Sensing that Ling Xiao might have his own plan, Dai Yuling didn’t rush down recklessly.
Moreover, though her strength had improved, she didn’t dare venture down easily. That black lava could probably only be crossed by a martial artist capable of flight.
At that moment, she was astonished to notice that the energy ring was rapidly weakening.
Upon closer inspection, Ling Xiao stood at the centre of the ring.
He neither dodged nor blocked.
Behind him, a massive furnace appeared, absorbing the black light and flames entirely. The furnace seemed like a bottomless pit, impossible to fill no matter how much was poured in.
“Heh, absorbing energy will be much easier from now on.”
In the Mortal Realm, Ling Xiao hadn’t dared to use the furnace martial soul recklessly, as it would’ve been futile and might even have destroyed the soul.
But now things were different. With the effect of the Justice Pendant, he was a Dual Harmony Heaven martial artist in the Heavenly Realm. As his strength increased, the furnace martial soul’s power had surged dramatically, making it effortless to absorb such energy.
The furnace was designed to contain flames, using them to refine other materials.
Naturally, it welcomed all flames without hesitation.
As the furnace martial soul voraciously absorbed the energy, the ring grew increasingly faint, and even the black lava in the valley dwindled.
Ling Xiao was practically trying to drain the entire lava pool.
In the end, the energy ring vanished completely.
The black lava, once a great river, was reduced to a mere stream.
Unfortunately, Ling Xiao’s strength was still limited. The furnace martial soul had reached its energy capacity and could absorb no more.
“Tch, can’t be too greedy. This’ll do.”
Behind Ling Xiao, black flames churned within the massive furnace. Then, the heavy lid slammed shut, and despite the turmoil inside, the outside became utterly still.
“Truly delicious, these black flames. Once I obtain the Primordial Hell Dragon martial soul, I’ll use them to nourish it.”
Ling Xiao looked down at the trembling Primordial Hell Dragon with a faint smile.
Of course, he’d keep some of these delectable flames to condense into Hellfire True Essence, which would make refining pills and setting up formations much easier.
“Woo~~”
Seeing its powerful attack completely devoured and absorbed by this terrifying human, the Primordial Hell Dragon’s eyes clearly revealed shock and fear, its body quaking.
“It’s time to end this!”
Ling Xiao knew that to claim the Primordial Hell Dragon martial soul, he first had to capture it into the World of Mountains and Rivers.
Ideally, he’d beat it half to death for better results.
Then, he thrust a sword towards the dragon at his feet.
As the sword struck, a terrifying, almost tangible force tore through space, slamming into the dragon’s massive body.
In an instant, the overwhelming true essence energy shattered the dragon’s glossy black scales into dust.
The sword energy pierced deeper, penetrating the dragon’s body and causing its entire frame to contort.
Part of it plummeted into the black lava.
“Roar~~”
The sudden fear and pain prompted the Primordial Hell Dragon to raise its massive head, letting out a hoarse, agonised scream.
Though it feared Ling Xiao, it now entered a frenzied state, spewing black flames from its mouth with greater intensity and concentration than before.
Blobs of black flame surged towards Ling Xiao like a tidal wave.
Ling Xiao’s brows furrowed slightly, but then he broke into a smile, “As expected of a Primordial Hell Dragon. Even now, you refuse to submit. Fine, I’ll beat you into submission!”
The true essence in his body grew more ferocious, and he shifted into his human-dragon form, his terrifying aura climbing once more.
Behind him, the massive furnace reappeared, now emanating a thick aura of hell.
Had it evolved?
Ling Xiao was puzzled. This furnace martial soul was markedly different from before, exuding an aura strikingly similar to the Primordial Hell Dragon.
A Hell Furnace Martial Soul?
Faintly, he could hear the whispers of spirits, the roars of demons, and a strong smell of sulphur.
“Could this furnace have originally belonged to the Primordial Hell Dragon? Are they inherently one and the same?”
Ling Xiao felt his mind struggling to keep up.
But it wasn’t necessary to figure it out now. The evolved Hell Furnace Martial Soul was clearly stronger. If he could subdue the Primordial Hell Dragon and merge the two, the power would likely be even greater.
While he pondered, the dragon’s attacks didn’t cease.
Blobs of black flame kept coming, as if to engulf him entirely.
Ling Xiao didn’t move. The lid of the furnace’s shadow opened, spewing the same black flames, but far more powerful.
When the dragon’s attacks met these strange flames, they instantly evaporated into nothingness.
Outside the valley, Dai Yuling watched in shock, utterly stunned.
Having gained her own opportunity and sensed Ling Xiao’s presence, she had come to help but now found herself merely spectating.
She watched Ling Xiao perform alone.
The Primordial Hell Dragon’s flames were completely extinguished. Then, wielding his Ice Dragon Sword wrapped in chilling frost, Ling Xiao struck the dragon’s massive body repeatedly.
Each strike left deep wounds on the dragon’s tough hide, its once-dark scales turning blood-red, a sight that sent shivers down the spine.
Without the Hell Furnace, the dragon had exhausted its attack methods. Unable to threaten Ling Xiao, it could only dodge his strikes, letting out pitiful screams that made surrounding monsters tremble in fear.
As a result, no other monsters appeared at the centre of the fourth stage for quite some time.
“Die!”
With his final strike, Ling Xiao unleashed the most terrifying attack possible at his current cultivation.
Wind Phenomenon, Thunder Phenomenon, Rain Phenomenon, Lightning Phenomenon, Mountain and River Will!
All his power converged, releasing a terrifying blizzard.
The Primordial Hell Dragon was like a leaf in a storm, torn apart repeatedly by the devastating energy.
In the end, the valley collapsed, the surroundings reduced to ruins, and the dragon was utterly destroyed, leaving only a floating orb of black light, like a dark sun.
“Collect!”
Ling Xiao drew the black orb into the World of Mountains and Rivers.
Through the analysis of his Mountain and River Martial Soul, he knew this orb was the “Primordial Hell Dragon Soul.”
It was the dragon’s soul inheritance, but he didn’t yet know how to fuse with it.
