Chapter 18: Rank 97 — The Soul Bone Turns into a Blade
Ghost Douluo's words left Xiao Bai utterly shocked.
She hadn't expected the other party to recognize her identity so easily.
From his tone, she guessed these two terrifyingly powerful soul masters likely hailed from Spirit Hall—the same organization that had once dispatched two thousand soul masters to invade Seagod Island, only to suffer near-total annihilation.
Back then, Xiao Bai herself had led her clan into that fierce battle. But it had been chaos—she hadn't gotten a clear look at every opponent, and she didn't recall these two.
"You… are you people from Spirit Hall?"
Ghost Douluo shook his head, his tone calm and detached.
"Once, yes. But not anymore. We're free soul masters now—wandering the continent, living wherever the wind takes us. As I've already said, we came here only to take the Orca King's soul ring and soul bone. Nothing else."
He had no time to waste explaining further. He still needed to fuse the soul bone and absorb the ring—any interruption could prove disastrous.
Xiao Bai and her Great White Shark clan posed no threat. Even the Title Douluo stationed on Seagod Island was of little concern.
Only one person truly demanded caution—Bo Saixi, the High Priestess of Seagod Island.
Bo Saixi, known as Invincible of the Seas, was a half-divine being who wielded the power of the Seagod himself. In this domain, even titans like Tang Chen and Qian Daoliu would fall short before her.
And this spot—barely five hundred kilometers from Seagod Island—was well within her reach. She could appear here in moments.
Engaging in unnecessary conflict now would be sheer folly.
Feeling that these two humans bore her no malice, Xiao Bai finally eased her stance a little.
The waters around them were littered with the carcasses of Evil Spirit Orcas—each one radiating residual energy. The Orca King's massive corpse, in particular, was a treasure trove.
Most of its power had condensed into its spirit ring, but the flesh still held vast energy. Consuming it would greatly enhance a soul beast's strength.
Ghost Douluo noticed the hunger gleaming in their eyes and smiled faintly.
"Little White Shark, I only need the Orca King's ring and bone. The rest of the body is yours. But you'll have to wait until I'm done absorbing its power before you approach."
Xiao Bai nodded slightly.
"Understood. We'll retreat ten miles and wait until you finish."
As soon as she spoke, the Great Soul White Sharks turned and swam away in formation.
On the way, they encountered a few surviving young Evil Spirit Orcas—but without their king, these pitiful remnants posed no threat to the sharks.
Though Xiao Bai felt a flicker of gratitude toward these two human soul masters, her pride as the Shark King prevented her from voicing it.
After the sharks departed, Ghost Douluo reverted to his true form.
Yue Guan cast him a sidelong glance.
"Old Ghost, can that Shark Queen really be trusted?"
"She should be. We've no conflict with her kind—and they're more interested in devouring the Orca King's corpse than dealing with us."
As soon as he finished speaking, a jet-black blade of energy flashed from Ghost Douluo's palm and cleaved down hard upon the Orca King's skull.
With a thunderous crack, the massive head split open.
A rich, fragrant aroma immediately flooded the air.
Ghost Douluo stepped forward and peered inside—there, nestled within the skull, was a mass of golden, jelly-like substance radiating warmth. The scent was emanating from it.
Without hesitation, he scooped it out.
Yue Guan blinked, curious.
"Old Ghost, what is that?"
"This," Ghost Douluo replied, his tone matter-of-fact, "is whale brain—a pure yang treasure that only whale-type soul beasts above a hundred thousand years can produce. It's an unparalleled tonic."
As he spoke, he divided the substance roughly into two uneven portions—sixty percent and forty percent—and handed the larger one to Yue Guan.
"A fine treasure like this ought to be shared between brothers. I'll eat mine first, then fuse the soul bone and absorb the ring. You take yours—and keep some for that old poison master and his granddaughter. It might help suppress the yin toxins in their bodies."
Yue Guan raised an eyebrow.
"…You're telling me to eat that raw?"
Yue Guan raised his orchid-like fingers in disgust, his expression full of distaste.
Ghost Douluo chuckled, baring a grin.
"Suit yourself. I'll eat first—if you can't stomach it, keep yours for later."
With that, he popped the smaller portion of whale brain into his mouth and swallowed it whole.
Then, he sat cross-legged atop the Dragon Abyss Boat, pressed the left arm bone into his arm, and began the fusion.
The energy within the whale's brain quickly spread throughout his body.
A wave of warmth surged in his veins, replenishing both the soul power and stamina he had spent during the fierce battle.
As the soul bone's energy merged into him, his soul power grew even denser and more vigorous.
Perhaps thanks to the nourishment of the whale brain, it took him less than half an hour to completely fuse the left arm bone.
Yue Guan raised a brow in surprise.
"Old Ghost, done already? Looks like that whale brain really did the trick."
"Of course—it was the purest essence of a hundred-thousand-year Evil Spirit Orca King. You think something like that would be ordinary?"
"Then hurry and absorb the spirit ring. I'll stand guard."
"Alright."
Ghost Douluo gave a curt nod and focused once more. Two powerful hundred-thousand-year soul bone skills surged within him, but there was no time to savor the triumph. He immediately entered the most dangerous part—the absorption of the soul ring.
Just as he had anticipated, this ring was far more vicious than the previous two.
The mental strain alone was crushing.
Veins bulged along his forehead, and sweat poured down his face like rain.
Watching from the side, Yue Guan's expression grew tense. He could only pray silently for his partner's success—there was nothing else he could do.
Ghost Douluo clenched his teeth, enduring the agony with sheer willpower. His body, tempered through years of battle and cultivation, slowly suppressed the rampant energy rampaging within him.
Little by little, his expression calmed.
The violent power coursed through his meridians, gradually being refined into his own soul force.
---
Day turned to night, night to day.
Time flowed quietly by.
At last, Ghost Douluo opened his eyes.
A sharp gleam flashed across them—his aura was vastly different from before.
Yue Guan leaned forward eagerly.
"Old Ghost! You finally finished! How'd it go? Big improvement, right?"
Ghost Douluo rose to his feet, a faint smile playing on his lips.
"My soul power has broken through the bottleneck… I've reached Rank 97."
"Rank Ninety-Seven?!" Yue Guan's eyes lit up in joy.
"That's incredible! On the entire continent, only a handful of people can stand against you now!"
Ninety-sixth rank was already the domain of legends—but ninety-seven was a leap into the realm of monsters.
"Old Ghost," Yue Guan continued, excitement still bubbling in his voice, "the Orca King's evil attribute should be perfectly compatible with your first martial soul. Those new four hundred-thousand-year soul skills must be terrifying, right?"
Ghost Douluo nodded and began to explain:
"The two ring skills are:
'Demon Mirror of Annihilation'—it condenses energy into a mirror-like barrier that can block even Title Douluo-level attacks. It's both defensive and explosive; when the mirror shatters, it releases a devastating area-of-effect strike.
The second is 'Demonic Seizure,' a control-type skill that forcibly stuns enemies for three seconds.
The soul bone granted me two offensive skills: a single-target strike called 'Demonic Orca Slash,' and a large-scale attack named 'Demonic Shattered Fang Slash.'
And…" — Ghost Douluo's lips curled into a grin — "this soul bone itself can act as a weapon."
As he spoke, he raised his left hand.
A pulse of dark light flared from his arm.
In an instant, a long black sword of condensed soul power materialized, seamlessly fused with his limb.
The blade seemed almost tangible, with faint crimson veins pulsing beneath its surface. It exuded a cold, deathly aura that made even Yue Guan's heart skip a beat.
—
End of Chapter