Yang Zhenzhen's process of integrating the Spirit Bone was very smooth because she had previously absorbed the Skythunder Eagle's spirit ring, which greatly increased the compatibility between her and the Spirit Bone, making the integration much easier.
After integrating the Skythunder Eagle's torso bone, Yang Zhenzhen's spirit power reached level 33. This level of spirit power was acceptable, at least it wouldn't arouse suspicion.
"Zhenzhen, what's your Spirit Bone Ability?" Jiang Nannan asked with concern in her eyes.
"It's an amplification-type Spirit Ability!" Yang Zhenzhen replied excitedly, "Heavenly Thunder Transformation! After using it, it can enhance my strength, speed, affinity for thunder elements, and even my spirit power recovery rate!"
"That's a good Spirit Ability!" Zhu Ziyang said, a hint of surprise on his face, then he cautioned, "Zhenzhen, remember, you absolutely must not tell anyone that you possess a Spirit Bone. No matter who it is, you can't tell them! Unless your strength reaches Spirit Saint, do you understand?"
"Mm-hmm! I understand!" Yang Zhenzhen was not an ignorant child; she naturally understood the value of Spirit Bones and the greed of human nature, so she nodded seriously in agreement.
"It's good that you understand!" Zhu Ziyang said no more. For this little sister who shared no blood relation with him, he and Jiang Nannan had already done enough. How far she could go would depend on her own fortune.
The three of them were preparing to leave the Star Dou Great Forest.
However, things are never smooth sailing. Before the three of them could leave the core area of the Star Dou Great Forest, they encountered a troublesome situation.
They encountered Evil Soul Masters—three Evil Soul Masters of the Spirit Douluo level.
When Zhu Ziyang and the two women encountered these Evil Soul Masters, they were besieging a ten-thousand-year Spirit Beast, a Darkgold Terrorclaw Bear! The ten-thousand-year Darkgold Terrorclaw Bear was incredibly powerful; even ordinary 100,000-Year Soul Beasts were unwilling to provoke it. Although the three Evil Soul Master Spirit Douluo had the advantage in numbers, they were still very cautious in dealing with it, so they did not notice Zhu Ziyang and the two women nearby.
"Nannan, take Zhenzhen and leave the forest first. I'll catch up with you later." Zhu Ziyang said to Jiang Nannan, his tone firm and brooking no refusal.
"I understand." Jiang Nannan nodded in agreement, then, with a worried expression, she said, "Be extremely careful!"
Jiang Nannan naturally wanted to stay and fight alongside Zhu Ziyang, but with Yang Zhenzhen by their side, neither she nor Zhu Ziyang could unleash their full strength, as they would constantly need to monitor her safety. Only by taking Yang Zhenzhen away could Zhu Ziyang truly fight without restraint.
As for whether Zhu Ziyang alone could handle three Evil Soul Master Spirit Douluo, Jiang Nannan had no doubts whatsoever. She knew his strength best; let alone three Spirit Douluo, even three Titled Douluo would not be able to harm her Yang-ge. Therefore, after cautioning Zhu Ziyang to be careful, Jiang Nannan swiftly led Yang Zhenzhen away from this troubled area.
"Let me see what you guys are!" After Jiang Nannan and Yang Zhenzhen left, Zhu Ziyang's eyes darkened, and he stared intently ahead.
Ahead, three Evil Soul Master Spirit Douluo were battling a ten-thousand-year Darkgold Terrorclaw Bear.
These three Evil Soul Masters all appeared to be old men over seventy, and surprisingly, they were extremely rare triplets. From their appearance to their attire, all three were identical, making them difficult to distinguish. They were all tall and thin, with many wrinkles on their faces, and their grayish-white hair was simply draped behind their heads. Their eyes were cloudy yellow, giving off a sense of decay. Their noses were quite distinctive, all aquiline, and their lips were thin, giving them a sharp, acrimonious impression.
All three wore gray robes and each leaned on a staff. The staffs were entirely black, a full zhang long, and each had a human-head-sized gray gem at its tip. These three staffs emitted an extraordinary aura; they were all actually level eight spirit tools!
At this moment, the exposed bodies of these three Evil Soul Masters were all covered in gray scales, and blood-red and black qi swirled around them. From these abnormal Spirit lights, Zhu Ziyang felt bloodlust and Death. Behind them, their respective spirit rings floated, and in front of each person, a Spirit Beast soul emanating Death qi hovered.
The three Evil Soul Masters besieged the ten-thousand-year Darkgold Terrorclaw Bear. Their strange abilities combined with their tacit cooperation gradually caused the ten-thousand-year Darkgold Terrorclaw Bear, which could contend with a Titled Douluo, to fall into a disadvantage.
Zhu Ziyang was unsure of the purpose of these three Evil Soul Masters, so he did not act rashly. After all, neither the Evil Soul Masters nor the Darkgold Terrorclaw Bear had much to do with him; at most, the Evil Soul Masters were more repulsive. If the Darkgold Terrorclaw Bear could kill these three Evil Soul Masters, that would naturally be a happy outcome. If not, then he would avenge it. Therefore, Zhu Ziyang chose to continue observing.
After just a few glances, Zhu Ziyang discerned the abilities of these three Evil Soul Master brothers, and following the clues, he guessed their objective.
The Spirits of all three were a type of Spirit called the Underworld Serpent, a standard evil Spirit that could imprison the souls of living beings. It could not only imprison the souls of Spirit Beasts but also the souls of humans. The former was still acceptable, but the latter was intolerable, as no one wanted to live a life worse than Death.
These three Evil Soul Masters were probably targeting the beast soul of this Darkgold Terrorclaw Bear. The beast souls in front of them should be their natal beast souls.
After figuring out the purpose of these three, Zhu Ziyang made a decision. He didn't hesitate, leaping out directly. The Pacifying Life-Reaping Scythe appeared in his hand, followed by the holy light that pierced through darkness and despair.
Sacred and brilliant light descended from the sky, directly enveloping the three Evil Soul Master brothers before they even anticipated it. The powerful and irresistible Power of Purification attached to the Ultimate Light instantly dissolved the black qi and blood-red light swirling around them, which were symbols of sin.
"Ah..." Horrific screams echoed from the mouths of the three brothers one after another, but after a single scream, the three could no longer make any sound. Their physical bodies dissolved in the holy light, and their souls were purified in the Power of Death hidden beneath the holy light. Light purified the body, and Death cleansed the soul; this was Zhu Ziyang's first true practical application.
On the other side, the Darkgold Terrorclaw Bear, besieged by the three beast souls, was already on its last breath. Just as it was about to be torn apart and devoured by the three beast souls, the three beast souls suddenly stopped moving. Then, starting from their heads, they transformed into specks of blood-red light, dissipating into the world with the wind. With the Death of the three great Evil Soul Masters, as their natal beast souls, these three beast souls naturally found release.
"Phew!" Zhu Ziyang let out a soft breath, then smiled and murmured, "Easy peasy."
His eyes looked at the relics left behind by the three Evil Soul Masters: three level eight spirit tool staffs, and two or three Spirit Bones. These Spirit Bones did not get purified by the holy light along with them, which meant these Spirit Bones were normal Spirit Bones, the kind that could be absorbed by normal Spirit Masters. Very good.
After collecting the three level eight spirit tools and the three Spirit Bones, Zhu Ziyang's eyes fell upon the ten-thousand-year Darkgold Terrorclaw Bear. This Darkgold Terrorclaw Bear seemed to have accepted its fate at this point, lying on the ground, its head tilted back as far as possible, its small eyes staring fixedly in one direction until the last flicker of spiritual light vanished.
Zhu Ziyang felt nothing in his heart; he just found it strange. His eyes followed the Darkgold Terrorclaw Bear's gaze in its final moments, and he saw a faintly discernible burrow hidden within a lush thicket. Something seemed to be squirming within the cave.
He paused, then cautiously walked over, pushed aside the thicket, and was then surprised by what lay behind it: two sleeping, curled-up little Darkgold Terrorclaw Bears, each only eighty to ninety centimeters in size. They were clearly recently born cubs, the children of that ten-thousand-year Darkgold Terrorclaw Bear.
However, Zhu Ziyang scratched his head, feeling a bit depressed, and looked back at the Darkgold Terrorclaw Bear's corpse. That was clearly a male Darkgold Terrorclaw Bear!
Despite having many questions in his mind, he had to make a decision: should he take these two Darkgold Terrorclaw Bear cubs? If he didn't, losing their father and having no mother, these two cubs would surely not live past one year old! Sigh, he might as well take them. After all, they were rare, top-tier Spirit Beasts. He'd just treat them as having two bodyguards, and find two bear little brothers for Xingcai.
Zhu Ziyang bent down and picked up the two still-sleeping bear cubs. And honestly, they were quite heavy. These two bear cubs didn't know yet that their fates would be vastly different from now on!
After temporarily placing the two bear cubs in the Saint Law Demiplane, Zhu Ziyang's gaze fell upon the ten-thousand-year Darkgold Terrorclaw Bear. As a top-tier Spirit Beast with ten thousand years of cultivation, Zhu Ziyang was ninety percent sure that a Spirit Bone would be produced from the male bear's corpse. So, he chose to search the body.
The result was very pleasing: a right arm bone, a ten-thousand-year Darkgold Terrorclaw Bear's right arm bone!
"Very good, this will be my childcare fee for raising your children!" Zhu Ziyang chuckled, then lightly stomped his foot, instantly creating a large pit that perfectly buried the Darkgold Terrorclaw Bear's corpse.
Without further delay, Zhu Ziyang's figure moved, and he instantly vanished.