After saying these words, Yang Xiong ignored the astonished gazes of the others and walked directly to the center of the three Qian Jun Ant Emperors.
In his hand, he gripped the Crimson Thunder Sword. With all his strength, he unleashed a single strike, sending three sword qi streaking out from the sword. They pierced the original wounds of the three Qian Jun Ant Emperors, instantly shattering their brains along the paths of their injuries. In an instant, all three Qian Jun Ant Emperors perished simultaneously.
Three soul rings immediately appeared above the corpses of the three Qian Jun Ant Emperors. These soul rings were not entirely black but instead carried a faint crimson hue.
All three soul rings were black with a tinge of red, underscoring the immense age of the Qian Jun Ant Emperors—they were likely very close to the hundred-thousand-year mark.
Yang Xiong sat alone in the center of the three corpses, summoned his martial soul and soul rings, and prepared to begin absorbing his seventh soul ring.
For the absorption of the seventh soul ring, Yang Xiong had already considered it for a long time. Using multitasking control and guiding his mental energy, the three soul rings astonishingly flew toward Yang Xiong's martial soul, the Asura Body, at the same time.
Yang Xiong's timing was impeccable; the three soul rings approached their designated positions simultaneously.
However, something extremely bizarre occurred at this moment. As the three soul rings converged on their positions, they began to collide with one another, seemingly unwilling to yield to each other.
At the same time, three incredibly terrifying energies surged into Yang Xiong's body. Each of these energies was no weaker than the power of his sixth soul ring.
His entire body seemed on the verge of collapse in that instant. But at this critical moment, his martial soul, the Asura Body, suddenly became extraordinarily fearsome, like a colossal beast devouring energy from the air, subtly resisting the three soul rings.
Simultaneously, the three Qian Jun Ant Emperors appeared in Yang Xiong's mind. This experience was even more terrifying than when he absorbed his sixth soul ring, with far greater pressure.
It wasn't simply a matter of stacking the energy and mental shocks of the soul rings—their power had multiplied exponentially. If the energy and mental shock of one Qian Jun Ant Emperor equaled that of a hundred-thousand-year-level soul ring, then absorbing three top-tier soul rings simultaneously increased the pressure not just by a factor of three but seemingly by countless times.
Especially as the three Qian Jun Ant Emperors roared within Yang Xiong's mind, as if trying to tear him apart.
At this critical juncture, the Asura Body emitted an endless crimson glow. While absorbing the soul ring energy, it also began voraciously devouring the energy, resembling a ferocious beast on the verge of awakening.
For soul masters, the seventh soul ring is truly the most crucial because only after obtaining it can one fully utilize their True Body technique.
Yang Xiong remembered the theories of the soul master world: normal martial souls have their own consciousness, which begins to manifest during the Soul Sage stage.
At this moment, Yang Xiong felt as though he had become an Asura himself. His eyes were filled with savagery and killing intent, viewing all living things as mere ants.
Even the mental shocks from the three Qian Jun Ant Emperors in his mind now trembled, as if they were about to be torn apart by a blood-red giant.
The key issue, however, was that the three soul rings, which had endured countless collisions, could no longer withstand the pressure of colliding with each other. In an instant, all three shattered.
The energy of the three soul rings erupted to their peak in this moment. Yang Xiong felt an overwhelming surge of energy flood into his body, pushing it far beyond its limits, as if it were on the verge of exploding at any moment.
Lin Gong and Sword Douluo watched Yang Xiong with extreme concern. Never before had they witnessed someone absorb three soul rings at once, let alone seen soul rings explode during the absorption process.
Yang Xiong's body seemed as though it would be torn apart. Cracks began to form across his skin, as if subjected to three immensely conflicting forces. Every inch of his flesh, every bone, and every drop of blood seemed on the verge of turning to ashes under the impact of the three energies.
At this critical moment, all of Yang Xiong's soul bones manifested. Especially his martial soul, the Asura Body, which radiated boundless killing intent. His originally crimson body began to fill with golden patterns, creating a blood-red aura that spread hundreds of meters. The heavens and earth seemed to tremble in that instant.
Sword Douluo and the others looked on with grave expressions, unsure how to assist Yang Xiong at this point.
Sword Douluo, in particular, sensed a change in the surrounding atmosphere: "Something's wrong. I feel as though Xiao Xiong's martial soul is undergoing some kind of transformation—or perhaps it's his killing intent and domain. The killing intent seems to be growing stronger, even affecting my own martial soul."
After an unknown amount of time, Yang Xiong's body gradually calmed down. The three crimson-black soul rings had vanished entirely, replaced by a massive blood-red soul ring even more powerful than his sixth soul ring.
When Yang Xiong opened his eyes again, he felt his power had explosively increased. Not only had his strength significantly improved, but his martial soul had also grown stronger.
When Yang Xiong displayed his martial soul and soul rings, his entire body turned crimson, now covered in golden patterns.
At the same time, he revealed six soul rings: two yellow, one purple, two black, and two red. Most notably, his seventh soul ring was entirely blood-red. Upon closer inspection with spiritual energy, three golden lines could be seen etched onto the blood-red soul ring.
Yang Xiong was overjoyed. His hypothesis had been correct: thanks to the unique nature of the Asura Body and the interconnectedness of the three Qian Jun Ant Emperors, he had successfully absorbed all three hundred-thousand-year soul rings. Moreover, these three soul rings had truly evolved into a single 300,000-year soul ring.
And this time, besides the soul ring energy, he had gained even more useful and beneficial enhancements.
Yang Xiong turned to Lin Gong: "Teacher Lin, how long did it take me to absorb this soul ring?"
Lin Gong finally exhaled in relief: "You really had us worried, boy. Look at the state you were in earlier—I thought you'd explode and die!"
"However, the time you spent absorbing this soul ring was indeed quite long—sixteen days. It seems the energy of these three soul rings was incredibly potent. Your True Body should be exceptionally formidable."
Yang Xiong smiled: "Of course. I feel like I can now fight the Devil Bear Douluo one-on-one without assistance—and I'm confident I can defeat him."
Yang Xiong didn't dwell on it further. He quickly collected the corpses of the three Qian Jun Ant Emperors. According to his estimation, during their collision with his soul and energy surges, the three Qian Jun Ant Emperors should theoretically have reached the hundred-thousand-year level. Their bodies likely contained several top-tier soul bones.
Lin Gong chuckled: "Now that your soul ring absorption is complete, and we've killed Ju and Gui Douluo, our mission in the Star Dou Great Forest has achieved all its objectives. Should we return to the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect immediately?"
Yang Xiong turned to Yang Wei and Qin Shuang: "Big Brother, Qin Shuang, how do you feel about your current strength? How far are you from reaching level sixty?"
Both Yang Wei and Qin Shuang were currently at level fifty-nine, meaning they were extremely close to breaking through to level sixty. If given the right opportunities, they might soon advance. At that point, they could hunt for their sixth soul rings directly in the Star Dou Great Forest, saving the group from making another trip.
Big Brother Yang Wei sighed helplessly: "I've been stuck at level fifty-nine for a while now. Lately, it feels like I can't break through no matter what I do. Maybe it's all about fate."
Qin Shuang's situation was similar to Yang Wei's. Though both had consumed immortal herbs, greatly enhancing their innate talents, their combat abilities and breakthrough potential still had certain limitations, especially for Yang Wei.
Yang Xiong thought carefully and retrieved several soul bones from his inventory.
First, he handed the left arm soul bone and torso soul bone he had obtained from Huyan Zhen to Yang Wei and Qin Shuang, respectively.
"These two soul bones come from Huyan Zhen and are top-tier strength-type soul bones, likely passed down from the Elephant Armor Sect. Absorbing them should allow you both to reach level sixty. We can also hunt for your sixth soul rings here, sparing you the trouble of returning later."
The left arm soul bone went to Yang Wei, while the torso soul bone went to Qin Shuang. Yang Wei already possessed a right arm soul bone, and as for the torso soul bone, they could address it later if needed.
Both accepted the soul bones with great joy. As heritage soul bones of the lower four sects, they were among the finest available. Especially for Qin Shuang, whose martial soul aligned perfectly with the strength attribute of these soul bones.
Beside them, Ning Rongrong looked slightly unhappy: "Little Bear, why do they get soul bones while I don't?"
Seeing Ning Rongrong's jealous expression, Yang Xiong couldn't help but smile wryly. He handed her the soul bone he had obtained from Gui Douluo.
"Rongrong, this soul bone comes from Gui Douluo. It's an exceptional speed-type soul bone, and it will make you safer in the future."
Ning Rongrong happily accepted the soul bone. Even Sword Douluo and Lin Gong smiled, clearly agreeing that this soul bone suited Ning Rongrong perfectly.
As for Oscar, Yang Xiong planned to speak with him privately later. Since Oscar wasn't as familiar with the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect or the Body Sect members, and he wasn't currently at a bottleneck, there was no rush.
In the following days, Yang Wei and Qin Shuang absorbed their soul bones, while Yang Xiong organized the gains from his seventh soul ring.
As Yang Xiong had anticipated, the seventh soul ring granted him his True Body technique, similar to what happens for most martial souls.
However, the quality of the soul ring often determines the strength of the True Body and even influences future development.
Yang Xiong's seventh soul ring had reached an unprecedented thirty thousand years, making it a truly unmatched existence. After activating his True Body technique, Yang Xiong's strength and attack power increased by a staggering five hundred percent—his strength had quintupled.
Moreover, when using any other soul skills, his power and potency were amplified.
The Qian Jun Ants, being purely strength-based spirit beasts, had pushed Yang Xiong's strength to its absolute pinnacle. By his estimate, his strength had doubled compared to before absorbing the seventh soul ring.
Additionally, his body and martial soul underwent further changes. When using his True Body, he seemed to gain an inexplicable force imbued with a more intense killing intent. This power seemed to originate from the deepest essence of his martial soul and bore a faint connection to the Blood River in Slaughter City.
Yang Xiong even suspected that he might now possess a fragment of the Asura God's divine power. After all, divine power differs fundamentally from soul power, and it seemed his strength had undergone a qualitative leap.
More importantly, his domain had transformed after activating his True Body technique.
When using the Killing God Domain, it felt as though he were submerged in an endless sea of blood, capable of restricting enemies' use of soul skills.
This was no longer merely the Killing God Domain—it had evolved into the Asura Domain. The Asura Body had undergone a fundamental transformation, achieving true awakening.
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