Chapter 74 Return to the Ruins 2: The Dragon Skeleton
The exposed part of the Guixu Secret Realm resembles a palace-like building, but as a palace, it actually only has a towering gate that others can see but cannot touch.
It wasn't that no high-level cultivators tried to force their way through, but no matter what attack they launched, it was like throwing mud into the sea, unable to budge them in the slightest.
Many cultivators secretly inquired about what exactly happened on the day the Ruins Secret Realm collapsed, but the Snake Clan and Deer Clan naturally wouldn't reveal it, and the Tiger Clan, which had already lost power, didn't dare to openly covet the Ruins Secret Realm anymore.
More than a month has passed, and still no one knows where the rumored key is.
The Glazed Token, originally worth several thousand mid-grade spirit stones, has been speculated to tens of thousands of mid-grade spirit stones due to the appearance of the Guixu Secret Realm, and it is still priced but unavailable.
As cultivators from all races flocked to the area, even those who couldn't enter found many lingering nearby every day. This once sparsely populated area began to flourish, with numerous camps set up around it and even temporary exchange markets.
If the demon realm hadn't already restricted the entry of cultivators from other races, there would be even more cultivators gathered here...
"What's the point of staying in this godforsaken place every day? Is this secret realm something we can even dream of? We'd be better off..."
“A cultivator has arrived.”
"Let them come! Aren't there plenty of people coming and going every day? And who's actually gone in yet?"
These cultivators, whether acting on orders from their backers or simply wanting to take a gamble, waited here day and night, but not everyone believed they could get a share. Kou Lei was one of them; he had wanted to leave for a long time, but his sect wouldn't allow it, so he had no choice but to continue waiting, and he was already quite impatient.
He looked up toward the palace and saw three women and one man walking toward him from a distance. Each of them was exceptionally beautiful and had a commanding presence. Two of the women had their faces covered, as if they did not want to show their true faces.
Another one who's still trying their luck, Kou Lei looked away uninterestedly, but suddenly noticed that several other cultivators who had been stationed there for several days, like him, had vanished in the blink of an eye...
As soon as he arrived near the Guixu Secret Realm, he sensed countless prying eyes from the shadows. Xu Xing subconsciously pulled his hood tighter to make sure his eyes wouldn't be exposed.
Unfortunately, after her birthday, the Illusion Pill lost its effect on her. Strictly speaking, it lost its effect on her eyes. Although her facial features could still be transformed into a different appearance after taking the Illusion Pill, her golden eyes remained unchanged.
Master said this was because she had just come of age and her demonic spirit was too abundant. She would return to normal after a while. Fearing that she would attract the attention of those with ulterior motives when she went to the Guixu Secret Realm, Xu Xing had no choice but to make a hood from special materials to cover his face.
Qianqian glanced around and whispered in Xu Xing's ear, "There are still so many cultivators..."
Qianqian was extremely grateful to Xu Xing and Senior Fu Shuang for agreeing to bring her to the Guixu Secret Realm, but the many covetous eyes made her a little worried. Would entering the secret realm in full view of everyone cause trouble for Xu Xing and the others?
"Master, shall we go straight in?"
Xu Xing was also a little worried and asked Fu Shuang in a low voice.
Fu Shuang didn't speak. She tilted her head slightly and "looked" at the exposed palace gate. After a long while, she moved her left hand slightly, and a long sword made of condensed ice appeared in her hand.
However, before she could make a move, the tightly closed palace doors seemed to sense something. With a heavy rumble, the two doors slowly opened to the sides, revealing a silver vortex at the entrance.
"?!" Xu Xing's eyes widened slightly. She hadn't even taken out the snowflake crystal yet, and the door had already opened by itself?! Did it mean she didn't need a key at all?
"The Ruins of Return have opened?!"
"Quickly! Send a message back immediately!"
"Who saw it? How did she open the door?"
The moment the vortex appeared, the gazes in the shadows instantly turned frenzied. Countless cultivators rushed towards the entrance, about to be the first to enter, when suddenly a clap of thunder roared in the sky, and a hoarse voice echoed through the heavens, "You finally couldn't hold back..."
At the same time, a terrifying pressure swept down from the sky, and an extremely powerful spiritual force rushed towards the palace gate. Its power was so great that it overturned all the cultivators along the way!
With a flick of his wrist, Chen Du summoned the Xuan Yue Sword, placing it horizontally in front of him to shield Xu Xing behind him. Xu Xing and Qian Qian also alertly drew their defensive magic weapons, but with their cultivation levels, they were absolutely unable to withstand this spiritual power! Facing the impact head-on, Fu Shuang neither dodged nor evaded. With a casual wave of her hand, the shockwave paused in mid-air, freezing into ice blocks, which then shattered into pieces and fell to the ground with a crisp sound.
Xu Xing swallowed hard, his eyes filled with admiration. His master was so amazing!
They were unharmed, but the cultivators who had rushed towards the entrance were all caught in the crossfire.
Although they knew that the Guixu Secret Realm restricted cultivation levels, some Nascent Soul and Deity Transformation cultivators still wanted to try their luck, and many others wanted to find opportunities for their juniors. However, these high-level cultivators were powerless against the pressure and were all sent flying by the impact of spiritual energy, unable to even get close to the gate.
"What level of cultivation is this?"
Kou Lei coughed up blood, pulled aside his fellow Daoist who was still trying to rush towards the door despite his fearlessness, and roared, "Are you out of your mind?!"
"But!"
Opportunity knocks but once, and the remains of a ninth-level alchemist are right before our eyes. It's simply not worth giving up now!
Many cultivators immediately took pills after getting up, recklessly continuing to desperately approach the vortex, but the oppressive force alone made it impossible for them to move an inch. It wasn't until the cultivators at the forefront were torn apart by the pressure, their blood splattering on the faces of the cultivators behind them, that they belatedly realized that if they went any further, they would be the next to die.
Thinking of the cultivators who had suddenly disappeared after this group appeared, Kou Lei vaguely guessed what was going on. "I'm afraid we've all been tricked! There's no way we can get into this secret realm!"
"But what about that female cultivator...?"
"She knows that ninth-level alchemist! Maybe this secret realm is meant for her, why are we getting involved?!"
The cultivators, still unwilling to give up, saw the strange woman with white silk covering her eyes suddenly raise her hand and swing her sword. The cultivators felt the temperature around them drop instantly. In just a moment, a solid ice wall rose from the ground, firmly sealing the entire palace gate. Even without the sudden appearance of this powerful being releasing her pressure, the cultivators would have been unable to get close.
At that moment, in the gray sky, accompanied by thunder, a huge and thick tail appeared, rolling in the thick clouds and bringing with it bursts of lightning.
"That...that's a dragon?"
The Dragon Clan, once the leader of the demon race that stood proudly at the top of the Spirit Martial Continent, has reappeared. This name, which had long since vanished from this world, caused the cultivators who were already considering retreating to tremble and quietly take a few steps back.
But the next moment, they saw a figure standing on the dragon-head-shaped shadow. A cultivator could actually control a dragon?!
The figure's voice mocked, "After hiding for so many years, it turns out that only something related to Wei Shengyue can lure you out. This time, I will make you pay for your blood debt!"
Fu Shuang's expression was indifferent. "Playing tricks, you haven't improved at all over the years."
She turned around and pushed Xu Xing and the other two into the vortex, saying, "You guys go first, I still have a score to settle with this old man."
Before Shen Du was pushed into the vortex, he suddenly saw out of the corner of his eye that behind the group of anxious cultivators who were being suppressed by the aura, there was a person standing in the shadows quietly watching them.
...Approved?!
He looked up in surprise, wanting to see clearly, but the next moment he was sucked into the vortex and entered the Guixu Secret Realm, no longer knowing what was happening outside.
After being swept into the vortex, the three of them appeared inside the secret realm in the blink of an eye. It looked like part of a grand hall, but it was empty. There were only smooth walls around them, and several steps appeared in front of them. It turned out that there really was a palace inside this Guixu Secret Realm.
"Was that a dragon in the clouds just now?" Xu Xing, oblivious to his surroundings, was still recalling the scene he had just witnessed. "So there really was a dragon..."
“The dragon race has indeed been extinct for a long time, so it can’t be a dragon.” Qianqian explained, “Although I have never seen one, the ancient records left by the elders of my clan mention a kind of demon beast called Thunder-Headed Dragon. It is said to have the ability to summon thunder and lightning. It is a very fierce and proud high-level demon beast that is not easily subservient to humans. If it really is a Thunder-Headed Dragon, I’m afraid the cultivator on its back is at least at the Mahayana stage.”
"Mahayana stage..." Xu Xing felt lingering fear when she thought of the oppressive aura she had just experienced. Although her master had protected her and she had not been harmed, she could still feel the power of the aura from the miserable state of those cultivators.
Xu Xing has never faced a battle between such powerful beings before. Although Rong Jun, whom he encountered before, was also at the Mahayana stage, he had already dispersed his cultivation and could not exert even a third of his former strength. Compared to the aura of the cultivators outside that caused lightning and thunder, they were worlds apart.
“Senior brother, we can’t help Master either. Since we’re already here, why don’t we take a look first?” Xu Xing looked at Shen Du, only to see that the other’s brows were furrowed and he was lost in thought.
"Senior brother? Senior brother?" Xu Xing called out several times before drawing Shen Du's attention back. He asked curiously, "Senior brother, what's wrong?"
"It's nothing, let's go." Shen Du shook his head gently, but his mind was still replaying the face he had just seen. Could it be Senior Feng Zhun? Or was he mistaken?
The image of the monster he encountered back then, its gaping maw, and the scene before Feng Zhun was swallowed up flashed through Shen Du's mind. He rubbed his temples, his mind in turmoil.
Xu Xing glanced at him again, knowing that something was wrong with his senior brother, but he didn't ask any more questions at this time. The three of them slowly walked forward.
After leaving the dim and empty main hall, the three were suddenly greeted by a bright and open valley. The air still carried the rich aroma of several medicinal herbs, which should have been planted with spiritual herbs and medicines, but were now completely empty. Xu Xing recognized the familiar mountain walls around him; it seemed that the spatial barrier in the Ruins Exploration Secret Realm had been connected to this place.
Turning around to look at the empty palace behind her, Xu Xing was puzzled. She always felt that the palace should not look like this, so why couldn't she see anything?
The three continued on their way, but they saw nothing but large open spaces. Xu Xing thought of the map he had created and excitedly took it out, only to find that the terrain drawn on it was completely different from the Guixu Secret Realm, clearly not the same place.
She quietly turned on the treasure-hunting compass, but nothing happened. Xu Xing was greatly disappointed. Walking aimlessly like this was not a solution. Wasn't it said that there was the remains of Senior Wei Sheng here?
Xu Xing looked at Qianqian and asked, "Qianqian, you are a member of the Jiao clan. Do you know anything about this place?"
Qianqian was also puzzled. "When our elders left the demon realm, they mentioned that our clan's treasure, the Jiao Pearl, was in the hands of Senior Weisheng. I guessed that it was very likely in the Guixu Secret Realm, but there is nothing here. I don't know why."
Shen Du flew high into the sky on his sword, surveying every corner below, but apart from the palace they had just emerged from, all he could see was empty land. Wait, the ground nearby seems to be shaking? Something is breaking through the earth…
He jumped off his sword and led Xu Xing and Qianqian in that direction. They quickly arrived at their destination, and only when they got close did the things that were originally blurry and unclear finally reveal their full appearance.
"Oh my god..."
Looking up at the colossal object before him, Xu Xing held his breath, utterly shocked. "This is..."
Before them lay a colossal skeleton, incredibly long, winding and sprawling across the ground, its end almost unseen. Every bone gleamed, still retaining an awe-inspiring and unapproachable majesty. It was easy to imagine how powerful it must have been in life, inspiring awe and fear.
Faced with such a legendary existence, Shen Du couldn't help but lower his voice, "This is the real dragon."
The Guixu Secret Realm actually contains a complete dragon skeleton.
Xu Xing slowly walked to the dragon's head. The dragon was enormous; even with only bones remaining, its head was several times larger than Xu Xing. She looked up at the two empty eye sockets and suddenly felt a stinging pain in her eyes. She rubbed her eyes and wondered, "Could this be the remains of Senior Wei Sheng?"
How could a master alchemist of the Jiaolong clan possess the remains of a dragon? Yet, this was the only thing they saw in the Guixu Secret Realm.
Qianqian murmured, "This is impossible..."
She was still young when she was born, and the Jiaolong clan was already in a weakened state. Although most of the high-level cultivators in the Jiaolong clan participated in the turmoil of that year, many Jiaolong clan members were still unwilling to collude with them. However, when the Jiaolong clan was purged, these clan members were also implicated and expelled from the demon realm.
Qianqian didn't know much about what happened back then. She only knew that the Jiaolong Clan and the Snake Clan had once served the Dragon Clan together, but the Dragon Clan always trusted the Snake Clan more. If this skeleton really was a dragon, it should be in the hands of the Snake Clan...
Xu Xing stared blankly at the skeleton. Perhaps because of her past life, she had always had an inexplicable awe and love for dragons. However, she had never had the chance to see one in person since coming to the world of cultivation. Now, looking at the remains of the giant dragon, she couldn't help but stand on tiptoe, raise a hand, and gently press it on the dragon bones.
However, the next moment, the huge skeleton instantly shattered into powder! Xu Xing was shocked. Her unconscious touch had destroyed the dragon bones?
Suddenly, an unexpected event occurred. Shen Du rushed to Xu Xing's side to prevent any unforeseen circumstances, only to see that the dragon bone powder had turned into specks of fluorescent light, swirling around Xu Xing. Accompanied by a deafening, ancient dragon roar, countless dragon bone powders gathered into a dragon pearl that emitted a dazzling light.
Before Xu Xing could even see clearly, the dragon pearl flew straight towards her and entered her dantian. A strange, warm current instantly surged through her entire body. Her body felt light, and she floated into the air, her limbs stretching out. A powerful demonic spirit coursed through her body, constantly cleansing her meridians.
The spiritual energy of the five elements—metal, wood, water, fire, and earth—was attracted and formed a cocoon, engulfing Xu Xing within it.
"Xu Xu, she..."
Qianqian stared at this scene in shock. Wasn't Xu Xing a member of the snake clan? What was going on?
Xu Xing, inside the cocoon, felt completely comfortable. The dragon pearl in her dantian had merged with her, as if it were originally her demon core.
The white scales on her body grew wildly and fell off in a few breaths, repeating this cycle several times before stopping. Her skin was as if it had been reborn, with no scales left. Xu Xing had a vague premonition that she would not grow scales again.
A moment later, the five spirits gradually dissipated, and Xu Xing stood on the ground again. Looking at her senior brother and Qianqian, who both looked very worried, she touched her smooth face and smiled reassuringly, "I'm fine."
Shen Du's gaze was complicated. Xu Xing's background was shrouded in so many mysteries. He wanted to say something, but in the end, he only nodded slightly.
Anyway, it's good that she's alright.
"That Dragon Ball..."
Just as Qianqian was about to speak, a crack suddenly appeared in the sky, and Fushuang entered through the crack and landed in front of the three of them.
Her extremely cold and murderous aura made Xu Xingbing shiver. "Master, are you alright?"
Fu Shuang nodded slightly. That old thing thought he could do nothing to her just because he had a high-level demon beast helping him. It was ridiculous.
A hundred years ago, he was her defeated foe, and nothing would change that now. However, Fu Shuang felt a vague worry in her heart. Just now, she had faintly sensed the aura of Shi Yuan among the group of cultivators outside. Could it be that those greedy people were colluding with the demons and dared to have some connection with Shi Yuan as well?
Xu Xing and the other two were unaware of Fu Shuang's thoughts. The moment she appeared, the lifeless Guixu Secret Realm seemed to come alive in an instant.
Soft grass sprouted instantly from the barren ground, and the dried-up lakes filled with clear water once more. Birds with colorful plumage flew on both sides of the palace, emitting clear and melodious calls. Everywhere one looked was a scene full of vitality.
Looking at all this, Shen Du inexplicably felt that if the giant dragon skeleton was waiting for Xu Xing, then this Guixu Secret Realm was waiting for Fu Shuang.
But the thought that all of this was left behind by a demon who had perished hundreds of years ago gave him an indescribable sense of unease, as if everything had already been seen by someone, and they were merely following a predetermined path...
This feeling made Shen Du very uncomfortable. He didn't like the feeling of having his fate in the hands of others. He couldn't help but look at Fu Shuang. What did his master foresee when he forbade him to go to the Demon Sealing Battlefield?
The white silk ribbon intertwined with her hair swayed slightly. Fu Shuang stretched out a hand, and the remaining bone powder gently passed through her palm and quickly dissipated. The familiar dragon breath she briefly felt was gone in an instant. From then on, the last dragon's remains would also completely disappear from this world.
There are no more dragons on the Lingwu Continent.
Are you alright?
Fu Shuang looked at Xu Xing, who nodded blankly, "Master, there was something here just now..."
"No, there's nothing here." Fu Shuang repeated softly. She raised her hand, and frost swept over them, seeping into their foreheads.
Xu Xing and Shen Du swayed. Although they still remembered everything that had just happened, their memories of the dragon bone seemed to be shrouded in a fog, making them unable to see clearly.
Fu Shuang said calmly, "It's just a small trick to guard against soul searching, nothing to worry about."
Recovering from the brief dizziness, Qianqian asked blankly, "Senior Fushuang is here? Huh? Why does this secret realm suddenly look different?"
Master erased Qianqian's memories of the dragon skeleton. Xu Xing opened her mouth but said nothing. She understood that the dragon race might be a taboo, and she must never mention it to anyone else in the future.
Gently touching her dantian, feeling a faint warmth within, Xu Xing's questions only grew more perplexing. The dragon bone had transformed into her demon core, so could these eyes also be related to the dragon race? But she knew her master wouldn't tell her, so Xu Xing could only silently suppress her curiosity.
Fu Shuang raised her arm, and a small colorful bird landed on her fingertip, chirping in a certain direction. With a slight smile, she said softly, "Let's go and get what Wei Shengyue left behind."
"etc!"
Xu Xing bent down and picked up all the white scales that she had just shed from the cocoon. These hard snake scales were excellent materials for refining weapons, and they couldn't be wasted!
Qianqian smiled and said, "Your molting period is finally over, but why did you lose so many scales?"
She slapped her forehead in frustration, "Oh dear! If only I had collected them too, I could have sold them to weapon refiners for a good amount of spirit stones!"
The three followed Fu Shuang back to the palace they had just left. Chen Du paused slightly. The palace, which had been dim and gloomy, was now shining brightly and looked magnificent. However, from this angle, he felt that the palace looked like a large tomb.
Upon entering the palace again, the three of them were startled to see the crystal coffin in the center of the main hall. Qianqian rushed over in three steps, leaned over the coffin and looked down. Under the clear crystal was a beautiful face that looked as if she were just sleeping.
"Lord Wei Sheng!"
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Author's Note: Thank you Ruby_, Sleep a Little Longer, Zhaozhao, wm Jin, Stars Adorn Dreams, Yan Jia Xiaoqi, Icher, Weiyan, He Xiaotu, Silver Lord, Ling Shaoning, and Pu Xiaoqi for the nutrient solution donations! [Sprinkling flowers]
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