Chapter 10: Soul Bone Dispute
"Congratulations, you are now a true Soul Master," Lin Yang offered his congratulations with a smile.
"Haha," Zhao Bufan had a grin on his face as he slapped Lin Yang's shoulder firmly, his tone affectionate.
"It's all thanks to your help in holding back the Blazing Fire Azure Wolf."
"Don't worry, Lin Yang, we're brothers. I'll definitely help you find the most suitable Soul Ring."
Facing this familiar form of address that was starkly different from before, Lin Yang's eyebrows twitched slightly, but his heart remained untroubled.
At this moment, Zhao Zhuo, who had been waiting impatiently nearby, propped himself up and stood. The burns on his arm were still gruesome.
He looked at Zhao Bufan, his voice carrying an unquestionable tone.
"Big Nephew, since you've gotten your Soul Ring, it's time to give me the soul hunting token you promised, isn't it?"
Hearing this, Zhao Bufan didn't say a word. He pulled the soul hunting token from his breast and tossed it to Zhao Zhuo, his face even showing a bit of consideration.
"Uncle, your injuries aren't light. Hurry out and get some treatment. You don't need to worry about the rest."
A strange light flickered deep in Lin Yang's eyes as he quietly glanced at Zhao Bufan from the corner of his eye.
After absorbing the Soul Ring, this roommate's attitude had undergone a complete hundred-and-eighty-degree reversal, making him seem like a different person.
Not only did he hand over the soul hunting token without hesitation, but he also seemed... impatient for Zhao Zhuo to leave quickly.
Was it just because he had absorbed a Soul Ring and become a Soul Master?
Or was it because... Lin Yang's gaze seemingly unconsciously flickered toward the nearby corpse of the Blazing Fire Azure Wolf.
With a thought, Transparent World expanded.
The vision in his eyes suddenly changed.
The corpse of the Blazing Fire Azure Wolf began to become transparent, with fur, muscle, blood, and bone appearing in sequence.
And at the position of the corpse's front leg, a piece of bone about the size of a palm was emitting a faint fluctuation.
Under the Transparent World, this bit of fluctuation was like a candle flame in the darkness, extremely piercing and bright.
"So that's it," Lin Yang understood in his heart.
"A Soul Bone really did drop..."
He was even a bit surprised; could it be that Zhao Bufan was the protagonist?
To have a rare Soul Bone drop on his very first Spirit Beast hunt.
Even if it was only a hundred-year Spirit Bone, a Soul Bone was still a Soul Bone, and its value was immeasurable.
It was no wonder Zhao Bufan wanted Zhao Zhuo to leave as soon as possible.
Wealth moves the heart, let alone a supreme treasure like a Soul Bone.
Taking the soul hunting token, Zhao Zhuo weighed it in his hand and snorted coldly, "That's more like it."
After getting the token, Zhao Zhuo didn't leave immediately as Zhao Bufan had expected. Instead, he walked toward the corpse of the Blazing Fire Azure Wolf.
Zhao Bufan's pupils shrank slightly. Without thinking, he shifted a step sideways to block the corpse.
His voice also took on a hint of imperceptible tension.
"Uncle, what are you doing?"
Lin Yang sighed inwardly; he was still too young.
Aren't you just flat-out telling others there's something fishy about this corpse?
Moreover, Zhao Zhuo was an old hand who had been knocking around the Spirit Master's world for years.
Sure enough, Zhao Zhuo narrowed his eyes, carrying a bit of suspicion.
"Big Nephew, I risked my life and put in effort for this Blazing Fire Azure Wolf. It shouldn't be a problem if I take it to exchange for some money, right?"
"This..."
A flash of panic crossed Zhao Bufan's eyes, but he still feigned composure and said,
"Uncle, after all, this is the first Spirit Beast I've hunted. I want to keep it as a memento."
"Is that so?"
A half-smile appeared on the corner of Zhao Zhuo's mouth, a sharp light flashing in his eyes.
"Then I'm sorry, but I'm definitely taking this corpse today... Move!"
Zhao Zhuo barked sharply.
Zhao Bufan's face turned ashen. Gritting his teeth, he blocked the front of the Blazing Fire Azure Wolf without retreating a single step.
"Uncle, don't force me."
"Haha."
Seeing his nephew's reaction, Zhao Zhuo, who was now certain of his suspicions, looked extremely excited.
Flushed with agitation, his voice even began to tremble.
"Is there... a Soul Bone inside this corpse?"
Though the words "Soul Bone" were spoken softly, they exploded in Zhao Bufan's ears like a clap of thunder.
He never expected that despite his best efforts to hide the Soul Bone's existence, it would be so easily exposed by Zhao Zhuo.
A hint of regret welled up in his heart, but it was immediately submerged by an even stronger sense of crisis.
Now that the Soul Bone was exposed, he absolutely could not hand it over.
He knew very well that even if he gave the Soul Bone to Zhao Zhuo, Zhao Zhuo would not allow anyone else to leave alive in order to keep the secret.
A Soul Bone was a priceless treasure. Once the news leaked, a second ring Soul Master like him definitely wouldn't be able to keep it.
Only by silencing them could he eliminate the problem forever.
"Spirit Possession!"
Zhao Zhuo wasted no more words. With a loud shout, a gray light once again enveloped his entire body.
The first and second Soul Rings beneath his feet lit up simultaneously as he unexpectedly went all out to charge at Zhao Bufan.
In his view, only Zhao Bufan, a One-Ring Soul Master, posed even a slight threat.
"Lin Yang, join forces with me to kill him!"
At this moment, Zhao Bufan also roared as he completed his Spirit Possession. His eyes were bloodshot as he said urgently,
"As long as we kill Zhao Zhuo, you and I will split the Soul Bone equally."
"A fool is a fool."
Zhao Zhuo sneered, his offensive not slowing down.
"A newly promoted One-Ring Soul Master and someone without a Soul Ring—you two think you can stop me?"
"Just leave your lives and the Soul Bone behind!"
At this moment, simply because of a hundred-year Spirit Bone, the uncle and nephew who shared a blood relation had turned against each other, their killing intent fully revealed.
Greed truly harms people!
In the face of a Soul Bone, what was the difference between a human and a demon?
As an onlooker, Lin Yang saw things most clearly at this moment.
No matter which of the two survived until the end, he would be the most eyesore of a "witness."
Even if he didn't have much interest in this hundred-year Spirit Bone.
"Fine then, I'll take a gamble just this once!"
Lin Yang murmured softly. With a "shing," Scarlet Edge appeared in his hand.
On the other side, Zhao Bufan had only just absorbed his Soul Ring, and his Soul Power was only level eleven.
His combat experience was even shallower; how could he possibly be a match for the experienced Zhao Zhuo?
As soon as the two clashed, a massive force instantly struck, shaking Zhao Bufan's arms until they were numb and sending him flying back miserably.
Pfft!
Zhao Bufan felt a sweetness in his throat and spat out a mouthful of blood.
But he didn't dare hesitate for a moment. The hundred-year yellow Soul Ring beside him instantly erupted with light.
"First Soul Skill, Blazing Impact!"
A fireball slightly smaller than the one previously spat by the Blazing Fire Azure Wolf roared toward Zhao Zhuo like a cannonball.
"Tricks,"
Zhao Zhuo scoffed. His speed suddenly increased by thirty percent, and he dodged the fireball with a simple roll.
The spot where he had been standing was instantly blasted into a charred crater.
Immediately after, the muscles in his legs tensed, and two deep pits were suddenly blasted into the ground.
His figure sprang up like a Demon, arriving in front of Zhao Bufan almost in an instant.
Raising his right hand, his sharp nails had now turned into a reaper's scythe. Carrying a foul wind, they lashed out at his neck like lightning.
If this strike landed solidly, Zhao Bufan's neck would likely be snapped in two on the spot.
"It's over—!"
A trace of despair flowed from Zhao Bufan's eyes.
He could only watch helplessly as the shadow of death gradually grew larger.
"Haha," Zhao Zhuo grinned savagely, his distorted face looking like a terrifying demon.
At the very moment those sharp claws were about to touch Zhao Bufan's neck.
A flash of red fire, tracing a graceful arc,
Like a startled swan, like a bolt of lightning, cut in from the side without any warning.
Zhao Zhuo's face suddenly froze, and he then felt his vision begin to spin.
At the edge of his spinning field of view, he suddenly glimpsed his own headless torso falling forward due to inertia.
"What... what was that?"
As his final thought dissipated, his consciousness sank into eternal darkness.
Thud!
The head hit the ground and rolled several times in the dust.
The wide-open eyes seemed to still carry a bit of bewilderment!
Under Zhao Bufan's extremely shocked gaze, Lin Yang slowly sheathed his sword, a faint scent of fire seemingly lingering in the air.
"Sun Breathing, First Form: Dance!"