Through repeated analysis and simulation with the Mountain and River Martial Soul, the success rate of absorption could be boosted by a full twenty percent.
With the additional ten percent from the Dragon Soul Pill, that made thirty percent.
This probability was already remarkably high, something no one else could achieve.
Moreover, Ling Xiao, with his strong resistance to fire and water, could increase the success rate by another ten percent.
That brought it to fifty percent!
A fifty percent success rate sounded impressive.
Yet the risks involved remained immense.
It was, in essence, a gamble with his life, a battle against fate itself.
If luck was on his side, he could transform like a caterpillar into a butterfly, his cultivation soaring unimpeded.
If luck turned against him, he’d be reduced to ashes in an instant, leaving nothing behind.
But even so, what of it?
A fifty percent chance, a half-and-half shot at success, if he didn’t dare try, could he still call himself a man?
Giving up just like that? He simply couldn’t do it.
Since he refused to give up, he’d seize this opportunity with all his might.
Since ancient times, the difference between the strong and the weak often came down to a single choice at a critical moment.
After a long silence, Ling Xiao made his decision.
“Let’s go, Senior Sister Yuling, to the Myriad Thunder Forbidden Zone. Protect me there.”
The Myriad Thunder Forbidden Zone was relatively safe, a place where he could attempt the absorption in relative stability.
Though Dai Yuling couldn’t assist him directly, she could handle any sudden monster appearances.
While the chance of monsters appearing in the Myriad Thunder Forbidden Zone was low, nothing was certain.
Better safe than sorry.
With Dai Yuling guarding him, along with the Book of Seals’ half-step Heavenly Venerable at fifty percent power, Mortal Blade, and the thirty percent power Black Dragon King in Black Dragon form, they should be able to hold off any threats.
Dai Yuling nodded in agreement.
Having already gained her own opportunity, it was now time to repay the favour.
Upon entering the Myriad Thunder Forbidden Zone, Ling Xiao began refining the Dragon Soul Pill.
For him, this was a trivial task.
In less than fifteen minutes, the Dragon Soul Pill was successfully crafted.
Then, preparing everything, he summoned Mortal Blade and the Black Dragon King, and swallowed the Primordial Hell Dragon’s soul orb in one gulp.
What the Mountain and River Martial Soul couldn’t convert, he would transform with his own strength.
As the black orb entered his mouth, Ling Xiao immediately clamped it shut. At that moment, his entire body felt as though it had been thrown into the molten lava of hell, trembling with excruciating pain.
His normally healthy complexion turned deathly pale, causing nearby Dai Yuling to worry incessantly.
But she knew all too well.
She could do nothing to help Ling Xiao now. Everything depended on his own efforts to overcome.
Would he leap over the dragon gate like a carp, or crash into it and perish? No one knew.
Enduring the heart-wrenching, unbearable pain coursing through his body, Ling Xiao tightly shut his eyes, turning his soul force inward to inspect his body.
Deep within his soul lay the Spirit Sea.
Within the Spirit Sea was a world—the World of Mountains and Rivers, the portion occupied by the Mountain and River Martial Soul in Ling Xiao’s soul.
The rest was a vast expanse of soul force.
Suddenly, a black orb appeared in this world, releasing terrifying energy, rampaging and attempting to dismantle and control the world.
This was merely the manifestation within the Spirit Sea.
Simultaneously, the black orb unleashed terrifying black flames, coursing through Ling Xiao’s meridians into his martial veins.
The scorching heat sought to reduce his body to ashes.
Even with the Dragon Soul Pill’s protection, where a golden aura in his meridians resisted the heat, some black flames still seeped into his meridians and martial veins.
Filtered by the Dragon Soul Pill, they were significantly weakened, but even so, they placed immense strain on his meridians and martial veins.
Fortunately, at this critical moment, Ling Xiao’s bodily resistances played a key role, drastically reducing the damage.
Otherwise, that single wave could have completely destroyed his meridians.
Yet, amidst the clash of the two energies, his meridians twitched uncontrollably, and his martial veins began to twist and deform, like melted plastic, appearing eerily grotesque.
This distortion of his meridians and martial veins was what caused Ling Xiao such intense pain.
Coupled with the black orb’s rampage in his Spirit Sea, the pressure on him intensified.
This was a dual assault on body and soul, aiming to destroy him and seize control of both.
At the critical moment, the relentless training he’d persisted in yielded an unexpected, miraculous effect.
His twisted and broken meridians began to heal rapidly, growing stronger.
Breaking and reforming!
Reforming and breaking!
Though this process consumed many of the rare herbs and treasures in the World of Mountains and Rivers as nourishment, as long as he preserved his life, it was the greatest victory for Ling Xiao.
Without this sudden resilience, his meridians would have shattered entirely, true essence unable to circulate, and the black flames would have raged unchecked.
All that awaited him then would have been death.
But now, he was alive, and thriving!
His body was finally free of issues.
Though the pain persisted, for Ling Xiao, this was already a significant milestone.
Next, he needed to focus on controlling that black orb.
As long as he could tame it, the rampant energy could be fully subdued.
Mountain and River Will!
In his Spirit Sea, Ling Xiao channelled all his soul force into the Mountain and River Will, then struck fiercely at the black orb.
Crack!
A faint fissure appeared on the orb, as if sensing danger, it frantically tried to flee.
But what use was that? This was Ling Xiao’s Spirit Sea! No matter where the orb went, it was under his control!
He struck again!
One blow after another, the Mountain and River Will hammered the black orb, its cracks multiplying.
With no escape above or below, the orb began crashing wildly within the Spirit Sea.
This indeed caused Ling Xiao significant trouble, amplifying his pain.
But with success within reach, how could he fear this pain?
Boom!
Another ferocious surge of will struck the orb, shattering it into a burst of radiant light.
It broke!
The moment the orb shattered, a shadow of the Primordial Hell Dragon emerged, still attempting to escape.
But at this stage, would Ling Xiao let it get away?
He directly sent the shadow into the World of Mountains and Rivers.
There, the Primordial Golden Dragon stood, a single scale on its massive body glinting with an unusual light.
The shadow of the Primordial Hell Dragon began to clash with the Primordial Golden Dragon.
One was among the nine ancient dragon kings, while the other was the ancient dragon emperor.
