Through the flesh, one could see Xu Zihuang's torso bones becoming crystalline and translucent, with deep purple light flickering on and off.
The Huanglong King's torso soul bone had already surpassed the scope of ordinary hundred-thousand-year soul bones in the Douluo plane; it was a genuine god-level soul bone.
His consciousness gradually faded, and Xu Zihuang once again entered deep meditation. It would still take quite a long time for his body to fully fuse with the Huanglong King's torso bone.
Without considering external soul bones, the torso soul bone was the most precious among all types of soul bones. Head soul bones mainly enhanced a soul master's mental power, while torso soul bones comprehensively improved a soul master's physical qualities. It was no exaggeration to say it brought about a complete transformation of the body.
Regardless of the soul bone's age, as long as a soul master had attached a torso soul bone, they would inevitably be able to absorb spirit rings beyond their level. The only difference lay in how many levels they could surpass.
Correspondingly, fusing a torso soul bone also required much more time.
In this deep purple space, Wang Qiu'er had at some point arrived behind Xu Zihuang, silently guarding him. Her face no longer carried the usual indifference; clear emotional fluctuations flowed in her pink-blue eyes.
Even Wang Qiu'er herself had not noticed that the corners of her mouth had curved into a faint arc. Beneath her loose clothing, her hands gently caressed the jade-like skin that had previously touched Xu Zihuang.
This was a strange sensation she had never experienced during her ten thousand years living in the Star Dou Great Forest, and this feeling filled her with joy, longing, and anticipation, yet also with apprehension and hesitation.
The apprehension and hesitation stemmed from her identity as a soul beast.
Although Xu Zihuang had clearly stated that he held no prejudice against soul beasts, this was premised on the soul beast being able to gain his approval.
And could she gain his approval?
Thinking of this, Wang Qiu'er unconsciously bit her alluring cherry lips lightly.
...
Nine Treasure Glazed Tile School.
Ten thousand years ago, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, as one of the upper three sects, was the wealthiest sect on the continent. It even possessed its own city, not far from Heaven Dou City, called Seven Treasure City.
Although Seven Treasure City's scale back then could not compare to imperial capitals like Heaven Dou City, it was in no way inferior to any major city on the continent.
However, later, the Spirit Hall organization nearly wiped out the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School with its soul masters, and Seven Treasure City also fell into decline. After the allied forces of Heaven Dou and Star Luo Empires defeated Spirit Hall, the rebuilt Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School chose to withdraw from the world. And because of the existence of the Nine Treasure Douluo Ning Rongrong, it was officially renamed the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile School.
The location chosen for the reconstruction of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile School was among the mountain range three hundred li southeast of Heaven Dou City.
This place was concealed and easy to defend, while hard to attack. There was also a strange light membrane covering the area; from a distance, one could only faintly see the ancient castles, pavilions, and towers standing within.
Having learned from the near-destruction incident ten thousand years ago, the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile School placed extreme importance on the safety of the sect and its disciples. This light membrane was a protective soul guidance device custom-made by the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile School at great expense, and to a certain extent, it even incorporated principles of linked soul guidance devices.
Around the mountains, squads of soul masters with steady and condensed auras patrolled back and forth. Yet within the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile School, amid the chirping birds and fragrant flowers, it appeared extremely tranquil.
In a serene courtyard, apricot blossoms drifted down like fine snow across the sky, landing on a young girl's platinum-colored hair.
The girl's graceful back seemed frozen in place as she slowly raised her fair, slender jade hand. Flecks of that "fine snow" adorned her fingertips and the slightly curled platinum long hair, creating a scene of ethereal beauty as if from a painting.
The wind blew apricot blossoms like falling snow, resting gently on her fingertips. Her heart was clear as the bright moon, waxing and waning for you.
The girl was none other than Ning Tian, who had returned to the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile School. More than five months had passed since Xu Zihuang's disappearance, from midsummer to deep autumn.
The trees outside had begun to wither and turn yellow, yet in this courtyard, the specially cultivated apricot blossoms continued to bloom in full glory, just like Ning Tian's current state of mind.
Although there had still been no news of Yu Tianhuang, she firmly believed that Yu Tianhuang would return safely.
Originally, Ning Tian had planned to return and discuss with her father, mobilizing the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile School's resources to search for Yu Tianhuang. Her father had agreed, but his only condition was that she remain within the sect.
A steady set of footsteps suddenly sounded from behind her. Ning Tian gently turned around to look.
The newcomer was an old man with a tall frame and white hair and beard. No soul power fluctuations could be sensed from him at all; he appeared just like an ordinary elder.
The old man looked at Ning Tian with a kind and gentle expression, his deep eyes filled with affection.
"Tian'er, don't blame your father. He only did it for your safety. Although the Sun Moon Empire side appears very calm at the moment, the situation on the continent is not as stable as it seems on the surface."
"I understand, Great-Grandfather. I also understand the decision Father made." Ning Tian forced a smile, but an irresolvable melancholy lingered between her brows. Her whole person had become noticeably thinner. Although she had learned from Ye Guyi that Yu Tianhuang had not encountered danger, how could it be easy to stop worrying?
Gu Lao sighed softly. Looking at the Ning Tian before him, memories of the past involuntarily surfaced in his mind.
From a very young age, Ning Tian had been cultivated as the heir to the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile School. Until she awakened the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, the direct inheritance martial soul of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile School, at six years old, and displayed astonishing talent, her daily life had consisted solely of dull cultivation. She had never experienced the happy childhood that other children of her age enjoyed.
For Ning Tian, both he and her father, the current sect master of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile School, had always felt a sense of indebtedness. But this was the fate of children from great soul master families. Since they enjoyed the superior conditions provided by the sect, they had to shoulder corresponding responsibilities and obligations.
Gu Lao extended his right hand and lovingly stroked Ning Tian's head, smiling as he said, "That little fellow Yu Tianhuang possesses talent that is unique even in the tens of thousands of years of soul master history. Rest assured, he is someone blessed with a great destiny; he won't meet with misfortune so easily. When he returns, have him come personally to the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile School to meet your father and discuss your marriage. Our Nine Treasure Glazed Tile School's little princess can't just let someone take everything and leave, right?"
A charming flush instantly spread across Ning Tian's pretty face as she coquettishly protested, "Great-Grandfather—"
How could she not hear that Gu Lao had long known about her and Yu Tianhuang? After all, during the previous Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament, she had not been sparing in her intimate actions with Yu Tianhuang. And at that time, Gu Lao had already arrived in Ming City.
"You two will both be eighteen soon; you're not young anymore. If I could see Tian'er with her own child, this old bag of bones could die content." Gu Lao continued to tease with a smiling face, though there was also a trace of seriousness in his words.
The soul power cultivated through the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile School's inheritance martial soul was upright and gentle. If Ning Tian were truly pregnant, it would not affect her usual cultivation. On the contrary, the soul power circulating through her meridians would have a certain promoting effect on the fetus's development.
Ning Tian shyly murmured softly, "Great-Grandfather, all of this still depends on Tianhuang's thoughts."
Having fallen in love with Yu Tianhuang, he had naturally considered this aspect more than once. In fact, he had once fantasized about that future with Yu Tianhuang.
"You ah, you haven't even married him yet, and you're already siding with the outsider."
Gu Lao shook his head with a wry smile.
...
At the same time, in a certain space on the Douluo Continent.
A massive, deep purple claw shadow suddenly reached out from the void. Deep purple flames danced on the claw shadow, flickering with the wind. Merely a wisp of the aura leaking out seemed to cause all life in this space to return to silence and nothingness.
The originally stable space was forcibly torn open with a rift, and two figures, a man and a woman, walked out from the opening.
The youth stood tall and straight with an extraordinary bearing; the girl was tall and slender with stunning beauty. They were precisely Xu Zihuang and Wang Qiu'er.
This fusion with the Huanglong King torso bone had taken Xu Zihuang nearly a full month. Although part of the energy within the Huanglong King's torso bone and the Huanglong King's dragon soul energy had not yet been absorbed by him, the portion of energy from the Huanglong King's torso bone that had integrated into his body had caused his soul power to break through three levels in succession, rising from level seventy-four to level seventy-seven.
A seventy-seventh-level Soul Saint at not yet eighteen years old, this had already set a record in the history of the soul master world.
Compared to that, the time spent in the Dragon Valley space and Huanglong space earlier was negligible.
Xu Zihuang gazed thoughtfully at the Huanglong Claw on his left hand. His guess had indeed been correct: this Huanglong Claw was the key to opening the Huanglong space. Moreover, this Huanglong space now bore his imprint; he could enter it at any time by tearing open space with the Huanglong Claw.
Of course, aside from the "key" of the Huanglong Claw, another condition was required: mastery over spatial power. Similar to the conditions for entering the Dragon Valley space, Xu Zihuang perfectly met both requirements.
The difference was that entering the Dragon Valley space required a true dragon bloodline, while entering the Huanglong space required the Huanglong Claw.
Although the Huanglong space could not compare to Electrolux's undead demiplane, it could serve as an ultra-large storage space, and most importantly, it could store living beings. With the size of the Huanglong space, accommodating several elite soul engineer legions would be more than enough.
Xu Zihuang and Wang Qiu'er were currently located in the sky above a mountain valley. Looking down from above, the valley's edges had relatively gentle cliffs, covered everywhere with dense,e blue, silver grass. Bursts of fresh grass fragrance wafted over with the clear breeze, mixed with the scents of various small flowers of different colors.
The ocean of blue silver grass and small flowers spread all the way into the depths of the valley, dyeing the entire valley a faint blue-green hue dotted with countless gem-like sparkles.
At this moment, the sun had just sunk below the western horizon, and the afterglow of sunset sprinkled across the valley. Although it was already deep autumn, the temperature here was not low; warm air blended into the oncoming hot wind, constantly assailing Xu Zihuang and Wang Qiu'er's bodies.
"This is the southern part of the Sun Moon Empire?!" Xu Zihuang raised an eyebrow in surprise. Looking around the valley, a special sense of familiarity arose spontaneously.
He had visited this mountain valley in his childhood. This valley was not far from the city where the Zihuang Prince's Mansion was located. That city was called Huanglong City, the most prosperous city in the southern part of the Sun Moon Empire.
During the long period before the Sun Moon Continent collided with the original Douluo Continent, the Sun Moon Continent had not originally been a unified nation; there had been a chaotic era of constant strife. During that time, Huanglong City had even served as the capital.
Xu Zihuang raised his head and looked eastward. Relying on the abilities of his Golden Pupils martial soul, he could indeed vaguely make out the outline of a majestic city. The architectural style of this city was completely different from that of cities on the Star Sea Continent, possessing the distinctive metallic feel characteristic of the Sun Moon Empire.
With this, he could confirm that they had indeed returned to the Douluo Continent.
Xu Zihuang floated down gracefully to the edge of the valley, standing there in a daze.
Wang Qiu'er also silently landed beside Xu Zihuang, understandingly remaining silent. She had seen all of Xu Zihuang's memories from this life and knew the emotions in his heart.
In his childhood, Xu Zihuang had come from a prominent family with a happy home, but because of that palace coup in the Sun Moon Empire's imperial palace, he had become alone in the world, carrying a blood feud that had led him to where he was today.
Wang Qiu'er's pink-blue, wavy, long hair danced in the wind as she stood shoulder to shoulder with Xu Zihuang. Her long, curled eyelashes, straight nose bridge, fair skin that seemed to break at a touch, and soft pink lips all defined beauty.
Unlike her usual coldness, a faint trace of worry colored her eyes, which then fell upon Xu Zihuang.
Although she could not fully empathize, after entering the human world for so long, she had begun to experience human emotions. This was the greatest difference between humans and soul beasts.
Sensing Wang Qiu'er's gaze, Xu Zihuang gathered all his emotions back into his heart. With a calm expression, he asked, "What do you plan to do next? Return to Shrek Academy, or go back to the Star Dou Great Forest?"
Looking into Xu Zihuang's deep purple eyes, Wang Qiu'er reacted with unusual intensity for some reason.
"Do you want me to leave that badly?!"
Wang Qiu'er's delicate body trembled as she suddenly turned around. Tears welled up in her eyes as she shouted in accusation.
In his eyes, I am ultimately just a soul beast...
Wang Qiu'er's nose stung. Her right foot stomped the ground, and her entire body instantly turned into a streak of golden light, shooting away like lightning into the distance.
But before she could go far, Xu Zihuang grabbed her wrist, forcibly stopping her.
Wang Qiu'er turned back and glared at Xu Zihuang with eyes full of bitterness and grievance. She wanted to stubbornly break free, yet also wanted to hear what Xu Zihuang would say.
Xu Zihuang took a deep breath and said firmly, "I never said anything like that. I only wanted to tell you that whether you decide to return to Shrek Academy or go back to the Star Dou Great Forest is entirely your own choice. You are free; no one can interfere with your fate."
Hearing this, the bitterness and grievance in Wang Qiu'er's eyes vanished instantly. She pursed her lips tightly. But she still forcibly broke free from Xu Zihuang's right hand. In a few flashes, her figure disappeared from the spot.
This time, Xu Zihuang did not chase after her. As he had said, Wang Qiu'er was free; he had no right to interfere excessively.
He stood in place for a long time before finally withdrawing his gaze. Then he turned his attention to the depths of the valley and let out a cold snort.
"You've watched long enough. It's time to show yourself."
Xu Zihuang's voice was not loud, but it echoed through the valley, lingering for a long time without fading. At this moment, the originally calm, blue silver grass in the valley began to tremble slightly. Immediately after, patches of blue silver grass stood upright, rising like sharp spikes.
Every blade of grass and tree became a soldier.
"Why is it that you, as a human soul master, can have such a deep connection with the Emperor Auspicious Beast? That's the Emperor Auspicious Beast, you know." From the depths of the valley came a low, surprised voice.
Thick blue vines gathered together. Each vine looked as clear and crystalline as blue crystal, yet within them flowed vein-like fluctuations.
These vines quickly intertwined, forming a humanoid shape. This was not a soul beast truly transforming into a human form, but rather a human figure woven from vines.
These vines were unmistakably the legendary Blue Silver Empress. What appeared before Xu Zihuang was a Blue Silver Empress with cultivation exceeding a hundred thousand!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here are the chapters for today (づ￣3￣)づ╭～
"Don't forget there are chapters available on Patreon."
"From Douluo to Godhood by Defy 30 Advance chapters."
"Douluo: Far North Invincibledo 30 Advance chapters."
"Douluo Peerless: Living as an Evil Soul Master 40 Advance chapters."
"Douluo Dalu 2:Peerless Tang Sect Dawn of Sun and Moon 40 Advance chapters."
[email protected]/facficmax10--------(@→a)