Chapter 109: Tang Xiao, You're As Good as Dead!
Ring Fusion was a special innate ability.
In this world, very few people have mastered such a skill.
Huo Wu of Blazing Academy was one of them.
Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda soul masters, once they had cultivated to a certain level, could also achieve it.
After mastering the Ring Fusion skill, one could release the soul power output of multiple soul rings simultaneously when activating soul skills.
Its greatest characteristic lay in its terrifying burst potential.
Under Ring Fusion, a soul master's soul power output could be pushed to its absolute limit. Using soul skills in such a state would inevitably result in a tremendous increase in power.
Yue Guan looked at Gui Mei, his eyes filled with delight.
"Old Ghost, you actually comprehended such a miraculous skill. This is unbelievable!"
Gui Mei explained calmly:
"Both my Ghost Demon Martial Soul and my Body Martial Soul can perform Ring Fusion. However, this powerful skill also has its drawbacks. If all the soul rings of a Martial Soul are fused into one, it will completely exhaust my soul power, requiring several days to recover. Fortunately, I can control the number of soul rings involved in the fusion and retain some soul power. Even if one Martial Soul's soul power is depleted, I can still rely on the soul ring energy of the other Martial Soul for support."
Yue Guan nodded with a smile.
"That's truly excellent! Unless it's necessary, you won't need to fuse all of your Martial Soul's rings into one. It's really hard to imagine what kind of terrifying power would erupt if the six hundred-thousand-year soul rings of your Body Martial Soul were fused. By the way, what is the age of your sixth soul ring?"
"Two hundred thousand years. I stacked part of the energy from the three Fifteen-Ton Ant Emperor brothers onto the eighth soul ring of my Ghost Demon Martial Soul."
After speaking, Gui Mei slowly raised his right hand.
Six soul rings rose one after another from beneath his feet, blooming with dazzling blood-red light.
The sixth soul ring, like the fourth, was crimson in color, but it bore two golden patterns upon it.
Gui Mei retracted his soul rings and instantly switched into his Ghost Demon Martial Soul state.
His figure became illusory, like a black shadow drifting in the void.
Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, red, red—nine soul rings lit up in sequence around him, radiating brilliant light that dazzled the eyes.
Whether it was his Body Martial Soul or his Ghost Demon Martial Soul, Gui Mei's aura had grown significantly stronger, his true strength becoming even more unfathomable.
"Old Ghost, you're incredible!"
Yue Guan could not help but exclaim, sincerely happy for his longtime partner.
"By the way, Old Ghost, has your soul power level increased?"
Gui Mei shook his head.
"My soul power has improved somewhat, but I'm still stuck at the peak of Rank Ninety-Eight. It feels like I'm only a thin step away from breaking through the bottleneck, yet I'm still missing just that tiny bit."
"Don't rush it. We're both still young. We'll definitely break through eventually—haha!"
"Mhm. I'm not in a hurry."
Although Rank Ninety-Eight and Rank Ninety-Nine were separated by only a single level, the difference between them was like heaven and earth.
At the Rank Ninety-Eight stage, advancing further was no longer a matter of simply accumulating soul rings and soul bones. It required a higher level of enlightenment and extraordinary opportunities.
Rank Ninety-Nine Ultimate Douluo—Tang Chen, Qian Daoliu, Bo Saixi, and Bibi Dong—all received favors and rewards from the gods, directly or indirectly, and became Quasi-God-level powerhouses.
Meanwhile, Golden Crocodile Douluo, whose soul power had reached Rank Ninety-Eight, was still unable to achieve a breakthrough even after decades of seclusion and cultivation.
This narrow gap could not be bridged by effort alone.
Nevertheless, Gui Mei was confident in himself.
In this world where strength reigned supreme, those who failed to become gods would ultimately remain ants!
If one wished to control their own fate, one had to ascend to higher realms and stand above the rules.
Gui Mei believed that one day, he would achieve this.
Moreover, that day would not be too far away.
The energy of the three Fifteen Ton Ant Emperors caused the eighth soul ring of Gui Mei's Ghost Demon Martial Soul to evolve into the hundred-thousand-year level.
Gui Mei's strength surged to an unprecedented realm.
The effect of this breakthrough was clear—every offensive soul skill now possessed far greater explosive power.
Meanwhile, the sixth soul ring of his Body Martial Soul bestowed upon him two two-hundred-thousand-year soul skills.
One of them was Fifteen Ton Ant Emperor Slash, an immensely powerful single-target offensive skill. When used in conjunction with the Netherworld Soul-Slaying Sword, it could unleash power comparable to a three-hundred-thousand-year soul skill.
The other was Fifteen Ton Barrier, a defensive ability no weaker than Evil God's Protection, capable of even briefly resisting god-level attacks.
Of course, the greatest harvest of this journey was the comprehension of the profound essence of Ring Fusion.
With Gui Mei's current strength, Ring Fusion was already comparable to a divine skill.
If one day he could fuse all the soul rings of both Martial Souls simultaneously and unleash an attack, just how terrifying would that be?
Both Gui Mei's Ghost Demon Martial Soul and Body Martial Soul belonged to him alone, making the realization of such a feat entirely possible.
After daybreak, Gui Mei and Yue Guan left the Star Dou Forest and headed toward Heaven Dou City.
They wanted to see whether Tang Xiao had returned to Clear Sky Peak.
Along the way, the two heard news that Tang Xiao had released harsh words of challenge.
Thus, they headed straight for Clear Sky Peak.
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Clear Sky Peak.
Tang Xiao, Fifteen Ton Douluo, Demon Suppressing Douluo, and Glowing Feather Douluo stood atop the mountain summit, waiting for the arrival of Gui Mei and Yue Guan.
"The message has been spread for quite some time now. Those two bastards wouldn't be too scared to come, would they?"
The one speaking was Demon Suppressing Douluo.
He still remembered the previous defeat vividly and longed for another chance to cross blades with Yue Guan, to prove his own strength.
"They will definitely come."
Tang Xiao's gaze burned like a torch as he stared straight ahead.
Although he did not truly understand Gui Mei and Yue Guan, his intuition told him that even knowing strong allies stood behind him, the two would still answer the challenge.
Suddenly, a powerful fluctuation of soul power rippled through the air.
Tang Xiao's brows knitted tightly as his entire body tensed.
That fluctuation was concealed yet formidable, carrying an unmistakable pressure that could not be ignored.
"They're here!"
Tang Xiao gave a low warning, his sharp eyes sweeping across the surroundings.
Hearing this, Fifteen Ton Douluo, Demon Suppressing Douluo, and Glowing Feather Douluo also shed their relaxed expressions.
They exchanged glances, then their figures flashed as they swiftly dispersed in three different directions.
In an instant, a chilling killing intent permeated the mountain peak.
At that moment, two figures suddenly appeared in the distant sky, rapidly closing in on Clear Sky Peak.
"It really is Gui Mei and Yue Guan!"
Demon Suppressing Douluo recognized them at a glance, a flash of excitement crossing his eyes.
Gui Mei and Yue Guan landed steadily on the mountaintop, standing face-to-face with Tang Xiao and the others.
"Tang Xiao, we're here. Today will be the day you die!"
Gui Mei was still dressed in black, his expression cold and stern, with a faint, chilling aura swirling around him.
Yue Guan, on the other hand, wore white robes. His appearance was exquisitely beautiful, a faint smile curving his lips as sharp light flickered in his eyes.
Upon seeing Yue Guan's appearance, Tang Xiao, Fifteen Ton Douluo, Demon Suppressing Douluo, and Glowing Feather Douluo were all taken aback, their expressions filled with surprise.
Originally, Yue Guan possessed a certain soft elegance, making it difficult to distinguish his gender based on appearance alone.
Now, however, he looked like a graceful and alluring young woman.
"That bastard Yue Guan—how did he turn into a woman?! Th-this… what's going on?"
Demon Suppressing Douluo stared wide-eyed, muttering to himself in disbelief.
Fifteen Ton Douluo also frowned deeply, his gaze sweeping back and forth over Yue Guan as he silently pondered the strangeness of it all.
"Gui Mei changed his appearance because he awakened his Body Martial Soul. Now even Yue Guan has changed—could it be that he, too, has awakened a second Martial Soul…?"
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End of Chapter