Chapter 106: 200,000-Year Star-Swallowing Demon Dragon Emperor Right Leg Bone
At this moment, Princess Xu Jiujiu's voice rang out once again. Even though she was restraining her emotions as much as possible, she still could not help but feel a bit excited.
"As all the distinguished guests can see, this is a Soul Bone, and it is a Right Leg Bone, which ranks relatively low among the six major Soul Bones. However, since this Right Leg Bone can be auctioned as the grand finale, it naturally has its reasons."
Princess Xu Jiujiu suddenly raised her voice, "It is very simple, only because this Soul Bone originates from a 200,000-year cultivation Star-Swallowing Demon Dragon Emperor!"
"200,000 years?!"
"Star-Swallowing Demon Dragon Emperor?!"
Two completely different exclamations rang out simultaneously. The former came from Xu Sanshi, Bei Bei, and the others, while the latter came from Wang Yan.
Seeing Wang Yan's expression of extreme astonishment, Dai Yueheng immediately guessed that this unheard-of Star-Swallowing Demon Dragon Emperor Soul Beast must have a significant background, so he asked, "Teacher Wang, do you know what kind of Soul Beast the Star-Swallowing Demon Dragon Emperor is? How come I have never heard of it?"
"Yeah, it sounds like it is very powerful," Xu Sanshi chimed in.
"It is normal that you haven't heard of it. After all, this kind... no, this specific Soul Beast had already completely disappeared as early as a thousand years ago."
After Wang Yan sighed with emotion, he immediately began to introduce it to the group, who were all wearing curious expressions.
"According to the ancient records in the Inner Court library, the Star-Swallowing Demon Dragon Emperor was a legendary fierce beast born from the combination of a creature with a thin bloodline of the Dark Dragon King and a descendant with a thin bloodline of the ancestor of sub-dragons, the Purple Imperial Heaven-Destroying Dragon, resulting in an atavistic bloodline. Throughout the entire Douluo Continent, from beginning to end, there was only this one."
"And this Star-Swallowing Demon Dragon Emperor lived up to its terrifying bloodline. It was born with dual attributes of Darkness and Destruction, and both attributes had neared the Ultimate level. It once inhabited the icy seas north of the Douling Empire. Later, for some unknown reason, this Star-Swallowing Demon Dragon Emperor went on a rampage and brought chaos to the common people on the continent for a full few years."
"Not long after that, someone saw the Star-Swallowing Demon Dragon Emperor enter the Star Dou Great Forest, but from that point on, no one ever saw this fierce beast again."
"We originally thought it had died at the hands of other fierce beasts. Unexpectedly, it was actually taken down by the Star Luo Empire."
Hearing Wang Yan say this, everyone was stunned. The Dark Dragon King, the Purple Imperial Heaven-Destroying Dragon—just the names sounded incredibly powerful. And this Star-Swallowing Demon Dragon Emperor actually possessed the bloodlines of both; no wonder it could have 200,000 years of cultivation.
A Soul Bone of this level being brought out for auction was likely a one-of-a-kind occurrence on the entire Douluo Continent.
After all, no matter which power obtained such a top-tier Soul Bone, they would not choose to sell it, but would instead choose to create a top-tier powerhouse.
"Alright, that is all I know. Due to the long passage of time, there is both truth and falsehood in it, and I am not too clear on the specifics. However, what is certain is that for a Soul Master possessing the Darkness attribute, this Soul Bone can be called a priceless treasure!"
Wang Yan looked at Lin Xuan with burning eyes and said excitedly, "Once absorbed, if one's own Martial Soul attribute is not bad, given time, it is not impossible for the Martial Soul to evolve and possess the Ultimate attribute!"
"Lin Xuan, your shadow is a pure Darkness attribute, and its level is not low. In any case, for the sake of your future cultivation, this Soul Bone must be won!"
Hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement. Looking at all the participants in the entire competition, Lin Xuan was the most suitable for this Soul Bone.
Thinking a bit more about it, the Star Luo royal family probably brought out this Soul Bone specifically to sell to Lin Xuan.
At this time, Princess Xu Jiujiu had finished introducing the Star-Swallowing Demon Dragon Emperor Right Leg Bone. It was basically the same as what Wang Yan had said, but there were two additional requirements.
"Although given the value of this Soul Bone, it will definitely be auctioned at an astronomical price, for the sake of the reputation of my Starlight Auction House, there are some warnings I must state now."
Princess Xu Jiujiu held up two fingers, "One, this Soul Bone can only be absorbed by a Soul Master possessing the Darkness attribute."
"Two, according to the appraisal of multiple top-tier appraisers from the Starlight Auction House, as well as several Titled Douluo powerhouses, the destructive power contained within this Soul Bone is extremely strong. If one absorbs it, the body is very likely to be severely injured by the power of destruction."
"In short, absorbing this Soul Bone carries a risk to one's life."
Once these words were spoken, the VIP room fell into an eerie silence.
"Are you kidding?" Xu Sanshi widened his eyes, "So to absorb this Soul Bone, one has to risk their life and gamble with it?"
Bei Bei frowned, "We have all heard to some extent how powerful the Destruction attribute is, especially since this Soul Bone originates from a 200,000-year-old Star-Swallowing Demon Dragon Emperor..."
Dai Yueheng pondered, "Although Her Highness Xu Jiujiu did not explicitly state what cultivation realm is required to absorb it, I estimate that only a Titled Douluo could attempt to absorb it. For those with lower cultivation, who would dare to gamble their life for this Soul Bone?"
Everyone looked at each other, speechless for a moment.
On the screen, Princess Xu Jiujiu seemed to have long anticipated this reaction. A trace of helplessness appeared on her face. If not for this reason, this Soul Bone would have long since been absorbed by someone.
Once, they had found a talented Soul Saint with the Darkness attribute to attempt to absorb it. As a result, before the Soul Bone was even half absorbed, that person was completely annihilated by the terrifying power of destruction, leaving no bones behind.
To absorb this Soul Bone, one must be at least at the Titled Douluo level.
Princess Xu Jiujiu took a deep breath, said no more, and directly announced the price, "Let's skip the small talk. 200,000-year Star-Swallowing Demon Dragon Emperor Right Leg Soul Bone, can only be absorbed by a Darkness attribute Soul Master. The starting price is 30 million gold coins! Each bid increment must not be less than 100,000 gold coins."
"Now, everyone has ten minutes to observe it!"
Inside the Shrek VIP room. Wang Yan was silent for a moment, then turned to look at Lin Xuan, "Lin Xuan, you have heard the issue with this Soul Bone. Whether you want it or not depends entirely on your word."
His tone became firm, "As long as you want it, the Sea God Pavilion gave me instructions before we set off: as long as we encounter a treasure that is extremely suitable for you, regardless of the price, we can buy it. The academy will pay for it."
Everyone was shocked upon hearing this, but then they thought about it—given Lin Xuan's terrifying talent, this money was well spent.
Never mind tens of millions; as long as they could completely bind Lin Xuan to Shrek Academy, what would a few hundred million matter? Money can be earned again if it's gone, but once a power falls, no matter how much money there is, it only serves to benefit others.
Lin Xuan did not answer immediately. He lowered his eyelids and calculated silently in his heart. The two conditions for absorbing the Soul Bone were not problems for him. Darkness attribute? He happened to have it. The Destruction attribute would cause a backlash? With the Reverse Cursed Technique, this bit of backlash was not to be feared at all; he could just easily repair himself.
Since that was the case... Lin Xuan raised his head and nodded, "Okay."
Wang Yan's eyes lit up, and he was about to bid immediately, however, someone was faster than him.
"Auctioneer Qingya." Ning Tian's voice rang out flatly. She stood up, took a card from her spirit tool, and handed it to Qingya beside her.
On that card, a magnificent Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda pattern was carved, shimmering with nine kinds of colors, beautiful beyond compare.
Ning Tian's tone remained indifferent, as if she were not buying a priceless 200,000-year Soul Bone, but merely a cheap snack, "No matter what the final price of this Soul Bone is, I will bid a higher price."
Qingya was stunned and subconsciously looked down at the card in her hand. But when she saw the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda pattern clearly, the astonishment on her face instantly turned into realization, and she nodded, saying no more.
The eldest lady of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect? Oh, that's fine then. Whatever makes you happy.
A famous saying circulated on the Douluo Continent: the greatest wealth in the world belongs only to the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and Illustrious Virtue Hall. No matter how rich you are, can you be richer than the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?
With Ning Tian's involvement, the ownership of this Soul Bone was almost beyond dispute. Moreover, because of the "absorbing carries a risk to one's life" warning, there were not many people who truly dared to participate in the bidding.
Inside the Sun Moon Team's VIP room. Xiao Hongchen watched the screen. The "50 million" bid he had just shouted hadn't even lasted a second before it was increased to "60 million." He could not help but shake his head with a bitter smile.
"What a pity," he sighed softly. He had originally wanted to buy it back to craft into a level 9 spirit tool. Given the quality of this Soul Bone, once successfully crafted, it would surely belong to the top tier among all level 9 spirit tools.
"But now it seems... this Soul Bone is going to be yours, Lin Xuan."
A moment later, in the end, this 200,000-year Star-Swallowing Demon Dragon Emperor Right Leg Soul Bone was auctioned off to Ning Tian for the astronomical price of 80 million gold coins.
When Qingya announced the sale, bursts of exclamations erupted in the Shrek VIP room. "80 million! My god!" "Just how rich is the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?!" "Ning Tian, your move just now stunned us all."
Xu Sanshi was the first to crowd over, with a fawning smile, "Eldest Lady Ning Tian, from now on, I am your person. You can order me around as you please!"
Bei Bei pushed him away expressionlessly, "Can you have some shame?" "Can shame be exchanged for money?" Xu Sanshi replied righteously. Everyone burst into laughter.
Chen Zifeng also jokingly teased, "Junior Sister Ning Tian, this move of yours makes us seniors feel inferior. Lin Xuan, you owe a huge favor."
Dai Yueheng nodded in agreement, "Indeed, an 80 million favor, tsk tsk... Why don't you just offer yourself to her, Lin Xuan? Anyway, apart from that, I cannot think of any other way to repay this debt."
Ning Tian's cheeks flushed red instantly, and she lowered her head, not daring to look at anyone.
Ma Xiaotao leaned against the window, arms crossed, the smile on her face somewhat stiff. Ling Luochen was still sitting in the corner, her icy blue eyes lowered, and her expression was unreadable. Both of their faces did not look too good.
Comparing it like this, it seemed that not only had they not helped Lin Xuan, but they both owed him instead. One had borrowed money, the other owed her life. And Ning Tian, with one move, spent 80 million. Tsk tsk tsk, this gap...
Lin Xuan turned to look at Ning Tian. Sensing his gaze, Ning Tian raised her head and met his calm black eyes. Her heart suddenly skipped a beat for no reason.
However, Lin Xuan only smiled slightly and said, "Thank you, I will repay you this money."
Ning Tian quickly waved her hands, "No need, I..."
"A favor is a favor, and feelings are feelings." Lin Xuan interrupted her, his tone calm, "I do not wish for favors to be entangled with feelings. Of course, whether there is a favor or not does not affect my judgment of our feelings."
Ning Tian was stunned. She stared blankly at him, looking into those black eyes that were still calm, yet seemed to be able to see into one's heart. Then, she nodded heavily. "Mm!"
As the 200,000-year Star-Swallowing Demon Dragon Emperor Right Leg Bone was delivered into Lin Xuan's hands, the Starlight Auction House's once-every-twenty-years Starlight Ceremony officially came to an end.
Top floor of the Starlight Hotel. Returning to the hotel, Ning Tian stood in the hallway, her gaze falling vigilantly on Ling Luochen, that look just like a kitten guarding its food.
She leaned close to Lin Xuan and lowered her voice, "You... get some rest early, there is a match tomorrow." After speaking, she took another vigilant look at Ling Luochen, then turned reluctantly, pushed open her own room door, and before entering, she looked back one last time.
Lin Xuan watched her appearance, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly. After Ning Tian's door closed, he turned to look at Ling Luochen, who was waiting quietly on the side, and asked, "Shall we begin now?"
Ling Luochen nodded, and then the two walked into Ling Luochen's room, one after the other.
The moment the door closed, Lin Xuan's gaze landed on the bed. A white lace nightgown was scattered there casually, its thin fabric emitting a soft shimmer under the warm yellow light.
Ling Luochen followed his line of sight, and a blush instantly rose on her usually cold cheeks. She rushed over almost instantly, grabbed the nightgown in a panic, and stuffed it haphazardly into her spirit tool.
Lin Xuan withdrew his gaze, his expression as usual, as if he had seen nothing.
Ling Luochen took a deep breath, trying hard to restore calm to her voice.
"You can tell me now, right? Why couldn't I absorb that Soul Bone just now?"
Lin Xuan did not waste time, going straight to the point.
"The Soul Ring and Soul Bone of an Ice Jade Scorpion can only be absorbed by a Soul Master with the Ultimate Ice attribute."
Ling Luochen's heart sank instantly; she did not doubt the truth of Lin Xuan's words at all, for if he had wanted this Soul Bone, he could have easily bought it himself.
Ling Luochen looked down at her left arm, her expression complex; she possessed an Ice element Martial Soul, but she was still quite a distance away from "Ultimate Ice."
This meant that for her, it was almost impossible to absorb this Soul Bone.
After a few seconds of silence, when she raised her head again, there was no more wavering in her ice-blue eyes, only determination.
"No matter what, I have to try. Even if... even if I lose this arm, I have to try."
Lin Xuan looked at her and shook his head speechlessly.
"Who said you would lose your arm? Am I not here?"
Ling Luochen stared at him blankly, something trembling gently within her ice-blue eyes.
"...You have a way?"
"Of course." Lin Xuan spread his hands. "Otherwise, why would I buy this Soul Bone for you? To play with?"
Ling Luochen fell silent; she stared intently into his eyes for a long time. Those black eyes remained calm, as calm as a bottomless ancient well.
Then, she lowered her gaze, her voice as light as a snowflake falling onto ice.
"Thank you..."
Lin Xuan did not reply, simply walking to the window to close the curtains.
"No time to lose, start absorbing it. If you encounter any problems later, I will intervene."
Ling Luochen nodded; she sat cross-legged in the center of the room, took a deep breath, and held the emerald-green Ice Jade Scorpion left arm bone in her hands.
She circulated her Soul Power, slowly injecting it into the Soul Bone.
An emerald-green light illuminated instantly, bathing the entire room in a dark green glow; the Soul Bone melted in her palm, turning into a pool of emerald-green liquid that slowly seeped into her left arm.
At first, Ling Luochen only felt a stream of cool liquid enveloping her entire arm; the sensation was extremely comfortable, even causing her to let out a soft hum.
But soon, that coolness turned into scorching heat.
The Soul Power within her body began to circulate at high speed, yet it remained unable to intervene in the fusion process of the left arm's Soul Bone.
That power seemed to be repelling her, rejecting her, and shutting her out.
The scorching heat quickly escalated to a boiling point.
The burning sensation, like sticking one's hand into a pot of boiling oil, instantly covered Ling Luochen's fair forehead in beads of sweat.
Her body began to tremble slightly, and she gritted her teeth, yet she stubbornly refused to make a sound.
Time passed minute by minute.
Ling Luochen's trembling grew more violent, and her face turned pale as paper; her left arm began to swell uncontrollably, and beneath her skin, one could faintly see an emerald-green light surging wildly, as if something was rampaging inside.
A crazed will surged from the Soul Bone.
It was the remnant soul of the Ice Jade Scorpion.
It was roaring, furious, and recklessly destroying this human who was daring enough to attempt to absorb its Soul Bone.
Ling Luochen's consciousness began to blur.
Just at the moment she was about to lose her grip, a hand grasped her right hand.
It was warm and powerful.
Ling Luochen forced her eyes open, meeting a pair of calm black eyes.
"You..."
She wanted to say something, but suddenly paused.
A biting chill, far surpassing that of the fifty-thousand-year Ice Jade Scorpion, rushed from that hand into her body.
The chill was incomparably domineering, yet it did not harm her.
It was like an unstoppable torrent, rushing directly into the Soul Bone in her left arm.
"Give me a hand." Lin Xuan said to the Ice Empress in his heart.
"Hmph, just this once. I don't want to see any Ice Jade Scorpion Soul Bone appear in the hands of you humans again!"
The Ice Empress turned her head away and then released her aura; the next moment, the Ice Jade Scorpion's remnant soul, which had been rampaging and wildly destroying everything around it inside the Soul Bone, suddenly froze.
It sensed an incomparably familiar aura, domineering and supreme, like the Empress of Ice!
No, that aura belonged to the Ice Empress herself!
The Ice Jade Scorpion's remnant soul:...Brother, isn't this absurd? The Ice Empress is here, so what else is there to say? Brother, here is my Soul Bone for you!
Although it did not understand why the Ice Empress would help this human, as a subject of the Ice Empress, let alone handing over the Soul Bone to this human, even if it were still alive, it would willingly give its life to her.
Immediately afterward, Ling Luochen suddenly felt that the crazed, resisting power within her left arm instantly became incomparably docile.
The emerald-green light was no longer violent; instead, it gently merged into her body, slowly fusing with her Soul Power, her bloodline, and her Martial Soul.
Her emerald-green left arm, which had swollen several times its size due to the power of the Soul Bone, began to slowly return to normal.
Her clothes were torn halfway, revealing her entire left arm with skin as smooth as snow, as well as a few edges exposed due to the torn clothing.
But at this moment, Ling Luochen could not care about such things; she was immersed in the strange sensation of the Soul Bone fusion, her consciousness gradually sinking into the depths.
I don't know how much time passed.
Ling Luochen slowly opened her eyes; the first thing she did was not to feel her left arm, but to look around abruptly, searching for that figure.
But the room was empty; she was alone, and on her body, she didn't know when a jacket had appeared.
The jacket was very large, clearly not hers, and it carried a faint, clean scent of a boy.
Ling Luochen lowered her head, looking at the jacket, her eyelashes drooping; smelling that scent, her earlobes could not help but turn slightly red.
He... when did he leave?
She looked down at her left arm; it was as smooth as before, the skin showing no signs of the stormy waves it had just experienced.
She tried to circulate her Soul Power, and an even more powerful chill than before instantly surged out.
The fusion was successful.
She had obtained the Ice Explosion skill and the power of the fifty-thousand-year Ice Jade Scorpion Soul Bone; all of this was because of him.
Ling Luochen gripped the jacket on her body tightly and remained silent for a long time.
In the next room, Lin Xuan sat cross-legged on the bed, holding the two-hundred-thousand-year Star-Swallowing Demon Dragon Emperor Right Leg Bone in his hand.
A dark, gloomy light flowed over the Soul Bone, and one could faintly see the terrifying power contained within it.
The dual attributes of darkness and destruction were enough to make one feel a heart-stopping pressure, even just by holding it quietly.
A faint deep purple light pattern occasionally flashed across the surface of the Soul Bone, as if a living thing were breathing.
Lin Xuan watched for a while, then he took a deep breath, and without a moment's hesitation, immediately began to absorb it.
The moment his Soul Power was injected, the Soul Bone that had been dormant for thousands of years suddenly awakened!
A terrifying energy, several times more violent than that of the fifty-thousand-year Ice Jade Scorpion left arm bone, surged in like a breached dam, crazily impacting every inch of meridian, every bone, and every muscle fiber of his right leg!
Lin Xuan let out a muffled groan, his brows locked tight.
The sensation was like having countless sharp blades churning inside his blood vessels, and like someone holding a red-hot branding iron, repeatedly scorching his right leg from the inside out.
The intense pain came in waves like the tide, enough to make an ordinary Soul Master faint on the spot.
But he endured it.
Compared to the pain of having limbs broken at every turn in past battles, he could still handle this level of pain.
However, while pain could be endured, the physical disintegration brought about by the destruction attribute was something individual willpower could not resist.
Lin Xuan looked down at his right leg, his pupils shrinking slightly.
The skin on the surface of his right leg was like white paper being scorched by flames; it first turned yellow, then cracked, and finally turned into fine fly ash, drifting into the air.
The ashes, like black snowflakes, slowly drifted down in the room.
Flesh began to melt away.
Muscle fibers snapped one by one, blood vessels shriveled inch by inch, and one could even faintly see the stark white bones beneath.
That power of destruction seemed to have a life of its own, greedily devouring everything he had.
"So domineering..." Lin Xuan narrowed his eyes; no wonder the Star Luo royal family had never used this Soul Bone for thousands of years.
In this situation, unless a Titled Douluo-level powerhouse used their thick Soul Power and strong physique to forcibly resist, whoever tried to absorb it would die.
Even if one really wanted to absorb it in advance, one would need at least one healing-type Titled Douluo by their side to assist with constant healing, breaking down and repairing at the same time, to have a chance of surviving.
In fact, after the Starlight Auction House auction ended, the auctioneer Qingya had specifically relayed the intentions of the Star Luo royal family.
If he wanted to absorb this Soul Bone now, the Star Luo royal family could invite that famous healing-type Titled Douluo, Medicine Fairy Douluo, to assist him.
But he had politely declined at the time; the reason was simple: now was not the time to absorb it; he wanted to wait until his cultivation level had improved a bit more.
Of course, this was just an excuse for outsiders.
A two-hundred-thousand-year Soul Bone could at least count as a trump card to turn the tide at a critical moment.
When everyone thought he was still waiting for his cultivation to improve, they would never imagine that he had already absorbed this Soul Bone long ago.
Keeping a hidden card is never a loss.
Lin Xuan looked down at his right leg; at this moment, most of the flesh on his lower leg had been annihilated, revealing stark white bones; even on those bones, fine cracks were beginning to appear, being eroded by the power of destruction.
"Almost there..." He closed his eyes slightly; the next moment, when he opened them again, those pitch-black eyes had become as warm as jade, with a faint emerald-green light flowing within them.
A rich aura of life emerged from his body.
Reverse Cursed Technique, activate!
It was as if a spring breeze had brushed across frozen land, or like sweet rain falling on a parched field.
On his right leg, where the stark white bones were already visible, countless fine granulation tissues suddenly emerged!
They grew wildly at a speed visible to the naked eye, intertwining, fusing, and taking shape; flesh was regenerating, blood vessels were reshaping, and skin was healing!
In just a few breaths, the entire right leg had completely recovered, smooth as before, with no traces of having ever been injured.
But the disintegration continued; the power of destruction was like an unrelenting wolf, crazily tearing at the newly regenerated flesh.
Yet, the speed of annihilation could never keep up with the healing speed of the Reverse Cursed Technique.
In this tug-of-war between life and death, Lin Xuan's aura began to gradually merge with the Soul Bone...
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