Establishing a spiritual connection with a soul beast was the standard method used when fusing with a soul spirit.
At this very moment, Gu You was trying to use that non-combative method—to build trust and collect the soul beast peacefully.
But the deeper the mental link became, the stronger that strange feeling grew in his heart.
Then, all of a sudden, the Nine-Colored Xuanming Deer shattered his gentle spiritual connection with a burst of its own will.
Brilliant energy surged from its rainbow-hued antlers. The swirling power condensed into a radiant blast of nine-colored divine light, which erupted violently in Gu You's direction.
Elemental fusion!
Gu Yue, watching from outside the simulation, was immediately struck by the familiarity of the technique. She herself often used mixed-elemental attacks to enhance her magic's strength—but this was the first time she'd ever seen a soul beast capable of wielding nine-element fusion.
Boom!
The beam of rainbow divine light pierced forward, obliterating everything in its path. Gu You's expression instantly turned cold. That one strike—it actually carried a hint of real danger.
The trees nearby were perfect proof. Not only did those nearest to the blast vaporize instantly, but even those over ten meters away were uprooted and reduced to ash by the shockwave.
The air itself twisted violently around the impact zone. It was a force far beyond ordinary elemental magic.
Gu You stepped forward with one foot, anchoring himself like a cannon emplacement. Instead of spreading to his arms, his purple dragon scales began covering his chest first.
A spectral purple dragon's head materialized, enveloping his own.
Roar!
A deafening dragon's cry erupted from the spectral maw. Purple light surged forth like divine judgment, smashing into the beam of nine-colored divine light.
There were no chaotic explosions, no swirling debris. The clash between the two beams was direct—pure, concentrated power colliding in a raw contest of force.
The destructive might of Gu You's divine power began tearing through the deer's rainbow light.
The purple divine beam tore through the colorful attack like a knife through paper.
Sensing its defeat, the Nine-Colored Xuanming Deer turned to flee, vanishing into space.
Now you want to run?
Gu You sneered. The spectral purple dragon's head behind him suddenly expanded to several times its original size. Like a star-destroying beam of light, it launched at the deer without reservation.
The fleeing deer twisted and darted, trying everything to escape, but no matter where it went, the beam followed. It was like it had locked on completely.
Even worse, the deer's spatial abilities weren't working.
The purple beam split the skies. Space itself tore open, revealing star-speckled fragments beyond—an infinite void, as if it led to some cosmic realm of destruction.
"Floor One Hundred Cleared. Soul Spirit Available for Absorption…" came the system's monotone announcement again.
Gu You didn't bother to delay.
Without giving the deer a chance to react, he raised his right hand. A massive hand of light formed in the sky, descending in an instant and completely enveloping the deer—body and soul.
Moments later, the light dissipated. The deer was gone.
Gu You turned and strolled toward the next gate of light, his mood clearly quite good.
Outside, the audience watching the screen could only stare in awe.
Even calling him a "Supreme Prodigy" no longer seemed enough.
But just as Gu You stepped through the next gate, everything suddenly turned black.
When he opened his eyes again, he was stunned—he had been ejected from the Spirit Pagoda.
He wasn't the only one surprised. The staff were equally stunned.
"Who did this?!" Leng Yaozhu's voice thundered, her tone sharp with anger.
The Spirit Pagoda had always operated under one principle: strength decided everything. There was an age limit, yes—only those under twenty could enter—but otherwise, anyone confident enough could challenge the tower. The rule was simple: make it through a floor, and you could absorb the soul spirit from that floor… provided you paid half its value in Federation credits.
Generally speaking, one could only absorb one soul spirit per tower run. That's because challenging the tower meant you had a vacant soul ring slot. Most people only needed one high-level spirit and would stop there.
As such, the Pagoda never set hard rules on whether you could continue to challenge more floors after absorption.
If you had multiple vacant soul ring slots, you could try for more. But almost no one did—no one held off advancing to the point where they had multiple slots open just to try and clear the tower again.
But Gu You? He was a complete anomaly.
He could absorb seemingly limitless soul spirits. No one knew what his ability was. And since the rules didn't restrict it, he could just keep absorbing freely.
Even if Gu You was required to pay for all the spirits he took, the Spirit Pagoda would still be at a loss. With someone like him, they'd have to revise the rules completely.
Ten-thousand-year soul spirits were manageable. But if he came back again and targeted the hundred-thousand-year spirits?
That would be a disaster.
Hundred-thousand-year soul spirits had theoretical price estimates, yes—but they were practically priceless. In the past, when soul beasts and forests were plentiful, they were a renewable resource. Now, with habitat loss and near extinction, they were irreplaceable.
This was why Qiangu Dongfeng had been so determined to stop Gu You—no matter the cost. Those spirits were far more precious than anyone could imagine.
"…I did it." A deep, cold voice cut through the air.
Everyone turned. When Leng Yaozhu saw who it was, her expression became solemn.
The staffer who had been instructed by Qiangu Dongfeng to "negotiate" with Gu You was sweating profusely. He had thought his boss would handle things from the shadows—not show up in person.
Gu You was furious. Those were his hundred-thousand-year soul beasts!
He could feel the massive improvement after absorbing just two. His spiritual power had skyrocketed, nearly reaching the peak of the Spirit Domain realm.
"Greetings, Tower Master!" the staff all stood at attention.
Tower Master?
Le Zhengyu's expression shifted. 'Could it be him?'
Gu Yue's face darkened. She clearly didn't like this development.
The rest of the Shrek team looked on curiously. Who exactly was this Tower Master?
Gu You turned his gaze to Qiangu Dongfeng.
He was in his prime, a man exuding natural authority and strength. His presence alone was enough to command attention.
Gu You didn't feel particular hostility toward Qiangu Dongfeng. In fact, he rather appreciated ambitious men like him. After all, in the future war that would decide humanity's fate, he had sacrificed himself along with the Dark Blood Demon of the Holy Spirit Sect's Four Heavenly Kings.
But it was precisely this man—this so-called guardian of humanity—who, after the Abyss Sovereign's defeat, would later be…
(End of Chapter)
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