His flesh and blood had faded, leaving only a skeleton. Two bony hands gripped a pair of rusty giant axes, and remnants of armor clung to its frame. From afar, most of the skeleton glowed with a golden light, as if cast from molten gold. Its sternum, however, was wreathed in a dark aura of desecration, a stark contrast to the skeleton's golden hue.

The moment Fang Zhou saw the skeleton, the Heroic Spirit Battle Banner in his hand grew warm, as if sensing its former master. It then emitted a sapphire-blue radiance that shone in response to the golden skeleton.

A tiger's might lingers after its death; an eagle's talons remain sharp after it falls!

In his Soul Realm, Fang Zhou seemed to see a fierce, powerful man tightly bound by black chains, an image that overlapped with the golden skeleton before him and sent a tremor through his heart.

At that moment, Instructor Wang Tao also reacted. His face was a mask of shock, his voice trembling with irrepressible excitement.

"Tiger Soul Battle Axe! Frenzy Golden Body! That's General Ning Feihu's weapon! Those are the remains of General Ning Feihu!"

His words were like a thunderclap, shattering the silence of the ant nest and reaching the outside world through the live broadcast. Everyone watching, from the military academy's instructors to its cadets, was stunned by the news.

A female cadet was so moved she couldn't contain herself. Her eyes reddened as she said in a trembling voice, "I grew up listening to General Ning's heroic deeds. I never thought I'd live to see his Heroic Remains rediscovered. Heaven bless the Human Alliance! Heaven bless the Human Alliance!"

A male cadet gazed in awe at the proud, upright skeleton on the broadcast. "Worthy of the pioneer of the Berserker Profession's Golden Body Series Skill Tree," he murmured. "Decades after his sacrifice, his bones remain unyielding. His constitution attribute must have been astonishingly powerful!"

「In the command hall of the Cave Fortress.」

Lu Hu took a deep breath and said, "Good," three times in a row, his delight plain to see. As a Golden Tier Berserker, he, more than anyone, could sense Ning Feihu's power.

Looking at the robust and imposing Frenzy Golden Body, he sighed inwardly. Heaven is jealous of exceptional talent. If Ning Feihu hadn't fallen in battle, he would have surely become another Legendary King's Crown.

He was about to notify Fang Zhou and Wang Tao to properly secure the hero's remains when Su Xinyan suddenly frowned. She looked at the dark mark on the skeleton's sternum and said gravely, "That looks like a wound from a Golden Tier Soul Judge Demon's Soul-Vibrating Poison Arrow. It seems General Ning Feihu fell to that sinister Soul Attack. A large amount of the desecrating aura likely remains within the bones. It's best not to touch them recklessly before they've been purified."

Hearing this, Lu Hu's expression immediately turned serious. He signaled an instructor to connect to Fang Zhou's Hunting Recorder and relayed Su Xinyan's discovery to the two in the ant nest. He then asked, "Fang Zhou, I saw you successfully purify the Ant Queen's Magic Crystal before. How about this time? Are you confident you can purify the desecrating aura left by the Soul Judge Demon?"

Just then, a notification appeared on Fang Zhou's attribute panel.

"Purifiable resource detected. Purification may yield unknown rewards."

"Estimated consumption of 500 Soul Power. Begin purification?"

The attribute panel's feedback filled Fang Zhou with confidence. He nodded slightly and said earnestly, "I have some confidence. I can sense that the remaining desecrating aura isn't very strong. General Ning's Frenzy Golden Body must have already worn it down significantly."

Lu Hu nodded. "Then give it a try, but don't overexert yourself and get hurt."

He wasn't worried about Fang Zhou accidentally damaging the Heroic Remains. After all, Ning Feihu was the creator of the Berserker's Golden Body Series Skill Tree. Even after decades, the remains of his physical form were not something a mere Apprentice like Fang Zhou could hope to affect.

Fang Zhou didn't hesitate and quickly stepped forward. Spending 500 Soul Power at once was an unprecedented expenditure for him. Fortunately, his Skeleton Clone had recently enslaved a sizable team of power-levelers. Coupled with the constant supply from Su Xinyan and Sandro—two Golden Tier Undead Mages—during their meditation, his rate of acquiring Soul Power had greatly accelerated, allowing him to barely afford the cost of this purification.

Standing before the golden skeleton, Fang Zhou concentrated, continuously pouring his Soul Power into it. As his Soul Power rapidly depleted like a receding tide, a powerful purifying force erupted, sweeping through the entire cave like a hurricane. Under its impact, the desecrating aura lingering on General Ning Feihu's remains began to writhe violently, as if under immense pressure. The aura, like a black fog, twisted and struggled frantically, attempting to resist the purifying force's erosion. But against the sheer volume of Soul Power Fang Zhou had amassed, the aura's resistance seemed feeble.

Finally, just as Fang Zhou exhausted nearly all of his Soul Power, the desecrating aura on the remains completely dissipated, and calm returned to the cave.

In the Soul Realm, the phantom of the fierce warrior that had been bound by black chains finally broke free upon the purification's completion. He gave Fang Zhou a hearty smile before dissipating into the air.

The "Die with the Demon" inscription on the Heroic Spirit Battle Banner shone even more brightly, as if celebrating its master's spirit finally finding liberation.

Simultaneously, a point of purple light flashed on Ning Feihu's golden skeleton before darting into Fang Zhou's forehead and vanishing. His attribute panel immediately displayed a series of pleasant-sounding notifications.

"Successfully purified Heroic Spirit Remains. Obtained special Marvel: Berserker Mark."

"Acquired partial information on the Soul Judge Demon's skill, Soul-Vibrating Poison Arrow. Unable to analyze at this time due to high realm level."

Berserker Mark? Soul-Vibrating Poison Arrow?

Before Fang Zhou could examine the specific rewards from the purification, a peculiar phenomenon began to unfold around him. Strange Energy Fluctuations suddenly pulsed through the previously quiet cave, surging through the air like waves.

Fang Zhou was slightly startled. In his vision, lines of golden light wove through the air, forming a massive runic pattern. The power contained within the pattern was heart-stopping, like a mysterious language from the world's very origin.

Having experienced this once before, Fang Zhou immediately realized what was happening. This is a new World Rune!

Just then, the golden runic pattern suddenly drifted toward Fang Zhou, as if pushed by invisible hands. In an instant, he felt a tremendous force wash over him, and every cell in his body rejoiced as if reborn. He felt his condition instantly restored to its peak—he was even stronger than before.

Then, a new notification appeared on his attribute panel.

"Acquired World Rune: Heart Steel I."

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