**Chapter 86 Sacrifice of Revenge**
Spirit City, Pope's Palace.
"Your Majesty the Pope, a woman has come to our Pope's Palace, and she wishes to meet His Highness Gu Ziyi."
A subordinate entered the Pope's Palace to report to Qian Xunji.
"Oh? What woman is looking for Gu Ziyi? Do you know why?"
Qian Xunji raised his head, intrigued by the news.
"Your Majesty the Pope, the woman's name is Xing Dailu. She came to our Martial Soul Hall seeking assistance. She said only His Highness Gu Ziyi can help her resolve her issue!"
"She is a Soul Master with innate soul power at Level 9, but she is also unable to cultivate, like Tang Yuehua from the Haotian Sect!"
"Recently, there have been rumors that it was His Highness Gu Ziyi who helped Tang Yuehua find a solution to her cultivation issue. The woman only came to our Martial Soul Hall after hearing this news, hoping to seek His Highness's help to solve her problem as well!"
The reporting person quickly explained the situation and why the woman named Xing Dailu came seeking Gu Ziyi.
"Her innate soul power is at Level 9, yet she can't cultivate?"
"Are you certain about this?"
"What is the Martial Soul of this visitor?"
Originally thinking the woman came because she was close to his disciple, Qian Xunji was surprised to learn more after the subordinate's report.
"I confirmed the details to ensure it's true, Your Majesty!"
"Her Martial Soul is a shining orb!"
The subordinate verified the information.
"Very well, I understand now. Please bring her to me. If her problem is similar to the daughter of the Haotian Sect leader, I can personally help her resolve it!"
Qian Xunji nodded and instructed the person below him.
"Yes, Your Majesty the Pope, I will go and bring her immediately."
The subordinate respectfully exited to bring the woman in.
Shortly afterward, the subordinate returned, escorting a gentle, quiet-looking woman.
…
At that time, Gu Ziyi didn't know that a woman had come to the Martial Soul Hall specifically to find him.
With a 100,000-year-old soul beast in her human form, his group certainly didn't plan to waste time attending any matches.
The priority was to safely bring back the transformed 100,000-year soul beast.
"I'm on the verge of breaking through, please guard me while I meditate!"
And on the way back, Gu Ziyi felt that his chance to advance had arrived, so he immediately asked Bibi Dong and the group to guard him while he practiced in peace.
"Excellent, my younger brother has finally reached the threshold and is about to become a Soul Ancestor before the start of our match!"
"I wonder what kind of soul abilities my younger brother can gain this time…"
Bibi Dong looked at her younger brother, who was beginning his cultivation, and spoke with delight.
"I believe His Highness will not disappoint us."
After hearing Bibi Dong's words, Yu Long also spoke with a hint of anticipation.
Both he and Li Chanfei knew that Gu Ziyi had been condensing his own Soul Rings independently, so he really wanted to see how the boy would successfully condense his next Soul Ring.
"His Highness's first three soul abilities are all unique. I believe his fourth soul ability will also be something extraordinary."
Li Chanfei agreed with Yu Long.
In short, everyone watching had complete confidence in Gu Ziyi's ability to condense his Soul Ring without any issues.
"Breaking through to the Soul Ancestor level, is that bastard just now preparing to reach Level 40?"
Xiao Tao, the 100,000-year-old soul beast who had been temporarily ignored, also learned about Gu Ziyi's current situation from Bibi Dong's words.
She now knew that he was preparing to break through Level 40 and become a Soul Ancestor.
'His first three soul abilities are unique?'
'Damn, that bastard must have been hunting very rare soul beasts!'
Based on their conversation, Xiao Tao grew even angrier as she formed conclusions.
If she had to say who she hated most among her captors, it was definitely Gu Ziyi. She knew it was he who deduced that she was a 100,000-year-old soul beast based on just a few scattered clues, no matter how absurd it seemed to her.
It was Gu Ziyi who organized the others to capture her beforehand.
And even though she had pleaded before, he was determined to take her back to show his teacher, who was definitely a Titled Douluo, for the final confirmation of her identity.
Now that she knew Gu Ziyi hunted rare soul beasts, her hatred for him grew even stronger.
'It's truly unfair for someone like that to have a teacher who is a Titled Douluo.'
'He's only now preparing to break through to Level 40. He's just trash!'
Xiao Tao cursed him in her heart. For someone Gu Ziyi's age, reaching Level 40 might be impressive, but in her eyes, he was just trash—even more so, given his powerful teacher.
Thinking she'd fallen into the hands of such trash, Xiao Tao became even more depressed.
'…Wait a minute, he's about to break through Level 40. That means he'll have an empty slot for a Soul Ring on his body?'
However, Xiao Tao quickly realized something critical.
She knew she couldn't escape and was unable to self-destruct.
However, she would be more than happy if she could drag Gu Ziyi to the grave with her as a sacrifice.
Under normal circumstances, she wouldn't have been able to take him down with her.
But now that Gu Ziyi was about to break through to Level 40 and there would be an additional slot for a Soul Ring on his body, it gave her a chance to make one last desperate move.
An opportunity to sacrifice herself to him voluntarily.
Of course, she wasn't planning to sacrifice herself out of generosity.
The sacrifice she had in mind was purely for revenge.
At Gu Ziyi's level, it was simply impossible for him to withstand the repercussions of absorbing a 100,000-year-old Soul Ring.
Even if she took the initiative to sacrifice herself, which theoretically would lessen the backlash from the overwhelming energy he would have to absorb, it wouldn't work typically—unless she also willingly sacrificed her soul in the process.
But she would definitely not willingly sacrifice her soul; instead, she would hide her soul within the Soul Ring or Soul Bone during the process.
If, for some reason, the Soul Ring didn't kill Gu Ziyi, she would finish him off with a soul attack.
However, she thought it impossible for that trash to withstand the overwhelming energy of a 100,000-year-old Soul Ring. She just wanted to ensure her sacrifice wouldn't go to waste.
Now that she thought she could take revenge on her most hated enemy, Xiao Tao grew quiet, secretly preparing herself.
Her pink eyes quietly watched Gu Ziyi, who was meditating peacefully.
Now, it wasn't just Bibi Dong and his two protectors eagerly awaiting Gu Ziyi's breakthrough; Xiao Tao, the 100,000-year-old soul beast in human form, was also anxiously awaiting his progress.
They all waited until his soul power could finally break through that barrier.
Then, while everyone was waiting, Gu Ziyi continued to practice at his own pace.
Buzz—
Only a few hours later, a strong wave of soul power appeared on Gu Ziyi's body, indicating his advancement.
"His Highness has made a major breakthrough!"
Yu Long said joyfully.
Bibi Dong and Li Chanfei also had surprised expressions on their faces.
Gu Ziyi quickly opened his eyes, a hint of joy shining within them.
It was just a breakthrough to Level 40—not a huge achievement, but a natural step for him, so there were no great surprises in this advancement.
After breaking through Level 40, he was eager to finally choose a soul ability for his fourth Soul Ring, the part he had been most eagerly awaiting in this cultivation process.
"I've broken through to Level 40. I'll do more later…"
Gu Ziyi was about to say he would continue self-condensing his next Soul Ring after a short rest and have Bibi Dong and his two protectors keep watch for him!
Boom—
However, fate had other plans; suddenly, a massive explosion of soul power interrupted Gu Ziyi's words completely.
…
(End of chapter)
N/E: I'll be taking a personal day off, I'm reaching the final stretch of my studies for the test, there's one month left until the date, I'll be reorganizing my schedule, because now it's just review and doing questions, so I'll be back in a day. Thank you for your understanding, guys.
--