Chapter 296

Chapter 295

The gazes the group cast at Baili Chi were indescribable.

His senior disciples were so frustrated that they almost wanted to strangle him.

They had repeatedly warned him not to naively trust outsiders. Why did he let his guard down when he met these people? Or did these people secretly do something to him, making Baili Chi so unguarded?

In an instant, Liu Qingyun and the others couldn't help but entertain some conspiracy theories.

Wen Qiao and the others were also incredulous. This person was truly straightforward and honest; didn't he fear they might be bad people?

Just the fact that Baili Chi could understand the language of the skeletons in the Thirteen Palaces of Dry Bones was enough to arouse greed. If they controlled him, they could quickly learn about the Thirteen Palaces of Dry Bones and even find the treasures hidden within.

Since it was known that there were divine artifacts in the Thirteen Palaces of Dry Bones, it was clear that although this place was eerie, it must be rich in treasures. Otherwise, the cultivators of the Primordial Continent wouldn't be so wary of it.

Baili Chi seemed oblivious to everyone's expressions and continued, "The young leader of the Giant Bone Clan was killed by Senior Sister Sang. They won't let this go easily. I heard those skeletons say that the leader of the Giant Bone Clan wants Senior Sister Sang to pay with her life!"

"Fat chance!" Sang Yufei said angrily, "Who would want to marry a skeleton?"

Baili Chi looked at her sympathetically and comforted her, "Senior Sister Sang, don't worry. As long as we leave here quickly and avoid the skeletons of the Giant Bone Clan, they won't make you pay with your life."

At least he said something reasonable.

However, before Sang Yufei could breathe a sigh of relief, she heard Baili Chi say worriedly, "But earlier in the city, I overheard the surrounding skeletons. The Giant Bone Clan has connections with the Scorpion Bone Clan, Spirit Bone Clan, Poison Bone Clan, and others. They have already sent messages to these clans, asking them to help capture Senior Sister Sang."

At that moment, Sang Yufei couldn't help but show a look of frustration and anger, as if asking, "Why is it always me who gets hurt?"

Liu Qingyun frowned. Being pursued by so many skeleton clans was certainly not good for their situation. She decisively said, "Let's leave here first."

The others naturally had no objections. Wen Qiao and the others also wanted to understand why Baili Chi could communicate with the skeletons, so they all left the spot together.

They found a secluded bone mountain, hid in a valley, and set up an array around them before taking a short rest.

Sang Yufei and Ge Ruping were both injured. After taking spirit pills, they sat down to meditate and recover. Liu Qingyun sat alone on a high spot, looking cold and distant, while Baili Chi went over to sit with Wen Qiao and the others.

Ge Rusong, worried, sat nearby, ready to stop his junior disciple if he started talking too much again.

They exchanged information.

Baili Chi said, "We entered using the Bone Return Token. The token brought us to the territory of the Giant Bone Clan. We didn't expect to encounter the young leader of the Giant Bone Clan right away, and he even took a fancy to Senior Sister Sang."

The young leader of the Giant Bone Clan, being of noble status, was used to acting tyrannically. Seeing Sang Yufei, who suited his taste, he couldn't resist making advances on her, already considering her his concubine.

However, in Sang Yufei's eyes, a normal human, it was a pale, white skeleton making advances on her, which was extremely creepy. In a fit of anger, she couldn't help but strike, leading to the pursuit by the Giant Bone Clan.

Wen Qiao and Su Molan looked at Sang Yufei sympathetically, feeling that this wasn't her fault.

If they had been offended by a skeleton, their reactions would probably have been similar.

"What is a Bone Return Token?" Ning Yuzhou, interested in the bone token, suddenly understood why they hadn't seen Baili Chi and the others on the streets of Bone Town when they followed them.

They must have already used the Bone Return Token to enter the Thirteen Palaces of Dry Bones.

Hearing this, not only was Baili Chi surprised, but Liu Qingyun and the others also looked over, their expressions equally surprised.

"You don't have a Bone Return Token?" Ge Rusong asked in surprise, "Then how did you get in?"

Pei Qiyu chuckled, "We walked in, of course."

Su Molan and Wen Qiao nodded in agreement. They had indeed walked in and had traveled a long distance along the bone road.

Ge Rusong: "..."

Ning Yuzhou glanced coolly at Liu Qingyun and the others, then put on a gentle and understanding big brother demeanor when facing the naive Baili Chi, smiling, "We noticed the abnormality in Bone Town and realized the Thirteen Palaces of Dry Bones had opened. After leaving the inn, we came to the streets of Bone Town, where it was bustling as usual during the day, but there was no one..."

He described the scene in Bone Town and how they entered the Thirteen Palaces of Dry Bones.

Ge Rusong couldn't hide his shock, and even Liu Qingyun showed a thoughtful expression.

Compared to them, who had entered using the Bone Return Token, Ning Yuzhou and his group had actually walked through the main gate of the Thirteen Palaces of Dry Bones, which was truly unbelievable.

Baili Chi exclaimed, "So you can enter like that? You're really lucky to have come in through the main gate of the Thirteen Palaces of Dry Bones."

Ning Yuzhou and the others were torn between laughing and crying.

Now, they had entered through the main gate, while this group had taken a shortcut. It was hard to say who was luckier.

Baili Chi took out the Bone Return Token he held and handed it to the curious Ning Yuzhou, exclaiming, "People always thought only the Bone Return Token could bring us into the Thirteen Palaces of Dry Bones. No one ever imagined you could walk in like this. You're really impressive..."

"It's not that impressive," Wen Qiao said. "When we entered, we had to cross a river. The river was full of skeletons, and they were hostile, making it quite challenging..."

"What kind of river was it?" Baili Chi asked eagerly.

Wen Qiao described the river and their encounter to him.

"I see!" Baili Chi suddenly understood, "That river must be the Lesser Nether River."

"The Lesser Nether River?" Wen Qiao and Su Molan, among others, looked at him.

Baili Chi affirmed, "Yes, I've heard that the Lesser Nether River is filled with lost souls. Being lost means they can never leave the river, so the skeletons in the river instinctively try to pull living beings crossing the river down to gain release... Moreover, the Lesser Nether River connects the world of the living and the dead, guiding the dead to another world."

"So, you were considered souls guided by the Lesser Nether River," Baili Chi said, staring at them. "After you landed, the skeleton soldiers at the dock treated you as souls guided by the Lesser Nether River."

After hearing this, Wen Qiao and the others finally understood why the skeleton soldiers at the dock didn't attack them.

Being guided by the Lesser Nether River, they were seen as kin by the skeletons.

Ning Yuzhou returned the Bone Return Token to Baili Chi and asked, "Were you considered kin by the skeletons because of this Bone Return Token?"

Baili Chi nodded, "Yes."

Wen Qiao and the others looked at the Bone Return Token, which was as white and lustrous as jade, without a single flaw. If one were unaware, they might mistake it for an exquisite jade pendant.

The material used to forge the Bone Return Token came from the Thirteen Palaces of Dry Bones, having a profound connection with this place. It was a rather special type of bone that, after being refined by array masters, became the key for cultivators to enter the Thirteen Palaces of Dry Bones. It could also conceal the aura of cultivators, preventing the skeletons in this area from detecting them.

This token served as a pass for cultivators in the Thirteen Palaces of Dry Bones, making it extremely important.

Compared to Baili Chi and his companions, Ning Yuzhou and the others had stumbled upon this place by chance, which was why they were so shocked. They hadn't expected that there was another way to enter the Thirteen Palaces of Dry Bones and be guided over by the Lesser Nether River, completely bypassing the need for the Bone Return Token.

Most people believed that one must have a Bone Return Token to safely enter the Thirteen Palaces of Dry Bones. Very few would dare to enter without one, as they did.

Wen Qiao thought to herself that if they had known about the Bone Return Token beforehand, they wouldn't have been so reckless.

Thus, it was evident that the information they had gathered was not thorough enough. This also highlighted the importance and mystery of the Bone Return Token in the hearts of the continent's cultivators, rarely revealed to outsiders.

"Ah, Young Master Baili, why can you understand the skeletons' words?" Wen Qiao asked curiously.

"I..."

"Junior Brother!" Ge Rusong interrupted, frowning, "Do you want to come and meditate? We still have a long journey ahead."

"No, Second Senior Brother, I'm not tired," Baili Chi replied.

Ge Rusong: "..."

Seeing Ge Rusong's expression, which was hard to describe, Wen Qiao and the others felt exhausted on his behalf. Having a naive and clueless junior brother who couldn't read the room was a headache. Yet, they couldn't scold or hit him; they could only watch helplessly as he made mistakes, which was tiring.

Hadn't Liu Qingyun already closed her eyes, pretending not to see?

If Baili Chi were their junior brother, they would be heartbroken too, but since he wasn't, Wen Qiao and the others were delighted to meet such a cute little fellow.

"Their voices are quite easy to understand. I understood them right away," Baili Chi explained.

Ge Rusong secretly sighed in relief; his junior brother wasn't as foolish as he feared, revealing everything.

Pei Qiyu and Su Molan, however, were utterly confused. What kind of person could understand them just by listening once? Why couldn't they do the same?

Ning Yuzhou and Wen Qiao, however, simultaneously thought of a possibility but didn't ask further due to the presence of others.

The territory of the Gigantic Bone Clan was located in Longya Mansion within the Thirteen Palaces of Dry Bones.

Upon arriving at Longya Mansion, Baili Chi and his group offended the Gigantic Bone Clan before they could even figure out the situation, forcing them to flee in panic. They eventually escaped to the border between Dugu Mansion and Longya Mansion.

"According to those skeletons, beyond here is Corpse Lake, a very dangerous place," Baili Chi said, looking in the direction of Corpse Lake. "Are you planning to go to Corpse Lake?"

Judging from the direction they had come from, they seemed to be heading to Corpse Lake.

Wen Qiao and the others were new here and didn't understand the language, so they had no idea where they were. However, since Wen Qiuqiu led them here, their destination might indeed be Corpse Lake.

"We just wanted to take a look," Ning Yuzhou replied.

Baili Chi smiled, "That's great. We were originally planning to go to Corpse Lake as well, which is why we fled in this direction."

Glancing at Ge Rusong, who looked resigned, it was clear he had given up trying to stop Baili Chi, knowing it was futile.

Suddenly, Liu Qingyun, who had been meditating with her eyes closed, opened her eyes and stood up abruptly.

"Senior Sister Liu!" Ge Rusong asked anxiously, "What's wrong?"

"They're coming. They'll find us soon. We need to leave," Liu Qingyun said.

Hearing that the Gigantic Bone Clan's skeletons were pursuing them, everyone quickly got up and prepared to leave.

The skeletons they had previously encountered were weak, allowing them to kill them all. However, the skeletons sent this time were likely stronger, and facing them directly would be disadvantageous and a waste of time.

Ge Rusong and Sang Yufei's injuries were not fully healed. Sang Yufei, pale-faced, cursed the skeletons while enduring her pain and left with them.

The group flew over the bone mountains on their flying swords, heading toward Corpse Lake.

Shortly after they left, a group of skeletons arrived at the mountain pass, finding no one there, and continued their pursuit.

The leading skeleton was taller than the others, with blood-red eyes that glowed intensely, even faintly golden. Its aura was far superior to that of the other skeletons.

The sound of bones clattering echoed as the skeletons nimbly crossed the bone mountains, following their trail.

***

"Chirp?"

Hearing Wen Qiuqiu's voice, Wen Qiao reached out to stroke the large, fluffy ball attached to her back, soothing it.

Baili Chi, riding his flying sword, approached with bright eyes, looking at the large, fluffy ball and asked, "Miss Wen, what kind of beast is this?"

"I don't know either. It calls itself Wen Qiuqiu," Wen Qiao introduced the two, "Wen Qiuqiu, this is Young Master Baili Chi."

"Hello, Wen Qiuqiu," Baili Chi greeted cheerfully, wishing he could pet Wen Qiuqiu's long fur if they weren't on a flying sword.

"Chirp~" Wen Qiuqiu, with its big, watery blue eyes, tossed something to Baili Chi.

Baili Chi instinctively caught it, and a sweet fragrance, even more fragrant than spirit honey, filled his nose. Seeing the piece of honey wax in his hand, he was surprised and said to Wen Qiuqiu, "Thank you for the gift. I really like it."

Then he rummaged through his storage bag and gave Wen Qiuqiu a gift in return.

The human and the beast exchanged gifts and got along quite well.

This harmonious scene made Sang Yufei and Ge Rusong feel quite bitter, clenching their teeth, thinking that Wen Qiao and her group were truly cunning, using a beast to win over Baili Chi.

Liu Qingyun, leading the way, frowned slightly and suddenly said, "They're catching up. Let's hurry."

The crowd's expressions turned grave, and they hastened their pace.

The skeletons moved faster than they had anticipated. When they heard the commotion behind them, Wen Qiao turned back and saw the skeletons leaping gracefully from the bone hill.

The bone hill was white, and so were the skeletons. If not for the conspicuous red glow in the skeletons' eyes, they would have blended seamlessly into the hill, making them hard to detect.

The skeletons moved with incredible speed, scurrying and climbing over the bone hill like a swarm of rapidly moving insects. Soon, a group of skeletons caught up with them, forming a skeletal ladder. The ones at the top leaped forward, charging at them.

"Stop, prepare to fight!"

Liu Qingyun halted, her face cold, and summoned her Snow Silk. The bells on the Snow Silk shimmered with a cold, icy light. As the Snow Silk swept through, the flying skeletons fell to the ground below.

The others also drew their weapons, knocking down the skeletons that were flying toward them.

Suddenly, a terrifying pressure emerged from behind the bone hill, causing everyone's faces to change. They braced themselves, ready for battle.