The branches of the Blue Silver Emperor trembled wildly, her roots quivering.
She had nothing left but instinct, and hearing Dugu Feng's words, she felt only the end of days.
No matter what, she could not resist.
Under the power of the Pearl, the Blue Silver Emperor shattered completely.
"Finally… release…"
Dugu Feng suddenly heard a woman's sigh.
It was as if it came from the depths of his spirit.
Was that the final voice of the Blue Silver Emperor...A Yin herself?
Why would she call death a release?
He looked into the Pearl—
And his eyes widened.
Even under the crushing force of the Pill Pearl, the Blue Silver Emperor had not fully dissipated.
Instead, she condensed into a sesame-sized seed, floating quietly at the very center.
So small. So fragile. And yet, within it, an ancient bloodline pulsed faintly.
The Pill Pearl absorbed bits of it, little by little.
To completely erase that seed, to drain its bloodline power, would take a very long time.
But even so—There would be no more Blue Silver Emperor.No more A Yin.
For now, she would simply continue to feed his Pill Pearl until nothing remained.
Still, that last sigh lingered in Dugu Feng's mind.
Why would death feel like freedom to her?
He frowned. Something to discover in time.
The Pill Pearl finished devouring her leaves and roots.
Its energy surged. From ninety-four—Straight to one hundred.
Inside his body, the two Pearls split again.
Now there were four.
No! eight!
The Pearls within Zhu Zhuqing and Zhu Zhuyun instantly synchronized, balancing their energies, splitting as well.
In his own body, four jade-green Pearls rotated slowly.
But each contained less than a fifth of full energy.
Instead of the expected fifty percent… they held under twenty.
It wasn't just splitting.
It was evolution.
Quality, not just quantity.
Warm currents of energy spilled from each Pearl, surging through his body.
Dugu Feng guided all four into his twin Jade Serpent Dragons.
This time, he was ready.
Now was the time to push their strength to the limit.
He had learned that soul beast growth depended largely on energy.
And the bloodline of his Jade Serpent Dragons could carry it all.
With enough nourishment, their growth was terrifying.
The last time the Pearls split, his twin serpents had leapt nearly a thousand years.
Now there were eight Pearls.
And he even redirected the warm flows from the Zhu sisters' Pearls, refusing to waste them.
His own cultivation could wait.
But for the serpents—They were already close to eight thousand years.
If they broke through to ten thousand… everything would change.
Soul Kings could absorb ten-thousand-year rings.
But most Soul Kings couldn't kill ten-thousand-year beasts!
Even Qin Ming, a recognized genius, had only taken a thousand-year ring for his fifth.
Not because he didn't want a ten-thousand-year ring.
Because he couldn't win one.
Ten-thousand-year beasts were the domain of Soul Emperors.
And those with unique talents, like the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear, were even worse! They were capable of tearing apart a Titled Douluo.
His serpents weren't that terrifying.
But they had Void, Venom, and Flight.
Not easy prey.
Once they crossed the threshold, their bloodline skills would transform. Their strength would skyrocket.
His safety would be secured like never before.
Killing him… would not be easy.
Before his eager eyes—
The serpents' age soared.
Eight thousand.Eight thousand five hundred.Nine thousand.Nine thousand five hundred.Nine thousand seven hundred.Nine thousand nine hundred.And finally—
Ten thousand!
"Master, we are ten-thousand-year soul beasts now."
The voices echoed clearly in his mind.
The twin serpents coiled around him, radiating joy.
Their bodies blurred, shrouded in mist, slipping between reality and illusion.
Their speed cracked space itself, leaving ripples in the air.
"Hahaha… Ten-thousand-year soul beasts!"
Dugu Feng laughed wildly.
With cards like this hidden up his sleeve, his confidence soared.
Who would dare touch him now?
If they did, he would simply release the serpents.
After a long while, he calmed his excitement.
And drew out Tang Hao's black lead box.
With a strike of Jade Phosphor Finger, he cracked it open.
The serpents sealed the room with their power, suppressing any energy leak.
Inside the box—
A right leg bone, crystal-clear blue-gold, speckled with starlight that pulsed like a beating heart.
It was beautiful beyond words.
Dugu Feng's self-control broke.
He lifted the bone, pressing it against his right leg.
His first spirit bone.
A low hum vibrated through him.
His leg shuddered, the bone resonating with his own.
Then...life itself surged, wrapping his leg in boundless vitality.
The spirit bone vanished, dissolving into streams of blue-gold energy.
They burrowed into his flesh.
Smooth.
Effortless.
Pleasure spread through him as the energy coursed on, beyond the leg, filling his whole body.
First, his soul power fused with the spirit bone's vitality, becoming resilient, flowing faster, brimming with life.
Then came the crackling.
His bones rattled, clashing and reforging.
Spirit bones had to fuse with the skeleton itself.
And the fusion strengthened everything.
Like his external claw bone—Even when hidden, its power bolstered his arms and shoulders.
Not just local enhancement but waves of energy spread across his entire frame.
Balance, harmony, strength.
Now, as the leg bone fused, his whole skeleton was reforged.
His muscles, bones, tendons, everything rebuilt with vitality, toughness, life.
His body was already iron-forged from years of the Pill Pearl's grinding.
But this—
This was different.
The Blue Silver Emperor's right leg bone carried vitality. Healing. Endurance.
And Dugu Feng felt it all flow into him.