Blue Silver Emperor Soul Bone Acquired

Next morning.

In a remote primeval valley a hundred li from Holy Spirit Village.

A massive waterfall plunged from a cliff hundreds of meters high, its waters crashing into the deep pool below with deafening thunder, sending mist spraying through the air.

"This place... really is a treasure trove of good feng shui."

Xuan Hao stood by the pool beneath the waterfall, letting the splashing droplets soak the hem of his clothes as a hint of admiration flashed through his eyes.

The terrain here was hidden, surrounded by mountains and shrouded in clouds and mist year-round. Ordinary people would never find it, and even Soul Masters would struggle to discover this hidden paradise unless they deliberately searched for it.

More importantly, quite a few high-year Soul Beasts lurked within dozens of li of this place. Clearly, they served as a natural barrier protecting its secret.

"If I hadn't relied on my perception of the wind element, I might not have found it."

Xuan Hao withdrew his gaze and looked up at the enormous waterfall hanging like an inverted river of stars.

The current was rapid and thunderous. Finding that extremely hidden cave entrance behind a curtain of water hundreds of meters wide and tall was like looking for a needle in the sea.

"Good thing I've got cheats."

Xuan Hao closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and began mobilizing the Silver Dragon Spirit within him.

Although he had no Soul Rings, the Silver Dragon, as the Lord of Elements, possessed an innate perception of every element between heaven and earth.

"Water..."

His Spiritual Power extended into the waterfall like feelers, following the countless splashing droplets as he carefully sensed the texture of every rock wall and the echoes of the flowing water.

Time passed second by second.

An hour later.

Fine beads of sweat seeped from Xuan Hao's forehead, and his face had turned somewhat pale.

Maintaining such precise Elemental Perception under the impact of such a massive current consumed an enormous amount of Soul Power and Spiritual Power.

"Found it!"

Suddenly, he snapped his eyes open, his gaze locking tightly onto a spot slightly to the right of the waterfall's middle.

There, the sound of water striking the surface was subtly different from everywhere else, as though... it was hollow.

"About a hundred and fifty meters above the ground." Xuan Hao judged the distance with his eyes. "Two Teleportations should be enough."

Buzz—

Silver Light flashed, and Xuan Hao's figure instantly vanished from where he stood.

The next second, he appeared out of thin air in midair, with no foothold beneath him, surrounded by roaring water and hard rock walls.

Without pausing, he used Teleportation again.

"Again!"

This time, his body passed directly through the thick curtain of water, even through the massive rock used as camouflage, appearing out of thin air inside a dim passageway.

"Whew..."

Xuan Hao landed steadily, brushed the water droplets from his body, and a trace of excitement flashed through his eyes as he looked at the tunnel before him, filled with signs of artificial excavation.

"It really is here."

Following the tunnel for roughly a hundred meters, the space before him suddenly opened up.

It was a rather small Stone Chamber. Though simple, it did not feel dark or damp.

An exquisitely crafted small hole had been carved into the ceiling of the Stone Chamber. The noon sunlight streamed through it, falling precisely onto a small mound of earth in the center.

And growing atop that mound was an exceptionally unusual Blue Silver Grass.

Its leaves were not thin like those of ordinary Blue Silver Grass. Instead, they were thick and full of vitality, their veins a noble pale gold. Under that ray of sunlight, the entire plant seemed shrouded in a faint golden halo, exuding a life force that refreshed the soul.

The Hundred Thousand Year Blue Silver Emperor, Ah Yin.

"Though I do sympathize with you, a thief never leaves empty-handed."

Xuan Hao did not touch Ah Yin immediately. Instead, he turned around and swept his gaze over the surrounding stone walls.

"If I remember correctly, that thing should be hidden..."

Xuan Hao walked over to the upper section of the stone wall and extended a finger, tapping several seemingly ordinary rocks.

Knock knock.

Solid.

Knock knock.

Still solid.

Until he tapped a slightly protruding rock—

Tap tap.

Hollow!

Xuan Hao's eyes lit up. He put strength into his fingers and gave it a light pull.

Click.

It seemed to trigger some mechanism. The stone slab above suddenly sprang open, and a heavy lead box fell from above.

Xuan Hao reacted swiftly and caught it in one hand.

When he opened the box, a dense yet gentle aura of life rushed toward him, and Blue-Gold light instantly illuminated the entire Stone Chamber.

Lying inside the box was a crystal-clear Right Leg Bone, its surface the perfect color of sapphire. Countless stars seemed to flow within it, while golden patterns spread through it like veins.

The Hundred Thousand Year Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone!

And it was a top-tier Soul Bone with that absurd regenerative ability of "wildfires cannot burn it all; when the spring breeze blows, it grows again"!

So long as his head was not cut off or his heart dug out, even severed hands and feet could slowly grow back with this Soul Bone!

Clap!

Closing the lid, Xuan Hao swiftly stored the Soul Bone in his Storage Ring.

He was in no hurry to absorb it.

Absorbing a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone would take at least several days and nights. This place was hidden, but it was ultimately Tang Hao's territory. If that old man suddenly decided to come back and visit his wife, Xuan Hao would be a turtle in a jar, dead before he even knew how it happened.

"Now that I've got it, next..."

Xuan Hao looked at the lonely Blue Silver Emperor, his eyes flickering. Then he took a Medicine Shovel and a large flowerpot from his Storage Ring, both prepared long ago.

"Since I'm already here, I can't just leave you alone and cold here, can I?"

"Since I took your Soul Bone, I'll do a good deed too. I'll take you out to get some sun and, while I'm at it... find you a nice place."

Xuan Hao skillfully wielded the Medicine Shovel, carefully digging up the Blue Silver Emperor together with its roots and soil before transplanting it into the flowerpot.

"Too bad I don't have one of those top-tier Soul Tools that can store living creatures."

Xuan Hao looked at the large flowerpot in his hands and sighed helplessly. "You'll just have to make do like this for now."

After finishing everything, Xuan Hao hugged the flowerpot and moved like lightning, directly using Teleportation to rush out of the Stone Chamber, through the waterfall, and into the boundless mountains without looking back.

He ran dozens of li in one breath. Only after confirming that he was completely far from that valley did Xuan Hao stop beside a scenic little stream.

"I'm exhausted..."

Xuan Hao carefully placed the flowerpot containing the Blue Silver Emperor atop a large sunlit rock, even thoughtfully watering it a little.

He rubbed his growling stomach, plopped down on the grassy riverbank, and began contemplating life.

Now that he had the item, where should he go next?

Back to Spirit City?

Definitely not. Bibi Dong was still angry. If he returned now, even if he presented this Soul Bone, he would probably still suffer a beating. Besides, although this Soul Bone was precious, it was not something Bibi Dong desperately needed.

Bibi Dong already possessed the Death Spider Emperor's Undying Body. The Blue Silver Emperor Soul Bone's self-repairing ability was somewhat useless to her. Besides, what she lacked was a Left Leg Bone, while this was a Right Leg Bone.

Find some mountain ravine to hide in and cultivate?

No. It was easy to go from frugality to luxury, but hard to go from luxury back to frugality.

These past few years in the Papal Palace, he had worn fine clothes, eaten fine food, and been waited on wherever he went. His palate had long been spoiled. Make him chew dried rations and sleep in caves like a wild man in some mountain ravine?

Wouldn't that make him as idiotic as Tang Hao?

Go to Heaven Dou City and find Qian Renxue? That was not a bad choice. After all, that "Crown Prince" was currently at the height of her power, and she was on bad terms with Bibi Dong.

But that woman, Qian Renxue, was no easy target either. And if he went to her, Bibi Dong would probably become even angrier when she found out, thinking he had completely betrayed her.

Grrr...

Just as Xuan Hao was so conflicted his head was about to explode, his stomach growled in protest.

"Forget it. No matter how vast heaven and earth are, eating comes first."

Xuan Hao took out a complete set of barbecue equipment from his Storage Ring: a grill, charcoal, seasonings, everything.

He walked to the stream and released a tiny bit of Dragon Might.

Splash—

Several plump fish swimming happily immediately floated belly-up, frightened unconscious.

He expertly cleaned the fish, seasoned them, lit the fire, and began grilling.

Before long, an enticing aroma spread along the stream.

Sizzle sizzle...

The fish skin roasted to a golden crisp, and fat dripped onto the charcoal with a pleasant sound.

Just as Xuan Hao sprinkled on the final pinch of cumin and prepared to feast, an extremely faint yet impossible-to-ignore sensation of being watched made his hand freeze.

He abruptly turned his head toward a large tree not far away.

At some point, a tiny figure had appeared behind it.

It was a little girl who looked only five or six years old.

She wore ill-fitting coarse clothes that had been washed until they faded white. She looked especially frail, as though a gust of wind could knock her over.

But what could not be ignored was her appearance.

A head of rare short silver hair gleamed softly under the sunlight. Her skin was so fair it was nearly translucent, and her delicate features made her seem like an elf from a fairy tale.

Especially those large eyes. Their irises were a clear pale purple, like two amethysts, so pure that one hardly dared look directly into them.

At that moment, she stood there timidly, her two little hands twisting together. Those amethyst-like eyes stared fixedly at the grilled fish in Xuan Hao's hand, her throat bobbing slightly. Clearly, she was starving for it.

"..."

Xuan Hao looked at the little girl who had suddenly appeared, his brows knitting slightly. The vigilance in his heart did not diminish in the slightest because of her adorable appearance.

In the wilderness, all alone, silver hair, purple eyes, and beautiful to this extent...

There was obviously something wrong with this!