External Spirit Bone: Heart Protecting Dragon Ribs

The Star Dou Great Forest was deathly silent.

The deep purple spirit ring, speckled with golden glimmers, hovered quietly above the corpse of the Dragonized Linju, radiating a pulse of energy that made hearts tremble.

Under countless watchful eyes, Yu Xiaoheng sat cross-legged, preparing to begin a feat worthy of being recorded in the history of Soul Masters.

Deep within the forest, Rou'er and Ah Yin trembled slightly.

It was not fear, but shuddering hatred that arose from the depths of their souls.

"Killing... but not torturing..." Rou'er's voice trembled faintly.

"Are they... are they demons?"

Ah Yin's face was pale as paper.

If only one Soul Master had committed such cruel acts, he could still be called a madman.

What was terrifying was that after the youth known as the Young Master gave the order, not a single person in the entire clan—from elders to disciples—had hesitated.

It was a kind of obedience and fanaticism carved into their bones.

A Titled Douluo, a terrifying clan, and a ruthless young master.

For the first time, they made Rou'er and Ah Yin feel profound despair for the future of soul beasts.

Elsewhere, Yu Xiaoheng had extended his spiritual power to inspect the Dragonized Linju's corpse.

There was no soul bone.

Several suppressed sighs rose from the crowd, tinged with disappointment.

Yu Xiaoheng remained calm. Soul bones were treasures one could only encounter by chance.

What he looked forward to even more was the legendary External Soul Bone.

He did not hesitate any longer. Guided by his spiritual power, the purple-gold Thousand Year Spirit Ring descended over his head!

Boom—!

The instant the spirit ring entered his body, a torrent of energy mixed with monstrous resentment and the violent power of dragon blood exploded within him!

The force of the impact far surpassed any record of a Thousand Year Spirit Ring in the ancient texts. Boundless hatred surged toward him!

"Xiao Heng!" Yu Yuanzhen's heart leaped into his throat.

The elders' expressions changed drastically as well. This energy fluctuation rivaled that of an ordinary Four Thousand Year Spirit Ring!

Yet Yu Xiaoheng's body merely jolted violently.

Beneath his skin, streaks of silver-blue Thunder Marks flared to life, while a faint golden glow emerged across his body.

His powerful physique, forged through a Perfected Dragon Body, was like an immovable divine mountain, forcibly suppressing the violent torrent of energy within his meridians.

Pain surfaced on his face. Veins bulged at his temples, and beads of sweat the size of beans rolled down.

Yet his back remained perfectly straight.

At the sight, the concern on the faces of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan members gradually faded, replaced by uncontrollable ecstasy and reverence.

At that very moment, when everyone's attention was fixed on Yu Xiaoheng.

A figure quietly approached the corpse of the One Thousand Four Hundred Year Xi Guang Linju.

It was Yu Xiaogang.

A crazed light flickered in his eyes as he silently summoned Luo San Pao, drew a dagger from his waist, and swiftly sliced off a piece of still-warm Linju flesh.

"Eat it," he ordered.

Luo San Pao's round body shrank back. Smelling the lingering Dragon's Might and bloody stench on the meat, it did not dare approach.

Yu Xiaogang's gaze darkened.

"You don't dare eat it? I'll teach you."

Before his words had even faded, he stuffed the bloody chunk of meat into his own mouth before Luo San Pao's eyes, forced down his nausea, and swallowed it whole!

Luo San Pao froze.

The next moment, as if inspired by its master's madness, it no longer hesitated and swallowed another piece of meat in one bite.

"Agh—!"

Almost instantly, intense pain swept through Yu Xiaogang's entire body!

A searing energy rampaged through him, as though it intended to burn his organs to ash!

He had prepared for this. He had read records in the clan archives about consuming soul beast flesh and knew that such a small piece would not be fatal.

But the pain far exceeded his expectations.

He writhed on the ground in agony.

Several elders noticed the commotion and cast concerned looks his way, about to step forward.

At that exact moment, Yu Xiaoheng's absorption of the spirit ring seemed to encounter a bottleneck, and the pain on his face deepened.

Whoosh!

Everyone's attention, including that of the elders, was instantly drawn back to him.

They only gave Yu Xiaogang a hurried glance. Once Yu Xiaoheng's condition stabilized, they finally strode over.

However, the words from their mouths were not concern.

"Yu Xiaogang! What are you doing?!"

"The Young Master is at a critical stage of absorbing his spirit ring, and you're causing trouble here? Are you trying to create problems for the clan?!"

Not a single word praised his efforts. Not a single word asked after his safety.

There was only blame.

In their eyes, risking his life to seek a path that could change his fate was merely "causing trouble."

Yu Xiaogang curled up on the ground, his body convulsing in pain while his heart was utterly dead.

He slowly raised his head and looked through tear-blurred eyes at the brother surrounded by the crowd, like a god descended into the world.

Resentment, jealousy, venomous hatred... countless emotions tangled together, ultimately turning into bone-deep chill.

Good. Very good.

Clan? Family?

His heart hardened. From now on, to hell with the clan, and to hell with brothers.

I only need to become strong myself!

The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan is nothing more than my stepping stone!

Elsewhere, this minor incident had not affected Yu Xiaoheng.

He had completely refined the spirit ring's energy. The purple-gold halo pulsed as it was about to merge with him completely.

Still, he felt somewhat disappointed.

Just now, he had clearly sensed a strange energy gathering inside his chest, as though it wished to condense into some tangible form, but in the end, it had fallen short and dissipated.

It seemed that even with such intense hatred, condensing an External Soul Bone still required tremendous luck.

Just then...

An ancient, authoritative sigh rang directly in his mind.

"How could such an opportunity be wasted?"

It was the ancestor!

Yu Xiaoheng's heart jolted.

"I possess a secret technique that can help descendants of the Holy Dragon condense an External Soul Bone. A soul bone is needed as a catalyst," the ancestor's voice rang out again.

A soul bone as a catalyst?

As he pondered this, the expressions of several elders changed drastically. They seemed to have heard some instruction as well.

In a flurry, they pulled several soul bones from their Soul Tools, but they were only of Thousand Year Quality, with some even of Hundred Year Quality.

Before they could act, Yu Yuanzhen stepped forward.

"Use mine!"

He took out a radiant Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone from his Soul Tool!

It was a right arm bone, corresponding to the same position as the Holy Dragon Bone!

Having heard the ancestor's voice, Yu Yuanzhen's face filled with wild joy as he threw the Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone toward Yu Xiaoheng!

The soul bone was seized by an invisible force while still in midair!

Crack!

With a crisp sound, the incomparably hard Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone was forcibly shattered into fragments that filled the air!

Then, those glowing bone fragments, like swallows returning to their nest, all poured into Yu Xiaoheng's chest!

"Mm!"

Yu Xiaoheng grunted as he felt an immense essence of life force and Soul Power explode within his chest.

That power of condensation, which had already dissipated, appeared once more!

Under his inner sight, a soul bone slowly took shape beside his heart!

External Soul Bone: Heart-Protecting Dragon Ribs!