The night remained still.
The slowly emerging black soul ring and the pair of "Thunder Blades," reflecting the moonlight, spoke volumes of the earlier unrest in this place.
Li Yu was breathing heavily, his mind far from calm.
This seemingly simple battle had been filled with danger.
A slight misstep could have led to his death.
Clap! Clap!
At that moment, applause suddenly sounded.
"Monster, you're truly a monster!"
The voice of Dugu Bo, uncertain whether it was a compliment or a scolding, came through, though the shock in his tone was unmistakable.
Li Yu had left the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well not long ago, and as soon as he stepped out, Dugu Bo had emerged from his seclusion.
Upon exiting, he immediately sensed the lingering presence of Li Yu.
Realizing that the Sunset Forest was not safe at night, Dugu Bo hurried out to search.
Initially, he thought it would take some time to find Li Yu, but as soon as he stepped out, the sounds of the battle immediately entered his perception.
He had come to observe Li Yu progress over the past month, and so, he had not interfered, choosing instead to protect Li Yu from the shadows.
However, just as he began thinking that Li Yu had not been trying to avoid him but had been seeking his fifth soul ring, he was shocked.
In just one month, Li Yu soul power had surged from level 43 to level 50!
Dugu Bo now understood that Li Yu had intentionally come out to hunt for a 30,000-year soul beast.
But...
The Thunder Blade Mantis had nearly reached 30,000 years of cultivation. Could Li Yu really kill and absorb it with his current strength?
Despite Li Yu fourth soul ring being already at the 10,000-year level, Dugu Bo still had concerns.
The difference between 10,000 and 30,000 years was immense!
Even when he saw the Thunder Blade Mantis with its thunder attribute, Dugu Bo was prepared to intervene at any moment.
Thunder-based soul beasts were not something ordinary soul beasts could rival.
But...
Just as Dugu Bo was preparing to act, something unexpected happened.
The Thunder Blade Mantis, which had been a hair's breadth away from taking Li Yu life, suddenly froze and then disintegrated.
It never let out a scream of agony.
And all of this was due to the deep blue vortex behind Li Yu, threaded with "colorful silk!"
"That winged ability?" Dugu Bo wondered, piecing things together.
The vortex had formed after the wings fluttered, leading him to make the connection.
"..."
Upon hearing the word "monster," Li Yu lips twitched, and he instinctively said, "Aren't you an old monster too?"
"Heh!"
Dugu Bo chuckled lightly, not bothered by the comment. " Only a few dare to call me that!"
He paused, then his gaze fell on the pair of "Thunder Blades" left by the Thunder Blade Mantis.
He observed them for a while, then shook his head. "Good item, but it's just a 'bone shard' imbued with thunder power. It's worth something. Maybe it could be crafted into a good weapon by a blacksmith."
For Dugu Bo, poison was the best weapon, and he didn't need such external items.
" Too bad..."
Li Yu sighed lightly.
The "Thunder Blades" had not developed into a soul bone, and they were nowhere near the semi-finished soul bones like the ones from [The Fang of Absorption].
But this was to be expected.
If soul bones were so easy to obtain, they wouldn't be so precious.
"Well, at least there's something to show for it!"
Li Yu shook his head, not dissatisfied with the "Thunder Blades." He used his soul power to draw them in and placed them into the space of [Elemental Spirit Domain].
He then turned his attention to the dark and profound soul ring.
" Old monster, protect me!"
Without being polite, Li Yu spoke directly, asking Dugu Bo to protect him. Before waiting for Dugu Bo to answer, he crossed his legs and began to focus his spiritual power on the soul ring.
The next moment, the black soul ring began to merge with his body, flickering...
The absorption had begun.
"Eh..."
Dugu Bo extended his hand, but he didn't say anything.
He had intended to dissuade Li Yu, but Li Yu was a person capable of creating miracles and had the talent and strength to do so.
Now, since Li Yu felt confident enough to absorb this 30,000-year soul ring, Dugu Bo knew that Li Yu must have made his judgment.
After realizing this, he didn't stop him, instead silently guarding the surroundings.
Meanwhile, in Li Yu sea of consciousness, a soul body identical to the Thunder Blade Mantis appeared.
It roared and circled around Li Yu, seemingly searching for a weakness.
Li Yu curiously examined the soul body of the Thunder Blade Mantis.
He could clearly sense its hatred.
But the Thunder Blade Mantis would find it difficult to uncover any weakness in him.
After absorbing [The Fang of Absorption], his soul body, which was his condensed spiritual energy, had become extraordinarily solid.
In fact, the head of the soul body even had a turquoise crystal crown on it.
The crown glowed with a faint green light, nurturing Li Yu spiritual energy and constantly "protecting" the safety of his spiritual body.
It could be said that the resentment of an average 10,000-year soul beast would have no effect on him. Even if it entered, it could only watch helplessly before dissipating, harmlessly contributing to the soul ring's nourishment.
What he needed to worry about more was whether his physical strength could sustain the soul ring's intensity.
But with the help of [Water and Fire Spirit Body], this was not something to worry about in the short term.
Thus, the process of absorbing the soul ring became very simple, even somewhat monotonous.
After about half an hour, the Thunder Blade Mantis reluctantly dissipated, and the black soul ring finally merged with Li Yu body.
At that moment, the system prompt flashed as expected...
[Level: 51]
[Free distribution years: 0]
[Elemental Spirit Schedule: 2/10]
[Soul Rings] —
[First Soul Ring] 2500 years, purple, Water Element control, affinity 100%
[Second Soul Ring] 2500 years, purple, Fire Element control, affinity 100%
[Third Soul Ring] 4100 years, purple, Poison Element control, affinity 60%
[Fourth Soul Ring] 10,500 years, black, Life Element control, affinity 70%
[Fifth Soul Ring] 30,000 years, black, Thunder Element control, affinity 70%
...
Purple! Purple! Purple! Black! Black!
Five-ring Spirit King, with three purple rings and two black rings.
This was the result that everyone who had seen Li Yu soul rings before could have predicted. But when it actually happened, it still shocked everyone.
Even Dugu Bo, in this moment.
As a Title Douluo, Dugu Bo had two yellow, two purple, and five black soul rings.
Although his fifth soul ring had also turned black, it was still far weaker compared to Li Yu.
His fifth soul ring had only recently reached the 10,000-year mark, while Li Yu had already achieved this level with his fourth soul ring.
The difference between the two was impossible to compare.
"Monster!"
Dugu Bo sighed again, not knowing how many times he had exclaimed.
Li Yu, however, was different. He wasn't focused on the soul ring's color or age.
What caught his attention was the new elemental power he had gained and the changes in his [Elemental Spirit] martial soul...