External Soul Bone

Tang Yin steadied himself in midair, his sharp gaze locked onto the Wolf King below.

He hadn't paid it much attention earlier, but now that he took a closer look, he noticed a small patch of dark-golden fur between the Wolf King's brows.

That wasn't all. An ordinary Shadow Gale Wolf King was indeed larger than other ordinary wolves, but it still wouldn't be nearly a full size bigger than the other wolves, like this one.

It really was a mutant. Its abilities had evolved because of the mutation: concealment had become invisibility, and its speed had increased dramatically.

"This isn't an ordinary Wolf King. It's a mutated Shadow Gale Wolf King, and it's already reached a thousand years!" Tang Yin called down from the air to warn Tang Hao.

Tang Hao was finishing off the last few ordinary Gale Wolves. At Tang Yin's words, he swept his Clear Sky Hammer across, knocking away a wolf lunging at him, then turned to look toward the Wolf King.

The Wolf King's figure blurred once more. The next instant, it appeared directly behind Tang Hao, its claws wrapped in shadowy power as it struck for the back of his heart.

Clearly, seeing that it couldn't do anything to Tang Yin in the air, the Wolf King had decided to use the same trick and ambush Tang Hao.

"Pathetic trick." Tang Hao didn't even turn around. His fourth purple Soul Ring suddenly lit up—Clear Sky Body Protection!

A solid barrier of Soul Power instantly expanded. The Wolf King's claws struck it with a piercing screech, but couldn't break through.

Shock flashed in the Wolf King's eyes. It concealed itself again, trying to escape. But Tang Hao had far too much combat experience; he'd already expected it to use the same trick. His Third Soul Ring lit up right after—Gravity Suppression!

Centered on the Clear Sky Hammer, the gravity within a ten-meter radius suddenly multiplied.

The Wolf King had just begun to conceal itself when the sudden field of gravity dragged at it, slowing its movements.

"Now!" Tang Yin seized the opening. His First Soul Ring lit up—Move Like Thunder!

He plunged downward, his speed boosted by the Soul Skill until he was as fast as lightning. His hand, held behind his back, clenched, and a dagger instantly appeared in it. He aimed straight for the Wolf King's vulnerable waist and abdomen.

This was a common weak point among wolf Soul Beasts, where the bones were relatively fragile.

The Wolf King barely managed to twist aside. Tang Yin's hand blade grazed its back, bringing up a spray of blood.

Awoo—

Tang Yin had chosen the perfect moment to strike. The Wolf King couldn't dodge in time, and a wound deep enough to expose bone appeared across its waist and abdomen.

But the attack had thoroughly enraged it. It threw back its head and howled, Soul Power surging violently around it as it forced itself to use its mutated ability and turn invisible once more, despite its severe injuries.

"Planning to fight to the death? Too bad—I won't give you the chance." Tang Yin knew his ambush had grievously wounded the Wolf King but hadn't killed it outright, so he shot back into the sky the instant his strike landed.

Tang Hao watched from the side, his expression tightening as he murmured, "Bold, yet careful. He understands his own strengths and weaknesses, and he can calmly analyze the situation in battle and respond accordingly."

Tang Hao couldn't help feeling impressed by how exceptional his son was. If Tang Yin had awakened the Clear Sky Hammer Martial Soul, Tang Hao would have considered him a better choice for the person he had in mind.

"But they're siblings, after all. Even if he can't stand his old man, he'll still support Third Sister in the future!"

These thoughts flashed through Tang Hao's mind and disappeared. He looked toward the Shadow Gale Wolf King but made no move to attack.

The Wolf King had taken two of his Soul Skills, then suffered a sneak attack on a vital point from Tang Yin. Even if it wasn't dead yet, it was at the end of its rope. The one who dealt the finishing blow had to be the person who would receive the Soul Ring.

The Shadow Wolf King had clearly used up the last of its strength by forcing its ability. After escaping from Tang Hao and Tang Yin, it made no attempt to attack again. Instead, it gave a long look toward where the cubs had fled, then turned and ran in the opposite direction without looking back.

Tang Yin watched the Wolf King's actions, his eyes narrowing slightly, but then he laughed breezily.

"Why get sentimental at a time like this?" he muttered to himself, watching the Wolf King stagger along. Without the slightest hesitation, he followed after it...

"Pfft—"

A few minutes later, in a dense forest, Tang Yin pulled the dagger from the Wolf King's heart, then drove it into its throat for good measure. Only after confirming that the Wolf King was truly dead did he sit cross-legged and wait for a Soul Ring to appear.

The Wolf King would most likely form a Thousand-Year Soul Ring, but Tang Yin still planned to absorb it. After all, he'd taken Thousand-Year Whale Rubber, and this would only be his second Soul Ring. He had confidence in himself.

Just as he'd expected, a faint purple Soul Ring soon rose from the Wolf King's corpse. Tang Hao, who had followed him, saw it too.

"A Thousand-Year Soul Ring!" Tang Hao's expression darkened as he said gravely, "Give up. It's only just reached a thousand years, but even so, you're a Level 20 Soul Master. You can't absorb it!"

Tang Hao might not know much about theory, but he knew this much. After all, on Douluo Continent, even the most monstrous geniuses had yellow first and second Soul Rings. They only began absorbing Thousand-Year Soul Rings at the third.

"Let's begin." Tang Yin had no intention of responding to Tang Hao. He firmly drew the Soul Ring toward himself and began absorbing it.

"Hmph!" Tang Hao glared when Tang Yin treated his words like they were nothing. But Tang Yin had already begun absorbing the Soul Ring, so all he could do was stop in his tracks.

In Tang Hao's eyes, Tang Yin was as good as done for. He prepared to interrupt the process at any moment; failing to absorb a Soul Ring was still better than dying.

Meanwhile, under Tang Hao's guard, Tang Yin used his Soul Power to draw the purple Soul Ring down toward him.

The moment it touched him, its violent energy rushed into his body—the corrosive force of its shadow attribute and the sharpness of its wind attribute battered his meridians.

Tang Yin groaned. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead, but he steadily guided his Soul Power with the Mysterious Heaven Skill.

Time passed, second by second. In the blink of an eye, it was the next morning.

"He's actually going to succeed?" Tang Hao had kept his eyes on Tang Yin. Now, as Tang Yin's aura gradually stabilized, he stared in disbelief.

A Thousand-Year Second Soul Ring! He'd actually succeeded!

"Could this boy really have such terrifying talent?" Tang Hao's thoughts were in turmoil, his expression shifting. For the first time, he felt regret on Tang Yin's behalf.

"If he had the Clear Sky Hammer, this boy..." As Tang Hao struggled with his thoughts, a sudden change occurred—

The Wolf King's corpse split open along its back, and a pair of bones shrouded in silver-gray mist slowly rose into the air. They had a streamlined, beastlike shape, with dark patterns flowing over their surface. They gave off an energy that came from the same source as the Soul Ring, but was even purer.

"A Soul Bone!" Tang Hao's pupils contracted.

And judging by its shape, this wasn't an ordinary Torso Soul Bone or limb Soul Bone, but an even rarer head External Soul Bone!

The silver-gray bones seemed drawn to Tang Yin and slowly floated toward him, settling against his forehead. The moment they made contact, they "melted" like living creatures and seeped beneath his skin. Tang Yin's whole body convulsed. A tearing pain came from his shoulder blades, as if something were about to burst out of his body.

"Hold on! Guide your Soul Power and fuse with it!" No matter how poor his relationship with Tang Yin was, Tang Hao was deeply anxious now and couldn't help calling out a reminder.

This was an External Soul Bone, something one could only hope to encounter and never seek! How wonderful it would be if Third Sister had gotten it!

But Tang Yin had already begun absorbing the External Soul Bone. Even if Tang Hao wanted to snatch it now, it was too late.

"If you weren't my son, I'd kill you without hesitation, even if I couldn't get the External Soul Bone." Tang Hao's expression darkened as he watched Tang Yin sit with his eyes closed in meditation.

Tang Yin naturally knew nothing of Tang Hao's thoughts.

He gritted his teeth and focused every bit of his concentration on enveloping and absorbing the External Soul Bone with his Soul Power.

He didn't know how long had passed. The pain gradually turned to an itch, then finally became as natural as moving an arm.

At a thought from Tang Yin, silver-gray light welled up between his brows, then formed a wolf-head-shaped mark across his forehead.