During the battle itself, Raziel Phoenix had never shown his face. That was because he had been carrying out a task far more important than charging head-on.

After years of experience, class zero knew the spirit ascension platform inside out, including how the external monitoring system worked. Ray had been fully aware that the Soul Elder squadron would be watching the battle unfold. With that in mind, he devised a plan that could only be described as… shamelessly efficient.

Stealing from a thief carried a beauty of its own.

The sturdy youth never figured out how he died because it was Raziel Phoenix's blade that ended him.

The true terror of Shadow Dragon Dagger's first soul skill, Shadow Dragon Blade, lay in its invisibility. With Raziel Phoenix's cultivation steadily rising over the years, that invisible strike had become even more lethal.

Under normal circumstances, the sturdy youth would have detected Raziel Phoenix instantly. But exhausted, battered, and lulled into a false sense of victory, his guard had slipped. Raziel Phoenix waited patiently for that fleeting instant, then struck, harvesting the spirit energy of an entire team in one clean sweep.

Had they not done this, the majority of the lions' spirit energy would have been claimed by that youth alone.

A satisfied smile curved Ray's lips. "We've more than gotten our admission's worth. Let's rest and recover first. The lions' scent will linger for a while. We'll use that time to absorb even more. Our goal is simple: leave nothing behind."

"Yes!" The response came in perfect unison.

Each of them had gained several hundred years' worth of spirit energy. It was a harvest beyond expectations.

Lily had already seated herself to recuperate and absorb the energy. Compared to the others, she remained calm and detached, neither questioning Ray's schemes nor displaying any visible excitement.

Ray sat down beside her, lowering his voice. "How are you feeling? Any discomfort?"

She had slain the final two thousand-year Blazing Demon Lions herself, and the density of spirit energy swirling around her was even thicker than around Ray.

She shook her head lightly. "I'm fine. It won't make much difference for me. The energy will be split among three rings. You're the one who should be careful not to exceed your limit."

"Mm." Ray nodded. "Once you all take over, I won't have to worry as much."

His two purple soul rings were already hovering around four thousand years each, while his current limit stood at five thousand. He still had room to spare. The pain he'd experienced in the past had taught him caution.

After half an hour, their soul power recovered. They rose and continued deeper into the Star Dou Forest.

The spirit energy clinging to them hadn't been fully absorbed yet, making them conspicuous. From this point onward, their threats weren't limited to soul beasts alone. Other soul masters were just as dangerous.

"Captain, your silver Impaling Array is really something," Raziel Phoenix whispered as he drew closer. "It's not insanely destructive, but that stun effect is perfect for crowd control."

Siilver Impaling Array was Ray's second soul skill, granted by Gold. When he fused with it, he had focused every thought on one thing: control. He never expected his desire to actually shape the result, yet it did.

The skill emphasized control over raw power. Though it was still deadly as a thousand-year soul skill, its true value lay in disrupting enemies. The high-frequency vibrations coursing through the Silverfalls Vine would throw struck opponents into confusion, stunning them briefly.

As long as the Silverfalls Vine could reach them, Ray could deploy Silver Impaling Array anywhere within a fifteen-meter radius.

Bind excelled at restraining specific targets, but required careful focus. Silver Impaling Array, by contrast, was built for groups. Better still, the two skills could be layered together.

Under Alfred's guidance over the years, Ray had gradually solidified his path. His martial soul would dominate the battlefield through control, while his Golden Dragon King bloodline would serve as his primary source of offense. He lacked ranged attacks, but Alfred had been firm in his belief: once Ray's body reached its peak, he would still be terrifying.

That was why the first thing Ray spent his Immortal guild contribution points on had been methods to strengthen his physical combat power.

Ray gave a helpless smile. "Violetta's control is even scarier. Starlight Chaos is ridiculous."

During the night battle, Violetta's Starwheel Ice Staff had fully awakened, allowing her to unleash the complete might of her second soul skill, Starlight Chaos.

She specialized in ranged combat and control, and her starlight skills were devastating to coordinated enemies.

Starlight Chaos threw foes into madness, making groups attack each other or freeze in place. Combined with Ray's control, the Blazing Demon Lions never had a moment of clarity.

Violetta giggled softly. She had spent years chasing after her teammates' shadows, only finding confidence when night fell.

Astrological skills were taxing and restrictive, but in a team, their value was unparalleled.

Suddenly, wind shrieked.

A dark-red figure burst from the treetops.

Humanoid in shape, but with unnaturally long arms, it flew straight toward Lily. In its eyes, she was an easy target.

A blue vine lashed out instantly, binding the creature midair and slamming it to the ground.

Ray raised both hands. His two soul rings rose, white light spreading from his body as an invisible force seized the red beast and dragged it toward him.

The creature recovered quickly. Though its legs were bound, its arms were free. It swung viciously at Ray's head.

Ray snorted, fists flashing forward.

Boom!

The red figure staggered back a step. Ray didn't budge an inch.

He yanked on the vine, pulling the creature closer. With a sharp gesture, the invisible force returned, wrenching its arms apart.

Then Ray drove a powerful kick into its abdomen.

The creature doubled over instantly, its head dropping right into Ray's reach.

Ray's fingers locked around the creature's head.

With a sharp twist, he wrenched it a full one hundred and eighty degrees.

Crack.

The red figure's powerful body stiffened for a heartbeat before going limp, collapsing like a sack of cloth onto the forest floor. A condensed sphere of spirit energy burst free and drifted toward Ray, merging with the currents already spiraling around him.

"It's a hundred-year Brute Ape," one of them said, only now recognizing the soul beast.

From the moment the Brute Ape leapt from the trees to the instant its neck was snapped, only a few seconds had passed.

Among soul beasts of the same age, the Brute Ape was known for its terrifying physical strength.

Unfortunately for it, today's opponent was Ray, a walking anomaly whose raw power bordered on the absurd. The outcome had been decided the moment it chose him as its prey.

Ray himself felt quietly pleased. His mastery over Controlling Crane, Capturing Dragon had grown noticeably smoother, meshing perfectly with the Mysterious Heaven Method.

Though his soul power rank still hovered in the twenties, years of cultivating the Mysterious Heaven Method had refined his soul power to an astonishing degree, making it far denser and more explosive than that of his peers.

Once they left the Blazing Demon Lions' territory, soul beasts appeared in an almost endless stream. Such was the nature of the rebellion spirit ascension platform.

A pack of Wind Demon Wolves ambushed them along the way, but Ray's Silver Impaling Array shut them down in an instant. These beasts relied on numbers rather than individual might, and the spirit energy they carried was hardly worth the effort. Ray ordered a withdrawal instead of a pursuit.

After driving them off, the group pressed on.

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