Douluo Continent: The Purple Dragon's Roar, the End of the Dark Abyss

Two days passed in the blink of an eye, and the day for Ye Linyi to hunt for the soul ring arrived.

As dawn broke, Ye Zihao stood outside the door, raised his hand and gently knocked on the door. Just as he was about to call his son to get up, the door opened in response.

Ye Linyi's lips curled slightly, his gaze firm: "Let's go, Dad, I'm all ready."

A hint of relief flashed in Ye Zihao's eyes, and he quickly replied, "Yes, yes, let's go."

At this moment, Yang Liuqing's voice came from inside the house, carrying a hint of concern and gentleness: "Eat first before you go, don't go hungry."

Ye Linyi and Ye Zihao exchanged a glance, then nodded and replied, "Okay, um."

At the door of her home, Yang Liuqing, dressed in plain clothes with her hair loosely tied up, stood in the morning light, gazing tenderly at the father and son, and softly instructed, "Be careful and come back soon."

Ye Linyi and Ye Zihao said in unison, "Mmm-hmm."

Ye Zihao looked at his son, his eyes filled with pride and anticipation. He patted his chest and said, "Son, this time we're going to Sunset Forest to help you obtain a soul ring."

A flicker of excitement flashed in Ye Linyi's eyes, then his gaze fell on the peculiar device on his father's back, and he asked, "Dad, is that a flying soul tool you're carrying?"

Ye Zihao laughed heartily, his eyes gleaming with pride: "That's right, Xiao Yi! With it, we'll soon reach Sunset Forest and obtain a spirit ring for you!"

After saying that, Ye Zihao picked up Ye Linyi and the two of them instantly took to the air. The flying soul tool emitted a deep rumble and carried them like an arrow to Sunset Forest.

In the morning light, the figures of the father and son gradually disappeared into the distance, leaving Yang Liuqing standing at the door, watching them go with eyes full of tenderness and blessings.

.........

Ye Zihao gently placed Ye Linyi on the ground, his gaze sweeping over the towering ancient trees around him. The vines wrapped around the trunks swayed gently in the wind, making a rustling sound.

The air was filled with the faint fragrance of grass and trees, and occasionally the low growls of wild beasts could be heard from afar.

"This is Sunset Forest?" Ye Linyi looked around, his eyes gleaming with excitement. He flexed his wrists.

"That's right, we'll go in in a bit, stay close to me." Ye Zihao patted his son's shoulder, his tone tinged with caution.

Ye Linyi nodded, his gaze firm: "Yes, yes, yes."

"Go go, let's go!" Ye Zihao gave the order and took the lead in stepping into the depths of the forest.

Ye Linyi followed closely behind, carefully stepping on the fallen leaves on the ground, making a soft sound.

Ye Zihao walked ahead, then suddenly stopped, turned around and looked at his son with a serious look in his eyes: "Xiao Yi, I plan to get you a 500-600 year old ghost tiger as your first soul ring."

Upon hearing this, Ye Linyi frowned slightly. He recalled the physique enhancement items he had purchased from the system shop and his daily rigorous training, and secretly pondered: with his current physical strength, starting with a thousand-year soul ring might be more appropriate.

He raised his head and looked at his father with a firm gaze: "Dad, isn't 500 to 600 years a bit low? I think it can be raised a bit more; it's not at my limit yet."

Ye Zihao's eyes flashed with surprise upon hearing his son's words, but then turned into relief.

He carefully examined his son and saw that Ye Linyi had a tall and straight posture and an indomitable fighting spirit in his eyes, clearly demonstrating a clear understanding of his own strength.

"We'll see," Ye Zihao nodded, his tone tinged with approval. "But safety comes first. If we encounter any danger, we'll retreat immediately."

Ye Linyi seemed to be responding to his determination: "I understand, Dad."

Before long, Ye Linyi and Ye Zihao heard a series of rustling sounds coming from ahead. Then, a huge scorpion darted out of the grass, its yellowish-brown body gleaming in the sunlight. It was none other than the legendary King of the Earth.

Ye Zihao narrowed his eyes, a confident smile playing on his lips: "The King of the Earth has only cultivated for nearly a thousand years; he is nothing to fear."

Standing behind his father, Ye Linyi stared intently at the Earth King ahead, thinking to himself: Isn't this Ma Hongjun's fourth spirit ring from the Shrek Seven Devils ten thousand years ago? I never expected to run into him.

"Xiao Yi, step back," Ye Zihao ordered in a deep voice, his eyes fixed intently on the King of the Earth.

Ye Linyi quickly retreated as instructed, hiding behind a thick tree, only peeking out his head, watching the battlefield that was about to erupt ahead with tension and anticipation.

Without the slightest hesitation, eight spirit rings—two yellow, two purple, and four black—instantly appeared on Ye Zihao's body. The aura of a Soul Douluo powerhouse swept out like a whirlwind, forcing the Earth King to retreat step by step, letting out painful roars.

Despite trembling under the immense pressure of Contra, the Earth King refused to back down, brandishing his massive claws and charging towards Ye Zihao with a force that seemed to tear through the air.

Ye Zihao smiled coldly, his Swift Cloud Leopard martial spirit activating, and his figure moved like a ghost, easily dodging the Earth King's fatal blow.

Immediately afterwards, his purple fourth spirit ring shone brightly, and he unleashed the "Phantom Clone" skill, instantly creating two clones next to him that lasted for 5 seconds.

These two clones inherited 30% of the main body's attack power, allowing them to attack in tandem and disrupt the enemy's lock-on, throwing the Earth King into chaos for a time.

Ye Zihao's attacks did not stop. His fifth black spirit ring flashed, and an even more powerful skill, "Storm Whirlwind Tail," was triggered.

He spun around, creating a vortex of wind blades that dealt multiple slashing damage to surrounding enemies, while granting immunity to slowing effects, much like a high-speed meat grinder.

Under Ye Linyi's watchful gaze, his father and his two clones formed a triangle, firmly sandwiching the Earth King in the middle.

The three spun simultaneously, and the vortex of wind blades continuously sliced ​​through the Earth King's body, producing a "sizzling" sound, while the Earth King's painful roars echoed endlessly.

With a thud, the Earth King, who had just entered the millennium of cultivation, finally couldn't hold on any longer and collapsed heavily to the ground, never to be heard again.

Ye Zihao waved his hand gently, and the Gale Cloud Leopard martial soul possession state was dispelled, and the soul power flowing around his body gradually returned to calm.

He clapped his hands, a relaxed smile on his face, and turned to Ye Linyi, who was hiding behind a tree, saying, "Alright, Xiaoyi, it's settled. You can come over now."

Upon hearing this, Ye Linyi quickly emerged from behind the tree and came to his father's side.

What came into view was the enormous corpse of the Earth King, and a purple thousand-year soul ring slowly emerging above the corpse, gleaming with a mysterious and alluring luster in the sunlight.

"It was just a little mishap, Xiao Yi. Let's keep looking." Ye Zihao patted his son's shoulder, his tone filled with determination and expectation.

Ye Linyi, however, was still immersed in the battle he had just fought, his eyes flashing with shock and curiosity.

He turned to look at his father, a hint of doubt in his voice: "Dad, are you really an agility-based attacker? During the fight just now, you seemed more like a power-based attacker?"

Upon hearing this, Ye Zihao was taken aback at first, then burst into laughter, reaching out to touch his head, a sly glint in his eyes: "Of course! My Gale Cloud Leopard Martial Soul is known for its speed and agility, making it an agility-based attack type. However, sometimes, to deal with special situations, I'll also show a bit of my offensive side."

Upon hearing this, a hint of doubt flashed in Ye Linyi's eyes, but he quickly regained his resolve: "I see, Dad, you're truly a man of few words. However, the Ghost Tiger we're looking for next won't be so easy to deal with."

Ye Zihao nodded, his gaze sharpening. "That's right, so we need to be even more careful. Xiao Yi, stay close to me, let's keep going."

Ye Linyi followed closely behind his father.

Ye Zihao, on the other hand, scanned the surrounding woods with keen eyes, searching for Ghost Tiger's tracks.

.........

"roar!"

A deafening tiger's roar suddenly rang out. Ye Zihao's eyes flashed with a sharp light. He grabbed Ye Linyi by the collar and dashed towards the source of the sound like lightning.

"Dad, what happened?" Ye Linyi was a little confused as he was being dragged away.

"Xiao Yi, your first spirit ring has arrived!" Ye Zihao's voice was filled with barely concealed excitement.

Just as Ye Linyi was about to urge his father to hurry up, he was put down.

He looked closely and saw a huge tiger lurking in the bushes ahead, its white "king" character stripe clearly visible on its forehead, and its eerie green eyes gleaming with a terrifying light in the darkness.

"Dad, what are you waiting for? Let's go!" Ye Linyi rubbed his hands together, his eyes gleaming with eager anticipation.

Ye Zihao shook his head, his brows furrowing slightly: "Unfortunately, this one isn't the right age for you. This is a thousand-year-old ghost tiger. Let's look for another one."

"This one it is!" Ye Linyi firmly interrupted his father. "I've been training my body diligently and taking the whale glue you gave me, all for this moment to absorb a spirit ring across age limits!"

Ye Zihao gazed at his son, his eyes filled with both worry and pride: "Xiao Yi, you possess twin martial souls, you're at least a Super Douluo! There's no need to take this risk."

"Dad, just trust me and that's it!" Ye Linyi straightened his chest, his eyes burning. "If you don't believe me, check my body and see if I can withstand the pressure from the spirit ring."

Ye Zihao sighed, said no more, and rushed towards Guihu like the wind.

A flash of light appeared in his soul skill, and a sharp attack struck Ghost Tiger precisely, instantly stunning it. Then, he tossed Ghost Tiger in front of Ye Linyi like a sandbag.

"Damn, so fast?" Ye Linyi's eyes widened, and without the slightest hesitation, he pulled out a dagger from his storage soul tool and swiftly stabbed it into the wounded Ghost Tiger's forehead.

Ghost Tiger let out a painful wail, and a purple thousand-year soul ring slowly appeared on its body, shimmering with a mysterious and alluring luster in the sunlight.

Ye Zihao stood to the side, his expression grave: "This ghost tiger is probably over 1500 years old. Are you sure you want to absorb it?"

Ye Linyi did not back down in the slightest, his eyes as firm as iron: "I'm sure!"

He thought to himself that 1500 years was not his limit, but if it went any higher, his father probably wouldn't let him risk absorbing it.

"Alright, if you can't absorb it, I'll interrupt you immediately, then you'll need to rest for three or four months before you can obtain the soul ring," Ye Zihao said in a deep voice.

"Alright!" Ye Linyi responded, quickly summoning the Dark Abyss God-Slaying Halberd Martial Soul and guiding the purple millennium soul ring toward himself.

In an instant, a powerful and violent pressure surged in like a tidal wave. Ye Linyi felt his bones cracking and his body felt as if it were about to burst.

But he gritted his teeth and stubbornly endured the pressure, fine beads of sweat appearing on his forehead.

Ye Zihao, who was watching from the side, knew that his son had withstood the first wave of intense pressure when he saw him like this. He secretly breathed a sigh of relief and a relieved smile appeared on his face. He thought that the rest was up to time.

.........

Ye Linyi slowly opened his eyes, a dark purple light flowing in his eyes. His right palm sank, and a jet-black battle halberd, the "Dark Abyss God-Slaying Halberd," appeared out of thin air. A dazzling purple soul ring was wrapped around the halberd, gleaming with a mysterious and majestic luster in the sunlight.

"Success!" Ye Linyi gripped his battle halberd tightly, feeling the surging soul power within his body, and a joyful smile appeared on his face.

He stretched his arms, feeling a surge of power throughout his body, and his soul power level soared from level 10 to level 14.

"Absorbing a thousand-year soul ring across time limits and breaking through four levels in a row—this feeling is amazing!"

Ye Zihao, who had been silently watching his son, was filled with pride and joy. He stepped forward and patted his son on the shoulder: "Congratulations, Xiao Yi! You really did it! You successfully absorbed a spirit ring across time limits!"

Ye Linyi nodded, his eyes gleaming with excitement: "Dad, I'm very satisfied with the effect of the first soul skill that Ghost Tiger gave me."

Ye Zihao asked with a smile, "Tell me about it."

Ye Linyi took a deep breath and gently twirled the battle halberd in his hand: "My first soul skill is called 'Shadow Piercing,' which can be used to escape or to launch a sneak attack."

He paused, a sly glint in his eyes, "The specific effect is: the halberd slices through space, and the main body can carry matter and traverse all dark environments, which is what we commonly call the shadows. When attacking, it ignores physical defenses; as long as it hits the shadows, it can cause true damage."

Upon hearing this, Ye Zihao's eyes flashed with delight: "Excellent! This soul skill largely inherits the characteristics of the Ghost Tiger, retaining the stealth of the dark attribute while enhancing the lethality of the attack. It's a perfect match!"

Ye Linyi smiled and nodded: "Yes, I think so too."

Ye Zihao waved his hand and said boldly, "Let's go home! Xiao Yi, let's go tell your mom the good news!"

Ye Linyi responded with an "okay," and the father and son walked side by side, striding towards home.

Sunlight shone on them, casting two tall and hopeful figures.