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Looking at the red glow shining from Chenxiang's palm, Ye Lan nodded and said, "Good! You all may head out first."
"Idol, don't push yourself!" Chenxiang said worriedly.
"Don't worry, I'll be careful," Ye Lan comforted her.
Afterward, Ye Lan used 'Formless Form' to move the artificial soul ring in front of him.
This artificial soul ring was a 300,000-year Black Tortoise (Xuanwu) artificial soul ring.
The blood was taken from the Black Tortoise blood of Shi Mo and Shi Mo when they activated their Spirit Fusion Skill 'Xuanwu,' and it was personally condensed by his teacher, Bibi Dong.
The reason for choosing 'Xuanwu' as the sixth soul ring was simple: to infinitely amplify the advantages of 'Ultimate Life.' First of all, the Black Tortoise is a soul beast with extremely vigorous vitality.
Most importantly, the defense of the Black Tortoise is terrifying, far more formidable than that of the Plate Armor Giant Rhino.
Once Ye Lan's 'Ultimate Life' was layered with the Black Tortoise's defense, the amount of damage he could endure would increase exponentially. This provided the greatest current boost for Ye Lan.
In the online games of his previous life, the ones most capable of soaking up damage weren't just "health sponges," but those who possessed fearsome defensive capabilities on top of a massive health pool.
Settling his mind and looking at the blood-red Xuanwu artificial soul ring, Ye Lan thought to himself:
Soul Skill Selection!!
An endless stream of information began to flood Ye Lan's mind, which was then organized into a table of soul skills and presented to him one by one.
*Soul Skill Selection (0/2)*
*Soul Skill Name: Xuanwu Displacement*
*Passive Effect:* Possesses "God's Eye" vision; all objects within a certain range are recognized as physical entities (including air).
*Active Skill:* Can swap the positions of any two physical entities within a certain range.
*Range:* Within the domain's range.
He hadn't expected the first skill to be 'Xuanwu Displacement.' This skill was definitely a god-tier skill for an ordinary soul master. Moreover, after the 'Soul Skill Selection' was improved, it seemed to have turned into an enhanced version of 'Amenotejikara.'
However, Ye Lan only kept it as a candidate. After all, he already had three self-created acceleration skills, and the attack range of his 'Blue Silver God Titan' was so vast that it was impossible to miss the enemy.
Furthermore, as Ye Lan's strength grew, his opponents would become stronger.
Most people's domains had skills that restricted displacement or locked positions, so the utility of 'Xuanwu Displacement' needed careful consideration.
*Soul Skill Name: Domain of the Black Tortoise*
*Passive Effect:* Domain-type soul skill; increases Blue Silver Grass defense by 200%.
*Active Skill:* Activates the Domain of the Black Tortoise. Within the domain, all comprehensive attributes of Blue Silver Grass are increased by 100%, and energy resistance is increased by another 200%.
The simple and crude effects of 'Domain of the Black Tortoise' made Ye Lan click his tongue.
Pure numbers, brainless operation.
A simple 300% defense bonus, along with a 100% bonus to all other attributes and a 200% energy resistance bonus.
Blue Silver Grass would definitely become a pure "stat monster." Ye Lan put this on the shortlist. This kind of numerical bonus would be ridiculous for other soul masters, though it was still quite a bit weaker compared to Ye Lan's 'Vitality Bonus.'
*Soul Skill Name: Xuanwu Descent*
*Passive Effect:* Blue Silver Grass absorbs the Black Tortoise lineage and gains water control abilities.
*Active Skill:* For every ten Battle Blue Silver Grass, they transform into one 'Blue Silver Xuanwu.' It possesses all the health of the Battle Blue Silver Grass, its defense is increased by another 400%, and it gains soul skills of the corresponding rank.
Rank Determination equals Martial Soul quality level; current determination (Soul King).
Looking at 'Xuanwu Descent' alone, it was actually quite insane. Once Ye Lan's Blue Silver Grass reached the Titled Douluo level, he could even summon several 'Blue Silver Xuanwu' with absurd defense that could also cast soul skills.
This single soul skill could turn an ordinary soul master into a super genius.
Unfortunately, Ye Lan was not following a summoning-focused path.
'Xuanwu Descent' wasn't even as good as 'Domain of the Black Tortoise.' After all, as the 'Blue Silver God,' Ye Lan could receive the defense bonus for the Blue Silver Grass himself.
But with 'Xuanwu Descent,' Ye Lan wouldn't be able to benefit from its defense bonus.
Soon, one soul skill caught Ye Lan's attention. This skill was simply too outrageous.
*Soul Skill Name: Spirit of the Black Tortoise*
*Passive Effect:* The Blue Silver God obtains the Black Tortoise Spirits: Tortoise Spirit and Snake Spirit. Only one can exist at a time. In Tortoise Spirit state, for every 1% of max HP lost, gain 2% "Xuanwu Value." For every 1% of Xuanwu Value, defense increases by 2% and energy resistance increases by 2%. When Xuanwu Value reaches 100%, gain an additional 40% damage reduction. In Snake Spirit state, immediately increase Water Attribute energy damage by 200%.
*Active Skill:* Transform the Snake Spirit into the Tortoise Spirit to gain 3 seconds of "Xuanwu Golden Body"; transform the Tortoise Spirit into the Snake Spirit to launch the Snake Spirit forward, dealing Water Attribute damage based on the Xuanwu Value.
Note: Damage range increases with Xuanwu Value; storage limit for Xuanwu Value is 100%.
After seeing 'Spirit of the Black Tortoise,' Ye Lan was instantly won over by its power. Although only the 'Blue Silver God' could use it, it was practically a tailor-made integrated attack-and-defense skill for him.
The soul skills Ye Lan had chosen previously weren't offensive, but 'Spirit of the Black Tortoise' perfectly satisfied his longing for an offensive skill.
First was the Tortoise Spirit. Due to the existence of the 'Titan God Body,' there was no way Ye Lan wouldn't be able to stack his Xuanwu Value. Within 25 seconds, Ye Lan would immediately obtain a 200% increase in dual resistances and 40% damage reduction.
After transforming the Tortoise Spirit into the Snake Spirit, it would deal damage based on the Xuanwu Value—that is, 100% of his health in Water Attribute damage. Since he would be in the Snake state, it would immediately increase Water Attribute energy damage by 200%, effectively dealing Water Attribute damage equal to 300% of his own vitality.
Combined with the fact that Ye Lan's water attribute was 'Ultimate Water,' it would be extremely difficult for anyone to nullify this Snake Spirit attack.
Seeing 'Spirit of the Black Tortoise' reminded Ye Lan of a phrase from his past life:
Go talk to my Haymaker!
Besides the terrifying damage skill, converting the Snake Spirit to the Tortoise Spirit also granted 3 seconds of "Xuanwu Golden Body." For this kind of invincible golden body skill, unless the opponent was three ranks higher than the Blue Silver Grass martial soul, Ye Lan would directly gain 3 seconds of invincibility.
After finishing 'Spirit of the Black Tortoise,' Ye Lan decisively locked it in.
The Soul Skill counter (0/2) became (1/2). He could choose one more.
After a long time, Ye Lan finally found the soul skill of his dreams.
*Soul Skill Name: Xuanwu God Body*
*Passive Effect:* Blue Silver Grass obtains the Black Tortoise lineage; gains 50% defense based on vitality, and can gain defense based on vitality according to size.
*Active Skill:* Activates the Xuanwu God Body for Blue Silver Grass units; gains 70% damage reduction while in the Xuanwu God Body state.
Note: The damage reduction effect is not additive, but calculated through multiple determinations.
When he saw 'Xuanwu God Body,' Ye Lan's eyes literally glowed green. 'Xuanwu God Body' was simply too compatible with his current system.
Compared to 'Titan God Body,' 'Xuanwu God Body' didn't have the side effect of losing 2% maximum HP per second; instead, it directly provided 70% damage reduction.
But 'Xuanwu God Body' had the most important entry: gaining defense based on vitality according to size. With this entry, even after Ye Lan activated 'Titan God Body,' 'Xuanwu God Body' could still take effect, granting him terrifying defensive power.
And the secondary calculation of the damage reduction effect was simple. To put it simply, if Ye Lan's Xuanwu Value stacked to 100%, giving him 40% damage reduction, and he simultaneously activated 'Xuanwu God Body' for 70% damage reduction:
Facing an enemy attack of 100 damage, it would first be determined by 'Xuanwu God Body' as 30 damage, and then further reduced by the 'Tortoise Spirit' to 18 damage.
In other words, he would have 82% damage reduction.
After seeing 'Xuanwu God Body' and checking that none of the remaining skills were more insane, Ye Lan immediately locked it in.
The blood-red Xuanwu artificial soul ring began to transform into blood-red soul power, entering Ye Lan's body and his spiritual world.
Before this, Ye Lan had already emptied 70% of the soul power in his dantian.
The violent soul power of the 300,000-year artificial soul ring was instantly guided into his dantian by Ye Lan.
Since the 300,000-year artificial soul power was in a solid state, Ye Lan had to convert it into liquid and gas states.
To this, Ye Lan was not in a hurry.
It served as the perfect groundwork for condensing a 'Soul Core' later and learning the qualitative changes of soul power.
At this time, because the density and quality of the soul power in his dantian were significantly higher than the soul power in his meridians, Ye Lan began to guide the soul power in his dantian to fuse with the soul power from the soul ring.
Simultaneously, the martial soul began to absorb the fused soul power.
Ye Lan roughly estimated that his current limit for soul ring absorption was around 200,000 years.
That was still far from enough!!
The blood in Ye Lan's body began to boil, his blood flow speed increasing constantly, and his fair skin began to turn scalding hot. He directly activated the 'Blood Armor Perfect Form' to forcibly boost his body's comprehensive physical quality.
At the same time, the Blue Silver Grass inside him began to frantically convert into vitality to repair the side effects of the 'Blood Armor Perfect Form' and the damage caused by the 250,000-year soul ring's soul power impacting his meridians.
After a long time, enduring the pain of tearing meridians and a massive deficit of blood, Ye Lan gradually turned into a blood-man covered in scabs.
In his entire spiritual consciousness world, a phantom of the 'Black Tortoise' slowly appeared.
In a world of endless light, ocean, and Blue Silver Grass, that 'Black Tortoise' phantom transformed into endless black soul power and began to dissipate into the spiritual world.
Several hours later, a cracking sound echoed throughout the main hall of the Holy Temple.
BOOM!!
A powerful golden soul power shot into the sky, and countless blood scabs were instantly blown away.
Ye Lan had successfully promoted to Level 61 Soul Emperor!!
"Teacher!? Xiaoxue?? Senior sister?? Chenxiang?? Why are you all here!!" Ye Lan looked at the four women in front of him in surprise.
"Junior brother, if Chenxiang hadn't notified us, we wouldn't even have known you came to Spirit City!" Hu Liena said in annoyance.
"Ye Lan, are you okay?! Why did you bleed so much just absorbing an artificial soul ring?? Didn't you use the 'Soul Ring Limit Absorption Method'?" Qian Renxue asked worriedly.
"Don't worry, of course I used the 'Soul Ring Limit Absorption Method'! It's just that I wanted to increase the age of the soul ring I absorbed, so I activated the 'Blood Armor,'" Ye Lan laughed.
Seeing Ye Lan's smile, a flicker of daze passed through Bibi Dong's eyes, and she was instantly at ease.
"So, Little Lan, did you once again absorb a soul ring beyond the age limit?" Bibi Dong smiled.
Regarding these people Ye Lan trusted, he didn't hide anything and spoke directly: "That's right. The age of this Black Tortoise soul ring reached 250,000 years!!"
"Wow!! As expected of my idol!! The total age of all my soul rings combined can't even beat my idol's!!" Bai Chenxiang said with worship.
Qian Renxue smiled and said, "Sister Chenxiang, we shouldn't compare ourselves to this big freak."
Bai Chenxiang nodded frantically, agreeing with Qian Renxue's view.
"Little Lan, why were you in such a hurry to absorb the artificial soul ring this time? Did something happen?" Bibi Dong asked in confusion.
Ye Lan nodded with a heavy expression: "That's right, something happened to Zhuqing. She was originally going to find me at the Sunset Forest with Ning Rongrong, but on the way, she met her second sister. After talking with her, Zhuqing disappeared."
"Could it be that Sister Zhuqing was really captured by the Star Luo Imperial Family? There's also news in Spirit City that the Star Luo Emperor is about to marry a consort," Hu Liena said with some hesitation.
"I can't worry about that anymore. I'm going to the Star Luo Empire right now to snatch Zhu Zhuqing back." A flash of anger crossed Ye Lan's orange-gold pupils.
"Little Lan, don't be reckless. If Zhu Zhuqing really was taken by the Star Luo Imperial Family, can you snatch her back by yourself?" Bibi Dong patted Ye Lan's shoulder to soothe him.
"Teacher is right. The Star Luo Empire is not what it used to be. Right now, Beast City is near the Star Luo capital, and Di Tian, the Sect Master of the Beast Sect, is not so easy to deal with. Little Lan, wait for me a moment; I'll go call Grandpa." Qian Renxue's figure turned into a golden light and vanished instantly.
"Little Lan, I'll go with you as well. Zhuqing must be brought back. That guy Di Tian... the old man Qian Daoliu might not necessarily be able to handle him."
"Moreover, with your current strength, can you handle the Star Luo Emperor's White Tiger Douluo?" Bibi Dong asked worriedly.
Would you like me to translate the second half of this chapter for you, or perhaps you'd like to dive into the specific details of Ye Lan's new defensive stats?
"Teacher, don't worry!! I won't do anything I'm not certain of. Having Grandpa Qian accompany me to the Star Luo Empire should be enough. You should stay and guard Spirit City. Spirit City cannot be without you." Ye Lan signaled Bibi Dong with his eyes to reassure her.
"Idol, I'll be waiting for you to come home at the Holy Temple!!" Bai Chenxiang grabbed Ye Lan's hands and said.
"Junior brother, I'll be waiting for you in Spirit City too." Hu Liena threw a flirtatious wink at Ye Lan.
Looking at her disciple and Bai Chenxiang's expressions, Bibi Dong's heart couldn't help but beat a fraction faster.
"Teacher will wait for you."
"Good!!" Ye Lan nodded, and then saw a golden meteor streak across the sky.
Seeing that Qian Daoliu had arrived, Ye Lan decisively embraced Hu Liena and Bai Chenxiang in farewell.
As he let go of Bai Chenxiang, his gaze met his teacher, Bibi Dong.
Ye Lan's body stiffened, his mind caught in a conflict between whether to hug her or not.
Just then, a soft, warm body embraced him.
"Safe travels," Bibi Dong whispered.
Hu Liena watched her teacher and junior brother Ye Lan embrace in farewell, her eyes narrowing with suspicion.
She thought to herself: No way, right?
---
"Grandpa Qian, will we make it in time?" Ye Lan asked worriedly.
"Don't worry!! Your grandpa is the number one Peerless Douluo of the sky. In terms of pure speed, I can be called the best in the world!" Qian Daoliu stated.
"And compared to Di Tian, Grandpa Qian?" Ye Lan asked.
"Ahem, that fellow's spatial mastery is no simple thing, but your grandpa isn't easy to deal with either. Xiao Lan, you're worried I won't be able to hold Di Tian back, aren't you?" Qian Daoliu spoke while carrying Ye Lan through the air.
"..." Ye Lan did not respond.
"Rest assured, with your grandpa's strength, holding him back is not difficult. However, Xiao Lan, you've only just advanced to Soul Emperor; are you certain you can handle the Star Luo Emperor?"
"That fellow Dai Tian is already a Rank 94 Titled Douluo. Furthermore, he can perform the Spirit Fusion Skill 'Hell White Tiger' with a 'Hell Civet'."
"When I was as young as you, it would have been absolutely impossible to defeat that boy."
"It's just that the world is changing too fast now. Even I can't quite understand you anymore," Qian Daoliu lamented.
"Don't worry, Grandpa Qian. You know my configuration," Ye Lan said.
Hearing the confidence in Ye Lan's voice, Qian Daoliu knew that Ye Lan's strength had taken another leap.
Thinking of Ye Lan's four external spirit bones and those 100,000-year spirit bones—plus two 100,000-year spirit rings—Qian Daoliu's heart settled quite a bit.
Moreover, what puzzled Qian Daoliu was that Ye Lan's 100,000-year right arm spirit bone had actually increased in age to 250,000 years, just like the external spirit bones.
A spirit bone for a body part that can grow?
I've never even heard of such a thing...
It seemed Xiao Lan's opportunities were no less significant than a Divine Trial.
---
Several days later, Qian Daoliu carried Ye Lan across the entire 'Star Luo Great Forest' and was about to arrive at the Star Luo Imperial City.
Just as the city walls of the Imperial City and the towering imperial castle complex came into view, a dark shadow appeared instantaneously.
"Brother Qian, long time no see!!" a golden-eyed, black-robed middle-aged man laughed.
"Brother Di, I hope you have been well," Qian Daoliu greeted.
Qian Daoliu immediately sent a secret transmission: "Xiao Lan, as expected, things won't end so simply. From here on, you're on your own. I have carved an 'Angel Mark' on your palm; if there is any unexpected situation, use your soul power to activate it."
Ye Lan nodded. After detaching from Qian Daoliu, he immediately activated 'Flash' and sprinted toward the Star Luo Imperial City.
Di Tian watched Ye Lan's receding figure but made no move.
When he turned back, he saw that Qian Daoliu had already completed his Martial Soul Avatar.
Di Tian laughed: "Brother Qian, is there a need to be so serious? Neither of us can produce a definitive result against the other anyway. Why don't we both stay our hands and watch a good show?"
A flash of doubt crossed the pupils of the massive 'Six-Winged Angel,' but he ultimately agreed to Di Tian's proposal. After all, he and Di Tian truly could not force a conclusion.
His speed was the fastest, but Di Tian's spatial mastery was stronger; as long as one side didn't want to fight, no result would come of it.
Moreover, if Di Tian wasn't tying him down, he could better help Xiao Lan escape if needed.
"Brother Di, as you wish." Qian Daoliu deactivated his 'Six-Winged Angel Avatar' and flew into the sky above the Star Luo Imperial City with Di Tian.
He also wanted to know Ye Lan's current strength and exactly how he planned to snatch the bride.
---
On the other side, as Ye Lan drew closer to the Star Luo Imperial City, his expression grew increasingly grim.
He saw the city walls decorated with numerous red roses and white lilies.
Even the guards of the Imperial City had a red rose pinned to their chests.
Ye Lan forcibly suppressed the anger in his heart, donned his black fanged mask, showed his Soul Emperor badge, and successfully entered the city.
Because the Star Luo Emperor had invited soul masters from all over the world, a Soul Emperor like Ye Lan, while somewhat rare, did not attract the guards' suspicion.
After passing through the immensely wide city gates, Ye Lan saw the architecture of the Star Luo Imperial City.
The architectural style here was similar to 'Spirit City,' except that every household was decorated with roses and lilies.
Ye Lan moved slowly with the crowd until he arrived at a map directory to study the layout of the city. Besides locating the Imperial Palace, Ye Lan also identified the location of the Star Luo Zhu Clan.
Just as Ye Lan was imprinting the map of the city into his mind, he heard a complaining voice from the surrounding noise.
"I really didn't expect so many people to come and watch the ceremony today!! Will we still make it?"
"Don't worry, the Star Luo Consort has already been escorted into the Imperial Palace."
"In about two hours, His Majesty and the Empress will hold the grandest wedding ceremony in the central garden of the Imperial Palace."
"They say they're going to set off the largest fireworks in the Douluo Continent then!!!"
"Eh?! Is this consort such a big deal?! I remember that except for the First Consort, the previous ninety-some consorts just had quick ceremonies before entering the bridal chamber."
"That's for sure. I heard this consort's martial soul is very unusual, and she has quite a background! Otherwise, His Majesty wouldn't value her so much."
Crack!
Ye Lan clenched his fist tightly, reminding himself to stay calm.
Two hours?
There's still time. Zhuqing hasn't performed the ceremony with that Star Luo old man yet; there's still time for everything.
Furthermore, he wasn't stupid enough to wait for the wedding to start before snatching her. He wasn't some "last-minute arrival" king.
Consequently, golden soul light flashed across Ye Lan's body.
After shattering the white marble floor with one step, he leaped directly onto the rooftops.
The Star Luo commoners and soul masters below cried out in surprise, shouting:
"No trampling on the roofs!"
"That's illegal!"
"Get down here!"
"Dammit, must be a low-class person from Heaven Dou!!!"
"Quick!! Where are the guards?! Hurry and stop him!!"
"What if he disturbs His Majesty's auspicious hour!!"
Hearing the shouts of countless Star Luo people, Ye Lan ignored them entirely, sprinting straight toward the towering Star Luo Imperial Palace complex in the distance.
If he didn't take the rooftops and instead moved with the crowd toward the palace, it would be too late.
Just as Ye Lan had jumped across over a dozen rooftops, seven or eight Star Luo guards in silver-gold armor surrounded him in an arc.
"Stop immediately!!!"
Seeing that Ye Lan was completely unmoved, the captain of the guard—whose silver-gold armor was even heavier—decided decisively:
"Attack!!"
In an instant, eight bursts of soul light erupted, and dozens of soul rings appeared.
Looking at the seven Soul Emperors and one Soul Saint before him, orange-gold soul light flared in Ye Lan's pupils as he roared:
"Get out!!"
The moment Ye Lan spoke, all eight men slumped to the ground, their eyes turned white and foam at their mouths.
In the moment before they lost consciousness, it felt as though eight ants were facing a fire dragon thousands of meters long.
Under their biological instinctual protection mechanisms, all eight fainted into a state of suspended animation.
After Ye Lan decisively dealt with the small fry using 'Dragon Might,' the shouts from the streets below took him by surprise.
"Stop that man!!"
"He's here to snatch the bride!!!"
"Quick!! That's the Spirit Hall's Son of Heaven!!!"
"He's only a Soul King, hurry up and act!!!"
"What?? The Spirit Hall is here to snatch the bride?!!"
"Get down here right now!!!"
(End of Chapter)