That is...
A Thunder Beast! And it's at the ten-thousand-year level!!
Gu You focused his gaze. Unlike the soul beasts they had encountered before, where size and strength were usually proportional, this soul beast guarding the passage between the fiftieth and sixtieth levels was extremely small.
The Thunder Beast's entire body was an unusual bright yellow, a fur color none of them had ever seen before. It looked like a tiny squirrel, barely over a foot in length. However, its tail was not bushy like a squirrel's but thin and upright with two sharp bends, resembling a lightning bolt.
Its eyes were particularly large, taking up nearly half its face, and were a striking blue-purple. Electricity crackled around its body as it floated mid-air, supported purely by its mastery over lightning.
"It's really a Thunder Beast?" Xie Xie blurted out excitedly.
Xu Lizhi and Yuanen Yehui looked puzzled, while Gu Yue frowned slightly. Le Zhengyu, on the other hand, seemed to understand immediately. "A Thunder Beast? As expected of the Spirit Pagoda! They even have such an incredibly rare soul beast. This creature is amazing. Its speed is astonishing, and its lightning-based explosive power is incredibly strong."
The Thunder Beast moved. With a flick of its lightning-shaped tail, a blue-purple bolt of electricity shot down from the sky, striking towards Gu You once more.
"You little thing, don't you realize your attacks have no effect on me?" Gu You walked toward the Thunder Beast unfazed, enduring the lightning head-on.
Lightning had almost no natural enemies—meaning, there were few attributes that could directly counter it. However, at this moment, Gu You had become the nemesis of the lightning attribute itself. Even if this was the legendary Extreme Lightning, an ultimate divine attribute that appeared only once in millennia, it still wouldn't be able to break through Gu You's defenses.
This Thunder Beast wasn't simple. Not only was it powerful, but it was also calm and composed. Unlike other soul beasts that might flee or attack blindly, this one didn't panic. Instead, it quietly observed Gu You approaching.
Gu You found this interesting.
What was this little guy planning?
Sheer power wasn't frightening—what was terrifying was intelligence combined with power. A soul beast that could think strategically was far more dangerous.
This Thunder Beast clearly fell into that category.
Gu You had closed the distance to less than two meters. At that moment, he saw its deep blue eyes flicker with arcs of lightning.
Before Gu You could react further, a massive, one-meter-wide lightning sphere suddenly expanded around the Thunder Beast.
A terrifying scene unfolded. The horrifying blue-purple lightning clung to Gu You, releasing high-voltage currents so intense that even the surrounding metal surfaces began to smoke.
"Do you really think this will work?" Gu You mocked.
With his Golden Dragon Armor reducing damage by 60%, combined with the natural defense of his dragon scales, he was effectively mitigating 99% of the attack's force. In other words, this attack was doing absolutely nothing to him.
He could let the Thunder Beast hit him a thousand times without issue. But if he struck back just once, the Thunder Beast would be obliterated.
The Thunder Beast seemed to realize that its attack was ineffective. Its expression didn't change, but the lightning sphere it had been forming suddenly collapsed, transforming into a large net of lightning that enveloped Gu You.
Crackling!
Cracks formed in the net.
"Alright, I've played along enough." Gu You shot forward in a burst of speed. In the blink of an eye, he appeared directly in front of the Thunder Beast.
With a single slap, the Thunder Beast's tiny body instantly withered, crushed into an unrecognizable mess.
Its soul, a translucent shadow of its former self, drifted up from its broken body. Gu You absorbed it without hesitation.
The seventieth floor.
The setting had changed little by now.
In the distance, the massive metal door opened slowly. This time, there was no sinister aura emanating from within.
A soul beast emerged from the cavern without a sound.
As it stepped out, it made a slight bowing motion.
Its figure was colossal, towering over twenty meters in height. Its build was incredibly robust, with shoulders spanning over seven meters. Its arms were as thick as stone pillars, exuding sheer brute force.
"This is... a Vajra Baboon? And it has wind attributes?" Yuanen Yehui's eyes lit up instantly.
The Vajra Baboon was a power-type soul beast, the largest primate-class soul beast known. Even among the soul beasts of the same cultivation level, it boasted the largest physique—larger even than the legendary Titan Giant Ape.
The largest recorded Vajra Baboons could reach up to fifty meters in height, true behemoths among soul beasts. Their unparalleled physical strength earned them the title of King of Strength in the soul beast world.
Their combat ability was entirely based on raw power. Their immense strength translated into astonishing speed, making them unrivaled in jungle combat.
If not for one critical flaw, they might have been the undisputed rulers of the forests: their intelligence.
While primate-type soul beasts were usually known for their intelligence, the Vajra Baboon was an anomaly. Its intelligence was incredibly low, almost nonexistent, and it acted purely on instinct. It was incredibly aggressive and enjoyed fighting for the sake of it.
Aside from its overwhelming strength, the Vajra Baboon only had one ability: Berserk Mode.
Yes, unlike the "berserk" status effects in games, this was a real-life ability. Berserk Mode only affected the Vajra Baboon's body, not its soul power, but the physical enhancements were monstrous. It could increase all of its physical attributes by 50% in an instant.
For most soul masters, a Vajra Baboon was far from an ideal choice.
But Yuanen Yehui was different.
With her Titan Giant Ape martial soul, if she fused with the Vajra Baboon's soul ring and inherited its immense strength and bodily enhancements, it would likely cause an incredible mutation, resulting in a new, even more formidable soul skill.
This transformation would be far beyond simple Berserk Mode.
"I want this one," Yuanen Yehui said firmly, her eyes filled with determination as she turned to Gu You. There was even a hint of pleading in her gaze.
"Alright," Gu You nodded at her.
The Vajra Baboon wasn't an especially rare soul beast, so he was willing to let Yuanen Yehui absorb it.
However, this particular Vajra Baboon was special—it had wind attributes.
That was incredibly rare.
The sight of it reminded Gu You of something: the legendary Lingbing Douluo Huo Yuhao.
As a child, Huo Yuhao had almost been killed by a Wind Baboon. If not for his White Tiger Dagger...
He wondered how many people would even believe such a story in today's more enlightened era.
This Vajra Baboon's cultivation level was around 25,000 years.
Gu You's body emitted a dragon's roar as his blood energy surged in reverse.
His right hand, covered in Purple Emperor Terror Claws, clenched into a fist.
Without hesitation, he struck out, aiming directly at the Vajra Baboon.
The Vajra Baboon made a fatal mistake.
Rather than dodging, it raised its left hand and casually swatted at Gu You, as if it were shooing away a fly.
Clearly, it had absolute confidence in its own strength.
Boom—!
Bloodthirsty Terror Claws! Shatter Effect Activated!
This was a devastating ability granted by the Golden Dragon King's raw power.
(End of Chapter)