A Bird Startled by the Bow
Looking at the Dragon Bone so close at hand, Bi Fan respectfully stepped back and knelt to pay it deep homage—the highest tribute to one who had died for the greater good.
The phantom of Xuan Chen behind him made the same gesture. Only after the two had silently completed their bows did they rise to their feet.
Bi Fan asked quietly, "Xuan Chen, this senior's remains lie here. Were they deliberately buried in this place, or were they left behind because of the fighting?"
Xuan Chen replied, "The latter. When members of the Dragon Race die, whether naturally or otherwise, their bodies are generally gathered and placed in the Dragon Burial Mound, barring special circumstances."
Bi Fan nodded. "Then this senior must have been left here out of necessity."
"Yes. He probably fell in battle, with no time to move him to the Dragon Burial Mound, so they temporarily hid him here. Perhaps they never imagined he would remain here for so many years." Xuan Chen's voice carried a trace of melancholy.
Bi Fan said nothing. He simply crouched down and began carefully excavating the Dragon Bone, buried deep beneath the earth, using his spiritual energy.
As a phantom, Xuan Chen couldn't actually help. He could only watch while Bi Fan worked alone. After nearly an hour, Bi Fan finally dug the entire Dragon Bone out of its earthen grave.
The Dragon Bone was far larger than Bi Fan had imagined. The skeleton alone stretched nearly a hundred meters. Unfortunately, the passage of time had broken or loosened most of the bones, and they had crumbled into the soil.
The skull had become detached from the neck. Fortunately, the longest vertebra remained intact. Its towering, dignified shape was enough to make anyone who