Chapter 308

Chapter 307

Stepping out of the cave, they saw a large fluffy ball guarding the entrance, with several skeletons lying around, their bones riddled with countless pinholes.

Shi Wuming was startled. How could they die so miserably?

His gaze fell on the large fluffy ball guarding the cave entrance. Could it be that all this was its doing?

Wen Qiao asked Wen Qiuqiu, "When did these skeletons arrive?"

Wen Qiuqiu chirped in response, informing her that shortly after they entered the cave, a group of skeletons had climbed over the bone mountain. Following Wen Qiao's instructions, Wen Qiuqiu didn't care about their intentions; she simply crushed them if they dared to approach.

"Good job, that's exactly how it should be!" Wen Qiao praised her generously, then turned to Shi Wuming and said, "These skeletons must have come for you!"

Shi Wuming puzzled, "How do you know? Maybe they were just passing by?"

"Do you think they were just passing by?" Wen Qiao countered.

If it were an ordinary person, they would not have the nerve to deny it, but who was Shi Wuming? His face was thicker than bone, and he boldly declared, "They must have been passing by!"

Wen Qiao unexpectedly punched him again, and Shi Wuming fell onto the pile of bones once more.

He pitifully clutched the spot where he was hit, looking at her with tears in his eyes, and asked, "Why did you hit me again?"

Wen Qiao casually replied, "I suddenly felt itchy."

Shi Wuming: "..."

At this moment, Pei Qiyu laughed maliciously and said mockingly, "Do you need a reason to hit him? You hit him whenever you want, no questions asked! Young Master Ning, don't you agree?"

Ning Yuzhou smiled and nodded, his demeanor warm and amiable, but his words were far from it.

He said, "My Chui is a good child, she never hits people without reason. She only hits those who deserve it."

Shi Wuming: "= =" What does "those who deserve it" mean? Do they really think he deserves it?

But looking at these three, Shi Wuming could only admit defeat, meekly saying, "Miss Wen is right, they must have come for me!"

Under Wen Qiao's "iron fist," Shi Wuming followed them like a submissive wife, his head bowed and eyes downcast, making Pei Qiyu and Su Molan feel a bit uncomfortable. They increasingly believed that his cultivation as a Yuanzong was artificially accelerated, for he lacked the pride and dignity expected of a true Yuanzong.

Ning Yuzhou took it in stride and said to them, "Let's find a place to rest, so I can study the immortal bone."

Upon hearing this, Wen Qiao and the others understood he intended to start refining the Bone Return Token.

So Wen Qiao turned to Pei Qiyu and asked, "Where is there a safe place? One where no skeletons will disturb us."

Shi Wuming said, "The safe place is below."

Following his finger, they saw the area at the base of the bone mountain shrouded in mist.

Su Molan frowned and asked, "Didn't you say that below is the Evil Spirit Abyss, which is very dangerous?" Earlier, he had advised them not to get too close, yet now he claimed it was safe, contradicting himself.

Shi Wuming, fearing a misunderstanding, quickly explained, "We won't reach the Evil Spirit Abyss, just the foot of the mountain. Because this place is near the Evil Spirit Abyss, ordinary skeletons dare not approach, fearing that the evil spirits within might snatch their soul fires."

"Soul fires?" Pei Qiyu asked curiously, "Are they the blood-red glow in the skeletons' eye sockets?"

"Exactly, that is their soul fire. As long as the soul fire remains, the skeleton will not die."

This matched their earlier speculation. Indeed, what sustained the skeletons' life was their soul fire. Or rather, these were their souls, the brighter the light, the stronger the skeleton's soul and power.

With Shi Wuming's explanation, the five continued down the bone mountain.

As they approached the foot of the mountain, the air gradually grew colder, and the mist at the base began to clear, allowing them to see the situation ahead clearly.

The bones of the bone mountain stretched out and then abruptly ended.

It turned out that the back of the bone mountain was a cliff, and below the cliff lay the Evil Spirit Abyss.

Choosing a flat area at the foot of the mountain as a temporary resting place, Wen Qiao and Su Molan led the two beasts to the edge of the cliff and gazed into the Evil Spirit Abyss.

As expected, all they could see was a sea of mist.

This mist differed from that of the Su Star Valley, exuding a dark and ominous aura that made one feel uneasy.

After surveying the surroundings, they returned to the base of the mountain.

By then, Ning Yuzhou had taken out the immortal bone and was examining it, while Pei Qiyu engaged Shi Wuming in conversation.

Although Shi Wuming had an incredibly thick skin, seemingly useless, his ability to survive in the Thirteen Palaces of Dry Bones and escape naked showed he was no simple man.

Pei Qiyu asked him, "Do you know what 'Bone Return in Light, Dry Bone in Night' means?"

Hearing this, Wen Qiao and Su Molan also looked at Shi Wuming.

They had been puzzled by this phrase for a long time, hoping to find answers in the Thirteen Palaces of Dry Bones, but the vastness of the place and the language barrier prevented them from understanding the meaning of these two sentences.

Shi Wuming raised an eyebrow, seemingly unsurprised by their question.

He glanced at Ning Yuzhou, who was studying the immortal bone, curious about his progress, and absentmindedly asked, "Do you know anything about Bone Town?"

"Absolutely nothing!" Pei Qiyu shrugged, "The information we could gather was limited. If we hadn't learned about the immortal artifacts in the Thirteen Palaces of Dry Bones, we wouldn't have rashly ventured in."

"Ventured in?" Shi Wuming looked at them in confusion, wondering how they managed to enter.

At this moment, Ning Yuzhou's voice drifted over, "We entered through the main gate of the Thirteen Palaces of Dry Bones, without using the Bone Return Token."

Shi Wuming was stunned. Once he grasped the meaning of these words, his eyes widened in disbelief, and he exclaimed, "You didn't use the Bone Return Token?"

"If we had the Bone Return Token, we wouldn't have specially come here to look for the immortal bone," Ning Yuzhou said lightly.

Shi Wuming sat there blankly, lost in thought for quite some time before muttering to himself, "Someone actually managed to do it..."

Before the others could fully grasp his words, he slapped his thigh and burst into laughter.

His erratic behavior left Wen Qiao and the others bewildered, assuming he was having another episode, so they didn't interrupt him.

After a while, Shi Wuming wiped away the tears from laughing and said with a grin, "It's no harm telling you. These two phrases represent Bone Town and the Thirteen Palaces of Dry Bones. Bone Town and the Thirteen Palaces of Dry Bones are actually worlds of inverted yin and yang. Bone Town is yang, and the Thirteen Palaces of Dry Bones are yin. Whenever yin and yang converge, the Thirteen Palaces of Dry Bones will manifest in the mortal world, and those who possess the Bone Town Token can enter the Thirteen Palaces of Dry Bones."

Upon hearing this, the group found the answer both surprising and reasonable.

Pei Qiyu suddenly understood, "So when yin and yang converge, Bone Town turns from yang to yin, and thus the people in the town become skeletons."

"Exactly!"

Su Molan felt a chill run down her spine, "Then the people in Bone Town... aren't they..." all become skeletons; are they still considered alive?

"They are the guardians of Bone Town!" Shi Wuming explained, "Becoming a guardian of Bone Town means being bound to it for eternity, unable to leave even in death, their bones returning to Bone Town."

"Could the bone houses in Bone Town be the bones of these guardians?" Wen Qiao asked in surprise.

"Yes."

"All of them?" Wen Qiao asked again.

"Not necessarily. To become a guardian of Bone Town, one must be recognized by Bone Town. Not everyone can gain such recognition." He winked at them, "If you want to know who the guardians are, you'll have to find out yourselves. I don't know much either."

Thus, the group put aside the matter of the "guardians of Bone Town," as knowing who they were wouldn't be of much use to them.

This also explained why Pei Qiyu couldn't gather detailed information.

Given the unique nature of Bone Town and the Thirteen Palaces of Dry Bones, those who knew about them would not easily divulge the information, nor could they afford the consequences of doing so, making it a forbidden place.

Moreover, "immortal artifacts" in the Thirteen Palaces of Dry Bones must be plentiful; otherwise, the news of immortal artifacts within the Thirteen Palaces of Dry Bones wouldn't have spread. Many people must have come here specifically to search for these artifacts, though the outcomes are uncertain.

Pei Qiyu continued, "What about the other residents of Bone Town? There can't be that many guardians. What is their relationship with Bone Town?"

This question was sharp, and Shi Wuming fell silent for a moment before answering, "They are the sacrifices of Bone Town."

"Sacrifices?" Wen Qiao and Su Molan were startled, recalling the fight between two cultivators they witnessed upon entering Bone Town, where the victor had been killed by a ghost, his heart torn out.

The reason for the fight was closely tied to the bone houses in Bone Town.

"What are the conditions to become a sacrifice?" Wen Qiao asked.

"First, one must establish a connection with Bone Town." Shi Wuming looked at them and suddenly asked, "Since entering Bone Town, you haven't touched any of its food, right?"

They all shook their heads, a realization dawning on them.

Shi Wuming laughed, "The food in Bone Town isn't so easy to consume!"

At this point, they understood that the first step in establishing a connection was eating the food of Bone Town.

No wonder Auntie Hua had warned them not to touch any food in Bone Town; she truly had good intentions.

Wen Qiao thought of a question and hurriedly asked, "Does becoming a sacrifice mean certain death?"

Shi Wuming pondered for a moment and replied, "It depends on the individual. Some refuse to accept their fate as sacrifices and strive to change it, transforming from sacrifices into guardians."

It seemed that some had successfully transitioned from sacrifices to guardians. Although both were bound to Bone Town, becoming a guardian, despite the loss of freedom, at least ensured survival. Sacrifices, however, were not so fortunate; as sacrifices, death was inevitable.

With this knowledge, they gained a better understanding of Bone Town, no longer completely in the dark.

However, the more they knew, the more they realized how terrifying both Bone Town and the Thirteen Palaces of Dry Bones were, forming an untouchable world.

"How can there be such a peculiar place?" Su Molan asked, puzzled.

Shi Wuming glanced at her, adjusted his clothing, and lounged lazily, looking parched and unwilling to speak.

"You know quite a lot," Wen Qiao remarked.

He could ignore questions from others, but Wen Qiao's questions demanded answers.

Shi Wuming instantly perked up, grinning, "I was imprisoned in the Tianfu of the Burning Hell for a long time, seeing and learning much. As you know, there are many cultivators in the Tianfu of the Burning Hell."

Cultivators can exchange information and communicate with each other, and with Shi Wuming's thick-skinned nature, he gathered plenty of information.

Wen Qiao hummed, offering no comment.

"Those cultivators must be the ones who entered the Thirteen Palaces of Dry Bones using the Bone Town Token, right?" Pei Qiyu guessed.

"Who else?" Shi Wuming said nonchalantly, "Though the Thirteen Palaces of Dry Bones are dangerous, they contain many treasures. I'm sure you've encountered some already."

He spoke meaningfully, his gaze sweeping over them.

Wen Qiao raised his fist, "So what?" They had worked hard to find those treasures, and they belonged to them!

Shi Wuming quickly flattered, "Nothing, it's the Immortal Lady's fortune to find them, showing that they are destined for her. Destiny is the most mysterious thing, and the Immortal Lady acts according to destiny."

To hell with acting according to destiny, Pei Qiyu and Su Molan almost didn't recognize the word "destiny" anymore.

They were speechless at Shi Wuming's tendency to attribute everything to "destiny" and decided to ignore him.

***

As Shi Wuming had said, the area at the foot of the mountain was indeed safe, with no skeletons coming to disturb them.

However, the chilling aura emanating from the cliff face was unpleasant.

Wen Qiao had a foreboding feeling, though he couldn't pinpoint its source. He took out a stack of talismans, distributing them to Pei Qiyu and Su Molan, urging them to be cautious.

Shi Wuming sidled over and asked with a thick-skinned face, "Can the immortal lady give me something too? As you can see, I have nothing but the clothes on my back, my cultivation hasn't recovered, and my combat strength is even less than that of a Yuanmai Realm cultivator. Wouldn’t I be in trouble if anything happened?"

Wen Qiao, seeing his pitiful state, gave him some talismans.

Shi Wuming happily accepted them, and his mouth opened to spout flattery as if it cost him nothing, his fawning manner making people want to plug his mouth.

"Can you shut up?" Pei Qiyu asked, trying to maintain his patience.

Shi Wuming said with righteous indignation, "The young lady doesn’t find it annoying, so why should you? Besides, it’s so gloomy here; wouldn’t it be creepy if it weren’t lively?"

Seeing Wen Qiao’s interested expression, Pei Qiyu decided to ignore this noisy fellow.

Indeed, with Shi Wuming around, things were always lively. He could always liven up a dull atmosphere.

Just as Shi Wuming was about to shamelessly ask Wen Qiao for more good stuff, Ning Yuzhou, who had been diligently studying the Immortal Bone, suddenly looked up.

Shi Wuming was startled, feeling somewhat guilty, fearing that Ning Yuzhou might misunderstand his intentions towards his wife. Just as he was about to explain, Ning Yuzhou stood up.

"Something is approaching," Ning Yuzhou said, his gaze falling on the cliff ahead.

Pei Qiyu's eyebrows twitched, and he pulled Su Molan to her feet.

At that moment, everyone felt an extremely cold aura emanating from Evil Spirit Abyss, rapidly spreading toward the foot of the mountain.

Their hearts raced, and before they could see what was coming, they heard Ning Yuzhou decisively say, "Let's go!"

Everyone quickly headed for the Bone Mountain. Pei Qiyu grabbed Shi Wuming, a burden he disliked but found useful, and took him along.

The five moved at incredible speed.

However, no matter how fast they were, they couldn't outpace what emerged from Evil Spirit Abyss.

A sudden rustling sound was heard, accompanied by a bone-chilling aura that seemed to come from the netherworld. A massive shadow descended from the sky, as if something had blocked the full moon.

Instinctively, they turned to look. Before they could make out the creature's appearance, a fierce gust of wind blew, scattering the bones of Bone Mountain and sending them flying. They were also blown off their flying swords, their bodies uncontrollably plummeting.

The extreme cold made their bodies quickly frost over, freezing them stiff.

They frantically circulated their spiritual energy to resist the terrifying cold, but they couldn't control their bodies and could only fall straight down.

Rolling down the cliff with countless scattered bones, they finally saw the creature that had emerged from Evil Spirit Abyss when they fell off the cliff.

It was a monstrous being made of bones, with two bone wings spanning hundreds of feet, stirring up a fierce wind that parted the mist of Evil Spirit Abyss.

It flew out of Evil Spirit Abyss, its head pointing toward the moon, emitting a high-pitched cry. With a flap of its bone wings, it flew far away instantly.

It passed over Bone Mountain and headed toward the direction of Fenyu Tianfu.

As it flew, the creature's bone wings cast a shadow over the landscape, and its eerie presence left a lasting chill in the air.