Chapter 45: Night of a Hundred Ghosts! Phantom Flash!

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Deep within the Sunset Forest.

Liu Erlong and Flender were locked in fierce combat against a Black-Faced Ghost Leopard with over forty thousand years of cultivation. The battle was intense.

"A Black-Faced Ghost Leopard over forty thousand years old is equivalent to a Soul Sage. Even if Flender and I teamed up, we'd struggle to take it down. Thankfully, Liu Erlong is here—their coordination is seamless. It's almost over."

Zhao Wuji stood guard nearby, protecting Xu Yunhan and the other three.

Both Liu Erlong and Flender were close to level 80, one a berserk attacker, the other an agile assault specialist. Their teamwork was flawless.

The Black-Faced Ghost Leopard tried repeatedly to escape, only to be intercepted by Flender's flight capabilities. Then Liu Erlong would catch up and unleash a brutal onslaught.

After about ten minutes.

The Black-Faced Ghost Leopard lay on the ground, barely alive, its expression lifeless.

"Yunhan, come here. It's yours now."

Liu Erlong waved Xu Yunhan over.

"Here, recovery pills for stamina and spirit power."

Xu Yunhan handed some pills to Liu Erlong and Flender.

Flender grinned. "Erlong, I forgot to mention—Yunhan can also refine his own pills. They're quite effective."

"Monster kid!" Liu Erlong took the pills and swallowed them. "We'll keep it suppressed. Go ahead."

Xu Yunhan held a sharp blade, a spirit tool he had crafted himself.

Channeling spirit power into it, he drove the blade through the leopard's hide, piercing its vitals.

Soon, the Black-Faced Ghost Leopard died. A black spirit ring emerged, then flew straight toward Xu Yunhan, willingly submitting to absorption.

Liu Erlong watched in amazement.

"Huh? A spirit bone!"

Just as Xu Yunhan began absorbing the spirit ring, a dark spirit bone condensed from the leopard's body, stunning everyone.

"A left leg bone!"

Liu Erlong picked it up and examined it. "Yunhan, absorb the spirit ring first. The bone can wait."

Absorbing both the spirit ring and bone from the same beast would yield synergistic effects.

Zhao Wuji brought Ning Rongrong, Zhu Qing, and Xiaowu over to inspect the spirit bone.

"From what I can sense, it likely enhances speed or grants a speed-based skill."

Liu Erlong scrutinized it carefully. "The speed boost should be significant, and it suits Yunhan perfectly—he doesn't have any speed-related abilities yet."

Xu Yunhan's Three-Eyed White Tiger, though primarily a power-type martial soul, possessed flight capabilities, making speed one of its strengths.

Now, with a speed enhancement or skill, he'd be even more formidable.

"An unexpected windfall!"

Flender was thrilled. "This is a forty-thousand-year spirit bone!"

Zhao Wuji chuckled. "This kid's luck has always been ridiculously good."

"That's wonderful!" Ning Rongrong, Zhu Qing, and Xiaowu were all delighted for Xu Yunhan.

Xu Yunhan's spirit ring absorption was astonishingly fast—several times quicker than normal.

It didn't take long at all.

"That speed is insane!"

Even Liu Erlong was dumbfounded.

"Haha, it's always been like this."

Zhao Wuji laughed. "Why do you think he's the real monster here? I'd bet even Tang San won't surpass his achievements in the future."

He regarded Xu Yunhan as his disciple, and the more outstanding Xu Yunhan became, the prouder Zhao Wuji felt.

Unfortunately, Xu Yunhan had no intention of formally becoming Zhao Wuji's student.

As a former Soul Douluo and emperor of the Sun Moon Empire, bowing to a Soul Sage as his master was not something he was prepared to do.

"Yunhan, congratulations!"

"Your spirit power must've reached level 51, right? A forty-thousand-year fifth spirit ring is no joke!"

"What's your fifth spirit skill?"

Everyone bombarded him with questions.

"Not so fast."

Liu Erlong handed the spirit bone to Xu Yunhan. "Here, absorb this first."

Xu Yunhan didn't hesitate.

Once the absorption was complete, he explained: "Spirit power is at level 51, almost 52. The spirit bone skill is Phantom Flash—similar to Xiaowu's Blink, but with a maximum range of 100 meters per use."

Xiaowu's Blink currently maxed out at five meters.

Xu Yunhan activated the forty-thousand-year left leg bone skill—Phantom Flash.

In an instant, he appeared beside each of them in rapid succession, leaving behind dark afterimages to disorient opponents.

"Incredible skill! A 100-meter teleport! Whether for attacking or evading, it's immensely useful!"

Flender marveled. "His luck is just unfair."

"Heh, excellent, excellent." Zhao Wuji grinned. "Now, the spirit skill—what's your fifth one?"

Xu Yunhan nodded and immediately unleashed it.

"Fifth Spirit Skill—Night of a Hundred Ghosts!"

Suddenly, the surroundings plunged into darkness as black mist seeped from the ground.

Then, skeletal figures began clawing their way out—humanoid, bestial, an army of the undead, a sight both eerie and terrifying.

"Let me test this."

Zhao Wuji punched one of the nearby skeletons. His raw physical strength couldn't destroy it—instead, the skeleton bit down on his fist.

"Break!"

It took a substantial amount of spirit power for Zhao Wuji to shatter the skeleton.

"Their defense is no joke. Even an average Soul Emperor would struggle to break them. Their attacks are no slouch either—seems like they also inflict mental interference."

Zhao Wuji turned to Xu Yunhan.

Xu Yunhan confirmed. "These skeletons are both offensive and defensive. Their attacks carry mental disruption, and the black mist confuses enemies. It's an area-of-effect spirit skill."

An exceptionally powerful one at that.

Ning Rongrong asked, "Yunhan, is this skill instant-cast too?"

Xu Yunhan smirked.

Ning Rongrong sighed. "Monster! Every single skill of yours is instant-cast. Comparing myself to you is just asking for frustration."

At least this man was partly hers.

"Good. Worth the effort I put in."

Liu Erlong nodded in satisfaction. "A perfect start. Let's hope the rest goes just as smoothly."

After resting, they resumed their hunt.

This time, they sought a spirit beast just over ten thousand years old—suitable for Zhu Qing's attempt at absorbing a ten-thousand-year fourth spirit ring.

They moved toward the outskirts of the Sunset Forest, where spirit beasts in the thirty to fifty thousand range were less common.

After half a day, they finally encountered a suitable target—a Twin-Headed Phantom Cat, just over eleven thousand years.

This time, Zhao Wuji and Flender teamed up to swiftly dispatch it.

Zhu Qing delivered the final blow, and a black spirit ring emerged.

No spirit bone this time.

That was normal.

A spirit bone was always a bonus.

"Go ahead. Absorb it boldly."

Xu Yunhan stood by Zhu Qing's side, encouraging her.

If anything went wrong, his formidable mental power could intervene.

"Stay calm. Believe in yourself."

Liu Erlong offered her support.

Zhu Qing nodded and began the absorption.

Soon, she was drenched in sweat, making everyone tense.

Fortunately, the situation stabilized after a while, though it still looked precarious.

In the end, Zhu Qing succeeded—defying conventional limits by absorbing a ten-thousand-year fourth spirit ring.

"You scared us half to death! Thank goodness you're okay."

"Zhuqing, how do you feel? Any discomfort?"

"She looks fine."

Everyone crowded around, concerned.

Zhu Qing smiled. "I'm fine. It was manageable—just nerve-wracking at first. After that, it went smoothly. Rongrong, Xiaowu, you'll be fine too. Yunhan was right—it's absolutely possible."

Flender sighed. "When we get back, Xiao Gang is going to lose his mind, isn't he?"

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