"Two hundred thousand years? No wonder its aura was so terrifying. In a one-on-one fight, I'm afraid I wouldn't be its match."
Hearing the Chrysanthemum Douluo's explanation, the Sword Douluo's expression gradually became solemn.
If it weren't for the fusion of the Chrysanthemum and Ghost Douluos' soul skills, his Ninth Soul Skill would have had difficulty hitting its mark completely, at most causing some minor injuries.
After all, even though the Seven Kill Sword pierced through the Scarlet King's body, it didn't kill it immediately.
If Lin Mu hadn't blown up its three heads with that devastating punch, it might have survived.
At this moment, Ning Fengzhi's gaze fell on the Scarlet King's corpse. A soul beast over ten thousand years old would inevitably drop a soul bone, and this soul bone was over two hundred thousand years old.
Ning Fengzhi's eyes flashed, his mind filled with countless thoughts. 'If Uncle Sword absorbs this soul bone, he can at least reach Level 97. Even Level 98 is not impossible.'
For anyone, this was an irresistible temptation.
Once the Sword Douluo reached Level 98, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect would naturally surpass the Clear Sky Sect to become the undisputed Number One Sect in the world.
It was common knowledge that Tang Chen had disappeared for many years; even the Clear Sky Sect believed their ancestor was dead, otherwise, they wouldn't have chosen to close their mountain gates.
In reality, Tang Chen wasn't dead, but he was practically gone. Influenced by the Rakshasa God, he had become mentally unstable and now ruled as the King of Slaughter in the Slaughter City. Even if he eventually regained his sanity, his days were numbered.
Dugu Bo, who had been guarding Lin Mu's side, noticed Ning Fengzhi's gaze and immediately threatened, "Sect Master Ning, some things are not for you to covet. You'd better think it through."
In truth, Dugu Bo was well aware that if something happened to Lin Mu during absorption, he might regain his freedom.
But the backlash could also trigger the poison in his heart, causing him to die on the spot.
Even for his granddaughter's sake, he couldn't take the risk. Besides, he had gradually accepted reality; the stronger Lin Mu became, the more honored he felt to follow him.
Hearing Dugu Bo's threat, Ning Fengzhi immediately dismissed his thoughts.
Now, Dugu Bo was definitely on Lin Mu's side, and since the Chrysanthemum and Ghost Douluos were both recruited by Lin Mu for this hunt, they would certainly favor him.
Even if Uncle Sword's soul power was higher than theirs individually, he couldn't possibly defeat three Titled Douluos simultaneously, especially since the Chrysanthemum and Ghost Douluos possessed a Martial Soul Fusion Skill capable of controlling even 200,000-year-old soul beasts.
"Senior Dugu, you're overthinking it. I'm just worried about him absorbing the soul ring and making a mistake," Ning Fengzhi forced an explanation.
Dugu Bo merely sneered, his gaze constantly fixed on Ning Fengzhi.
On the other side, the Ghost Douluo transmitted his voice to the Chrysanthemum Douluo: "Old Chrysanthemum, you helped Lin Mu this time. Aren't you worried about His Holiness the Pope's punishment?"
"Punishment? What punishment could compare to losing my precious herbs?"
The Chrysanthemum Douluo complained first, then continued, "Old Ghost, what do you truly think of our status in Bibi Dong's heart?"
Hearing the Chrysanthemum Douluo address the Pope by her name, the Ghost Douluo's eyes were filled with disbelief.
In the past, Yue Guan would always address her respectfully as "His Holiness," never daring to show the slightest disrespect. Ghost never expected such a drastic change in just a few months.
But then, Ghost quickly recalled that Bibi Dong hadn't treated them well recently, even refusing to reward them with soul bones despite their years of service.
And that wasn't all; lately, their treatment had drastically decreased, falling far short of even the trash Yu Xiaogang's.
After a moment of silence, the Ghost Douluo continued via telepathy, "Besides the Pope, who else can we serve? The Worship Hall (Douluo Palace) won't accept us."
"Old Ghost," the Chrysanthemum Douluo replied, "with our combined Martial Soul Fusion Skill, as long as we don't outwardly betray Spirit Hall, we'll naturally have a place there. Why risk our lives for Bibi Dong personally?"
After Lin Mu's harsh reprimand back at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, the Chrysanthemum Douluo had finally come to his senses.
Since pledging allegiance to Bibi Dong wouldn't yield soul bones or respect, it was better to do the bare minimum; the salary was the same anyway, so why risk everything?
After listening to Yue Guan's words, the Ghost Douluo nodded to himself, but a slight concern remained. He transmitted his voice, saying, "What you say makes sense, but what if Bibi Dong attacks us?"
"Hehe, with our fusion skill, Bibi Dong definitely won't break off relations completely. We are too valuable as a deterrent."
After a pause, the Chrysanthemum Douluo looked at Lin Mu, who was absorbing the spirit ring, and continued, "Even if it really comes to that, we can still ask Lin Mu for help."
Hearing this, the Ghost Douluo suddenly understood. Once Lin Mu finished absorbing his spirit ring, he might actually be able to fight Bibi Dong. Even if things went wrong, once Lin Mu reached the Titled Douluo level, his strength would definitely be no less than hers.
But soon, the Ghost Douluo thought of another problem: "Lin Mu is on the side of the Heaven Dou Empire, after all. What if he becomes an enemy of Spirit Hall in the future?"
"That's none of our business. As long as Lin Mu doesn't destroy Spirit Hall itself, we don't need to be his enemy personally."
The Chrysanthemum Douluo had completely grasped the essence of quiet quitting. So what if he was an Elder of Spirit Hall? He still got paid in Gold Soul Coins, and he hadn't seen anyone getting extra soul bones for working overtime.
For a Titled Douluo, money was just a material possession, but life was precious. It wasn't worth risking one's life for a boss who didn't appreciate them.
Seeing that his old buddy had made up his mind, the Ghost Douluo didn't try to persuade him further. To him, his bond with Yue Guan was far more important than his loyalty to Bibi Dong.
As time passed, Lin Mu finally finished absorbing the Scarlet King's soul ring.
"Awesome!!"
Lin Mu suddenly opened his eyes, and a powerful aura burst forth, even forcing the nearest Dugu Bo to take a few steps back.
Immediately afterward, Lin Mu slowly stood up, his eight spirit rings swirling around him. Two of the rings were blood-red 100,000-year rings, shining dazzlingly. The aura emitted by the newest one alone sent shivers down the spines of the others.
"My soul power is stuck at Level 83, just over halfway through. After absorbing the soul bone, I should be able to break through to Level 85, or even Level 86."
Lin Mu's eyes practically overflowed with joy; nothing was more exhilarating than a surge in cultivation.
Besides the increase in soul power, he also gained two powerful soul skills. Absorbing the soul bone would grant him two more. With these four new skills, he could definitely suppress the Sword Douluo.
However, Lin Mu didn't plan to absorb the soul bone immediately. Instead, he stored the Scarlet King's right leg bone in his storage bracelet, intending to absorb it later in safety.
If soul rings could be preserved for longer, he would have even considered taking the ring back to the Heaven Dou Royal Academy to absorb it there.
"Lord Lin Mu, now that you have absorbed your spirit ring, our duty is complete. We bid you farewell. We hope you will not forget our agreement," the Chrysanthemum Douluo spoke first.
Hearing this, Lin Mu smiled faintly and promised, "Since you helped me, you're considered my friends, so I naturally won't break my promise. Besides, I might need your help in the future."
Hearing this, the Chrysanthemum and Ghost Douluos were both taken aback. Was this guy planning to ask them to hunt for another spirit ring?
Indeed, Lin Mu had very high requirements for his ninth spirit ring, and the Bipolar Static Domain was a cheat-like mechanism; having it for hunting his ninth ring would definitely come in handy.
In Lin Mu's eyes, any human had the potential to become a teammate, except for Bibi Dong and Yu Xiaogang.
"By the way, I'm not stingy like Bibi Dong; I won't let you come for nothing."
Saying this, Lin Mu took out two bottles of pills and tossed them to the Chrysanthemum and Ghost Douluos respectively, explaining, "These pills are a bonus. Although they won't be drastically effective for Titled Douluos, they can save you several months of bitter cultivation."
Looking at the pills in their hands, the Chrysanthemum and Ghost Douluos were deeply moved.
This was the difference between a good boss and a bad one!