"Hahahaha! Soul Bones? You want my Soul Bones?"
Tang Hao snarled with a vicious grin, "Chen Mo, dream on! Even if I die, I'll never let you have your way!"
"Ah Yin! Do you see this? This is the child I saved! He's a beast!"
"I won't let you off even as a ghost!"
Tang Hao struggled frantically, making the chains rattle.
But the Soul-Sealing Nails pinned his limbs firmly in place. He could not break free at all.
Chen Mo merely watched Tang Hao with a chuckle, his face expressionless.
"Curse away. Curse to your heart's content. You'll have plenty to suffer when we extract your Soul Bones in a moment."
"Senior Dugu, begin," Chen Mo said flatly.
Dugu Bo nodded and released his Martial Soul.
The phantom of the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor appeared, and thick poisonous mist enveloped the entire secret chamber.
"Tang Hao, stop struggling," Dugu Bo sneered. "You're a cripple now. Resisting is useless."
"Dugu Bo! You vile scoundrel!" Tang Hao cursed furiously. "I should have killed you outright back then!"
"Heh heh, what a pity. You won't get another chance."
Dugu Bo sneered and pressed a finger between Tang Hao's brows.
A stream of jade-green poison surged into Tang Hao's body. His body instantly stiffened, and he could no longer even speak.
But his eyes could still move, filled with venomous hatred and unwillingness.
"Kid, he can't move anymore."
Dugu Bo said, "Start extracting the bones."
Chen Mo nodded and walked up to Tang Hao.
In the original story, Tang Hao had six Soul Bones in total.
Two of them were the Clear Sky Sect's inherited Soul Bones-a fifty-thousand-year left leg bone and right leg bone, supreme treasures passed down through generations of the Clear Sky Sect.
The other four were ones Tang Hao had obtained elsewhere himself-a left arm bone, a right arm bone, a skull bone, and a torso bone.
Chen Mo planned to chop off all four of Tang Hao's limbs first and extract the four Soul Bones in them.
As for the skull bone and torso bone, Chen Mo planned to leave them for now and extract them when he finally killed Tang Hao, once he could take on the entire Clear Sky Sect alone.
After all, could the Clear Sky Sect, with its long legacy, really have no way to detect Tang Hao's death?
Chen Mo did not believe it.
If he killed Tang Hao now and the Clear Sky Sect noticed, there would be serious trouble once they investigated.
By keeping Tang Hao alive and taking only his limb Soul Bones, he could keep the Clear Sky Sect from discovering anything for a while.
"Forgive me, foster father."
Chen Mo spoke flatly, then poured his Soul Power into Tang Hao's right arm.
Extracting a Soul Bone was an extremely painful process.
Soul Bones had completely fused with a Soul Master's bones and meridians. Extracting one was equivalent to forcibly pulling a bone out of the body.
Chen Mo wrapped his Soul Power around the right arm bone and began slowly drawing it out.
"Ugh-!"
Tang Hao's body shook violently. Veins bulged on his forehead, and bean-sized beads of sweat rolled down his face.
Although the poison had sealed his voice, his contorted expression made it clear how much pain he was in.
His eyes were wide and round, filled with venomous hatred and pain.
Chen Mo merely watched him with a chuckle, his hands never pausing for an instant.
A quarter of an hour later, a roughly forty-thousand-year right arm bone was extracted intact.
Tang Hao's right arm drooped limply, blood gushing from the wound.
Chen Mo casually stopped his bleeding with his fourth Soul Skill, Life Blessing, then continued extracting the left arm bone.
This time, Tang Hao's body trembled even more violently.
His eyes rolled back, and he nearly passed out.
But Dugu Bo's poison kept him conscious, making him feel every bit of pain with perfect clarity.
Another quarter of an hour passed, and a roughly thirty-eight-thousand-year left arm bone was extracted as well.
Next came the left leg bone and right leg bone-the Clear Sky Sect's two fifty-thousand-year inherited Soul Bones.
While these two Soul Bones were being extracted, Tang Hao passed out from the pain.
But Dugu Bo sent a stream of poison into him, jolting him awake with pain again.
"Tang Hao, don't pass out."
Dugu Bo sneered, "How can you pass out at such a wonderful moment?"
Tang Hao looked at Dugu Bo with venomous hatred, but he no longer even had the strength to curse.
An hour later, all four limb Soul Bones had been extracted.
Tang Hao's four limbs had been chopped off at their roots. He hung from the chains like a heap of sludge, covered in blood, his breathing faint.
But he was not dead yet.
Chen Mo had sustained his life with Life Blessing. He did not want Tang Hao to die so easily.
As for the skull bone and torso bone, Chen Mo left them untouched.
Those two Soul Bones would have to wait until he finally killed Tang Hao.
"Rest well, foster father," Chen Mo said flatly. "There will still be uses for you in the future."
Tang Hao looked at Chen Mo with venomous hatred. His lips moved, but no sound came out.
Chen Mo and Dugu Bo left the secret chamber.
Back in the center of the valley, Chen Mo laid the four Soul Bones on the ground.
Two fifty-thousand-year inherited Soul Bones of the Clear Sky Sect (a left leg bone and a right leg bone), a thirty-eight-thousand-year left arm bone, and a forty-thousand-year right arm bone.
"My young friend Chen Mo, these Soul Bones..." Dugu Bo looked at the four Soul Bones, a trace of greed flashing in his eyes.
Soul Bones were even more precious than Soul Rings. Even a Titled Douluo might not possess a single one.
Let alone two fifty-thousand-year inherited Soul Bones!
"Senior, these two are for you."
Chen Mo handed the fifty-thousand-year left leg bone and right leg bone to Dugu Bo.
"Senior, I have no way to eradicate the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor Poison inside you directly. If I did, your strength would drop drastically. These two inherited Soul Bones of the Clear Sky Sect are of extremely high quality and can help you transfer the poison."
"I've already removed some of the poison inside you. Transfer the remaining poison into the Soul Bones and use them to store it. That will alleviate the backlash without affecting your strength."
"Also, these two are inherited Soul Bones of the Clear Sky Sect. They might have some special markings, so we can't let Sister Yanyan use them."
Dugu Bo froze at Chen Mo's words, then his eyes widened.
"These are fifty-thousand-year Soul Bones, and you're giving both to me?!" Dugu Bo said excitedly. "This... they're far too precious!"
"Transfer the poison into the Soul Bones? Would... would that work?"
"Of course."
Chen Mo said earnestly, "Soul Bones can store energy, and poison is also a kind of energy."
"If you transfer the poison into the Soul Bones, you can not only alleviate the backlash but also release the poison inside them during battle, catching your opponent off guard."
Dugu Bo took a deep breath and looked at Chen Mo, his eyes filled with gratitude.
This method was practically tailor-made for him!
And these were two fifty-thousand-year inherited Soul Bones!
"Kid, words of thanks can't repay such a great kindness!" Dugu Bo was so excited that his hands trembled. "If you ever need anything from me, just say the word!"
"You're too kind, Senior." Chen Mo smiled, then picked up the remaining two Soul Bones. "Let's give these two to Sister Yanyan."
Dugu Yan, who had just gotten out of bed, had been listening to their conversation when Chen Mo suddenly mentioned her.