Li Qing said, "Senior, please rest assured, this junior knows what he's doing, but the specifics still depend on the situation. If suitable, five thousand years is fine, but it cannot be less than five thousand years."
Dugu Bo nodded and said, "Since that's the case, let this old man witness this miracle."
Afterward, the two began to wander aimlessly in the Sunset Forest, as whether or not they could find a suitable Soul Beast largely depended on luck.
This time, Li Qing's luck was clearly not as good as it was in the Star Dou Great Forest.
Either the age wasn't enough, or the compatibility wasn't high enough. The two searched for three days straight but couldn't find a suitable Soul Beast, though this was the norm when hunting for Soul Rings.
It was normal for some unlucky Soul Masters to stay in the Soul Beast forest for half a month or even a month.
"Ugh..."
As they walked, Li Qing suddenly smelled a nauseating stench, as if there were a large number of rotting corpses nearby, and he couldn't help but retch dryly.
Dugu Bo sniffed and guessed, "It should be a Death Mandala."
Death Mandala is a very peculiar poison-attribute plant Soul Beast. They only grow on decaying corpses, and the poison they contain is not conventional poison.
It is corpse poison.
The corpse poison of the Death Mandala is a toxin that can cause the bodies of humans or animals to gradually stiffen and rapidly decay, eventually becoming their nutrients.
Recalling the information about the Death Mandala, Li Qing couldn't help but fall into contemplation.
Although the name Death Mandala contains the word 'death', they have nothing to do with the death attribute; they are named only because of their poison.
The Soul Skill provided by the Death Mandala is fixed.
No matter what Martial Soul absorbs the Soul Ring of a Death Mandala, it will only gain Soul Skills like area-of-effect corpse poison. Even poison-attribute Soul Masters might not choose it.
However, Li Qing was somewhat hesitant at this moment.
Because over the past six months, although he hadn't been able to figure out the abnormality of his Martial Soul, he had inadvertently discovered that the death energy carried by his Martial Soul could be manipulated by him.
It's just that the death energy didn't possess any lethality.
Now, suddenly encountering a Death Mandala, Li Qing was wondering if the death energy could react with the Death Mandala's corpse poison. If it could...
"Senior Dugu Bo, could I trouble you to help me get a ten-year or hundred-year level Death Mandala?"
Absorbing Soul Rings across species already carries risks, and it's a poison-attribute Soul Beast. Li Qing didn't dare to mess around, but he could do a simple experiment.
Dugu Bo probably guessed what Li Qing wanted to do, and it was precisely because of this that he felt a hint of curiosity. After agreeing, he went to look for a Death Mandala.
Li Qing wasn't idle either; he caught some small animals, preparing to use them as guinea pigs.
Being able to smell it indicated that they weren't far from the Death Mandala, and Death Mandalas grow in patches, so Dugu Bo quickly returned.
Li Qing's gaze fell on the Death Mandala in his hand.
It was a mandala plant with seven or eight white flowers, but there were faint blood spots on the white petals, and a strong bloody scent emanated from the flowers.
Plant-type Soul Beasts cannot move, so they need to attract prey nearby.
The bloody smell is how the Death Mandala attracts prey. Once prey is attracted nearby by the bloody scent, they will spray out pollen containing corpse poison.
As for the foul odor... that comes from the corpses being corroded by the corpse poison.
The age of a Death Mandala flower can be determined by its height. Below one meter is ten-year level, one to two meters is hundred-year, three to four meters is thousand-year, and so on.
The specific age determination is divided into stages.
Ten-year level is one centimeter per year, hundred-year level is one centimeter per decade, and thousand-year level is one centimeter per century. For example, a plant around thirty centimeters represents thirty years.
"Senior Dugu Bo, please take care of it."
Li Qing didn't dare to touch a living Death Mandala. Although he had the Serene Fragrant Qi Luo Immortal Product, he didn't dare to take it out because the fragrance of the Serene Fragrant Qi Luo Immortal Product was fatally attractive to Soul Beasts.
If he dared to take it out, they would probably be surrounded by Soul Beasts very quickly.
Hearing this, Dugu Bo slightly exerted force on his hand, and the root system of the Death Mandala was instantly crushed by him. In just a moment, a white Soul Ring ascended.
"Martial Soul Possession!"
After completing his Martial Soul Possession, Li Qing came before the Death Mandala and squatted down, his gaze sweeping over the pollen containing corpse poison within the stamens of the mandala flowers.
Dugu Bo squatted beside him, watching with a curious expression.
Li Qing raised his right hand, extended his index and middle fingers, and as Soul Power surged, the death energy around his body suddenly surged, all converging towards the tip of his sword fingers.
Under his control, the death energy gathered into a thick black mass, drilling into one of the mandala flowers.
A large amount of death energy quickly filled the entire flower. Li Qing controlled them to rotate, and then a strange scene appeared before their eyes.
They saw the death energy, like a tornado, sweeping all the pollen from the stamens into itself.
Although the death energy didn't possess any lethality, Li Qing had discovered through repeated attempts that they were not illusory, but an unknown energy body.
They could affect reality.
Just like in this situation, Li Qing could create pressure differences by rotating them, thus driving the separation of pollen adhering to the stamens.
It's just that he didn't have much death energy on him, and the substances he could affect were only things like flour and pollen.
Li Qing spread open his right hand, and the death energy tornado detached from the flower, then returned to his palm, rotating about one centimeter above his palm.
Dugu Bo beside him had long been dumbfounded.
Whether it was Soul Power or attribute energy, it could only be released externally through Soul Skills. It was one thing for Li Qing's black energy to be able to leave his body, but to control it so effortlessly was another.
Is this reasonable?
However, although Dugu Bo had doubts in his heart, he didn't ask more questions, but watched quietly. He wanted to see what Li Qing could possibly come up with.
Li Qing came before a small bird that was tied up.
"Caw caw..."
The little bird, whether it was afraid of Li Qing or the death energy tornado in his hand, struggled frantically while emitting sharp cries.
However, its wings and feet were tied, so struggling was useless.
Li Qing squatted down and extended his right hand towards the little bird. The bird immediately cried louder, and its struggles became noticeably stronger. Even a humanized fear appeared in its eyes.
Dugu Bo glanced at the animals next to the little bird, such as squirrels and snakes.
They also wanted to escape, and those that could cry were crying, but they were clearly not as exaggerated as that bird, which showed that what truly made that bird fearful was not Li Qing.
But the black energy tornado.
Dugu Bo couldn't help but ask, "What in the world is this black energy of yours?"
"Death energy!"
Li Qing smiled slightly, like a living King Yama.
"Death energy?"
Dugu Bo couldn't help but be stunned. He had heard of death energy, but the death energy in his understanding had always been an illusory thing, something that couldn't be seen or touched.
He didn't expect that the black energy on Li Qing was actually the so-called death energy.