Yang Zhenzhen's soul bone fusion process went very smoothly. Since she had already absorbed the Thunderbolt Eagle's soul ring, and now absorbing the Thunderbolt Eagle's soul bone, the compatibility between the soul ring and soul bone had increased, making the fusion process much easier.
After fusing with the Thunderbolt Eagle's torso bone, Yang Zhenzhen's soul power reached level 33, which was a decent level that wouldn't raise suspicion.
"Zhenzhen, what's your soul bone skill?" Jiang Nannan asked with concern.
"It's an amplification-type soul skill," Yang Zhenzhen said, her face lighting up with excitement. "It's called Thunderbolt Transformation. After using it, it increases my strength, speed, lightning element affinity, and soul power recovery speed!"
"That's a good skill!" Zhu Ziyang said in surprise, then reminded her, "Zhenzhen, remember, never tell anyone that you have a soul bone, no matter who it is. Don't say a word! Unless you reach the Soul Sage rank, understand?"
"Mm-hmm! I understand!" Yang Zhenzhen nodded seriously. She was not an ignorant child, so she understood the value of soul bones and the greed of humans. She knew that keeping this secret was crucial.
"You understand well," Zhu Ziyang said, not saying much more. For this little sister who wasn't related to him by blood, he and Jiang Nannan had already done enough. How far she could go now depended on her own luck.
The three of them prepared to leave the Star Dou Forest.
However, as always, things didn't go smoothly. Before they could leave the core area of the forest, they encountered a troublesome situation.
They came across evil soul masters—three Soul Douluo-level evil soul masters.
When Zhu Ziyang and the others encountered these evil soul masters, they were engaged in a battle with a ten-thousand-year soul beast, the Dark Gold Fear Claw Bear. A ten-thousand-year Dark Gold Fear Claw Bear was incredibly strong, and even hundred-thousand-year soul beasts typically avoided it. Despite the three Soul Douluo-level evil soul masters being numerous, they were still cautious in their approach, not noticing Zhu Ziyang and the others nearby.
"Nannan, take Zhenzhen and leave the forest. I'll follow you shortly," Zhu Ziyang said to Jiang Nannan, his tone firm and resolute.
"I understand," Jiang Nannan nodded, agreeing but with worry in her eyes. "Be careful!"
Jiang Nannan wanted to stay and fight alongside Zhu Ziyang, but with Yang Zhenzhen by her side, neither she nor Zhu Ziyang could fight at full strength, as they needed to stay alert to her safety. Only by leaving with Yang Zhenzhen would Zhu Ziyang be able to fight without restraint.
As for whether Zhu Ziyang could handle three Soul Douluo evil soul masters alone, Jiang Nannan had no doubt. She knew his strength better than anyone, and she was certain that even against three Title Douluo, Zhu Ziyang would be fine. After reminding him to be careful, Jiang Nannan took Yang Zhenzhen and swiftly left the area.
"Let me see what you guys are made of," Zhu Ziyang muttered to himself after they had left. He narrowed his eyes and focused on the scene ahead.
In front of him, three evil soul master Soul Douluos were battling a ten-thousand-year Dark Gold Fear Claw Bear.
These three evil soul masters appeared to be over seventy years old. Curiously, they were triplets, all identical in appearance and clothing, making it difficult to distinguish between them. They were tall and thin, with many wrinkles on their faces, gray-white hair scattered loosely behind their heads, and dull yellow eyes that gave them a lifeless look. Their noses were hooked, their lips thin and sharp, giving them a sour, unpleasant appearance.
They wore gray robes and each carried a dark staff. These staffs were about ten feet long, and at the top of each was a gray gemstone the size of a human head, radiating an extraordinary aura. To Zhu Ziyang's surprise, all three staffs were Grade 8 Soul Guidance Devices!
The three evil soul masters were covered in gray scales, and dark red and black mist surrounded their bodies. From the unnatural soul light, Zhu Ziyang sensed blood and death. Behind them, their soul rings floated, and each had a beast soul of death floating before them.
The three evil soul masters were slowly wearing down the ten-thousand-year Dark Gold Fear Claw Bear, whose terrifying strength could rival a Title Douluo. However, the three soul masters' mysterious abilities and excellent coordination made the battle tilt in their favor, gradually pushing the Dark Gold Fear Claw Bear into a corner.
Zhu Ziyang wasn't sure about the intentions of these three evil soul masters, so he didn't rush into action. After all, neither the evil soul masters nor the Dark Gold Fear Claw Bear had much to do with him. If the bear killed the evil soul masters, he would be pleased. If not, he would avenge it. So, he decided to continue observing.
After a few moments of watching, Zhu Ziyang quickly understood the abilities of the three brothers and surmised their goal.
All three evil soul masters possessed a martial soul called the "Underworld Serpent," a standard evil martial soul that could control the souls of living creatures. Not only could they control soul beasts, but they could also control human souls. The latter was something that could never be tolerated, as no one would want to live a life worse than death.
These three evil soul masters were likely targeting the Dark Gold Fear Claw Bear's beast soul. The beast soul in front of each of them was probably their own contracted beast soul.
Now that Zhu Ziyang had figured out their goal, he acted decisively. Without hesitation, he leapt forward, the Jingshi Xiuming Scythe appearing in his hand, followed by a burst of holy light piercing through the darkness and despair.
The holy and brilliant light descended from the sky, and before the three evil soul masters could react, it enveloped them. The immense purifying force carried by the light instantly dissolved the black mist and blood surrounding them—symbols of their sins.
"Ah!" A series of agonized screams echoed as the three brothers dissolved under the holy light. Their bodies disintegrated in the radiant light, and their souls were purified in the hidden death energy within. The holy light purified their flesh, while death cleansed their souls—this was Zhu Ziyang's first true practice of this technique.
Meanwhile, the Dark Gold Fear Claw Bear, which had been surrounded by the three beast souls, was on the brink of death. Just as it was about to be torn apart, the three beast souls suddenly stopped and began to disintegrate, transforming into bloodlight and vanishing into the air. With the death of the three evil soul masters, their contracted beast souls were also freed.
"Ah!" Zhu Ziyang sighed in relief and smiled, murmuring, "That was easy."
He turned his gaze to the items left behind by the three evil soul masters—three Grade 8 Soul Guidance Devices and a few soul bones. These soul bones had not been purified by the holy light, indicating they were normal soul bones that could be absorbed by soul masters. This was excellent.
After collecting the three Grade 8 Soul Guidance Devices and the soul bones, Zhu Ziyang turned his attention to the ten-thousand-year Dark Gold Fear Claw Bear. It seemed to have accepted its fate, lying on the ground with its head tilted back and its small eyes fixed on a certain direction, until the last bit of its soul energy faded away.
Zhu Ziyang felt no emotion. Instead, he felt a bit puzzled. His eyes followed the bear's dying gaze, and in a lush thicket, he spotted a faintly visible hole. It seemed something was wriggling inside.
He froze, then cautiously approached. He parted the bushes and was shocked by what he saw—two little Dark Gold Fear Claw Bear cubs, curled up together, each only about 80 to 90 centimeters in size. They were clearly newborns, the offspring of the ten-thousand-year Dark Gold Fear Claw Bear.
Zhu Ziyang scratched his head in frustration. He turned to look at the dead bear and realized it was a male Dark Gold Fear Claw Bear.
Though puzzled, he had to make a decision: Should he take the cubs with him? If not, without their father and mother, the cubs wouldn't survive past a year. Sighing, he decided to take them, as they were rare top-tier soul beasts. He could treat them as companions for Xingcai, giving her a couple of bear minions.
Zhu Ziyang bent down and gently picked up the two sleeping cubs. They were surprisingly heavy. Little did they know, their fate had just changed forever.
After placing the cubs in the Sacred Method semi-plane for temporary storage, Zhu Ziyang's gaze returned to the ten-thousand-year Dark Gold Fear Claw Bear. Being a top-tier soul beast, Zhu Ziyang was confident the bear's corpse would yield a soul bone. He decided to "loot" the body.
The result was very gratifying—a right arm bone, the right arm bone of the ten-thousand-year Dark Gold Fear Claw Bear!
"Excellent, this will serve as the 'nurturing fee' for raising your cubs!" Zhu Ziyang chuckled and then gently stomped his foot, creating a large pit to bury the bear's body.
Not lingering any longer, Zhu Ziyang moved and vanished from the area.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here are the chapters for today (づ￣3￣)づ╭～
"Don't forget there are 40 early chapters available on Patreo
[email protected]/facficmax10