Thank you to our new Patrons: William Ngo, Dog Jay, Christopher Gärtner, Jose cabrera atzin and Luke Matthews! Your support means the world to me <3 We are up to Chapter 190: The Punishment for Canghui Academy on Patreon!
There's something for free patrons too! Free Patrons receive 1 chapter in advance :)
Patrons, don't forget to vote for the next novel to be released!!!
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Within the Sunset Forest.
"The Wind Demon Wing Dragon possesses an extremely keen sense of smell and vision. We'll walk there—no flying in the air," Dugu Bo explained the habits of this soul beast.
His speed was more than enough to catch up with it, but he didn't want to cause too much noise and trigger a stampede of beasts.
Ning Tianchen nodded.
The Wind Demon Wing Dragon was one of the fourth soul rings that Chen Xin had chosen for him—it was perfect for his current needs.
"By the way, old man, do you have deep knowledge about medicinal herbs?" Ning Tianchen quickly asked.
The Dugu family had once been in the business of medicinal herbs. Besides immortal herbs, Dugu Bo recognized almost all the herbs on the continent.
"What's wrong? Do you have a question? If it's about immortal herbs, I can't answer that."
Ning Tianchen hastily continued, "Is there a type of herb that emits a certain aura, which causes soul masters who inhale it to lose their sanity or become frenzied?"
This question was on behalf of Zhang Erhe.
In Zhang Erhe's account, he mentioned that evil soul masters had planted some kind of crop near that village. Ning Tianchen suspected that it might be a certain herb that caused Zhang's violent behavior.
"Young man, you're probably asking about hallucinogenic or psychoactive herbs. These herbs are extremely rare. If you need them, I can help you search for some in Tiandou City."
Most of what Dugu Bo referred to were herbs used in the military to alleviate pain for wounded soldiers.
Ning Tianchen shook his head and added, "What about herbs related to evil soul masters?"
"Young man, are you mad? With your strength, you're highly likely to break through to become a Title Douluo within the next thirty years, and you may even become one of the strongest on the continent. Getting involved with evil things is nothing short of seeking your own death!"
Dugu Bo's expression darkened—he didn't want such a talented young man to stray onto the wrong path.
Ning Tianchen realized he had misunderstood and explained Zhang Erhe's situation and his suspicions.
Upon hearing this, Dugu Bo fell into deep thought.
The massacre of villagers by Zhang Erhe had been a major event that spread across the entire continent thirty years ago—of course, he knew about it.
"I recall a herb called the Evil Soul Flower. This herb is similar to the immortal herbs we absorb. After consuming it, it can boost soul power, but its side effects turn soul masters into beings of pure evil."
Even without these side effects, ordinary soul masters who learn that consuming the Evil Soul Flower can increase their strength would fall into depravity and become evil soul masters.
After all, not everyone is born with full soul power. Soul masters with low innate soul power can never break through the shackles of cultivation and naturally find it hard to resist the temptation of gaining power.
"This herb must grow in places saturated with heavy evil energy to mature."
"That village might have already been targeted by evil soul masters and turned into a 'farm' for breeding humans. When Zhang Erhe and his men arrived, they inadvertently helped those evil soul masters. Of course, it's also possible that after the village was massacred, the evil soul masters planted the Evil Soul Flower there."
Finally, Dugu Bo added a warning. "Young man, you're still young—don't let others deceive you. This Zhang Erhe might be taking advantage of your kindness."
Ning Tianchen knew the dangers of the world and nodded. "I'll be careful."
The Spirit Hall had detailed records about the Evil Soul Flower and evil soul masters.
Ning Tianchen figured he could ask Xue Qinghe about it later.
---
About an hour later, the two arrived at the foot of a mountain.
Looking up, two winged dragon soul beasts circled each other in the sky.
"We came at a bad time. That thirty-thousand-year Crimson Wing Dragon is its mate, and it seems it's already reached its mating season," Dugu Bo exclaimed, though he didn't seem particularly troubled.
For a Title Douluo, a thirty-thousand-year soul beast wasn't much of a threat.
"The Crimson Wing Dragon can wait—it'll make a good sixth soul ring for me later," Ning Tianchen joked.
Dugu Bo pointed behind him. "Walk two hundred meters in the direction I'm pointing, and you'll find a natural cave. Hide there while I finish the battle quickly."
As he spoke, the Azure Phosphorus Snake Emperor martial soul appeared behind him.
After absorbing the Green Leaf Poison Emperor, the Azure Phosphorus Snake Emperor's body had turned an even deeper shade of green, resembling the color of a bamboo pit viper.
Standing atop the snake's head, Dugu Bo accelerated into the air, engaging in combat with the two dragons.
Ning Tianchen retreated into the cave, waiting for the battle to end.
---
The aerial battle was intense. The Crimson Wing Dragon continuously attacked Dugu Bo in an attempt to save the Wind Demon Wing Dragon.
However, the vast difference in cultivation made its attacks completely ineffective against Dugu Bo.
After several exchanges, seeing its own safety threatened, the Crimson Wing Dragon immediately fled.
With the nuisance out of the way, dealing with a mere ten-thousand-year soul beast was no challenge. Dugu Bo struck it down with a single palm, leaving it unconscious.
The Azure Phosphorus Snake Emperor carried its body to Ning Tianchen.
Summoning his Seven Kill Sword martial soul, Ning Tianchen stepped forward with his sword.
Having experience from his first soul hunt, he carefully chose where to strike, avoiding being splattered with blood.
A pitch-black soul ring floated out of its body, as if narrating its tragic fate.
"Kid, why has your martial soul changed like this?"
A Seven Kill Sword engraved with dragon patterns had never been seen on the continent before.
The Seven Kill Sword was already a super martial soul, and now it had gained the enhancement of dragon bloodlines. It was unimaginable just how powerful Ning Tianchen's martial soul had become.
Listening to his explanation, Dugu Bo understood but couldn't help but ask again, "It's not too late to regret now—are you sure you want to absorb this ten-thousand-year soul ring?"
"Then you'd better watch closely and see how I set a precedent."
Ning Tianchen sat cross-legged, placing the Seven Kill Sword martial soul in front of him. With a flick of his hand, the pitch-black soul ring enveloped the martial soul.
Dugu Bo stood nearby, guarding him.
Following routine, he inspected the Wind Demon Wing Dragon's corpse.
The probability of a ten-thousand-year soul beast dropping a soul bone was low. Just as Dugu Bo was about to give up, the dagger he was using to dissect the body suddenly hit something hard.
Pushing aside the flesh, a soul bone emitting a milky-white glow was revealed before his eyes.
"A ten-thousand-year soul bone—this kid's luck is pretty good."
Dugu Bo wiped the blood off the soul bone and quickly stored it in his soul-guiding tool to prevent it from being coveted by others.
As for the soul bone, he didn't plan to keep it for himself.
Absorbing both the soul ring and soul bone of the same soul beast would greatly benefit a soul master. After witnessing Ning Tianchen's talent, he naturally hoped the boy would grow stronger quickly.
---
An hour passed, and the absorption of the soul ring entered its critical phase.
Ning Tianchen's brows were tightly furrowed, his facial muscles tense. The soul power surge from the soul ring pushed his body to its limits.
In his mind's eye, the figure of the Wind Demon Wing Dragon appeared.
Its mating process had been interrupted, and it seemed to harbor immense resentment, rampaging through Ning Tianchen's mental sea.
Outside, Dugu Bo was extremely nervous. "Kid, this is the critical stage—you must hold on! I want to see you set this precedent—you can't fall now."
Time ticked by second by second, but Ning Tianchen showed no signs of failing the absorption process.
------------------------------------------------------
Support my writing journey: patreon.com/EphemeralShadow
40+ Chapters Ahead Guaranteed.