The Legend of the Dragon King

Yuanen Yehui continued to pummel the Diamond Baboon. It weakly tried to defend itself, but the attacks left it too disoriented. The baboon fell to its knees, no strength left to resist. Yuanen Yehui grabbed its head and twisted it a full 180 degrees. A resounding crack filled the hall. Then the baboon crumpled onto the floor like a puppet with its strings cut. It was dead.

Turning back, she saw how pale and frightened Xie Xie was, and unsettling butterflies upset her stomach. After a moment though, she cooled down and shrunk back down to normal size.

Yue Zhengyu touched down beside her, his wings folding back into his back. He furrowed his brow. “What a cunning Diamond Baboon.”

“Twelfth trial cleared. You may choose to fuse with the Diamond Baboon spirit soul or continue onward.”

Yuanen Yehui strode over to Xie Xie.

He gave her a wide, shaky smile. “I’m fine. You don’t have to thank me.”

“You don’t owe me anymore,” she said quietly, then turned around and walked over to touch the floating illusory Diamond Baboon beside the door.

The baboon scattered, turning into golden specks of light and gathered around her shoulder. It tried to struggle away from her, unwilling to become her spirit soul. But Yuanen Yehui didn’t care. She sat down and began absorbing it, not taking no as an answer.

Tang Wulin sat down behind Xie Xie and placed his hands on his friend’s back, using the Mysterious Heaven Method to help Xie Xie recover. Although their martial souls were different, their soul power was similar since they both cultivated the same method. Tang Wulin gently sent soul power into Xie Xie, helping steady his breathing. Color quickly returned to Xie Xie’s face.

“You’re so reckless!” grumbled Tang Wulin.

Xie Xie smiled wryly in response.

Tang Wulin was the only one who had clearly seen what happened. When Yuanen Yehui was in danger, he decided to use his Purple Demon Eyes to attack the Diamond Baboon’s mind. It was his only ranged attack, but he didn’t know how effective it would be. A side effect of Purple Demon Eyes was improved eyesight, and it was while he was preparing his attack when he saw Xie Xie rush in with his real body!

If it wasn’t for the fact that the Diamond Baboon was weak and slow after its enraged state ended and Tang Wulin had attacked its mind to delay it, then Xie Xie wouldn’t have been able to summon his clone in time. He only had a split-second to summon a Shadow Dragon Clone and use Shadow Dragon Storm to defend himself. Even with his Purple Demon Eyes, Tang Wulin hadn’t been able to see Xie Xie use his soul skills. It nearly gave him a heart attack when he thought Xie Xie had taken the attack with his real body. Xie Xie truly would have a crippled and mangled body right now if he hadn’t managed to summon his clone in time.

“Pfft. Didn’t you also take a hit for Gu Yue?” Recalling the moment he jumped in to save Yuanen Yehui, a magical feeling filled Xie Xie. He hadn’t thought things through at all, throwing herself between her and the baboon without any hesitation. It wasn’t until he was staring at death right in the eye that he remembered to use his clones.

The only explanation was that dire situation compelled him to move. Fortunately for him, he had benefited from facing this danger and managed to fuse his second and third soul skills in that moment of peril to save his life.

Xu Lizhi ran over with some pork buns in hand. Xie Xie accepted the buns and happily ate them. I almost died! I wouldn’t have been able to eat anything anymore! That was way too dangerous.

They finally understood just how different the tower attack and the spirit ascension platform were. Any wounds they received here were real. Xie Xie truly had brushed by death just then.

Yuanen Yehui sat to one side, quietly fusing with the Diamond Baboon spirit soul. No one dared disturb her.

The twelfth trial was their limit. They wouldn’t survive against the soul beast on the next floor. The beasts they faced would only got stronger with each trial they cleared. Luckily, they had accomplished their mission. Both Xu Xiaoyan and Yuanen Yehui found a suitable spirit soul.

Everyone sat down and began to recover their soul power. Ten minutes later, the door of light disappeared. Two hours later, beams of light descended on them. When they opened their eyes again, they found themselves in the room they had entered the tower from.

Xu Xiaoyan stood there waiting, beaming when she saw them. To her side was Leng Yaozhu, who smiled warmly and exclaimed, “I thought you kids would only make it to the ninth floor, but you actually cleared the twelfth! As expected of geniuses from Shrek. Let me tell you, it normally requires a full team of four-ringed soul masters to clear the twelfth trial! Your bravery and wits are truly admirable. If you’re interested, the Spirit Pagoda would love to welcome you to join us. We would provide you with the best cultivation resources we have. This won’t affect your studies at Shrek Academy either.”

Everyone looked at each other silently. Tang Wulin was the first to step forward. He shook his head and said, “Senior, my apologies. I already belong to an organization.”

Everyone else tactfully declined as well. No one else wanted to join the Spirit Pagoda, and Gu Yue had already joined them.

“Mn. That’s fine. Here’s the bill then.” Leng Yaozhu smiled understandingly.

Bill? Oh right! We still have to pay for the spirit souls we got in the tower, but they’ll be half price!

“Senior, how much does my ice bear cost?” asked Xu Xiaoyan.

“Yours is ten million federal coins. The Diamond Baboon is thirty million. That’s after the discount, by the way.”

Tang Wulin gulped. That’s already half price? It’s still so expensive! If thousand-year spirit souls are this expensive, then just how much are ten-thousand-year ones? Wouldn’t the price be astronomical?

Leng Yaozhu smiled wryly at his reaction. “Do you think this is expensive? It’s quite normal considering they’re both first-rate thousand-year spirit souls. Actually, all the spirit souls in the tower were carefully gathered and selected by the Spirit Pagoda over hundreds of years. It costs a lot of manpower, resources, and money to replace them each time. What you’re paying for them is nothing in comparison. The spirit soul tower was established to help promising young soul masters and forge a relationship with them. If you bought the spirit soul directly, then you would have to pay the full cost to replace it. Don’t worry though, you have a month to pay us.”

“Thank you, senior.” They all bowed to her.

Leng Yaozhu shook her head. “Yue’er, you can escort them out.” Then she left.

A moment after she was gone, Yue Zhengyu turned to Gu Yue. “Hey Gu Yue, is Senior Leng the Spirit Pagoda’s Heavenly Phoenix Douluo?”

Gu Yue nodded.

Leng Yaozhu was a Titled Douluo! Her title itself was enough to fill their hearts with awe. They couldn’t even begin to imagine how powerful she was.

Yue Zhengyu gulped. “S-she’s a four-word battle armor master.”

Apart from Gu Yue, everyone’s eyes went wide. After learning about battle armor in class, they understood just what sort of important position and power she occupied.

A four-word battle armor was a supreme existence, their power on a strategic scale, with the might to split the heavens and sunder the earth!