Star Luo Imperial Family, Davis, Zhu Zhuyun!

Looking at the Darkgold Terrorclaw Bear, which was still completely dazed, the Soul-Devouring Demon Spider wore an expression of utter disdain.

It patted the Darkgold Terrorclaw Bear's huge head and spoke in the language of soul beasts:

Chitter chitter chitter chitter. (Hey, quit staring and hurry up and greet Big Bro!)

Roar roar roar? (Big Bro? You? Why? We're both at two thousand years, and you only got there by devouring someone else's soul ring. You should be calling me Big Bro!)

Chitter chitter chitter chitter chitter chitter. (Are you stupid? We can devour soul rings and evolve from now on. We'll both have a hundred thousand years of cultivation eventually! What does it matter that you've lived longer? Won't we be the same in the future?)

Roar roar roar! (What you're saying... seems to make sense.)

Chitter chitter chitter chitter chitter chitter chitter. (And think about it. You're the second soul ring, and I'm the first. Going by cultivation years, you'll only rank eighth in the future. But if we go by seniority, you'll be second! Second is better than eighth, right?)

Hmm?

The Darkgold Terrorclaw Bear thought it over. It seemed the other party did have a point. It scratched its not-too-bright head and said:

Roar roar roar! (Fine! You'll be my boss from now on!)

The Soul-Devouring Demon Spider patted the Darkgold Terrorclaw Bear's shoulder with an expression that said it was teachable:

Chitter chitter chitter chitter. (Good. From now on, I'll call you Bear Two. Don't worry—if anything happens, your boss will have your back!)

Bear Two immediately nodded obediently. Thinking about all those ten-thousand-year, even hundred-thousand-year soul beasts calling it Second Brother in the future, why was it getting a little excited?

Watching the two soul spirits communicate, especially the Darkgold Terrorclaw Bear's rather dim-witted appearance, Lin Ya did not understand the language of soul beasts, but he could still guess that the Darkgold Terrorclaw Bear had been fooled.

Forget it. It did not matter. As long as the two of them lived well together, that was all that mattered.

With that thought, Lin Ya recalled the two soul spirits.

"Young Master Lin Ya! Look!"

The startled cry of the Soul Sage guard abruptly shattered the calm. Lin Ya looked over and saw the man holding a bone-like object that glowed with a warm golden light. It shimmered brilliantly and was clearly no ordinary item.

"This is... a soul bone!" Zhi Lin stared at the soul bone before him in shock.

Though he was a mighty Soul Douluo, he truly did not possess a soul bone himself.

Soul bones differed from soul rings. Once a soul master died, their soul rings vanished from the world, but soul bones could be passed down through countless generations.

That was why soul bones were so cheap in Douluo Continent 2 and 3. After all, over tens of thousands of years, even if only one appeared every ten years, Douluo Continent would still have accumulated at least several thousand soul bones.

But that was Douluo Continent 2 and 3. In this era, even a Titled Douluo might not be able to obtain a single soul bone!

"Quick! Lin Ya, absorb this soul bone immediately!" Zhi Lin hurried forward and handed the soul bone to Lin Ya without the slightest hint of greed. A soul bone with a mere two-thousand-year cultivation was of negligible benefit to him. Moreover, he was already advanced in age and had no hope of breaking through to Titled Douluo, so he had long since lost any desire to compete for such things.

Lin Ya reached out and took the soul bone. The moment his fingertips touched its warm, smooth surface, he was about to circulate his soul power and absorb it when Prince Xue Xing suddenly stepped forward and excitedly pressed down on his hand.

"Wait! Xiao Ya, don't absorb it yet!"

Lin Ya paused and looked at his uncle in confusion.

He did not doubt in the slightest that Prince Xue Xing coveted this soul bone. Given the relationship between Xue Xing and himself, he would never stoop to stealing a junior's treasure. Lin Ya simply did not understand why he was suddenly being stopped.

Prince Xue Xing gripped his wrist, his tone incomparably solemn. "Xiao Ya, this soul bone's cultivation is too low, and its quality is too poor. Wait for now. Your uncle guarantees that I'll find you a soul bone of at least fifty thousand years in the future!"

"Quality too poor? Prince Xue Xing! Do you even know what you're saying?!" Zhi Lin was so angry that his nose nearly twisted out of shape.

What was this? This was a soul bone! It was not easy for him to even see one, yet this man was actually looking down on it?

Prince Xue Xing merely shot Soul Douluo Zhi Lin a disdainful glance.

What would an ignorant fool like you know!

Lin Ya was a peerless genius with twin martial souls. In the future, he was destined to reach the realm of a Super Douluo or even greater heights. Letting him absorb a low-grade, two-thousand-year soul bone now would be no different from burying his talent and ruining his own future!

Before setting out, Emperor Xue Ye's instructions still rang in his ears: "Xue Xing, though the Heaven Dou Empire's military strength does not compare to Star Luo Empire's, our wealth is unmatched. Lin Ya is of utmost importance to our imperial family, and we must spare no effort in nurturing him! His soul bones must form a complete set, with fifty thousand years as the minimum starting point. We absolutely cannot shortchange him!"

Recalling his elder brother's instructions, Prince Xue Xing could not possibly allow Lin Ya to waste an absorption opportunity. Though this soul bone could increase his strength for the moment, in the long run, it would only become a weakness on Lin Ya's path of cultivation.

"Xiao Ya, do you trust your uncle?"

"I do." Lin Ya nodded without hesitation.

Prince Xue Xing was the person closest to him and the one he trusted most in this world. That trust needed no questioning.

Seeing Lin Ya obediently agree, Prince Xue Xing's eyes filled with gratification.

Just as Lin Ya was about to put away the soul bone, a teasing voice suddenly rang out from the forest, carrying a lofty arrogance:

"To disdain even a soul bone delivered right to your doorstep—the Heaven Dou Imperial Family truly is fabulously wealthy."

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Three figures rode the wind and landed before them in the blink of an eye!

The leader was a middle-aged nobleman wearing luxurious brocade robes. His face was stern, his bearing steady, yet he naturally exuded an oppressive presence.

Behind him stood a young man and woman, both dressed in equally exquisite, carefully tailored clothing, though their temperaments could not have been more different.

The young man had long golden hair that fell to his shoulders. He was handsome, but his brows and eyes were arrogant, and he radiated an innate pride.

The young woman had short hair cut to her ears. A sleek black leather outfit outlined her exquisite figure, while her cold eyes were slightly lowered, giving her an aloof air that kept others at a distance.

Prince Xue Xing and Soul Douluo Zhi Lin instantly tensed. Instinctively shielding Lin Ya behind them, soul power quietly surged around their bodies as they entered a state of alert.

Lin Ya looked at the young man and woman and found their features inexplicably familiar, as though he had seen them somewhere before.

Prince Xue Xing's gaze locked firmly onto the middle-aged man at the front. He spoke slowly, each word icy cold:

"Isn't this the Starcrown Duke of the Star Luo Empire? It truly has been a long time."

The Starcrown Duke?

Hearing that name, Lin Ya immediately withdrew his gaze from the young man and woman.

The name Starcrown Duke was still fairly unremarkable in this era. Though famous, it was hardly known by everyone.

But ten thousand years later, the name Starcrown would resound throughout the entire Douluo Continent!

Because ten thousand years later, the martial soul of the Star Luo Imperial Family would be—the Starcrown!

Feeling everyone's gazes upon him, the Starcrown Duke was not nervous in the slightest. Smiling as though he had not sensed the other party's hostility, he said:

"It has indeed been a long time. If I hadn't been helping this junior of mine hunt for a soul ring, I wouldn't have run into you here. Weiss, Zhuyun, come. Pay your respects to Prince Xue Xing of Heaven Dou."