allendalepharm 36. Soul Beast Corpses and the Journey
36. Soul Beast Corpses and the Journey
The two elders were not without a sense of time, especially since Ling Yongming was seriously injured and had broken free from the altar's connection. After a brief moment of reflection, they stopped.
"Xiao Tian, it's time to go home, and so are you, big brother." Ling Yongsheng composed himself, addressing Ling Bingtian and Ling Yongming. He couldn't wait to go back and tell the Ling family the good news that Ling Yongming was alive. Besides, his older brother's injuries couldn't be delayed any longer.
Ling Bingtian and Ling Yongming naturally had no objections upon hearing this.
After a period of recuperation, Ling Yongming had initially stabilized his physical condition, but the internal injuries were not so easy to heal. However, as long as he avoided intense battles for a short period, using some soul power to travel was not a problem at all.
The three of them immediately stopped dawdling and started walking towards the cave entrance. They didn't say a word until they walked out of the cave, at which point Ling Bingtian was stunned by what he saw.
It's around afternoon now, and the sun, seemingly preparing to retire, lazily hangs over the distant mountains, finishing its final work of the day.
As soon as Ling Bingtian stepped out of the cave, he saw three soul beast corpses lying outside the cave entrance, exposed to the sunlight. Each soul beast corpse was missing a large chunk of flesh.
Based on Ling Bingtian's limited cooking experience from her previous life, the smaller portions were the most delicious parts of the animals.
The three soul beast corpses were a wolf, a bear, and an eagle. Even though they had been dead for some time, the powerful aura emanating from them still made the hairs on Ling Bingtian's body stand on end.
The key point is that the size of these three soul beast corpses is not ordinary. Even though Ling Bingtian hasn't learned much about soul beasts, he wouldn't believe that these three soul beast corpses, whose average size is almost twice the size of an elephant in his previous life, had a cultivation level of less than a thousand years in life. It is more likely that they were all soul beasts at the ten-thousand-year level in life.
Ling Yongsheng glanced at the three corpses of the soul beasts; these corpses were, of course, his handiwork. In the past few days, he had killed any soul beasts over a thousand years old that Ling Yongming had discovered might be near this cave.
These three soul beasts were the most powerful among them, and they also tasted pretty good, so Ling Yongsheng brought them back and piled them up at the entrance of the cave, which could also indirectly drive away other high-level soul beasts that wanted to approach this place.
After thinking for a moment, Ling Yongsheng instructed Ling Bingtian, "Xiaotian, since you've seen it, I'll teach you some wilderness survival skills."
"Generally speaking, after killing a spirit beast and absorbing its spirit ring with someone protecting you, the best course of action is to leave quickly, because the spirit beast's corpse is good food for other spirit beasts. However, there is one exception, just like what you are seeing now."
After speaking, Ling Yongsheng pointed to the three soul beast corpses outside the cave entrance.
"When powerful ten-thousand-year-old soul beasts die, their residual power lingers for a certain period. During this time, other soul beasts generally won't come to disturb them. This is because they can't be sure if the soul beast is truly dead. Given the territorial instincts of many soul beasts, once a soul beast of the same level enters their territory, the outcome is often a fight to the death. Therefore, soul beasts of the same level generally won't easily venture into another soul beast's territory. However, if they wait too long or are unlucky enough to encounter a hundred-thousand-year-old soul beast, they might be disturbed."
"However, the situation where multiple powerful corpses are located in one place is a special case. Think about it, generally speaking, when two powerful ten-thousand-year-old soul beasts fight each other, there are two possible outcomes. One is that one side wins and then devours the other; the other is that when the snipe and the clam fight, a third soul beast comes to end the conflict."
"These are all normal situations, but if three ten-thousand-year-old soul beasts die at the same time, it's usually a different special case. That is..." Ling Yongsheng deliberately paused for a moment, then, meeting Ling Bingtian's inquisitive gaze, he smiled and continued seriously, "A beast king appeared in that place! That is, a hundred-thousand-year-old soul beast in the general sense!"
"It's not uncommon for a creature to kill several ten-thousand-year-old soul beasts to prove its power and demonstrate its kingly status. This is a phenomenon that we humans have observed in our tens of thousands of years of struggle with soul beasts."
Then, Ling Yongsheng's tone suddenly turned contemptuous, "This is why those beasts of spirit beasts can never defeat us humans. Xiao Tian, you must remember, only wisdom is humanity's most powerful weapon!" The last sentence, however, was delivered with a very serious tone.
Ling Yongsheng's words still shocked Ling Bingtian to some extent. It wasn't the statement that intelligence was humanity's most powerful weapon that shocked him, but rather the sheer stupidity of the Soul Beast race! How could Di Tian possibly command such a race of Soul Beasts, ignoring even this phenomenon?
It's important to understand how difficult it is for a ten-thousand-year-old soul beast to grow. First, it needs a powerful bloodline. This alone is enough to eliminate the vast majority of soul beasts. Second, without rare and precious herbs or a large amount of soul beast flesh and blood to nourish it, a soul beast would have to cultivate for a full ten thousand years to become a ten-thousand-year-old soul beast.
Now, Ling Yongsheng is telling me that this phenomenon of killing the weak after becoming a 100,000-year-old soul beast, not for food but only to show off its own strength, is normal. Isn't this a clear indication that the soul beast commander is mentally ill?
Ling Bingtian didn't know what to say, but Ling Yongsheng still noticed the shock he was showing.
Ling Yongsheng felt even happier, thinking he had successfully taught his grandson a new concept. Unfortunately, he didn't see the look in Ling Yongming's eyes.
Ling Yongming, still injured, was utterly speechless at his second brother's inexplicable advice.
"Wilderness survival skills? Are those skills even useful before you reach the high-level Soul Douluo rank? And once you reach that rank, do you even need them?"
"Sigh—" Ling Yongming couldn't help but sigh.
This is only because he's my younger brother; otherwise, I would definitely beat him up to show him what true human "wisdom" is.
"I'm leaving." Ling Yongming sighed, interrupting Ling Yongsheng's attempt to say something more.
With the Dark Ice Dragon Martial Soul attached to him, Ling Yongming first waved his hand, storing the three corpses outside the cave into the storage soul tool he carried with him.
It's the corpse of a ten-thousand-year-old soul beast, after all. Rather than leaving it here to nourish the next generation of soul beasts, it would be better to take it back to nourish the next generation of the Ling family or to make it into equipment.
Then, with another thought, a large amount of soul power surged out of his body, simultaneously drawing upon the ice-attribute soul power that was already present in the air.
Ling Yongming gently struck the center with his right hand, and the energies that he controlled or influenced quickly moved, forming thick layers of white snow that filled and covered the cave behind the three of them.
Even though they no longer need to be stationed here year-round, Ling Yongming and Ling Yongsheng absolutely do not want any more people or soul beasts to find this place.
Having successfully concealed their identities, Ling Yongming and the now-normal Ling Yongsheng exchanged a glance before unleashing their immense soul power and taking to the air.
Ling Yongsheng didn't forget to bring Ling Bingtian along; now, it was time to begin the journey home.
Ling Yongming looked in that incredibly familiar direction. In the countless days and nights before today, that direction had always been a place he could only look towards but never reach.
That's the direction of home!
I have prayed countless times to God and the Ice God for protection during countless days and nights, hoping that one day I can be freed and go home to see my family again.
But in reality, Ling Yongming himself knew that this was almost entirely impossible.
The numerous examples from the Ling family ancestors over thousands of years vividly illustrate how slim the probability of this happening is. They prayed that Ling Yongming would have it, but in reality, they held little hope.
Unexpectedly, I am actually able to return today. How could I not be overwhelmed with emotion?
"Having guarded this pass for over a hundred years, today, I can finally return home! Hahaha—"
Accompanied by a continuous burst of maniacal laughter, Ling Yongming shot off towards the Ling family's direction, leaving only sonic booms in his wake.
Seeing his elder brother so excited, Ling Yongsheng was unwilling to fall behind. He immediately gave Ling Bingtian some instructions and then began to shoot towards the Ling family's direction.
Although with his cultivation level, he could easily surpass Ling Yongming, Ling Yongsheng naturally didn't want to steal the limelight from his own elder brother. Let him vent his anger a little longer.
Having absorbed the Frost Dragon's torso and bones and its first soul ring, Ling Bingtian's physical attributes were greatly enhanced. Moreover, having experienced it once before, he barely adapted to Ling Yongsheng's speed and thankfully didn't faint again; otherwise, he wouldn't know how to face people when he returned.
And so, bathed in the glow of the setting sun, the three of them officially began their journey home.
However, what the three did not notice was that on a mountaintop several kilometers away from the cave entrance, a pair of snow-white eyes watched their departing figures for a long time, their gaze indescribably complex.
After the three left, the sun, which had worked all day, gradually began to retire, slowly withdrawing its sunlight that had been scattered across the earth, and finally setting behind the mountains, completely ending its workday.
This means that night is coming.