External Soul Bone, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm

In the Great Ferocious Land, beside the Lake of Life, beneath an ancient tree that towered into the sky.

An enormous bear let out a deafening roar. His terrifying aura made the surrounding soul beasts tremble and hastily bury their heads in the dirt, afraid his wrath would spill over onto them and bring disaster out of nowhere.

The giant bear stood a full fifteen meters tall, his body covered in a dense, thick coat of dark gold fur.

His arms were extraordinarily long and muscular. His long, razor-sharp claws had gouged ten unfathomably deep furrows into the ground.

This enormous creature was a Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear, known as the Jungle Destroyer.

And this particular Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear of the Great Ferocious Land was the king of bears, ranked sixth among the Top Ten Ferocious Beasts and nicknamed Xiong Jun.

His cultivation was terrifying, totaling a full four hundred and seventy thousand years. Calling him the greatest bear in the history of the Douluo Continent would certainly be no exaggeration.

Moreover, the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear clan possessed terrifying combat prowess. Even the Myriad Demon King and the Emerald Swan, whose ranks and cultivation surpassed his, were no match for him together.

In the entire Star Dou Great Forest, only the Beast God, the Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King Di Tian, could subdue Xiong Jun.

It was precisely because Xiong Jun's combat strength was so terrifying that Di Tian had repeatedly tolerated his little schemes.

Because the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm was so important, the ferocious beasts took turns guarding him. This time, it was Xiong Jun's turn.

Now, with his offspring killed, Xiong Jun had flown into a rage. His violent soul power erupted, tearing apart the surrounding earth and towering ancient trees. Even space itself was ripped open with pitch-black fissures.

Beside him, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm watched Xiong Jun's furious rampage, a glimmer of excitement appearing in his expressive little eyes.

He had waited a long time for this opportunity. Xiong Jun and the other ferocious beasts had no idea.

Not long ago, he had quietly broken through the million-year bottleneck, becoming the only million-year soul beast in the entire Star Dou Great Forest.

Before reaching a million years, he had been unable to conceal his aura. Every time he escaped, the ferocious beasts caught him and dragged him back.

But after becoming a million-year soul beast, he could not only conceal his aura perfectly, his strength had also multiplied several times over. With his newfound power, he could now escape the Great Ferocious Land. From then on, the sky would be boundless for birds to fly, and the earth vast for a silkworm to roam.

As long as he found an opportunity to escape and hide, no one would be able to detect his aura—not even if Beast God Di Tian personally took action!

The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm sighed inwardly. Unfortunately, the million-year heavenly tribulation has brought my lifespan close to its end. If I don't find a soul master with a mental attribute to fuse with soon, I'll be a goner. No more dawdling. I'm out of here~

The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm activated Simulation, the innate ability of the Ice Silkworm Clan, empowered by his million years of cultivation.

The simulation was so lifelike that the false could pass for the true. It was terrifyingly realistic—unless someone touched it personally, no one could see through it.

Using his Simulation skill, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm left a duplicate where he had been, while his real body burrowed underground and escaped the Great Ferocious Land...

Completely unaware that the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm had escaped, Xiong Jun raged for a while before the Myriad Demon King, fifth in the ferocious beast rankings, stopped him.

The Myriad Demon King appeared as a middle-aged man. He was not particularly tall or broad, but his figure was slender. His dark green robe fluttered slowly behind him despite the absence of wind.

His face was not especially handsome, and his complexion had a greenish tinge. Even his eyes were blue-green—an unsettling emerald shade, their depths filled with an eerie gleam.

"Xiong Jun, calm down. Di Tian is in secluded cultivation right now. If you disturb him..."

At the Myriad Demon King's words, Xiong Jun instantly calmed down as though a bucket of cold water had been poured over him. He feared neither heaven nor earth—only the Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King Di Tian.

Whenever Xiong Jun remembered challenging Di Tian and getting beaten so brutally that he had nearly become a dead bear, a chill ran down his back and his bear's courage quivered.

Still, although Xiong Jun was scared to death of Di Tian inside, he refused to yield with his words.

Lowering his voice, he told the Myriad Demon King arrogantly, "Hmph. So what if Di Tian is in seclusion? I'm not afraid of him."

The Myriad Demon King was rather speechless at Xiong Jun's stubborn bluster, but knowing that the bear cared about saving face, he stroked his fur the right way.

"Fine, I know you're not afraid. But remember to keep an eye on that ice silkworm. He's escaped several times before, and catching him always takes quite a bit of effort."

Xiong Jun turned toward the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm. Seeing him lying there obediently, he waved a claw for emphasis.

"If that ice silkworm dares run away right under my nose, one Dark Gold Dreadclaw will tear him to pieces!"

As he spoke, Xiong Jun walked over to the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm and patted his plump body with his broad paw.

But the instant his paw made contact, Xiong Jun froze.

Wait, what's going on? Why did my paw pass right through him!??

Xiong Jun's huge, bell-sized eyes widened into perfect circles. Refusing to believe it, he raked his claws repeatedly through the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's body.

In an instant, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm vanished without a trace. Only a pitch-black hole remained in the ground, seemingly mocking him in silence.

Xiong Jun: ٩(º﹃º٩) Where's the ice silkworm? Where did my enormous ice silkworm go?

Myriad Demon King: (￢_￢) This stupid bear. Every time something goes wrong, it's his fault.

The Myriad Demon King sighed. "Xiong Jun, why are you still standing there? Hurry up and look! That ice silkworm is a priceless treasure. The number of hundred-thousand-year soul beasts in our Star Dou Great Forest has surged over the past ten thousand years, and he's played an enormous part in that. If he's lost, I'm afraid your life won't be safe once Di Tian comes out of seclusion."

Xiong Jun declared with complete confidence, "What's there to fear? I can smell that ice silkworm from a hundred and eight thousand miles away. He can't escape the palm of my paw!"

Xiong Jun sniffed...

Then sniffed again...

Then sniffed as hard as he could...

Xiong Jun: (ー△ー;) Wait, what's going on? Why can't I smell that ice silkworm?

In the Mixed Zone of the Star Dou Great Forest.

Chen An gazed at the purple soul ring that had formed above the thousand-year Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear's corpse, his body filled with an instinctive longing.

It felt like a traveler, parched and starving after three days and nights in the desert, finding a spring of life in an oasis.

Beside him, Zhang Lexuan instructed, "Sit cross-legged, steady your breathing, and focus your mind. Use your martial soul to draw the soul ring toward you, absorb its energy, and channel that energy into your dantian!"

Following Zhang Lexuan's guidance, Chen An sat cross-legged and used his martial soul to draw in the soul ring.

The purple soul ring floated before Chen An, and he reached out his hand to establish a connection with it.

In an instant, energy from the soul ring surged through his palm and into his body.

Boom!!

The violent energy within the soul ring rushed like a raging river, swelling Chen An's meridians to twice their original size.

Needle-like agony pierced Chen An's meridians. Clearly, a Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear's soul ring was not so easily absorbed.

But how domineering was Chen An's true self martial soul? Unlike ordinary soul masters, his meridians were part of his martial soul, far stronger than those of soul masters at the same level.

Even swollen to twice their size, his meridians remained intact. The energy could not rupture them and injure him.

Chen An hurriedly circulated the meditation method the little angel had taught him, absorbing the energy within the soul ring.

The soul power contained in the Thousand-Year Soul Ring surged and roared like rolling tides, crashing against Chen An's body wave after wave.

But Chen An's body was like a flood embankment. His powerful Spiritual Power guided each wave of the soul ring's energy into his body, strengthening his bones, meridians, muscles, and sinews...

Time passed, second by second and minute by minute. Chen An's absorption of the soul ring went smoothly.

Zhang Lexuan and Qian Renxue remained beside him, standing guard. They drove away every soul beast that passed while Chen An absorbed the soul ring, killing any they could not chase off.

A purple soul ring on Zhang Lexuan lit up, unleashing beams of silvery-white light that easily slaughtered a group of hundred-year Wind Baboons attempting to attack Chen An.

Perhaps a ten-year Wind Baboon could nearly kill the future God of Emotion, but before Zhang Lexuan, whose cultivation was at the Soul Emperor level, hundred-year Wind Baboons were no different from ants. A single soul skill could sweep away a whole swath of them, faster than reaping wheat.

After dealing with the Wind Baboons, Zhang Lexuan glanced back at Chen An. Finding him in good condition, she relaxed.

Zhang Lexuan marveled inwardly. As expected of a top-tier body martial soul. What a powerful physique! He can absorb a thousand-year Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear's soul ring at level ten. Truly terrifying.

Qian Renxue stood before Chen An, a yellow soul ring rising and circling around her.

Qian Renxue had obtained her first soul ring before Chen An.

However, the six-winged angel martial soul did not excel in physical strength. Thus, unlike Chen An, who was absorbing a Thousand-Year Soul Ring, Qian Renxue had only absorbed the soul ring of a six-hundred-year Sacred Unicorn as her first soul ring.

The six-hundred-year Sacred Unicorn had granted Qian Renxue a powerful first soul skill: Sacred Convergence!

Sacred Convergence combined offense and defense. It could compress sacred power into various shapes, forming a shield for defense or a holy sword for attack.

It also carried a sacred aura that dissolved and suppressed its target's soul power. Moreover, this soul skill could be combined with other soul skills. It was undeniably powerful.

Qian Renxue thought proudly, The six-winged angel martial soul is the strongest! My soul power has already reached level twenty. I can absorb my second soul ring right away and become a Soul Grandmaster.

But I can't let Zhang Lexuan help me hunt a soul beast for this second soul ring. Otherwise, there's no way to explain why I reached the level-twenty bottleneck right after fusing with my first soul ring. Chen An and I will have to find an opportunity and work something out ourselves.

Just as Qian Renxue was pondering this.

Chen An slowly opened his eyes. After absorbing the thousand-year soul ring, he had grown three centimeters taller, and his soul power had broken straight through to level thirteen.

Moreover, because of the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear's power, fusing with its soul ring had given Chen An an enormous boost. His physique benefited most—it had practically doubled in strength.

That meant Chen An could now withstand a two-thousand-year soul ring.

Compared with the enormous improvement in his physique, the increase in Chen An's Spiritual Power was only modest, just ten percent. Still, considering that Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bears did not excel in Spiritual Power, the limited boost to his mental attribute was only natural.

Chen An stretched and released his soul power. A purple soul ring appeared, rising and gleaming.

As Chen An experienced the soul skill granted by his first soul ring, a smile involuntarily curved his lips.

His first soul skill, Dark Gold Transformation! It greatly increased his physical strength, defense, and explosive power! It also greatly enhanced his body's resistance to abnormal conditions.

Dark Gold Transformation would continuously consume soul power while active.

Sensing the soul power consumed by his first soul skill, Dark Gold Transformation, Chen An estimated that he could fight with it active for half an hour.

While his first soul skill was active, Chen An, whose physique was already astonishing, would become a beast in human form.

His left fist dealt high damage, and his right fist dealt damage that was high—a perfect display of the beauty of raw numbers.

"Chen An, congratulations." Qian Renxue came to his side with a smile.

Zhang Lexuan offered a reminder instead. "Congratulations on obtaining your first soul ring, Chen An. From now on, you're a true soul master. But don't get conceited. You still have a long way to go before you can stand on your own."

Just then, Chen An suddenly sensed something on the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear's corpse drawing him toward it.

Looking at the corpse, Chen An took the soul tool blade Zhang Lexuan had given him earlier and began cutting it apart.

Soon, Chen An dug an unusual bone out of the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear's right claw.

The bone was dark gold and radiated dense fluctuations of soul power. Its overall shape resembled the bones of a palm, but five long, narrow blades extended from its front, like miniature terrorclaws.

A dark gold glow flowed across it like rippling water, irresistibly drawing the eye.

This was undoubtedly a soul bone—and an external soul bone at that, capable of growing alongside its soul master and second only to a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring in rarity!

"Th-this is an external soul bone?!" Even Zhang Lexuan's voice trembled.

Seeing that Chen An had actually obtained an external soul bone, Qian Renxue could not help smiling.

Qian Renxue had long since regarded Chen An as one of her own. Naturally, the stronger he became and the more abilities he gained, the happier she was. Rebuilding Spirit Hall would be that much easier in the future.

As for Chen An becoming too powerful, his achievements overshadowing his ruler...

Qian Renxue never even considered it. Proud as she was, she firmly believed the six-winged angel martial soul was the strongest!

Once she absorbed her second soul ring, the power of her Angel Domain would surely let her defeat Chen An with ease and win his submission!

Zhang Lexuan said, "Absorbing a soul ring and soul bone from the same soul beast together gives the best results. Chen An, hurry and absorb it."

Chen An immediately began fusing with the external soul bone. Half an hour later, the fusion succeeded, and his soul power rose to level fifteen.

Before Chen An could test the external soul bone's soul bone skill, Zhang Lexuan grabbed him and Qian Renxue and hurried them away.

Zhang Lexuan thought inwardly, We've gained so much on this trip. I must get Chen An into Shrek Academy as soon as possible so he can be protected. The Star Dou Great Forest is still too dangerous. Who knows what powerful expert or soul beast we might encounter?

Just as Chen An and the other two were about to leave.

Suddenly, without any warning, a voice rang out in Chen An's mind.

"At last, I've met a human with a mental attribute! Too bad I can't cry, or tears would be streaming down my face!

"Huh, huh, huh!! This child—what terrifying talent! This physique, this Spiritual Power—is he really a One-Ring Soul Master?

"Hahahahaha! Heaven really has treated me, Tian Meng, generously! First, ten-thousand-year profound ice marrow helped me break through to a million years, and now, at the very last moment, I've encountered a peerless genius!"