Chapter 48 A World of Secrets Hidden Within an Umbrella , A Lone Warrior Ventures into Dangerous Territory, Thunder and Fire Forge a Heavy Cannon!
Death Valley, the setting sun like blood.
With Sword Douluo Chen Xin's sword cleaving through the clouds, the two Title Douluos of the Spirit Hall were forced to retreat in resentment. The air still lingered with chilling fluctuations of soul power, the traces of a clash between top-tier experts.
Ye Feng knelt on one knee, the Thousand Chance Umbrella in his hand propping up his swaying body amidst the rubble. "Cough..." He coughed violently, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.
The aftereffects of forcibly overdrawing his soul power to maintain the "Gazelle Gun" form were now fully manifesting. His meridians felt like they had been burned, a price to pay for overloading his soul power.
"Captain!" Shui Bing'er rushed over immediately, ignoring the dust on the ground, and knelt down beside Ye Feng, placing her hands on his back. Gentle and cool soul power flowed continuously into him, helping to suppress the rampant heat within his body. "You've gone too far! Without your fourth soul ring, forcibly simulating that high-speed attack will break your meridians!" Shui Bing'er's voice was choked with tears, her eyes red.
"But I won, didn't I?" Ye Feng's face was pale, and he forced a smile as he raised his hand to wipe away the tears from Shui Bing'er's eyes. "Don't cry, this doesn't fit your image as a cold goddess. I know what I'm doing; this body has been soaked in the old poisoner's herbs, it's very strong."
At this moment, Ning Fengzhi slowly walked over with Sword Douluo. The sect master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School looked at Ye Feng as if he were looking at an uncut, peerless piece of jade—no, a gem that had already begun to shine.
"Young friend Ye," Ning Fengzhi spoke gently, a seven-colored light shooting out from the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda in his hand, landing on Ye Feng. It was a top-tier healing and restorative light. Ye Feng felt every pore on his body open up, and the pain instantly subsided by more than half.
"Thank you, Sect Master Ning." Ye Feng stood up and bowed respectfully. This was not only out of respect for a powerful figure, but also out of gratitude for being saved.
"No need for formalities." Ning Fengzhi's gaze fell on the black umbrella in Ye Feng's hand, and he said meaningfully, "If I'm not mistaken, your martial soul is not an ordinary weapon martial soul, but a special existence with 'growth potential' and 'structural reorganization' abilities? That storm of metal attacks just now, was it not a soul skill, but a change in the form of the martial soul itself?"
Ye Feng's heart skipped a beat. As expected of the world's number one support, his insight was sharp. "Sect Master Ning has discerning eyes. My martial soul is called the Thousand Manifestations Umbrella , which, as the name suggests, is ever-changing. That move just now was a form that I figured out on my own based on the principles of soul tools."
"Self-taught...that's amazing." Ning Fengzhi exclaimed, "With the power of a three-ring cultivator, you forced back a titled Douluo. Ye Feng, the gates of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School are always open for you. In this chaotic world, sometimes finding a big tree to shelter under isn't a bad thing."
Ye Feng was silent for a moment, then raised his head, his eyes clear and firm: "Thank you for your kindness, Sect Master Ning. But I am naturally undisciplined and cannot stand being restrained. Besides... as you can see, my path is different from others. I want to try and see how far I can go on my own."
Ning Fengzhi was slightly taken aback, then burst into laughter. "Good! That's spirited!" He wasn't annoyed by the rejection; on the contrary, he admired Ye Feng even more. "Since that's the case, I won't force you. But you must be careful. The Spirit Hall failed this time, but they'll be even more ruthless next time. Especially when we get to Spirit City, that's their territory." Ning Fengzhi took out an ancient-looking token from his soul tool and handed it to Ye Feng.
"This is my personal token. In Wuhun City, it might help you avoid some unnecessary trouble."
...
Three days later, in Wuhun City.
This sacred land of Soul Masters, standing majestically in the center of the continent, is breathtakingly magnificent. The hexagonal city walls are as if cast in steel, and the Papal Palace soars into the clouds, seemingly looking down upon all living beings.
After the full-time team checked into the hotel, Ye Feng locked himself in his room. He spread out a huge map on the table, a topographical map of the area surrounding Spirit City that he had bought at great expense from the black market. Scattered around it were various metal parts, gunpowder formulas, and several ancient books about spirit beast illustrations.
"I must obtain the fourth spirit ring." Ye Feng's fingers tapped lightly on the map. The previous battles had made him realize that although the Thousand Manifestations Umbrella had many forms, it was limited by the spirit power level, and many of its high-damage forms could not be maintained for long, or even unlocked.
For example—heavy weapons. Gatling guns are just the beginning. Truly destructive weapons, such as anti-tank guns, laser cannons, and quantum bombs, all require massive amounts of soul power to support them, as well as… a core capable of bearing such violent energy.
"The evolution of the Thousand Manifestations Umbrella requires the absorption of corresponding materials and soul rings." Ye Feng stroked the black umbrella in his hand. This umbrella was an inseparable part of his soul; without system guidance, he could only explore it through his own perception of his martial soul. At this moment, the Thousand Manifestations Umbrella trembled slightly, as if yearning for something. It yearned for lightning. It yearned for a high-density energy compression core.
"Ordinary ten-thousand-year-old soul beasts cannot satisfy its appetite." Ye Feng's gaze finally settled on a red area on the north side of the map – Silent Hill (the Soul Hall's exclusive hunting ground).
According to information revealed by Dugu Bo during a previous casual conversation, the area is home to some rare mutated soul beasts. One of them is called the "Purple Lightning Void Dragon." It possesses both lightning and spatial attributes, is extremely ferocious, and its internal "lightning core" is a natural high-energy reactor.
"Starting at 20,000 years…" Ye Feng muttered to himself. The limit for a normal person's fourth ring is 5,000 years. But he is different. After consuming the essence of "Looking Through Autumn Water Dew" and "Blazing Apricot and Eight-Cornered Mysterious Ice Grass" at the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Eye, his physical strength is comparable to that of a Soul Saint.
Furthermore, the external soul bone of the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear strengthens the resilience of the meridians. "Twenty thousand years, although it's a gamble with a nine-out-of-ten chance of death, it's worth it." "Rather than sitting and waiting to be humiliated by the Golden Generation, it's better to take the initiative."
A dark and windy night for murder.
Ye Feng changed into a tight-fitting black combat suit, with a specially crafted replica of the "Twenty-Four Bridges Under the Moon" (a high-level storage belt) hanging from his waist. It was filled with the "local specialties" he had been rushing to make over the past few days—high-explosive soul power grenades, flashbangs, and smoke grenades. All of these had to be handcrafted using his engineering knowledge from his previous life and his soul tool technology in this life.
Like a ghost, he evaded the hotel's eyes and ears and escaped from Wuhun City.
The outskirts of Silent Hill.
The Holy Knights of the Spirit Hall were patrolling here. Ye Feng lay prone in a clump of grass, his breathing completely still. "Thousand Manifestations Umbrella - Stealth Form." The black umbrella in his hand did not transform, but instead emitted a faint gray light, blending his aura into the surrounding environment. This was the Thousand Manifestations Umbrella's ability to simulate the "chameleon" spirit beast's characteristics.
Taking advantage of the gap in the handover between the two patrol teams, Ye Feng, like a streak of black smoke, instantly passed through the blockade.
Deep within Silent Hill, the environment changes abruptly. There are no insect chirps, only a oppressive, low-pressure atmosphere. Restless electrical charges emanate from the air, making one's hair stand on end.
Ye Feng focused his soul power into his eyes, instantly clearing his vision. He then moved towards the direction where the lightning element was most concentrated.
Three hours later, in a valley filled with magnets, he found his target.
It was a massive sub-dragon. Over twelve meters long, its entire body was covered in purplish-black scales, each crackling with arcs of electricity. A row of crystal-like spikes ran along its back, constantly absorbing the lightning element in the air. Most terrifying of all was its tail, the tip of which displayed a bizarre, twisted quality, as if it could devour even light. The Purple Lightning Void Dragon, with a cultivation level of approximately 24,000 years.
"This huge guy..." Ye Feng hid behind the boulder, his palms slightly sweaty. Against a soul beast of this level head-on, his chances of victory were less than 30%. He had to outsmart it.
He pulled out several metal array plates from his belt; these were trigger-activated traps he had modified using the mechanism of the "Zhuge Divine Crossbow." He silently laid the traps around the valley, then climbed up a high ground.
"Thousand Manifestations Umbrella - Sniper Form." Ye Feng extended the Thousand Manifestations Umbrella, the ribs closing to form a gun barrel, and loaded a specially made armor-piercing bullet (forged from deep-sea silver). He imbued the barrel with all his soul power. He aimed. Target: The only weakness of the Purple Lightning Void Dragon—the soft flesh beneath its reverse scale.
Bang! A muffled gunshot shattered the silence. The bullet spun and tore through the air, striking precisely the edge of the sleeping dragon's scales.
"Roar—!!!" Blood splattered. Although it hadn't pierced the heart directly, the excruciating pain completely enraged this overlord. The Purple Lightning Void Dragon suddenly opened its eyes, its pupils like two purple searchlights, instantly locking onto Ye Feng's location.
Sizzle! A thick column of purple lightning shot out instantly.
"Run!" Ye Feng retreated immediately after his attack, leaping wildly among the rocks. Boom! The spot where he had just stood was blasted into a charred crater.
The dragon roared as it pursued, its massive body surprisingly agile, shattering rocks wherever it passed. "Three, two, one... Explode!" Ye Feng silently counted in his mind.
As the dragon charged into the trap area, Ye Feng abruptly pressed the remote control trigger in his hand. Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! The high-explosive soul-guided mines buried underground detonated simultaneously. Although they couldn't blast open its scales, the enormous impact and dust instantly threw the dragon off balance. Immediately afterward, several tough nets woven from "ghost vines" sprang up from the ground, binding the dragon's limbs.
"Even a 20,000-year-old soul beast is still a beast, it doesn't understand tactics." Ye Feng didn't pause for a moment. He leaped down from the height, and the Thousand Manifestations Umbrella instantly transformed in mid-air. "Thousand Manifestations Umbrella - Giant Scythe Form!" The enormous death scythe gleamed coldly in the moonlight.
Using the gravitational potential energy of his fall, Ye Feng's attack was powerful and heavy. "Open for me!" Clang! The scythe slammed into the dragon's blasted wound, and this time, it finally broke through its defenses! Black blood gushed out, carrying a strong corrosive quality.
The dragon roared in agony, its entire body crackling with lightning. "Innate Skill: Thunder Purgatory!" Countless bolts of lightning erupted indiscriminately from its center.
"Not good!" Ye Feng's Thousand Chance Umbrella instantly opened. "Shield Form - Desperate Counterattack!" Boom! The violent lightning blasted Ye Feng and the umbrella away, sending him crashing heavily against the rock wall. Ye Feng felt as if his internal organs had shifted; if his body hadn't been tempered by ice and fire, this attack would have been enough to kill him.
"Cough cough... That was powerful." Ye Feng spat out a mouthful of blood, his eyes growing even fiercer. He noticed that after being struck by the lightning, the patterns on the Thousand Chance Umbrella 's surface began to glow, as if absorbing the energy. "So that's how it is... You want to eat? Then you can eat your fill!"
Ye Feng abandoned his defense and charged forward again. It was a brutal melee. Utilizing the tearing power of his external soul bone, the Dark Gold Terror Claw, and in conjunction with the unpredictable nature of the Thousand Manifestations Umbrella, Ye Feng inflicted numerous wounds on the dragon's body. He himself was also torn and bleeding profusely by the dragon's claws, with several ribs broken.
Finally, after half an hour of fierce fighting, the Purple Lightning Void Dragon was at its last gasp. Ye Feng seized the opportunity and poured all his soul power into the Thousand Manifestations Umbrella. "Thousand Manifestations Umbrella - Battle Spear - Round Dance Staff!" The tip of the umbrella pierced the dragon's eye socket, heading straight for its brain!
Boom! The dragon's massive body collapsed with a crash, twitched a few times, and then lay still. A deep, almost black, purple spirit ring slowly rose. The terrifying energy contained within it caused subtle distortions in the surrounding space.
"Twenty-four thousand years..." Ye Feng leaned against the dragon corpse, panting heavily. He pulled out a handful of top-grade healing pills he had obtained from Dugu Yan and stuffed them into his mouth like candy. "Next, the real gates of hell will begin."
He sat cross-legged, the Thousand Chance Umbrella hovering above his head. He focused his mind, and the Soul Ring entered his body.
"Ah—!!!" Ye Feng couldn't help but let out a shrill scream. The feeling was like countless red-hot knives scraping through his meridians, or like ten thousand ants gnawing at his bone marrow. The remnant resentment of the Purple Lightning Void Dragon's soul was frantically assaulting his sea of consciousness.
"Trying to possess me? Dream on!" Ye Feng gritted his teeth, his gums bleeding. His willpower, honed by his two lifetimes, was as firm as a rock. "Ice and Fire Chains, Golden Body, suppress me!" The red and blue auras within his body circulated, fiercely protecting his heart meridian. At the same time, the Thousand Chance Umbrella emitted a buzzing sound, actively absorbing the violent lightning power within the soul ring, transforming it into nutrients for self-renewal.
...
I don't know how much time passed.
The eastern sky was beginning to lighten with the first hint of dawn. In the valley of Silent Hill, an incredibly powerful aura suddenly erupted. Boom! The surrounding rocks were sent flying by the shockwave.
Ye Feng suddenly opened his eyes, his pupils flashing like lightning. Yellow, purple, purple, black. Four spirit rings pulsed slowly beneath his feet. The fourth spirit ring, in particular, was a deep, dark black, with faint arcs of electricity crackling within it.
"Success." Ye Feng clenched his fist, feeling the surging soul power within his body like a river. Level 43 Soul Master! Not only that, the Purple Lightning Void Dragon's soul ring completely transformed the internal structure of the Thousand Manifestations Umbrella .
A thought flashed through his mind. "Thousand Manifestations Umbrella, Heavy Cannon Mode." Click-click-click—! A crisp mechanical meshing sound rang out. The Thousand Manifestations Umbrella didn't become huge and bulky; instead, it became more precise. The handle transformed into a cannon barrel with intricate patterns, the ribs folded into energy-gathering rings, and a propulsion-like device appeared at the tail. It exuded a violent industrial aesthetic.
Ye Feng raised the cannon, aiming it at the distant mountainside. His fourth spirit ring flashed. "Fourth Spirit Skill: Quantum Bomb!"
No physical projectile was fired. Instead, it directly locked onto the target area through the spatial properties of the Purple Lightning Void Dragon. Whoosh—A crack appeared in the sky. A massive light projectile, entirely composed of compressed soul power and lightning element, fell vertically.
Rumble—!!! A small mushroom cloud rose into the sky. The solid mountain wall vanished completely, replaced by a giant crater tens of meters in diameter, its interior charred black, with residual radioactive lightning still crackling.
"This is... a map-wide attack." Ye Feng blew away the non-existent gunpowder smoke with satisfaction. "One shot from this would make even a Soul King kneel. In a team battle... it would be a massacre."
Early morning, at the hotel.
Ye Feng sneaked back into the corridor like a thief. Although he had changed his clothes, the lingering smell of blood and lightning on his body was still strong.
Just as they turned the corner, they ran into the Spirit Hall team, who were about to go downstairs for breakfast. Hu Liena walked in front, with Yan and Xie Yue protecting her on either side.
Seeing Ye Feng's slightly disheveled yet incredibly frightening appearance, the three of them were taken aback. Hu Liena's alluring fox-like eyes narrowed slightly, keenly sensing the change in Ye Feng's aura. Yesterday, he was like a sword hidden in its sheath. Today, he was like a volcano about to erupt.
"Captain Ye, where are you digging coal so early in the morning?" Hu Liena covered her mouth and chuckled, trying to hide the slight unease in her heart.
Ye Feng stopped and glanced at the three of them. Yan Zheng looked at him provocatively: "What? Too scared to sleep? Went out to practice? It's no use practicing anymore, the championship is destined to be ours."
Ye Feng ignored Yan's barking and walked straight to Hu Liena. They were extremely close; Ye Feng could even smell her faint, alluring fragrance. "Your Highness," Ye Feng said, a roguish smile playing on his lips—the confidence of a true powerhouse. "I suggest you bring more defensive soul tools to the finals. Otherwise…" He held up his hand, making an "explosion" gesture in the air. "Otherwise, it'll hurt a lot."
After saying that, he laughed loudly and pushed open the door to his room.
Inside the room, Shui Bing'er was asleep, her face slumped over the table, tears still clinging to the corners of her eyes. Hearing the door open, she jolted awake. Seeing Ye Feng return unharmed, she could no longer contain herself and pounced on him. "You bastard! Don't you know this is Martial Soul City! What if…"
Ye Feng hugged her tightly, letting her playfully punch him in his arms. "Alright, I'm back now, aren't I?" "And this time, I've brought back my real trump card." A cold light flashed in Ye Feng's eyes as he looked out the window at the majestic Papal Palace. "Bibi Dong, Chrysanthemum Douluo... I will use this cannon to settle every single debt you owe me."
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