Chapter 18: Dawn Cloud Winged Bird
Xiao Bai jumped down from Guang Ling's body and ran straight toward Golden Crocodile Douluo.
"Big Sister can probably absorb three… no, a little more than that amount of energy. Big Brother can take four."
Xiao Bai waved its tiny paws, pointing at the unconscious Shadow Wolf in Golden Crocodile Douluo's hand.
"Three-plus, four…"
Fan Chen felt helpless. Why did this little thing treat it like a unit of measurement?
When he gathered his power and looked toward the Shadow Wolf, he didn't see any "energy" Xiao Bai was talking about.
"Hm?"
Fan Chen let out a confused sound, and Xiao Bai immediately sensed what he was thinking.
It turned around, dashed toward Fan Chen, and directly merged into his body.
As Xiao Bai fused into him, Fan Chen's appearance began to change.
Snow-white wings unfurled from his back, twin horns grew atop his head just like Xiao Bai's, and even his eyes underwent a subtle transformation.
"Big Brother, look again. You should be able to see it now."
Xiao Bai's voice echoed in his mind. Fan Chen once more focused his gaze on the Shadow Wolf.
And this time, he indeed saw something entirely different.
A pitch-black energy sphere appeared on the Shadow Wolf's body—roughly the size of a ping-pong ball.
The same kind of sphere appeared on Golden Crocodile Douluo, who was standing in the same area as the Shadow Wolf.
But this one was pale-golden with a faint dark-red layer covering it.
The energy was wrapped by a vortex that was clearly larger than the sphere itself.
"This is…?"
Fan Chen was stunned by the sight, and a guess surfaced in his mind.
To verify it, he shifted his gaze to Guang Ling behind him.
"As expected."
The same vortex and energy sphere appeared on Guang Ling's body, though they were smaller than Golden Crocodile Douluo's.
Finally, Fan Chen looked toward Qian Renxue.
On Qian Renxue, there was only a vortex—no energy sphere. The vortex was roughly the size of three and a half Shadow Wolf energy spheres.
Fan Chen then explained everything he saw to Golden Crocodile Douluo and the others.
The three were stunned by this discovery.
"So, such an ability exists… According to what you said, your first soul ring can absorb four times the Shadow Wolf's capacity—meaning over a thousand years?!"
Qian Renxue was younger than Fan Chen, but even she was approaching the thousand-year limit.
A first soul ring that could absorb a thousand-year soul ring—this was truly heaven-defying.
Since ancient times, they had never heard of anyone whose very first soul ring reached the thousand-year realm.
"In theory, yes. But we should observe more—there might be deviations."
A thousand-year soul beast was vastly different from a hundred-year one—not just in age but in many other aspects.
Just like Golden Crocodile Douluo and Qian Daoliu.
Both were Titled Douluo—one ranked 98, the other 99. It looked like a one-level difference, but in reality, it was worlds apart.
If they truly fought with no external factors, Qian Daoliu could pin Golden Crocodile Douluo to the ground and smash him.
"Mm, better to stay cautious. Still, this little thing always manages to bring surprises."
Guang Ling agreed. This was something newly discovered, without precedent.
Anything untested couldn't be taken lightly.
Neither Fan Chen nor Qian Renxue could afford any accidents. Even if the result was slightly worse, safety came first.
They ended the Martial Soul Fusion State; Xiao Bai reappeared before them.
Qian Renxue stepped forward, picked up Xiao Bai, and gently stroked its little head with a smile.
"Xiao Bai is amazing. Once we get back, I'll take you out for something delicious."
"Really?! Big Sister is the best—I love you the most!"
Xiao Bai joyfully rubbed its head against her cheek like a spoiled pet.
But none of them noticed the faint golden rune glowing on Xiao Bai's horns.
The moment it neared Qian Renxue, the rune turned into specks of light and slipped into her body, disappearing.
Seeing Xiao Bai bribed by the promise of a meal, Fan Chen and the others couldn't help laughing helplessly.
"Want food? Isn't that easy? We've got fresh ingredients right here."
Golden Crocodile Douluo smiled, lightly squeezed his hand, and a yellow soul ring floated up from the Shadow Wolf's body.
Shadow Wolf—dead!
Beside the campfire, Xiao Bai devoured the roasted meat with great enthusiasm, a look of complete satisfaction on its face.
"Slow down, there's plenty. No one's stealing from you."
Fan Chen lifted the feasting Xiao Bai by the scruff, exasperated.
Xiao Bai's abilities were powerful, but its gluttony was equally terrifying. He genuinely feared this creature might one day get poisoned from eating too recklessly, dragging him down with it.
After all, when Yu Xiaogang's Luo Sanpao was bitten by the Datura Snake, Yu Xiaogang was poisoned as well—proving that external martial souls transferred damage to the body.
"I'll feed Xiao Bai."
Fan Chen turned around at the voice and saw Qian Renxue approaching, reaching out for the Xiao Bai he held.
Her expression looked somewhat pitiful, like she was rescuing a bullied animal.
Sensing something wrong, Fan Chen quickly looked down at the Xiao Bai in his grasp.
As expected, the little creature had widened its innocent eyes, gazing pitifully at Qian Renxue for help.
It couldn't look more miserable if it tried.
"I give up."
As long as you don't let your mind fall, there's always a way around any obstacle…
Xiao Bai, as Fan Chen's Martial Soul, couldn't resist his commands—but no one said it couldn't seek help from others.
Fan Chen helplessly handed Xiao Bai over.
But just as Qian Renxue was about to take it, Xiao Bai suddenly raised its head and stared into the distance.
A strange light flowed through its eyes. It lifted its tiny paw and pointed at the sky, shouting:
"There's a big golden bird over there! It's perfect for Big Sister!"
At its voice, Golden Crocodile Douluo and Guang Ling looked in the direction Xiao Bai indicated.
With their extraordinary senses, they quickly located the golden bird.
"Dawn Cloud Winged Bird!"
Both Golden Crocodile Douluo and Guang Ling exclaimed almost simultaneously, joy lighting up their faces.
This was an extremely rare light-attributed soul beast—its movements were unpredictable, and it was seldom seen.
The Dawn Cloud Winged Bird possessed an exceptionally pure light attribute, almost identical to sunlight itself, hence its name.
Its semi-transparent golden feathers allowed it to seamlessly blend into the clouds. If you weren't paying attention, it could fly right over your head without you noticing.
"Let's do it!"
Golden Crocodile Douluo and Guang Ling vanished instantly.
The Dawn Cloud Winged Bird, happily soaring among the clouds, was caught completely off guard.
Seeing two humans suddenly appear beside it, its eyes showed human-like terror.
But in the next moment, it was knocked unconscious and captured alive.
Their speed was so fast that the bird didn't even have a chance to resist.
The two soon returned carrying the captured Dawn Cloud Winged Bird.
When Fan Chen saw the magnificent golden creature before him, he fell silent.
"It didn't reveal its position, made no sound, you didn't move your feet, and it was flying so far away… and you could still see it? Are you sure you're not cheating?"
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End of Chapter