Fusing the Right Leg Bone

After traveling day and night for nearly two days, Shen Hanyu finally led Tian Meng out of the region completely blanketed by ice and snow. Looking back at the vast snowfall gradually fading from view, he felt strangely unaccustomed to it.

The Far North was simply too vast. Not every part of it was covered in ice and snow; most areas still followed the cycle of spring, summer, autumn, and winter. This was a rare sight on the Douluo Continent.

After all, the weather in the interior of the continent was mild throughout the year, while coastal regions remained hot nearly year-round. Only areas close to the Far North experienced distinct seasonal changes. As a result, tourism in the Far North was exceptionally developed and served as a primary source of income for several nearby major cities.

Shen Hanyu had arrived roughly three hundred kilometers northeast of Element City. It was not too far, but even by carriage, the journey would take four or five days.

Tian Meng had climbed back onto Shen Hanyu's shoulder, leisurely enjoying the warm sunlight. An Ice Silkworm that liked sunbathing was certainly a rather unusual sight.

Shen Hanyu walked along a country path beside a small stream. He let out a soft sigh and said,

"Other than wandering around everywhere, all I do is cultivate. When did my life become so monotonous and dull? Tsk..."

Tian Meng rolled his eyes lightly and said,

"So you know you like running around. Sometimes you don't even look at a map. Can you really get anywhere accurately by wandering based on instinct alone? Still, it's not like I'm trying to lecture you, but your state of mind doesn't resemble that of a fourteen-year-old boy in the slightest. Cultivating like this is good, sure, but it's still missing something. I suggest that after you go back this time, you stay home for a while and properly adjust your mindset. Otherwise, it won't benefit your future cultivation."

Shen Hanyu nodded helplessly. He really did need to interact with others more, or he would eventually become completely out of touch with society.

Tian Meng could not be bothered with Shen Hanyu anymore and simply took a nap on his shoulder, treating it entirely like his own home.

Shen Hanyu glanced at him, then continued along the path, trying to find a main road.

Spring was bright, and all things were coming back to life.

After enduring countless hardships and obstacles, Shen Hanyu finally returned to Element City.

The first thing Shen Hanyu did upon returning to Element City was decisively rent a room at an inn. He had them prepare hot water, then comfortably soaked in a hot bath, washing away the exhaustion and grime of the past few months.

After finishing all that, Shen Hanyu went out for a simple meal, then made another trip to Skywater Academy to see his dear little sister. Under her resentful gaze, Shen Hanyu casually made up an excuse before rushing back to the inn. He had more important matters to attend to; this was not the time to relax.

The Soul Bone produced by the Fallen Sea Demon was exceptionally complete, possessing an intact skeletal structure and powerful, violent Soul Power fluctuations. What was more, it was an Extreme Ice Attribute Right Leg Bone.

Soul Bones produced by Extreme Ice Soul Beasts could not be absorbed by ordinary Ice Attribute Soul Masters, or the consequences would be irreversible. Yet such restrictions could not stop countless Soul Masters from coveting this Soul Bone...

There was no helping it. Human nature was greedy. Even when people knew something was beyond their grasp, they still insisted on taking a dangerous gamble and trying their luck. It was a kind of tragedy.

Shen Hanyu stared at the Soul Bone for a long time before finally pressing it against his right leg and circulating his Soul Power to begin absorbing it.

The moment the Soul Bone entered his body, Shen Hanyu let out a muffled groan and shuddered. Violent Soul Power erupted through his right leg, followed by an unusual fluctuation.

Within the Sea of Consciousness

Tian Meng woke up in a daze and suddenly sensed an intruder entering Shen Hanyu's Sea of Consciousness. It carried deep malice and hatred, and its aura was very familiar—it was the lingering remnant of the Fallen Sea Demon he had crushed to death just two days ago.

After examining it carefully, Tian Meng instantly understood what had happened.

"Oh? You dare play this little trick of hiding your soul and taking us down with you right under my nose? If I don't play you to death today, then I'm not the king among Soul Beasts, the true ancestor of the Ice Silkworm clan..."

Tian Meng then mobilized his Mental Power and dealt a heavy blow to the Fallen Sea Demon's lingering remnant within the Soul Bone.

As he beat it up, he did not forget to mock it.

"Tch, you little trash. You think this tiny remnant can drag Hanyu and me down to the grave with you? I don't even know whether to call you clever or brainless. What an idiot. Don't you know I'm a Fierce Beast with a Mental Attribute? I might not be able to beat you outside, but when it comes to Mental Power, I'm stronger than your dad's dad..."

After restraining the Fallen Sea Demon's lingering remnant, Tian Meng launched into one of his usual verbal barrages, relentlessly taunting it.

The Fallen Sea Demon's lingering remnant struggled, unleashing wave after wave of horrifying roars within the Sea of Consciousness. Its body thrashed violently, clearly unwilling to rest until it was dead.

Watching Shen Hanyu continue to absorb the Soul Bone in earnest, Tian Meng snorted disdainfully at the Fallen Sea Demon's remnant soul and said,

"If Hanyu weren't still absorbing the Soul Bone and I weren't afraid of disturbing him, I'd definitely take my time dealing with you. Who do you think you are, daring to come shit and piss on Brother Sky Dream's head..."

Then Tian Meng abruptly tore open a crack in a seal containing his energy and drew out a terrifying surge of power. He wriggled over to the Fallen Sea Demon, examined it for a while, and only then said with satisfaction,

"Even so, you really are from a race whose Mental Attribute is not much weaker than mine. The Mental Power contained in this lingering remnant is actually quite substantial. Hehehe... Then obediently become nourishment for Hanyu. Be good~ I'll be very gentle, so don't move~ Here I come..."

As the Fallen Sea Demon let out an incomparably miserable scream, accompanied by Tian Meng's strange laughter, Shen Hanyu, who was absorbing the Soul Bone, suddenly shuddered without warning, as though something had startled him...

At dusk, a gentle fluctuation of Soul Power burst forth from Shen Hanyu's body, lapping softly like tender ocean waves and carrying the ocean's sense of tolerance.

"Phew..."

"Level sixty-five. Not bad. My strength has increased a little too quickly; there seem to be quite a few hidden dangers..."

Shen Hanyu let out a long breath, clenched his fist, and murmured to himself.

Over the past year, his Soul Power had surged by more than ten levels. Such a rate of improvement was simply unprecedented. While Shen Hanyu was satisfied, he also inexplicably felt empty and intensely lonely. A thick wave of exhaustion swept over him...

In his hazy state, Shen Hanyu could only vaguely hear Tian Meng calling to him intermittently. He wanted to respond, but the next moment, his eyes closed and he fell completely asleep, cutting off all contact with the outside world as his entire world descended into darkness...

Tian Meng was scared half to death. After finally confirming that Shen Hanyu had merely fallen asleep from overwhelming exhaustion, his little eyes became resentful. Still, he used all eight of his limbs to carefully pull a thin blanket over Shen Hanyu. Then he returned to Shen Hanyu's Sea of Consciousness, stretched lazily, and promptly fell asleep as well, completely ignoring the strange bits of sleep talk that occasionally slipped from his mouth...