"Hollowfication!"
"ROAR!"
With a bestial roar that sounded half-human, half-monster, Han Feng's aura suddenly transformed!
Just a second ago, he had looked smug and mysterious, like he had everything under control. But in the next instant, a violent, bloodthirsty pressure erupted from his body, as if a wild beast had broken free of its cage, ready to devour anyone in its path!
Han Dang and Zhang Lingling were instantly alarmed.
They could clearly feel Han Feng's strength rising at an astonishing rate. Boosted by the power of his first spirit ring, his spirit energy surged by over 80%, and his physical strength had grown as well!
But the figure cloaked in a dark crimson mist—was that really their beloved son?
That roar just now—though it carried a human tone—was undeniably the bellow of a Moltenhorn Behemoth Turtle!
Han Dang and Zhang Lingling quickly summoned their martial spirits, their faces filled with worry and tension.
As the pressure of a Spirit Ancestor and Spirit Expert burst out in full force, the shadow in the red mist visibly trembled, hastily retracting its aura. Then Han Feng's youthful voice called out, "Dad! Mom! Don't attack! It's me—it's really me! "
Under their stunned gaze, the crimson mist gradually dispersed, revealing Han Feng's small frame—except now, he looked drastically different.
A massive, bony, bull-like mask sat on his head. Two twisted, sharp horns jutted forward menacingly. Two dark red stripes ran from the eye sockets down to his jawline, and his hollow, glowing eyes radiated an eerie light. It wasn't the same as the Moltenhorn Behemoth Turtle—but there was clearly a deep connection.
The moment she heard his voice, Zhang Lingling rushed forward and embraced him tightly, completely ignoring the terrifying mask on his head. "Feng'er?! "
Han Feng nodded. The mask betrayed no emotion, but his voice was clear: "It's me."
Relieved to hear he was in control, Zhang Lingling let out a deep breath.
Han Dang, however, had noticed something more. He spoke seriously, "Feng'er, this is…"
"It's an External Spirit Bone! The facial bone of the Moltenhorn Behemoth Turtle! It boosts my spirit power and strength by 30%! "
Even though he had suspected it, hearing Han Feng say it out loud still sent a jolt through Han Dang.
An External Spirit Bone!
To a spirit master, this was second only to a 100,000-year spirit ring—a treasure of dreams and legends!
Han Feng, seeing his father frozen in place, thought Han Dang was underwhelmed by the 30% boost and quickly added, "Even though it's only 30% now, it's an external spirit bone—it grows with me! Right now it's 30%, but eventually it'll be 60%, even 90%! "
Han Feng wasn't lying. Ever since he had acquired this spirit bone, he knew that its power would grow along with his own. For every ten levels he advanced, the enhancement would increase by 10%. At level 10 it was 30%, level 20 would bring it to 40%, level 30 to 50%, and so on.
He thought his father would be thrilled at this news, but to his surprise, Han Dang didn't look excited at all. Instead, his face turned solemn, his tone grave:
"Feng'er. From this day forward, unless you're in mortal danger or possess absolute strength, never reveal the existence of this external spirit bone to anyone. Do you understand? "
There wasn't even a trace of joking in Han Dang's voice. The oppressive pressure of a spirit ancestor descended subtly on Han Feng, making his pupils contract.
Only then did Han Feng realize how arrogant and careless he had been!
Just a few days ago, he had worried that Han Dang would show off and reveal his second martial spirit, so he'd kept it a secret himself. But now? Wasn't he doing the exact same thing?
One external spirit bone had made him lose all caution—like a child discovering treasure, he'd run straight to show it off to his parents.
If these two hadn't been his blood relatives but rather any other spirit expert or spirit ancestor, he'd probably already be dead!
His earlier pride instantly evaporated, replaced with shame.
To think he prided himself on being someone reborn from another life… yet with behavior like this, he was a disgrace to all the transmigrator seniors out there.
"Did you hear me clearly!? "
Still stunned into silence, Han Feng snapped back to attention as Han Dang's voice suddenly hardened, shaking him to the core.
Even Zhang Lingling didn't step in to protect him this time—she knew just as well what this external spirit bone represented: talent, power, fortune… and blood-soaked pursuit.
Snapping out of it, Han Feng nodded quickly. "I understand! "
It was probably the first time in six years that Han Dang had ever spoken to Han Feng so harshly.
He exhaled deeply and finally softened his tone. After all, an external spirit bone was a divine gift. If Heaven bestowed it, refusing it would be folly. There was no need to push Han Feng too hard.
His earlier sternness came only from fear—that this foolish child might someday go around showing off that massive bull-head mask and get himself killed...
Han Feng gave his father a strange look of his own.
He had thought Han Dang was a show-off… but now he wasn't so sure. Maybe he didn't understand his father as well as he thought. At least when it came to major matters, Han Dang was clearly far more mature than he was.
Maybe… he himself was just too narrow-minded.
Han Dang then asked again, more gently this time, "From what you said earlier, it sounds like this external spirit bone does more than just boost your strength and spirit power. Tell us—what else can it do? "
Grinning mischievously, Han Feng couldn't hide his excitement. He wriggled free from Zhang Lingling's arms and dashed over to an ancient tree as wide as two men could reach around.
"Watch closely! "
His voice suddenly dropped an octave, his tone rasping like a monster's growl. Slowly turning his head, he snarled, "I call this move… Hollow King's Flash! "
"ROAR! ROOOAR!"
BOOM!
The monstrous roar echoed again. From the space between Han Feng's horns, a searing blast of dark red energy exploded outward, tearing through the air toward the ancient tree. With a thunderous crack, the blast struck—punching a fist-sized hole straight through the tree's trunk!
The edges of the hole were perfectly clean—if not for the charred wood around it, one might think it was carved by a sword.
Seeing this, Han Dang and Zhang Lingling were utterly shocked.
That power… it was easily on par with the full-force attack of a two-ringed Assault Spirit Master!
And the most terrifying part? That move—Hollow King's Flash—was an instant-cast spirit skill!
Han Feng was a defensive battle-type spirit master, and yet he had such a devastating offensive skill? No one in their right mind would trade even a ten-thousand-year-old external spirit bone for this!
What they didn't know, though, was that Han Feng himself… wasn't satisfied.
"Tch... feels a bit weak. Hollow King's Flash doesn't quite live up to the name... Maybe I should just call it Cero for now? "
As Han Feng drifted off into his own thoughts, Han Dang swallowed hard, his voice tinged with awe. "Feng'er… what's the name of this external spirit bone? "
Han Feng blinked, then declared confidently, "The Hollow Mask! "
Han Dang frowned slightly, confused. Why did an external spirit bone from a Moltenhorn Behemoth Turtle have a name—and skills—that had nothing to do with the beast itself?
Even the soul skills didn't match up at all.
But since it was his own son saying it, Han Dang let it go and just nodded, finally adding:
"External spirit bones attract envy. I know you're a clever boy—but don't go showing off to impress others. Understand? "
Han Feng nodded sheepishly.
It wasn't the praise that made him guilty—it was the strange look in Han Dang's eyes.
Because truthfully… this spirit bone wasn't called Hollow Mask. Its soul skills weren't really Cero or Hollowfication.
What he called Hollowfication was just a passive ability of the spirit bone. And that Hollow King's Flash? It was just a glorified version of a Moltenfire Beam.
All the renaming, all the flair—it was just Han Feng indulging in his own childish fantasy.
Honestly, if his martial spirit weren't a shield and instead a sword, he might have even named his first skill Getsuga Tenshou...