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Under the sunlight, a valley shimmered with a blue glow.
Guided by the Blue Silver Emperor, each Blue Silver Grass released a tiny light point, resembling fireflies in the dark or stars scattered across the night sky—countless and radiant.
These blue light points gathered around the Blue Silver Emperor as if by some unspoken agreement.
"Now is the time. Channel the energy within you to form the best-suited soul ring for yourself," the Blue Silver Emperor said, sensing the dense soul power surrounding her. She guided the energy left within her after her transformation, gathering it above her head. The initial shape of a soul ring began to form.
Under her guidance, the soul ring, which had started as a white ten-year ring, gradually increased in strength.
"As expected, A Yin is using the surrounding Blue Silver aura to create a diversion. It's a clever move," Lin Yongming thought. Despite the Blue Silver Emperor's flawless execution, it couldn't escape Lin Yongming's keen perception.
Although there were countless light points, Lin Yongming could clearly sense that these points weren't being absorbed by the Blue Silver Emperor. Instead, they originated from within her. He could see the trajectory of these light points.
"It's forming! The soul ring is truly taking shape. This is incredible! Even though it's still a white ten-year ring, I can feel the soul power within it deepening," Korol exclaimed in amazement as he watched the soul ring form above the Blue Silver Emperor's head.
"Indeed, even as a Soul Sage, my knowledge is still limited. The continent is vast, and the world is boundless. There are truly wonders beyond imagination," Korol silently marveled.
After about ten minutes, the white ten-year ring above the Blue Silver Emperor's head had transformed into a yellow hundred-year ring. The initial stages of the ring's formation were progressing quickly.
Another half-hour passed, and the hundred-year ring had advanced to a purple thousand-year ring.
"Screech!" A cry echoed through the air as an eagle with a wingspan of over five meters flew over the Blue Silver Valley. Noticing the commotion below, the eagle began circling above.
"Lin Yongming, be careful! That's a Shadowwind Eagle. With a wingspan of over five meters, it's a forty-thousand-year soul beast," Korol immediately warned Lin Yongming, his tone serious.
"The Shadowwind Eagle isn't leaving. It seems to have set its sights on A Yin," Korol added.
"It must have been attracted by the soul power fluctuations caused by A Yin," Lin Yongming nodded in agreement.
Due to the Blue Silver Emperor's actions, the soul power in the valley grew increasingly dense. Not only had the Shadowwind Eagle been drawn in, but a snake had also appeared at the edge of the valley.
"Brother Korol, is that another soul beast at the southeastern edge of the valley?" Lin Yongming quickly alerted Korol.
"Damn it! It's a ten-thousand-year Mandala Snake. Six meters long, with a head and glossy purple-black scales. It's nearly thirty thousand years old," Korol said, following Lin Yongming's gaze. The Mandala Snake was slithering toward the valley, its forked tongue flicking in and out.
The Mandala Snake occasionally glanced up at the Shadowwind Eagle circling above. Naturally, the snake was wary of the eagle, as eagles are natural predators of snakes. However, the temptation of the Blue Silver Emperor's energy was too great for the snake to leave.
"Brother Korol, this is a critical moment for A Yin. We can't let them disturb her. We don't know what state she's in right now. If she's interrupted, her strength might never progress again," Lin Yongming urgently said to Korol.
"Of course. But the Shadowwind Eagle is incredibly fast, and it's a forty-thousand-year soul beast. If I deal with the eagle, I won't be able to help you with the Mandala Snake," Korol replied, somewhat helpless.
"Brother Korol, don't worry. I can handle the Mandala Snake. I know its venom is potent, but I happen to be immune to poison. To me, the Mandala Snake is just an ordinary ten-thousand-year snake soul beast," Lin Yongming said confidently.
"Good. I'll deal with the Shadowwind Eagle, and you handle the Mandala Snake. Even if we can't kill them, we must hold them off until A Yin completes her sixth soul ring," Korol nodded.
"Shadow Falcon, martial soul manifestation!" Korol summoned his martial soul. After the manifestation, a pair of deep purple, shadowy wings appeared on his back, and a crown-like falcon beak formed on his forehead.
Seven soul rings—two yellow, two purple, and three black—rose from his feet to his head. Once fully prepared, Korol nodded to Lin Yongming and flapped his wings, ascending about thirty meters above the valley.
"Fortunately, Brother Korol is an agility-type flying soul master. Although his flying ability is slightly inferior to the Shadowwind Eagle, as a Soul Sage, he should have no trouble dealing with it," Lin Yongming thought as he watched Korol prepare for battle. He then summoned his own martial soul, the Thunder Blade.
"A Yin, don't worry about us. Focus on absorbing your soul ring. I've got this," Lin Yongming said to the Blue Silver Emperor, standing about twenty meters away from her. Whether she could hear him or not, he felt the need to reassure her.
With that, Lin Yongming moved past the Blue Silver Emperor and positioned himself to the side.
"First soul skill, Thunder Slash!" Lin Yongming unleashed a soul skill as a warning to the Mandala Snake.
"Leave now, or don't blame me for what happens next," Lin Yongming warned, holding his blade toward the snake.
Ten-thousand-year soul beasts possess a certain level of intelligence. Even if it couldn't understand his words, Lin Yongming believed the Mandala Snake would comprehend his warning.
He didn't want to engage in a full-blown battle, fearing that the commotion might disturb the Blue Silver Emperor's soul ring absorption.
After Lin Yongming's warning, the Mandala Snake stopped slithering and raised its head, its cold, reptilian eyes fixed on him with a wary gaze.
"Screech!" Above, the Shadowwind Eagle, having circled several times, finally couldn't resist diving toward Korol, its sharp claws extended for a fierce attack.
"You're asking for it!" Korol shouted, activating a hundred-year soul ring. His hands transformed into claws, shrouded in dark purple soul power, as he launched a counterattack. "Shadow Assault!"
With a single strike, Korol tore off a chunk of feathers from the Shadowwind Eagle's leg. The eagle let out a pained cry and quickly retreated, using its speed to create distance.
A Soul Sage was still a Soul Sage, and a forty-thousand-year soul beast was no match. If not for the Shadowwind Eagle's speed and aerial advantage, Korol's attack would have caused even more damage.
But Korol wasn't about to let the eagle escape. Activating another hundred-year soul ring, a flurry of feathers surrounded him and shot toward the Shadowwind Eagle.
"Brother Korol seems to have the Shadowwind Eagle under control. The real problem is this Mandala Snake. It's probably getting impatient," Lin Yongming thought, glancing at Korol's battle.
Meanwhile, the purple light above the Blue Silver Emperor's head grew increasingly intense, indicating that her soul ring was nearing the ten-thousand-year level.
"Whoosh!" The Mandala Snake, seeing the chaos above, suddenly lunged at Lin Yongming, its massive body coiling as it opened its gaping maw.
"Second soul skill, Wave Burst!" Lin Yongming remained calm. He plunged his Thunder Blade into the ground, and a powerful force erupted from within him, spreading outward.
"Boom!" The Mandala Snake's upper body was forcefully repelled, sending it tumbling backward.
Although Lin Yongming was keeping an eye on Korol and the Blue Silver Emperor, he had been on guard against the Mandala Snake's movements.
The snake quickly recovered and, instead of charging again, opened its mouth and released a dark purple mist.
"Block!" Lin Yongming shifted his stance, holding his blade defensively as he activated a defensive skill.
As the dark purple mist hit him, a semi-circular barrier appeared in front of him, shielding him from the attack.
"Ugh, this stench is unbearable!" Lin Yongming immediately held his breath.
The Thunder Blade, where the mist had struck, began to turn purple. Clearly, the mist was highly toxic, and the poison had seeped into the blade.
"Netherworld Thunder Slash!" While maintaining his defensive stance, Lin Yongming gathered soul power and then spun around, slashing with his blade. A three-meter-long arc of lightning shot toward the Mandala Snake.
Seeing this, the snake stopped its mist attack and swiftly lashed out with its tail, shattering Lin Yongming's thunderous slash.
The nearly thirty-thousand-year Mandala Snake possessed strength comparable to a Soul Emperor. Its massive body contained soul power equivalent to a level 57 Soul King, and its natural physical prowess gave it the combat power of a Soul Emperor.
Lin Yongming flicked his Thunder Blade, and the small section tainted by the poison returned to normal. Thanks to his immunity to the Mandala Snake's venom, he was able to hold his own in the battle.
If it were any other soul master, they would have already been incapacitated by the snake's potent toxins.
As Lin Yongming continued his assault, he sensed a surge of soul power from behind him. The Blue Silver Emperor's soul ring had reached the ten-thousand-year level.
But it wasn't enough. The Blue Silver Emperor needed to push the soul ring to its sixth-ring limit, which would require more time.
"I can't keep this up. The Mandala Snake's speed is no joke. If this drags on, my stamina won't last against a soul beast," Lin Yongming thought as he slashed at the snake's body and quickly retreated.
"Fourth soul skill, Immovable King's Domain!" As the Mandala Snake relentlessly pursued him, Lin Yongming activated his fourth soul ring.
With his spiritual lock, the Immovable King's Domain accurately trapped the Mandala Snake at its center. The massive snake writhed in panic as four small thunder orbs and one large orb bombarded it.
Even with its tough, scale-covered body, the Mandala Snake couldn't withstand the relentless lightning attacks. Its flesh was torn apart, and it was left severely injured.
"Explode!" As Lin Yongming struggled to maintain control over his fourth soul skill, he detonated all five thunder orbs.
"Boom!" The Mandala Snake crashed to the ground, chunks of its flesh scattered around. Fortunately, its body was over twenty centimeters thick, so it wasn't fatal.
But the snake had had enough. It quickly slithered away, dragging its wounded body into the forest.
"Finally, it's gone," Lin Yongming sighed in relief, wiping the sweat from his brow.
He didn't pursue the snake. His priority was to protect the Blue Silver Emperor, not to hunt down the Mandala Snake. The valley could attract other soul beasts at any moment, and Lin Yongming needed to ensure the Blue Silver Emperor's safety.
"Sixth soul skill, Shadow Grasp!" Korol's voice echoed from above.
His hands transformed into massive, four-meter-long shadowy claws, which reached out and grabbed the Shadowwind Eagle from both sides. The claws closed like a lotus, trapping the eagle within.
"Screech!" The Shadowwind Eagle cried out in pain as Korol tightened his grip.
"Die!" Korol's soul skill shifted, and his hands tore the Shadowwind Eagle's wings clean off.
Without its wings, the eagle plummeted fifty meters to the ground.
"Boom!" The Shadowwind Eagle crashed into the valley, its body twitching as blood spilled from its beak and the gaping wounds where its wings had been.
By the time Korol landed beside it, the eagle was barely alive, its fate sealed.
"Brother Korol, you're amazing!" Lin Yongming praised.
"A Soul Emperor like me should have no trouble dealing with a forty-thousand-year soul beast. If I couldn't handle this, I might as well give up being a Soul Sage," Korol replied with a hint of pride.
"Impressive," Lin Yongming said, giving Korol a thumbs-up.
"It's a shame no one can absorb this Shadowwind Eagle's soul ring. It would have been perfect for an agility-type soul master," Korol lamented as he watched the eagle's soul ring form and dissipate into the air.
"There's nothing we can do. We don't kill soul beasts unless necessary, but when they attack us, we have to fight back," Lin Yongming said calmly.
"You're right. But we can't let our guard down yet. The commotion we caused will likely attract other soul beasts," Korol said, keeping an eye on the surroundings.
"Agreed," Lin Yongming nodded. The two of them stood guard on either side of the Blue Silver Emperor.
About an hour later, the Blue Silver Emperor's soul ring finally reached its peak.
"A nearly forty-thousand-year sixth soul ring. This is the limit," the Blue Silver Emperor thought, aware of the battle that had taken place but unable to stop the absorption process.
"Lin Yongming, A Yin has officially started absorbing the soul ring," Korol informed Lin Yongming as he watched the Blue Silver Emperor guide the soul ring into her Blue Silver Grass martial soul.
"Good. I can sense other soul beasts approaching. I hope we can hold them off," Lin Yongming said solemnly.
The battle was far from over...
Note: So far this story is published up to chapter 200 on my patreon, go check it out and remember that if we reach the goal of 120 power stones I will publish the next chapter.