Soul Bone

The Blood Skull Gu above his head, however, had no intention of stopping.

The crystal skull hovered above Hu Fangyuan's head, its hollow eye sockets fixed firmly on Hu Heming's corpse as the scarlet, blood-thread patterns between its sutures flashed wildly.

"Buzz!"

An invisible suction force erupted from the Blood Skull Gu.

The next moment, thick strands of blood rose from Hu Heming's corpse!

Those strands were dark red, several times thicker than those that had risen from the other Hu Family members' corpses. Like blood-colored pythons, they twisted through the air before flying toward the Blood Skull Gu.

Hu Heming, a rank forty-six Soul Ancestor and the head of the Hu Family, had the family's purest bloodline flowing through his veins.

His blood essence was dozens of times richer than that of ordinary Hu Family members!

The Blood Skull Gu devoured Hu Heming's blood essence ravenously. The dark red, jade-like sheen on its surface grew brighter and richer. The scarlet, blood-thread patterns between its sutures also grew thicker and more vivid, as though about to come alive.

Meanwhile, Hu Heming's corpse shriveled at a rate visible to the naked eye.

First, his skin lost its luster, turning dull and loose.

Then his muscles withered, leaving his bones protruding.

Finally, the entire corpse became a mummy, its skin stretched tightly over its bones, all its flesh and blood essence drained away.

Even Hu Heming's head became a shriveled skull.

At last, the Blood Skull Gu had absorbed enough of the Hu Family bloodline.

With the blood essence of more than twenty Hu Family corpses, plus that of Hu Heming, a Soul Ancestor, the Blood Skull Gu finally reached its limit!

The crystal skull's surface turned so vividly red that it seemed about to drip.

Its formerly dark red, jade-like surface had now become a translucent, brilliant red, like the purest ruby, gleaming with an eerie light in the firelight.

The scarlet, blood-thread patterns between its sutures had now become tangible blood-red lines, slowly writhing over its surface like living things.

Even within the Blood Skull Gu's eye sockets, a faint bloody glow flickered, as though it had come to life.

"Clack, clack, clack..."

The Blood Skull Gu's jaw opened and closed continuously, producing faint sounds of bone joints rubbing together. The sound was both eerie and pleasing, like cheering, or perhaps a sigh of satisfaction.

Hu Fangyuan laughed heartily, his eyes filled with fervor.

He reached out and activated the Blood Skull Gu.

Hovering above his head, the Blood Skull Gu suddenly opened its jaws wide!

A strange sound came from its mouth.

The next moment, a fragrant fountain of blood gushed from the Blood Skull Gu's mouth!

The blood was a brilliant red, like liquid drawn from the purest ruby. It traced a graceful arc through the air before pouring down onto Hu Fangyuan's head!

The fountain drenched Hu Fangyuan from head to toe.

Warm blood slowly trickled down his hair, cheeks, neck, chest, abdomen, and legs, forming a thin film of blood over his body.

Rather than reeking of blood, it carried a faint fragrance, like the finest spices, refreshing the mind and lifting the spirits with its scent.

Hu Fangyuan savored it like nectar, breathing deeply and enjoying it all.

He closed his eyes and spread his arms, letting the fountain of blood bathe his body.

The warm blood seeped through his skin and merged into his bloodline, nourishing his bones, meridians, and internal organs.

He could clearly feel earth-shaking changes taking place within his body!

His bones became tougher and denser, each one shimmering with a faint jade-colored luster under the nourishment of the blood fountain.

His meridians became wider and tougher. Once only as thick as a strand of hair, they were now as thick as his little finger, and the speed at which soul power circulated through them increased severalfold and more.

His internal organs grew stronger and more powerful. Each breath drew in more spiritual energy from heaven and earth, and each heartbeat pumped more blood.

As the blood fountain merged with his blood, it became richer and purer, the life energy within it increasing severalfold and more.

Most importantly, there was his aptitude!

Under the Blood Skull Gu's analysis and enhancement, his cultivation aptitude was rapidly improving at a rate visible to the naked eye!

Rank-six innate soul power?

No!

His aptitude now far surpassed innate rank six!

Innate rank seven!

Innate rank eight!

Innate rank nine!

At last, his aptitude stopped at the level of innate full soul power!

He now stood at the same starting line as those legendary geniuses!

Hu Fangyuan took a deep breath, drawing the fragrant blood-scent lingering in the air into his lungs, where it became a warm current that surged throughout his body.

A satisfied smile curved his lips.

From this day forward, he, Hu Fangyuan, would embark on an entirely new path!

The path of Gu refinement!

The path to godhood!

Hu Fangyuan took a deep breath and suppressed the surging excitement in his heart.

He knew that now was still a time for excitement.

Reinforcements from Changhuo City could arrive at any moment. He had to leave this damned place before they came!

Hu Fangyuan's gaze fell on Hu Heming's corpse.

More precisely, it fell on Hu Heming's wrist.

A bracelet-shaped Storage Soul Tool rested there.

Hu Fangyuan walked over, crouched down, and removed the bracelet from Hu Heming's wrist.

The bracelet felt warm in his hand, its surface engraved with exquisite cloud patterns. It looked quite valuable. Hu Fangyuan infused it with his soul power and probed inside with his spiritual power, beginning to inspect its contents.

Federation Coins-all large-denomination Federation Coins, roughly five million by his estimate!

He was rich!

Besides the Federation Coins, there were various Soul Tools and medicinal pills-especially the pills, of which there were a full fifteen bottles.

Besides these, in the deepest part of the Storage Soul Tool, there was actually a Soul Bone!

That fucking old bastard really had stashed away something good!

And judging by its quality, this was definitely no ordinary Soul Bone. No wonder an Evil Soul Master had risked angering the Southern Legion to wipe out the family!

A trace of delight flashed through Hu Fangyuan's eyes.

In this era, soul beasts were on the verge of extinction. Apart from the considerable numbers still held in the reserves of major powers, Soul Bones were essentially nonexistent on the market.

To obtain a Soul Bone, one could only brave the dangers of the ocean to hunt sea soul beasts!

Hu Fangyuan shook his head, casting the unrealistic fantasy out of his mind. Having one was already good enough, yet he was thinking about a second. Now that he had these resources, he had sufficient capital for his upcoming cultivation and Gu refinement!

He put the Storage Soul Tool on his own wrist, then stood and took one last look at this place filled with memories and pain.

His mother's corpse still lay quietly in the corner.

Hu Heming's dried corpse lay by the wall.

The entire Hu Family, hundreds of people, were all dead.

From this day forward, he was an orphan.

Mother, rest assured. Your son will avenge you.

Hu Fangyuan silently said those words in his heart, then turned and left without looking back.

Time waited for no one. Any later, and the people from Changhuo City would arrive!

As for some family treasury, anyone who thought they had too much life left could go for it!

Hu Fangyuan's figure soon disappeared into the night.

Half a month later.

Eastsea City, Soul Guidance Train station.

A massive Soul Guidance Train slowly pulled into the platform, sounding a long whistle.

The doors opened, and passengers filed out.

Hu Fangyuan staggered off the train, his face completely pale.

His steps were unsteady and his gaze unfocused. He looked as though he had not slept for days.

In fact, that was indeed the case.

Half a month-he had spent an entire half month on Soul Guidance Trains.

He truly had never expected the damned Southern Legion to have expert trackers capable of finding the corresponding soul power traces left at the battle site and pursuing him relentlessly.

That night, not long after leaving the Hu Family Manor, he had sensed pursuers behind him.

Those pursuers were extremely fast, their cultivation at least at the Soul King level, and their tracking methods were exceptionally skilled. No matter how he concealed his aura, he could not shake them off.

Had Hu Fangyuan not run fast enough to board a Soul Guidance Train in neighboring Liuyun City ahead of them, passing through several cities, buying tickets at random, roaming through the southern and central regions of the Douluo Continent, and finally reaching Eastsea City in the east, there might still have been dogs chasing behind him!

Over the past half month, he had not dared get off the train casually or remain in any city for too long. Even when he slept, he could only snatch a nap on the train.

The food on the Soul Guidance Trains was both terrible and expensive, but he had no choice.

More than ten consecutive days of travel had left him noticeably thinner, his face as pale as paper.