Join my Patreon to be 30 chapters ahead of the webnovel releases:
patreon.com/ZeroMoney
I would appreciate your help if you could join my Patreon and support me because it would keep me motivated.
******
The Purple-Gold Dragon Beast appeared first, prompting Xiao Hongchen to abandon the Silver Moon Tiger.
Though the metallic soul skill from the Silver Moon Tiger was tempting, the Purple-Gold Dragon Beast was far more valuable to him.
For a soul engineer, the Purple-Gold Dragon Beast is the ideal soul ring.
Since the entire body of the Purple-Gold Dragon Beast is composed of metal, simply absorbing it would passively double the affinity of his Three-Legged Golden Toad towards metal.
The amplification is on par with a ten-thousand-year soul skill, though this only applies to metal affinity.
Besides passively boosting metal affinity, the Purple-Gold Dragon Beast would likely grant him a defensive-type soul skill.
A metal shield that offers all-around defense, just like the protective shell of the Purple-Gold Dragon Beast!
Not only would this greatly enhance Xiao Hongchen's defensive capabilities, but it would also work in tandem with his earlier soul skills, allowing him to construct a war fortress.
Moreover, during the use of this soul skill, his body would become semi-metallic. Although this wouldn't provide full immunity to physical attacks, it would offer half the protection.
The battle between the two ten-thousand-year soul beasts caused quite a commotion. The oppressive aura of these soul beasts also kept other nearby creatures at bay, preventing them from approaching.
As the fight continued, both the Purple-Gold Dragon Beast and the Silver Moon Tiger accumulated injuries.
Jing Hongchen, true to his nature as an old fox and a titled Douluo, didn't forcibly intervene. Instead, he waited for both sides to exhaust themselves.
At the perfect moment, Jing Hongchen made his move.
"Martial Soul Possession!"
He released his martial soul—a gigantic toad—which enveloped him.
"First soul skill: Golden Control!"
"Second soul skill: Golden Boil!"
"Fifth soul skill: Golden Solidification!"
Jing Hongchen's soul skill combination was similar to Xiao Hongchen's, but his Golden Solidification was a ten-thousand-year soul skill.
In an instant, just as the two ten-thousand-year soul beasts stopped fighting and were on guard, Jing Hongchen had already armed himself.
Sixteen soul cannons were set up on the various parts of Jing Hongchen's massive toad form.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Su Yu felt the entire valley tremble, and the terrifying waves of energy shook him to his core.
"Those are at least level-six fixed-installed soul cannons!"
Relying only on his soul skills, Jing Hongchen could instantly set up sixteen level-six fixed-installed soul cannons. And this wasn't even his limit, considering that he couldn't kill the two ten-thousand-year soul beasts outright.
The key was that Jing Hongchen hadn't yet used his martial soul avatar or activated his eighth and ninth soul skills. Of his five ten-thousand-year soul rings, he had only used the first one.
Jing Hongchen's individual combat strength might not be impressive, but in group battles, his capabilities were unparalleled.
Su Yu's earlier judgment was slightly off.
Jing Hongchen had only set up four fixed-installed soul cannons, all at level-six.
The four level-six cannon blasts didn't even directly hit the Purple-Gold Dragon Beast; they merely sealed off its escape routes.
Even so, the shockwaves from the explosion severely injured the Purple-Gold Dragon Beast.
Aside from the four fixed-installed soul cannons, the remaining twelve setups were modified soul launcher rails.
Instead of firing cannonballs, they shot out level-six soul-controlled heavy armor locks designed to restrain soul beasts.
Of the twelve soul-controlled heavy armor locks, four latched onto the Purple-Gold Dragon Beast, binding its neck, tail, waist, and legs.
The remaining eight targeted the Silver Moon Tiger. Although the Silver Moon Tiger dodged three, the remaining five locked it in place.
"It's done."
Jing Hongchen deactivated his Martial Soul Possession, appearing calm and composed.
Seeing Su Yu's stunned expression, he felt an inner satisfaction.
"Xiao, fire one more soul cannon shot."
"Got it!"
Xiao Hongchen summoned his martial soul.
Behind the Three-Legged Golden Toad, a massive soul cannon materialized.
Around the cannon, various auxiliary devices were set up to enhance its power.
Boom!
A cannon shot was fired, striking the Purple-Gold Dragon Beast's head.
Its unwilling roar faded under the thunderous explosion.
A jet-black soul ring slowly rose from the smoke.
Jing Hongchen was still restraining the Silver Moon Tiger.
"With the Silver Moon Tiger's oppressive aura, weaker soul beasts won't dare come near, saving us a lot of trouble."
"First soul skill: Starforce!"
Su Yu activated his soul skill, replenishing Xiao Hongchen's soul power and stamina.
Now at his peak state, Xiao Hongchen held the spherical soul tool that Jing Hongchen had previously given him and sat cross-legged, beginning to absorb the Purple-Gold Dragon Beast's soul ring.
Jing Hongchen stood on guard while Su Yu carefully observed the soul ring absorption process.
After about ten minutes, Xiao Hongchen's face started twitching, as if enduring immense pain.
Still, he persevered.
An hour later.
Suddenly, the spherical soul tool in Xiao Hongchen's hands released a burst of energy, surging into his body.
"This must be an active trigger," Jing Hongchen commented from the side.
It hadn't activated for such a long time because there was no life-threatening danger.
When absorbing a ten-thousand-year soul ring, one must face the risk of a soul shock. The lingering spirit of the soul beast within the ring would attack the spirit of the absorber.
Xiao Hongchen had likely passed the danger and, realizing there would be no further threats, activated the soul tool to test its effect.
Now, all that remained was to wait.
Three hours later, the black soul ring around Xiao Hongchen had shrunk until it tightly adhered to his body. Then, with a final flicker, it merged directly into him.
The shadow of the Three-Legged Golden Toad above Xiao Hongchen had also transformed.
Its golden body now shimmered with a faint purple aura, its size larger, its metallic sheen even stronger.
Xiao Hongchen opened his eyes and retracted his martial soul.
"How's the soul skill?" Jing Hongchen asked.
Xiao Hongchen smiled confidently and revealed his new fifth soul skill.
"My fifth soul skill is Fortress of Gold. It allows me to gather metal and form a powerful metallic shell while greatly enhancing my ability to concentrate metal elements."
Jing Hongchen nodded in approval; the result matched his expectations.
"How strong is the shell? Any other boosts?"
"My affinity with metal has at least doubled! When I actively use the skill, it can increase even more!" Xiao Hongchen said excitedly. "Also, my martial soul seems to have grown stronger."
"It seems the Purple-Gold Dragon Beast is a perfect match for you," Jing Hongchen said with a smile, clearly pleased with Xiao Hongchen's success.
"As for the defense of the metallic shell, that will have to wait for further testing," Xiao Hongchen added, uncertain of its full defensive capability under active usage.
"That's more than enough," Jing Hongchen replied. Based on the current effects, it was clear the defense would not be lacking.
"This Silver Moon Tiger has reached ten-thousand-year cultivation. It would be a waste to kill it, so let's set it free."
Jing Hongchen instructed Su Yu and Xiao Hongchen to step back as he deactivated the soul-controlled heavy armor locks.
The Silver Moon Tiger let out a low growl and sprinted out of the valley.
"Xiao Yu, next it's time to find your soul ring."
With Xiao Hongchen gaining an extraordinary soul ring, Jing Hongchen was in high spirits. The group of three wasted no time and continued deeper into the valley, searching for the ten-thousand-year Swordgrass that Su Yu needed.
(End of Chapter)