Chapter 18: Three External-Attached Soul Bones: Leng Yaoju

The Dark Golden Terrorclaw Bear fixed its gaze on Zhao Xuanzhen, sensing the surging aura around him; deep within its beast eyes, bloodthirsty glints emerged. Its massive claws rubbed together, emitting piercing shrieks, as a terrifying pressure spread outward!

A show of dominance—the Dark Golden Terrorclaw Bear, like a ruler asserting sovereignty before humans, declared itself the master of this forest!

It truly carried the bearing of a king: the upper limit for a Primary Soul Platform soul beast was a thousand years, and as the supreme soul beast atop the Douluo Continent, the Dark Golden Terrorclaw Bear’s attack, defense, strength, and speed—all base attributes—were nearly flawless, its combat power crushing ordinary soul beasts. Among the past Ten Fiends, one had been a Dark Golden Terrorclaw Bear King who dared challenge the Beast God, Di Tian!

Zhao Xuanzhen completely ignored the Dark Golden Terrorclaw Bear’s pressure. His third soul ring glowed brilliantly; his pupils ignited twin pale flames. Soul power surged, his hairs standing rigid, white luminescent streaks shooting from his hairtips, dyeing the surrounding air. His body seemed crystal-clear and transparent, bones, muscles, and blood radiating a semi-translucent jade-like luster.

In the state of Wuji Dao, Zhao Xuanzhen himself ascended—he and heaven and earth became one. The boundless power surging within him seemed endless, without limit.

“The character ‘Dui,’ liuli.”

His arms and hands clung to black liuli, reflecting a cold, hard sheen under the sunlight. Simultaneously, his first soul ring blazed brightly as black-and-white qi currents clung to his fists and palms.

The Eight Trigrams’ Odd Gates combined with qi following the heart’s intent!

Both abilities unleashed at full power—this was a form Zhao Xuanzhen had never shown before, for past enemies had not warranted it. But this exceptionally unique Dark Golden Terrorclaw Bear did!

“The character ‘Qian,’ relocation!”

Space flickered. Zhao Xuanzhen appeared before the Dark Golden Terrorclaw Bear via instantaneous teleportation. The beast’s crystalline yellow eyes blinked in surprise—humans possessed spatial abilities?

Zhao Xuanzhen’s arrival was sudden; the Dark Golden Terrorclaw Bear had no time to dodge. But this soul beast overlord never considered dodging—that was the act of cowards. With razor-sharp ferocity, the Dark Golden Terrorclaw Bear slammed down!

Relying on the hardness of Dui’s liuli and the protection of Yin-Yang qi, Zhao Xuanzhen channeled force like drawing silk, his Taiji Yin hand adhering to the Dark Golden Terrorclaw, then naturally releasing force to deflect it.

The Dark Golden Terrorclaw Bear’s momentum slowed; its bear face showed stunned disbelief. Zhao Xuanzhen pressed close, his body-pressing force piercing the beast’s chest. The soft, clinging Yin hand instantly transformed into a fierce, dominant Yang hand, delivering a Zhenzhang straight to the heart!

“Roar—”

The life-threatening crisis awakened the Dark Golden Terrorclaw Bear’s instinct for self-preservation. Dark golden light erupted from its fur. The Zhenzhang struck true—though flesh met flesh, the forest echoed with the clang of metal on metal!

With a furious roar, the Dark Golden Terrorclaw Bear raised its most iconic, most ferocious pair of claws. A dark golden shadow over five meters tall descended from the sky, slicing through the air with multiple cracks!

Innate soul skill: Dark Golden Terrorclaw!

Trees, grass, earth—all were shredded by the terrifying dark golden shadow. This was the Badao soul skill of the Dark Golden Terrorclaw Bear clan, capable of tearing apart dragons!

Facing the Dark Golden Terrorclaw, Zhao Xuanzhen used the Eight Trigrams’ Odd Gates’ Gen character to summon rock walls for defense. The Dark Golden Terrorclaw Bear seized the chance to retreat—this soul beast overlord, always eager for close combat, had for the first time chosen to distance itself from a human.

Even though it had blocked the Zhenzhang , the violent pain pulsing through its heart still surged through its nerves to its brain. The Dark Golden Terrorclaw Bear broke into cold sweat, silently regretting its initial underestimation of the human soul master—it had nearly paid the horrific price of being instantly obliterated!

The Dark Golden Terrorclaw Bear had encountered humans before—none had done anything but scream and flee. Even the bravest soul masters only fired ranged soul skills. Zhao Xuanzhen, who teleported straight to its face and immediately launched a close-range assault targeting its vital points—such a peerless hero was unprecedented in the beast’s life!

Human and beast locked eyes: the human cold and solemn, the giant bear bloodthirsty and brutal. After one round, both understood the opponent’s offensive and defensive strength. Now came the full-out second round—the two shadows crashed together violently!

On the other side, Na’er and the Tyrant Eye simultaneously entered a life-or-death battle.

The Tyrant Eye and the Dark Golden Terrorclaw Bear differed vastly in species: the latter’s entire clan was metal-affiliated, while the former could possess multiple affinities. Yet on the continent’s Fiend List, the Tyrant Emperor who suppressed the Dark Golden Terrorclaw Bear King was innately singular in affinity: Spirit!

Now, the Tyrant Eye Na’er fought had four tentacles and its main eye all silver-white—meaning it possessed only the Spirit affinity. Its bloodline resembled that of the Tyrant Eye’s sovereign, making it top-tier among Tyrant Eyes.

The Silver Dragon roared; the Tyrant Eye shrieked. Soul power and spiritual force storms wildly destroyed the environment of the Shengling Platform forest. The air twisted hysterically; everything seemed to grow ethereal. Plants within range withered at astonishing speed, their life structures mutating under the terrifying spiritual assault.

The Tyrant Eye’s expression turned vicious; its spiritual fluctuations intensified. Its four tentacles fully extended, each glowing with intense silver light.

As a spirit-affiliated soul beast, the Tyrant Eye craved high-quality spiritual power. Gazing at Na’er holding the Silver Dragon Spear, its eyes overflowed with unrestrained greed.

It had a hunch: if it could devour Na’er’s spiritual power in one go, it would surely transcend its bloodline’s constraints and escape the prison-like Shengling Platform!

Driven by greed, the Tyrant Eye unleashed 120% of its combat power. A beam of silver light shot from its massive eye, causing space to ripple as it passed.

Tyrant Gaze—the Tyrant Eye clan’s innate soul skill, one of the most terrifying spirit-attack abilities. Its power and effect varied by individual.

Seeing the silver path annihilating all obstacles ahead, Na’er had no choice but to evade. She activated her second soul skill, Silver Dragon Roar’s enhancement, and sidestepped.

“Spatial power… is that something you, at your age, should even comprehend?!”

Na’er recognized the familiar spatial affinity and accused the Tyrant Eye of cheating!

Even a pure spirit-type Tyrant Eye with a thousand-year cultivation could not comprehend spatial power. Thus, this Tyrant Eye’s bloodline must originate from an extraordinary being—one whose descendants could stand on giants’ shoulders and touch spatial affinity!

“I’ll eat it if it’s not a Tyrant Emperor descendant!” Na’er gritted her teeth.

Without the Tyrant Emperor’s protection, the Demon Forest’s devastation far surpassed that of the Star Dou Great Forest. After humans and Tyrant Eyes established friendly relations, the entire Tyrant Eye clan relocated to the Spirit Transmission Tower. The Tyrant Emperor’s sons, grandsons, and countless blood descendants became the most sought-after soul spirits among spirit-affiliated soul masters!

“Thorn Dragon!”

Zhao Xuanzhen was a third-ring Soul Elder; Na’er was only a second-ring Great Soul Master. Facing a Tyrant Emperor descendant who had mastered spatial affinity, she still needed her soul spirit’s aid.

“Roar roar roar! (Your dragon’s here!)”

The Thorn Dragon burst out in ecstatic excitement—every time Na’er called it to fight, it thrilled as if showing off before its ancestral spirits, boosting favor and battle merits!

After breaking past the thousand-year mark, the Thorn Dragon’s silver scales grew even more dazzling. For some reason, its bloodline aura was far stronger than that of its kin. According to Judge Tian Feng Douluo Leng Yaoju, Na’er’s Thorn Dragon seemed to be evolving from a sub-dragon toward a true dragon!

Who will be the next Spatial Dragon King? Hard to guess!

The dragon race’s physical advantages were beyond the reach of spirit-type soul beasts. Combined with its cultivation far surpassing the thousand-year-old Tyrant Eye, the Thorn Dragon released spatial elements to protect its body, charging straight through the attacks toward the Tyrant Eye!

To relieve its master’s burden—it was its duty!

The human monster soul master battled the soul beast’s supreme bloodline; both sides’ combat entered a fever pitch.

In Zhao Xuanzhen’s battlefield with the Dark Golden Terrorclaw Bear, the lush forest held not a single intact patch—as if a tornado had swept through, raging wildly, destroying all things.

The earth lay in ruins: stone serpents severed into segments, claw marks torn and twisted—each bore witness to the brutality and ferocity of the two culprits. Unutterable violence poured like a waterfall; every scar dripped with unyielding, mortal hatred. One could only imagine the cruelty of the battle that had transpired here.

Zhao Xuanzhen’s feet blossomed the Odd Gates formation. The instant his figure vanished, the ground beneath him was crushed to dust by five dark golden claw marks.

The Dark Golden Terrorclaw Bear charged like a mountain descending, its speed defying all stereotypes of bear-type soul beasts. Suddenly, icy spikes materialized in midair. The beast did not halt—it swept its terrorclaws, shattering the ice spikes. The flying ice shards vaporized into mist before touching its fur, consumed by its blood aura.

Then, searing flames erupted. The giant bear howled in agony within crimson flames. The dark golden light twisted and writhed like a living thing, desperately extinguishing the Li-character flames on its body.

The flames blackened its hide, revealing jagged, interwoven wounds—some deep enough to expose bone. Yet the Dark Golden Terrorclaw Bear had long ignored its physical pain. With its terrorclaws clearing the way, it charged fearlessly, intent on tearing the human before it into shreds!

The two dark golden terrorclaws crossed in a cross shape; the air peeled away like fragile silk. Zhao Xuanzhen’s eyes reflected the frenzied beast. Earth walls rose from all four directions, trapping the Dark Golden Terrorclaw Bear. Then the Eight Trigrams’ Odd Gates blazed with deep blue light.

“The character ‘Qian,’ Zhiming.”

A twisted, deep blue ripple expanded outward from Zhao Xuanzhen. Everything around turned the same hue. The Dark Golden Terrorclaw Bear’s ferocious aura vanished; its beast eyes now revealed pure terror.

The Dark Golden Terrorclaw Bear struggled—but found itself utterly immobilized. Conscious, yet sluggish. Body frozen.

A gust of wind carried Zhao Xuanzhen above the Dark Golden Terrorclaw Bear. The two figures overlapped vertically. The beast realized its enemy was directly overhead. Like a slow-motion film, it lifted its head frame by frame.

Gathering all its soul power, the Dark Golden Terrorclaw Bear finally caught Zhao Xuanzhen’s form. A bloodstained ice blade spun nimbly between his fingers; droplets from the blade’s edge splashed down, tracing an irregular half-arc.

Zhao Xuanzhen’s white hair slowly turned jet black. His liuli-like body began to disintegrate from his fingertips, until even his martial soul and soul rings were retracted into his body.

Time resumed its normal flow. The Dark Golden Terrorclaw Bear felt it could move freely again. It let out a triumphant, earth-shaking roar that echoed far and wide.

The next instant, agony exploded. A fine bloodline slowly widened across the back of its neck. Blood pierced the surface, gushing forth and drenching its dark golden fur. Its massive head thudded to the ground with a dull, heavy sound. Its final, dying gaze remained ferocious.

All was silent.

When a soul beast dies on the Shengling Platform, it returns one-tenth of its cultivation as spiritual energy. But this thousand-year Dark Golden Terrorclaw Bear showed no spiritual energy—its corpse shattered into specks of light and vanished, leaving behind two dark golden bones.

Resembling human palms, one on the left, one on the right—perfectly matching the left and right hands. Five distinct fingers, broad and thick palms, elongated and razor-sharp tips. The bones shimmered with dark golden cloud patterns.

Dark Golden Terrorclaw, left and right palm bones!

Conventionally, soul bones have six positions: torso, skull, limbs. Anything outside this range is called an external-attached soul bone!

Compared to ordinary soul bones, external-attached soul bones have two advantages: first, they grow stronger as the host cultivates. If the host breaks through to Supreme Douluo or even Ultimate Douluo, the external-attached soul bone’s skills rival those of fiend bones.

Second, once perfectly fused, the external-attached soul bone remains eternally bound to its master. Upon the master’s death, it dissolves automatically.

A soul beast yielding two soul bones at once was exceedingly rare. In Zhao Xuanzhen’s memory, only the Razorclaw Demoness Bibi Dong’s Death Spider Queen’s left and right arm bones, and Tang Wulin’s future Demon Tiger Whale King’s left and right leg bones, matched this.

This thousand-year Dark Golden Terrorclaw Bear yielding two external-attached soul bones was the pinnacle of pinnacles—perhaps no second example existed in the entire Spirit Transmission Tower. The left and right palm bones from the same beast would undoubtedly have far superior compatibility and synergy than two unrelated palm bones!

Absorbing the Dark Golden Terrorclaw left and right palm bones, Zhao Xuanzhen wouldn’t merely gain a powerful soul skill—he’d boost his physical constitution, hand strength, and every future Taiji punch’s power would surge!

“Zhao Xuanzhen’s done. I need to speed up…”

Na’er had never yielded to anyone. Seeing Zhao Xuanzhen defeat the Dark Golden Terrorclaw Bear, her silver eyes gleamed with sharp resolve.

Her first and second soul rings ignited. Her fingers traced the scaled dragon patterns coiled along the spear shaft. The silver-white scales glowed. The Silver Dragon Spear spun in her palm; the blade’s path left delicate cracks in the air—like shattered mirrors, refracting the Tyrant Eye’s shock.

Her silver eyes contracted into vertical slits. Under intense bloodline stimulation, her eyes transformed into the dragon’s signature vertical pupils.

The Tyrant Eye sensed danger. Its massive eye emitted a high-pitched shriek. But the Thorn Dragon was no pushover—the two soul beasts’ spatial powers clashed fiercely.

Firm in the belief to fight for their king, the dragon’s loyal minister, the Thorn Dragon, clung tightly to the Tyrant Eye!

Na’er leapt into the sky. With the spear tip as the center, a five-meter radius of space caved inward like a bowl. The Silver Dragon Slash carved crystal-like spatial fissures. As the spear moved, all spatial cracks simultaneously contracted.

“Scream—”

The Silver Dragon Spear pierced the Tyrant Eye’s core. The Tyrant Eye shrieked in agony. The forest rang with the crisp sound of shattering glass. Its eye exploded into jagged gaps; silver energy spewed uncontrollably.

The spiritual pressure vanished instantly. The four writhing tentacles froze. The Tyrant Eye collapsed and disintegrated like the Dark Golden Terrorclaw Bear, leaving behind a single silver-white eye—palm-sized, shimmering with strange radiance.

Tyrant Eye external-attached soul bone: Tyrant Eye!

Leng Yaoju’s gift: Three external-attached soul bones!

(End of chapter)