The scar-faced man gritted his teeth and continued, "That little girl's cub is definitely no ordinary beast. We could make a fortune by snatching it. We'll only take the cub and won't hurt anyone. They wouldn't risk their lives over a lion beast."
"Brothers, release your Martial Souls!"
Hearing their big brother say this, the men exchanged glances and nodded. In an instant, Soul Power surged through them, and Soul Rings revolved beneath their feet.
"Rock Rhino!"
"Gale Demon Wolf!"
"Blood Shadow Scythe!"
"Hmph! You think you've got more people?"
Chi Yuan let out a cold laugh. Behind her, the Flowing Fire Kite Eagle cried out again, its piercing call filling the air. In an instant, black-clad men appeared throughout a hundred-meter radius, surrounding the group so completely that not even a drop of water could pass through.
Every one of them had seven or eight deep-colored Soul Rings slowly rising and falling beneath their feet.
The independent peddlers who had been watching the commotion were now so full of regret that their guts had turned green. They envied the "lucky ones" who had slipped away earlier, but now it was too late for them to leave. They all grumbled to themselves, "Oh, why do I always have to stick my nose into things..."
The scar-faced man and his companions were like chicks dangling in midair, trembling and weak-kneed. They dropped straight to their knees with a thump.
They had already recalled the Martial Souls they'd just released. One man had been too slow; his Martial Soul had barely poked its head out before he stuffed it back inside.
"M-My lord..." The scar-faced man swallowed. "W-We were blind to your status and offended the young masters and young ladies. We deserve to die.
"We won't dare do it again! Please, my lord, be magnanimous and spare us. Let us off this once..."
Chi Yuan glanced to the side at her younger brother. Lie Xu, who was holding Qian Renxue, gave a slight nod, then lowered his head and continued soothing her.
Chi Yuan looked coldly at the men kneeling before her, the corners of her mouth lifting ever so slightly. She spoke softly to the black-clad men around them. "Leave none alive!"
After speaking, she turned, recalled her Martial Soul, and hurried after Lie Xu and the others, who had already gone some distance ahead.
Behind them, after the first scream, only the sounds of Soul Skills colliding remained...
Lie Xu led the two girls back to the stall from before. The vendor didn't know whether to leave or stay, so he could only put on a fawning smile. "Y-Young master, you're back! Take a look around, take a look."
Lie Xu crouched down and carefully sensed the remaining items on the stall once more.
After a long while, he finally settled on several pitch-black chunks of ore.
"Boss, I'll take these stones. How much?"
The disheveled man had initially waved his hand to say they were free, but then he reconsidered and timidly held up five fingers.
Chi Yuan stepped forward and tossed him a bag of Gold Soul Coins. "Keep the change."
She put the chunks of ore into her Soul Tool, then led Lie Xu and the others toward the hotel.
"Only five... Copper Soul Coins..."
The man stood there, still holding the bag of Gold Soul Coins. It took him a long time to come around. With tears in his eyes, he gazed after Lie Xu and the others and murmured,
"What a good person! Such a wonderful person..."
Qian Renxue tilted her head. "Brother Xu, what are these stones for?"
"You'll find out when we get back."
Lie Xu acted mysterious, as though he were guarding some secret.
"There's definitely a treasure inside..."
The passersby watched the group's retreating figures, their hearts full of curiosity, but none of them dared speak loudly.
Who... was this young man?
The hotel's facilities were simple, but it had been cleaned until not a speck of dust remained. A few pots of orchids on the counter lent an elegant touch to the plain surroundings, making the place especially pleasing to the eye.
In the hotel room, the doors and windows were tightly shut.
The three of them stared without blinking at the several pitch-black stones on the table.
"Brother Xu, is there really a treasure inside these stones?"
Qian Renxue held Xiao Jiu in her arms, her eyes wide and round.
"Definitely. Didn't you feel it?"
Chi Yuan and Qian Renxue looked at each other, then both shook their heads.
"Xiao Xu, we really can't tell what's special about them."
"All right." Lie Xu helplessly rubbed his forehead. "What about you, Xiao Jiu?"
"Awoo~"
Xiao Jiu, nestled in Qian Renxue's arms, let out an excited cry. Lie Xu finally looked relieved. His own child really understood him!
Lie Xu said no more. Pointing to the unremarkable stones on the table, he said, "Sister A-Yuan, trust me. The treasure inside will absolutely astound you. Use your strongest flames to melt them."
If something could make even his Martial Soul react, how could it be ordinary?
Chi Yuan nodded. Flames kindled at her fingertips, taking the shape of a tiny kite eagle that circled around her finger.
With a point of Chi Yuan's finger, the thumb-sized kite eagle shot toward the stones floating in midair. It turned into crimson flames that enveloped the black stones and began burning away their outer layers.
One minute...
Ten minutes...
The room grew hotter and hotter. The nearby marble tabletop had already begun to yellow and grow scorching hot.
Twenty minutes...
Half an hour...
All the other stones had burned to ash and vaporized. Only the last one still struggled on, reduced to barely half its original size.
The others grew completely absorbed. Chi Yuan couldn't help but increase the Soul Power she was channeling.
Buzz—!
The black stone at the heart of the flames had now shrunk to the size of an adult's fist. It gave off an ancient, deep aura that made the others stiffen.
Suddenly, as the final thin layer of the rocky shell burned away at one corner, a dark-red light shot out from within...
Scorching!
Scorching beyond measure!
As this energy leaked out, Chi Yuan's flames suddenly surged beyond her control, rising to a level she had never reached before. Her Soul Power was also being consumed at an unbelievable rate.
Before, it had been like turning a water tower's faucet all the way open. Now, it was as though someone had installed a powerful pump to drain the tower!
As more and more of the black, molten rock shell melted away, the treasure everyone had been waiting for finally revealed its true form.
The instant the surface layer of rock melted away completely, an ancient, scorching aura with a faint trace of bloodline pressure swept out. The three of them couldn't get close enough to retrieve the treasure. This pressure was even heavier than that of a hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast!
The moment the aura appeared, Qian Daoliu and Mighty Lion Douluo appeared at the doorway in unison.
Mighty Lion Douluo casually waved his hand. A lion made of flames swallowed the Soul Bone floating in midair, forming a layer of orange-red flame patterns across its surface. Looking closely, the patterns seemed to flow like water. The temperature in the room dropped at once.
Only then could the others finally raise their heads and look at the object floating above Mighty Lion Douluo's palm.
At the very center of the top of the dark-red Soul Bone, a crimson-gold feather had taken root, fused with the bone as one. A Soul Bone that was half bone and half feather floated quietly before them.
"T-This... this is a Soul Bone!" Chi Yuan cried out.
Before you continue