Killing for Loot-Five Soul Bones?

Several breaths passed before the earth-shaking surge of energy finally subsided. Dust hung over the ruins, and every eye remained fixed on them.

Qian Daoliu did not immediately look for Bibi Dong. The sword strike kept replaying in his mind.

It had looked so slow. Why, then, had Bibi Dong been unable to dodge it? Why had he been unable to save her, even though he had tried?

No. Perhaps it had not been slow at all. Perhaps it had been so fast that none of them could comprehend it, creating a sight unlike anything they had ever seen.

That strike had surpassed their understanding of soul skills. It might even have touched something on the level of the legendary laws. Could it have been time itself?

Qian Daoliu had once seen several unusual martial souls with some ability to manipulate time.

Could Little Chen's sword case be a similar kind of martial soul?

As Qian Daoliu pondered this, a shout came from Qian Jun and Jiang Mo below.

They had reached the ruins of the Papal Palace at once. While checking Qian Juechen's condition and sensing the strange aura produced by the mingling of the Four Elements, they had also been turning over the rubble.

They wanted to know whether Bibi Dong was truly dead. Only her corpse or her soul bones could confirm it.

In truth, they already knew the answer. No one present believed Bibi Dong could have survived that strike.

Sure enough, a discovery by Qian Jun and Jiang Mo drew everyone's attention.

"Over here." Qian Jun's voice rang out, and every gaze swung toward him.

He blasted aside a huge slab of rubble beneath his feet, sending dust billowing into the air. Beneath it lay several unusual soul bones, glowing with a soft light of Soul Power.

As Qian Jun cleared away more rubble, all five soul bones Bibi Dong had possessed were unearthed.

The sight of those high-quality bones, still stained with blood that had yet to dry, silenced everyone.

They had not found Bibi Dong's corpse, but the soul bones from her body had been buried beneath the rubble.

That told them enough. Her body had likely been obliterated by the terrifying sword light, leaving not even an intact corpse.

Qian Jun took a deep breath and drew all five bones into his palm. Everyone began examining their quality and type.

They all knew Bibi Dong had been the disciple of the former Pope, Qian Xunji, a peerless talent Spirit Hall had spared no effort to nurture.

She had later become Pope herself and encountered countless opportunities. Her soul bones were bound to be exceptional.

Even so, when they saw the quality of the five bones, their pupils contracted.

Every one was a Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone. There were five of them.

Three had even reached the legendary hundred-thousand-year level.

Two were a Left Arm Bone and a Right Arm Bone. They shared the same origin, their auras resonating with each other. Clearly, they had come from the same soul beast.

When Bibi Dong obtained her Death Spider Emperor's ninth soul ring, she had gained not only a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring but also two Hundred Thousand Year Arm Bones from that beast: the Left Arm Bone and the Right Arm Bone.

The boost those paired arm bones had given her was probably no weaker than that of a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring.

The last of the three was a Hundred Thousand Year Leg Bone. A faint pink sheen covered it; it must have come from the hundred-thousand-year Soft Bone Rabbit.

The other two were a Mental Immunity Head Soul Bone over fifty thousand years old and a Leg Soul Bone of the same age.

Bibi Dong's collection of soul bones had come close to the pinnacle any soul master of this era could hope to attain.

As the others discussed the bones' ages and the beasts they had come from, Qian Juechen, seated cross-legged in midair, suddenly opened his eyes.

His face was pale and his aura unsettled. He had taken the Healing Pill Golden Crocodile Douluo had brought him, and its potent effects were gradually mending his injuries, restoring his Soul Power and strength.

His gaze fell on the bones in Qian Jun's hand.

He frowned as he looked at the five soul bones.

That's not right. Why is one missing?

An External Soul Bone would vanish when its owner died, so he set that aside.

But even without counting an External Soul Bone, a soul master could absorb six bones. He remembered Bibi Dong having a complete set.

During the battle, she had even combined her soul skills to summon a defense resembling Soul Bone Armor.

Besides the bones before him, she should have possessed a Torso Bone of exceptional quality.

She had used that bone's skill during their fight. The skill had left such a deep impression on him that he could not have imagined it.

Yet Bibi Dong was dead, and all her soul bones should have emerged. Her Torso Bone could not simply have disappeared.

Qian Juechen slowly closed his eyes and replayed the battle in his mind.

Soon, he remembered when the Torso Bone had revealed its true power. He recalled it so clearly because its skill was the first Bibi Dong had used after fully unleashing the Rakshasa God's power and entering her demonic state.

The power that skill had released was almost indistinguishable from the Rakshasa God's power.

Clearly, the connection between them went far beyond that of an ordinary soul bone and its owner.

A particular term surfaced in Qian Juechen's mind: God-given Soul Bone.

If the bone had not formed from a dead soul beast, but had instead been a God-given Object bestowed on Bibi Dong by the Rakshasa God during her Rakshasa God Trial, then its disappearance made sense.

Something granted by a god would not necessarily remain after its inheritor died. Most likely, the Rakshasa God in the Divine Realm had reclaimed the bone the moment Bibi Dong died.

Or perhaps Qian Juechen's final strike had obliterated it along with her body.

A golden gleam flashed in Qian Juechen's eyes. He could not tell which had happened, but at least he had a plausible answer.

Just then, Qian Jun gathered up the five soul bones, turned toward Qian Daoliu, and bowed.

"Grand Worship, I can confirm that the traitor Bibi Dong is dead. These are the five soul bones she left behind. How should we handle them?"

Qian Jun's voice carried through the ruins. He tossed the five bones into the air, and everyone looked from them to Qian Daoliu, awaiting his decision on how to distribute them.