Absorbing External Soul Bone, Encountering an Evil Soul Master

After cleaning the wounds for Mu En, the grandfather and grandson turned their gazes in unison toward the carcass of the Star-Glory Unicorn on the ground.

A Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast will always yield a soul bone.

This is an ironclad rule that has held true in the world of Soul Masters for thousands of years; no one would be polite enough to pass that up at a time like this.

Mu En bent down to rummage through the remains, pulling a bone that shimmered with a pale golden luster from beneath the golden-hued body.

He weighed it in his palm for a moment before tossing it to Mu Tianyi.

Mu Tianyi caught it and looked down. It was a left leg bone, its surface as smooth as jade, with golden veins faintly pulsing within, as if liquid were slowly flowing through a sealed vessel.

"Good luck, it's a left leg bone." Mu En's tone held a hint of satisfaction. "Your right leg has already absorbed the soul bone of a Hell Demon Dragon; with this one, your pair of leg soul bones is complete."

Mu Tianyi gripped the soul bone, about to speak.

His peripheral vision suddenly caught a different kind of light amidst the pile of rubble scattered beside the Star-Glory Unicorn's corpse.

He crouched down, brushed away the debris, and picked up a broken horn.

It was the very one Mu En had snapped off earlier.

The broken horn was about half a foot long, its entire body a shade of amber between gold and silver. The internal texture was dense, like blood vessels, and the jagged edge was still glowing faintly, as if the last of the unicorn's life force remained trapped within.

Mu Tianyi held it in his hand and could clearly perceive the energy contained within the horn.

That energy was not dead; it was active, like something still slumbering.

"Hmm? No way! It's actually an External Soul Bone!" Mu En's voice came from behind him, his tone laced with surprise.

Mu Tianyi looked back at him. The old man was staring at the broken horn in his hand, his eyes uncharacteristically serious.

Mu En walked over, took the broken horn from his hand, examined it thoroughly, and nodded in confirmation: "That's right, it's an External Soul Bone."

"When the Star-Glory Unicorn used its Dragon Transformation earlier, it stimulated the Bright Sacred Dragon bloodline within its body. That horn was the point where its bloodline essence was most concentrated. After I broke it off, the essence didn't dissipate; instead, it solidified into a soul bone."

The value of an External Soul Bone is second only to a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone, but in some respects, it is even rarer.

Because it can grow. A normal soul bone is fixed at whatever age it was when it dropped; it will not change after being absorbed.

An External Soul Bone is different. It grows alongside its master. If cultivated properly, it is not impossible for it to evolve from a ten-thousand-year level to a hundred-thousand-year level.

Of course, the cost is not small. Cultivating it requires vast resources, and it places high demands on the Soul Master's own rate of cultivation.

Mu Tianyi took the broken horn back from Mu En, his fingertips tracing the amber luster on its surface.

In his eyes, this thing was worth far more than that left leg bone.

At Mu En's signal, he stored the broken horn into his Soul Tool.

He had originally intended to absorb the left leg bone right here, but now, Mu Tianyi felt it was better to head back quickly.

An innocent man is innocent, but holding a treasure is a crime.

However, with Mu En around, even if I am guilty, you'll just have to deal with it.

PS: I simply didn't want to waste word count writing the bone-absorption scene. I really am a good author ₍ᵔ･•･ᵔ₎

The two did not linger in the valley.

After a brief rest, the grandfather and grandson set off to leave.

They flew for half a day, and the outskirts of the Jingyang Mountain Range were already in sight.

The dense forest beneath their feet gradually thinned, and the plains in the distance were faintly visible.

Just then, a violent fluctuation of soul power erupted from the northeast, as if someone were in battle.

Mu En and Mu Tianyi turned their heads toward that direction almost simultaneously.

The sensitivity of the Bright Sacred Dragon martial soul to evil auras far exceeded that of ordinary people.

That fluctuation of soul power was mixed with a thick, bloody darkness, like ink dropped into clear water; one could smell the nauseating stench from far away.

Mu En did not hesitate. He changed direction and flew toward the northeast, his tone flat: "Let's go take a look."

His status as the leader of the Shrek Supervisory Corps was not just for show.

Slaying Evil Soul Masters was the duty of the Supervisory Corps; there was no reason to take a detour when encountering them.

Mu Tianyi followed, his heart calm.

Evil Soul Masters were the sort of thing you cleaned up when you ran into them—a simple task. Besides, with Xuan Zu present, he didn't even need to lift a finger.

Within the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, the two arrived near the battlefield.

They landed on the canopy of a tall tree, looking down to see the situation below clearly.

Four figures in black robes were slaughtering a group of soul beasts.

To be precise, it didn't look like hunting; it looked more like some kind of bloody ritual.

Over a dozen soul beast carcasses lay scattered on the ground, blood flowing like a river, with a few still-breathing beasts twitching in the pool of gore.

Each of the four black-robed figures crouched beside a corpse, hands pressed against the beasts' wounds. Dark red blood was being extracted from the soul beasts at a visible rate, flowing along their arms and into their bodies.

Each of the three had soul rings lit up—all of them were Soul Saints, with the standard two yellow, two purple, and three black rings.

But those soul ring colors were permeated with an unnatural darkness, as if they had been tainted by something.

A burly figure in a black robe stood up, licked the residual blood from the corner of his mouth, and frowned, "Breaking through is such a hassle; having to run out to hunt souls. I haven't tasted human blood in days. Beast blood just doesn't hit the same."

A thin companion beside him chimed in, "You're telling me. Beast blood is so fishy and astringent; it's nowhere near as smooth as human blood."

"Wait a couple of days, and we'll head back to the city for a proper feast," he said, chuckling.

The other two didn't respond, but judging by their lingering expressions, they clearly shared the same sentiment.

Mu Tianyi stood atop the canopy, watching the four black-robed figures below, his gaze turning cold.

Consuming beast blood was one thing, but to claim human blood tasted better?

For such words to come out of a human mouth was an insult to the very word "human."

He tilted his head to look at Mu En. The old man was expressionless, his silver-white hair whipped by the mountain wind, his robes snapping loudly as a faint golden light began to coalesce around him.

Almost at the same moment, the black-robed figures rose to leave.

The leader had barely taken a step when his body suddenly stiffened, his pupils dilated sharply, and he collapsed straight down like a felled log.

"Who?!"

The remaining three retreated simultaneously, their soul rings flashing wildly as they looked around in confusion.

They saw nothing; they hadn't even sensed which direction the attack had come from.

"Evil Soul Masters, do you even deserve to live in this world?"

The aged voice surged from all directions, neither loud nor soft.

Yet it felt as if it were pressing down from the heavens and rising from the depths of the earth, each word slamming into their chests, shaking their blood and qi into turmoil.

Mu En's figure appeared at the edge of the clearing, his silver-white hair moving without wind, his robes snapping. He looked at the three pale-faced Evil Soul Masters, his gaze as calm as if he were looking at three corpses.