Douluo Dalu: The Abandoned Child

The aftermath of the battle left the frozen battlefield eerily silent. The icy winds carried the distant echoes of retreating orcas, their fear palpable as they fled the scene of their king's demise. The survivors of The Black Queen gathered their strength, tending to wounds and mourning their fallen comrades.

As soon as the crew had taken a few moments to catch their breath, they began the grim task of looking through the bodies of the slain orcas in search of valuable soul bones. It was a tedious and somewhat gruesome process, but the potential rewards were worth it. Despite their efforts, they managed to find only a single soul bone, a leg bone from an orca that had been over 20,000 years old.

Dugu Bei observed as the crew debated on who should receive the bone. Eventually, they decided that the Madam should have it, given her importance to their mission. She did not refuse and immediately began the process of absorbing the bone's power. Sitting cross-legged on the ice, she closed her eyes, channeling her spirit energy to integrate the bone into her body. Her aura flickered as she entered a deep state of meditation.

While she was focused on her absorption, Dugu Xin and Liu Erlong approached Dugu Bei, who was standing motionless before the massive corpse of the Evil Spirit Orca King. His gaze was unreadable as he studied the fallen beast, the creature that had nearly overwhelmed them all.

"It's fortunate that you were the one to deal the finishing blow," Dugu Xin said, his tone calm but carrying a note of urgency. "Now you can absorb its soul ring."

"You've been stuck at rank 70 for too long," Liu Erlong added. "It is the perfect opportunity for you."

Bei exhaled, his breath misting in the frigid air. He knew they were right. This was his moment. He turned to his uncle and Liu Erlong, nodding in appreciation.

"I know," he replied. "I won't waste it."

"One more thing," Dugu Xin continued. "You should also absorb the Orca King's soul bone if it possesses one. It will be much more effective if you absorb both the soul ring and the bone from the same beast."

Bei took their words to heart and kept glancing at the giant corpse once more. He knew all the 100,000 soul beasts had a soul bone, but that probably wasn't common knowledge.

However, Bei had other plans before absorbing the soul ring. He extended one arm, and from his back emerged the Eight Spider Lances, gleaming under the dim light.

Without hesitation, Bei plunged the Eight Spider Lances into the enormous carcass of the Orca King. The moment they pierced its flesh, an eerie energy surged through his body. The sensation was different from the previous times he had used this method to drain his dead enemies. This time, it wasn't just pure power that flowed into him, something darker lurked within.

He clenched his jaw as the process continued. The absorption was slower than expected, the energy resisting him, coiling like a living thing that did not wish to be taken. It felt tainted as if the Orca King's malevolent will was trying to corrupt him. Bei suspected it had to do with the evil nature of the Evil Spirit Orca King, but his martial soul was the fusion of Bibi Dong's martial spirits and that came with the evil attribute of her Soul Devouring Spider Emperor. This beast was perfect for Dugu Bei.

Sweat beaded on his forehead, but he did not falter. He pushed forward, channeling his will, forcing the energy to submit to him. The resistance eventually began to wane as his Eight Spider Lances greedily drank in the power. Minutes passed, and the transformation began.

A deep, ominous glow radiated from the lances. Their shape grew sleeker, more lethal. What were once green appendages were now mostly black with some thin green patterns. A sinister energy crackled around them as if they had absorbed the very essence of evil itself.

Dugu Bei felt it the moment the transformation was complete. The Eight Spider Lances had evolved again, their power resembled that of Ah Yin's soul bone. His external bone had reached the level of 100,000-year soul bones. He flexed them experimentally, sensing the overwhelming increase in strength and durability.

They felt stronger than everything else in his arsenal. His first 100,000-year soul bone. Although, it wasn't going to be the only one for long.

Bei also felt the lances had gained a new ability. If he focused enough, he could feel all the negative emotions around him and use them according to his will. He could feel the sadness in the surviving crew members, and he used his new ability to reduce it a little bit, but he felt he could have done the opposite.

He thought about future possibilities, how he could influence a group of scared opponents and fill them with fear that they would run away at the sight of him. He wondered if he could influence a sad person to feel so sad that they would kill themselves. 

Anyway, those were thoughts for the future. He exhaled deeply, retracting the lances back into his body, feeling the new power settle within him. The change was significant, but his work was not yet done.

The next step was the absorption of the 100,000-year soul ring and soul bone of the Evil Spirit Orca King. And with that, he turned his gaze to the bright red ring hovering above the fallen beast.