Chapter 6: Your Body Doesn't Belong Only to You, It Belongs to Me Too!
Under Bai Lu's guidance, Zhu Zhuqing headed west.
She continued all the way to a remarkably concealed cave located on the outer perimeter of the Star Dou Great Forest.
If Bai Lu hadn't pointed it out, Zhu Zhuqing would never have guessed that a cave was hidden in such a spot!
And not just any cave, the cave of a hundred-thousand-year soul beast!
The entrance was only about half a meter tall, concealed beneath layers of tangled vines. Without getting close and examining it carefully, no one would imagine there was a cave here at all.
"You're sure this is your home?" Zhu Zhuqing's cold eyes flickered as she confirmed.
The entrance was so small that even she, a twelve-year-old girl, would struggle to squeeze inside.
Before sacrificing himself, Bai Lu's true body had been enormous. How could he possibly have entered this place?
"What's with the fuss? Can't I shrink?" Bai Lu replied irritably, though his expression turned somewhat complicated as he looked at the cave.
"…Alright." Zhu Zhuqing nodded, pushed aside the vines, lay flat on the ground, and crawled in.
At first, the passage was extremely narrow and barely passable. After crawling forward dozens of meters, however, the space suddenly opened up.
The cavern stood nearly three zhang tall and spanned roughly a hundred square meters. Luminous ores were embedded in the stone walls, illuminating the entire interior with a bright glow.
Various items were piled in the innermost corner, resembling garbage, stacked into small hills.
"Why did you put your home here?" Zhu Zhuqing couldn't help asking.
A hundred-thousand-year soul beast, if not dwelling in the core region of the Star Dou Great Forest, then at least in its inner zone.
Yet Bai Lu had hidden his lair in the outer region and in such a secretive location.
It was as though he was afraid someone might discover it.
There was nothing about this that resembled a dominant hundred-thousand-year soul beast.
Bai Lu let out a faint sigh.
"I once considered taking human form…"
After transmigrating and spending years growing stronger, he had slaughtered countless soul beasts.
Because he knew soul beasts could not become gods, while cultivating toward the hundred-thousand-year level, he had deliberately preserved part of his spoils of war—items that might be useful in the future.
At the very least, if he chose to transform into a human one day, he wouldn't end up like a certain hundred-thousand-year-old rabbit so broke she couldn't even afford a quilt and had to share a bed with someone else.
And now… all of it would benefit this girl.
"Thank you." A faint smile flickered in Zhu Zhuqing's eyes, the corners of her lips lifting ever so slightly.
She was cold by nature and not good with words, but that didn't mean she lacked intelligence.
In truth, the less someone spoke, the more active their inner world often was.
Now that Bai Lu resided in her spiritual sea, she had no privacy left.
Whatever she thought, so long as Bai Lu wished, he would know.
A girl with strong adaptability, Zhu Zhuqing, quickly accepted what she could not change.
At the very least, in some sense, she had gained someone she could truly talk to.
And she had never had a friend before.
"My entire inheritance is here. Sort through it yourself… Take whatever you like. Take everything, if you want." Watching someone loot your belongings, even willingly, was still a complicated feeling.
'Let me see what exactly you've collected.'
Curious, Zhu Zhuqing began searching through the cave.
The first pile was the smallest. It contained over a dozen storage-type soul tools of varying sizes, some even capable of storing living creatures.
The second pile was similar in size, filled to the brim with glittering gold soul coins, at least tens of thousands.
The third and fourth piles were the largest. One contained various soul beast pelts, bones, and crystal cores; the other was stacked with precious ores.
But what truly shocked Zhu Zhuqing was the three sandalwood boxes placed quietly in the corner.
"What's this?" Curious, she bypassed everything else and picked up the first box.
The moment she opened it, she froze.
A soul bone! A pitch-black left leg bone, as dark as ink, with faint shadows swirling across its surface. Judging by its energy fluctuations, it was at least ten thousand years old!
Her hands trembled as she opened the second box.
Another soul bone! She swallowed and opened the third.
Still a soul bone! All three are soul bones.
All three are ten-thousand-year soul bones—three different body parts.
"You actually collected three soul bones!" Zhu Zhuqing was so excited that even the hand touching the soul bones trembled uncontrollably.
Soul bones, treasures others could only dream of. She had just obtained three?!
"Surprised?" Bai Lu replied calmly. "Kill enough soul beasts, and even with low drop rates, you're bound to get a few eventually."
"These all dropped from ten-thousand-year soul beasts. The quality's decent. The soul skills they grant correspond to speed, strength, and explosive power…" Desire flashed in Zhu Zhuqing's eyes.
Absorbing a soul bone not only grants an additional soul skill; it also enhances soul power, improves physical constitution, and refines aptitude.
If she absorbed all three right now, her talent would rise once again! Her strength would undergo a qualitative leap!
She nearly blurted out: "Can I absorb them all?"
"No." Bai Lu cut her off mercilessly before she could finish.
"Why?" Zhu Zhuqing frowned, confusion filling her beautiful face.
Just moments ago, he had said, "Take whatever you like." Why go back on his word now?
All the other items combined weren't even half as tempting as these three soul bones.
"Buzz!" Suddenly, her body stiffened.
Bai Lu had once again taken control.
"White Tiger Clone." A flash of white light. Another "Zhu Zhuqing" appeared in the stone chamber.
This duplicate carried a cold gaze and sharp aura, clearly controlled by Bai Lu.
The clone pressed Zhu Zhuqing against the wall, slender fingers lifting her chin as his eyes locked onto hers.
"You need to understand," he said coldly, "your body doesn't belong only to you anymore; it belongs to me as well!"
His tone turned stern.
"I won't allow you to pollute your body with this trash. Understood?"
"Trash soul bones? Ten-thousand-year soul bones aren't enough? Even Titled Douluo craves these!" Zhu Zhuqing's eyes flickered. Her cheeks flushed slightly, yet she remained unconvinced.
Even a hundred-year soul bone would be treated as a treasure by others. How had ten-thousand-year soul bones become trash in Bai Lu's eyes?
"They are them. You are you."
"Most people's goal is merely to become a Titled Douluo. Your goal is godhood."
"Therefore, every soul bone you attach must be a hundred-thousand-year soul bone." He enunciated each word clearly.
"Unless its value is no less than that of a hundred-thousand-year soul bone."
"But hundred-thousand-year soul bones aren't that easy to obtain!" The girl stared at him stubbornly, refusing to yield.
"If we follow your logic, to complete the rest of my set, we'd need to hunt at least five more hundred-thousand-year soul beasts. That's impossible!"
"Even the Pope of Spirit Hall, Bibi Dong, who possesses Titled Douluo-level strength, hasn't achieved that!"
It will take a long time to achieve it.
She only fought for the present.
"As I said, she is she. You are you."
"Difficult? Yes. Impossible? Absolutely not." A trace of wicked amusement curved Bai Lu's lips.
"When you lack something, you should raise your head and look at those who already have it."
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End of Chapter