Surviving the Calamity, Finally Obtaining a Spirit Bone

"Fourth Soul Skill: Golden Prison."

Faced with Xia Shi's offer of surrender, Sun Chuanjun not only refused to surrender, but instead violently drove his Golden Warblade Martial Soul into the deck.

Following that, a glittering golden cage enveloped him.

Sun Chuanjun's soul skill was both a control skill and a defensive skill.

"Stubborn fool."

Xia Shi shouted angrily.

"Sixth Soul Skill: Profound Ice Spike."

Blue light blazed from Xia Shi's body. At the same time, the ice wall inside the cabin shattered, turning into countless ice spikes that shot toward the Golden Prison like a torrential rain.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The ice spikes collided fiercely with the golden light, scattering ice powder and golden radiance in every direction.

After several breaths, the Golden Prison could no longer hold on and exploded apart.

Countless ice spikes instantly pierced through Sun Chuanjun's body, pinning him to the door behind him.

In the cabin thick with cold air, blood did not flow from Sun Chuanjun's body despite being pierced by the ice spikes.

His wounds had frozen the instant they were pierced.

"Why?"

Xia Shi walked up to Sun Chuanjun and asked hoarsely, "We've been friends for over a decade. Why did you betray us?"

As an old crew member of the Mystic Tortoise, Sun Chuanjun had long ceased to be an ordinary crew member. He was Xia Shi's longtime friend.

Faced with such betrayal, Xia Shi felt as though his heart were being torn apart.

"Hahaha..."

Sun Chuanjun coughed up blood and said with a bitter smile, "Of course it was for... for that Spirit Bone."

"Just for a Spirit Bone? It's only a Five-Hundred-Year Soul Bone."

Xia Yang stepped forward in disbelief.

"A Five-Hundred-Year Soul Bone... isn't that enough?"

Sun Chuanjun spoke in fits and starts as blood continuously spilled from the corner of his mouth.

"This is... the Blood River Treasure."

"Old Sun, you..."

Xia Shi wanted to ask more, but Xia Yang had already drawn his long blade.

The blade flashed, and a head fell.

"Gurgle, gurgle..."

Sun Chuanjun's head rolled across the deck before finally coming to a stop.

"Dad, don't ask anymore."

Xia Yang sheathed his long blade and said calmly, "The more you ask, the worse you'll feel."

"Since Uncle Sun was your old friend, and he's already dead, just pretend none of this ever happened."

"Uncle Sun merely... had bad luck and encountered a shipwreck."

With that, Xia Yang began cleaning up the scene.

He placed Sun Chuanjun's corpse into a Storage Soul Tool and handed it to his father.

Xia Shi took the Storage Soul Tool and sighed deeply.

"Dad, we need to check on the others."

Xia Yang reminded him, "Uncle Sun said Uncle Li had gone to rest, and that he'd even brought chicken soup to Zhang Feng..."

"Right, we need to check."

The two of them left the room and began inspecting the situation aboard both ships.

Half an hour later, they returned to the bow of the Mystic Tortoise.

The bright moon hung overhead, and the sea breeze brushed against their faces as the two stood there in silence.

Behind them lay two cold corpses—Zhang Feng and Li Zhishu.

Li Zhishu had been decapitated with a single strike, while Zhang Feng had first been poisoned before a sharp blade pierced his heart.

Both corpses had already stiffened.

That meant they had been dead for some time.

After a long while, Xia Shi slowly said, "I really never expected... Old Sun to do something like this."

"The four of us had been friends for over a decade. How could he bring himself to do it...?"

"Forget it, Dad."

Xia Yang comforted him softly. "Spirit Bones have always been called the 'Blood River Treasure.' Every time one appears, it stirs up a bloody storm."

"Before, when I read about it in books, I never took it seriously."

"I never expected that today... I'd witness it with my own eyes."

"Sigh."

Xia Shi let out a long sigh and said, "I heard the saying about the Blood River Treasure long ago, but I always thought it referred to those Ten Thousand Year Soul Bones."

"Who would have thought that a Five-Hundred-Year Soul Bone could make an old friend of over a decade do something like this...?"

"Come to think of it."

Xia Shi continued, "Old Sun's arrangements this time were practically flawless."

"He deliberately used the rare poison of the Deep-Sea Octopus, but he never imagined... that because you loved eating octopus since you were little, I bought you plenty of Deep-Sea Octopus Spirit Beast meat over the years..."

"So we're more familiar with this poison than anyone."

Xia Yang picked up the thought.

"Sigh! Spirit Bones..."

The father and son sighed in unison.

After a moment of silence, Xia Yang asked, "What should we do now?"

"First, calm the shipworkers."

Xia Shi said thoughtfully, "Once we return to Xiling Harbor, I'll explain things to their families."

"That's all we can do."

The two stood at the bow for a while longer, the sea breeze fluttering their clothes.

Finally, they carefully put away Zhang Feng and Li Zhishu's bodies before returning to their respective rooms.

The moonlight remained bright, and the sea surface remained calm.

But the atmosphere aboard the Mystic Tortoise could never return to what it had been.

The next day at dawn, the sky had only just begun to brighten, and a thin mist still hung over the sea surface.

Xia Shi gathered all the crew members aboard the Mystic Tortoise onto the deck.

After last night's upheaval, apart from Xia Yang and himself, there were no other Soul Masters aboard the ship.

Those standing on the deck now were all ordinary sailors and shipworkers.

The crew members looked at one another, their expressions carrying unease and confusion.

Xia Shi stood at the bow, his gaze sweeping over the crowd.

The sea breeze brushed his slightly weary face, yet it could not disperse the sternness in his eyes.

"I'm sure everyone heard the commotion last night."

He slowly began, his voice steady and powerful. "However, those matters have nothing to do with you."

"You are all ordinary people, not Soul Masters. There is no need for you to concern yourselves with such things."

"From now on, you only need to perform your duties and do your jobs properly."

At that point, Xia Shi paused and observed everyone's reactions.

Then he continued, "We have been at sea for quite some time. I'm sure everyone misses their families."

"Therefore, as long as we work together, we can return to Xiling Harbor sooner and reunite with our families."

"Yes, Captain!"

The crew replied in unison, and the tension on their faces gradually eased.

Seeing that Xia Shi had nothing more to say, everyone dispersed and returned to their posts.

Once the affairs aboard the Mystic Tortoise had been arranged, Xia Shi took a small boat to the captured vessel behind them.

He repeated what he had just said, his tone still calm but carrying unquestionable authority.

After giving his instructions, Xia Shi made a decision.

He would have Xia Yang take sole charge of the Mystic Tortoise, while he himself remained aboard this ship.

After all, this ship was their spoil of war, and he did not know a single crew member aboard it. Having a Soul Emperor like himself oversee it was the safest arrangement.

At that moment, the Morning Sun finally rose completely above the horizon, casting countless golden rays across the vast sea.

The two ships, one before the other, raised their sails and set sail once more toward Xiling Harbor.

The sails on the masts billowed in the morning breeze, while the bows cleaved through the azure seawater, leaving behind two white wakes that gradually receded into the distance.