Chapter 70: Absorbing a 45,000-Year Soul Ring! Breakthrough to Level 44!
The moment Du Busi made his move, the stagnant air trapped within the canyon shattered like fragile glass beneath a heavy hammer.
The entire tempo of the battlefield shifted in a fraction of a second. When Liu Yuan fought these Soul Beasts just moments prior, he had relied on razor-sharp calculations, agile footwork, and the continuous consumption of his Spirit Ray. Yet, even with all his tactical pragmatism, he had been forced into a desperate, bloody corner.
But to Du Busi? These so-called apex predators of the forest were nothing more than insects. He was, after all, a Level 98 Super Douluo.
Facing the encirclement of 20,000-year Crypt Demon Spiders, and even the Singing Cricket whose cultivation approached the terrifying 50,000-year threshold, Du Busi didn't bother with evasive maneuvers. He didn't summon a dazzling array of Soul Skills or manifest a complex martial avatar. He relied solely on the most tyrannical, heavily tempered weapon in existence: his own physical body.
A Crypt Demon Spider lunged, its hideous, venom-dripping chelicerae snapping mere inches from Liu Yuan's throat. Before the beast could sink its fangs into flesh, a blur of motion tore through the space between them. Du Busi materialized out of thin air.
"Get lost!"
A low, booming shout erupted from the old man's chest, carrying enough concussive force to kick up a cloud of dust. His right hand shot forward, moving faster than the eye could track. Five calloused fingers clamped down onto the thickest, most heavily armored leg of the Crypt Demon Spider like a vice of solid steel. With a casual, brutal twist of his wrist, he wrenched it backward.
A sickening, bone-grinding crunch echoed through the canyon. That armored spider leg—an appendage tough enough to withstand a full-force, head-on strike from a Soul King—snapped clean off as easily as a dry, withered twig.
The arachnid shrieked, but Du Busi afforded it no time to retreat. His left fist pulled back, drawing in the surrounding air until a visible distortion formed around his knuckles. He punched forward. A deafening sonic boom tore through the canyon as compressed air exploded outward, driving his fist squarely into the center of the beast's multi-eyed head.
Bang!
There was no resistance. The hardened carapace of the 20,000-year Soul Beast caved in instantly, its head detonating into a shower of gore beneath the Super Douluo's overwhelming physical might. Viscous, sickly-green hemolymph erupted outward, but before a single drop could stain Du Busi's robes, the sheer intensity of the soul power radiating from his skin vaporized the toxic liquid into hissing steam.
Deep within the rear lines, the Singing Cricket frantically vibrated its translucent wings. Its rhythmic chirping escalated into a high-pitched, ear-piercing screech, desperately attempting to forcibly amplify the combat power and defensive scales of the remaining Crypt Demon Spiders. Yet, against the absolute, suffocating suppression of a Level 98 powerhouse, such auxiliary buffs were laughably pathetic.
Du Busi strolled forward, his posture as relaxed as an old man taking a leisurely walk through his own private courtyard. Driven into a frenzied bloodlust by the cricket's song, the remaining spiders swarmed him. A torrential rain of razor-sharp silk, highly corrosive poison mist, and spear-like legs descended upon him. They struck his exposed skin and robes with a flurry of metallic clangs.
When the dust settled, they hadn't even managed to leave a single white scratch on his flesh.
For a master of the Body Sect, attacks of this caliber were nothing short of a gentle breeze. Du Busi's expression remained cold and stern. His movements were wide, unpretentious, and brutally efficient. Every punch he threw, every kick he delivered, carried enough kinetic force to make the surrounding void warp and tremble.
In the span of a few short breaths, the canyon was painted in green blood. Aside from the Singing Cricket, every single Crypt Demon Spider had been slaughtered on the spot, torn apart and crushed in the most primitive, violently satisfying manner imaginable.
Realizing the utter futility of the situation, the 45,000-year Singing Cricket finally registered the primal terror of facing an apex human cultivator. It abruptly folded its wings, cutting off its song, and scrambled backward, desperately trying to use the jagged rock formations as cover to flee the canyon.
"Want to run?" Du Busi let out a cold, mocking snort.
He took a single step. Space seemed to fold beneath his feet, shrinking the earth to a mere inch. In the blink of an eye, he materialized directly above the fleeing insect. Raising a hand, he casually slapped downward.
The Singing Cricket didn't even have the chance to emit a final shriek. The massive, invisible palm print slammed into its carapace, driving its huge body directly into the solid rock wall. Boulders shattered, burying the creature in a crater of debris. Du Busi's control over his strength was terrifyingly precise; while the strike carried immense destructive force, it perfectly bypassed the beast's vital organs. It merely shattered its mobility and knocked it completely unconscious, erasing any remaining will to resist.
While his master was busy clearing the battlefield, Liu Yuan remained seated on the ground. The deep, penetrating puncture wounds across his torso and limbs were already closing. Muscle fibers knitted together, and fresh skin sealed over the injuries at a visible rate, driven by the passive, miraculous regeneration of his Undying Body.
Once the bleeding stopped, Liu Yuan slowly pushed himself up and calmly brushed the dirt and dried blood from his clothes.
He surveyed the ruined canyon. The jagged craters, the pulverized stone, and the scattered, mangled remains of the Soul Beasts that had nearly pushed him to his absolute limit just moments ago. Now, they were nothing more than minced meat. A wry, self-deprecating smile tugged at the corner of Liu Yuan's mouth.
'Is this the world of a true powerhouse?' he thought, his Double Pupils tracking the residual soul power in the air. In the face of such overwhelming, absolute physical dominance, all his careful techniques, traps, and tactical calculations seemed utterly meaningless.
He had always known he was a genius, possessing a foundation far surpassing his peers. But witnessing the raw, unfiltered violence of a Super Douluo firsthand served as a cold splash of water. He was still far, far from enough. This level of power—this absolute, total suppression that ignored all rules and logic—was the true peak he needed to reach. It was the only way he could thoroughly crush the hypocrisy of Shrek Academy and stand at the apex of this world.
Du Busi clapped his hands together, dispersing the lingering soul power from his palms, and turned around. Catching sight of the heavy, contemplative look in Liu Yuan's eyes, the old man immediately saw through his disciple's thoughts.
He rolled his eyes, letting out a loud, exasperated sigh. "You brat, who are you making that long face for? What is there to be dejected about?!"
Striding over, Du Busi raised a hand and unceremoniously rapped his knuckles against the top of Liu Yuan's head.
"You're only Level 40! You just fought three 20,000-year Soul Beasts simultaneously, while a Singing Cricket approaching the 50,000-year mark was frantically buffing them from the rear lines."
The old man crossed his arms, glaring down at him. "You managed to hold your ground against that lineup for that long, and you even managed to cripple one of the spiders. That's already a monstrous achievement! What more do you want?"
"Did you seriously expect to solo that entire pack by yourself at your current level? If a four-ring kid could wipe out a pack of ten-thousand-year beasts, how would those five-ring Soul Kings, six-ring Soul Emperors, or even seven-ring Soul Sages have any face left to live in this world?"
Listening to his master's blunt scolding, Liu Yuan rubbed the spot on his head and let out a dry cough. He knew the old man was right. Expecting to cross three major cultivation realms to win a one-versus-many battle against elite Soul Beasts was completely contrary to the established laws of the Douluo Continent.
"You're right, Master. I was being too greedy," Liu Yuan conceded, his pragmatic nature quickly reasserting itself. He pushed the lingering frustration aside, his focus sharpening once more.
Du Busi snorted, pointing a calloused finger toward the cratered rock wall. The Singing Cricket lay slumped within the rubble, completely comatose, its carapace faintly pulsing with a dim, golden light.
"Enough chatter," Du Busi ordered, his tone shifting back to strict instruction.
"While that little bug is still out cold, hurry up and deliver the final blow. Then, prepare to absorb its Soul Ring."
He narrowed his eyes, assessing the beast. "A 45,000-year limit is outright suicide for any ordinary Soul Master attempting to break through to the Soul Ancestor realm. But given the sheer density of your physical strength and the vastness of your spiritual foundation, it will serve as an excellent tonic."
Liu Yuan nodded. A cold, calculating glint flashed within his Double Pupils. He approached the unconscious Singing Cricket, drawing a sharp, unadorned short blade from his spatial tool. Without a hint of hesitation, he drove the blade cleanly through a narrow gap in the creature's armored neck, severing its vital nerve cluster in a single, precise motion.
The massive insect shuddered once before going completely still. A moment later, motes of dark light began to gather above its corpse. The energy condensed, forming a pitch-black Soul Ring. It was a black so deep it seemed to swallow the surrounding light, faintly shimmering with a dense, black-gold luster that signified its terrifying age.
Liu Yuan immediately sat cross-legged on the rocky ground. He didn't waste a single second. Channeling his soul power, he extended his consciousness outward, firmly latching onto the heavy, oppressive Soul Ring and pulling it directly toward his Double Pupils.
The absorption began.
The instant the black ring made contact with his body, a mental shockwave of apocalyptic proportions slammed directly into his brain. This was a 45,000-year Soul Ring. The soul shock—the lingering resentment and spiritual backlash of the beast—was exponentially more violent than anything he had previously endured.
Had an ordinary Soul Master attempted this—even a Level 50 Soul King—their consciousness would have been instantly shredded into confetti by the sheer savagery of the spiritual invasion.
But Liu Yuan was built differently. His Double Pupils were not just a visual mutation; they formed a supreme, top-tier mental-type Body Martial Soul. Through his rigorous closed-door cultivation sessions, his spiritual sea had already expanded to an unfathomable degree, fortifying his mind like an iron fortress.
, the moment the violent external energy flooded his system, his Undying Body reacted autonomously. It activated at maximum capacity, rapidly repairing the micro-tears in his meridians and continuously reinforcing his physical vessel to withstand the crushing pressure.
To anyone else, this absorption was a guaranteed death sentence. For Liu Yuan, it was an agonizing trial of endurance. Searing pain tore through his nerve endings, but his expression remained stoic. His will was an immovable boulder amidst a raging storm.
He gritted his teeth, systematically suppressing the beast's residual malice. He carefully guided the majestic, surging spiritual energy, weaving it inch by inch into the complex, microscopic structures of his Double Pupils.
Standing a few paces away, Du Busi acted as his protector. The old man watched his disciple's pale, sweat-drenched, yet fiercely determined face. A deep sense of pride and admiration swelled within the Super Douluo's chest.
Absorbing a 45,000-year Soul Ring as a fourth ring... such a feat was practically a myth in the long, bloody history of the Douluo Continent. Not even the Body Sect's chief disciple, Long Aotian, possessed the monstrous foundation required to attempt such a suicidal endeavor.
Yet, as Liu Yuan executed the process, it didn't look like a desperate gamble. It looked methodical. Controlled. Inevitable.
As the hours bled by, the soul power fluctuations radiating from Liu Yuan's body began to climb at a geometric rate. The unique, vibrational frequency of the Singing Cricket pulsed rhythmically through his expanded meridians. Beneath his eyelids, his originally dark red Double Pupils were undergoing a deep metamorphosis, gradually taking on a layer of noble, pale-golden geometric patterns under the blessing of the ancient Soul Ring.
One hour later.
The turbulent vortex of energy enveloping Liu Yuan's body abruptly retracted, sinking deep into his core. He exhaled a long, steady breath of impure air and slowly opened his eyes.
In that singular instant, two beams of hyper-condensed, solid golden light erupted from his Double Pupils. The sheer intensity of his gaze physically pierced the solid rock wall in front of him, leaving two smoldering, perfectly circular holes.
Liu Yuan pushed himself to his feet. He flexed his fingers, feeling the explosive, rebirth-like transformation coursing through his veins. A rare spark of genuine excitement flickered in his eyes.
The absorption had been flawlessly executed. Thanks to the terrifyingly high age of the Soul Ring, combined with the incredibly dense foundation he had carefully accumulated over the years, his cultivation didn't just stall at Level 41 upon breakthrough. The massive influx of pure energy propelled him forward, allowing him to jump several levels on the spot.
"Master, I've broken through." Liu Yuan clenched his fists, listening to the crackle of his joints as he felt the endless, surging tide of soul power within him. He looked up, a confident smirk playing on his lips. "I am now... already Level 44."
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