86 Chapter 85.

With the energy of the soul ring pouring into the Black Lotus, the Black Lotus grew rapidly!

In the end, it bloomed completely. Every Black Lotus petal seemed as if it had been refreshed by water, while its roots and barbs appeared stern and imposing, exuding a mysterious and eerie aura.

"However, this Mysterious Thorns Black Turtle has been alive for far too long... its consciousness strength is vast. The newly born Black Lotus can only absorb most of it, and there's still a small portion that's proving quite challenging and trying to resist the merge." murmured Wang Feng to himself.

The 30,000-year-old soul beast is truly extraordinary. To put it in perspective, an average soul master like Xiao San can only handle absorbing a Human Faced Demon Spider that's nearly two thousand years old. 

Thirty thousand years? That's a staggering fifteen times the difference!

Just the soul power alone would likely overwhelm a soul master in their forties or fifties soul rank.

Typically, a regular soul master would only dare to absorb up to about 20,000 years' worth of soul beast's power at the 60th or above level.

"Come on, you humanoid martial soul, if you don't show up now, I might not make it alive!" Wang Feng roared in frustration.

Although Black Lotus had absorbed most of Mysterious Thorns Black Turtle furious consciousness, even a small fraction of it was proving too much for Wang Feng's current state of consciousness to handle.

And then, as if responding to Wang Feng's desperate plea, something stirred within him, something snapped inside of him. He no longer cared for surpassing Kakarrot…cough… cough.. sorry wrong novel.

Almost simultaneously, in a room somewhere in Suotuo City, a young looking man suddenly opened his eyes and whispered, "It's this sensation again... after six years, it's back!"

Suddenly, Wang Feng's back erupted with the twelve pairs of black energy wings, eerie and sinister, emanating an extreme malevolence!

Thankfully, the aura wasn't overpowering, Wang Feng didn't want the thing that happened with Pangu Axe to happen again with the humanoid martial soul, to exude a heavenly presence alerting every one of its presence. Finally, a humanoid martial soul emerged in his sea of consciousness.

"What in the world is this martial soul? Only wings... could it be an angel? Why are they so black? Maybe a dark angel? It feels almost ethereal, not quite solid too." Wang Feng muttered as he gazed at the humanoid martial soul, now clearly visible.

Simultaneously, the remaining part of Mysterious Thorns Black Turtle's consciousness was swiftly absorbed by this humanoid martial soul. After the absorption, the humanoid martial soul's condition improved slightly. 

Shortly after though, it vanished and Wang Feng's body gradually recovered.

"Huh?" Wang Feng appeared bewildered.

"It vanished?"

"This martial soul is rather peculiar." Wang Feng remarked. It should be immensely powerful but it was also hazy, almost pixelated and somewhat fuzzy in appearance.

It seemed like the pixelation would diminish somewhat if it absorbed various energies, such as the consciousness of the Mysterious Thorns Black Turtle. However, Wang Feng still didn't know how to activate this humanoid martial soul, leaving him puzzled.

But that didn't matter anymore, Wang Feng had already absorbed his third soul ring!

He observed the fully grown Black Lotus. The Black Lotus, now fully blossomed, radiated an eerie darkness, giving Wang Feng a peculiar feeeling.

"The Black Lotus petals have thorns, so perhaps they can be empowered with a soul skill to rebound attacks? The question is, how effective will it be?" Wang Feng took a deep breath, plucked a petal from the Black Lotus and infused it with his soul power.

Suddenly, the lotus petal lit up, transforming into a black light. In an instant, Wang Feng felt his body become incredibly resilient, as if a dense layer of armour had enveloped him.

It was an enhancement in defense but the precise degree of improvement remained somewhat uncertain.

"I sense an improvement in defense. Now, I just need someone to test it out by hitting myself!"

In the absence of a test subject, Wang Feng reluctantly gave up, pondered for a moment, and then declared, "I'll name this third soul skill/ability 'Lotus of Thorns.'"

As the soul ring's energy coursed through him, Wang Feng sensed his body growing stronger once again, with his soul power filling every inch of his being.

"I should be able to jump directly from level 30 to level 33. Most of the soul ring's energy has been absorbed by Black Lotus to grow fully. It's defensive capabilities should be significantly enhanced, at least doubled! This means that the Titan Giant Ape attack last time, the Black Lotus should be able to withstand it for at least about five seconds more."

However, Black Lotus inherent ability was not a soul ability. Each form of the blooming lotus seed had its own unique powers.

Golden Lotus possessed remarkable healing and restorative effects, offering all-around rejuvenation and temporarily boosting soul power levels. 

Karmic Red Lotus wielded terrifying karmic fire and had the ability to absorb all kind of flames. 

Black Lotus, on the other hand, possessed natural defensive capabilities, able to absorb various forms of extreme emotion and converting them into soul energy for use.

"At the thirty-third level, Golden Lotus can temporarily elevate my soul power by level three, which puts me at an equivalent level of thirty-sixth rank Soul Elder. My physical prowess is now also at least twice as potent as before." Wang Feng mused with partially opened eyes.

"But," he continued cautiously, "it might still not be enough to swing the Pangu Axe. The situation earlier was just too perilous. One swing and I could have ended up in pieces, having to rely on Meteoric Teras for survival. That's not something I'm keen on."

Just as Wang Feng was contemplating the absorbed soul ring, something unusual occurred. His chest began to burn intensely.

"Hmm?" Wang Feng touched his chest, surprised, sensing that something was on the brink of emerging.

"This... Is it a soul bone?" Wang Feng questioned, his curiosity piqued.

In the next instant, black bone spikes densely emerged from Wang Feng's chest, spreading upwards across his upper body, from his waist to his shoulders. The bone spurs were incredibly dense and amidst the pitch-black, there was also a hint of faint blue glow. From a distance, it resembled a black-blue armor with a touch of antiquity.

"Could this be... from the back of the Mysterious Thorns Black Turtle?" Wang Feng wondered aloud, taking a deep breath. "Is it some kind of an external soul bone?"

Soul bones were exceptionally rare and highly coveted in the Douluo world, only possibly dropped by ten-thousand-year soul beasts or higher in age. They were the objects of desire for countless soul masters, offering various attribute enhancements to their owners, even without the addition of skills.

However, external soul bones were even more extraordinary. They were on par with top-tier soul bones, with the key distinction being that external soul bones could grow alongside their master's strength.

Wang Feng had never even considered the possibility of obtaining a soul bone before, especially since his first two soul beasts didn't possess any. He had been quite disappointed, especially with the Ice Emperor Lizard, which was a ten-thousand-year soul beast.

Unexpectedly, the Mysterious Thorns Black Turtle had given birth to an external soul bone! And as soon as it was acquired, Wang Feng felt an immediate change—not in speed, but in the hardness of his body. In short, his defense had been significantly boosted.

Perhaps only after taking a few hits could Wang Feng truly gauge the extent of his improved defense right now.

"Wait a minute... damn, this thing is a bit heavy!" Wang Feng exclaimed, taking a sudden step forward, causing the ground to quake.

Suddenly, the ground bore a deep impression as if a massive weight had struck it, leaving Wang Feng gasping for breath.

"Does this thing come with its own added weight?" Wang Feng wondered as he examined the deeply sunken footprints. The weight appeared to be at least around three thousand kilos or more, right? But considering that the Mysterious Thorns Black Turtle weighed at least dozen of tons, it wasn't surprising that the external soul bone could be so heavy. And, it would only get heavier as his strength increased.

For Wang Feng, it was a natural challenge to bear this weight. 

He had also pondered the idea of crafting weight-bearing protective gear for future training. But now with this weights, he could harness the power of this soul bone directly, simultaneously enhancing his soul power, strengthening his body and fortifying his defense. Once he wore the gear, he would became virtually indestructible, and by retracting the soul bone during an assault, he could unleash the full potential of his physical prowess, catching his opponents off guard.

This external soul bone was truly unique and its effects were nothing short of remarkable, exceeding all expectations.

"I wonder what other surprises this external soul bone has in store for me? Surely its defensive power is top-notch, and I'm hoping it grants me a natural ability to rebound/reflect attacks." Wang Feng mused as he ran his fingers over the breastplate formed by the bone spur. It appeared smooth, but in reality, it was covered in densely packed bone spurs that were invisible from a distance.

With a strange smile on his face, Wang Feng couldn't help but think about how Sword Douluo would fare against him without relying on soul power or martial soul—just a simple kick might prove quite uncomfortable for him. 

'Mwahahaha!'

Of course, all of this needed testing before Wang Feng could be certain, but he knew there would be ample opportunities for that in the future.

"This external soul bone hails from the Mysterious Thorns Black Turtle... Let's call it the Black Thorn Armor! I have a feeling it might have other hidden functions, but even without them, I'm more than satisfied with just the defense it provides." Wang Feng mused quietly.

The battle had brought him significant gains, from the soul ring to the external soul bone, and also a deeper understanding of the Pangu Axe—an absolute game-changer. When he wielded it, Wang Feng could feel the axe's transformation into the ultimate weapon, boasting unrivaled attack power.

No flashy moves, just the sheer force of a descending axe. The 30,000 year old Mysterious Thorns Black Turtle, renowned for its immense defensive strength, had been almost cleaved apart without much fuss. While there weren't any extravagant explosions or sparks, the sheer devastation was awe-inspiring. It had become Wang Feng's ultimate trump card.

However, this power came at a cost. Wang Feng knew that using it safely would require reaching a level above 40 and maintaining peak physical condition.

Otherwise, the immense power of the Pangu Axe might not manifest correctly and it could even lead to self-harm.

Having absorbed the soul ring, Wang Feng got dressed and made his way outside. It didn't take long before he spotted Sword Douluo and his group on the horizon. Tang San was also there but Xiao Wu was conspicuously absent.

…..

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