Now it was Hu Liena's turn to be shocked.
She had always known that her teacher possessed a hundred-thousand-year soul ring. What she never expected, however, was that this soul ring had come from the mother of the little girl standing before her.
Fate was truly wondrous.
At least, that was how both Hu Liena and Xiao Wu saw it.
Xiao Wu glared fiercely at Hu Liena. Yin Zhang noticed this and smiled faintly—because Hu Liena's gaze toward Xiao Wu had also grown noticeably colder.
This was exactly what Yin Zhang wanted.
On the surface, it was to make Hu Liena more ruthless. But in truth, it was also part of his own small scheme.
Before transmigrating, he had often wondered while reading fanfiction: What kind of expression would Xiao Wu have if she learned that the one who killed her mother was the Spirit Hall—the very organization that had been paying her Golden Soul Coin stipend all this time?
Now that it had actually happened, Yin Zhang found the result… unexpectedly boring.
"Alright," Yin Zhang said indifferently. "You're coming with me as well. You're a perfectly good hundred-thousand-year soul beast. Even if you're a rabbit, you acted no differently from a harmless little white rabbit. Honestly, that's disappointing."
He summoned his Martial Soul once more, knocked Xiao Wu unconscious with a clean strike, and casually slung her over his shoulder.
Turning to Hu Liena, he said, "Nana, take Little Gold and that Blazing Flame with you. Let's leave Nuoding City."
Hu Liena nodded lightly and glanced at the Golden Sacred Dragon.
The golden dragon immediately understood and followed Yin Zhang into the sky.
Seeing Xiao Wu being carried on Yin Zhang's shoulder, Hu Liena couldn't help but feel a trace of envy. Even she had only ever been held in someone's arms—never carried on their shoulder like this.
I'll definitely try that someday, she thought. I'll make Brother Zhang carry me too.
If Yin Zhang knew what Hu Liena was thinking, he would probably feel a headache coming on. Hu Liena had already gone from being lovestruck to showing faint signs of yandere tendencies.
Neither Yin Zhang nor Hu Liena planned to absorb a hundred-thousand-year soul ring and soul bone at Nuoding Academy. Even if Yin Zhang was confident that no one in the entire city could stop him, doing so would still cause unnecessary trouble.
It was better to absorb them elsewhere.
And Holy Soul Village was the perfect choice.
More precisely, the secluded valley behind Holy Soul Village.
Yin Zhang looked at Chi Yan, who lay unconscious on the ground.
Nearby, Xiao Wu was huddled in a corner, her face pale with fear. The shock of learning that her mother had been killed by Hu Liena's teacher had barely worn off, and terror quickly resurfaced.
Especially when she saw the cold, ruthless look on Yin Zhang's face—her entire body began to tremble.
In the past, Tang San would have immediately stepped forward to protect her, anxiously asking if she was hurt, afraid she would be bullied without being able to fight back.
But now, no one came.
"Nana, keep an eye on Xiao Wu," Yin Zhang said calmly. "I'll absorb Blazing Flame's soul ring."
With that, he extended his dragon claw, pierced straight through Blazing Flame's chest, lifted him up, and crushed his heart amid his anguished screams.
Blazing Flame died on the spot.
His body rapidly expanded, reverting to its true form—a colossal tiger that nearly filled the entire valley.
Yin Zhang paused for a moment, slightly embarrassed.
"So transformed soul beasts do revert after death," he muttered with a helpless smile. "If I'd known, I would've prepared better."
He then sat down cross-legged in front of Chi Yan.
"Little Gold, come here," Yin Zhang said with a smile. "I'll help you absorb the soul ring of the Crimson Roaring Tiger King. That way, when we fight together later, you won't just be watching from the sidelines."
Between Chi Yan and Xiao Wu, Chi Yan was undoubtedly stronger.
Absorbing Blazing Flame's soul ring would also yield greater combat value.
For Yin Zhang himself, however, the two soul skills Blazing Flame could provide were not essential. He already possessed an abundance of soul skills and wasn't lacking in that regard—especially with the Holy Grail ensuring he would never truly run out.
Xiao Wu's soul ring abilities, on the other hand, were already known.
They were Void and Eight-Stage Explosive Throw.
But the so-called Eight-Stage Explosive Throw was essentially Xiao Wu's soul materializing to launch attacks alongside the user. Whether she could even perform a proper sacrifice under the current circumstances remained uncertain. Without her soul residing within Yin Zhang, that soul-binding technique would naturally be impossible.
There was also the chance that the Eight-Stage Explosive Throw would mutate into a different ability altogether.
By comparison, the Crimson Roaring Tiger King—a dominant, overlord-level soul beast—was far more suitable. The soul skills it provided would undoubtedly grant the Golden Sacred Dragon powerful combat abilities. Xiao Wu's skills were simply ill-suited for it.
The Golden Sacred Dragon flew over eagerly under Yin Zhang's guidance.
Under Yin Zhang's control, the dragon gradually emptied its energy and nearly merged with him. This was a special state Yin Zhang had previously discovered—a possession-like fusion that allowed him to absorb soul rings far more efficiently.
Half an hour later—
A brilliant hundred-thousand-year soul ring slowly formed around the Golden Sacred Dragon.
The golden dragon's body expanded to five times its original size. Its aura became overwhelmingly tyrannical, its dragon might surging without restraint.
Yin Zhang clearly sensed the two soul ring skills the Golden Sacred Dragon had gained.
Just as Yu Xiaogang could command Luo Sanpao to use its soul skills, Yin Zhang could instinctively perceive the Golden Sacred Dragon's abilities—and command it freely, savoring the thrill of battle like a Pokémon trainer.
The two soul skills were:
Tiger Soul Dragon Roar Slash
and
True Dragon Transformation.
Although the soul ring originated from the Crimson Roaring Tiger King, once absorbed, it naturally adapted to the Martial Soul.
When Tiger Soul Dragon Roar Slash was unleashed, a roaring crimson tiger and a golden sacred dragon would manifest simultaneously, attacking from both sides with terrifying destructive power.
True Dragon Transformation allowed the Golden Sacred Dragon's size to surge to that of a true hundred-thousand-year soul beast, drastically enhancing all of its physical attributes.
After fully understanding the abilities, Yin Zhang smiled in satisfaction.
He had made the right choice.
These soul skills were far more suitable for the Golden Sacred Dragon than Xiao Wu's would have been.
The golden dragon itself was ecstatic. Feeling the explosive power surging through its body, it shot straight into the sky.
"Roar! Roar! Roar!!!"
Earth-shaking dragon roars echoed down from the clouds.
Bathed in the dense, oppressive dragon aura, Hu Liena felt her breath catch.
She looked at Yin Zhang in disbelief and asked softly, "Brother Zhang… just how strong is Little Gold now?"