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Dugu Bo's face was a walking question mark.
If these Stone Monsters are the followers of a deity, and if I remember correctly, you've hunted them in the Sunset Forest before... are we sure we aren't just delivering ourselves to our deaths? Is this really a "bestowed opportunity" or a divine execution?
"Deities were once human soul masters," Su Wen explained, sensing his confusion.
On the Douluo Continent, divine legacies almost exclusively belong to those who ascended from this world. Since they started as soul masters, they naturally understand the fundamental need for spirit rings—especially compatible ones.
Dugu Bo had a moment of realization. He recalled that when 100,000-year spirit beasts chose to take human form, the common lore was that they did so to seek the chance at Level 100 ascension. This indirectly confirmed that soul beasts themselves could not achieve godhood.
"So what do we do? Hunt the monsters here?" Dugu Bo frowned, unsure of how to trigger this "opportunity."
Su Wen shook his head. Now that he was certain a deity resided here and the Stone Monsters were his followers, mindless slaughter was no longer a viable path. It was like how sea soul masters might hunt Great White Sharks for rings, but they wouldn't dare touch the Demon Spirit Great White Sharks known to be the Sea God's personal guardians and trial-takers. To do so would be a direct insult to the God.
Su Wen surveyed the rocky landscape. A magnificent vertical pupil opened on his forehead, scanning the surroundings.
Dugu Bo watched with envy. An external spirit bone... and in the eye position, no less. Knowing Su Wen's history, he knew exactly where it came from: a mere 1,000-year Three-Eyed Phantom Fox. To produce an external bone from such a beast was sheer luck.
Su Wen took Ning Rongrong's small hand, and their soul powers began to merge temporarily.
Two soul masters capable of a Martial Soul Fusion possess a natural resonance. As they perform the fusion repeatedly, this "compatibility" spreads across all aspects of their being—not just the souls themselves, but their soul power and mental energy as well.
Think of it like a numerical scale: a 60% compatibility triggers the initial attraction. With practice and constant adaptation, that number can climb to 70% or higher. Su Wen and Ning Rongrong had started just past 60%, but through Su Wen's constant "guidance" and Rongrong's soul adapting to his presence, their harmony was rising.
Even without entering a full fusion state, Su Wen could now borrow the combined strength of their merged soul power to enhance his perception. He sensed a trace of faith energy leaking from a specific point in space—a "small world" or sub-dimension, much like the War God's legacy he knew of.
As the four of them moved deeper into the rocky terrain, something strange happened: despite being surrounded by camouflaged Stone Monsters that Dugu Bo could clearly sense, not a single one attacked.
"Found it!" A sharp light flashed in Su Wen's eyes.
Two hundred meters ahead, a massive cliff blocked their path. But Su Wen felt a spatial ripple within the rock, a frequency nearly identical to his own "Academic Realm."
Ning Rongrong tugged at Su Wen's sleeve, pointing toward three gargantuan boulders at the base of the cliff. Her treasure-hunting instinct was screaming about their immense value.
These weren't rare ores. These were the three strongest monsters Dugu Bo had mentioned! The center one was a 60,000-year behemoth, flanked by two 50,000-year lieutenants.
As the group approached, the boulders shed their "rock" state and "woke up." Instead of attacking, they pulsed with a powerful wave of mental energy.
Su Wen's eyes flickered. Such strong mental power! Especially these three. "Honored guests," the mental intent resonated, "the Great Stone God has commanded us to guide you into the Stone God Realm."
Su Wen was more intrigued by the name than the monsters' mental talents. Stone God Realm. It was clear now: the deity was the Stone God.
Without waiting for a response, the three monsters utilized a unique resonance to merge their power, triggering a cascade of spatial ripples that distorted the air.
"Let's go," Su Wen said to the others.
As they stepped into the ripples, their figures blurred and vanished. The spatial fluctuations settled, and the three Stone Monsters separated once more, returning to their slumber as ordinary rocks.
The world shifted. The four of them stood in a unique dimension saturated with dense Earth-elemental energy.
Strange rock formations towered everywhere, arranged in specific patterns. Su Wen studied the distribution—it was an array. At the very center of these guardian stones stood a monolithic stele that seemed to pierce the heavens.
(End of Chapter)