"What's wrong?" Bexia hurried over to Christine's side and asked.
"Master, look!" Christine pointed to a big clump of black mud in front of them. From the surrounding sink marks, it was clear that the tiger summoned by Luo Caiying had just swatted it out. This clump of black mud was likely the true form of the previous illusionary butterfly slime.
However, what Christine was pointing at was not the black mud, but the crystal skeleton that had been revealed as the black mud melted away. Especially in this pitch-black black mud, this crystal-like skeleton stood out and was hard to miss.
Bexia's perception probed towards it, but as soon as it made contact with the crystal skeleton, it was forcefully pushed back by a surge of power. This shocked Bexia. Clearly, it was an inanimate object, yet it still possessed such power. This was obviously not something simple.
"Let's take it out first," Bexia frowned, and the Light of Expulsion enveloped the black mud. As the corpse of a resentment slime comparable to a sovereign-level entity, even after death, the resentment within it was incredibly strong. If they rashly made contact, they would undoubtedly be corrupted by the resentment, which was something that most people wouldn't dare to come close to.
If Bexia directly purified the sovereign-level resentment slime, she would surely be unsuccessful. However, dealing with an inanimate object, the Light of Expulsion was still effective. It didn't take long to purify the clump of black mud, and the spiritual power within it was also not wasted, all of it being absorbed by the Soul-Sealing Eight Trigrams.
After losing the black mud, the complete form of the crystal skeleton was exposed before Bexia's eyes. With a diameter of half a meter, judging from its appearance, it was a small section of a spinal bone. Among the entire body, this was considered a high-quality part, and a faint but powerful pressure emanated from the skeleton.
"This should be the spinal bone of some powerful creature!" Bexia reached out to touch the crystal skeleton, and she struck it with force. The crystal bone showed no reaction, but her fist was slightly sore from the recoil.
"It seems like there's bone marrow inside!" Christine's gaze was sharp, and she had noticed the liquid flowing within the crystal skeleton when Bexia struck it.
"Really!" Bexia also noticed, and after careful observation, she indeed saw a small clump of transparent liquid inside. If one didn't look carefully, they would never notice it.
"This might be the skeleton of a saint. Master, do you think we can use it as material?"
"Are you suggesting we use it to make a projection doll?!" Bexia looked at the crystal remnants of the skeleton, furrowing her brow. Honestly, it would be best not to mess with something one didn't recognize.
"You still don't know? If you want to know, I can tell you!" Luo Caiying's petite figure looked down at Bexia. Underneath her feet was the terrifying tiger's body.
"Boy, this is an immortal bone, and it contains essence. It is considered relatively well-preserved. However, with your current strength, it's best not to touch this thing. The power of the immortal bone is not something you can bear right now." A majestic voice sounded in Bexia's mind, and she looked at the tiger beneath Luo Caiying in surprise.
"You can speak?"
"What's so strange about that? This is the Art of Heart Communication, something you can learn once your strength reaches a certain level. It directly communicates within the heart. As long as it's a sentient being, they can use it!"
"Let alone the Flame Emperor, who is so powerful~!" Luo Caiying pounced directly on the Flame Emperor's thick fur, treating his back as a bed and rolling around on it.
"This is how A-Ling is!" The majestic voice resounded once again, but this time it was filled with doting for Luo Cai Ling. The fierce tiger known as Emperor Yan had a gentleness that did not match his appearance.
"So, Senior Emperor Yan! Is the Immortal Bone the skeleton of an immortal deity?" Although there was no strong aura emanating from Emperor Yan, not even a trace of it, he appeared completely ordinary like a regular person. However, the power from his claw just now was undeniable, indicating that his strength was definitely not low, even described as terrifying.
"The Immortal Deity is just a term we use for ordinary people who have become immortal. Being immortal is actually a level within the ranks of the Saints. Immortals possess powerful immortal traits and a little bit of divine ability, but they are still far from being real gods!"
"This bone fragment is the Rainbow Butterfly Spine, an immortal-grade material used to create soul equipment. When the bone marrow is absorbed, it can greatly enhance the power of the soul. If you're lucky, you might even comprehend the residual power of immortality, which is hugely beneficial for a Saint's ascension to immortality!" Emperor Yan explained.
"That's really something good!" Bexia's eyes lit up. As a Saint, obtaining the bone of an immortal in the Crystal Sea world was rare enough, but the value of this Immortal Bone was invaluable, especially since it could help the Saints ascend to immortality.
"So, may I ask what level of strength Senior Emperor Yan possesses?" Bexia curiously asked.
"Don't aim too high, young one!" Emperor Yan didn't answer; instead, he turned his head to look at Luo Cai Ling, who had caused a mess on his back.
"A-Ling, stop grabbing my fur. Don't you know it hurts?"
"But I didn't?" Luo Cai Ling quickly hid her bright red fur in her hands, pretending that she knew nothing.
"Don't cause trouble on my back. Look how well-behaved Xian'er is!" Emperor Yan looked at Luo Ning Xian, who was sitting demurely on his back, and thought about the huge difference between the two sisters.
"I should go back now. This clone has almost fulfilled its purpose!" Emperor Yan held Luo Cai Ling and Luo Ning Xian by their collars with his mouth and put them on the ground. He looked at Bexia and said, "Take care of them, especially A-Ling. She's mischievous all day long."
"I'm well-behaved. I don't need him to take care of me!" Luo Cai Ling pouted unhappily, but she would be more convincing if she put away her hand with the red fur.
"A-Ling, don't cause trouble! It's fine that you ran out from home, but don't cause trouble everywhere!" Emperor Yan admonished, specifically for Luo Cai Ling's ears only, as the others couldn't hear it.
"Xian'er, watch your sister." After speaking, Emperor Yan's figure slowly disappeared into the flames, leaving behind a displeased Luo Cai Ling. But soon, she ran off with Luo Ning Xian to chase after a group of Rainbow Butterflies, laughter echoing in the air.
"So, this means we have gathered everything we need!" Bexia put away the Immortal Bone, combined with the Soul Fire obtained from the Seven-Colored Crystal Flower. The only requirement left was a large amount of energy.
By rescuing the Seven-Colored Crystal Flower and killing a major enemy of the Phantom Butterfly Clan, Bexia and the others had gained a very high reputation within the clan. Their treatment was comparable to that of a Phantom Butterfly Elder. As a token of gratitude, they were given many high-purity Soul Crystals, each possessing soul power no less than that of a champion-grade crystal. There was a substantial pile of these high-purity Soul Crystals, numbering in the thousands.
With these items, Christine already had the assurance to break through to the Lord level. Moreover, with a Soul Fire in her possession, she might not even need to consume the Soul Crystals to make the breakthrough.
