Ye Xuan was currently immersing himself in comprehending the Soul Skills granted by the Million Year Soul Bone of the Evil Eye Holy King.
"I never expected the Evil Eye Holy King's Million Year Soul Bone to grant me two active Soul Skills and one passive effect. And the effects of these two External Palm Bones seem far stronger than those of the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear's External Soul Bone."
Feeling the new abilities the Soul Bone had brought him, he could clearly sense the vigorous, surging Bloodline Power coursing through his veins.
The Holy King Torso Bone had granted him two active Soul Skills.
The first was called "Wrath of God."
Its effect was simple and brutally direct: it instantly increased all his attributes by 100% and lasted a full half-hour. The ability had no side effects, and in principle, as long as he had enough Soul Power, he could maintain it indefinitely.
The second was called "Primal Regression." This ability worked on the Soul Beasts he had subdued, and its effect was just as simple and brutally direct: it greatly enhanced the Bloodline Power within a subdued Soul Beast and increased all its attributes by 80%.
The third Soul Skill was a passive effect called "Might of God," a kind of evolvable domain ability.
As his strength increased, the area covered by "Might of God" would continue to expand.
With his current cultivation at the peak of level 46, as a Soul Ancestor, he could cover a radius of 450 meters.
Within the domain, all of Ye Xuan's attributes increased by 10%.
At the same level, all allied units' attributes increased by 5%, while all enemy units' attributes decreased by 10%.
If an enemy or ally was too powerful, the effect would be greatly reduced.
But against Soul Masters below his level, the domain exerted absolute suppression.
Feeling the rich rewards he had gained this time, Ye Xuan couldn't keep the grin off his face.
Hu Liena, dangling from Ghost Douluo's hand, happened to notice Ye Xuan's beaming expression. Curiosity rose in her charming eyes.
"Junior Brother, you seem really happy. Did you find something good in the Holy King Ruins?"
Hearing Hu Liena's question, Ye Xuan decided to keep her guessing.
"Senior Sister, what would you say if I told you that the one who obtained the Holy King's inheritance wasn't one of those useless members of the Star Luo Imperial Family? Would you be surprised?"
"What? You're saying the person who obtained the Holy King's inheritance wasn't a disciple of the Star Luo Imperial Family?"
The conversation between Ye Xuan and Hu Liena caught the attention of Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo as well.
They hadn't entered the ruins, so they didn't know exactly what had happened inside.
"Mm... To be precise, no one inherited the Evil Eye Holy King's legacy. And the strange phenomena Elder Yue Guan and Elder Gui Mei witnessed weren't caused by someone obtaining the Holy King's inheritance."
At his words, suspicion appeared on the faces of both Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo.
After all, they had both clearly seen the Holy King's might shroud the entire Star Luo Imperial City.
"No one obtained the inheritance? Then why is everyone saying that strange celestial phenomena appeared?"
Hu Liena's beautiful eyes, as limpid as autumn waters, were filled with confusion.
"It's simple. The whole commotion was caused by Tian Meng. While we were trapped in the Evil Eye Holy King's illusion, he struck some kind of deal with it."
At that, Hu Liena wasn't the only one itching to know more. Yue Guan and Gui Mei were just as curious.
"A deal?"
"What deal?!"
Seeing her eager, inquisitive look, Ye Xuan's lips curved slightly.
"Simple. He had the Evil Eye Holy King's divine sense offer itself to me."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Yue Guan and Gui Mei looked as if they'd seen a ghost. They lurched sideways, nearly dropping him and Hu Liena from the sky.
"Ahem. Of course, a remnant soul alone couldn't sustain its consciousness, so Tian Meng had it use a ten-thousand-year-level Evil Eye White Tiger Torso Bone as a vessel."
"The process of merging with it was much the same as when I subdued Ah Yin. After it offered itself to me, I used the power of the Soul Bone to help it form a body..."
By this point, Ye Xuan's mouth was starting to feel dry.
"Ahem."
"Anyway, that's what happened. What you saw outside the ruins should have been the Evil Eye Holy King offering itself to me, along with the spectacle caused by my absorption of the Soul Bone."
Ye Xuan's words left all three of them frozen in place.
Good grief.
Other people came here seeking opportunities. And him?
He'd coaxed the Evil Eye Holy King's remnant soul into "joining the team with its own funding," then talked it into becoming his henchman while taking everything he could along the way.
"One more thing. I'm already at the peak of level 46, so my cultivation is almost on par with Senior Sister's."
At that, the three fell silent. The silence was deafening.
He had entered the Holy King Ruins at the peak of level 39 and left at the peak of level 46.
In just half a day, he'd broken through seven levels and subdued the Evil Eye Holy King as his underling.
Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo exchanged a glance. They could both see the helplessness in each other's eyes.
At Ye Xuan's age, they'd only been around level 28. Back then, they'd both been hailed as once-in-a-century Soul Master prodigies.
But him? The peak of level 46—he'd left them both two major ranks behind.
The Star Luo Empire was a long way from Spirit Hall. Even Yue Guan and Gui Mei, Super Douluos at level 95, had spent an entire day traveling.
Evening.
Spirit Hall.
Yue Guan, Gui Mei, Ye Xuan, and Hu Liena entered the Pope Palace together.
After briefly reporting what had happened, Yue Guan and Gui Mei turned and left.
When Bibi Dong learned that Ye Xuan had talked the Evil Eye Holy King into offering itself to him and had also obtained a hundred-thousand-year torso bone, admiration and curiosity filled her gaze.
"Ye Xuan, is what Yue Guan and the others told me true?"
"Teacher, there isn't a single false word in what Elder Yue Guan and the others said. This disciple really did strike a deal with the Evil Eye Holy King's remnant soul, and I've also fused with a top-quality torso bone."
"Oh? Can you show me?"
"Of course."
Without hesitation, Ye Xuan took off his cloak and outer robe, revealing his perfectly proportioned, streamlined physique.
He stood tall and strong, with broad shoulders and a thick back tapering into an inverted triangle.
His waist was lean and firm, his thighs powerfully built, and his calves solid. His sinews and bones were hard as iron, as if he were brimming with boundless explosive power.
Behind him, a faint, luminous white phantom of a tiger's roar emerged along his spine. A wave of surging, intensely yang Bloodline Power instantly enveloped half the Pope Palace.
"Teacher, this is the Holy King Torso Bone the Evil Eye Holy King fused with me. The Soul Bone's quality was so high, however, that its excess energy condensed into two External Palm Bones."
Before you continue