Mo Li's sudden words made Liu Erlong pause in surprise.
The battle had just ended, and she had been worried about Mo Li's injuries. Naturally, she hadn't had the mind to consider this.
Though she was puzzled, Mo Li had already brought it up. Without hesitation, she held out her hand, Soul Power surging in her palm, and crushed the Earth King's body to pieces.
The brutality of the scene made Mo Li feel a little queasy, but he still forced himself to watch.
Liu Erlong seemed to notice his expression, and restrained her movements considerably.
Even so, the Earth King's body before them was still being dismantled piece by piece.
Then, under her control, a bone glowing with a deep red light was suddenly exposed to the air.
"It really is a Spirit Bone!"
Liu Erlong was visibly excited. She beckoned it over at once.
The value of a Spirit Bone to a Soul Master went without saying. Most Soul Masters might never even see one in their entire lives.
"What a complete right arm bone. How did you find it?"
Even in her excitement, Liu Erlong hadn't forgotten Mo Li's reaction earlier. She asked curiously.
If Mo Li hadn't spotted it, they might really have missed this Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone.
"Nothing much. I just thought a Soul Beast this big ought to have some valuable treasure on it."
Mo Li smiled.
In truth, he was nowhere near as calm inside as he looked.
That glimmer of red had caught his attention only after he activated Peering at Heaven and Earth.
Could Peering at Heaven and Earth actually see through a Soul Beast and detect its Spirit Bone?
At the thought, Mo Li's heart began to race. If this technique really had that kind of effect, wouldn't it be absurdly powerful?
But he quickly calmed down. Earlier, while Liu Erlong had been fighting the Earth King, he'd also used Peering at Heaven and Earth to observe the battle.
Yet he hadn't noticed anything unusual then.
Mo Li looked toward the mound of earth. Liu Erlong had already buried the Earth King's body beneath it.
After thinking it over, Mo Li reluctantly came to a conclusion: perhaps his Peering at Heaven and Earth could detect Spirit Bones only after a Soul Beast had died.
That didn't seem all that useful. After all, most Soul Masters searched a Soul Beast's body for a Spirit Bone after killing it anyway.
Mo Li was still mulling over this new development in Peering at Heaven and Earth when Liu Erlong held out the Spirit Bone.
"This Spirit Bone is fire-aspected too. Take it and absorb it."
Liu Erlong was interested in the Spirit Bone as well, but after looking it over for a moment, she casually handed Mo Li the right arm bone produced by the Earth King.
Liu Erlong was undoubtedly happy to find a Spirit Bone. She hadn't expected such good luck today. But when she thought of how badly Mo Li had been hurt, she couldn't feel happy anymore.
Then she thought of having Mo Li absorb this Ten Thousand Year Spirit Bone.
When it came to things like this, Mo Li was always her first choice. Even if a Spirit Bone's attributes weren't necessarily suitable, she would never consider herself first.
Mo Li took the deep red Spirit Bone in surprise. It was still faintly warm to the touch. It looked like nothing more than a short length of bone, yet no one could overlook the strange power it contained.
Even Mo Li was feeling it for the first time: the power of a Spirit Bone.
After turning it over in his hands for a while, Mo Li tossed it back to Liu Erlong, just as casually as she had given it to him.
It wasn't hard to guess that Liu Erlong wanted him to keep the Spirit Bone. But he naturally didn't think much of one that had only just reached ten thousand years.
He was a transmigrator, after all. If he ended up wearing a full set of thousand- and ten-thousand-year Spirit Bones, wouldn't that be an embarrassment to transmigrators everywhere?
So naturally, he didn't think much of the Earth King's Spirit Bone.
"Hey, don't throw it!"
Liu Erlong hurriedly caught it, chiding him.
"Sister Erlong, this Spirit Bone won't help me much. I can wait until we come across a better one before absorbing it."
Mo Li couldn't think of a good excuse just then, so he could only fob her off with his grander plans for the future.
Sure enough, Liu Erlong looked completely baffled. She spoke anxiously. "I know you have high standards, but this is a Spirit Bone! Even a Titled Douluo would be hard-pressed to get a Ten Thousand Year Spirit Bone. You can't just go looking for something like this and expect to find it!"
Liu Erlong was utterly exasperated. Mo Li was still too ambitious. This Ten Thousand Year Spirit Bone would be a sect-protecting treasure not just for her, but even for one of the Upper Three Sects!
Even the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, with all its years of inheritance, might not have three Ten Thousand Year Spirit Bones.
This Ten Thousand Year Spirit Bone was already priceless.
Liu Erlong tried to stuff it into Mo Li's hands again.
Mo Li finally understood how stubbornly someone who truly cared about him could insist on doing him good.
But there was no way he could explain his plans. He closed Liu Erlong's hand around the Spirit Bone again and said calmly, "Sister Erlong, I really don't need this Spirit Bone. If you can, you should absorb it instead."
Liu Erlong's face was full of exasperation. She simply couldn't understand why Mo Li would be so obstinate when faced with a Spirit Bone every Soul Master would go crazy for.
It wasn't that he didn't need it. He clearly didn't think it was good enough, and was talking about finding something better in the future.
But Spirit Bones weren't exactly easy to come by!
Faced with Mo Li's stubbornness, she was completely at a loss.
"Fine. You could've just said you didn't want it. Why say you don't need it? As if I'd be willing to let you use it anyway."
Seeing how firm Mo Li was, Liu Erlong gave a soft snort and put the Spirit Bone away. But even if Mo Li didn't want it, she had no intention of using it herself.
Mo Li was still young, with ambition reaching the heavens. Once he grew up and understood how important Spirit Bones were, she would give it to him.
Mo Li had no idea about Liu Erlong's "little scheme." When he saw her put the Spirit Bone away, he was about to speak.
Suddenly, a great commotion erupted in the forest around them.
Mo Li looked to one side and saw several Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts racing through the forest, with many more following behind them.
The great horde swept through like a stampeding tide. Mo Li hurriedly called out to Liu Erlong, "Sister Erlong, let's go! There are a lot of Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts coming!"
Liu Erlong had also sensed the commotion. Her expression turned grave at once, and she pulled Mo Li into her arms before speeding away in another direction.
Half an hour later, the two of them gradually slowed down. Liu Erlong looked back. The wave of Soul Beasts had disappeared, and only then did she breathe a sigh of relief.
She wouldn't have feared Soul Beasts below fifty thousand years in the slightest.
But there had been far more than one Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast in that horde. If they fought, she wouldn't be able to guarantee Mo Li's safety.
So she had chosen to get away. It was baffling that those Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts had been driven out in the first place.
By now, though, the two of them had reached the boundary between the core area and the outer regions. Liu Erlong planned to take Mo Li back to the academy that night to treat his injuries.
Mo Li was still in Liu Erlong's arms. While they'd been hurrying away, she naturally hadn't considered how he felt.
"Sister Erlong, put me down first."
Noticing that things had settled down, Mo Li spoke from her arms.
"Whew, finally back on the ground."
Standing on solid earth, Mo Li looked behind them and relaxed.
They'd had a pretty good haul that night. Though they hadn't found a suitable second Soul Ring for him, they'd unexpectedly gotten a Ten Thousand Year Spirit Bone.
He hadn't thought much of it, but there was no need to explain how precious Spirit Bones were.
Liu Erlong kept an eye on their surroundings as she said, "We're almost at the outskirts of Sunset Forest. Let's call it a night. Once you've recovered, we can..."
A sharp cry rang out, cutting Liu Erlong off.
The two of them turned toward a spot in the darkness almost simultaneously, then exchanged a knowing glance. Both looked utterly surprised.
Where their gazes met stood a birdlike Soul Beast, its body entirely purplish-black, staring at Liu Erlong and Mo Li.
Though it was dark, they were close enough that neither had any trouble seeing it.
The bird flapped its wings. Flames rose around it, and its pupils were icy cold.
The moment Mo Li saw it, his expression turned fascinating.