Chapter 43: The Fourth Soul Ring

Li Luochen released the Panlong Stick, a dark purple staff with black and golden hoops at both ends. 

"Second soul skill: Blazing Fire Explosion!"

With all his strength, Li Luochen smashed the stick down on the Tyrannosaurus Rex's head. Black poisonous blood, red dragon blood, and yellowish brain matter splattered everywhere. The Tyrannosaurus Rex couldn't even manage a wail before a black soul ring floated out, signaling its death. The once-mighty king of the sub-dragon species met a gruesome end.

Taking a deep breath, Li Luochen popped a Concentration Pill into his mouth, instantly clearing his mind. As he pulled the Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring towards himself, a massive surge of pure soul power flooded into his body. The energy was overwhelming, far exceeding his expectations. Although Li Luochen had absorbed beyond-limit soul rings before, this ten-thousand-year ring was a significant milestone, especially given the high bloodline and strength of the mutated Tyrannosaurus Rex.

Fortunately, Li Luochen's body had been fortified by consuming whale glue, taking the Ice and Fire Fairy Grass, and undergoing the Ice and Fire Alchemy in the Yin-Yang Eyes of Ice and Fire. His physical body was now at the level of a Soul Emperor. While a 20,000-year soul beast is typically the optimal choice for a soul master's sixth soul ring, this Tyrannosaurus Rex was far from ordinary.

Suddenly, Li Luochen's body swelled as if it were about to burst. Realizing something was wrong, he quickly accelerated his Zhoutian Wuji Gong, channeling the pure soul power along its path, gradually returning his body to normal.

The next challenge was the soul shock, the most terrifying aspect of absorbing a ten-thousand-year soul ring. Many quasi-soul kings had perished because they couldn't withstand it. However, Li Luochen was confident in his mental strength. Having lived two lives as a human, his soul was far stronger than others. After the tempering from the Ice and Fire Alchemy and consuming various herbs that enhanced mental strength, his mind was sharp, further aided by the Concentration Pill.

A deafening dragon roar suddenly filled Li Luochen's sea of consciousness. His consciousness was drawn into this mental battlefield, where he confronted the phantom of the Tyrannosaurus Rex—a critical step in absorbing the ten-thousand-year soul ring. The soul shock generated by the beast's resentment could either be withstood or result in madness.

The phantom charged at Li Luochen's consciousness, nearly overwhelming him. The Concentration Pill in his mouth kicked in, sharpening his focus and stabilizing his mental sea. After a fierce struggle, the Tyrannosaurus Rex's phantom became increasingly transparent. Li Luochen knew that just two more assaults like this would cause it to vanish entirely. Still, he couldn't afford to relax; even a moment's lapse could lead to his mind collapsing.

As he battled the phantom in his sea of consciousness, a powerful surge of soul power rushed towards his spine. Li Luochen felt a sensation similar to when he had acquired his dragon wings—he was obtaining an external soul bone.

A full day and night passed. At first, Li Luochen's condition seemed dire, causing Dugu Yan great anxiety. Gradually, his breathing normalized, and his swollen body returned to its usual state. His aura grew stronger, and his soul power bottleneck shattered, allowing his level to increase steadily.

Li Luochen's mental sea finally calmed, and the Tyrannosaurus Rex's phantom disappeared. Yet, the ordeal had left him utterly exhausted. Now, four soul rings encircled him, each in sequence: yellow, purple, purple, and black. These colors represented the optimal soul ring ratio of this era.

Opening his eyes, Li Luochen exhaled deeply, relieved that he had made it through. As he assessed his transformation, he couldn't help but feel elated. His soul power had reached level 44. In contrast, Tang San, who had also absorbed a ten-thousand-year soul ring beyond the limit, had only reached level 41. The residual effects of the Black Jade Bamboo in his system, coupled with the Tyrannosaurus Rex's 20,000-year cultivation and the external soul bone, had pushed him to new heights.

Seeing that Li Luochen was safe, Dugu Yan rushed over and threw herself into his arms, holding him tightly as if afraid he might disappear.

"How is it?" Dugu Bo asked, his keen eyes easily discerning that Li Luochen's cultivation had reached level 44.

"I feel amazing. My soul power has reached level 44. My fourth soul ring grants an amplification soul skill called 'Tyrant Dragon Battle Body.' It increases my attack power by 200%, my strength by 200%, and my defense by 300%. When the Tyrant Dragon Battle Body is active, it greatly enhances my resistance to poison, control, and mental attacks. Moreover, the power of my first three soul skills is increased by 100% in this state. The best part? There's no time limit—it only deactivates when I choose to or if I exhaust my soul power."

Everyone gasped, realizing that this transformation was nearly on par with the true form of a martial soul.

"In addition," Li Luochen continued, "I also gained an external soul bone, attached to my spine. It has one skill: strength amplification, currently tripling my strength. This amplification will grow as my cultivation advances. It seems I've also obtained an ultimate attribute—the ultimate power. The weight of my Panlong Stick has now reached 6,000 kilograms."

Li Luochen's comprehensive improvement was undeniable. With his current strength, he could easily challenge and defeat Soul Emperors two levels above him. A mere five-ring Soul King would stand no chance against him now. According to Dugu Bo, Li Luochen's martial soul weight far surpassed that of the Clear Sky Hammer soul masters at the same level. It seemed that the title of the world's number one weapon martial soul might soon have a new holder.

Li Luochen examined the Panlong Stick and noticed that the dark purple stick was now adorned with a Tyrannosaurus Rex pattern. The two black-golden hoops had turned golden, with dragon patterns etched onto them, possibly from the Golden Dragon King. 

As Li Luochen played with the Panlong Stick, he realized that it looked much more beautiful than before. A sudden thought occurred to him—could he shrink the Panlong Stick to spin it in his hand like a pen? He decided to try, and it worked. The Panlong Stick shrank to just 25 centimeters, as thick as his little finger, and he began spinning it with ease, a skill reminiscent of his lost youth.

Now that he had solidified his foundation, Li Luochen was ready to create his own soul skills and stick techniques, having already mastered the dragon-patterned stick technique passed down from his grandfather.

"Let's go," Dugu Bo said. He had put in a lot of effort this time and was quite tired, though he had also gained a 70,000-year-old soul bone—a significant reward.

"Wait, Grandpa," Li Luochen interjected, "I remember that dragons like to collect treasures. Do you think there might be soul bones or other valuable items in the Tyrannosaurus Rex's lair? Didn't you say that the Tyrannosaurus Rex likes to bring its prey back to its lair to eat?"

Li Luochen's suggestion sparked excitement among the group. Although they muttered about their incredible luck, they decided to try their fortune and explore the Tyrannosaurus Rex's lair.