After cleaning Mu En's wounds, the grandfather and grandson both turned to look at the Star-Glory Unicorn's corpse on the ground.
A Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast was guaranteed to produce a soul bone.
This was an unshakable iron law of the Soul Master world, proven over countless centuries. No one would stand on ceremony at a time like this.
Mu En bent down and rummaged around, pulling out a bone that glowed with a faint golden sheen from beneath the unicorn's golden body.
He weighed it in his palm, then tossed it to Mu Tianyi.
Mu Tianyi caught it and looked down. It was a left leg bone, its surface smooth as jade, with faint golden patterns flowing within it like preserved liquid slowly drifting about.
"Not bad luck. It's a left leg bone." Mu En sounded somewhat satisfied. "Your right leg has already absorbed the Hell Demon Dragon's soul bone. With this one, you'll have a complete set of leg soul bones."
Mu Tianyi held the soul bone and was just about to speak.
Then, from the corner of his eye, he suddenly spotted an unusual glimmer among the pile of scattered rocks beside the Star-Glory Unicorn's corpse.
He crouched down, brushed aside the rubble, and picked up a broken horn.
It was the very horn Mu En had snapped off earlier.
The broken horn was about half a foot long, amber-colored somewhere between gold and silver. Its internal patterns were dense like blood vessels, while the fractured end still glimmered faintly, as if it retained the unicorn's last remnants of life force.
Holding it in his hand, Mu Tianyi could clearly sense the energy contained within the horn.
That energy was not dead. It was alive, like something still dormant within.
"Hm? No way! It's actually an External Soul Bone!" Mu En's voice came from behind him, carrying a trace of surprise.
Mu Tianyi turned to glance at him. The old man was staring at the broken horn in his hand, his gaze holding a rare degree of seriousness.
Mu En walked over, took the broken horn from him, examined it from every angle, then nodded in confirmation. "That's right. It's an External Soul Bone."
"When the Star-Glory Unicorn used its dragon transformation earlier, it activated the Bright Sacred Dragon bloodline within its body. That horn was where its bloodline was most concentrated. After I broke it off, the essence didn't disperse. Instead, it solidified into a soul bone."
External Soul Bones were second only to Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bones in rarity, but in some ways, they were even more valuable.
That was because they could grow. An ordinary soul bone remained whatever age it was when absorbed and would not change afterward.
External Soul Bones were different. They grew alongside their owners. If nurtured properly, it was not impossible for one to evolve from ten thousand years to one hundred thousand years.
Of course, the cost was considerable. Nurturing one required vast resources and also placed high demands on the Soul Master's cultivation progress.
Mu Tianyi took the broken horn back from Mu En and rubbed the amber sheen on its surface with his thumb.
To him, this thing was far more valuable than the left leg bone.
At Mu En's signal, he stored the broken horn in his storage Soul Tool.
He had originally planned to absorb the left leg bone here, but now Mu Tianyi felt it would be better to return as quickly as possible.
A man's only crime was possessing a treasure.
But with Mu En here, even if I'm guilty, you can bear it for me.
PS: I simply didn't want to pad the word count by writing an absorption scene. I'm such a good author ₍ᵔ･•･ᵔ₎
The two did not linger in the valley.
After a brief rest, the grandfather and grandson set off.
They flew for half a day, and the outer reaches of the Jingyang Mountain Range were soon in sight.
The dense forest below gradually thinned, while plains could faintly be seen in the distance.
Just then, an intense fluctuation of Soul Power came from the northeast, as though someone was fighting.
Mu En and Mu Tianyi almost simultaneously turned to look in that direction.
The Bright Sacred Dragon martial soul was far more sensitive to evil auras than ordinary people.
That Soul Power fluctuation was mixed with dense darkness and bloodlust, like ink dropped into clear water. Even from far away, they could sense its nauseating stench.
Mu En did not hesitate. He changed direction and flew northeast, saying calmly, "Come on. Let's take a look."
His position as commander of the Shrek Supervisory Corps was not merely for show.
Killing Evil Soul Masters was the Supervision Group's duty to begin with. Since they had encountered them, there was no reason to take a detour.
Mu Tianyi followed, his heart unruffled.
Evil Soul Masters were the sort that needed to be cleaned up whenever encountered. It was a simple enough task, and with Xuan Zu present, he would not even need to lift a hand.
After the time it took to drink a cup of tea, the grandfather and grandson arrived near the battlefield.
They landed atop a towering tree canopy and clearly saw the situation below.
Four black-robed men were slaughtering a group of Soul Beasts.
More accurately, it did not resemble hunting at all. It was more like some kind of bloody ritual.
More than a dozen Soul Beast corpses lay strewn across the ground, their blood flowing into rivers. Several that had not yet died twitched in the pools of blood.
The four black-robed men each crouched beside a corpse, their hands pressed against the Soul Beasts' wounds. Dark red blood was visibly drawn from the bodies and flowed along their arms into their own.
Three of them had Soul Rings glowing around their bodies, all at the Soul Sage level: two yellow, two purple, and three black.
Yet their Soul Rings carried an unnatural darkness, as if they had been tainted by something.
A burly black-robed man stood up, licked the blood remaining at the corner of his mouth, and frowned.
"Breaking through is such a pain. I had to come out and hunt Soul Beasts. It's been days since I drank human blood. Soul Beast blood just doesn't hit the same."
A thin companion beside him agreed. "Exactly. Soul Beast blood is fishy and bitter. How can it compare to human blood?"
"In a couple days, we'll head back to the city and have a good feast." He gave a couple of low chuckles as he spoke.
The other two said nothing, but the lingering desire on their faces made it obvious that they shared the same thoughts.
Standing atop the canopy, Mu Tianyi looked at the four black-robed men below, and his gaze turned cold.
Drinking Soul Beast blood was one thing, but they even claimed human blood tasted better.
For such words to come from human mouths was itself an insult to the word "human."
He turned his head and glanced at Mu En. The old man's expression was blank. His silver-white hair was swept up by the mountain wind, his robes snapping loudly as faint golden light began to gather around him.
Almost at the same moment, the black-robed men rose and prepared to leave.
The leader had barely taken a step when his body suddenly stiffened. His pupils abruptly lost focus, and he fell straight down like a chopped log.
"Who?!"
The other three retreated at once, their Soul Rings flashing wildly as they looked around in panic.
They saw nothing. They had not even sensed where the attack had come from.
"Evil Soul Masters dare to remain alive in this world?"
An aged voice came from every direction, neither loud nor soft.
Yet it seemed to press down from the heavens and rise from the earth. Every word slammed into the three men's chests, sending their blood and energy churning.
Mu En appeared at the edge of the clearing, his silver-white hair moving without wind, his robes snapping sharply. He looked at the three pale-faced black-robed men with a gaze as calm as if he were looking at three corpses.
Before you continue