Douluo Continent: The Eternal Order of the Azure Sky.

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately focused their attention to sense the surroundings. Sure enough, the pervasive stench of blood had almost dyed the entire body of water red, and there was also a trace of scorching and savage soul power fluctuation mixed in.

Is it...

"boom--!"

A massive column of water shot into the sky, accompanied by a deep, distorted hiss. The next moment, to everyone's astonishment, the enormous, pure white body burst out of the swamp. The golden flames burning around it surged even more after leaving the water, like a miniature sun that had fallen into the swamp, illuminating the surroundings with a golden glow.

It was actually running away!

Following closely behind was Kong Tianxu.

He had no injuries whatsoever, and his clothes were dry and brand new, only slightly wrinkled. But what attracted everyone's attention was the sword of judgment in his hand.

The auras of darkness and light surged forth from the longsword at the same time, and a fierce dragon's might suddenly rose up, instantly merging with the auras of darkness and light.

Unfortunately, the feathered serpent's attribute is light, so Kong Tianxu does not intend to use the skills attached to this sword of judgment, but instead wants to combine the energy contained in this longsword with his own martial soul.

However, light and darkness are two completely opposite forces. When they appear simultaneously, they will inevitably clash. If one side gains the upper hand, it will surely devour the other.

On the sword of judgment, light and darkness lie on different spines. For the sake of the sword's balance, the two forces are naturally contained equally. Now that Kong Tianxu has unleashed them, there is no possibility of one overpowering the other. But the more this is the case, the more dangerous it becomes.

It looked as if the clashing forces of darkness and light were about to erupt.

But at that very moment, a layer of silver light suddenly surged from the tip of the sword, forcefully squeezing through the darkness and light, firmly separating the two. The sword intent, which had been fluctuating extremely unstable just a moment ago, gradually stabilized. The sword light also transformed into gold, silver, and black, becoming a gigantic three-colored blade of light standing upright in the air.

Even Jing Hongchen, who forged this Sword of Judgment, could not fully unleash its power. The sword is the king of weapons. In the Douluo Continent, how many people are more worthy of this weapon than Kong Tianxu?

At this moment, in Kong Tianxu's hands, the Sword of Judgment took on a completely different flavor.

The pure silver dragon power separated light and darkness, but the light and darkness attracted each other like magnets, wanting to crush each other. The more they did this, the more solid the sword light released by Kong Tianxu became.

Gold, black, and silver light swirled around the sword in an unprecedentedly harmonious manner, finally converging at the tip, emitting a terrifying fluctuation that slightly distorted the surrounding space.

Then, following the movement of its master's arm, it slid down, the soaring sword light flickering and spreading more than ten feet away, just in time to silently pass through the middle of the feathered serpent's body.

The feathered serpent spread its two delicate wings to their fullest extent, and its huge body suddenly stiffened, revealing a smooth cut in the middle of its body.

Blood rained down like a waterfall.

It turned out that it wasn't his blood.

For some reason, looking at this stunningly beautiful yet eerie scene, Zhang Lexuan had only one thought in her mind at that moment.

Two heavy snake carcasses crashed into the swamp, splashing up a sky full of bloody water. The cut surfaces were as smooth as mirrors, and the overturned snake heads were covered by lotus flowers, revealing a touch of holiness.

Kong Tianxu slowly descended onto the summit of the Blood Lotus.

On the sword of judgment, gold, black, and silver light intertwined and swirled as if boiling, before slowly receding. His face was slightly pale, and his breathing was somewhat rapid, but his eyes remained sharp as knives.

silence.

"Continue the Soul Hunt. Go back and rebuild the Swamp Soul Beast Register for me." Xian Lin'er forced herself to look away from the Sword of Judgment, then transformed into a streak of blue light and disappeared.

Almost simultaneously, a slight ripple of blood appeared, and the Thick Earth Crocodile King, transformed from Jin Yehuan, floated to the surface, dragging half of a giant feathered serpent corpse.

He almost caught up with the feathered serpent, but unexpectedly, the beast changed its route and returned after being chased by Kong Tianxu. The back and forth trips had really given him a hard time.

"Senior Brother, why did you drag this thing back?" Hua Yao pinched her delicate nose.

"You don't understand, do you? The feathered serpent's wings are one of the ten most delicious delicacies in the world today," Gu Fan said cheerfully.

"Foodie." Jin Yehuan's deep voice rang out as he turned the snake corpse upside down.

Inside the broken body of the feathered serpent, near the spine, a bone was emitting a soft and pure white halo, with faint feather-like patterns emerging, and a pure and powerful energy fluctuation was spreading out.

Zhang Lexuan parted her red lips slightly: "Soul Bone".

Chapter 171 External Soul Bone? A Night Talk with Zhang Lexuan

That was not only a soul bone, but also the most core, important, and rarest torso bone among the six great soul bones.

Perhaps, it's not just that.

To be precise, the so-called torso soul bone is actually the vertebral column, not all the bones in the torso. Ribs and sternum, if they can be fused with soul bones, are called external soul bones, and their rarity is comparable to a 100,000-year soul ring, granting them special and powerful abilities.

Others might not be able to tell, but Kong Tianxu knew that this feathered serpent soul bone was definitely not just a simple torso bone. It only had a few structures similar to a spine, and most of it consisted of two slender, outward-extending bones.

In other words, this is very likely an externally attached soul bone.

All eyes instantly focused on the translucent white bone, then turned to Kong Tianxu. Their gazes held shock, envy, but above all, an unspoken admiration.

Jin Yehuan took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil in his heart, and said in a deep voice, "This ten-thousand-year-old feathered serpent was killed independently by Kong Tianxu, and we all... witnessed the process. This soul bone should rightfully belong to him. Does anyone have any objections?" His gaze swept over the crowd.

Everyone shook their heads. If it weren't for Kong Tianxu's extraordinary strength and quick thinking in the face of danger, he would probably be in grave danger by now. This soul bone should rightfully belong to him.

With its overwhelming power, Jin Yehuan easily tore open the feathered serpent's torso, revealing its true form as a soul bone. Kong Tianxu was certain he hadn't misjudged; within the feathered serpent's torso lay a strange, crystal-clear, snow-white bone. Pale golden patterns swirled around it, outlining feather-like designs.

"Huh, why is the integrity of this torso bone so low? Could it be an external soul bone?" Li Zhuangyun immediately noticed the extraordinary nature of this soul bone and exclaimed in surprise.

The soul bone felt heavy in his hand, and a unique soul power fluctuation emanated from Jin Yehuan's fingertips, causing a hint of surprise and intoxication to unconsciously show in his eyes.

Who wouldn't want a soul bone?

Moreover, this is an external soul bone that could potentially rival a 100,000-year-old soul bone. For any soul master, it would be an invaluable treasure.

Zhang Lexuan and Jin Yehuan were somewhat better off, but Gu Fan and Hua Yao clearly had some envy on their faces. Although their families were very well-off, they rarely saw such rare treasures as soul bones, whether they were torso bones or external soul bones.

Kong Tianxu looked at the soul bone and accepted it without hesitation.

However, just as Kong Tianxu finished putting away the soul bone, Jin Yehuan frowned slightly, changed the subject, and his tone became somewhat admonishing:

"Kong Tianxu, although you ultimately killed this feathered serpent on your own, why didn't you wait for me when you clearly saw me? Sure, you were able to defeat this feathered serpent, but wouldn't it have been easier and less exhausting if I had joined you? If you don't learn to cooperate, your studies at Shrek Academy might not be able to continue."

Is this the start of brainwashing him? Kong Tianxu raised an eyebrow and replied bluntly:

"Whether I can study at Shrek Academy is a matter that only the Sea God Pavilion Master can decide. You are not qualified to decide that."

The senior disciple's authority was so blatantly challenged that the other inner court disciples were speechless with astonishment. They had never seen anyone dare to defy Jin Yehuan like this before. Don't let the chief disciple's kind and honest appearance fool you; he was ruthless when it came to a fight.

Upon hearing Kong Tianxu's words, a cold glint flashed in Jin Yehuan's eyes, and a powerful aura subtly rose, as if he was about to erupt. The atmosphere around them instantly became tense.

Kong Tianxu continued, "Furthermore, even if I deliberately slow down to wait for you, with your speed and underwater perception, can you really keep up with my fight?"

Just as the conflict was about to erupt, a faint blue light flashed. Although Xian Lin'er's figure was not fully revealed, an invisible pressure had already quietly intervened, indicating her stance.

Compared to these trivial matters, it was clear that the Sea God Pavilion, represented by Xian Lin'er, was more concerned about whether the exchange and learning could proceed smoothly, and whether Huo Yuhao could steal the soul tool technology in the Sun Moon Royal Soul Guidance Room. In the face of this greater cause, Jin Yehuan's personal honor and disgrace were insignificant.

The light in Jin Yehuan's eyes suddenly faded, and he said calmly and coldly, "Good, very good. As expected of the Dark Dragon Emperor's disciple, you are indeed arrogant. As you wish, I hope that your cooperation with Le Xuan will not disappoint."

"A mismatch between one's desire for guidance and one's status will only lead to humiliation," Kong Tianxu replied calmly, causing Jin Yehuan's face to twitch as he turned away, but he ultimately said nothing more.

"Tianxu, do you want to absorb this feathered serpent's spirit ring first? This feathered serpent's light attribute is quite powerful, and absorbing spirit rings and spirit bones of the same kind of spirit beast one after another will have a complementary effect."

Hua Yao stepped in to smooth things over, and after the dangerous experience they had just gone through, the distance between the group had actually narrowed somewhat.

Moreover, including Zhang Lexuan, the others did not completely agree with Jin Yehuan's statement. This senior brother was good in every way, but he was too rigid.

“No need,” Kong Tianxu put away the soul bone, sat cross-legged and began to recover his soul power. “This feathered serpent does not meet my age requirement for the sixth soul ring.”

He did not choose to absorb the feathered serpent soul bone immediately. If it were a pure external soul bone, he would naturally not mind turning it into his own. However, this soul bone seemed to have some normal torso bone parts attached to it, which made him quite worried.

Gu Fan smiled helplessly. He was extremely envious of that feathered serpent spirit ring, which was a perfect match for his seventh spirit ring. If his cultivation level were high enough, he would have shamelessly asked Kong Tianxu for it to absorb. However, in Kong Tianxu's eyes, it was not even up to the standard of a sixth spirit ring.

With a sigh in his heart, Gu Fan stopped his thoughts, sat down cross-legged, and began to absorb the soul ring of the serpent.

Zhang Lexuan was also pondering something at this moment, and what he was thinking about was Kong Tianxu's sword strike earlier.

Kong Tianxu's sword strike seemed simple from his movements, just a simple swing of the sword. But the instantaneous slash that cut through the feathered serpent revealed its sharpness. What surprised Zhang Lexuan even more was the aura he unleashed in that instant.

That sword strike contained an incomparably powerful pressure. Although it lacked the deep dragon roar of the previous strike, it still caused Zhang Lexuan to be momentarily dazed, as if her martial spirit had been completely drawn to that sword strike.

Moreover, it wasn't just her. Zhang Lexuan clearly felt an intense fear emanating from the feathered serpent, and she couldn't even muster the slightest resistance.

How could a pure slash achieve such a level? Moreover, Kong Tianxu must have a very strong understanding of his own martial soul. At the very least, he must be no weaker than me in the integration of his various abilities. The attraction of the Silver Dragon martial soul to my Moon martial soul is definitely not a misconception.

This was Zhang Lexuan's assessment of Kong Tianxu in a short period of time. Although the last attempt at Martial Soul Fusion had failed, she was now becoming increasingly interested in the Silver Dragon Martial Soul.

As it turned out, Kong Tianxu's estimation of the python's lifespan was accurate enough. Gu Fan's absorption of the spirit ring was completely within the safe limit. An hour later, he completed the absorption of his seventh spirit ring and happily jumped up from the ground.

With his seventh spirit ring and the true form of his martial spirit, he had taken this step and now had a real foundation in the world of spirit masters.

"Thank you," he said gratefully as he walked up to Kong Tianxu.

Kong Tianxu nodded to him, while Gu Fan glanced at him, then looked at Zhang Lexuan beside him, a smile appearing in his eyes. "Dude, don't feel pressured in front of Sister Lexuan."

Zhang Lexuan could naturally see the teasing in his eyes, and glared at him slightly.

At this point, Jin Yehuan had already told everyone to set off again.

Having experienced the previous attack by the feathered serpent, everyone was naturally more vigilant. However, it seemed that this swamp was already at its limit to support two powerful ten-thousand-year-old soul beasts. As they continued forward, they drove away several more soul beasts that were not suitable for fusion, and the group officially left the mixed zone.

Beyond the mixed zone lies the core area. At the center of the core area lies a place of great danger. They are gradually approaching that area.

Of the four regions in the Star Dou Great Forest, the outer region and the mixed region are the largest, while the core region is much smaller. Naturally, the spirit beasts that can survive here are all extremely powerful.

After all, without sufficient resources, who would dare to set foot here?

By this time, the sky had completely darkened, and night had fallen. The roars and growls of the soul beasts could be heard from time to time, mixed with the rustling of insects and birds all around.

Jin Yehuan stopped and glanced at the sky through the gaps in the tree canopy. He said in a deep voice, "We should have entered the core area by now. It's not good to travel at night, so let's rest here tonight."

They didn't seem to have completely escaped the swamp yet; this was already a relatively high place, and the surrounding land was still somewhat damp.

However, this was no challenge for Jin Yehuan. He touched the ground with both hands, and soon, a flat and dry earthen platform rose up.

Once they reach the depths of this Starry Sky Forest, they'll have to endure the elements and sleep outdoors; this will be their campsite for the night. Because they need to be prepared for any eventuality, sleeping in tents is absolutely out of the question.

Jin Yehuan looked around and said in a deep voice:

"Soul beasts are frequently active in the vicinity, but judging from the tracks we've left, no powerful soul beast has claimed this as their territory. Although we encountered quite a few unexpected incidents while passing through the swamp today, we avoided detours and our progress exceeded expectations. We've already ventured deep into this area in less than four hours. Starting tomorrow, the troubles will definitely increase, and our progress will slow down considerably. Tonight, we'll take turns on duty, and the rest of you will stay put and meditate. Hua Yao and Gu Fan will take the first turn, and I'll take the second. Each of us will have one hour. Kong Tianxu and Zhang Lexuan, you'll take the third turn. Teacher Li's abilities aren't suited for duty, so he can rest assured."

Zhang Lexuan glanced at Kong Tianxu and found that he was also looking at her. Their eyes met. Zhang Lexuan quickly turned her head away, and Kong Tianxu was slightly taken aback because he noticed that there seemed to be a change in Zhang Lexuan's eyes, which were much colder and more stern than during the day.

After quickly filling their stomachs, everyone sat down and began cultivating. Unlike the others, Kong Tianxu's cultivation produced no light whatsoever, which made Zhang Lexuan, who was not far away, look thoughtful.

Jin Yehuan remained standing there, gazing into the distance. At his level of cultivation, his spiritual power was already capable of being projected outwards, but since he lacked spiritual attributes, the effect of using his spiritual power to explore was not as reliable as his own eyes, and the consumption was also much less.

An hour passed quickly, and Gu Fan Hua Yao got up on time to take over from Jin Ye Huan.

The forest was very quiet, as if blessed by the heavens. The second hour passed, and they still did not encounter any passing soul beasts.

Kong Tianxu woke up at the right time, and Zhang Lexuan also opened her eyes and looked at him at the same time. She stood up and walked with him.

The two stood side by side. Zhang Lexuan still had a cool and aloof demeanor, but for some reason, she had let her hair down, giving her an indescribable softness and... weariness.

The forest wasn't pitch black; moonlight filtered through the dappled shadows of the trees, mingling with the glow of fireflies. Though dim, it was still enough to see. All around were the even breathing of his companions and the faint roars of distant spirit beasts, yet a profound emptiness seeped into his very bones.