As soon as the wooden thorn pierced in, it acted like an energy conduit, continuously drawing out the remaining pure Soul Power from the Dark Demonic Evil God Tiger's corpse.
The energy flowed upward along the wooden thorn, eventually converging into the External Spirit Bone at Su Yu's brow.
In an instant, Su Yu felt a warmth at his brow, as if the External Spirit Bone had awakened like a giant beast, greedily devouring this power.
At the same time, the massive body of the Dark Demonic Evil God Tiger visibly withered at a rapid pace.
Its originally firm muscles and scales quickly lost their luster, like dried wood stripped of all vitality.
In just a short moment, it shrank into a thin, hollow shell, with even the bones losing their original hardness.
With his eyes closed, Su Yu clearly sensed the transformation occurring in the External Spirit Bone at his brow.
The age of the External Spirit Bone rapidly broke through, and faint streams of light flickered at his brow, as if something was about to burst forth.
As the Dark Demonic Evil God Tiger's corpse completely turned into a hollow shell, the light at Su Yu's brow suddenly brightened.
Su Yu slowly opened his eyes, raised his hand to touch his brow, feeling the power within the External Spirit Bone, and a smile curled at the corner of his mouth:
"It's done. This saved me a lot of effort in refining."
Dugu Bo stepped forward to examine it for a moment, clicking his tongue in amazement: "The aura of this External Spirit Bone must have broken through forty thousand years, right?"
Su Yu said with a smile, "Old Poison, good eye. My External Spirit Bone has advanced to forty-two thousand years."
"Haha, you little monster, your luck is truly remarkable. Even I'm a bit envious!"
Dugu Bo patted Su Yu's shoulder, his tone filled with genuine admiration.
Just then, an extremely faint, somewhat delicate whimpering sound suddenly came from within the withered corpse of the Dark Demonic Evil God Tiger.
"Hmm?"
The gazes of the three instantly focused on the hollow shell-like corpse, their eyes full of surprise and doubt.
"Incredible, this Dark Demonic Evil God Tiger is already dead and gone. Could it be coming back to life?"
Dugu Bo raised an eyebrow, emerald green Soul Power surging around him as the Jade Phosphorus Serpent Emperor Spirit reappeared.
The massive serpent's eyes vigilantly locked onto the corpse, ready to attack at any moment.
Crimson Flame also clenched her fist, Thunderfire Power gathering in her palm, the air temperature quietly rising.
Su Yu's eyes narrowed slightly as he stepped forward slowly.
The whimpering sound was intermittent, unlike the ferocity of the Dark Demonic Evil God Tiger in life, more resembling the cry of some young beast—weak yet clear.
He signaled Dugu Bo to stay calm, a wooden thorn appearing in his hand as he gently prodded the withered abdomen of the corpse.
"Inside... there seems to be something alive?" Crimson Flame's eyes flashed with astonishment.
Dugu Bo also retracted his Martial Soul, puzzled: "Could it be that this beast left behind a cub before dying?"
Su Yu didn't speak, only carefully manipulating the wooden thorn to peel away the layer of withered scales on the corpse's abdomen.
As the outer covering was removed, a patch of snow-white fur was revealed.
Following that, a small, palm-sized, wet figure was curled up inside.
It was a white tiger cub, its eyes closed, tiny paws twitching slightly, emitting pitiful whimpers.
All three were stunned, never expecting that such a newborn cub was hidden within the body of this ferocious Soul Beast.
"This..."
Dugu Bo was momentarily speechless. Watching the completely harmless little creature, most of his earlier vigilance instantly dissipated.
Su Yu gazed at the cub, a flicker of complexity passing through his eyes.
He reached out and carefully lifted the little one from the corpse.
The cub seemed to sense the warmth, its whimpering gradually ceasing as it nuzzled its small head against his palm, appearing quite docile.
"Little monster, what's going on here? How did a white tiger emerge from the Dark Demonic Evil God Tiger's corpse?"
Dugu Bo moved closer, observing the snow-white cub in Su Yu's arms.
Apart from being a tiger cub, it bore no resemblance whatsoever to the earlier Dark Demonic Evil God Tiger.
Su Yu gently scratched the soft head of the little one, who comfortably narrowed its eyes and emitted faint purring sounds.
Su Yu said thoughtfully, "I can't say for certain either. Perhaps it's related to that ancient legend."
"You mean... the legend that the Dark Demonic Evil God Tiger was born when an evil god infused power into a white tiger, causing it to mutate into the Dark Demonic Evil God Tiger?"
Dugu Bo stroked his beard, a glimmer of understanding flashing in his eyes.
"So this little one..."
"Mm!"
Su Yu nodded, looking at the white tiger cub in his palm that showed no trace of sinister aura, his tone growing more certain.
"Perhaps this is the original form of the Dark Demonic Evil God Tiger. That ferocious appearance earlier might have just been the result of being twisted and mutated by the evil god's power."
"Now that the evil god's power has dissipated, it has been born in its most authentic form."
Crimson Flame also stepped forward, looking at the docile white tiger cub with a hint of softness in her eyes:
"Looking at it this way, it appears to be of pure white tiger bloodline. It's just pitiful that it was possessed by the evil god's power right after birth."
The cub seemed to understand the word "pitiful," nuzzling even more enthusiastically against Su Yu's palm.
Its pair of dark, gleaming eyes opened, gazing innocently at the three people. There wasn't a trace of the Dark Demonic Evil God Tiger's ferocity, instead revealing a certain naivety.
Watching this scene, Dugu Bo shook his head and laughed: "How strange. We killed a ferocious Dark Demonic Evil God Tiger, but ended up picking up a white tiger cub instead."
"So, little monster, what do you plan to do with it?"
Su Yu looked down at the cub nestling dependently against him in his palm, his fingertips gently brushing through its soft fur. After a moment of contemplation, a smile curled at the corners of his mouth:
"Since we've encountered each other, it must be fate. Let's take it back and raise it properly."
The white tiger cub seemed to understand his words, extending its pink tongue to lick his fingertips and emitting an adorable whimper, showing great affection.
"Alright then! Looks like this little fellow quite likes you too."
Dugu Bo stepped forward with a laugh, his rough fingers gently rubbing the fluffy head of the white tiger cub.
The cub shook its ears, showing no fear whatsoever. Instead, it lifted its head to nuzzle his fingers, making Dugu Bo chuckle heartily:
"Anyway, your Holy Child Palace has vast properties and resources. Surely you can afford to raise such a little thing?"
Su Yu gathered the cub in his arms. The little one seemed tired, yawning before curling into a ball and falling sound asleep in his warm embrace.
"In that case, we should set off now." Crimson Flame glanced at the sky and reminded them.
"The energy fluctuations here are intense. It might attract other powerful Soul Beasts. We shouldn't stay long."
Su Yu nodded, "Mm, let's go."
The three turned and began walking toward the outer reaches of the forest.
Dugu Bo, walking at the rear, glanced back at the lifeless husk of the Dark Demonic Evil God Tiger.
He then looked at the peacefully sleeping white tiger cub in Su Yu's arms, shook his head, and couldn't help but sigh inwardly:
This Soul Beast is truly extraordinary. It seems there are still many peculiar Soul Beasts in this world that have yet to be discovered by humans.
--Enjoying the story? Want more chapters? Check out my Patreon and support me for 40+ advance chapters.
Just search for "QueenTL" on Patreon!"
Thanks!