People of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect! Return!

The fishing boat slowly sailed back into port.

The Boat Captain did not speak again along the way. He only occasionally stole glances at the profound black figure standing at the bow.

A Titled Douluo.

He had lived for more than fifty years and had seen quite a few Soul Masters in Vast Sea City. He had seen Soul Kings, Soul Emperors, and even Soul Saints.

But this was his first time seeing a Titled Douluo.

And this Titled Douluo was generous with his money, slaughtering a deep-sea behemoth as easily as butchering chickens and dogs, yet not a single drop of seawater had touched him.

The Boat Captain had only one thought: this lord was not someone he could afford to offend.

Dugu Bo paid no attention to the Boat Captain's gaze.

He stood at the bow as the sea breeze stirred his Profound Black Robe. His Dark Golden Dragon Eyes gazed at the harbor gradually coming into view.

Inside the Ruyi Hundred Treasure Pouch, two palm-sized Soul Bones lay quietly.

One was a Right Leg Bone, glowing with a deep blue light, its surface patterned with rippling waves.

The other was an External Soul Bone, shaped like a fish fin, as thin as a cicada's wing and translucent pale blue.

Both Soul Bones had come from the ten-thousand-year sea Soul Beast that Dugu Bo had killed with a single blow.

They were roughly fifteen thousand years old. Their quality was not exceptional, but neither was it poor.

They were just right for Dugu Xin and Lin Wan'er.

It was not that Dugu Bo had not considered hunting sea Soul Beasts of greater age.

There were sea Soul Beasts fifty thousand years old, even eighty thousand years old, in the depths of the sea.

But those creatures hid too deep, and Dugu Bo had no desire to fight them in prolonged battles underwater.

The ocean was the domain of sea Soul Beasts. He did not fear them, but he did not wish to take unnecessary risks.

Whale Rubber was the primary objective of this trip anyway. The Soul Bones were merely incidental.

When he needed more in the future, he could come back then.

The fishing boat docked.

Dugu Bo leaped onto the pier and left without looking back.

The Boat Captain stood on the deck, watching the profound black figure disappear into the night. He let out a long breath.

"A Titled Douluo..." he muttered, lowering his head to look at the heavy pouch of gold coins in his hand. "My life has been worth it."

Dugu Bo did not spend the night in Vast Sea City.

The Whale Rubber was secured, and so were the Soul Bones. The purpose of this journey had been fulfilled.

He left the city, leaped into the night sky, and flew toward Sunset Forest.

Deep purple Nether Qi trailed behind him in a long streak, exceptionally conspicuous against the night sky.

But after flying for less than half an hour, Dugu Bo suddenly stopped.

He hovered in midair, his Dark Golden Dragon Eyes narrowing slightly as he looked southeast.

There were Soul Power fluctuations there.

Not Soul Beasts. People.

And more than one.

At least three or four streams of Soul Power were moving rapidly.

Their destination was Vast Sea City.

Dugu Bo's spiritual power silently spread outward like an invisible net, enveloping the sources of those Soul Power fluctuations.

Three Soul Douluos.

One was level seventy-one, one level seventy-two, and one level seventy-three.

All three were men, dressed in matching black combat attire, with the emblem of a sword embroidered over their chests.

"The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect."

Dugu Bo recognized that symbol.

They were Ning Fengzhi's personal force, specifically responsible for gathering intelligence and carrying out peripheral missions.

Why were these three here?

Dugu Bo frowned as his spiritual power continued tracking them.

The three Soul Douluos were moving quickly, clearly pressed for time.

Yet their direction was indeed Vast Sea City.

Dugu Bo hesitated for a moment but did not intercept them.

The appearance of Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect members near Vast Sea City did not necessarily mean they were after him.

But it was hard to say.

The Heavenly Tribulation phenomenon at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eyes had alerted the Tiandou Imperial Family, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and Qian Renxue's faction.

Although Dugu Bo had cleaned up the traces afterward, those people were not fools.

They would certainly investigate.

At Dugu Manor, he had already instructed Steward Fu to tell the truth.

Dugu Bo had taken his granddaughter out for training and would not return for three months.

Dugu Bo had no idea how long this "truth" would hold up.

But at least for the next three months, no one would suspect him.

As for three months later...

He would deal with it then.

Dugu Bo withdrew his spiritual power and stopped paying attention to the three Soul Douluos.

He accelerated, continuing toward Sunset Forest.

By the time he returned to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eyes, it was already noon the following day.

Dugu Yan was still cultivating atop the bluestone. Her emerald-green hair drifted through the mist, and her aura had become steadier than before.

Dugu Xin and Lin Wan'er stood guard nearby.

"Grandfather!"

Sensing her grandfather's aura, Dugu Yan opened her eyes, sprang up, and ran over.

"You're back!"

Dugu Bo nodded and took a wooden box from the Ruyi Hundred Treasure Pouch, opening its lid.

Inside, amber blocks of Whale Rubber had been stacked neatly.

"This is the second batch of Whale Rubber, four hundred and thirty jin," Dugu Bo said. "Together with the three hundred-plus jin from before, it will be enough for you to eat for a long time."

Looking at the crystal-clear blocks of Whale Rubber in the box, a trace of emotion flashed through Dugu Yan's emerald-green Dragon Eyes.

"Grandfather, you've worked hard."

Dugu Bo waved a hand dismissively.

"Yan Yan, go cultivate. Your grandfather needs to say a few words to your father."

Dugu Yan obediently nodded and returned to the bluestone to continue cultivating.

Dugu Bo walked over to Dugu Xin and sat down on a rock.

Dugu Xin followed suit, curiosity in his Deep Purple Eyes.

"Father, you wanted to see me?"

"Mm."

Dugu Bo took out the two Soul Bones from the Ruyi Hundred Treasure Pouch and handed them to Dugu Xin.

One was a deep blue Right Leg Bone, and the other was a pale blue External Soul Bone.

Both Soul Bones emitted a faint glow, appearing particularly dazzling beneath the sunlight.

Dugu Xin accepted the Soul Bones, his pupils contracting slightly.

"These are... Soul Bones?"

"Soul Bones from a ten-thousand-year sea Soul Beast," Dugu Bo said. "One Right Leg Bone and one External Soul Bone. They are around fifteen thousand years old, and their quality is fairly good."

Dugu Xin held the two Soul Bones in his hands, which trembled slightly.

Soul Bones.

They were treasures that every Soul Master dreamed of possessing.

He had strived for so many years in life, yet had never obtained even one.

And now, his father had given him two at once.

"Father, this..."

"Enough nonsense."

Dugu Bo cut him off. "You have an Undead Body. Soul Bones are not merely equipment to you; they are amplifiers of your strength. Once you absorb them, your power will increase by at least thirty percent."

Dugu Xin took a deep breath and said nothing more.

He placed the two Soul Bones beside him, closed his eyes, and began absorbing them.

Dugu Bo did not disturb him. He rose to his feet and walked aside.

Lin Wan'er came over and stood beside her husband, silently keeping watch.

Dugu Bo glanced at her, a thoughtful look flashing through his Dark Golden Dragon Eyes.

Both Soul Bones had gone to Xin'er. Wan'er did not have any yet.

The next time he went to Vast Sea City, he would hunt another sea Soul Beast and get two Soul Bones for Wan'er as well.

He could not play favorites.

The Soul Bone absorption process went more smoothly than Dugu Bo had expected.

Although Dugu Xin had an Undead Body, the fusion with the Soul Bones did not encounter much resistance.

After roughly an hour, he opened his eyes.

The Right Leg Bone had completely fused with him, while the External Soul Bone had merged into his back.

Dugu Xin stood and moved his body a little.

With a powerful kick from his right leg, his body shot several zhang away, astonishingly fast.

The External Soul Bone unfolded, transforming into a pair of pale blue wings as thin as cicada wings. With a light flutter, they carried him slowly into the air.

Dugu Xin hovered in midair, looking down at his hands, his Deep Purple Eyes filled with shock.

"Father, I feel... completely different."

Dugu Bo nodded, satisfaction flashing through his Dark Golden Dragon Eyes.

"The Right Leg Bone improves your speed and explosive power. The External Soul Bone gives you the ability to fly."

"Before, you could only glide using Soul Power. Now, you can truly fly."

Dugu Xin descended from the air, and the light wings retracted into his back.

He walked before his father and gave him a deep bow.

"Father, thank you."

Dugu Bo waved his hand.

"Don't thank me. You earned this yourself."

"You are my son. If I do not help you, who will I help?"

Dugu Xin straightened up and looked into his father's Dark Golden Dragon Eyes, a complicated emotion rising within him.

His father had changed greatly.

He had become stronger, younger, and more mysterious.

But one thing had not changed.

His father's care for him.

It had been so in life, and it remained so after death.