Time and again, he exploited his dead wife to cultivate an image of himself as a devoted and faithful man. What a sanctimonious hypocrite Clear Sky Douluo was. The irony was almost laughable.
Leaving Ah Yin aside for now, Lin Ye looked toward the stone wall. The most important reason he had come was to get Ah Yin's Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone.
Before long, Lin Ye noticed a hollow near the top of the wall.
"Bing'er, there should be a box in there. Help me get it."
Normally, Ice Empress might have snapped back at him, but she had just gotten Little Money, and she was in a great mood. She got to work without a single complaint.
She faced the stone wall and struck it with another punch.
Stone chips flew everywhere. The entire cave shook, as if a magnitude-ten earthquake had struck.
Up close, Lin Ye felt the tremors keenly. His eyelid twitched. This woman was a little too violent.
A large black box tumbled out of the hollow in the wall. Lin Ye reacted quickly, reaching out with both hands to catch it.
He eagerly opened the box. The instant it came open, a vast wave of life energy washed over him. Feeling it, Lin Ye felt refreshed from head to toe, and the fatigue from days of travel eased considerably.
Inside the box was the Hundred-Thousand-Year Right Leg Bone that had been produced when the Blue Silver Emperor died. The bone was a translucent blue-gold throughout, as if tiny stars glimmered within it. It radiated an abundant life energy.
The people present all reacted differently to the Soul Bone.
Xiao Wu reacted the most. She hadn't expected to find a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Bone in a place like this. She also couldn't understand how Lin Ye knew exactly where it was.
Snow Empress and Ice Empress remained silent.
Lin Qiu'er, meanwhile, was completely unconcerned. She lay over Xiao Wu's shoulder, eyes half closed and looking listless.
With a rush of excitement, Lin Ye carefully lifted the Soul Bone out of the box and pressed it against his right leg.
Buzz!
The moment it touched him, the Soul Bone quietly disappeared, transforming into countless streams of blue energy that clung to his right leg.
Then a cool sensation quietly seeped into his leg from all directions.
Cool and soothing, with not the slightest resistance.
Lin Ye absorbed Ah Yin's Soul Bone right there in the open, without the slightest shame. He was practically flaunting it.
On the little mound, the Blue Silver Grass swayed incessantly, as though condemning Lin Ye for his shameless behavior.
No matter how hard it tried, though, it couldn't stop that Little Bandit from claiming its remains.
Half an hour later, the Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Bone countless Soul Masters dreamed of had become part of Lin Ye.
He had known for a long time what this Soul Bone would give him, but now that it was finally his, Lin Ye still couldn't contain his excitement.
After successfully absorbing the Soul Bone, his Soul Power had reached Level 20.
He should have gained even more, but since Lin Ye hadn't obtained his Second Soul Ring yet, the extra Soul Power had been held back.
Once he obtained his Second Soul Ring, that stored-up Soul Power would burst forth. It should raise Lin Ye by at least two or three levels.
Besides the increase in Soul Power, there were also the Soul Skills.
The Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone had given Lin Ye two Soul Skills.
"Wildfire cannot be extinguished; the spring breeze brings it back to life."
A healing skill, with absolutely top-notch restorative power. It could even reattach severed hands and feet. It was almost too useful.
The other skill was Flight.
The only Soul Skill produced by a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone was Flight. He had to admit, it was a little underwhelming.
Once Soul Masters reached the Titled Douluo rank, they could fly anyway. They had no use for a Soul Skill like this.
But there was nothing to be done about it. He could only accept reality.
Fortunately, flying with the help of a Soul Bone consumed very little Soul Power.
Until he reached the Titled Douluo rank, it would still be useful.
After putting away the Soul Bone, Lin Ye walked to Ah Yin in the middle of the Stone Room. He crouched down and dug at the soil with both hands, carefully unearthing the seemingly fragile Blue Silver Grass.
Then he took out a flowerpot, placed Ah Yin inside, and filled it back up with some soil.
And so, Lin Ye came away with a potted plant and a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone. Congratulations were in order.
"I'm so proud of myself... so proud of myself..." Lin Ye hummed cheerfully.
Before leaving, he didn't forget to leave a message for Tang Hao on the stone wall.
"Tang Hao, your wife is beautiful. I'll help her grow faster, then dote on her every day once she takes human form. No need to thank me. A brother's wife is fair game. I'm a good person.
"Also, consider the Soul Bone a dowry you gave her. Thank you for the gift, Clear Sky Crown!
"One day, I hope Xiao San will call me Dad too."
Who knew what Tang Hao would think when he saw that? Just imagining it made Lin Ye happy. He left in high spirits, having gained so much.
"I'm so proud of myself... so proud of myself..."
His humming echoed through the empty cave.
Once they left the cave, Lin Ye didn't ask Snow Empress to carry her this time.
Blue Silver Emperor Soul Bone Skill—Flight.
At that moment, Lin Ye felt as if he had lost all his weight. He gave his right leg a little push, and his body floated into the air.
Then he darted and spun through the sky, having the time of his life.
Lin Ye laughed again and again. He was truly, purely happy, without a trace of anything more complicated.
At the same time, it stirred memories deep in his mind.
He remembered watching Sun Wukong's Cloud Somersault in Journey to the West as a child and telling his parents he wanted to learn it. They had burst out laughing.
He still remembered declaring with complete confidence that he would learn the Cloud Somersault within three years.
Back then, three years had seemed like forever. With that much time, what couldn't he accomplish?
Looking back as an adult, he couldn't help laughing at himself.
Humans had always longed to fly. Now, Lin Ye had done it.
Soaring between heaven and earth, he felt as if the whole world lay spread beneath his feet. The wind roared past his ears, and his body was so light he seemed to merge with it.
The boundless sky seemed to widen his soul, too. All his worries and constraints were cast far beyond the clouds.
Soul Hunting Forest.
Yu Xiaogang had been unconscious for three whole days, feverish the entire time. Tang San could only pour a little water down his throat.
"What happened to me?" Yu Xiaogang murmured as he came to, his voice hoarse.
His weakened body had not an ounce of strength. His vision blurred, and the world spun around him until he couldn't tell which way was which. Even lifting a hand was a struggle.
"Teacher, you're awake?" Tang San hurried to his side.
Yu Xiaogang managed to turn his head and look at his right arm. "Xiao San, did you treat the poison for me?"
"Yes. My father taught me how to treat poison injuries when I was little." Tang San nodded slightly, seeming rather downcast.
"I never thought I'd end up needing you to save me, your teacher." Yu Xiaogang lamented inwardly. Yu Xiaogang, Yu Xiaogang, why are you so useless? You took your disciple to get a Soul Ring, and yet you needed him to protect you instead.
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