pain, the dragon let out an even louder roar, taking a few steps back and staring at Huo Hu with eyes full of terrifying murderous intent.
It then twisted its body, and chaotic energy flowed around it. In an instant, about thirty fireballs formed, followed by another roar. These fireballs swarmed towards Huo Hu.
"Fourth soul skill, Black Flame Impact!"
Seeing this, Huo Hu immediately counterattacked. The fourth soul ring on his body lit up, and a light circle about a meter wide appeared above his head. A black flame gushed out from the circle, roaring past and swallowing up the incoming red fireballs. With undiminished momentum, it charged straight towards the Red Lotus Demon Dragon.
Unable to dodge in time, the Red Lotus Demon Dragon was hit squarely. The terrifying black flame possessed endless destructive power. If it weren't for the dragon's innate fire attribute, it would probably have been burned to ashes by now.
Even so, the Red Lotus Demon Dragon was still burnt and screaming continuously, emitting terrifying roars. Its massive body gradually turned black under the burning black flames, and its high head slowly lowered.
Seeing that the Red Lotus Demon Dragon was already on the brink of collapse, Huo Hu withdrew his soul skill. With a casual grab, he seized the dragon. This dragon, weighing hundreds of kilograms, felt as light as a feather in Huo Hu's hands. He swiftly flew away, returning to Xiao Yu's side in no time.
"Young Master, take action quickly and finish off this beast."
The Red Lotus Demon Dragon, after being engulfed in Huo Hu's black flames, was left with only a breath of life. If Xiao Yu hesitated for a moment longer, it might have been extinguished. Soul Masters could only absorb the soul rings of the soul beasts they personally hunted. Delaying any further would have been a wasted effort.
Xiao Yu naturally understood this principle and didn't hesitate. He took out his dagger and stabbed it into the vital spot of the Red Lotus Demon Dragon. With just a few feeble struggles, the dragon lost its vitality, and a ring of purple light slowly rose from its massive body.
Sitting cross-legged, Xiao Yu took a deep breath and began to mobilize his soul power to absorb the soul ring.
The soul ring emitting a faint purple light fell onto Xiao Yu's body under the guidance of his soul power. Although Xiao Yu had made a lot of preparations beforehand, absorbing a soul ring across levels was still not an easy task. As soon as the soul ring was absorbed, an intense pain spread throughout Xiao Yu's body, continuously stimulating his nerves, making his breathing rapid.
"Keep your mind steady, stay alert!"
Xiao Yu gritted his teeth, constantly reminding himself in his mind.
As time passed by minute by minute, the overbearing power of the soul ring roamed within Xiao Yu's body, constantly washing over his body like a torrent, extreme pain causing Xiao Yu's veins to bulge, sweat dripping from his forehead, and the tightly clenched lips oozing a trickle of blood.
After who knows how long in agony, Xiao Yu, somewhat numb to the pain, seemed to hear the sound of an eggshell cracking. The circulating soul power all over his body burst out like finding a vent, madly pouring out.
It's done!
Xiao Yu breathed a sigh of relief. The most difficult part was over, and what remained was just a matter of course.
"Ding, detected that the host killed and absorbed a thousand-year soul ring with the help of others. Task evaluation: black grade. Congratulations to the host for obtaining the right to select a black-grade character once."
With the sound of the system prompt, the absorption of the second soul ring was declared over. Xiao Yu didn't hesitate. He quickly opened the system mall and used the soul ring disguise he had exchanged with 300 diamonds not long ago, turning the originally purple-glowing second soul ring into yellow.
"Phew, it's finally over!"
Xiao Yu breathed a long sigh of relief, standing up from his original position and rubbing his slightly numb legs due to sitting for a long time.
Huo Hu and Milo, who had been guarding Xiao Yu nearby, immediately came to his side. Huo Hu was always silent, but Milo was somewhat curious and asked, "Young Master, what abilities did this thousand-year soul ring give you?"
"My second soul skill is called Shadow Gale Explosive Bomb. It should be a fusion of my martial soul's dark attribute and the Red Lotus Demon Dragon's fireball. It has a long-range attack effect, with a straight-line distance of about 20 meters. It can be fired unlimited times before my soul power is depleted."
He naturally had no need to hide anything from Huo Hu and Milo, so he directly explained the ability of the second soul skill.
"That's a good skill!"
Both Huo Hu and Milo nodded in agreement, acknowledging Xiao Yu's second soul skill.
"The soul ring has been fully absorbed, so let's leave quickly."
Xiao Yu hurriedly said. Although this Red Lotus Demon Dragon looked like a solitary creature, who knew if it had any distant relatives. Although it was an inferior dragon species compared to true dragon bloodlines, it was still a formidable opponent in the same rank. If a Older creature came, it would be quite troublesome for them.
Huo Hu and Milo nodded together, naturally understanding Xiao Yu's concerns. Immediately, the three of them quickly tidied up and swiftly flew towards the direction of the Star Dou Great Forest.
(End of chapter)
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