Suddenly, Ling Xiao felt his soul force frantically surging into the round little thing’s body.
Then, the little thing’s body began to change.
Bloody hell!
Ling Xiao wanted to curse; thankfully, his soul force was strong enough. Otherwise, being drained so fiercely by this little thing would have killed him.
He steadied his mind, sat cross-legged, and focused on controlling the input of soul force. If it truly endangered his life, he would naturally stop the output.
But for now, it wasn’t necessary.
His soul force was powerful enough, his soul robust; holding on a bit longer wasn’t an issue.
He was curious to see what this pill would ultimately become.
Such a strange and mysterious thing, refined over a hundred thousand years, daring to absorb the energy of the Mountains and Rivers Martial Soul, was no ordinary object.
Perhaps, this time, he’d stumbled upon something extraordinary.
After a full hour, when Ling Xiao felt his soul extremely weakened, the little thing began to emit a strange glow, so dazzling he couldn’t see what was inside.
Fortunately, at this point, the little thing seemed to have absorbed enough soul force and Mountains and Rivers Martial Soul energy, beginning its critical transformation.
Ling Xiao sighed in relief, quickly consuming a pill to replenish his soul force and stamina.
Although the Myriad Thunder Forbidden Land might not pose much danger, caution was best. He had to ensure he maintained sufficient combat strength to escape any sudden threats.
A day passed quickly, and Ling Xiao felt restored to his peak state. He inwardly observed the Mountains and Rivers World; the pill now resembled a small sun, blindingly bright, but showed no other changes.
He couldn’t keep waiting for this thing to transform. Having investigated the Myriad Thunder Forbidden Land, it was time to explore elsewhere.
With this thought, Ling Xiao stepped out of the Myriad Thunder Forbidden Land. He sensed the monsters in the fourth stage were passive, not attacking trial disciples unless one sought a specific opportunity or entered a restricted area, which would trigger an assault.
For now, he should be relatively safe.
His current location was the northern part of the fourth stage, which he’d mostly explored. Aside from the Myriad Thunder Forbidden Land, there was little else of note.
The other three directions were being explored by Shangguan Lei, Leng Hao, and Dai Yuling, who had likely claimed any good finds.
His best option now was to head to the central area.
The centre of the fourth stage exuded a powerful and dangerous aura, starkly different from the four surrounding directions.
The more dangerous the place, the greater the potential rewards.
Without hesitation, he set off. Among the four who entered the fourth stage, he was the strongest and most aware of his surroundings; the greatest opportunity naturally belonged to him!
The central area of the fourth stage was a pitch-black valley.
Within the valley burned black flames, like the Dark Flame of Death, and black lava occasionally formed huge bubbles that burst in the rolling molten flow.
Everything here radiated a dense aura of death, as if it were a lifeless place, making one’s body tremble involuntarily.
Dark Flame of Death?
No, it didn’t seem so!
Ling Xiao had absorbed some of the Demon Flame Heavenly Sovereign’s Dark Flame of Death, so he knew that while its properties matched these black flames, it lacked their ancient, terrifying nature.
Could it be the Dragon’s Extinguishing Flame of the Primordial Hell Dragon?
A terrifying thought struck Ling Xiao.
The Dark Flame of Death evolved from the Primordial Hell Dragon’s Extinguishing Flame. In terms of power, they might be comparable, with highly similar properties.
But undoubtedly, the Primordial Hell Dragon’s Extinguishing Flame was the ancestor of the Dark Flame of Death.
Standing above the valley, Ling Xiao extended his True Essence Sphere, sensing the boundless black lava world.
His heart was both shocked and excited.
Others’ martial souls, even when acquired, were never quite as intuitive to use, while the Mountains and Rivers Martial Soul’s combat aid was limited to the Will of Mountains and Rivers.
The powers of glaciers, oceans, and earth he’d used before were merely manifestations of that will.
Ling Xiao needed a stronger martial soul to complement the Will of Mountains and Rivers.
Ever since Yuan Zun mentioned the nine primordial dragon souls, he’d been scheming.
Unfortunately, he’d never encountered one.
The Iron杉 Martial Soul, Fairy Dragon Martial Soul, and Ghost Fire Martial Soul were all half-baked, not meeting his needs.
As for the Plague Demon King Martial Soul, that was material for evolving the *Nine Demon Divine Technique*, not for combat.
The recently acquired Furnace Martial Soul was more of an auxiliary type, useful to keep but not much help in battle.
In truth, he still lacked a martial soul suited for combat.
If he could obtain the Primordial Hell Dragon Martial Soul, that would be incredible. At the very least, until the Primordial Golden Dragon fully awakened, it would be his most powerful combat martial soul.
“Such a terrifying place, such dark deathly aura, it must be related to the Primordial Hell Dragon. I have to go down and see!”
Ling Xiao had entered Human-Dragon Form, his body covered in a layer of Heavenly Dragon Scale Armour.
His mutated Ghost Fire Martial Soul enveloped his body completely.
To enter this valley filled with black lava, he had to equip himself with the best protection, or he’d struggle to get out.
Before seizing this great opportunity, he couldn’t afford to be eliminated.
Even so, he could feel the bizarre hot-cold temperature. These black flames were far too strange.
Fortunately, having devoured Hei Suo’s mutated Ghost Fire Martial Soul, which shared similar properties, he could approach. Anyone else would likely be incinerated just getting close.
Ling Xiao took a deep breath, golden dragon wings extending from his back.
The valley was entirely filled with black lava; walking through was impossible unless he wanted to die.
But with his Golden Light Dragon Wings, he could fly for a while, rest, and continue.
This was another advantage he had over others.
Even if others in this trial reached this place, they’d likely have to reluctantly abandon such a great opportunity.
Just as Ling Xiao prepared to enter the valley, his brow suddenly furrowed.
There seemed to be something in the black lava!
Unfortunately, the fourth stage was peculiar; his True Essence Sphere couldn’t extend into the lava, and the Mountains and Rivers Martial Soul’s map couldn’t display what lay beneath.
