The Ruins! A Powerful Stone Statue and a Mysterious Golden Soul Bone!

Lin Xuan nodded, his eyes full of admiration.

He hesitated, then said quietly, "Your Highness Dai Fei, I... I'd like to ask you a favor."

Dai Fei glanced at him. "What is it?"

Lin Xuan gritted his teeth and said, "My team found some ruins while hunting Soul Beasts. There seemed to be some kind of powerful force hidden inside, but before we could explore them, we were attacked by the Shadow Demon Wolf. Now I'm the only one left of the team. I'd like to ask you to explore the ruins with me."

Dai Fei frowned slightly. After a moment's thought, he said, "Ruins? Do you know what's inside?"

Lin Xuan shook his head. "I'm not sure, but I feel there must be something important in there. If we manage to explore them, we might gain a great deal."

Dai Fei thought it over for a while before finally nodding. "All right, I'll go take a look with you."

Delight appeared on Lin Xuan's face. "That's great! With you there, our chances will be much better!"

Dai Fei said little more. He roasted and ate the Shadow Demon Wolf's corpse, found no Soul Bone, and then said calmly, "Let's go. Lead the way."

The two quickly left the battlefield and headed in the direction of the ruins Lin Xuan had mentioned.

Along the way, Dai Fei remained on guard. He knew that danger could be lurking anywhere in this Soul Beast forest.

After walking for about half an hour, the two arrived at a valley.

The entrance to the valley was covered in dense vines. If Lin Xuan hadn't led the way, Dai Fei would never have noticed it.

"This is the place," Lin Xuan said, pointing at the entrance.

Dai Fei nodded and reached out to push the vines aside, revealing a pitch-black cave entrance.

An icy chill wafted from the entrance, enough to make anyone shudder.

"Let's go. Be careful," Dai Fei said quietly, stepping into the cave first.

Lin Xuan followed close behind, and the two slowly made their way inside, one behind the other.

The light inside the cave was extremely dim. Dai Fei released a wisp of Soul Power to illuminate the path ahead.

As the two ventured deeper, the space inside the cave gradually grew wider.

The surrounding walls were covered in ancient runes that seemed to record some kind of ancient secret.

"These runes... seem to be an ancient script," Dai Fei said quietly.

Lin Xuan nodded. "That's right. I once saw similar runes in an ancient book. They're said to be the writing of an ancient civilization, recording powerful Soul Skills and secret arts."

Dai Fei's heart stirred. If these runes really did record powerful Soul Skills, this expedition would bring enormous gains.

Just then, a low rumble suddenly came from ahead, as though something were awakening.

Dai Fei and Lin Xuan exchanged a glance, a trace of wariness flashing in both their eyes.

"Careful. There may be danger ahead," Dai Fei said quietly.

The two proceeded cautiously, and soon arrived at an enormous stone chamber.

A massive stone statue stood in the center of the chamber. It resembled an enormous dragon-shaped Soul Beast, its eyes tightly shut as though it were asleep.

"This is... a statue of a dragon-shaped Soul Beast?" Lin Xuan said in surprise.

Dai Fei stared fixedly at the statue, a faint sense of unease and anticipation in his heart.

Just then, the statue's eyes suddenly opened, and two beams of scarlet light shot straight out.

"This is bad! Get back!" Dai Fei shouted, pulling Lin Xuan back with him.

But it was already too late.

The statue's body began to move slowly, and an enormous stone claw slammed down at the two of them.

Without hesitation, Dai Fei unleashed the Sacred Beast White Tiger and threw a punch, colliding fiercely with the statue's stone claw.

"Bang-!"

The tremendous impact sent Dai Fei flying backward, and he slammed heavily into the wall of the stone chamber.

A trace of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth. He was clearly badly injured.

This statue... has such tremendous power! Dai Fei was utterly shocked.

He immediately drew on the power of the Hundred-Thousand-Year Blue Silver Emperor to heal his injuries.

Lin Xuan's face also turned deathly pale. Trembling, he said, "Your Highness Dai Fei, are you all right? What... what should we do?"

"I'm fine."

Dai Fei gritted his teeth and said in a low voice, "Let's do this!"

He charged at the statue again, unleashing the full power of his White Tiger True Body and engaging it in a fierce battle.

The battle lasted nearly half an hour. Dai Fei was covered in wounds, but his gaze remained resolute.

He knew he could not fall. Otherwise, both he and Lin Xuan would die here.

"Roar-!"

Dai Fei let out a furious roar, and his Seventh Soul Ring lit up once more. White Tiger True Body: Asura God Descends!

His body transformed into a streak of golden light and shot straight toward the statue.

This time, his attack struck the statue squarely in the chest. Its body slowly began to crack apart, eventually crumbling into countless fragments that scattered across the ground.

Dai Fei let out a long breath and slowly collapsed.

The Hundred-Thousand-Year Blue Silver Emperor's restorative power began working faster.

Lin Xuan hurried over to support him and asked anxiously, "Your Highness, are you all right?"

Dai Fei shook his head and managed a faint smile. "I'm fine. I just used up too much Soul Power. I'll be all right after some rest."

Lin Xuan nodded, his eyes full of gratitude. "Your Highness, thank you. If it weren't for you, I'd probably have died long ago."

Dai Fei waved a hand and said calmly, "No need to thank me. The Lin Clan supported me in the past."

"We support you now too!"

"As long as you're alive, the Lin Clan will support you!"

Lin Xuan immediately declared his loyalty.

Just then, the floor of the stone chamber suddenly began to tremble, and a dazzling beam of light shot out from the statue's remains.

Dai Fei and Lin Xuan watched in surprise as a golden Soul Bone slowly emerged within the light.

"This is... a Soul Bone!" Lin Xuan exclaimed.

Dai Fei's gaze grew fervent as well.

Soul Bones were treasures every Soul Master dreamed of obtaining, capable of greatly increasing a Soul Master's strength.

And this golden Soul Bone was clearly no ordinary Soul Bone. The power it contained was incredibly strong.

"Your Highness, this Soul Bone should be yours," Lin Xuan suddenly said. "You have more things you need to do. Only if your strength increases quickly can we be at ease."

Dai Fei was taken aback, then shook his head. "No, we found it together. We should split it equally."

Lin Xuan smiled. "If it weren't for you, I'd have died long ago. This Soul Bone rightfully belongs to you."

Dai Fei fell silent for a moment before finally nodding. "All right, then I'll accept it."

He reached out and took the Soul Bone. Feeling the powerful force within it, he couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.

Just then, a line of ancient writing suddenly appeared on the wall of the stone chamber. Dai Fei studied it carefully and discovered that it was an ancient prophecy:

"When golden light illuminates the darkness, the gears of fate shall turn once more. Inheritor, you shall shoulder the great duty of saving the world..."

Dai Fei's heart jolted. He had a faint feeling that he seemed to have been drawn into a vast conspiracy.

"Your Highness, what should we do next?" Lin Xuan asked.

Dai Fei pondered for a moment, then said slowly, "Let's leave first. We'll talk when we get back."

The two quickly left the stone chamber and headed for the cave entrance.

But they did not know that an even greater storm was waiting for them...