Giant Skeleton

In a wooden cabin beside the Yang Yuan Stone Mine Vein, Lin Changqiang and Lin Dong sat quietly cross-legged on the bed, eyes shut tight, continuously absorbing the Ninth-grade Yang Gang Qi emitted by the Daytime Prince.

"To reach the Yuan Dan Stage, you must first balance the Yin-Yang Qi within your body, then fuse them to achieve true Yin-Yang Union—only then can you condense a dan." Lin Dong slowly opened his eyes, smiling lightly as he looked at Lin Changqiang. "But with your Yin Fiend Ceremonial Attire and Yang Gang Treasure Robe, what was originally the hardest step has become the easiest."

"Of course—who do you think I am~" Lin Changqiang's lips curled into a Nike smile. Ever since he got the Daytime Prince, he'd even lost interest in Yang Yuan Stones.

"It's time for the routine inspection. You going, or me?" Lin Dong raised an eyebrow.

"Let's go together. It'll be a good chance to loosen up—training should balance work and rest." Thinking of the Fire Ancestor Demonic Flower in the mine, Lin Changqiang naturally couldn't let Lin Dong stay behind. He made up a flimsy excuse and pulled the other out of the cabin.

"Young Master Changqiang." "Young Master Lin Dong."

Seeing the two emerge, the Lin Family guards and workers all stopped and bowed respectfully.

Lately, news of the two reaching the Heavenly Origin Stage had spread like wildfire, and everyone knew just how immense the potential of these two youths was.

Lin Changqiang nodded with a smile in response. Though they were nominally the foremen here, when it came to actual work, they still relied on the experienced overseers. Of course, given their personalities, they couldn't be bothered to put on airs of authority.

Lin Dong stood on the high ground, looking down at the bustling scene below, and nodded in satisfaction. Lin Changqiang, however, kept his eyes fixed on the mine entrance, waiting silently.

Finally, a commotion broke out at the mine entrance. Lin Changqiang's eyes lit up. "Lin Dong, let's go see what's going on."

"? Sure." Lin Dong was a bit taken aback, not understanding why Lin Changqiang was so eager, but he didn't refuse. Xiao Yan, who had been basking in the sun nearby, quickly followed behind them.

Led by the foreman, the group quickly went deeper, winding through a maze of branching tunnels for a good while before stopping at the end of one.

At the end of the tunnel was a narrow crack. Judging by the fresh digging marks around it, it had been uncovered not long ago.

"A worker dug out a passage here. Out of curiosity, he crawled in, but got burned by some kind of hot gas inside." The foreman eyed the crack warily.

Lin Changqiang nodded, stepped forward, and stuck his arm into the crack. Sure enough, a scorching, violent surge of energy instantly enveloped his right arm, trying to burrow into his body, but it was absorbed by the system and turned into pure Yuan Power.

"Lin Dong, there's a violent Yang Gang Qi inside. I think there's some kind of treasure. Let's go in together and take a look." Lin Changqiang turned back, looking at Lin Dong with "excitement."

"Yang Gang Qi?" Lin Dong raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "You all stay here. Don't let anyone near—it could be dangerous. Changqiang and I will go in and check it out."

With that, the two men and the tiger slipped through the crack one after another, entering the passage. At first, it was so narrow it barely fit one person, but after a few dozen steps, it opened up wide.

Before them lay a stretch of crimson broken rock, looking from afar like flowing magma. A scorching heat rose from the ground, distorting the air above.

"The last time I saw air this distorted was at a barbecue stall." Lin Changqiang couldn't help recalling the delicious food from his past life and swallowed.

"What a huge bone!" Lin Dong suddenly exclaimed.

Lin Changqiang followed Lin Dong's gaze and saw, in the center of the broken rock, a beast bone dozens of meters tall standing upright!

Though this massive creature was nothing but white bones now, the two could still feel a special pressure emanating from it. It wasn't hard to imagine that this must have been some powerful demonic beast, though they had no idea why it had died here.

Just as they were stunned, Xiao Yan suddenly turned into a red blur and charged toward the stark white skeleton.

The sight made Lin Dong's face change in alarm. He didn't want anything to happen to Xiao Yan, so he gritted his teeth and rushed after him. Lin Changqiang quickly followed.

The two men and the beast swiftly crossed the broken rock, slowing down as they neared the skeleton.

Xiao Yan stopped beside the bones. Though his own body was fairly robust, it was nothing compared to the skeleton's scale.

He stared intently at the mysterious skeleton, then, to Lin Dong's shock, leaped up, swiftly climbing the beast's bones, and with a "whoosh," scrambled up to its neck.

"What's this little guy up to?" Lin Dong frowned in confusion at Xiao Yan's actions.

"Remember those two Black Iron Demonic Leopards?" Lin Changqiang looked at Xiao Yan with anticipation.

"You mean the Demonic Crystal?!" Lin Dong's eyes went wide as he looked at Xiao Yan. Under his gaze, Xiao Yan raised a sharp tiger claw and brought it down in one strike, smashing the already brittle skull to the ground.

The massive head shattered into pieces. Xiao Yan jumped down, rummaged through the debris, and finally pulled out a fist-sized fiery red orb. He opened his massive jaws, flicked his tongue, and swallowed it whole.

"Roar!"

The moment he swallowed the orb, a blazing flame erupted from Xiao Yan's body. His frame slowly began to swell, and pained roars shook the enormous cavern, making it tremble.

Watching Xiao Yan rapidly expand, Lin Changqiang and Lin Dong both instinctively took half a step back.

Fortunately, the swelling stopped just as quickly as it started. Xiao Yan's massive body gradually shrank back to its original size.

"Xiao Yan?" Seeing him return to normal, Lin Dong breathed a sigh of relief and called out cautiously.

"Roar!" Hearing Lin Dong's voice, Xiao Yan immediately lifted his head, dashed over, and rubbed his head—bigger than a basketball—against Lin Dong. Lin Changqiang smiled and patted Xiao Yan's head too, checking him over.

Xiao Yan's already fiery red fur had become even more vibrant, looking like a living flame. His claws were sharper too—no need to test them to know they were deadly.

Their gazes finally settled on Xiao Yan's rear. At the tip of his uniquely python-like tail, a small bulge had appeared, as if something was growing inside.

"He's fine. This place isn't safe to stay in. Let's head out." Seeing Xiao Yan was okay, Lin Dong felt the urge to retreat. But just as he was about to leave, Xiao Yan suddenly growled toward a certain spot.

Lin Dong was taken aback, but Lin Changqiang's face lit up as he used a Double Experience Card.

They both looked in the direction Xiao Yan was indicating. Behind the skeleton lay a stretch of volcanic rock, and atop that rock, a brilliant crimson flower bloomed—so beautiful it was almost demonic. Around the flower swirled a faint red mist...