Special Soul Bone from Devil Island

The moment he set foot on Sea God Island, before he could even observe his surroundings, a hint of surprise appeared in Nan Liujing's eyes.

A thin pale golden mist drifted faintly beneath his feet, driving the circulation of Soul Power within his body. This practically meant that his Soul Power was cultivating on its own at every moment.

"No wonder this is one of the places with the richest Heaven and Earth Origin Energy on the continent. Even ordinary people would live longer if they resided here." Letting go of her disciple's shoulder, Leng Yaozhu surveyed the surroundings. Everywhere she looked, there were dense, ancient forests.

The pale golden mist seemed like a formation, isolating one area after another. Spiritual Power sent out to investigate vanished like stones sinking into the sea, unable to stir the slightest ripple.

Only winding forest paths paved with bluish-gray stone slabs, along with wooden signs standing beside them, guided travelers toward their destinations.

Ya Li smiled and stepped onto one of the forest paths. "Follow me."

Leng Yaozhu and Nan Liujing silently followed. As they walked, large numbers of blue-green-leaved shrubs appeared on both sides of the stone path. Even someone as knowledgeable as Leng Yaozhu was somewhat surprised. "Shrek Academy actually has Water Soul Wood?"

Water Soul Wood was an exceptionally special wood-element spiritual treasure. It could only grow in water infused with the purest life force. After a hundred years, it could produce energy every day that greatly enhanced Spiritual Power cultivation.

In other words, it was similar to a top-tier ingredient like Spirit Rhyme Sea Urchin. The difference was that consuming too much Spirit Rhyme Sea Urchin would create resistance, whereas Water Soul Wood was different. As long as one passively absorbed its spiritual energy while cultivating, it would remain effective until one reached the Spirit Abyss Realm.

Ya Li smiled gently. "We can only cultivate Water Soul Wood with the support of the Golden Ancient Tree. Besides, the spiritual energy produced by this Water Soul Wood is supplied to inner courtyard students. Once you become one of them, you can receive it unconditionally."

Leng Yaozhu raised an elegant brow slightly. With her powers of observation, she had long noticed the implication in Ya Li's words.

She glanced at her disciple, only to see a faint smile on Nan Liujing's lips as well.

Leng Yaozhu nodded in satisfaction.

As expected of my disciple. He also realized there was something off about Ya Li's behavior.

Ya Li walked ahead, seemingly leading the way casually, yet she continuously displayed the benefits Sea God Island had to offer.

If they had truly been in a hurry to hand over the Soul Bone and the Golden Ancient Tree baptism, why would they deliberately drag things out and stroll along so slowly?

As the Holy Spirit Douluo, she naturally could ignore the isolation formations covering Sea God Island.

At last, after passing through an even denser stretch of mist, it was as though they had pushed through the clouds and seen the light. A truly towering ancient tree came into view.

Its trunk was so thick that at least dozens of people would need to join hands to encircle it. Its bark, tempered by countless years, was covered in intricate patterns like runes, faintly radiating a pale glow.

Its canopy blotted out the sky, every leaf seeming to have been forged from gold. When the breeze blew, countless golden specks of light visibly drifted down like an unending drizzle, merging into every corner of the island.

Directly beneath the ancient tree stood a wooden house, with a plaque bearing the words Sea God Pavilion hanging above it.

Leng Yaozhu's gaze fell on a young man standing outside the wooden house. He looked to be in his twenties, refined and gentle, with a faint smile on his lips.

He looked utterly ordinary, yet he was the regret she had been unable to obtain in her youth.

Sky Pillar Douluo, Yun Ming!

Ya Li still had her own little schemes. She secretly watched for a change in Leng Yaozhu's expression, only to be disappointed once again.

When Leng Yaozhu saw Yun Ming again, her expression remained calm. She went straight to the point. "Where is the Soul Bone?"

That was fine too. Yun Ming sighed in relief, and the awkwardness in his heart faded. "We naturally will not go back on our word about the Soul Bone, but I need this child to make a choice."

Leng Yaozhu frowned. "What choice?"

Yun Ming said, "One Lightning Element Soul Bone and one Soul Bone with the Destruction Attribute. He may choose one of them. But the latter requires passing a test."

Destruction Attribute? A test?

Nan Liujing's heart stirred. He remembered that Shrek Academy controlled a place called Devil Island, where one generation of the Shrek Seven Monsters from a thousand years ago was hidden.

Around two thousand years ago, fragments entwined with destruction and life had fallen from the sky. The Federation and Shrek Academy jointly sent those seven people there, only for the power of the destruction fragments to tear their bodies apart. The energy of the life fragments protected their souls, and from then on, they remained there forever, becoming the Seven Old Devils.

Throughout the generations, Shrek Academy had sent students there for training. Tang Wulin and the others from the original timeline had gone there as well.

In fact, throughout human history, the only Soul Beast recorded to possess the Destruction Attribute was the Purple Blazing Sky Annihilation Dragon, which had gone extinct an unknown number of years ago.

Could this Soul Bone be related to the Purple Blazing Sky Annihilation Dragon? Could its origin also be connected to Devil Island? Otherwise, Yun Ming would not have mentioned a test.

Leng Yaozhu also grew serious at the mention of the Destruction Attribute. She said solemnly, "I need to see the actual items first."

Yun Ming did not refuse. Turning around, he entered Sea God Pavilion. "Follow me."

"This way." Ya Li gestured.

Everyone entered Sea God Pavilion together. It was not as luxurious and exquisite as the outside world claimed. On the contrary, the entire hall was exceptionally plain.

The square table in the middle of the hall made Nan Liujing pause for a moment. Ten thousand years ago, perhaps Huo Yuhao's generation had sat around that very table for meetings.

Time passed, and everything had changed.

When they reached the deepest part of the hall, Yun Ming extended his hand and touched the air as though it were a wall. In an instant, threads of light power dispersed and formed a beam of intense light that enveloped everyone.

The world shifted. When Nan Liujing's vision cleared, he found himself looking at a picturesque valley.

"This is the inner space of the Golden Ancient Tree. Over the past ten thousand years, you are only the second and third non-members of Shrek's Sea God Pavilion to enter it." Yun Ming continued leading the way and entered a very ordinary wooden house on one side of the valley.

As they entered, the floorboards creaked beneath their feet, while a faint fragrance drifted in through the open window.

There were no other decorations inside the wooden house. At the very back stood only a wooden cabinet resembling a traditional medicine cabinet.

Dense life element seeped from the cabinet. It had most likely been made from branches of the Golden Ancient Tree.

Yun Ming made a grasping motion through the air, and two small drawers sprang open. A streak of light flew from each drawer and hovered in midair.

The golden glow surrounding them faded, revealing the two Soul Bones.

One was dark blue, densely covered in interwoven lightning patterns. Shimmering light flowed across it, as though it contained terrifying, explosive fluctuations.

The other was purplish-black and completely unremarkable. It looked no different from a stone shaped like a skull, with no special aura leaking from it. It was difficult to believe it was actually an incomparably precious Soul Bone.

The instant this object revealed its true form, Nan Liujing felt as though he had been electrocuted, and his pupils contracted slightly.

He clearly sensed the Heavenly Tribulation Bead react.

Another opportunity?

Yet what surprised Nan Liujing was that the reaction vanished in an instant, like an illusion, catching him completely off guard.

What was going on?

This was the first time the Heavenly Tribulation Bead had shown such a reaction.

Leng Yaozhu remarked, "You keep the Soul Bones directly inside a wooden cabinet. It seems you are very confident that no one can invade this place."

Ya Li smiled faintly. "To invade this place, someone would have to kill every elder of Sea God Pavilion in one go."

"Other than gods, no one can do that."

Leng Yaozhu did not argue. Instead, she asked, "Tell me the characteristics of these two Soul Bones."

Yun Ming looked up at the Soul Bones. "The Soul Bone on the left came from a seventy-thousand-year Thunder Beast. It is also the oldest Lightning Element Soul Bone we possess."

"As for the Soul Bone on the right, the type of Soul Beast it came from is unclear. We suspect that it originated from an extinct Purple Blazing Sky Annihilation Dragon. Its age is unknown. Even after using every means of examination available to us, we could not determine its exact age."

"There is no need for me to explain the Thunder Beast. I presume you understand its characteristics. As for this Soul Bone suspected to have come from a Purple Blazing Sky Annihilation Dragon..." Yun Ming's expression turned grave. "After it was brought back from Devil Island and examined for over a thousand years, we discovered that to fuse with it, one must possess sufficient attribute affinity. As long as the affinity is high enough, even an infant can fuse with it."

Leng Yaozhu suddenly understood. "So this is the real reason you send a team to Devil Island every so often?"

The Spirit Pagoda had also been involved in the Devil Island incident back then, so Yun Ming was not surprised. "There is a way on Devil Island to strengthen one's affinity with the Destruction Attribute. But regrettably, to this day, no one has been able to fuse with this Soul Bone—not even me."

Leng Yaozhu glanced sideways at him. Even you could not do it? "Then how do you expect my disciple to undergo this test?"

Ya Li gently continued, "In a sense, Thunder Power belongs to another type of Destruction Attribute. A typical example is heavenly tribulation."

"We need this child to release his Martial Soul and touch the Soul Bone with it. If there is a response, it means he has a chance to fuse with the Soul Bone. If there is no response, then it means he has failed. You may rest assured—I have also tried touching the Soul Bone with my Martial Soul, and there was no danger."

"But if he chooses it and fails the test, this child will lose his chance to obtain a Soul Bone."

Put simply, there were two Soul Bones and one choice.

Choose the Thunder Beast Soul Bone, and he could take it away immediately.

Choose the mysterious Purple Blazing Sky Annihilation Dragon Soul Bone from Devil Island, and if the test succeeded, it would be his. If the test failed, he would lose his chance to obtain a Soul Bone.

"Choose the Soul Bone with the Destruction Attribute." Leng Yaozhu made her decision without hesitation, then added to Nan Liujing, "If the test fails, your teacher will personally pay for a Lightning Element Soul Bone to compensate you. Its quality will absolutely be no worse than the Thunder Beast Soul Bone."

Upon hearing this, Yun Ming and Ya Li both glanced at her. From that single statement alone, they could tell that Leng Yaozhu truly cared deeply about this disciple.

"Everything will be as Teacher says."

Nan Liujing had already recovered from his astonishment over the Heavenly Tribulation Bead's vanished reaction. Facing the gazes of the three great figures, he answered calmly.

"Good." Yun Ming said faintly, "Summon your Martial Soul and let it make contact with the Soul Bone."

With a thought from Nan Liujing, the dark cyan Coiled Dragon Staff flew from his hand. Under everyone's watchful eyes, it touched the purplish-black Soul Bone hovering in midair.

Crackle! Crackle!

Since the Lightning Element and Destruction Attribute had similarities, Nan Liujing simply pushed the circulation of his Soul Power to its limit.

Intense lightning-element fluctuations erupted from the Coiled Dragon Staff. A faint Thunder Dragon Soul emerged and swam around it.

Wave after wave of dragon roars sounded like rumbling thunder. The nearby life element was forcibly suppressed, then seized and absorbed for its own use. Such tyrannical power had already surpassed the level of ordinary top-tier Martial Souls.

"Half-step Ultimate Lightning?"

As a Weapon Soul Master himself, Yun Ming's senses were undoubtedly the sharpest. Staring at the Coiled Dragon Staff Martial Soul, he could not help raising a brow.

Things had become even more interesting.