Yin Zhang descended to the ground above the valley. The moment he landed, Hu Liena ran toward him.
"Brother Zhang! Brother Zhang! How many levels did your spirit power increase this time? Your Seventh Spirit Ability is Martial Soul True Body, right?" Hu Liena asked excitedly.
Yin Zhang smiled faintly. "Two levels. Not bad. But as things stand, the conditions for a major jump in my spirit power are becoming harsher and harsher. I need to hurry back to Nuoding City and deal with those two Hundred Thousand Year Spirit Beasts."
"That way, the Golden Holy Dragon can also gain two powerful hundred-thousand-year Spirit Abilities. Don't you think so, Golden Holy Dragon?" Yin Zhang glanced at the Golden Holy Dragon circling beside him.
The Golden Holy Dragon had never been retracted and continued to fly around him.
"Woo woo woo~~~"
A glint flashed in its eyes as it nodded eagerly.
"Haha!"
The two laughed together. Yin Zhang summoned his Charizard Martial Soul and flew toward Nuoding City with Hu Liena in his arms. As for the Golden Holy Dragon, the little fellow—barely a meter long—coiled itself around Yin Zhang.
When they reached Nuoding City, Yin Zhang retracted both Martial Souls and returned to Nuoding Academy.
At this moment, Blazing Flame was in a terrible mood.
More than half an hour earlier, a sudden stabbing pain had struck his heart. Subconsciously, he had looked toward the Spirit Beast forest where the Crimson Flame Roaring Tiger was hiding, filled with unease.
After all, that was his son—his final safeguard and his most important escape route.
If something went wrong there, the consequences would be disastrous, both emotionally and practically.
Yin Zhang and Hu Liena entered the academy and soon spotted Blazing Flame sitting alone on a bench beside a flowerbed.
They exchanged a glance and smiled.
"Hello," Yin Zhang said as he walked up. "Perhaps we can get to know each other."
Though he spoke politely, he had no intention of extending a hand. Instead, his gaze calmly sized Blazing Flame up—much like a predator leisurely examining its prey.
Hu Liena smiled faintly. Although the identity of the boy before her as a Hundred Thousand Year Spirit Beast in human form still felt surreal, her main feeling now was curiosity—like watching a play unfold.
"Who… who are you?" Blazing Flame asked warily, feeling an inexplicable sense of familiarity from Yin Zhang's aura.
If Yin Zhang could hear his thoughts, he would have laughed out loud.
After all, the bloodstains of Blazing Flame's beloved son—and even one of his tiger descendants from years ago—were still on him.
"Hahaha." Yin Zhang chuckled softly.
"Blazing Flame. You're the Crimson Flame Roaring Tiger Emperor, aren't you? Back then, Uncle Tang and Uncle Qian accidentally let you escape. I never imagined we'd meet again here. Fate really is something," Yin Zhang said with a smile, closely observing the changes in Blazing Flame's expression.
Blazing Flame abruptly stood up. "I don't know what you're talking about!"
Yin Zhang laughed. "Trying to run? You can't escape. As for how I know who you are—hehe—that's not important."
"You only need to know that what you're relying on right now has already become my spirit ring."
"That alone is enough."
Yin Zhang summoned his Martial Soul before Blazing Flame. Dragon scales wrapped tightly around his body, and an overwhelming pressure descended instantly. Even though Yin Zhang wasn't deliberately targeting him, Blazing Flame's face turned deathly pale.
"Whatever you're thinking right now is meaningless," Yin Zhang said calmly.
One by one, spirit rings rose beneath his feet.
Black.
Black.
All black.
A full seven pitch-black spirit rings expanded and overlapped.
"This—this is impossible!" Blazing Flame's eyes nearly bulged out.
He had lived as a human child for two years now.
In those two years, he had learned from books and teachers that the optimal spirit ring configuration for Spirit Masters was two yellow, two purple, four black, and one red.
But what was this monstrosity in front of him?
He could ignore the last three black spirit rings—but what about the first four?
Did this lunatic start absorbing ten-thousand-year spirit rings from the moment he reached level ten?
Compared to this… what kind of Hundred Thousand Year Spirit Beast was he supposed to be?
You're the real Hundred Thousand Year Spirit Beast in human form!
As Blazing Flame's inner world collapsed, the disturbance finally attracted students and teachers alike.
Tang San and Xiao Wu were among those who arrived.
When Tang San saw the seven pitch-black spirit rings beneath Yin Zhang's feet, his eyes widened in shock.
"This is impossible!" he exclaimed. "My teacher told me that the maximum age for a first spirit ring is only a few hundred—at most a few thousand years! Ten-thousand-year spirit rings only become possible at much higher realms. How can someone start with ten-thousand-year rings from the very beginning?!"
Yu Xiaogang was nowhere to be seen.
Ever since his Martial Soul had been taken, he had grown increasingly withdrawn and insecure. If he had once been useless, now he wasn't even qualified to be called trash.
Because of that, he clung to Tang San obsessively—teaching him even more intensely and squeezing his already limited cultivation time dry.
Xiao Wu, meanwhile, was completely flustered.
Unlike the others, she knew Blazing Flame's true identity.
He was a Hundred Thousand Year Tiger Emperor who had taken human form. Before transforming, his power had been terrifying—but after transformation, his strength was barely above that of an ordinary human.
Compared to Yin Zhang, the gap was like heaven and earth.
Had Blazing Flame's identity already been exposed by this terrifying Spirit Saint?
Yin Zhang paid no attention to the thoughts of Tang San or Xiao Wu.
He calmly stared at Blazing Flame and spoke.
"I'm giving you two choices."
"First—actively sacrifice yourself to me. If I become a god in the future, I can resurrect you."
"Second—run away. I'll catch you, kill you, absorb your spirit ring and Spirit Bone."
"Oh, right. You still have a wife, don't you? She's also a Tiger Emperor. You escaped separately back then."
"I'll find her too, and let her accompany you."
Blazing Flame stared back coldly.
He had ruled for over a hundred thousand years. Even though his power was now gone, his pride remained.
He wasn't stupid enough to believe the empty promises of someone who claimed he could become a god and resurrect him.
If he believed that, he wouldn't be a Tiger Emperor.
"Hmph! Kill me if you want!" Blazing Flame sneered inwardly. I'm a Tiger Emperor, not some foolish housecat.
In his mind, even if he died, this man would surely suffer a catastrophic backlash when he tried to forcibly absorb a Hundred Thousand Year spirit ring.
A mere Spirit Saint absorbing a Hundred Thousand Year spirit ring—if that isn't courting death, then what is?
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