It's a Madhouse, You Say There's a Wild Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone Outside?!

That night, a message emerged from the depths of the Star Luo Empire's palace, like a pebble cast into stagnant water, instantly stirring up a thousand waves.

A Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone was suspected to have been discovered in Nuoding City.

Once the news appeared, it swept across the entire continent with the force of a gale.

From independent cultivators without sect or affiliation to the great sects that dominated their respective regions, everyone's gaze was firmly gripped by those five words: "Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone."

Perhaps some had considered that this might be false information.

But suspicion aside, the allure of a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone was simply too great—great enough to override all reason and caution.

What if it were true?

Clinging to this thought, countless Soul Masters packed their bags overnight and rushed toward Nuoding City from all directions.

On the main roads, the sound of horse hooves clattered incessantly, and the torches outside the city gates formed a long, winding dragon.

This time, even Martial Soul Hall and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect were moved.

Martial Soul Hall, Pope's Palace.

The vast hall was dim, with only a few Soul Tool lamps emitting a cold, white light.

Bibi Dong sat upright on the papal throne, her luxurious papal robes trailing on the floor. Wearing a purple-gold crown, her expression was noble and cold, like an inviolable statue of a deity.

She lowered her head to look at the intelligence in her hand, her face devoid of expression.

However, the knuckles of her right hand, which tightly gripped her scepter, had already turned slightly white.

Her gaze swept over the words "Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone" more times than she could count, and each time it passed, her pupils contracted ever so slightly.

After a long while, she finally raised her head.

"Yue Guan."

Her cold, clear voice echoed through the hall, devoid of any superfluous emotion.

The next second, a slender figure appeared silently in the center of the hall.

He was a man, yet he possessed a face more delicate than most women—his brows were long and slender, his skin fair, and his thin lips slightly pursed, appearing beautiful to the point of being bewitching.

He wore the crimson robes that signified his status as a Titled Douluo, with a blooming chrysanthemum embroidered in gold thread on his chest.

"Greetings, Your Holiness."

Yue Guan placed one hand over his chest, leaned forward, and bowed to Bibi Dong.

His voice was shrill and feminine, sounding exceptionally clear in the empty hall.

"You and Gui Mei are to make a trip to Nuoding City."

Bibi Dong stared at Yue Guan, her tone flat, yet every word carried unquestionable majesty.

"If the information is true, bring the Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone to me."

"As you command, Your Holiness."

Yue Guan bowed once more, his shrill voice trailing off.

A moment later, his figure dissipated into the hall like smoke, leaving behind only a faint, lingering scent of chrysanthemums in the air.

The hall returned to silence.

Bibi Dong remained seated on the throne, motionless.

After a long time, she spoke slowly, her low voice resonating in the empty hall; this time, she was speaking to herself.

"A Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone... I hope it is the exact part I am missing. If so, I can complete my soul bone set sooner, and inherit the position of the Rakshasa God all the faster."

As she spoke, her voice suddenly turned hoarse.

The purple-black light in her eyes flared uncontrollably, and her noble, cold face began to twist at this moment, with purple-black veins spreading like spiderwebs beneath her skin.

Behind her, a massive black shadow rose from the floor, projecting onto the wall behind her and transforming into a clawing, snarling spider silhouette.

"And while I'm at it—"

Her lips curled into a hideous arc, her voice laden with monstrous hatred.

"I can destroy Martial Soul Hall all the sooner!"

The bright light of the Soul Tool lamps shone upon her purple-black face; amidst the interplay of light and shadow, her once noble and beautiful features became as terrifying as a vengeful ghost.

Her hand gripped the scepter tightly, her knuckles cracking audibly, the sound echoing in the hall for a long time.

The same scene was unfolding within the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

In the opulent study of the Sect Master, Ning Fengzhi sat behind his desk, clutching the secret report that had just arrived.

He wore moon-white robes, his temperament gentle and scholarly; even after being awakened by an urgent report in the dead of night, he maintained his composed and unhurried demeanor.

But as his gaze swept over the contents of the intelligence, a tempestuous storm suddenly erupted in those eyes that were usually as calm as water.

Even Ning Fengzhi, who was always known for his scholarly composure, could not hide his excitement at this moment.

After finishing the report, he stood up, paced back and forth in the study twice, then stopped, took a deep breath, and made his decision.

"Uncle Gu, you remain to guard the sect. Uncle Jian, accompany me to Nuoding City."

Leaving Bone Douluo Gu Rong to hold down the fort at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Ning Fengzhi departed that very night with Sword Douluo Chen Xin, traveling through the night toward Nuoding City.

Only one thought occupied his mind—

This Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone might be the only opportunity of his life.

While the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda was indeed the world's premier support martial soul, it carried a fatal curse: it could never break through to level eighty.

Past sect masters had exhausted their life's efforts, yet not one had been able to shatter this ceiling.

Ning Fengzhi was no exception.

But he was still young, and he was unwilling to give up.

He was filled with the expectation that this Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone could help him lift this curse, allowing him to become the first Soul Douluo in the history of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

Even if one took a step back and assumed that, in the end, even a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone could not help him break through to level eighty.

The two soul skills provided by a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone would still be enough to elevate his strength to a new level.

No matter how he calculated it, this trip to Nuoding City was something he had to make.

Chen Xin controlled his sword, carrying Ning Fengzhi as they traversed the air.

The night wind whistled past their ears, and as Ning Fengzhi watched the land retreating rapidly beneath his feet, a sharp glint that he had never shown in front of others flashed in his eyes.

Heaven Dou Empire, Imperial Palace.

In stark contrast to the determined mindset of Martial Soul Hall and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Emperor Xue Ye was currently filled with worry.

The bedchamber was brightly lit by candles. He was draped in a thick fox-fur cloak, half-reclining on a soft couch, clutching the intelligence report in his hand with his brow furrowed into a deep frown.

Perhaps it was the lingering illness from the previous Whale Rubber incident, but his health was deteriorating day by day, and now he was further unsettled by this news.

The emergence of a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone was a massive boon for any faction.

But the problem was that this news had spread across the entire continent.

It was true that Nuoding City was on the territory of the Heaven Dou Empire, but since the news had spread everywhere, could his Heaven Dou Empire really claim it for themselves?

No, let alone claiming it alone; just dealing with the various factions arriving in response to the news was enough to give him a headache.

Furthermore, Nuoding City bordered the frontier; the Star Luo Empire could not possibly sit idly by.

"An eventful autumn!"

Emperor Xue Ye rubbed his furrowed brow, feeling his head begin to throb with pain once more.

The veins at his temples pulsed rhythmically. He closed his eyes to recover for a long while before speaking in a heavy voice.

"Someone, summon the Crown Prince."

"As you command."

The eunuch guarding outside the hall received the order and hurried away.

Footsteps receded along the empty palace corridor, then returned.

Before long, the hall doors were pushed open gently. The eunuch bowed and stepped aside, followed by a young man dressed in moon-white brocade robes.

Crown Prince Xue Qinghe stepped into the hall with a calm gait and a gentle, refined temperament, his face wearing an expression of perfectly measured concern.

"Father, you summoned me?"

Xue Qinghe bowed in greeting, his voice mild and unhurried.

Emperor Xue Ye raised his eyes to look at this steady and proper son of his, handed over the intelligence report in his hand, and waved his hand.

"Take a look, and while you're at it, tell me your thoughts."