Douluo's Spiritual Pearl and Divine Sword

"Roar!"

Following a dragon's roar, the first thing to appear was a Death Dragon.

"It's this guy again. Gu Ran, you and it really have a connection. But this is the Sunset Forest, after all. This Death Dragon is much stronger than the last one we encountered. It's probably around ten thousand years old." Jun Tianlin smiled fearlessly

It was a good thing that this Death Dragon appeared. It was actually a very suitable soul beast for Gu Ran. If he absorbed it and not only would he have a high probability of obtaining a powerful attack soul ring, but his third soul ring and torso bone would also be strengthened due to the connection with the same kind of soul beast.

"Boss, that one is coming too." Gu Ran looked in another direction and saw a pitch-black horse galloping toward them

It was exactly the Netherworld Spirit Horse they had been searching for.

"What should we do, Gu Ran? The Netherworld Spirit Horse can give you a unique attack soul skill, but the Death Dragon in front of you can also greatly enhance your strength. Which one do you want to choose? Decide quickly!" Jun Tianlin reminded him loudly

"This is so difficult!" Gu Ran hesitated. Both options were excellent, making it hard for him to decide.

But the two soul beasts would not wait for him, especially the Death Dragon, which had already opened its bloody mouth and was lunging toward Gu Ran.

"Fourth soul skill, Realm of Bones!"

Gu Ran may have been hesitant in other areas, but he never hesitated in battle. He launched a counterattack instantly and a massive forest of bones erupted, trapping the Death Dragon.

However, the strength of a ten-thousand-year-old Death Dragon was enough to rival that of an ordinary twenty-thousand-year-old sub-dragon soul beast. Relying on its tyrannical physical power, it swung its dragon claws and lashed out with its tail, constantly breaking through the blockade of the bone forest.

Meanwhile, the Netherworld Spirit Horse was ready to flee. Firstly, the alluring soul aura it had sensed earlier had disappeared and secondly, it was no match for the Death Dragon in front of it.

"If you want to run, not so fast! First soul skill, Frostbite Edge!"

Jun Tianlin swung his Demon Sword, and a wave of chilling energy surged toward the Netherworld Spirit Horse, instantly freezing its limbs. The Netherworld Spirit Horse's physical strength was not particularly strong, and it struggled to break free from Jun Tianlin's extreme ice.

At this moment, the Death Dragon finally broke through the bone forest and unleashed a breath of death at Gu Ran. Seeing this, Gu Ran retaliated with a breath of death of his own. The two dark energies clashed in mid-air, locked in a fierce stalemate.

However, Gu Ran was clearly at a disadvantage. The strength of a ten-thousand-year-old Death Dragon was almost at the level of a high-rank Spirit King, a significant gap compared to Gu Ran's own power.

But upon seeing this, Jun Tianlin's eyes gleamed with an idea. He had found a way to get the best of both worlds.

"Second soul skill, Infernal Frost Dominion! Fifth soul skill, Phantom Water Thunder!"

Jun Tianlin unleashed his second and fifth soul skills in rapid succession. First, he used Infernal Frost Dominion to severely wound the Death Dragon and seal part of its strength, reducing it to the level of a thousand-year-old soul beast. At the same time, he used Phantom Water Thunder to boost Gu Ran's cultivation. With his full power, Phantom Water Thunder pushed Gu Ran's soul power to nearly level fifty-three.

With this shift in power, the tide of battle turned instantly.

"Now, Gu Ran! Use all your strength to knock the soul out of the Death Dragon!" Jun Tianlin shouted.

Gu Ran did not hesitate. He opened his skeletal warhorse's mouth and unleashed his full power, concentrating all his soul energy into this single attack.

Due to this explosive strike, the Death Dragon's breath of death was immediately pushed back. At the same time and the soul of the Death Dragon was extracted by Gu Ran's breath and expelled from its body.

"Now! Soul bone skill, Mind Control!"

At this moment, Jun Tianlin activated his million-year skull soul skill, using his spiritual power to invade the consciousness of the Netherworld Spirit Horse. Under his command, the Netherworld Spirit Horse unleashed its unique ability—Soul Devouring—directly absorbing the soul of the Death Dragon into its belly.

Jun Tianlin took this opportunity to examine the Netherworld Spirit Horse's soul storage space. It was not particularly large, far from the capacity of a ten-thousand-year-old beast. Its true age was likely around seven thousand five hundred years.

"That's enough, Gu Ran. Finish it off. I'll use Phantom Water Thunder to enhance its cultivation by another four thousand five hundred years. That will bring its age to between twelve thousand and twelve thousand five hundred years—slightly exceeding the limit of a fifth soul ring. With your physique, you should be able to handle it. Moreover, since it just absorbed the soul of the Death Dragon, its soul power hasn't been digested yet. When you absorb it, the residual energy will provide you with a significant boost."

"Understood, boss! Soul bone skill, Raging Heaven Fist!" Gu Ran raised his left arm and immense soul power began to gather.

Dugu Bo had originally brought two soul bones from Spirit Hall—one was a poison-related skull, which was temporarily set aside due to lack of a suitable user, and the other was a strength-related left arm bone, which was given to Gu Ran.

The additional skill of this soul bone was a powerful punch that could instantly multiply Gu Ran's strength several times. When he asked Jun Tianlin to name the move, Jun Tianlin called it "Raging Heaven Fist," inspired by the martial arts of Demon Lord Jiang Shili from the Xianjian world. While Gu Ran was far from Jiang Shili's level, he aspired to become a true powerhouse.

With one punch, Gu Ran shattered the Netherworld Spirit Horse's skull. Under the amplification of Phantom Water Thunder, a black soul ring emerged and floated toward Gu Ran.

This soul ring was somewhat different from the one Ning Rongrong had absorbed previously. It contained residual soul energy, but not from the Netherworld Spirit Horse—it came from the ten-thousand-year-old Death Dragon.

Soul Devouring and Soul Dispersing were the Netherworld Spirit Horse's unique skills. One absorbed souls and while the other released all stored spirits at once that can overwhelmed enemies in a ghostly onslaught. As a result, its soul ring contained an immense amount of soul power.

Thanks to the Iron-Armored Peony, Jun Tianlin wasn't concerned about Gu Ran's physical endurance. As long as Gu Ran could withstand the mental burden, everything would be fine.

Jun Tianlin was confident. First, he was right beside Gu Ran and could intervene with the Holy Spirit Field if necessary. Second, Gu Ran possessed the torso bone of the Death Dragon and granting him powerful soul defense.

As the absorption process began, Gu Ran's expression turned grim. Soon, the torso bone appeared and faded on his body and shielding him from the soul shock. Seeing this, Jun Tianlin knew there would be no issue.

Time passed. Just as the sun peeked over the horizon, Gu Ran stood up and shouted excitedly "Boss, I did it! I'm over level fifty-four now!"

Five soul rings—two yellow, two purple, and one black—surrounded Gu Ran.

Jun Tianlin withdrew the amplification of Phantom Water Thunder as prolonged usage had drained him. Almost instantly, Gu Ran's level began to drop—fifty-four, fifty-three, fifty!

Finally, it stopped at level fifty. Thanks to the addition of the Death Dragon's soul, the soul ring provided Gu Ran with significant power, stabilizing his breakthrough.

Although he had used an unconventional method, Gu Ran was now officially a Spirit King.