Fifty Thousand Year Old Merman Skull! [Seeking Follow-ups]

Ning Yunche slowly closed his eyes, forcibly suppressing his surging emotions.

When he opened them again, he had already regained his composure:

"Your Excellency, the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect is willing to pay any price to obtain this immortal herb. Please name your terms."

Mu En smiled slightly, no longer beating around the bush: "Two conditions."

"First, I want that ownerless Soul Bone your sect has passed down for thousands of years."

"Second, from this day forward, on all matters concerning the Sun Moon Empire, the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect must align its stance with Shrek Academy."

The moment these words fell, Ning Yunche's expression changed drastically.

Xia Ming, standing to the side, felt very puzzled.

Xia Ming, standing to the side, keenly captured the struggle that flashed through the Sect Master's eyes.

What kind of Soul Bone could be so highly valued by a Limit Douluo like Mu En that he would even trade an immortal herb for it?

And what could make the Sect Master of the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect—a man who possessed the wealth of the world and ten thousand years of heritage—show such an expression?

Could it be a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone? Xia Ming guessed to himself.

"It seems you are confused." Mu En turned his head to look at Xia Ming, his voice remaining very gentle.

"Within the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, there is a head Soul Bone hidden that has been passed down for over five thousand years."

"Because its absorption requirements are extremely harsh, no one has been able to fuse with it to this day."

"This bone is too precious; every generation of the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect has strictly sealed the information, not daring to leak a single detail."

"Otherwise, even with Titled Douluos guarding them, they might not be able to protect such a supreme treasure."

Xia Ming's pupils constricted: "A Soul Bone that even the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect cannot protect—what level must that be?"

Mu En's gaze was profound as he spoke slowly:

"I can tell you this, but you must never spread it."

"Otherwise, even with the protection of Shrek, it would be difficult to stop the world's soul masters from taking such a risk."

Hearing this, Xia Ming nodded solemnly, indicating that he would absolutely not speak of it.

"Good." Mu En lowered his voice and informed Xia Ming:

"That is a head Soul Bone from a five-hundred-thousand-year-old sea soul beast, and it belonged to the mermaid race."

A five-hundred-thousand-year-old mermaid skull!

Xia Ming gasped.

A five-hundred-thousand-year-old sea soul beast was comparable to a human Limit Douluo in the ocean!

Furthermore, the mermaid race were inherently spiritual-type soul beasts; the value of this skull was simply immeasurable.

Could it be... the husband of the Sea Princess? This shocking thought flashed through Xia Ming's mind.

If that were true, both husband and wife were at the limit level, perhaps not even weaker than the Evil Emperor.

If they joined forces, even if all the experts of the current age gathered, they might not necessarily gain an advantage.

Of course, if the Martial Soul Fusion Skill of Mu En and Long Xiaoyao could still be performed, that would be a different matter.

"It was not obtained by killing," Mu En said, seeing his suspicion and explaining:

"About five thousand years ago, a Sea God Pavilion Master of our Shrek and the Guardian Douluo of the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect at that time..."

"Happened to encounter that mermaid failing its six-hundred-thousand-year heavenly tribulation, leaving only this bone floating in the sea."

"It was only through the combined efforts of those two predecessors that they were able to bring it back."

So that was it; it was purely a matter of chance.

Xia Ming's heart couldn't help but race.

A head Soul Bone from a five-hundred-thousand-year-old spiritual-type soul beast.

Its value was likely more than ten times that of an ordinary Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone!

One could even say that even for Mu En himself, the value of all his Soul Bones combined likely did not equal this skull.

"No wonder it's worth an immortal herb." Xia Ming suddenly realized.

Compared to this skull, the promise Mu En demanded could almost be considered merely incidental.

And such a precious Soul Bone had actually been earmarked for him?

Xia Ming felt moved, but also slightly worried.

He was very clear about his own shortcoming: his spiritual power.

Compared to his strength and defense, which far exceeded his level, his spiritual power—while stronger than soul masters of the same rank—

Was not even worth mentioning compared to Huo Yuhao from the original story, and it was even significantly inferior to average spiritual-type soul masters.

Clearly, this skull was also intended to help him make up for this weakness.

However, if his spiritual power was insufficient, how could he possibly absorb this skull?

After all, the absorption requirements for this soul bone were clearly not low.

Otherwise, it would not have sat in the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect for thousands of years without anyone being able to absorb it.

However, since Mu En had requested such a soul bone for him, there must be a way to absorb it, right?

He looked toward Mu En, his eyes filled with inquiry.

Mu En seemed to sense this, nodding gently at him, his gaze conveying a certainty that required no further words.

Xia Ming felt his heart lighten and turned his attention to Ning Yunche.

At this moment, the Sect Master of the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, after recovering from his initial shock, wore an expression of near-ecstatic excitement.

He barely hesitated, stepping forward, his voice trembling slightly from sheer agitation:

"It's a deal! The skull is in the sect's secret vault; Your Excellency may go and retrieve it at any time! As for the promise to stand with Shrek, my Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect accepts it—we shall not shirk even in the face of death!"

His demeanor did not look at all like someone being extorted for a treasure.

Instead, he looked like a man who had just shed a hot potato he had carried for a thousand years, only to unexpectedly gain the key to his sect's revival.

"Straightforward." Mu En stood up, a sharp glint flashing in his aged eyes. "No time like the present; let us go retrieve the bone now."

He looked at Xia Ming: "You come along as well."

"Yes."

Just as the group prepared to head out, they were called back by Mu En.

"Wait a moment."

The next instant, everyone—including Xia Ming, Zhang Lexuan, Ning Yunche, and Wu Long—felt the scenery before them suddenly blur.

Without even sensing the slightest spatial fluctuation or surge of soul power, they had vanished from the hotel's top floor and appeared out of thin air before a towering mountain gate shrouded in clouds and mist.

"This is the sect's mountain gate!" Wu Long gasped.

Even with his state of mind as a Titled Douluo, he could not suppress the terror rising from the depths of his soul.

While the others were certainly shocked, he alone knew just how astonishing this feat truly was!

To bring others along while crossing such a vast distance in an instant—even a Titled Douluo specialized in space could not achieve this.

Not to mention that the Dragon God before him, whether by his martial soul or his famous techniques, had nothing to do with space.

Is this the power of a Limit Douluo? Compared to ordinary Titled Douluos like them, the difference is truly like heaven and earth.

Ning Yunche was the first to regain his composure.

"Your Excellency, please, come in."

The two disciples guarding the mountain gate only saw a flicker of light, and suddenly several figures appeared before the gate.

One of them grew alert at once, shouting sharply: "Who goes there?"

"It is I."

Ning Yunche stepped forward, revealing his face.

"The Sect Master has returned!" The two disciples were startled and immediately bowed to him.

"At ease." Ning Yunche waved his hand, turning to gesture for Mu En to enter. "Your Excellency, this way."

With the Sect Master and the sect's guardian Douluo leading the way, there were naturally no further interrogations along the path.

The group traveled through the sect, bypassing layers of halls, and finally stopped before an unremarkable stone wall; behind it lay the most precious vault of the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect.

The person guarding this vault was the remaining Titled Douluo of the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, who was already over a hundred years old—hardly any younger than the sect's own Super Douluo.

At this moment, he looked like an old man nearing the end of his life, even older than the rejuvenated Mu En.

"Sect Master."

Seeing Ning Yunche arrive, he nodded slightly, looking at him with a questioning gaze until the other nodded in return.

Immediately after, he turned to Mu En and said solemnly:

"Greetings, Dragon God. I shall open the vault now."

Ning Yunche led the group into the vault, speaking as they walked toward the deepest chamber:

"Everything inside here represents the most precious treasures of my Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect over the past ten thousand years. If Your Excellency desires anything else, please, feel free to take it. To my Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, the value of a single Aromatic Silk Beauty is worth more than everything in this vault combined."

He then turned to Xia Ming and Zhang Lexuan, adding gently: "The same applies to you both; take whatever catches your eye."

The two naturally shook their heads, and Mu En added with a smile: "That will not be necessary. As Shrek Academy has inherited ten thousand years of history, we still possess some foundation of our own."

Ning Yunche nodded, a hint of regret flickering in the depths of his eyes.

He truly wanted to befriend Xia Ming and Zhang Lexuan!

As the Sect Master of the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, he could see at a glance how much importance Mu En placed on them.

Although he did not yet know their specific talents, these two were undoubtedly geniuses whom Shrek Academy valued above all else.

For the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, befriending geniuses had long since become a habit.

The group soon arrived at the deepest part of the treasury, a stone chamber no more than ten zhang square, where the walls were as smooth as mirrors and the floor was spotless.

There was nothing else in the room, save for a three-foot-high square pedestal in the very center.

Atop the pedestal, resting not in a brocade box or under a crystal cover, a bone floated in mid-air.

It was a skull, crystalline and translucent, as if carved from the finest amethyst.

Merely gazing at it from afar, Xia Ming felt as though his consciousness had been cast into a deep, tranquil ocean, a gentle yet boundless pressure quietly creeping into his heart.

"This is that spirit bone."