As time passed, the bear paw in Oscar's hand began to sizzle with oil. When he sprinkled a handful of spices over it, a mouthwatering aroma quickly spread through the air.
While Oscar was focused on roasting the bear paw, the six spirit masters who had been meditating to recover their strength had quietly started communicating through voice transmission at some point.
The Flame Lion Spirit Emperor said, "That's a torso bone from a forty-thousand-year-old soul beast! Even if we don't absorb it ourselves, selling it would be enough to keep us comfortable for the rest of our lives."
There was only one reason the Flame Lion Spirit Master said this , he possessed a fire attribute, while the soul bone was of the ice attribute. Even though it had been cultivated for over forty thousand years, it wasn't suitable for him to absorb.
The others, though aware of the Flame Lion Spirit Emperor's thoughts, couldn't deny he was right. If they obtained that soul bone, they could all live out the rest of their lives without worry.
And if one of them managed to absorb it, they might even be able to break through to an even higher level in the future.
Han Han, an ice-attribute Spirit King whose martial soul was ice itself, had already reached level fifty-eight. If he could absorb the soul bone, he could break through level sixty, and even reaching level seventy in the future might not be a problem.
With that soul bone, Han Han would have the potential to reach level eighty or even higher realms.
Aside from Oscar, only Haote and Han Han , both of whom had absorbed the Ice Bear's soul ring , were most suited to this ice-attribute torso bone.
However, while Han Han was level fifty-eight, Lieshuo was a level sixty-eight Spirit Emperor, the strongest among them besides Haote. Even if they succeeded in taking down Oscar and Haote, the distribution of the soul bone might not favor Han Han.
Although Lieshuo couldn't absorb it due to his fire attribute, he might still auction the bone off for a fortune.
Han Han likely wouldn't receive it either , if the soul bone went to him, what about the others? It wasn't as if Han Han could afford to pay them all off.
If Han Han had that much money, he wouldn't be living a life of licking blood off the knife's edge.
But what none of them knew was that Han Han and Lieshuo were actually blood brothers , they had simply inherited different martial souls and surnames from their parents.
Their bond was far stronger than anyone could imagine. Even if a soul bone lay before them, it wouldn't divide them; they had already faced death together many times.
They had joined this team only as a temporary alliance to prevent betrayal from others.
Otherwise, why would a fire-attribute spirit master like Lieshuo enter the Icebound Forest to hunt spirit beasts? Fire was suppressed here.
The only reason he came was his hidden bond with his brother.
It was precisely because of this secret that the brothers coveted the Ice Bear's soul bone and began stirring up the others. Once the deed was done, no one would escape their grasp.
Once they got rid of Oscar and Haote, the brothers , one a level sixty-eight Spirit Emperor and the other a level fifty-eight Spirit King , could easily handle the remaining two Spirit Kings and one Spirit Ancestor.
The Black Crow Spirit King frowned. "Haote isn't much of a threat now, but what about that young Spirit Saint? If we want the soul bone, we'll have to take him down. Otherwise, why would he hand it over to us?"
The other Spirit Masters voiced their agreement.
Haote, currently absorbing his soul ring, wouldn't regain combat ability for several hours. When the time came, even the lowest-ranked among them could take him down.
But how would they deal with Oscar?
He had defeated the Ice Bear so easily , even though it was already heavily wounded, the ease of his victory showed just how strong he was.
Yet giving up on the soul bone? The temptation was too great. A torso bone over forty thousand years old , it was something they might never see again in their lives.
Lieshuo's voice came through again. "Don't forget why this man stayed behind. A Spirit Saint that strong still needs our help , doesn't that mean he's facing some serious trouble soon?"
"When the time comes, we just pretend to help. Once danger appears, we let him deal with it. Then, when he uses his martial soul avatar and enters his weakened state, we strike together and finish him off easily."
Han Han pretended to object. "What about Haote? By then, he'll also have reached the Spirit Saint level. With his personality, he won't covet the soul bone anymore, but if we make a move, he'll definitely stand against us."
The others nodded.
They didn't have deep bonds with Haote, but they knew he was stubborn.
If Haote reached the Spirit Saint realm and joined forces with them, taking down Oscar would be easy. But Haote would never betray someone for profit.
Otherwise, why would they need such a complicated plan?
After Han Han's deliberate objection, Lieshuo sneered. "Don't forget the two-thousand-year-old Blue Demon Scorpion we killed earlier. Its venom , once it enters the body, even a Spirit Emperor or a Spirit Saint will lose most of their strength within an hour."
His tone was chilling, filled with killing intent , the complete opposite of his fiery martial soul.
The Black Crow Spirit King was shocked. "You managed to preserve the Blue Demon Scorpion's venom? Doesn't it evaporate once it's out of the body?"
Lieshuo chuckled. "Normally, yes. But its tail stinger can retain a portion of the poison. It can only be used once , but once is enough."
Han Han smiled. "In that case, why not first wear down Haote's spirit power, then save the Blue Demon Scorpion's venom for that young Spirit Saint?"
"We know Haote's abilities far better than that stranger's. Between a familiar opponent and an unknown one, Haote is easier to handle."
The others began to agree , the temptation of a forty-thousand-year soul bone was simply irresistible.
As they meditated and quietly conspired, the idea of killing Oscar solidified among them. If they succeeded, they could all live the rest of their lives in luxury.
Oscar didn't know exactly what they were plotting, but he could guess , the soul bone he had extracted from the Ice Bear was the center of it all.
The value and allure of a soul bone didn't need to be explained. Many spirit masters never saw one in their lifetime, and even most Titled Douluos didn't own one.
Oscar had deliberately let them see the bone. When he openly used his Super Recovery Sausage to help Haote recover, his goal wasn't only to help Haote absorb the soul ring faster , it was also bait.
Over the years, Oscar's first soul skill had become a rare item in auctions, strictly limited in number. As his strength grew, so did the sausage's effect.
For spirit masters who survived in dangerous forests, having a Super Recovery Sausage was a life-saving treasure.
Oscar was using it to test them , Haote included.
Although Haote's personality seemed unchanged from what Oscar remembered, he had to be sure.
Now, with the addition of a forty-thousand-year soul bone, the test became even more meaningful.
The sausage alone might not tempt them, but a powerful soul bone surely would.
If they resisted greed, Oscar wouldn't mind rewarding them generously , perhaps even inviting them into his sect officially.
But if they gave in to their desires, then too bad.
Oscar's confidence came from his own overwhelming power.
With physical strength and spiritual power comparable to a Titled Douluo, combined with Gu Rong's martial soul and six fully fused soul bones, his level seventy-five strength was enough to challenge even Titled Douluos below level ninety-five.
Even if Haote failed the test and joined the others against him, Oscar had nothing to fear.
He went to such lengths because he wanted to assign Haote a mission , one that depended on whether Haote could pass this trial.
Half an hour later, Oscar was leisurely enjoying the tender bear paw when the six meditating spirit masters finally finished recovering.
After more than an hour, their spirit power had mostly returned , and the aroma of roasted bear meat had made them all ravenous.
Lieshuo approached Oscar, swallowing hard. "Senior…"
Before he could say anything more, Oscar gestured toward the Ice Bear's corpse. "The body's all yours. If you want to eat, roast it yourselves. Consider it my advance payment for your help."
"Thank you, Senior," Lieshuo replied with a smile , though inside, he was cursing.
"Advance payment? If it weren't for us seriously injuring that Ice Bear, how could you have finished it off so easily?"
The others shared similar thoughts. If Oscar hadn't appeared, their group of seven could have taken down the Ice Bear themselves.
Then, after Haote absorbed the soul ring, his upright nature would have kept him from taking the soul bone for himself. They could have sold it and lived comfortably forever.
Even if Haote had taken it, they knew he would never abandon them.
Once Haote, already a Spirit Saint, absorbed that soul bone, his talent and strength would only increase further. He could easily reach the Spirit Douluo level and even aim for Titled Douluo someday.
Having such a powerful ally would be far better than letting an outsider like Oscar take the treasure.
After all, Spirit Douluos were already the peak of strength on the continent , Titled Douluos were rare and reclusive.
Oscar ignored their thoughts, eating calmly while watching them dismantle the Ice Bear's massive body.
Since Haote had already taken the soul ring, the remaining six shared the body equally , each putting self-interest first.
The Ice Bear, having lived over forty thousand years, was worth tens of thousands of gold soul coins in parts alone.
Along with the two-thousand-year Blue Demon Scorpion they'd hunted earlier, they could live quite comfortably for a while.
It took them about half an hour to butcher and divide the bear, after which they began roasting the finest cuts of meat.
Normally, they wouldn't risk cooking in the forest for fear of attracting stronger beasts, but with Oscar nearby, they felt safe.
After all, he'd been cooking for a long time without incident.
Soon, the rich aroma of grilled meat filled the air again. They sprinkled on spices they rarely used and began eating contentedly.
Lieshuo tore off a juicy piece and walked over to Oscar. "Senior, would you like to try this?"
Oscar glanced at him and shook his head. "I've had enough. You all enjoy."
Lieshuo smiled, unbothered by the rejection, bit into the meat, and sat down beside Oscar.
"The strongest among us now is Brother Haote. Once he finishes absorbing his soul ring, he'll become a Spirit Saint. But you're already a Spirit Saint, Senior , what kind of task could possibly require our help?" he asked between bites.
The others turned their attention to Oscar too. They had already been hired by him, but still didn't know what the job was.
Oscar didn't hide it. "I want your help locating traces of the Ice Jade Scorpion or the Titan Snow Demon tribe."
At those words, every face changed , even Lieshuo's eyes flickered.
"You mean the Ice Jade Scorpions and Titan Snow Demons?" he said. "You realize both those species dwell deep in the Extreme North? They're absolute rulers of that land. Even Spirit Douluos wouldn't dare enter their territory lightly."
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