Chapter 95: The Uses of the Polar Static Domain
Gui Mei and Yue Guan arrived at the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well in Sunset Forest and met up with Dugu Bo.
Seeing Yue Guan's current state and learning about all they had experienced in the past month, Dugu Bo was stunned.
"All this in only a month? Congratulations, Yue Guan! You even have a hundred-thousand-year soul ring now—your strength has grown tremendously."
"You old poison freak, don't only glare at me with envy. How about you—has your soul power improved lately?"
Dugu Bo shook his head.
"Same as before—Rank 92. At our stage, raising soul power is agonizingly slow."
"Don't worry. We'll help you."
Gui Mei waved his right hand and produced four soul bones.
They were the Flame Right-Arm Bone and Gale Left-Leg Bone awarded to the tournament champion, plus the left-arm and right-leg bones that had dropped from Tang Hao.
Dugu Bo gaped when he saw the four bones shimmering with different hues.
"Old Ghost, where did you get so many soul bones?"
"Two came from the tournament champion's prize, the other two fell from Tang Hao. They're all for you—divide them between you and Dugu Yan however you like."
"All of these… for me?!"
Dugu Bo could hardly believe it.
Each soul bone was priceless and rare.
Gui Mei had long promised to give him the two tournament prize bones, but Dugu Bo hadn't expected him to be so generous, giving four at once.
The two bones from Tang Hao were high-quality, both over forty thousand years old.
Gui Mei smiled calmly.
"My identity's been exposed. Bibi Dong knows you brought me into the Royal Academy—this could bring trouble on you and Yan Zi. These bones will boost your strength. I also have a Clear Sky Sect's left-leg bone that might cause complications if given, so I'll hold onto that one for now."
"Old Ghost, I'm already satisfied with these four bones," Dugu Bo said, accepting them with utmost care. He looked at Gui Mei and Yue Guan, gratitude shining in his eyes.
Yue Guan smiled.
"Old Poison, once you arrange things for Yan Zi and fuse the bones, come with us to Star Dou Forest to hunt soul beasts."
"All right. I'll return to Heaven Dou City, make the arrangements, then meet you."
"Good—go."
Dugu Bo's only worry was his granddaughter, Dugu Yan. Fortunately, he had good relations with Prince Xue Xing. While he was away, he could place Dugu Yan in the prince's residence for safety.
Under Dugu Bo's protection, Dugu Yan fused the Gale Left-Leg bone and Flame Right-Arm bone. Her speed and attack both increased, and her soul power broke through the Rank 50 bottleneck—she could now acquire a fifth soul ring.
Dugu Bo knew the soul beast they were going after in Star Dou Forest was extraordinarily strong; bringing Dugu Yan along would be unwise. He decided to return first and then take her hunting later.
After arranging Dugu Yan in the prince's household, Dugu Bo returned to the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well. Fusing the left arm and right-leg bones from Tang Hao, his soul power broke through and reached Rank 93.
Then, the three of them set off for Star Dou Forest together.
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They arrived at Star Dou Forest.
The vast woods stretched on, trees blotting out the sky; the roars of countless soul beasts rose and fell in the distance.
Gui Mei activated the Spiritual Skull. His enormous spiritual power spread through the forest, carefully sensing for any traces of powerful presences.
Suddenly, an extraordinarily strong aura brushed his spiritual sensing.
That aura carried a fathomless darkness—bottomless and terrifying.
Gui Mei's heart tightened. He focused his spiritual power to probe deeper and estimated the beast's cultivation at between sixty-five thousand and seventy thousand years—likely the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger they had been hunting.
"Found it! This should be it!"
Yue Guan and Dugu Bo perked up immediately.
"Old Ghost, let's go check it out."
"Follow me!"
The three rushed toward the source of the malevolent auras.
Before long, they reached the vicinity of the beast.
"Stop!"
Gui Mei abruptly halted.
The sky above was cloudless and bright, yet this patch of forest had gone dark, as if some powerful blackness were swallowing the light.
"Old Yue—release your Martial Soul!"
Yue Guan didn't hesitate. He released his Chrysanthemum Martial Soul.
A gigantic golden chrysanthemum slowly rose, its dazzling light instantly illuminating the darkened woods.
Gui Mei's gaze sharpened. Not far off, crouched in the undergrowth, was a massive soul beast staring ferociously at them.
At the sight of the three humans, it sprang to its full height.
It was a gigantic black tiger—pure obsidian fur without a speck of color. Over eight meters long, its muscles rippled all along its body.
Its blood-red eyes radiated chilling menace.
Unlike ordinary tiger beasts, its tail was much longer and stood upright; the tip bore a huge barbed hook that glinted with a ghastly light.
On its forehead floated a misty black character like the word "King."
Clearly, this was the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger Gui Mei had been searching for.
A howl tore the air as the tiger threw back its head.
It sensed the three soul masters were formidable—especially that black-clad youth who carried a similar darkness in his aura. If it could devour him, its cultivation would surely leap forward.
Its blood-red eyes flared with hungry excitement.
It lifted a paw and advanced step by step.
Gui Mei did not flinch; instead, an excited glint crossed his eyes.
"Old Yue, old poison—this is the one. It's back. Be careful!"
On their way here, Gui Mei had already briefed Yue Guan and Dugu Bo on the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger's abilities so they'd know what to expect.
The tiger's enormous evil hook raised slowly. Waves of gray, malevolent energy rippled from its body, warping the surrounding air.
The wicked, freezing aura caused the forest temperature to plummet.
Feeling the tiger's might, Dugu Bo's heartbeat quickened, and he instinctively stepped back. As the tactical linchpin, he needed to conserve his strength for the right moment to strike.
Yue Guan released the Blue Silver Emperor right leg bone; it hovered in the air, ready.
Gui Mei shifted into his Ghost Demon Martial Soul state. Two yellow, two purple, four black, and one red—nine soul rings rose from his feet in sequence.
When the red hundred-thousand-year ring appeared, the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger froze in its tracks.
It sensed a familiar presence within that red soul ring—a remnant of the Titan Giant Ape, its old adversary.
But alongside that, there was another, unexpected beast's aura—one not even a hundred thousand years old.
Surprise flickered across the tiger's eyes; it couldn't understand why two distinct beast auras coexisted in a single ring.
That only excited it further—it wanted to devour the strange youth before it.
A thunderous roar split the air, and, with a thunder of wings, black appendages unfurled from the tiger's back.
Gui Mei roared back, "Old Yue—fuse!"
In an instant, Gui Mei leapt skyward.
At the same time, brilliant silver flames burst from him.
Yue Guan floated midair, golden flames rising around him as all nine rings flashed.
The two stood facing each other, hands clasped, and their bodies fused.
Altogether, they bore eighteen soul rings, coalescing into a massive gold-and-silver halo.
The moment the halo formed, both bodies vanished.
The gold-silver halo shot outward and, in the blink of an eye, expanded into a colossal ring over a hundred meters in diameter.
For a heartbeat, the world itself seemed painted gold and silver; all surroundings froze utterly still.
The Dark Demon Evil God Tiger spread its black wings and rose—but its massive body hung motionless in midair.
Several dark red blades—fused with wind and malevolence—halted midflight, as if petrified.
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End of Chapter