After leaving the Star Dou Great Forest, Qin Chuan didn't stop in any city.
He changed into an ordinary black robe he had "borrowed" from some unlucky bandit Soul Master, and used the hood to hide his overly handsome face. Then he raced toward Fasinuo Province in the southwest of the Heaven Dou Empire.
Holy Soul Village belonged to Nuoding City, in Fasinuo Province.
An hour later, the outline of a small village appeared on the horizon.
The three characters carved into the stone stele at the village entrance—"Holy Soul Village"—had grown blurry from years of wind and sun.
Most of the village houses were built from earth and stone. They looked rather dilapidated, while wisps of cooking smoke curled from the chimneys, lending the place a quiet, peaceful, rustic air.
No one could have guessed that this unremarkable, remote village hid two peerless powerhouses who had once shaken the entire continent.
Qin Chuan stopped a kilometer from the village.
He didn't rush in. Instead, he found a secluded hillside, sat cross-legged, and quietly activated his Six Paths Reincarnation Eye.
Buzz!
An invisible force of ocular power instantly spread across the entire village and the mountains behind it.
The village came into view in its entirety.
He saw villagers working in the fields, children chasing and playing at the village entrance, and the village chief, Old Jack, dozing in a wicker chair outside his home, leaning on his cane.
Everything was exactly as he remembered from Tang San's description of the place where it all began.
Qin Chuan's "gaze" pierced through the most dilapidated blacksmith's shop at the eastern end of the village.
The shop was empty. A thin layer of dust covered the forge, and several finished farming tools in the corner had rusted.
Tang Hao isn't here. Qin Chuan's thoughts stirred.
Qin Chuan's "gaze" continued toward the mountains behind the village.
They weren't particularly tall, but were thick with trees and undergrowth.
His eyes pierced through layer upon layer of trees and rocks, and soon locked onto something unusual.
It was a waterfall dozens of meters high. Water thundered down from the mountaintop, forming a bottomless pool below.
Behind the enormous waterfall lay a cave, completely concealed by the curtain of water.
At its entrance was an energy barrier invisible to the naked eye, formed from immensely powerful Soul Power.
The barrier completely isolated the cave from the outside world. Neither sound nor aura could pass through.
This had to be Tang Hao's handiwork.
Qin Chuan's "gaze" easily pierced the energy barrier, revealing the scene inside the cave.
The cave wasn't large, but it was filled with an almost tangible vitality.
At its very center stood a platform of natural stone.
A strange Blue Silver Grass grew quietly on it.
Its whole body was a translucent pale blue, and golden patterns covered its leaves. Each leaf seemed carved from the finest sapphire, radiating a gentle, noble light.
A loving, tender aura that came from deep within the soul emanated from the Blue Silver Grass.
There was no doubt. This strange Blue Silver Grass was the original body left behind after the Hundred-Thousand-Year Blue Silver Emperor, Ah Yin, sacrificed herself.
Beside the Blue Silver Grass lay a right leg bone, clear as crystal and seemingly carved from the purest blue crystal.
A Soul Bone—and a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone, at that!
The Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone!
A circle of pale blue-gold light lingered around it. Ancient, enigmatic patterns flowed across its surface, and its vast life energy seemed almost solid.
Just as I thought—it's here!
Qin Chuan's heart began to race.
A Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone was a priceless treasure that could drive even a Titled Douluo mad!
Tang San was one lucky bastard later on. But soon, all of this would belong to the Qin family.
Qin Chuan tamped down his excitement and continued observing the area with his Samsara Eye.
He had to make sure that the drunken Tang Hao really wasn't nearby.
With his current strength, he might be able to fight an ordinary Soul Douluo.
But against Tang Hao, a level ninety-five Super Douluo who had once stood at the pinnacle of the continent—and who wielded the Great Sumeru Hammer, a cheat-level technique—he had no chance of winning.
If Tang Hao discovered him, he wouldn't even get the chance to run.
Again and again, Qin Chuan carefully scanned every inch of land within ten kilometers of Holy Soul Village.
The woods, fields, rivers—even the caves underground.
There was no trace of Tang Hao at all.
That despondent drunkard had vanished as if he'd dropped off the face of the earth.
The heavens are on my side! Tang Hao happens to be away today!
Qin Chuan was ecstatic.
He didn't know where Tang Hao had gone. Perhaps he'd gone to Nuoding City to buy liquor, or perhaps he'd gone somewhere else.
But that didn't matter. What mattered was that he'd created a once-in-a-thousand-years, perfect opportunity for Qin Chuan!
Qin Chuan didn't hesitate any longer.
He sprang up from the hillside. His figure blurred into a dark shadow, and after a few quick dashes, he reached the enormous waterfall.
"Rumble!"
The deafening roar of the water and the icy spray rushing toward him jolted his spirits.
Without pausing, he plunged straight into the heavy curtain of water.
The icy river water soaked through his black robe in an instant, but the next second, an invisible repulsive force kept every drop at bay.
Beyond the waterfall, the hidden cave and the energy barrier Tang Hao had set up appeared before him.
Qin Chuan raised his right hand, palm facing the invisible barrier.
His Six Paths Reincarnation Eye turned slowly as Heavenly Dao Power flowed through it.
"Break."
He didn't use brute force. He simply used his Reincarnation Eye to analyze the barrier's energy structure, then used Heavenly Dao Power to undo several of its crucial energy nodes with ease.
The energy barrier, once as indestructible as a fortress, collapsed soundlessly, like a house with its supporting frame pulled out.
Qin Chuan stepped into the cave.
A surge of vitality a hundred times richer than that outside swept over him, making every pore on his body feel as if it had opened.
His eyes immediately fell on the Blue Silver Emperor's original body on the stone platform, and the Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone shining with an alluring light.
Qin Chuan walked up to the platform. Rather than touch the Blue Silver Emperor, he picked up the Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone first.
The moment the Soul Bone touched his hand, a warm, immense surge of life energy poured from his palm into his body.
He felt as if he were immersed in the warmest spring, every cell in his body cheering.
What a treasure!
Qin Chuan praised it, wasting no time.
He sat directly on the stone platform and pressed the Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone against the corresponding place on his right leg.
Then he locked onto it with his Soul Power and guided it with his mental strength.
Buzz!
The Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone suddenly erupted in dazzling blue light. Within the radiance, it slowly turned ethereal, melting bit by bit into Qin Chuan's right leg.
An indescribable sense of comfort spread through his body.
He could feel his right leg undergoing a complete transformation.
His bones grew tougher, his meridians widened, and his muscles filled with explosive power.
More importantly, a vast, ceaseless vitality was taking root and sprouting within his right leg.
"Though wildfires burn the grass, the spring breeze brings it back!" Information about a Soul Skill appeared in his mind automatically.
Soul Skill attached to the Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone—Though wildfires burn the grass, the spring breeze brings it back!
It was an incredibly powerful healing Soul Skill!
As long as he wasn't killed outright, no matter how severe his injuries were, the vast life energy would let him recover rapidly in a very short time!
What a life-saving divine skill! Feeling the steady stream of vitality in his right leg, Qin Chuan felt much more at ease.
With this Soul Skill, his ability to survive would leap to a whole new level!
After absorbing the Soul Bone, Qin Chuan turned his gaze to the pitiful-looking Blue Silver Grass on the stone platform.
A meaningful smile curled his lips.
Ah Yin, don't be afraid. Soon, I'll take you away from this cold, damp cave and bring you somewhere warmer and more comfortable.
He reached out and gently stroked the Blue Silver Emperor's leaves.