Soul Bone

"Good. Come with me—I'll find some people."

Bena stood up and led Li Tianlan into the Mercenary Guild's main hall.

"Yo, Bena, here to take another job?"

"This time the employer's actually a kid? Don't tell me it's some boring job like looking for his mommy?"

A group of people greeted Bena enthusiastically.

Li Tianlan followed behind her, thoroughly speechless. Everyone around him treated him like a child.

Some even deliberately tried to scare him, seeing whether they could make him cry.

Naturally, Li Tianlan sent that person flying with a single punch afterward.

Still, as an adult, being treated like a child was inevitably irritating.

Following Bena, he passed through the bustling mercenary hall.

At last, they arrived at a relatively quiet area, where several burly mercenaries sat in chairs drinking.

When they saw Bena arrive, they were immediately taken aback.

The leader was a muscular man two meters and thirty centimeters tall, built even sturdier than a bull and clad in silver-white armor. He downed a mug of beer, then asked in a rough voice when he saw Bena, "Bena? What are you here for?"

"Jarvis, ten Gold Soul Coins. Come with me on a job."

Bena was not polite in the slightest. She slapped ten Gold Soul Coins onto the table and said loudly, "It's not difficult. We just need to make a trip to Purple Fire Valley and return."

Upon hearing the words Purple Fire Valley, the burly man named Jarvis shuddered and cried out, "That damned place? I wouldn't go even for ten thousand Gold Soul Coins."

"I'm not asking you to go inside."

Bena rolled her eyes, crossed her arms over her chest, and placed one foot on a bench. "We're only passing through the outer region. The actual Purple Fire Valley is still far away."

"This..."

Jarvis took a gulp of malt beer, his expression somewhat hesitant.

Seeing this, Li Tianlan took out a bag of Gold Soul Coins and tossed it onto the table. Then he said, "There are fifty Gold Soul Coins here. Another fifty when we arrive."

The glittering Gold Soul Coins scattered across the table, and the mercenaries were practically dazzled.

Fifty Gold Soul Coins was two or three months' income for these mercenaries, and all they had to do was escort Li Tianlan to the outer region of Purple Fire Valley.

"Captain, let's do it."

"That's right. This is practically free money."

"Boss, if you won't go, then I will."

The mercenaries immediately began urging their captain, Jarvis.

Jarvis was tempted as well, but he cautiously confirmed once more, "Bena, it's really just the outer region?"

"Obviously. If we were really going in, do you think I'd be going there to die?" Bena curled her lips. "Enough. Let's go."

"Alright!"

Jarvis was decisive. He slapped the table and rose to his feet, declaring boldly, "We're setting off!"

"Let's go!"

The mercenaries all stood up, their faces blooming with delight.

This was a job that amounted to free money!

And the reward was exceedingly generous!

Thus, led by the group of mercenaries, Li Tianlan entered the Star Dou Great Forest.

Only after entering the depths of the Star Dou Great Forest did Li Tianlan realize that hiring mercenaries to guide him had been an absolutely correct decision.

The first reason was navigation. The entire Star Dou Great Forest was boundless, filled with forests everywhere.

Without mercenaries to lead the way, Li Tianlan might not necessarily have gotten lost, but finding the Purple Fire Mountain Range would have been hell-level difficult.

The second reason was Soul Beasts!

As they moved farther away from Soder City, powerful Soul Beasts began to appear!

At first, there were only Soul Beasts around seven or eight hundred years old. Soon afterward, Thousand Year Soul Beasts began appearing in groups.

There were even occasional traces of Ten Thousand Year Soul Beasts. Without the mercenaries leading the way, Li Tianlan could already imagine how miserable he would have been.

After all, at most, he only possessed the strength of a Soul Grandmaster.

Forget Ten Thousand Year Soul Beasts—even Thousand Year Soul Beasts could chase him into a frantic escape.

After walking for an entire day, the sky gradually darkened.

Jarvis, who was leading the group, stopped and said loudly, "Alright, it's not safe to travel at night. We'll set up camp here. Remember, do not use fire under any circumstances. It could attract powerful Soul Beasts."

At those words, Li Tianlan stared blankly at the black Nether Flame in his hand.

Would flames attract powerful soul beasts?

What if they were Heavenly Flames?

Li Tianlan's expression changed at once, and he quickly extinguished the Heavenly Flames.

"Not good!" The moment Jarvis saw the Heavenly Flames in Li Tianlan's hand vanish in a flash, he realized something was wrong. He shouted, "Everyone, move! Let's camp somewhere else."

As soon as he finished speaking, a moth nearly three meters long flew over from the distance. It was enormous, and its slender black legs were covered in barbs!

"It's a Black Striped Poison Moth! Prepare for battle!"

Jarvis's anxious voice rang out. The surrounding mercenaries were well-trained and immediately formed up, ready to fight.

The Black Striped Poison Moth seemed to know that Jarvis and his group were not easy opponents. Or perhaps it simply judged their difference in strength by size. It immediately locked onto Li Tianlan.

Waving its black spear-like legs, it stabbed directly at Li Tianlan, intending to pierce straight through him and make him its dinner.

"A mere six-hundred-year soul beast thinks it can eat me?"

Li Tianlan remained calm. He shifted slightly to the side as black Nether Flame emerged from his body.

"Buzz buzz buzz!"

The moment the Black Striped Poison Moth saw the Heavenly Flames, it became even more excited.

It lunged straight at Li Tianlan!

Black dust swirled through the air, greatly reducing visibility in the area.

Standing nearby, Bena shouted a warning, "Be careful! Black Striped Poison Moths are highly venomous, especially that black powder."

"Thanks for the warning!"

Unhurried, Li Tianlan waved his hand. The black Nether Flame instantly swept through the air within three meters, engulfing the Black Striped Poison Moth.

"Screeech!"

The Black Striped Poison Moth let out a miserable shriek, but it had no ability to resist.

As the eighty-sixth-ranked Heavenly Flame, Nether Flame was extraordinarily hot.

In less than half an hour, the Black Striped Poison Moth had been burned into charcoal and died.

"Buzz!"

A yellow hundred-year Soul Ring lit up, illuminating the surrounding space.

Only then did Li Tianlan realize that night had already fallen.

Bena stared at Li Tianlan in astonishment and exclaimed, "Little brother, you actually killed a six-hundred-year soul beast?"

"That's right. When I was seven or eight, I was still playing with mud and piss."

Jarvis was also quite surprised. He walked up to the Black Striped Poison Moth, intending to cut off anything useful, when he suddenly cried out, "Holy shit!"

The other mercenaries froze, then hurried over.

As the Black Striped Poison Moth was flipped over, a left leg bone was revealed lying on the ground.

A soul bone!

Among soul beasts, the chance of one dropping was only one in ten thousand!

In the eyes of soul masters, the value of a soul bone far exceeded that of a Soul Ring!

There were six types of soul bones in total: skull, torso bone, left arm bone, right arm bone, left leg bone, and right leg bone!