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"Weisi, where did this soul bone come from?"
"It exploded out of that Ghost Tiger just now. It's a forty-thousand-year‐old torso bone—and it should come with its own soul‐bone skill. Absorb it as soon as you can."
"Got it."
Without hesitation, Zhu Zhuyun settled into a cross-legged position, poured her spiritual power into the bone, and began to draw it in.
Any soul master can absorb a soul bone, so Weisi wasn't worried for her safety. And Zhu Zhuyun's talent was far from weak—within two short hours, she'd completely assimilated the torso bone.
Soul bones boost a soul master's physical strength and constitution—but this one had an extra surprise. As she finished absorbing it, Zhu Zhuyun's figure grew even more voluptuous and statuesque than before.
Weisi hadn't expected that—then he recalled: in the original story, every female soul master with a torso bone was a stunning beauty. Bi Bidong had one, and so did Qian Renxue.
Once she'd absorbed that ten-thousand-year soul bone, Zhu Zhuyun's power jumped again—to Soul King level, rank 53—coming within three ranks of matching Weisi himself. (He still hadn't taken the ninth-grade Azure Spirit Pill, after all.)
"Zhuyun," Weisi prompted, "tell us—what's this bone's special skill?"
"All right, watch!" Zhu Zhuyun smiled and channeled her spirit power into the bone. "Soul-bone skill: Nether Doppelgangers!"
BOOM!
In an instant, two perfect copies of her appeared at her sides, leaving everyone gaping.
"This is my skill: Nether Doppelgangers. It splits me into two duplicates. Unlike mere illusionary afterimages from high-speed movement, each clone has half my combat strength and can use all my soul-ring abilities. They only last up to three minutes, then vanish automatically."
"All your soul-ring skills?"
They all drew a sharp breath—this was absurdly powerful.
Right now Zhu Zhuyun was only a Soul King. Three of her fighting together might not sway the tide entirely—but once she became a Titled Douluo? She could instantly field three Titled Douluos, or at worst two Peak Soul Douluos alongside her. Even a three-minute window would be enough—high-level battles are decided in mere seconds, and this skill would catch any enemy off-guard.
"Let's put it to the test," Weisi said, eyes wide. He tried his "Ice-Fire Evil Gaze" on her original and the two copies at once.
He noticed a vein of red fluid flowing only in her true body—her blood—while the clones, being spirit constructs, showed no bloodflow.
"Two clones—that's incredible," he smiled, a bold thought forming in his mind. Three of her… together… and maybe, if he was daring enough, even adding in Zhu Qing…
He kept that last idea to himself. Perhaps one day he'd see if it could be arranged.
"All right," Zhu Zhuyun said, "now that you've each claimed your next soul rings, let's move out. We need to help Nana secure her third."
"Right!"
They set off again, leaving the ruined battlefield behind to hunt their next target.
But as Weisi and the others departed, the earth suddenly split open. A colossal ant burst forth—the Qianjun Ant Emperor, with eight-ten-thousand years of cultivation. It was the only survivor of the three Qianjun brothers.
Avenging his fallen siblings and ensuring his survival in the Star Dou Forest, he'd been feasting on other ancient soul beasts, rapidly increasing his own strength in hopes of reaching one hundred thousand years. Hearing the recent battle cries, he rushed over—and upon finding the corpses of the Ghost Tiger and its two Nether Demon Tiger cubs, his mandibles clicked in delight as he tore them apart.
Within ten minutes, the three carcasses were devoured—and the Ant Emperor's cultivation soared close to ninety-thousand years.
…
After half an hour of trekking through the forest, Weisi finally encountered a 4,500-year-old Ironwood Treant. These plant-type soul beasts resemble towering ancient trees; unless you knew exactly what to look for, you'd never spot them in disguise.
If it weren't for Dai Weisi's Ice-Fire Evil Gaze, which lets him see the flow of soul power inside the Ironwood Treant, he wouldn't have been able to see through its disguise.
The Ironwood Treant is exactly as its name suggests. Though it's a tree, its wood is as hard as steel, and its branches are highly flexible and tough.
Thanks to its incredible hardness, the Ironwood Treant has a natural resistance to both fire and ice attacks. It might not be completely immune to either element, but when facing natural enemies, it won't be helpless.
Looking at the five-meter-tall Ironwood Treant before him, Dai Weisi smiled and said, "Nana, this Ironwood Treant has great toughness and flexibility, plus decent resistance to flame and frost. It's perfect for your third soul ring!"
"Great! Brother Weisi, then let's choose this one. I'm sure I can absorb its soul ring!" Anna's eyes shone with determination and full confidence.
"Heh heh, I believe in you."
Dai Weisi nodded, then looked at Lin Qiuyang and Li Hu. The two instantly understood, transforming into their spirit true forms and charging forward with powerful strides.
"Third soul skill: Frenzy!"
"Sixth soul skill: Blades and Shadows!"
Both attacked with all their strength. Li Hu's claws slashed the air, tearing space itself into cutting wind blades aimed straight at the Ironwood Treant.
At the same time, Lin Qiuyang thrust his sword forward, the air filled with sword light and shadows. The metal sword energy twisted into a whirlwind, carrying countless wind blades that completely engulfed the massive Ironwood Treant.
Clang clang clang!
The sword storm struck the Treant's body, instantly covering it in deep wounds.
But its defense was incredibly strong. Though it only had a thousand years of cultivation, its defense rivaled that of many ten-thousand-year-old soul beasts.
Despite being badly injured, the wounds on its body rapidly healed, visible even to the naked eye.
"Damn it! First soul skill: Sharpness!" Lin Qiuyang shouted. His first soul ring flared, and the metal power of his iron sword grew even stronger.
"Fifth soul skill: Dragon's Slash!"
While "Blades and Shadows" was a wide-area attack, "Dragon's Slash" was a precise single-target strike. With the boost from his first soul skill and his true spirit form, Lin Qiuyang's single sword strike was enough to injure a Soul Douluo.
A dragon-shaped sword energy shot out, piercing straight through the Ironwood Treant's body!
"Miss Anna!"
"Got it! Bloodthirsty Entanglement and Linked Parasitic Seeds!"
Anna simultaneously activated two soul skills. The dozens-of-meters-long Jade Spirit Grass instantly wrapped around the Ironwood Treant, ravenously sucking its soul power.
(End of Chapter)