A small mountain village in the northern reaches of the Heavenly Soul Empire.
Xu Xiaoyun, who traveled at an astonishing speed, gently buffered his descent, using the Black Tortoise Shield to slowly land on the ground. He felt a premonition and looked back.
For some reason, he felt inexplicably uneasy at that moment. This was an instinctive premonition from a powerful individual whose strength was close to a Limit Douluo.
"I only caught a Thousand-Year Soul Beast this time. It shouldn't attract the attention of the Ice and Snow Emperors, right?" Xu Xiaoyun exhaled a warm breath, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
"Cough, cough, cough… Grandmaster, I feel a little dizzy…"
Xu Tianxi's disoriented voice came from behind the Black Tortoise Shield. He had just gotten off the Black Tortoise Number and felt a bit of altitude sickness, unsteady on his feet.
Yue Lao was slightly better, though his face was also pale. He took out a warm jade and placed it on Xu Tianxi's forehead to alleviate the after-effects.
"It's nothing, nothing. The first time is always like this. My Black Tortoise Shield isn't very comfortable to ride. When you go to the Sun Moon Empire, you can learn how to make more comfortable Flying Soul Guided Devices.
Your Senior Martial Uncle told me that the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy is already researching bionic manned Flying Soul Guided Devices. Those are comfortable. I'll buy one back another day."
Xu Xiaoyun's eyes darted around, and he quickly set his sights on the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy. What to do if I don't have good stuff myself? Just go to the Sun Moon Empire to get it!
Anyway, he wasn't refusing to pay; he was just simplifying the transaction process. Plus, he didn't haggle and even gave extra benefits. Where could Jing Hongchen find a high-quality client like him?
"Manned Flying Soul Guided Device? That thing seems a bit worse than an airplane…"
Xu Tianxi naturally didn't know that Xu Xiaoyun's actions had a touch of the Water Margin style. He simply tried to recall fragments from the original novel. He vaguely remembered Jing Hongchen using this special Soul Guided Device when he took the Shrek exchange students back to Mingdu.
The people inside were very comfortable and stable, but Jing Hongchen himself had to be outside, which greatly tested the driver's abilities.
However, all that was for later. The immediate priority was to absorb a Soul Ring and advance to Great Soul Master.
"Bang—"
With a soft thump on the ground, the Three-Thousand-Year Illusory Sky Moon God Butterfly, captured by Xu Xiaoyun, reappeared in their sight. The moon-glow powder on its wings had been washed away, and it was barely alive, no longer able to pose any threat to external creatures.
Without any wasted words, Xu Tianxi took out his assault pistol and fired a Soul Guided Ray with continuous explosive effects. A series of crackling explosions echoed, ending the life of the beautiful giant butterfly.
Blue and white mental light points dissipated from its remains, and a magnificent, noble purple Soul Ring slowly rose, accompanied by a rich halo.
Xu Tianxi sat cross-legged, concentrating. A bright light suddenly bloomed in his eyes, clear and sparkling like a spring, exuding an inviting aura of profoundness.
A dazzling silver light appeared and burst forth from his glabella, then surged towards the back of his head, condensing into a bright, full moon. Countless mental threads intertwined upon it, and the image of the Thousand-Year Soul Ring was reflected on the full moon.
This was the result of two years of diligent effort after learning from Xu Xiaoyun and Xu Fu that his Martial Soul could cultivate Spiritual Power by absorbing moonlight at night. As long as there was a moon at night, he would meditate and cultivate in the courtyard, absorbing moonlight.
Ultimately, he expanded a pea-sized Moon Shadow from nothing into the current foot-long full moon.
By raising this full moon, his Spiritual Power could become extremely concentrated and enhanced. Whether activating a Soul Skill or crafting a Soul Guided Device, its power would be strengthened.
Xu Xiaoyun had predicted that if the Spiritual Power in this full moon were unleashed all at once, it could pose a life threat to experts at the Soul King level. Below Soul King, unless equipped with top-tier mental defense Soul Guided Devices, there would be little chance of survival.
However, doing so would also place an incredibly terrifying burden on Xu Tianxi. He would likely fall unconscious, and his Sea of Spirit could very well be injured.
It was precisely because of this full moon that Xu Tianxi dared to choose the Three-Thousand-Year Illusory Sky Moon God Butterfly as his Soul Ring. Otherwise, let alone him, Xu Xiaoyun wouldn't agree. The force of this thing was much greater than an Ice Silkworm.
"Absorb!"
Maintaining composure, his will activated the Soul Ring. The top-tier mental Soul Ring, with a cultivation of three thousand years, flew towards Xu Tianxi, then began to tremble violently.
Mental-type Soul Beasts develop much faster than other Soul Beasts. A top-tier mental Soul Beast like the Illusory Sky Moon God Butterfly could already unleash soul shockwaves comparable to ordinary Ten Thousand Year Soul Beasts, posing a huge threat to the Sea of Spirit.
Once the Sea of Spirit was breached, a Soul Master would either become an idiot in minor cases or have their brain explode like a watermelon in severe cases.
Fortunately, practice makes perfect. Thanks to the unique innate talent of the Evil Eye Clan, Xu Tianxi, who had already experienced a low-grade mental shock, had gained experience in dealing with it.
As soon as he sensed an unwelcome guest attacking from outside his Sea of Spirit, Xu Tianxi immediately activated the full moon illusion within his Sea of Spirit. Cold light ripples were released, freezing the Illusory Sky Moon God Butterfly's remnant soul and the mental shockwaves it emitted.
The next moment, the full moon split into several crescent moons, transforming into Death Scythes that slashed out, aiming to tear the Illusory Sky Moon God Butterfly's remnant soul into pieces.
The Illusory Sky Moon God Butterfly was unwilling to be slaughtered. It used its will to release mental ripples to slow Xu Tianxi's offense, blocking the cold glints swinging from all directions.
Xu Tianxi narrowed his eyes and fiercely uttered, "Collapse!"
Two crescent moon scythes disintegrated as commanded, erupting into a mental cold current that swept towards the Illusory Sky Moon God Butterfly like a lightning-fast gale. The latter was unable to dodge and was enveloped, its body rapidly beginning to disintegrate, gradually losing the strength to struggle.
Soon, this remnant Soul Beast soul, carrying deep resentment towards humans, was torn apart by several moonbeams and vanished into nothingness.
The mental attack dissipated, and the remaining Soul Power of the Soul Ring surged forth, washing over and scouring Xu Tianxi's tender body and Meridians.
Xu Tianxi's physical quality, thanks to various dietary supplements, had already reached the level of a Soul Ancestor. Absorbing the energy impact of a three-thousand-year Soul Ring was no problem. After a mere hour, his body no longer trembled, and his breathing gradually became calm.
"Phew—"
Exhaling a long breath, Xu Tianxi stood up and happily announced to Xu Xiaoyun and Yue Lao:
"Grandmaster, Yue Lao, I succeeded! The Soul Skill I gained is called Second Soul Skill: Mirror Flower, Water Moon. It's an area-of-effect mental Illusion Soul Skill. It releases Spiritual Power to simulate and change the state of myself and the surrounding environment, silently drawing the enemy's consciousness into an Illusion.
Once they enter my Illusion and can't get out quickly, their life and death are no longer up to them!"
Xu Xiaoyun smiled and nodded, saying, "A very good Soul Skill. How large an area can this Soul Skill of yours affect?"
"Right now, it should be within a hundred meters, but I'm certain that this Soul Skill's range will expand as my Soul Power and Spiritual Power increase. Also, this Soul Skill should be able to affect more than one target; as long as they're within a hundred meters, they're all within my Illusion's range."
Xu Tianxi responded confidently, then looked back at the "full moon" behind him, which was now half its original size, and said:
"If I use that, the range should be even larger. Unless they can concentrate their power to break through the Illusion, even if they realize something's wrong and try to force their way out, as long as my Spiritual Power isn't exhausted, they won't be able to escape!
Before that, they'll be sitting ducks, letting others attack them!
The only problem is, if the target's Spiritual Power is relatively strong, I might enter a stalemate with them after activating the Soul Skill, and I'll also be unable to move. If the Illusion is forcefully broken, I, as the caster, will also suffer a backlash."
"Enough!" Yue Lao, who had once served in the Sun Moon Empire military, exclaimed in surprise, his face flushed as he spoke to Xu Xiaoyun. "Young Master, this Soul Skill of yours is simply a weapon of mass destruction on the battlefield!"
"Ancestor Xu, this old servant can confidently say that once this kind of Soul Skill appears on the battlefield, it would be no different from a terrifying offensive of countless Soul Guidance Cannon Shells concentrated fire. It could paralyze a large number of enemy combat units! If Young Master's cultivation can reach the Titled Douluo level, this old servant can't even imagine its power. It would absolutely be a strategic asset!"
With Yue Lao's reminder, Xu Xiaoyun quickly pictured some scenarios in his mind, his pupils contracting sharply as he murmured, "No wonder some say this Illusory Sky Moon God Butterfly is a spiritual Jade Scale Serpent Emperor. If used at the right moment, what difficulty is there in slaughtering a hundred thousand troops?"
Recalling the incident of Jade Scale Douluo's city massacre from ten thousand years ago, recorded in the family's top-secret Ancient Texts, Xu Xiaoyun broke out in a cold sweat. He stared intently at Xu Tianxi, speaking word by word with unprecedented gravity.
"Tianxi, the effect of this Soul Skill of yours when used on a group must be kept secret, and you absolutely must not use it lightly on the battlefield. Otherwise, it's hard to guarantee you won't be cursed throughout history!"
"Ten thousand years ago, Jade Scale Douluo Dugu Bo fought for the Heaven Dou Empire, releasing poison to massacre the city of Jialing Pass in the Spirit Empire. Hundreds of thousands, even millions, were poisoned to death, earning him eternal infamy and damaging heavenly harmony."
"Furthermore, not long after, the Dugu family was also disowned by the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family, with whom they had been allied through marriage, because of this incident. The title of butcher is never easy to bear. Once this ability of yours becomes known to certain people, it's hard to guarantee they won't have ideas. Even if you use it, it must be because you want to use it, understand?"
Xu Tianxi lowered his gaze respectfully and said he understood. Only then did Xu Xiaoyun relax, casually asking, "Oh, right, this Soul Skill of yours is said to be able to simulate and change the state of yourself and your surroundings. To what extent can it change things?"
"Well... I should be able to change the color and number of my Soul Rings, and I should be able to make myself invisible. I don't know about other things yet; I'll have to research them slowly."
"Yue Lao, please take a look for me."
Xu Tianxi tried activating the Soul Skill. Instantly, his two Soul Rings, one yellow and one purple, turned white, then yellow, purple, black, and red—
Xu Tianxi himself didn't have Ten Thousand Year or Hundred Thousand Year Soul Rings; he was simulating them based on Xu Xiaoyun's Soul Rings.
The light shifted, and Xu Tianxi's body silently vanished. At the same time, the snowy white ground beneath their feet transformed into a spring scene, with lush green grass and blooming flowers.
Two seconds later, everything returned to normal. Xu Tianxi's flushed face became very pale, his Spiritual Power almost depleted.
"This... this is simply a miracle... it's almost like a Death Trance..."
Yue Lao, who had been trapped for two seconds, muttered softly to himself, his feelings almost inexpressible.
On the battlefield, two seconds was enough to decide life or death!
Xu Xiaoyun laughed heartily, patting Xu Tianxi's shoulder to help him recover, and said kindly, "Alright, Tianxi, this mission can be considered a great success. Let's get ready to go to Vast Sea City to see your Senior Martial Uncle. Let him guide you for the next part of the journey."