A Soul Bone lay inside the box, radiating an aura that made Xu Tianchen's heart tremble. It was translucent deep purple throughout, with flashes of black-violet lightning carrying a terrifying aura of destruction.
It was a right palm bone. Five finger bones of varying lengths joined the palm bone, black-violet lightning coursing over their tips. Those razor-sharp tips looked capable of slicing through space and piercing anything.
"This is an External Soul Bone. I thought that once one was absorbed, it couldn't be removed. Has no one ever absorbed this one?"
Xu Tianchen frowned and put his question to Xu Chengjing.
An ordinary Soul Bone could be removed after a Spirit Master died, but an External Soul Bone was different. Once it fully fused with a Spirit Master, it could not be removed even after death. This bone was clearly unused.
But it also shared the same origins as the imperial family's Purple Brilliant Heaven Destroying Dragon Martial Soul. There had to be a reason no one had absorbed it yet.
"That's right. No one has ever absorbed it. This Soul Bone has been passed down since the founding emperor of the Sun Moon Empire. It's also the key to opening a secret realm belonging to the imperial family. But no one has ever earned its recognition, so each generation entrusts it to a member of the imperial family who possesses the Purple Brilliant Heaven Destroying Dragon Martial Soul. Since my imperial elder brother has the Sun Martial Soul, it came to me this generation."
"The main reason no one has been able to absorb it is its extraordinary quality. The destructive power within it is too strong, so its host must possess an equally powerful destructive attribute."
"And you—your Martial Soul's destructive attribute far surpasses mine and your elder brother's. Your Purple Brilliant Heaven Destroying Dragon coexists with a Sun Martial Soul that possesses Ultimate Fire and near-Ultimate Light. In a sense, that makes your destructive attribute ultimate as well."
"I'd planned to wait a few more years before giving you this Soul Bone. But since you're absorbing that right arm bone tomorrow, you might as well see whether you can absorb this one too."
As Xu Chengjing spoke, he pushed the box toward Xu Tianchen.
Xu Tianchen took out the Soul Bone, cleared his mind, and held it beneath his right hand. He drew it toward himself with his Soul Power and tried to fuse with it. The bone flared with brilliant purple light, and his Martial Soul activated on its own, wreathing his body in deep-purple lightning. The moment the two made contact, the lightning grew darker and darker.
Seeing this, Xu Chengjing hurried aside to stand guard over Xu Tianchen. He was afraid that staying too close might interfere with the absorption.
Xu Tianchen, absorbed in the process, suddenly found his surroundings transformed. No longer seated cross-legged on the floor, he stood in the void before an enormous dragon whose body shone in nine colors. A voice seething with hatred rang out, as though it might tear the entire space apart.
"Dragon God! I came into being alongside you. I've won countless battles for the Dragon Clan over the years. What have I done wrong to deserve death at your hands? You're afraid of my potential! You covet my Annihilation Godhead! And you call yourself the Dragon God?"
"Hahaha! Under your leadership, the Dragon Clan will meet its doom. I'll be waiting for you below."
Xu Tianchen felt the fury of the scene seep into him. Boundless anger, resentment, and hatred surged up inside him, as though those dark emotions might swallow him whole.
Then the scene changed again.
Dragon Blood rained across the land, along with deep-purple Dragon Scales imbued with ultimate destructive power. A dragon over three hundred zhang long plummeted from the sky and fell into a secret realm.
"Hah... hah..."
Xu Tianchen's eyes flew open in the secret chamber. Breathing hard, he looked down at his right hand, now brimming with power. He turned it over and back before finally clenching it into a fist.
He thought again of the purple dragon. It had to be the source of the Sun Moon Empire's imperial Purple Brilliant Heaven Destroying Dragon Martial Soul: the ancestor of lesser dragons and the Dragon God's brother, born alongside him—the Radiant Dragon King!
Then I'll call this External Soul Bone the Radiant Dragon Claw!
"How does it feel?" Xu Chengjing came over, interrupting Xu Tianchen's thoughts.
"Good. I'm full of strength, and my Soul Power is nearly at level seventeen. But it feels like there's still a lot of energy in here that I haven't absorbed." Xu Tianchen held up his right hand.
"Good. That's what matters. There's no rush to enter the secret realm. Wait until you reach level seventy," Xu Chengjing said.
"Why level seventy? If there's something valuable inside, wouldn't it be better to get it sooner?"
"I don't know either. That's simply what our ancestors passed down. Perhaps you have to reach level seventy to receive some kind of inheritance." Xu Chengjing shook his head. "Anyway, you've been absorbing it all night. Go wash up and get ready. Your master will be here soon."
"All right." Xu Tianchen stood and left the secret chamber with Xu Chengjing.
He glanced up at the sky. The moon that had hung high overhead was gone, replaced by a sun pouring light and warmth over the earth. He had not expected a whole night to pass while he absorbed the Soul Bone.
After parting from Xu Chengjing, Xu Tianchen returned to his courtyard and tidied himself up.
Though absorbing the Soul Bone had taken all night, he felt no fatigue. If anything, he was brimming with energy.
Long Xiaoyao arrived shortly after Xu Tianchen finished getting ready.
"Master, where's Mistress? Why didn't she come with you?" Xu Tianchen asked when he saw Long Xiaoyao arrive alone.
"She had something to take care of," Long Xiaoyao replied with a smile.
Long Xiaoyao looked positively radiant. Xu Tianchen could tell he'd had a good night. Perhaps Ye Xishui had even opened her heart to him ahead of time and let the old rascal have another taste of intimacy.
"Enough. Stop letting your mind wander and get that Soul Bone out. It's time to absorb it." Catching Xu Tianchen's odd look, Long Xiaoyao slapped him on the shoulder.
"Okay." Xu Tianchen nodded and took the Soul Bone from his Soul Tool.
Xu Tianchen sat cross-legged on the bed. Long Xiaoyao took a chair, poured himself a cup of tea, then nodded to him. "Go ahead. I'll stand guard."
Xu Tianchen pressed the Soul Bone against his right arm and began to absorb it.
Perhaps his compatibility with the bone really was that high. Despite its age of at least a hundred thousand years, it gradually fused with his right arm without placing much strain on him.
What puzzled him was how comfortable it felt. This was a Soul Bone with a destructive attribute, yet absorbing it felt like lying under a warm quilt on a freezing winter day.
Could this Soul Bone have light and fire attributes too?
His right arm felt more than warm—it felt hot. The heat spread through its meridians and across his body until he was warm all over.
Xu Tianchen also sensed the Soul Bone pushing his Sun Martial Soul's near-Ultimate Light attribute all the way to Ultimate Light!
Three hours passed quietly.
Early on, Xu Tianchen had sensed a violent hostility within the Soul Bone. But the Radiant Dragon Claw suddenly released its aura, dispersing that hostility at once. Otherwise, even with his powerful mental strength, he would have been in for a rough time.
Once Xu Tianchen finished absorbing the Soul Bone, he was almost numb with astonishment. He could not help crying out inwardly, What kind of incredible soul beast did this bone come from? Its effects are absurd! It feels less like I absorbed a Soul Bone and more like I swallowed a peerless immortal herb!
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