12 - 3000 year old spiritual ring.

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The faint green pupils of the chameleon-like hidden dragon, which changed colors, were slightly excited. It had already caught the scent of human flesh. There were still two human children, and their flesh was likely to be even more delicious. Since it had devoured a few human soul masters last time, it had become fascinated with that crunchy taste.

To kill with one strike, the color-changing hidden dragon deliberately crept up behind Ye Zhen and Ning Rongrong. At this moment, the distance between them was less than 15 meters. If they got a bit closer, within ten meters, the color-changing hidden dragon's tongue would be able to reach them.

Ye Zhen and Ning Rongrong hadn't noticed that danger was approaching; they were still sitting by the fire, chatting and laughing. Jian Douluo, observing from the shadows, frowned slightly. What was the problem? Had the young man not noticed?

After all, this was a 3,000-year-old chameleon-like hidden dragon, and its ability to hide ranked among the top tier of soul beasts. This young man was just a soul warrior without a soul ring. It seemed that he would have to take action himself. Thinking this, Jian Douluo tightened his grip on his sword. There was no way he could allow this color-changing hidden dragon to get within 10 meters of Ning Rongrong. It would be too dangerous.

The chameleon hidden dragon had pads on its feet, allowing it to walk silently. The closer the two sides got, the more cautious the hidden chameleon would become, and the more careful it would be when it pounced.

The distance between them was now 14 meters... 13 meters... 12 meters... 11 meters...

At this moment, Ye Zhen originally wanted to keep pretending and let the soul beast get closer. But on second thought, it was safer to eliminate it earlier and avoid any unforeseen circumstances. Ye Zhen quickly turned his head, and at the same moment, the Sharingan appeared in his eyes, with three tomoe spinning madly and a strange hexagonal pattern emerging instantly.

At that moment, Ye Zhen finally saw the soul beast in the dark. The enhancement brought by the Mangekyou allowed Ye Zhen to see through many things. The color-changing hidden dragon had nowhere to hide.

With just one look, Ye Zhen was able to identify the soul beast and understand how it attacked. He hadn't studied Yu Xiaogang's Encyclopedia of Soul Beasts for nothing; he remembered more knowledge than even Tang San.

Ten meters...

The hidden chameleon finally entered its hunting range. Its excitement was evident in its eyes. The human child opposite seemed to have noticed it and was looking at it? So what? The two of them had entered its attack range.

The color-changing hidden dragon's large, fierce mouth opened slightly, revealing irregular, gleaming teeth, and a piece of its tongue was about to dart out...

At that exact moment...

"Tsukuyomi!" Ye Zhen said coldly.

The color-changing hidden dragon was slightly stunned. It saw the pattern in the young human boy's eyes and blinked for a moment. When it opened its eyes again, the color-changing hidden dragon was bewildered.

This didn't look like a hunting forest. Where did this vast plain come from? Why was the ground as red as blood? Why was the moon in the sky so large? And why was it so red? What was that small tomoe on the moon? With a question mark on its face, the hidden chameleon wondered, wasn't it hunting? What kind of place was this?

This was like the Great Plains that had been stained with blood, making the evil soul beast, like the hidden dragon, feel a clear sense of trembling in its soul, with panic and unease pervading its heart.

"Welcome to my world. As the first guest in this world, your animal life will experience incomparable bliss..." A voice with a sense of provocation suddenly echoed in this empty space. It reverberated over a long distance, heard everywhere in the world, yet seen by no one.

This strange atmosphere made the color-changing hidden dragon roar uncomfortably.

A few meters away from the hidden chameleon, a ghost-like figure suddenly appeared, silently.

"Rohw!" The color-changing hidden dragon roared joyfully with excitement, and its barbed tongue lashed out towards Ye Zhen's figure, leaving only an afterimage as it passed so quickly.

"Puff~" A strange sound was heard, different from the usual sound of its tongue piercing flesh, and the color-changing hidden dragon showed a human-like expression of doubt.

Its tongue had indeed pierced the human child's chest, but why hadn't it felt the slightest resistance? Ye Zhen's chest had a large hole that was transparent from front to back, but he didn't seem to care at all. Instead, he smiled strangely, causing the hidden color-changing dragon to feel a bit terrified.

In the Tsukuyomi, the figure of Ye Zhen, with a hole in his chest, began to dissipate inch by inch, transforming into small pieces of black mist.

From the black mist, menacing black crows flew across the sky, cawing "row," and then these black crows gathered at the sides, gradually transforming into the appearance of Ye Zhen.

Looking at this moment, Ye Zhen's chest was intact, and the large hole was still there.

"Lizard, you attacked, now it's my turn." Ye Zhen's lips curled slightly as he spoke with a hint of provocation.

"Roar~" The color-changing hidden dragon was slightly uneasy. It roared, trying to bolster its courage. "Pop~!" Ye Zhiqiu snapped his fingers.

At that moment, the Chameleon Hidden Dragon suddenly realized that its body was no longer under its control. It was like a puppet on strings, manipulated by a special force, crawling slowly toward a barbecue grill that had appeared beside it...

As the giant testing rack drew closer and closer, and the black flames burned beneath the grill, a bit of fear appeared in the hidden dragon's pupils. It wanted to roar, but no sound came from its throat.

In the end, the Chameleon Hidden Dragon reluctantly climbed onto the grill, laid down, and began to "enjoy" itself "comfortably."

Tsukuyomi doesn't directly kill creatures that enter it, but it does damage their souls. If they can't withstand it, they may become idiots or vegetative beasts.

Of course, if their mental power is weak, they could still die directly.

The mental power of this color-changing hidden dragon wasn't strong, but it wasn't weak either. It could only barely endure the pain. This was the beginning of its tragedy.

The hidden chameleon dragon lying on the barbecue grill appeared desperate.

It could clearly feel the burning sensation of its skin under the black flames and could also feel its flesh slowly cooking under the heat of the black flames.

It was so painful that it wanted to scream loudly, but it couldn't make any sound, and its limbs wouldn't respond. Ye Zhen watched with a smile on his face the entire time, making no extra movements. But in the heart of the color-changing hidden dragon, Ye Zhen had already been labeled as a demon. This human child was so terrifying that it scared the beast to death.

Logically speaking, the body had been roasted and cooked, and the color-changing hidden dragon should have died long ago. However, from its dark green pupils filled with fear, it was clear that it could still think and knew it was afraid. This was where the technique came in, preventing it from dying.

The color-changing hidden dragon lay on the barbecue grill for several hours until it finally couldn't endure it any longer. Its consciousness slowly faded away... The hidden dragon felt that perhaps this was a good end. The sensation of having its body burned by black flames was truly painful.

However, not everything ended as expected.

When the color-changing hidden dragon regained consciousness again, it found that its body was intact, but why was that familiar barbecue grill still there?

"Are you surprised? Don't panic, there are still three days and three nights awaiting you, so take it easy…" Ye Zhen laughed and winked at the color-changing hidden dragon. Although he spoke with a lively tone, the Chameleon Hidden Dragon felt cold all over.

When Ye Zhen's voice fell, the black flames under the barbecue grill flared up again… The color-changing hidden dragon once again experienced the burning sensation from before.

The first time, the Chameleon Hidden Dragon endured for several hours before losing consciousness. This time, it lasted less than an hour before its consciousness became hazy again...

The spiritual will of the color-changing hidden dragon was devastated and destroyed by Ye Zhen.

...

The Tsukuyomi could last for three days and three nights, but in the real world, only one second had passed. Since both of their consciousnesses were brought into the world of Tsukuyomi, the dragon's color-changing ability failed, and it was directly exposed to everyone.

Seeing the color-changing hidden dragon just ten meters away from Ye Zhen and Ning Rongrong, it was about to launch its tongue when it froze and lost its stealth.

Sword Douluo only heard Ye Zhen softly say "Tsukuyomi," and the color-changing hidden dragon was stunned. Ye Zhen was also stunned.

"Ah~!" Ning Rongrong's loud voice rang out the moment she saw the color-changing hidden dragon.

"Tique..." One second passed.

Ye Zhen, who had just come out, was startled by Ning Rongrong's loud voice. He was about to laugh when a sharp pain suddenly spread from his left eye.

Ye Zhen trembled and reflexively raised his left hand, covering his left eye.

"Damn, I almost forgot about the Mangekyou's reaction…" Ye Zhen secretly cursed. The pain in his left eye made him a bit uncomfortable. He bent slightly due to the pain.

Between the palm of his hand and his cheek, a spot of blood slowly trickled down, like tears of blood.

Ning Rongrong saw this scene and didn't even care about being afraid of the unmoving hidden dragon. She quickly stepped forward to support Ye Zhen. "Are you okay?" Ning Rongrong asked with a worried expression.

When she got in front of Ye Zhen and saw the blood flowing from his eye, she started to cry in anxiety, not knowing what to do.

Sword Douluo suddenly appeared beside the two. He first looked at the hidden chameleon, and when he saw that it truly seemed immobile, he looked thoughtfully at Ye Zhen. Was this a special spiritual ability? This young man continued to surprise him.

At this moment, Ye Zhen recovered somewhat; the pain in his eyes came and went quickly. It was just that the bloodstain running down from his eyes, staining half of his cheek, made him look a bit frightening.

"Young man, although I don't know what's going on, this trick of yours seems a bit serious. You'd better use it sparingly in the future." Jian Douluo looked at the bloodstains on Ye Zhen's eyes and whispered, somewhat concerned.

Ye Zhen wiped the blood on his cheeks haphazardly and responded indifferently, "Grandpa Jian, I have a sense of my limits. It was just an emergency earlier. I didn't know it was that type of soul beast, otherwise…"

"Otherwise what? You would still have fought it?" Ning Rongrong felt relieved after seeing that Ye Zhen seemed to be okay. But when she saw Ye Zhen's indifferent expression, she got a bit angry and couldn't help but be stunned.

However, although Ning Rongrong had a somewhat arrogant temperament, her body was very honest. At this moment, she was taking out a handkerchief to help Ye Zhen wipe the blood from his face.

Ye Zhen smiled helplessly. He really wanted to wait for the soul beast to get closer in the dark and open the first three gates of the Eight Gates to fight it hand-to-hand. But Ye Zhen didn't want to risk fighting a beast that might have some kind of group attack and end up dragging Rongrong into the battle.

So he resorted to Tsukuyomi. This is the ability attached to his left eye after awakening the Mangekyou. It can directly pull the opponent's consciousness into a different space, and in that space, he is invincible. But getting rid of this trick is also very simple—either have mental power several times stronger than his, breaking the space by force and escaping.

"What's wrong with that big lizard?" Ning Rongrong asked Ye Zhen curiously, looking at the hidden chameleon.

Sword Douluo also looked on with interest, and even he couldn't see where the soul beast was injured. It was still breathing but didn't move at all.

Ye Zhen smiled and said, "Have you ever heard of a vegetative state?"

"Vegetables? Plants turning into humans?" Ning Rongrong looked confused.

"Uh…" Ye Zhiqiu was at a loss for words...

"A vegetative state is when a person's body appears the same as normal people, but their spiritual consciousness is basically dead. This hidden chameleon is in that state now; you can think of it as having become a vegetative beast." Ye Zhen rubbed Ning Rongrong's little head, giving her some basic knowledge.

Ning Rongrong looked dazed and nodded, not fully understanding.

Ye Zhen didn't know if Ning Rongrong had understood. Now, he should deliver the final blow to this hidden chameleon and absorb the spirit ring. His first spirit ring was approaching, and Ye Zhen was a bit excited. Ye Zhen took a few steps toward the head of the color-changing hidden dragon and gently stroked the black jade bracelet with his right palm, causing a dagger to appear suddenly. Ye Zhen smiled. With the soul storage guide, everything became much easier. This soul storage guide could be his biggest gain from this hunting forest.

"Puff, puff~" The sound of the sharp weapon penetrating the flesh. Ye Zhen naturally wasn't as weak as Ning Rongrong. He merely sliced it. [The hidden chameleon dragon's negative emotion value adds 4666...] Some purple light spots appeared from the hidden dragon's body.

It was late at night, and these small purple light spots floating in the air seemed very visible, beautifully reflected in the soul hunting forest, like countless fireflies flying around. Ning Rongrong ran happily towards the location with more light spots, jumping on them, and occasionally stretching her little hands to try and catch them. Unfortunately, these little purple spots were not real objects. It was Ning Rongrong herself, with a sincere smile on her face, looking much cuter than usual. These small purple light spots, after escaping Ning Rongrong, slowly transformed into a purple spirit ring above the dead, color-changing hidden dragon.

Ning Rongrong saw the little light spot disappear so quickly and pouted in dissatisfaction. However, after remembering that this was Ye Zhen's spirit ring, she seemed to change her expression and instantly turned into a joyful one. "Xiao Zhen, the 3000-year spirit ring is not better than the 300-year spirit ring. Even if you have a special physique, it can be dangerous to absorb it like this. Have you really thought this through?" Sword Douluo's expression was somewhat serious; he was thinking much more than Ning Rongrong.

After Ning Rongrong heard what Sword Douluo said, she suddenly remembered that Ye Zhen was only a spirit warrior. He was amazing, but still only a spirit warrior, not even a spirit master. How could this not be dangerous? Ning Rongrong, reacting, also went to Ye Zhen with a worried look and grabbed his clothes. She didn't speak, but Ye Zhen saw more in her eyes.

"Don't worry, I still want to live." Ye Zhen smiled gently and gently rubbed Ning Rongrong's little head. After comforting Ning Rongrong, Ye Zhen turned to look at Sword Douluo again and said, "Grandpa Sword, don't worry. It's just 3000 years; it's nothing. Give me half an hour to absorb it." After these words, Ye Zhen turned and walked straight towards the color-changing hidden dragon's body.

"You brat..." Sword Douluo smiled and shook his head, secretly sighing. The young one is really vigorous now. Well, since you've made up your mind, I'll protect you. Thinking this, Sword Douluo trembled slightly and disappeared. He went to clear the surrounding spirit beasts, leaving the security protection around him. This was Sword Douluo's plan, leaving only a worried-looking Ning Rongrong.

Ye Zhen lightly jumped and reached the top of the color-changing hidden dragon's head. He sat cross-legged. The spirit ring was right above Ye Zhen's head, saving a lot of effort in bringing it. After finally giving a reassuring smile to Ning Rongrong, Ye Zhen's consciousness began to sink into the dantian. Shukaku and Matatabi, under his mobilization, seemed to come to life and opened their mouths, letting out a silent roar.

At that moment, a suction force gushed from the mouths of the two tail beasts and enveloped the purple spirit ring above Ye Zhen's head. Ordinary spirit masters absorb spirit rings by slowly guiding them into their bodies and refining the energy for their own use while also fighting against the resentment of the dead soul beast. Ye Zhen was not an ordinary spirit master, so his way of absorbing spirit rings was a bit different.

The spirit ring above his head seemed to become food for the two-tailed beasts. The spirit ring was dragged into his body by the two-tailed beasts, transforming into a trace of pure spiritual power that permeated Ye Zhiqiu's meridian. Moreover, this spiritual power was still being swallowed by the two-tailed beasts, and in the blink of an eye, all the pure spiritual power transformed by the spirit rings was swallowed. The process was incredibly fast.

Ye Zhen seemed a bit confused. He didn't even feel the resentment of the hidden chameleon dragon; he didn't know if the hidden chameleon dragon was overwhelmed, didn't form any resentment, or was directly swallowed by the origin of the two-tailed beasts. It seemed that the spiritual power to condense the spirit ring was gone... Don't panic, stay calm... There must be something he doesn't know yet... Ye Zhen frowned, thinking secretly.

Time passed, and at one point, Ye Zhen's eyes suddenly lit up. He thought the problem might be with the spiritual skills... The biggest difference between him and the Soul Master of the Douluo Continent is the production of soul skills. They all rely on absorbing the spirit ring, and the spirit ring derives spiritual skills independently. And I, relying on the system to attach a ninjutsu to the ring. Thinking of this, he directly spent 100 points to buy the 3-in-1 Academy Set, E-class ninjutsu: Transformation Technique, Substitution Technique, and Cloning Technique (Three Body Technique).

This was something he had been thinking about for a long time. Although they are only E-class ninjutsus, the techniques are very diverse and serve various situations that have helped him. The items in the store are used independently after purchase. Ninjutsu was something Ye Zhiqiu had tried to buy a long time ago, and he kept being told that the conditions were insufficient to purchase it.

The purchase process for the ninjutsu this time went smoothly. It seemed to meet certain conditions stipulated by the system. After buying the Three Body Technique scroll, it turned into a small white starlight, converging into a small amount of spiritual power, running through the body. At this moment, the two-tailed beasts seemed to sense something at the same time and opened their mouths together. However, this time they were not trying to swallow the soul power but to spit out a more powerful soul power, which merged with the soul power of the technique and flowed slowly through Ye Zhen's meridians.

After this power traveled through Ye Zhen's body, it gradually dissipated into the flesh until it disappeared. Ye Zhen only felt his entire body warmed, indescribably comfortable. His abnormal physique improved significantly. From Ning Rongrong's perspective, on top of Ye Zhen's head, a dark purple ring suddenly appeared, slowly falling until it stopped at his legs. This spirit ring was slowly rotating clockwise with Ye Zhen's breathing, and Ye Zhen was right in the center of this ring.

"Success?" The worry on Ning Rongrong's face disappeared instantly, replaced by a bright smile that was so radiant it could outshine the stars. Sword Douluo, who was quietly guarding from a distance, also looked, tilted his chin, smiled, and nodded. He looked at Ye Zhen's spirit ring with some doubts in his eyes. This deep purple spirit ring didn't seem to be just 3000 years old. What was its problem?