Chapter 188: Fatal Strike
After briefly experiencing the two soul skills from Sheng Xinxin's eighth soul ring, Du Qianjue was very satisfied. The healing soul skill was already integrated into his wings; the effect was somewhat similar to that of the Nine Hearts Begonia—the more soul power consumed, the stronger the healing effect.
The two skills in the eighth soul ring are:
Holy Light Protection: This skill targets an individual, conjuring a pair of holy light wings on their back. Not only do these wings enable the target to fly, but they also transform into a shield when the target is attacked, absorbing damage until the soul power in the wings is depleted and the wings disappear.
Holy Light Purification: This releases holy light to dispel all negative states from the selected target.
Holy Light Protection is a powerful soul skill combining support and defense, which could be considered a divine skill for a typical support Soul Master. It not only protects allies but also grants them the ability to fly!
The strength of Holy Light Purification is hard to gauge without testing, so Du Qianjue withheld judgment on how extensive its cleansing could be.
After packing up Sheng Xinxin's family's fruit wine, the pair returned to the Lake of Life. Bi Ji left first, emotionally low as she returned to her clan to brood alone.
'Damn it, why doesn't Qianjue want my soul ring?'
While Bi Ji mourned Sheng Xinxin's sacrifice, she also harbored a small complaint in her heart. 'I want to stay with Qianjue forever too!'
Meanwhile, Du Qianjue was planning his next steps with Xue Linglong. Although he hadn't yet created a soul cultivation method, he already had a physical cultivation technique, and having advanced to the early stages of the fourth phase of the Nine-Turn Yuan Gong, he could genuinely feel its immense power in enhancing physical strength.
The temporary soul power cultivation method was also covered by the Xuantian Gong, which, with the meridians and acupuncture points it targeted, allowed for much faster cultivation than meditation. Thus, Du Qianjue wasn't overly concerned about creating a new soul power cultivation method. His reluctance stemmed from a feeling that something was missing—like a Spirit Soul Core.
For now, Du Qianjue had it relatively easy. He just needed to steadily increase his soul power and then break through to the Title Douluo level. Considering the time since the last competition had already been about two years, Du Qianjue, now fifteen, wondered if the Shrek Academy would engage in any exchange programs with the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy.
It turned out they would not. Due to the previous competition's defeat at Du Qianjue's hands, where Ma Rulong didn't even get a chance to use the Sword of Judgement, Jing Hongchen had no opportunity to infiltrate Shrek Academy.
Without Jing Hongchen to bridge connections, why would Shrek proactively engage in an exchange program with the Sun Moon Royal Academy?
Mu En had too much on his plate to think about such matters, and Du Qianjue had no interest in revisiting the Sun Moon Empire. Frankly, the soul guidance devices there that could catch his eye were few.
The soul guidance devices from the era of Unrivaled Tang Sect were too immature; against absolute powerhouses, unless an overwhelming quantity was used, they were ineffective.
To Du Qianjue and Di Tian, the Sun Moon Empire that Shrek Academy and the Tang Sect so dreaded was rather trivial. At their level of power, there were hardly any adversaries left, only those at the pinnacle who could catch their attention.
Indeed, Du Qianjue, having just broken through to the Soul Douluo level, possessed, in a sense, pinnacle-level combat prowess. Not the nearly divine level of Di Tian, but the level of a pinnacle character like Xuan Zi or a level ten soul master like Kong Deming.
Compared to Mu En, Long Xiaoyao, and Ye Xishui, there's still a slight gap. Du Qianjue was supremely confident he wouldn't be far behind Long Xiaoyao, and he was only fifteen—without any system-like golden fingers, just favored by the plane's consciousness and his own efforts, reaching this stage at fifteen was a matter of pride.
But it wasn't enough. So, his next step was to obtain soul rings for his second spirit.
Du Qianjue looked towards the northwest. At the end of that direction lay an endless sea of ice.
"So, are you planning to go to the Ice Sea for soul rings next?" Xue Linglong asked.
Du Qianjue nodded and explained, "There's a tribe in the Ice Sea known as the Sea Princesses. You should be familiar with them."
Xue Linglong nodded slightly. She knew of the tribe, being the ruler of the extreme north and thus aware of her surroundings near the Ice Sea territory. The Sea Princesses were practically neighbors to Xue Linglong.
Moreover, the tribe's leader possessed a soul age of six hundred thousand years, not much weaker than Xue Linglong before she met Du Qianjue.
"The Sea Princesses are followers of Tang San, believers in the Sea God. If I'm to confront Tang San in the future, I must first address his influence in the Douluo Continent," Du Qianjue said with a cold glint in his eyes.
"There's nothing inherently wrong with them as a sea tribe worshiping the Sea God, but it's precisely the reason I need to eradicate them!" Xue Linglong's eyes flickered slightly as she nodded lightly. She naturally wouldn't oppose Du Qianjue's plans.
Although they were fellow spirit beasts and even neighbors seen regularly, if Du Qianjue wished to exterminate the Sea Princesses...
Then so be it.
Who told them to worship a god they shouldn't have? A cold killing intent flashed through Xue Linglong's eyes.
"I presume the Sea Princess leader's six-hundred-thousand-year soul ring would provide considerable assistance to you, right?" Xue Linglong asked with a slight smile, marking a death sentence for the Sea Princess tribe.
"Yes, the ice, water, and mental attributes of her soul ring, especially the powerful mental attribute, plus the six-hundred-thousand-year duration, would indeed provide excellent nourishment for the Spirit Soul Core I plan to form..." Du Qianjue responded with a faint smile.
Then... let's kill them!
(End of Chapter)