MTLNOVEL Chapter 45: External Soul Bone
Masquerade Douluo was inwardly shocked.
The other party showed no fear, could they have some hidden trump card?
Moreover, as a ninth-level soul engineer, it was entirely possible that Luan Yu possessed other ninth-level soul tools, perhaps even the terrifying ninth-level fixed soul cannonball.
If such a weapon were to explode, he wouldn't be able to withstand it. If he were accidentally hit, he would die a most aggrieved death.
Uncertain about Luan Yu's true strength, Masquerade Douluo Douluo decided to retreat.
He let out a low laugh and said, "Hahaha, so that's how it is. Then it was my mistake to act rashly. How about this? There's a Holy Light Blazing Flame Tiger in a valley about twenty kilometers from here. It's also a light attribute soul beast. Although it's not as good as this Bird of Paradise, it's still quite decent. Consider it my compensation."
On the surface, Luan Yu's expression softened slightly, but inwardly, she was filled with disdain.
Believe you? Not a chance! She thought. You look like a ghost or some kind of evil spirit, clearly an evil soul master. If I were to trust an evil soul master, I'd be a fool.
"Since Your Excellency is so sincere, let's consider this matter settled," Luan Yu replied, nodding with a satisfied expression.
"Hahaha, very well. Then I'll take my leave," Masquerade Douluo said, leaving behind a map before transforming into a blue-black light and disappearing into the depths of the forest.
"Phew, what a fool," Luan Yu muttered under her breath.
With a flick of her finger, a small sword aura shattered the map Masquerade Douluo had left behind. Her face was full of disdain.
She had guessed correctly. The location Masquerade Douluo provided wasn't the lair of a Holy Light Blazing Flame Tiger at all.
Instead, it was the hiding place of an elder from the Holy Spirit Cult, another Title Douluo-level evil soul master.
If Luan Yu had actually gone there, it would have been like sending meat to a pack of dogs, there would be no return.
If they were surrounded by two Title Douluo-level evil soul masters, their entire group would be doomed to perish in this Evil Demon Forest.
"Aunt."
"Aunt Luan Yu!"
Seeing that the fight had been avoided, Liuxing and others breathed a sigh of relief and gathered around Luan Yu.
The pressure from the evil soul master had been immense. Liuying quietly pulled out Sam's transformer, ready to activate it at any moment.
"Let's go. This place isn't safe to stay for long," Luan Yu said seriously, preparing to leave with the group.
"Wait a minute, Aunt Luan Yu. I want to bury the Bird of Paradise. I can't let it lie exposed in the wilderness," Ye Guyi said softly, her eyes filled with sadness.
Although their encounter had been brief, she felt a natural affection for the Bird of Paradise.
"Alright," Luan Yu agreed, leading the group to fly low to where the Bird of Paradise had fallen.
"Huh?"
Looking at the Bird of Paradise lying in the rubble, Luan Yu sighed softly. Liuxing and Liuying both sensed a faint trace of life emanating from the creature. Though it was weak, it was still there.
"How is this possible? It's still alive!" Luan Yu couldn't believe it.
After all, the attack had come from a Title Douluo-level evil soul master.
Even a ten-thousand-year soul beast would have died instantly from such a blow, yet this hundred-year-old Bird of Paradise had clung to life.
It was no wonder Luan Yu was incredulous.
Ye Guyi's face lit up with joy, and she hurried forward to examine the Bird of Paradise.
Its once pristine white feathers were now covered in dust, as if a holy goddess had been defiled. The sight was heartbreaking.
"Aunt Luan Yu, can it still be saved?" Ye Guyi asked.
Luan Yu looked at the gray aura spreading from the Bird of Paradise's wound and shook her head helplessly. "Put it out of its misery, Guyi. There's no hope."
Ye Guyi was stunned by this. She bowed her head in silence.
Liuying's expression was complicated. Another life was about to pass before her eyes.
Though she was accustomed to life and death, she couldn't help but sigh. Life was still so fragile.
"Hurry up, Guyi. Even if you don't kill it, it's going to die anyway," Xu Tianzhen urged, though she also had a soft spot for the Bird of Paradise, it wasn't to the same extent as Ye Guyi.
Ye Guyi knelt in front of the Bird of Paradise.
As if sensing something, the creature weakly opened its pure eyes and let out a soft, clear sound.
Ye Guyi looked at her own reflection in the Bird of Paradise's eyes, bit her lip, and raised the dagger in her hand.
She brought it down with force.
Xu Tianzhen was right. Rather than letting the Bird of Paradise suffer under the torment of the evil soul power, it was better for Ye Guyi to give it a peaceful end.
As a yellow soul ring emerged, the Bird of Paradise closed its eyes. Even in death, there was no trace of hatred in its gaze.
"Let's get out of here. The soul ring won't dissipate immediately. We'll find another place," Luan Yu said gravely.
This was the place where they had encountered the evil soul master, and there was no guarantee he wouldn't return with accomplices.
The others had no objections. After all, this place was no longer safe, and it wasn't an ideal spot to absorb a soul ring.
Luan Yu carried the bodies of the four and the Bird of Paradise, heading in the opposite direction of where the evil soul master had departed. It would be too awkward to run into him again.
Soon, Luan Yu found a small cave. Judging by the animal bones scattered inside, it seemed to be the lair of a soul beast.
However, there was no lingering scent or presence of a soul beast, indicating that the owner hadn't returned for a long time, or perhaps would never return.
For soul beasts, it was normal to go out hunting, only to become prey for stronger hunters.
Luan Yu set down the Bird of Paradise's corpse. The yellow aura around it had already dimmed compared to before.
Clearly, the soul ring would soon dissipate. She urged Ye Guyi to begin absorbing the soul ring.
Ye Guyi suppressed the complex emotions in her heart and released her Holy Angel martial spirit.
Liuxing, Xu Tianzhen, and the others watched in amazement.
The Angel martial spirit was truly unique. The spirit possession even came with its own background music, it was on a whole different level.
As Ye Guyi's martial spirit took hold, the Bird of Paradise's soul ring seemed to be drawn to her, moving closer and being absorbed and refined by her.
In less than half an hour, the angel phantom behind Ye Guyi was adorned with a yellow halo, signifying that she had successfully fused the soul ring and officially became a one-ring soul master.
Ye Guyi opened her eyes, the white-gold light dissipating as the angel phantom faded into the void.
Ye Guyi didn't feel any difficulty at all in the process of absorbing the soul ring.
Luan Yu clapped her hands and said with a smile, "Alright, Xiao Guyi has her soul ring now. The next step is to find suitable soul rings for Liuxing and Liuying. Let's find the right soul beasts early so we can return sooner."
Luan Yu felt that this Evil Demon Forest was somehow at odds with her.
First, she encountered Jing Hongchen, one of the three great soul masters of the Sun and Moon Empire, and then a Title Douluo-level evil soul master.
Just outside the Evil Demon Forest, she had run into two powerhouses of the same level one after another. Was her luck really that bad?
Next time, would she bump into a 100,000-year soul beast or even the legendary Evil Emperor?
She felt like she hadn't checked the almanac before setting out.
The Evil Demon Forest was vast, so why did she keep running into such powerful beings?
Liuxing also felt deeply uneasy. A wise person doesn't stand under a dangerous wall.
He was still in his developmental stage and couldn't afford to take unnecessary risks. He didn't want to die prematurely.
Thinking of the evil soul master who, for some unknown reason, hadn't attacked them and had even been surprisingly kind, Liuxing broke out in a cold sweat.
If a fight had broken out, Luan Yu wouldn't have been able to handle it, and Liuying would have had to burn her life force to transform, something Liuxing desperately wanted to avoid.
Ye Guyi nodded. She turned around to bury the body of the Bird of Paradise.
Although the meat of a hundred-year soul beast was worth some money, she wasn't short on funds, especially with Shangguan Wei'er around. Besides, she wasn't so heartless as to eat the Bird of Paradise.
"Huh? What's this?"
As Ye Guyi moved the corpse of the Bird of Paradise, she noticed something emitting a faint white light on its wings.
The glow was subtle and had been hidden beneath the feathers.
Ye Guyi lifted the feathers, revealing a pair of small, crystal-clear white wings that radiated a soft, white light.
"Soul bone?"
Luan Yu was stunned, staring at the small white wings in Ye Guyi's hand, her eyes nearly popping out of her head.
"No, it's an external soul bone?!"
Soon, Luan Yu realized that the white wings were different from the six standard soul bones. Only the legendary external soul bones had such a unique shape.
"Isn't this supposed to be impossible? I thought soul bones only appeared when a soul beast was tortured to death in extreme pain or when it harbored deep hatred and resentment toward its killer?"
Luan Yu looked at the wing-shaped external soul bone, her face filled with confusion.
Although the Bird of Paradise had been killed by Ye Guyi, Ye Guyi had only helped it find peace.
The bird hadn't shown any hatred or unwillingness before its death, so why had it dropped a soul bone?
Liuxing also wore a strange expression. He had studied soul bones and knew that even a hundred-year soul bone was incredibly valuable to ordinary soul masters, often fetching sky-high prices.
Many Title Douluo, who stood at the pinnacle of the continent, might not even possess a complete set of soul bones, let alone an external soul bone.
External soul bones were among the rarest and most special types of soul bones, their value almost comparable to the most powerful soul bones.
In the world of soul masters, they were second only to 100,000-year soul rings in terms of preciousness.
The most unique aspect of external soul bones was their ability to evolve as their owner's soul power increased.
Therefore, the earlier one absorbed an external soul bone, the greater the benefits.
If the chance of a regular soul bone dropping from a soul beast was one in a thousand, the chance of an external soul bone appearing was less than one in ten thousand.
Although external soul bones were extremely rare and even Title Douluo would covet them, Luan Yu had no interest in this one.
Not only was it only four hundred years old, but it also didn't align with her attributes, making it of little use to her.
As for the ownership of the soul bone, it naturally belonged to Ye Guyi.
Xu Tianzhen was the Princess of the Sun and Moon Empire, her father a powerful prince and the younger brother of the Emperor.
He wasn't lacking in soul bones, and even if this external soul bone was rare, he wouldn't bother fighting over it.
Liuxing and Liuying also had no desire to claim the soul bone.
Their attributes didn't align with it, and they didn't share the same obsession with soul bones as local soul masters.
It was fine if they had one, but it didn't matter if they didn't.
Ye Guyi had already absorbed the Bird of Paradise's soul ring, and now absorbing this external soul bone would yield the best results. She was the most suitable candidate.
Seeing Liuxing, Liuying, and Luan Yu all shake their heads and decline, a warm feeling rose in Ye Guyi's heart.
Although she was young, she had seen much with Shangguan Wei'er and understood the value of soul bones, especially external soul bones.
Many members of soul-hunting groups, who were like brothers, would turn on each other over accidentally obtained soul bones, forgetting all past friendships. Even brothers would fight to the death over soul bones.
Ye Guyi, who had initially felt a slight distance from Liuxing, now considered him and the others her closest friends and true companions.
Under the temptation of such a precious treasure as an external soul bone, they had selflessly given it to her. Such friends were truly rare.
As Ye Guyi absorbed the soul bone, a pair of white wings sprouted from her back, identical to the beautiful wings of the Bird of Paradise, gorgeous and sacred, making her appear like a holy saint.
It was a pity that Ye Guyi was still so young. If she were older, her beauty would be truly breathtaking.
Unlike the angelic wings that appeared when her martial soul was activated, the external soul bone wings looked more real.
Though both were formed from condensed soul power, these white wings appeared more tangible.
The angel martial soul already granted considerable speed in flight due to its wings.
With the addition of this external soul bone, Liuxing couldn't even imagine how fast Ye Guyi's flight speed would become.
After all, the angel clan had been known as the overlords of the sky 10,000 years ago. It was clear that the angel martial soul held dominance in the air.
"Guyi, what's the name of these wings? They're so beautiful!"