External Soul Bone

Ma Hongjun tested the power of his fourth Soul Skill, Phoenix Roaring Sky Strike, and found it impressive.

Although the skill came from a five-thousand-year Firebird, its explosive damage had reached a level most Soul Kings could not match even with a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring.

Jiang Mingyang nodded in satisfaction, then asked the Windwhistle Wolf King, "Roar." (Do you have a name?)

The Windwhistle Wolf King shook his head and roared, "Roar, roar, roar." (You can speak in your own language. I understand quite a bit of it.)

Jiang Mingyang was surprised. The Windwhistle Wolf King understood human speech?

He asked again, "Roar, roar." (How do you understand human speech?)

The Windwhistle Wolf King gave a slow growl. "Roar..." (Only some common phrases.

Know yourself and know your enemy. I've lived for so many years and seen many humans.

Most Soul Beasts that have lived sixty or seventy thousand years know at least a little of the language you humans commonly use.

But we rarely use it, so we might forget.)

Jiang Mingyang narrowed his eyes. That made sense.

Humans were the enemies of Soul Beasts. Without some extraordinary opportunity, a Soul Beast of sixty or seventy thousand years might have spent all those years alive, though most of that time would have passed in ignorance.

With such wariness and hatred toward their enemies, and so much time spent encountering them, it was natural to understand their speech. It was just as natural to forget it.

As for the Windwhistle Wolf King having no name, Jiang Mingyang had expected that.

After all, most Windwhistle Wolves in the tribe were not particularly intelligent.

They could also distinguish one another by scent when communicating. They had no need for names.

Jiang Mingyang smiled and said, "Then from now on, you'll be called Qingfeng!"

The Windwhistle Wolf King nodded. A name was only a label, after all.

Jiang Mingyang then smiled at Jiang Tian and Ma Hongjun. "The Windwhistle Wolf King will be coming with me. I've named him Qingfeng.

He can understand simple things we say."

Jiang Tian and Ma Hongjun nodded in surprise. They had already guessed as much from the way Jiang Mingyang and the Windwhistle Wolf King behaved.

Neither of them understood a word of the Windwhistle Wolf Tribe's language.

Ma Hongjun was an orphan from a poor household, so he had never learned it.

Jiang Tian had lacked the opportunity when he was young. Later, after becoming a great noble, he had been busy with countless affairs and had no need to learn such things.

Still, Jiang Tian knew that every additional skill opened another path, so all three Jiang brothers had studied it.

Jiang Mingyang turned back to the Windwhistle Wolf King. "Qingfeng, is there a Saint Grass Dragon of fifty or sixty thousand years in the Sunset Forest?"

The Windwhistle Wolf King roared excitedly. "Roar." (Master, are you looking for that evil creature?

That thing dared hunt members of my Windwhistle Wolf Tribe. A righteous soul like you should have surrounded and slain it long ago.

I'll take you there now.)

Jiang Mingyang considered this and found it reasonable. If that dragon dared drink water today, tomorrow it might dare to...

How could they let it go on like this?

They would rid the people of a menace!

The Windwhistle Wolf King transformed into a breeze and swept Jiang Mingyang and the others swiftly toward the deepest part of the Sunset Forest's core.

Before long...

Led by the Windwhistle Wolf King, Jiang Mingyang and the others arrived beside a clear, transparent lake.

They spotted the Saint Grass Dragon in the water at once.

Before the Saint Grass Dragon could react, Jiang Tian struck without hesitation. His Bright Moon Bow Martial Soul appeared in an instant.

At the same time, the pressure of a high-level Soul Master descended on the Saint Grass Dragon, slowing its movements.

"Eighth Soul Skill: Ice-Crystal Arrow!"

An arrow carrying a suffocating chill struck the Saint Grass Dragon without fail.

The Ice-Crystal Arrow then exploded, its cold spreading outward and instantly freezing the Saint Grass Dragon and the entire lake.

Jiang Tian had always been meticulous beneath his rough exterior.

It might have looked as though he had opened with his eighth Soul Skill at full force.

In truth, his eighth Soul Skill was an area attack that could fire up to five arrows at once.

He generally used it in clashes between armies to freeze the entire battlefield. Against lower-level Soul Masters, it was utterly devastating.

The Saint Grass Dragon had tenacious vitality and had been struck by only one arrow. It was merely frozen, with its vital signs intact.

Jiang Mingyang did not hesitate. He launched his fifth Soul Skill, Spiritual Holy Sword, at the Saint Grass Dragon.

Only on the sixth strike did Jiang Mingyang break through the Saint Grass Dragon's instinctive spiritual defenses.

Luckily, the seventh sword ended the Saint Grass Dragon's fifty or sixty thousand years of reigning supreme.

A pitch-black Soul Ring slowly rose into the air.

Jiang Mingyang nodded to Jiang Tian and Ma Hongjun, then began absorbing it.

Jiang Tian watched him closely. With Jiang Mingyang's strength, absorbing the Soul Ring of a fifty- or sixty-thousand-year Saint Grass Dragon should pose no problem.

But nothing could be taken lightly, especially the absorption of a Soul Ring.

With Jiang Tian, a Soul Douluo, standing guard, Jiang Mingyang could shut out all outside interference.

At first, absorbing the Soul Ring felt no different from any of his previous attempts.

Suddenly, Jiang Mingyang felt the Saint Grass Dragon's Spiritual Shock grow much stronger. The abrupt surge sent blood trickling from his nose.

Ma Hongjun, who was standing guard, started. "Boss!"

He immediately looked at Jiang Tian.

Jiang Tian was startled too. He hurriedly examined Jiang Mingyang's condition, then relaxed and smiled faintly at Ma Hongjun. "He's fine!"

Only then did Ma Hongjun's tightly furrowed brow begin to ease.

Before long, Jiang Mingyang finished absorbing the Soul Ring and slowly stood up.

Jiang Tian breathed a sigh of relief. Until the absorption was complete, he could not fully relax.

Ma Hongjun suddenly asked in surprise, "Huh? Boss, your clothes..."

Jiang Mingyang hurriedly looked down. His clothes seemed to have gained a richer texture.

Over them was a robe embroidered with a distinctive pattern.

With a thought, Jiang Mingyang made the robe slowly disappear.

Understanding flashed through his eyes. "An External Soul Bone," he explained to Ma Hongjun.

Realization dawned in Jiang Tian's eyes as well. "An External Soul Bone? My son is truly blessed!"

Ma Hongjun had not spent the past few years at Jiang Mingyang's Duke's Mansion for nothing. He had studied all the fundamentals and naturally knew what an External Soul Bone was.

He laughed. "Ha! I knew you were heaven's chosen, Boss!

But an External Soul Bone keeps evolving. Why did it take the form of a robe?"

Jiang Mingyang smiled. "The robe formed by this External Soul Bone has extremely strong defensive power.

For now, it can withstand six breaths of a Soul Emperor's all-out attacks in one use.

After that, attacks will pass straight through it and hit me.

By my estimate, after fully resisting those six breaths of attacks, it will need around ten days before I can use it again.

It also grants me the ability to fly and teleport. Its flight speed and teleportation range will increase as the robe grows stronger.

As for what form the robe will eventually take, I don't know!"

Ma Hongjun grinned. "Who cares? Having this proves you're heaven's chosen, Boss!

What it does doesn't even matter!"

Jiang Mingyang smiled and patted Ma Hongjun on the head, then nodded to Jiang Tian, ready to leave.

The Windwhistle Wolf King was inwardly cursing in astonishment. What kind of luck is this?

Seeing that Jiang Mingyang and the others were about to leave, the Windwhistle Wolf King hurriedly roared to him, "Roar!" (Break open the Saint Grass Dragon's head. There's Saint Grass inside!

A Saint Grass Dragon... It's called a Saint Grass Dragon because it has Saint Grass!)

Jiang Mingyang paused. There's something like that? He could not recall seeing it recorded in any book.

He carefully broke open the Saint Grass Dragon's head. A bubble floated out, enclosing a sprig of grass.

Jiang Mingyang took the Saint Grass Qingfeng had mentioned and asked curiously, "What is this Saint Grass?"

Ma Hongjun was curious too. "Saint Grass? Qingfeng, what is it?"

The Windwhistle Wolf King replied, "Roar." (Saint Grass can help a Soul Master's Martial Soul evolve.

But only if that Martial Soul is capable of evolving.

And it has to be before that... what do you call it? Martial Soul Avatar.

This Saint Grass Dragon hadn't reached a hundred thousand years. Its Saint Grass will be weaker, probably useful only to Soul Kings.

After a Soul Master gains a Martial Soul Avatar, their Martial Soul is largely set, so the grass can hardly have any effect.

It works on us Soul Beasts too, increasing our age. But this Saint Grass will probably only help those under eight or nine thousand years, and even then, its effect will be limited.

The stronger the Soul Beast, the weaker the effect.

Legend says that Saint Grass from a hundred-thousand-year Saint Grass Dragon can increase a fifty-thousand-year Soul Beast's age by ten thousand years.)

Jiang Mingyang nodded in understanding and told Ma Hongjun and Jiang Tian, "It seems this can help a Soul Master's Martial Soul. Saint Grass from a hundred-thousand-year dragon would still work on someone below Soul Saint.

After someone becomes a Soul Saint, the Martial Soul Avatar makes it hard for the grass to have any effect.

The Saint Grass from this fifty- or sixty-thousand-year dragon is probably only useful to Soul Kings."

The requirement that a Martial Soul be capable of evolving meant that most top-tier Martial Souls could no longer evolve easily.

Further evolution would require a god's intervention. In practical terms, top-tier Martial Souls could not evolve.

Jiang Tian nodded. "Everyone in our family has already benefited from Immortal Herbs, so we have no use for this.

You keep it. You're often out gaining experience. It might prove useful someday, or help a friend."

Ma Hongjun smiled. "Boss, I've already had an Immortal Herb too.

Besides, once I become a Soul Emperor, my Martial Soul's problem can be resolved. I came along this time to help you hunt a Soul Beast, so I don't need it."

Jiang Mingyang nodded and accepted without protest. They were all family. He put the Saint Grass away.