“This is merely the aura of a trace of my scattered bone dust. At the peak of life, it heads towards death; at the peak of death, it heads towards rebirth. Take care of yourself.”
With those words, the skeleton in front of him turned into a wisp of aura. With a “bang,” it dispersed in all directions, the surroundings transforming into a hazy mist that surged skyward, vanishing into the heavens and earth.
This was just the aura of a trace of bone dust…
Lin Xiao was deeply shaken, unable to calm himself for a long time.
Eternal immortality, this was bloody astonishing, utterly world-shaking. This was undoubtedly a heaven-defying figure.
Lin Xiao even suspected that after countless aeons, that bone dust might still reassemble and revive…
Of course, the words of that heaven-defying powerhouse lingered in Lin Xiao’s ears: “At the peak of life, it heads towards death; at the peak of death, it heads towards rebirth.” It seemed to articulate the charm of some grand dao.
“This Immortal Skeleton Technique is truly terrifying!” Lin Xiao sighed deeply. His yearning for that world-destroying power grew ever stronger.
However, upon examining the Immortal Skeleton Technique more closely, his heart trembled once again.
To cultivate this method, beyond refining one’s bones to the extreme, one had to shatter their own fleshly body, letting themselves perish. Then, in the stillness of death, the skeleton would awaken its own consciousness and reconstruct the flesh.
Moreover, the inheritance included annotations stating that even that self-proclaimed immortal, heaven-defying powerhouse had, before shattering his own flesh, captured countless geniuses and imparted his self-created Immortal Skeleton Technique to each one. When they all reached the pinnacle of bone refinement, they shattered their fleshly bodies.
In the end, they all died. Not a single one managed to emerge from the stillness of death to reconstruct their flesh.
That heaven-defying powerhouse had learned from the transformations of this group, continuously drawing lessons as an island’s worth of geniuses perished. Only then did he refine and perfect this Immortal Skeleton Technique. He shattered himself, all vitality fading, and after an unknown span of ages, he successfully reconstructed his flesh.
In the end, he fought a powerhouse from the ninth heaven, perishing together in mutual destruction, reduced to dust. It was uncertain whether he could truly reassemble and revive.
Such a high difficulty, such a dangerous cultivation method—he didn’t dare attempt it lightly. Back then, an entire island of ancient geniuses had died.
This was practically a suicidal cultivation method. Without reaching that level, Lin Xiao didn’t dare take that step.
“I’ll start with the upper section, controlling skeletons!” Lin Xiao shook his head and sighed. Reaching the realm of that heaven-defying powerhouse was far too distant. Even fully mastering the upper section would take a considerable amount of time.
The upper section was the foundation for the true Immortal Skeleton Technique of the lower section. By using others’ skeletons to comprehend its mysteries and master the art of skeleton control, one could then be ready to unlock the true technique of immortality.
Of course, while cultivating the upper section, Lin Xiao could also refine his own bones step by step. Achieving mastery in bone cultivation would still require a long time.
This journey to the “Monarch’s Tomb” had truly exceeded Lin Xiao’s expectations. He had thought it was merely the tomb of a Martial Monarch, but he’d stumbled upon an Emperor’s trove, reaping astonishing rewards.
“Hm?” Suddenly, Lin Xiao realised he was still on that island. Was the skeleton that had just vanished the aura left behind by that heaven-defying powerhouse on this skeleton island, or was it the skeleton from the mass graveyard?
Or perhaps, was this mass graveyard actually that skeleton island?
With a “hiss!” as Lin Xiao pondered in confusion, the scene of the skeleton island vanished. The next moment, his surroundings reverted to their original state, the mass graveyard reappearing before him.
The sight before him made Lin Xiao’s heart tremble once more. He found himself seated at the centre of the four ferocious beast skeletons. The humanoid skeleton had vanished, and he was now sitting in the exact same posture as that skeleton had been, holding a bone inscription in his hand.
Around him, the Void Phoenix Wings rested by his side, and the green corpse puppet stood nearby.
The seated humanoid skeleton from before had indeed disappeared. It seemed it had been merely an aura of that heaven-defying powerhouse.
An aura had created that entire scene.
Looking further outward, beyond a hundred metres, thousands of people surrounded the area, all staring at Lin Xiao. Closer in, a faint protective light barrier shimmered, guarding him.
“Could it be that I triggered the formation here earlier, and while witnessing that powerhouse’s battle, I’ve been here for a long time?” Lin Xiao hesitated, but it seemed likely. Triggering the formation had unwittingly drawn him to the centre of the four ferocious beast skeletons, immersing him in that heaven-defying powerhouse’s scene.
As time passed, people had gathered around, yet they couldn’t breach the formation to harm him. This must have been a protective mechanism for the inheritance.
Then, Lin Xiao’s gaze swept toward the figures standing in the void at the perimeter. In the air stood Guan Shuo, Yuan Kai, the幽袍elder, the young commander of the Tiger Guard, Liu Yan, Gong Hongyun, the Spirit Master, and twenty or thirty Martial Kings. Hu Yue, however, was nowhere to be seen.
This immediately turned Lin Xiao’s gaze icy as he looked at Guan Shuo, Yuan Kai, and the others, their bodies stained with blood. He could tell how brutal that battle had been.
Even the young commander of the Tiger Guard and the three-striped golden tiger bore traces of blood.
“Lin Xiao, what did you get in there?” Seeing Lin Xiao awaken and stand, Liu Yan, who had lost an arm, roared furiously.
Beside Liu Yan stood an elder of the Liu family, with Liu He and seven or eight Liu family disciples below, all glaring at Lin Xiao with murderous intent.
“Lin Xiao, this time you won’t escape, even with wings!” a black-robed young Martial King snarled, his eyes blazing.
“Lin Xiao, hand over that thing. It’s not something you’re qualified to take!”
“When the protective formation fades, even your Void Phoenix Wings won’t save you. If you’re smart, hand everything over now.” …
Voices rang out from outside, not just from the Liu family but also the Gong family and everyone present.
This was the core of the tomb’s treasure, and the opportunity here was undoubtedly extraordinary. Judging by the four skeleton bones alone, whatever Lin Xiao had obtained must surpass even the Heavenly Spider Demon Silk.
Hearing the barrage of threats and mockery, Lin Xiao ignored them, instead fixing his gaze on the young commander of the Tiger Guard. He asked, “Senior, how is Hu Yue?”
The young commander replied calmly, “She’s injured and escaped, but she should be fine.”
Lin Xiao’s expression darkened slightly, his gaze sharpening as it swept over Guan Shuo and the others. Still, knowing Hu Yue was safe eased his mind a little.
“Thank you for your help, Senior!” Lin Xiao said sincerely, bowing respectfully to the young commander.
Though he didn’t know why the man had helped, the young commander’s battered state showed he’d gone to great lengths for them, a significant act of kindness.
“We share some connection with you. You’ll understand in time. This formation won’t last much longer, so prepare to escape. I’ll buy you some time!” the young commander said calmly, his tone earnest.
“A connection with us?” Lin Xiao was puzzled.
