Soul Ancestor

As for the changes he couldn't immediately make sense of, Wang Chuan didn't dwell on them, instead turning his gaze back to the Great Strength Apes that had already fled some distance away.

With a thought, Wang Chuan connected his consciousness completely with Jin Lin and told it to unleash its full power to test the effects of this second spirit skill.

Jin Lin received the order immediately, and a ten-thousand-year Spirit Ring manifested behind its head.

Second Spirit Skill: Roaring Dragon Rage! Activate!

Jin Lin suddenly opened its mouth, and a terrifying sonic wave capable of distorting the very air roared out, charging straight toward the fleeing pack of Great Strength Apes!

The outcome was obvious.

How could the Great Strength Apes, which were not known for their speed, outrun a sonic attack traveling at the speed of sound? They were instantly struck by the sound waves, which were imbued with mental attacks.

In an instant, accompanied by a chorus of miserable shrieks, the Great Strength Apes' eyes rolled back, and after tumbling forward for a good distance, they lay motionless on the ground.

A moment later, Spirit Rings, some purple and some black, condensed above the bodies of these Spirit Beasts.

Wang Chuan scanned the scene, silently lamenting that the heavens were truly unfair to the Spirit Beast clan; they couldn't even manage to play dead.

However, Wang Chuan felt no pity for this slaughter.

After all, they were the ones who chose to make an enemy of him, and it was clear that this desolate mountain was not their territory to begin with.

If they went looking for trouble, they deserved to die!

But just as Wang Chuan turned to help Zhao Wuji treat his injuries, he paused, his eyes filled with undisguised surprise.

"What kind of day is it today? Why are the drops coming one after another?"

Wang Chuan muttered, then pushed off the ground, moving with near-teleporting speed to stand before the largest Great Strength Ape.

With a swift motion, he cut into its abdomen and pulled out a brown spirit bone with the texture of jade.

Wang Chuan wasn't a professional appraiser, but he could tell it was likely a right arm bone.

He took another look at the Great Strength Ape to confirm its age characteristics, finally determining that this was a twenty-thousand-year-old right arm bone.

Wang Chuan then suddenly realized that while he had dietary restrictions regarding humanoid creatures, Jin Lin did not.

He instructed Jin Lin to head back first and eat the Dragon-Headed Jackal King inside the cave.

Well, leaving a leg for him to have a taste, of course.

Then, it could come back to dispose of these carcasses.

After issuing the orders, Wang Chuan walked over to Zhao Wuji.

Although they didn't have a healing-type Spirit Master with them, relying on their knowledge of their own bodies, it was quite simple to use spirit power to clear out stagnant blood and the like.

In just this short while, Zhao Wuji's face had recovered somewhat, and upon seeing Wang Chuan, he revealed an honest, simple smile.

"Congratulations, Boss. A ten-thousand-year second spirit ring—if you told people about this achievement, I don't know how many Spirit Masters would be scared senseless."

"Just luck, keep it low-key, keep it low-key."

Wang Chuan responded modestly, then mobilized the Bloodline Power absorbed from Jin Lin to help Zhao Wuji recover from his injuries quickly.

At the same time, Wang Chuan complained to Zhao Wuji.

"It's not that I'm nagging you, Old Zhao, but how were you fighting just now? You've been with me for so long, don't you know that to capture the bandits, you must first capture the leader!

What was the point of beating a few weak Great Strength Apes to death?

If you're going to fight, you should aim for their leader! It's best if you kill it!

For Spirit Beasts that operate in groups, once their leader is dead, they naturally become a scattered mess. At that point, you can handle them however you like."

Facing Wang Chuan's criticism, Zhao Wuji scratched his head sheepishly and accepted the advice, though he still subconsciously defended himself.

"I was just worried about you, Boss. I was afraid they would disturb you while you were absorbing the spirit ring, so I panicked and ended up like this.

It won't happen next time, so please stop lecturing me. I know I was wrong."

For a moment, Wang Chuan was so touched he was left speechless, finally saying dryly.

"Just be careful next time."

After finishing the treatment of their injuries, Wang Chuan and Zhao Wuji hurriedly left the Mixed Zone and returned to the outer perimeter, which posed no danger to either of them, before setting up camp.

As for their dinner, it was naturally the leg of the Dragon-Headed Jackal King that Wang Chuan had specifically told Jin Lin to leave behind.

This was the flesh and blood of a top-tier Sub-Dragon; it would be such a waste to just refine it into Bloodline Power. For such a rare delicacy, one had to at least have a taste, right?

Moreover, Wang Chuan had long discovered that compared to tigers, pigs, or bears, the flesh of dragon-type creatures generally had a quality similar to chicken.

Less gamey, higher energy!

So, Wang Chuan decided on the simplest cooking method: roasting.

He roasted it over a fierce fire while slicing it with a small knife, then dipped the pieces into a sauce made from local wild vegetables.

The taste was absolutely authentic!

Just like that, Wang Chuan and Zhao Wuji ate bite after bite, and in no time at all, the large leg of the Dragon-Headed Jackal King had entered their stomachs, leaving both of them with full, rounded bellies.

Feeling the energy continuously nourishing their bodies from within, both of them wore expressions of indescribable satisfaction.

Just then, Wang Chuan spoke up.

"Old Zhao, I have two spirit bones here; you should absorb them."

Having gone through a fierce battle and traveled for half the day, Zhao Wuji's mind was spinning, and for a moment, he didn't quite hear what Wang Chuan had said.

So, he replied in a daze.

"What... marrow? Boss, I can't absorb anything else. If you want to absorb them, do it yourself."

Wang Chuan's mouth twitched upon hearing this.

Without hesitation, he took the two spirit bones harvested today from his storage soul tool and tossed them onto Zhao Wuji's stomach.

Zhao Wuji was instantly jolted awake by the impact.

He then held the two spirit bones in his hands, looking completely at a loss.

Glancing at Wang Chuan and then back at the two spirit bones in his hands, Zhao Wuji stammered.

"This... spirit bones!? Boss... I... I..."

Suddenly receiving such a windfall, Zhao Wuji was completely at a loss for words. One had to know that in this era, spirit bones were known as the Blood River Treasure, which spoke volumes of their rarity.

However, Wang Chuan simply waved his hand.

"If I say they're yours, they're yours. You are my brother; what's two spirit bones? Isn't the bond between us worth more than two spirit bones?

But you aren't in good condition right now, so go get some rest. Wait until you're rested and clear-headed tomorrow to absorb them."

Zhao Wuji fell into a brief silence, and in the end, he said nothing, silently tucking the two spirit bones into his own storage soul tool.

It is worth mentioning that because of their hunting over the past four years, in addition to harvesting spirit beast meat in the Sunset Forest, the two had also encountered some deceased spirit masters; the soul tool on Zhao Wuji's person had been obtained from them.

The next day—

After a good night's sleep, Zhao Wuji absorbed both arm bones into his body while at his peak state the following day.

The left arm bone provided by the Dragon-Headed Jackal King granted Zhao Wuji a spirit bone skill called Explosive Flame Heavy Fist, allowing him to unleash a heavy punch that burned everything in its path.

The right arm bone provided by the Great Strength Ape granted Zhao Wuji a purely augmentation-based spirit bone skill, allowing him to increase his strength by one hundred percent for half an hour.

It could be said that with these two spirit bones, Zhao Wuji's combat power had received an epic boost.

At the same time, because both spirit bones were being absorbed for the first time, combined with his cultivation over the past four years, Zhao Wuji's soul power level suddenly broke through to level forty.