"Fifth Soul Skill: Bloodblade Aegis!"
With a fierce shout, Ling Zhantian activated his fifth soul skill, unleashing a storm of blood-red blade energy.
In an instant, countless projections of the Bloodthirsty Demon Blade condensed around him, forming a shield of swirling blades.
Though it was a ten-thousand-year fifth soul skill, under the pressure of Ye Yu's raw power—enhanced by his soul core, the sharpness of the Thunder Prison Spear, and the soul skill Soul-Piercing Edge—his spear pierced right through the protective blade aura and shot directly at Ling Zhantian.
Ling Zhantian's pupils constricted. He quickly leaned back and retreated, narrowly dodging the deadly strike while sweeping his blade toward Ye Yu's waist with a fierce glare.
But just as the Bloodthirsty Demon Blade slashed out—
It met Ye Yu's Magneto-Thunder Body, empowered by his newly formed soul core.
The terrifying magnetic field distorted the attack path. Though the slash wasn't entirely neutralized, it met strong resistance, stalling Ling Zhantian's blade swing for a brief moment.
In that instant, Ye Yu seized the opportunity—sweeping the Thunder Prison Spear in a wide arc and sending Ling Zhantian flying backward.
"You little brat!"
Ling Zhantian winced in pain. His protective soul power had been broken through, and his body was bruised from the hit.
But instead of anger, a battle-hungry grin spread across his face. He shouted, "Come again!"
He charged forward once more, bloodthirsty blade in hand, engaging Ye Yu in a fierce melee.
Now fully adapted to the explosive growth in strength brought by his soul core, Ye Yu moved like a streak of lightning—his movements empowered by Magneto-Thunder Body and Thunderburst Step, paired with the gravitational defiance of his soul core's energy field.
His overwhelming speed and multi-directional assaults made it nearly impossible for Ling Zhantian to react in time.
Even in terms of raw strength, Ling Zhantian was completely outmatched.
Despite activating the Bloodthirst state of his martial soul, he still couldn't suppress Ye Yu.
At last, with a roar of frustration, Ling Zhantian was forced to unleash his seventh soul skill:
"Martial Soul True Body: Bloodthirsty Demon Blade!"
His blood blade expanded dramatically in size, his aura surged, and his strength increased considerably.
Yet the fact remained—Ling Zhantian was a Tool Soul Master and merely a Soul Douluo.
Ye Yu, with a fully-formed soul core, now possessed soul power equivalent to a Titled Douluo.
Moreover, after years of thunder-tempering and training under heavenly lightning, Ye Yu's physical body had already reached the realm of a high-tier Titled Douluo—perhaps even enough to contend physically with Beast-type martial soul Titled Douluo.
Against such disparity in speed, power, and reflexes—
Even with his True Body activated, Ling Zhantian could barely land a hit on Ye Yu.
Eventually, panting and battered, he was forced to admit defeat.
"I give up! I surrender!" he gasped.
"You're too fast, too strong, and your attacks hit like a storm. Who the hell could beat you?!"
Watching Ye Yu dominate a Soul Douluo like Ling Zhantian with just his Thunder Prison Spear, raw strength, and soul power—without even summoning his martial soul—Dugu Bo was beside himself with excitement.
I, Dugu Bo, truly have a discerning eye!
From the very first time I met this kid, I knew—Ye Yu was no ordinary talent!
After verifying his newfound strength in battle, Ye Yu turned to more important matters.
He asked whether the Nine Heart Begonia Clan had any records of powerful plant-type soul beasts with life attributes, ideally of very high cultivation.
Thanks to his two years of Thunder Tempering and Heaven's Lightning Refinement, Ye Yu's physical body was now strong enough to withstand the absorption of a 100,000-year soul ring.
In the Nine Heart Begonia Clan's archives, Ye Zhilan eventually found an old journal entry from her grandmother's era, describing a life-type, dark- and evil-attribute plant-type soul beast found deep in the Star Dou Forest.
This soul beast was known as the Devil Willow (蒲魔柳 / Pū Mó Liǔ)—a vicious species capable of absorbing the cultivation of other soul beasts to grow stronger.
The one recorded was estimated to have a cultivation of over 70,000 years.
With this lead, the group set off once more for the Star Dou Forest.
Traversing the expansive, lush green sea of trees, they ventured deep into the inner region—where the most powerful soul beasts reside.
After several days of travel, they arrived at a fog-shrouded swampy wetland.
This area was home to soul beasts aligned with water and earth attributes—such as Earthscale Lizards, Armored River Hippos, Stonehide Boars, and Mire Venom Pythons.
(Concept Art: Devil Willow)
At the center of the swamp, upon an isolated island of land, grew a towering tree:
Its entire trunk was black-gray, over four meters in diameter and more than a hundred meters tall. The long, whip-like branches writhed like venomous snakes, adorned with gray-black catkins that emitted a strange, hallucinogenic fragrance.
Half-buried in the black, half-dried mud beneath the tree were countless bleached-white bones—the remains of the Devil Willow's prey.
"That trunk diameter... It must be over 90,000 years old!"
Ye Yu's eyes gleamed with excitement.
In the world of Douluo, soul beasts over 100,000 years old were exceedingly rare.
And plant-type life-attributed soul beasts with 100,000 years of cultivation? Aside from Ah Yin, none were known to exist.
To find a 90,000-year-old Devil Willow here—this was nothing short of incredible luck.
Naturally, Dugu Bo took the lead in the battle.
"Emerald Phosphor Serpent Emperor—Possession!"
With a shout, Dugu Bo activated his martial soul and unleashed his Eighth Soul Skill: Time Freeze, locking the Devil Willow in place.
"Shatter!"
He followed up with a devastating blow, shattering the tree trunk into splinters.
But the Devil Willow was no ordinary plant.
Even with its trunk shattered, it began trying to regenerate.
Its gray-black catkins slithered like living creatures, squirming over the remains and trying to stitch the pieces back together.
But then—
Dugu Bo activated his First Soul Skill: Emerald Phosphor Poisonflame, igniting the Devil Willow's remains and its roots in a toxic blaze.
Though it had resistance due to its dark and evil attributes, the poisonflame took effect.
At the same time, Ye Yu summoned his martial soul: Blue Silver Spirit Jade Tree.
He sent a multitude of tree roots burrowing underground, forcibly uprooting the Devil Willow from the swamp.
Once its roots were exposed and immobilized—
Ye Yu unleashed his Third Soul Skill: Tribulation Ascension.
Using soul power at the Titled Douluo level, he summoned a vast mass of black storm clouds.
It was as if the sky itself were collapsing: "Dark clouds pressing down, the city trembles beneath."
Thunder rolled and crackled.
With a final charge, countless bolts of divine lightning rained down in fury—striking the Devil Willow's broken body and roots again and again.
At last, when its body had been completely reduced to charcoal—
The 90,000-year Devil Willow was finally dead.
PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin