225: Chapter 226 Refining the Finger Bone, Departure After the Matter Was Completed

He saw a thin, black thread emerge from the surface of the fragment, crawling up along his fingertip like a venomous snake, attempting to burrow into the interior of the True Form of the Heart Ape.

That was the residual evil qi. Although most of it had been purified by Lin Ye's True Form of the Heart Ape, a sliver of stubborn power still remained in the deepest part.

Lin Ye frowned.

"This evil qi is truly troublesome."

However...

The True Form of the Heart Ape suddenly shuddered, and the dark golden light around its body surged violently, rushing toward those black threads like molten lava.

The black threads twisted and struggled frantically within the golden light, emitting shrill, piercing screeches, but in the end, the True Form of the Heart Ape was more skilled, burning them completely into a wisp of black smoke that vanished into nothingness.

As the last shred of evil qi was purified, that golden fragment also fell completely silent.

Its surface appeared smooth as a mirror, with no trace of evil qi left to be felt, leaving only a pure and ancient radiance, like a gemstone cleansed of all impurities.

Lin Ye reached out and grasped the fragment.

In that instant, a surge of majestic power poured into the True Form of the Heart Ape.

That power was not particularly violent; it flowed in like a trickling stream, continuously nourishing his spirit, which had become somewhat exhausted from purifying the evil qi.

At this moment, he could feel his spirit attribute steadily rising. Although it was not as immediate as the Killing Life Creation Art, it had the advantage of being a long-lasting, steady flow.

The key was that this item was of a very high level, so even if his spirit attribute were higher, it could still continuously nourish his Soul.

At the same time, he could already establish a connection with that finger bone through this fragment.

Although he could not yet fully integrate it into his body, basic control was achievable.

Opening his eyes, he was still standing in the space inside the finger bone, but the darkness around him had largely faded away.

The thick black fog around him had become incredibly sparse and was slowly dissipating, visible to the naked eye.

Slowly withdrawing his hand, the golden fragment had completely merged into the True Form of the Heart Ape, leaving a mysterious pattern between his brows.

Lin Ye had a feeling that once he completely refined this finger bone, the True Form of the Heart Ape might give birth to a special Divine Ability.

"It is time to leave."

The True Form of the Heart Ape took a step out, leaving the inside of the finger bone.

The moment he returned to the real world, a massive force immediately surged out from the finger bone, connecting with his will.

The finger bone suspended in the air trembled slightly, the dark gray cracks on its surface began to heal, and its radiance changed from dim to bright.

The gray-white on the surface gradually faded, revealing a pure, flawless luster like white jade.

With a thought from Lin Ye, the finger bone drifted slowly toward his palm, landing quietly in his hand, no longer emitting any pressure.

As the crisis was resolved, the golden, staff-shaped phantom that had stabilized the world began to dissipate, and the frozen world resumed its flow.

Flying dust drifted to the ground, and the leaves in the distance began to sway once more.

The night breeze blew in, carrying a freshness like the air after a clearing rain, sweeping away the remaining evil qi in the surroundings.

Old Man Shen and the others also regained their freedom, their gazes quickly sweeping across the surroundings.

At this moment, Lin Ye was standing on the hillside, holding the black iron heavy staff in one hand and cradling a section of white jade finger bone in the other.

Zhang He blinked hard several times, as if confirming whether he was dreaming: "Just now... what happened just now? Why do I feel like I've forgotten something?"

Just now, Lin Ye had not only frozen space, but he had also frozen time; otherwise, it would have been impossible to suppress this finger bone.

It was precisely by leveraging the power of the World Suppression characteristic that he was able to successfully refine it.

Otherwise, let alone 1,000 spirit attribute points, even if he increased it by another ten times, he would never have been able to purify a finger bone that was in an activated state.

Backhanding the finger bone into his void ring, Lin Ye walked toward Old Man Shen and the others.

With his current physique, he was not yet qualified to integrate it into his body.

If he were to force a Fusion, there would be only one result: his body would explode and he would die!

"Alright, the problem here has been solved."

Hearing this, Yang Tiexin sheathed his blade: "That is good."

He did not ask Lin Ye how exactly he had solved it, nor did he ask where that terrifying pressure from just now had come from.

Everyone had their own secrets, and he did not want to pry.

"Let's go. I have already reported the situation to Director Liu. Let's head back to Hantie Town to rest for the night."

Lin Ye reached out to support Old Man Shen and helped him walk away.

The four of them followed the path they had come by, walking out of the mass grave that had already been razed to the ground.

Looking back, only a scene of chaotic rubble and debris remained, along with a huge, circular crater, proving that a great battle had once taken place here.

The next morning, Lin Ye, having rested for a night, had basically recovered his spirit and energy. At this moment, he was holding the white jade finger bone in his hand, carefully examining the patterns on it.

Under the sunlight, those patterns looked even clearer than the night before, like awakened meridians spreading inch by inch across the finger bone, the light flickering as if it were breathing.

After studying it for a while without figuring anything out, he had to put it back into the void ring.

Pushing open the door, Old Man Shen and the others were already packed and ready.

"Elder Shen, how are your injuries? Can you ride a horse?"

Although Old Man Shen's injuries had not fully healed, his complexion had recovered quite a bit and he did not look as pale as he had the night before.

"Rest assured, this old man is not that fragile." Old Man Shen patted his chest, acting as if he was saying, 'Don't look down on me.'

It was just that because he had aggravated his internal injuries, he couldn't help but cough twice.

"Alright, Old Shen, stop acting tough. Since you're fine, let's head back to Qingfeng County today. Director Liu is waiting for a report."

Yang Tiexin also walked over at this time.

Afterward, the four of them had a simple breakfast in Hantie Town, fed the horses enough forage, and then set off on the return journey.

There was no one on the official road in the early morning, only the dull sound of horse hooves striking the road surface.

To accommodate Old Man Shen's injuries, the group did not ride at full speed, but traveled along the official road at a normal pace.

Lin Ye was riding alongside Old Man Shen when Old Man Shen suddenly leaned over and asked in a low voice: "Kid Lin, was there something hidden under that stone tablet?"

Last night, they had been blown away by the explosion and hadn't seen the finger bone emerge; they had only vaguely felt a terrifying pressure, but it had inexplicably disappeared the next second.

Therefore, Old Man Shen guessed that it might have been Lin Ye who stepped in to deal with whatever was under the stone tablet.

Lin Ye did not answer immediately. He wondered whether he should tell Old Man Shen about the finger bone, but after thinking about it, he decided to keep it hidden.

It wasn't that he didn't trust Old Man Shen, but the secrets involved with the finger bone were too terrifying, and knowing too much was not a good thing.

"It was nothing, just a piece of bone that popped out, but I've already destroyed it."

Old Man Shen nodded and did not continue to press the issue.

He could tell that Lin Ye did not want to say anything more about this matter.

By the time the group returned to Qingfeng County, it was already the next day.

Arriving at the Demon Suppression Division, the four of them dismounted, handed the reins to the guards who came up to meet them, and walked straight through the front courtyard toward the meeting hall.

Director Liu, having received the news early, was already waiting there.

Seeing the four of them enter, he immediately stood up to welcome them.