The idea of increasing the age of a soul ring was a far-off goal, something not worth focusing on for now.
At present, Xiao Yao Zi had more pressing matters to address.
Xiao Yao Zi placed his hand on the soul ring and began channeling Bei Ming Shen Gong to absorb its energy.
Waves of energy radiated outwards, while beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.
This process was immensely taxing, especially for a child.
If it weren't for his exceptional control over soul power, his body would have already exploded from the sheer force of the energy.
"Help me collect the blood of this snake. I'll need it later." Meng Cheng Xian instructed.
Judging from the situation, it would take hours for Xiao Yao Zi to complete this task.
By then, much of the snake's blood would go to waste.
Shi Hao scratched his head in confusion but quickly followed the instruction.
He didn't understand what the snake's blood would be used for, but he didn't ask.
Meng Cheng Xian wasn't in any hurry. He wanted to see what Xiao Yao Zi could accomplish with his current body first.
The stalemate between them stretched on for several more hours before Xiao Yao Zi finally stopped—not because he had absorbed all the energy, but because he had reached his limit.
The golden glow of the soul ring had already faded, and the ring quickly dissipated, vanishing as it wasn't absorbed in time.
Sitting cross-legged, Xiao Yao Zi began rapidly converting the wild soul power into his own energy.
A portion of it was used to enhance the quality of his body.
Previously, he had relied on qi to improve his physical form, but he had already reached the peak in his former world.
That world had limitations, it didn't allow him to grow further because his original human body was far too frail.
To put it simply, his progress wasn't fast enough. His lifespan was limited, but the speed at which he converted qi couldn't keep up with the pace of his aging.
After some time, Xiao Yao Zi opened his eyes.
He had grown about 10 centimeters taller, and his body appeared noticeably sturdier.
The soul power within him had also increased significantly.
However, since his initial reserves were quite low, this increase felt substantial.
If he were at the level of a ninth-degree soul master, this amount of soul power wouldn't even be enough to fill the gaps between his teeth.
"Marvelous, truly marvelous!"
"The creatures in this world possess such abundant energy. This means I no longer need to hunt humans. Humans once willingly offered themselves to help me reach the pinnacle of the world.
They were so adorable, so they deserve a little rest now. It's time for these adorable animals to generously offer their soul power to help me break through." Xiao Yao Zi remarked, his voice tinged with emotion.
Meng Cheng Xian nodded in agreement:
"This time, I'll make an effort not to consume humans. If humans are adorable, then animals are equally adorable. It's their turn to selflessly dedicate their bodies to me."
Unfortunately, the soul beasts here hadn't formed nations or established civilizations.
Otherwise, there would already be a desperate war to kill Meng Cheng Xian once and for all.
Listening to the two old monsters echoing each other, Shi Hao's face twitched uncontrollably. Cursing silently, he thought:
"To hell with 'selflessly offering their bodies'! These two old freaks aren't human at all. They fundamentally don't understand how humans perceive them."
The thing was, while they could theoretically consider things from a human perspective, they preferred their own worldview.
This was precisely why they viewed themselves as approachable, amicable, and kind-hearted.
Meanwhile, humanity saw them as hellspawn, destroyers of mankind, living catastrophes...
"Once you're done, it'll be my turn." Meng Cheng Xian said, holding a bowl in his hand.
He scooped a full bowl of snake blood and drank it directly. One bowl, then another, until his stomach was bloated with the liquid.
Then, he began madly channeling Truth to assimilate the energy into his body.
His skin turned a fiery red, and cracks started forming across his body.
Blood seeped from his cracks, and before long, he was drenched entirely in crimson.
From his left side, threads of soul power rose, a blood-red hue like that of fresh wounds.
From his right side, a light blue soul power emanated, reminiscent of the serene sky.
The cracks across his body continuously healed, only to tear open again, and then heal once more.
This cycle of breaking and mending repeated endlessly, a horrifying process to witness.
At this point, Shi Hao couldn't help but feel terrified by Meng Cheng Xian's sheer madness. He thought to himself:
"Dammit, now I understand why over eight billion people joined forces to hunt him down, even at the cost of their own lives. With this insane cultivation attitude combined with his habit of using humans as fuel, it's no wonder they were scared out of their minds. This guy is the very definition of a demon unleashed upon the mortal world!
That right half of his body, though... it's surprisingly calming. The soul power there is harmonious, not wild. If he covered the left half and claimed to be a xian, I might actually believe him. But as it stands, he's clearly a demon!"
In stark contrast to Shi Hao's fear, Xiao Yao Zi was utterly fascinated.
"So that's how it works!" he mused.
"Simultaneously using natural energy and energy stolen from other living beings, then integrating both stably into the body to achieve a synergistic effect where one plus one is greater than two.
On top of that, the cultivation speed is insanely fast. His body forcibly accelerates the absorption of natural energy to balance the ferocity of the stolen energy."
"Marvelous, truly marvelous. This is exactly what one would expect from a xian. The determination and unrestrained creativity are absolutely astounding!" he exclaimed aloud, clearly impressed.
Xiao Yao Zi didn't feel inferior, though. The lack of human population in his original world meant that his cultivation relied on the slow accumulation of qi. As such, he couldn't just casually kill people for energy.
Seeing Xiao Yao Zi praising Meng Cheng Xian, Shi Hao's face twitched violently.
"Dammit, only you two lunatics could praise each other like this. Anyone else witnessing this scene would think they've encountered a demon!"
Gradually, the left side of Meng Cheng Xian's body underwent further changes.
After countless cycles of tearing and mending, it started taking on a grayish-black hue.
His skin turned rigid and rough, exuding a lifeless aura. It no longer felt like it belonged to a living being but rather to a demon straight out of the underworld.
Over an hour later, Meng Cheng Xian finally opened his eyes.
His left eye was now entirely black, with a blood-red pupil that had almost consumed the entire iris, leaving only a tiny black dot in the center. His hair was split evenly into two colors—half black, half white.
He had also grown five centimeters taller. The energy he absorbed couldn't compare to Xiao Yao Zi's earlier feat.
At this moment, Meng Cheng Xian truly looked like a demon who had returned from hell, occupying one half of a child's body.