Opposite him, the First Elder frowned. This brat’s combat strength was even higher than he had imagined. The First Elder held his breath and focused his mind, preparing to execute another Martial Technique.
Suddenly, the Golden Snake coiling around Ye Xuan flew toward him. As the Golden Snake approached, the Celestial Thorn Turtle hovering above his head trembled increasingly violently. The Spiritual Qi and blood inside his body surged wildly, completely beyond his control.
In a moment of hesitation, the Golden Snake entangled the Celestial Thorn Turtle. Even though the Celestial Gifted Turtle was covered in thorns, the Golden Snake showed no fear. After all, the Beast Soul Power was merely a phantom. A Beast Soul was just a soul, not a physical entity. Unless, of course, the First Elder could grasp the ultimate profundity of the Beast Soul Power.
CRACK CRACK.
Not even a Fierce Beast could withstand the might of the Dragon Soul. In just a single breath, the Celestial Thorn Turtle’s body was covered in cracks. A mouthful of blood spilled from the First Elder’s lips. With his Beast Soul shattered, he had suffered internal injuries.
"No... impossible!" The First Elder’s face was filled with disbelief. What he had awakened was a Fierce Beast Soul! A Fierce Beast Soul was incredibly stable. How could it be forcibly crushed?
He raised his head and looked at the Celestial Thorn Turtle. Although the Celestial Thorn Turtle was merely a soul, it seemed alive. It stuck out its tongue, appearing to be in extreme agony.
"No... no..." The aura around the First Elder suddenly went berserk. The Beast Soul’s pain was his pain. An earthy-yellow aura formed a terrifying storm around his body. The Beast Soul above his head trembled even more violently.
But in the next moment, as if sensing something, the soul of the Celestial Thorn Turtle lowered its head and glanced at the First Elder. Its eyes no longer held any fear. Instead, there was a touch of gratification, as if saying that he had finally comprehended it.
The Celestial Thorn Turtle seemed to be smiling. Then, its shadow gradually dissipated. It turned into an earthy-yellow light and returned to the First Elder’s body.
The First Elder’s body suddenly transformed. His back became broad and hunched, resembling a shell, and long thorns sprouted from it. His palms also changed, morphing into something resembling turtle claws.
"Hmm?" Ye Xuan raised an eyebrow at this sight. He was all too familiar with this scene. This was Beast Soul Transformation!
Ordinary people only knew that cloaking oneself in Beast Soul Power could enhance one’s strength. However, most people did not know that this was merely its most basic application. The true profundity of the Beast Soul Power was the Beast Soul Transformation! Beast Soul Transformation allowed a human to possess the body of a Wild Beast. To achieve this, one had to attain soul synchronization with their awakened Beast Soul.
Clearly, under the oppressive weight of the Dragon Soul Power, the souls of the Celestial Thorn Turtle and the First Elder had synchronized. In just a single breath, a shell covered in barbed thorns appeared on the First Elder’s back. This was the Beast Soul Transformation.
But the First Elder could not yet achieve a complete transformation; this was only a partial state. Even so, his imposing aura had become incredibly massive, as if a Fierce Beast had descended in person!
"What kind of state is this?!" Off to the side, the Fourth Elder was dumbfounded. This was his first time seeing someone execute a Beast Soul Transformation. Although the First Elder had become half-human and half-beast, he could clearly feel that the First Elder’s pressure had multiplied several times over. The First Elder’s current strength was likely no weaker than the sixth, or even the 7th Layer of the Super Spirit Realm.
"Hahaha, my entire body is brimming with power! To think that Beast Soul Power could also be used to transform," the First Elder laughed heartily.
The next moment, his body turned into a bolt of lightning and charged at Ye Xuan. His speed was terrifyingly fast, like a sudden thunderclap. Although the Spiritual Qi within his body was still surging chaotically, after undergoing the Beast Soul Transformation, what need was there to use Spiritual Qi? His physical body was more than enough!
BOOM BOOM BOOM!
Ye Xuan could not defend himself at all and was forced to take a beating passively because the First Elder’s speed was simply too fast. Against a First Elder who had awakened a Fierce Beast Soul and undergone Beast Soul Transformation, Ye Xuan was no longer a match. Using the Dragon Soul Power to fight an opponent at the 3rd Layer of the Super Spirit Realm was already his limit.
Before long, the Divine Demon Statue began to shatter, and the Golden Snake’s scales started peeling off.
Meanwhile, in a desolate wilderness.
Ye Ling’Er killed two wild rabbits and fed them to the Little Flame Eagle. Suddenly, a chill rose from the bottom of her heart without any warning. She subconsciously turned her head, looking in the direction of Hongtu Town.
"Xuan... did something happen to you? Why does my heart suddenly hurt so much?" she whispered. "Xuan, you have to win."
At this moment, Ye Zeyun seemed to have sensed something as well, looking toward Hongtu Town. He muttered softly, "Ye Xuan, do you know why I walked so slowly these past two days? I was afraid that if you crushed the Twin Jade while we were too far from home, we wouldn’t be able to rush back in time! Therefore, my pace was unusually slow.
"Sigh, I don’t even know if it was right or wrong for me not to stop you that night and let you stay. I truly hope that you can create a miracle. Only then will the entire Ye family be truly united as one. Your prestige and authority will never be questioned again.
"So, you must survive. You are the future of the Ye family."
Outside Hongtu Town.
Ye Xuan’s body flew through the air like a sandbag. Blood spilled into the sky like withering rose petals. Although the Dragon Soul Power was even stronger than Ye Xuan had imagined, allowing him to fight an expert at the 3rd Layer of the Super Spirit Realm, this was truly his limit.
BOOM!
A loud explosion echoed. Ye Xuan’s body finally hit the ground. A ten-meter deep crater appeared in the earth, kicking up a massive cloud of dust. Inside the crater, Ye Xuan was covered in blood and riddled with injuries.
The First Elder sneered, jumping into the crater and landing right in front of Ye Xuan.
"You are a Demon, but I specialize in killing Demons! Now, I will pronounce your death sentence."
After speaking, the First Elder turned his back. Behind him were long thorns as sharp as swords. He bent his legs slightly and leaped into the air. Then, his figure plummeted from the sky, seemingly intending to skewer Ye Xuan into a hornet’s nest.
But because his back was turned, he could not see the sharp glint that suddenly flashed in Ye Xuan’s eyes. There were many ways to kill him, but the First Elder had chosen the absolute worst one!
Within Ye Xuan’s Sea of Consciousness, the Dragon Capturing Cauldron emitted a radiant glow. Even the golden battle Dragon Blood was pulsating non-stop.
"Dragon Capturing Cauldron, emerge," Ye Xuan muttered softly.
The thumbnail-sized Dragon Capturing Cauldron abruptly appeared above him—right over the First Elder’s head. At the same time, Ye Xuan slapped the ground, using the immense recoil force to slide his body into a corner.
BOOM!
A massive crash resounded. Just as his body moved away, the First Elder crashed down. Once he landed, he never stood back up again, because his head had been smashed with a thumbnail-sized hole.
The tiny Dragon Capturing Cauldron had crushed his skull. The Dragon Capturing Cauldron wasn’t actually that heavy; it was merely ten thousand catties. It could change sizes, but no matter how large it became, its weight would not change. Therefore, the First Elder’s head was directly crushed flat.
The First Elder didn’t even know how he died. A small object resembling a piece of rubble had simply appeared before his eyes. He didn’t even try to block it; he merely blinked.
And then, there was nothing.
The Dragon Capturing Cauldron had smashed through his eyeball and pierced straight through his head.