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Looking at the Breaking Rhino, which was gnawing on tree leaves nearby like a small mountain, the group showed no fear.
'Blazing Tyrant Dragon King—Possession!!!'
After a bout of intense action, Liu Erlong wiped the sweat from her forehead with a refreshing smile and said,
"Finish it, Little Tianxin."
The group couldn't help but feel a bit awkward as they looked at the battered and bruised rhino, its face swollen and bloody.
How could this elegant and intellectual beauty become so wild in battle?
Ye Tianxin internally mused about it briefly but still held deep respect for this auntie.
"May you be reborn into a better life," Ye Tianxin said indifferently.
Without hesitation, she hurled her Blue-Gold Tyrant Spear, piercing through the rhino's brain.
In that instant, a look of relief flashed in the rhino's eyes. Finally, it could die. That crazy woman earlier—why had she tortured it so much when she was clearly far stronger? The pain had been unbearable.
As a pitch-black soul ring emerged, Ye Tianxin sat cross-legged and guided it toward her spear.
"Hmm?"
At this moment, Ah Rou seemed to notice something. With a swipe of her hand, a gash appeared on the rhino's body, revealing a yellowish-brown torso bone.
The group remained unfazed—they were all aware of the existence of battle armor.
Ah Rou gave the spirit bone an approving glance. "Little Tianxin's luck isn't bad."
After a while, Ye Tianxin finally completed the absorption of the soul ring.
Though the Breakthrough Rhino was only over 60,000 years old, it was no weaker than an average 80,000-year-old spirit beast, making the absorption process quite challenging.
"Little Tianxin, will you absorb this spirit bone yourself, or will you take it back to the president?" Ah Rou asked.
Ye Tianxin didn't hesitate. "I'll take it back to Father. Though this spirit bone is likely powerful, its age is too low for me right now. Father will surely arrange something better for me in the future—I don't need to rush."
Ah Rou nodded in understanding and instructed Ye Tianxin to store the spirit bone away.
At this point, Liu Erlong turned her gaze to Ye Tianchen.
"Little Tianchen, do you have any goals for your fifth soul ring?"
Ye Tianchen pondered for a moment before replying,
"Father gave me several options, but I'm most inclined toward increasing the sharpness of my martial soul. That way, I can achieve the ability to cut through anything."
Ah Rou thought deeply. Increasing sharpness, huh?
"How about the Ghost-Crying Mantis?" Ah Rou suggested.
Hearing this, Ye Tianchen's eyes lit up.
Among the tens of thousands of spirit beast species, mantis-type spirit beasts were undoubtedly the top choice for slashing-type martial souls.
And among them, the Ghost-Crying Mantis was one of the most elite, specializing exclusively in extreme slashing without any other soul skills. This aligned perfectly with his goal.
However, due to its terrifying lethality, this type of spirit beast was heavily targeted during its youth by both spirit beasts and soul masters alike. Nowadays, it was rarely seen on the continent.
"Auntie Ah Rou, are there any around here?" Ye Tianchen asked excitedly.
Ah Rou nodded gently. "There is one, but it's nearly 70,000 years old. I'm not sure if you can handle it."
Upon hearing this, Ye Tianchen fell silent. Though he prided himself on his exceptional talent, his capacity to absorb soul rings was comparable to his sister Ye Tianxin's—around 65,000 years at most.
At this moment, Liu Erlong suddenly spoke up.
"If it's such a perfect match, there's no reason to let it go.
The president anticipated this situation, so he specifically had me bring along a treasure just in case."
Ye Tianchen's eyes gleamed with anticipation as Liu Erlong pulled out a jet-black object from her storage-type soul conductor.
"100,000-Year Whale Glue—it should be enough to bridge the 5,000-year gap."
There was no time to waste. The group mobilized again.
But as they moved forward, the landscape became increasingly desolate. Unlike the lush greenery elsewhere, all the trees here had been reduced to splinters, creating an eerie wasteland.
Ye Tianxin and Ye Tianchen's expressions darkened.
Unlike the others in the group who cultivated beast-type martial souls, Ye Tianxin and Ye Tianchen had trained in the "intent" realm of their respective martial souls since childhood.
Ye Tianxin focused on spear intent, while Ye Tianchen specialized in blade intent. Though their names differed, their paths converged.
This barren wasteland exuded an overwhelming aura of cutting through heaven and earth.
Ye Tianxin said gravely, "Aunties, be careful. This Ghost-Crying Mantis might not be as simple as we imagined. It's best to put on your battle armor now."
As she spoke, she and Ye Tianchen began donning their one-character battle armor.
Then Ye Tianxin added, "Xiao Wu and Yan Yan, retreat further. The upcoming battle isn't something you, with combat abilities below a Soul Sage, can handle. Auntie Ah Rou, please protect them."
Liu Erlong trusted Ye Tianxin completely and immediately equipped her four-character battle armor, Crimson Dragon Shining Sun. A surge of formidable energy erupted from her. Ah Rou also complied, wearing her own four-character battle armor, though hers was the universal-type Crimson Storm. After all, transforming into a human form still differed slightly from being a true human, and custom-made armor wasn't worth the effort for Ah Rou's current status.
Even so, Ah Rou already considered herself part of Tianxing Academy.
Two mighty auras unconsciously radiated outward, and the master of this desolate land seemed to sense the provocation.
From the dark underground lair, a pair of blood-red eyes glowed.
"It's here!" Ye Tianxin and Ye Tianchen exclaimed simultaneously.
But even without their warning, Ah Rou and the others had already sensed the danger. From over a hundred meters away, they could clearly feel the sharpness slicing through their battle armor.
Liu Erlong remained fearless and charged straight at the Ghost-Crying Mantis, clashing head-on.
Ah Rou knew that Liu Erlong's strength now rivaled that of a Limit Douluo. Dealing with a non-100,000-year Ghost-Crying Mantis should be effortless for her. Ah Rou's primary task now was to protect the five younger ones.
Watching the battle unfold, where every movement could tear apart the earth, Ah Rou swallowed nervously.
This 70,000-year-old Ghost-Crying Mantis was no weaker than a 100,000-year spirit beast.
After all, though Ah Rou herself was a 100,000-year-level Soft Bone Rabbit, her combat prowess left much to be desired.
"One force can overpower ten techniques." The ruler of this barren land, the Ghost-Crying Mantis, was ultimately disarmed by Liu Erlong, its blade-like arm severed and its waist cut in half. It could only roar savagely on the ground.
Though Liu Erlong's strength rivaled a Limit Douluo, she was fundamentally still a Soul Battle Lord. Without the enhancement of her four-character battle armor, she would have been torn to shreds in an instant.
With a lingering sense of unease, she stomped hard on the Ghost-Crying Mantis's back, pinning it firmly to the ground.
"Little Tianchen, finish it."
Inspired by the earlier display of power, Ye Tianchen raised his hand and delivered a clean, decisive strike, beheading the Ghost-Crying Mantis with a single slash.
But even then, the mantis didn't die immediately.
Ye Tianchen sighed. "Bugs really are hard to kill."
He then thrust his blade directly into the mantis's head, freezing it into a solid block of ice, finally ending its life.
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