Golden Bone

"Holy crap!" Li Zhen, who had been keeping a close eye on Zhang Tao, let out a direct curse. What had he just seen? Golden Bone? That's freaking unscientific! Zhang Tao, this deadbeat rascal, how on earth did he forge a Golden Bone at Rank 6?

One had to know, it wasn't unheard of for Rank 5 or Rank 6 martial artists to forge a semi-Golden Body; many young masters in Zhenxing City would do exactly that. However, the consumption was immense. When Li Zhen learned back then that it required Life Essence, he chose not to do it—after all, he, Li Zhen, wasn't one of those pampered young masters. But Zhang Tao... when did he forge a Golden Bone?

Zhang Tao also looked at his own Golden Bone and grinned. He said he didn't know, and whether everyone believed him or not, he truly didn't have a clue. He had originally thought the Kongtong Seal had only healed him at the time; he never imagined it would have forged a Golden Bone for him as well. It was simply incredible.

Li Tingxiu, trailing behind, fell silent. Were martial artists from the outside world this wild? He had only just reached Rank 6, and he already had a Golden Bone? Looking at the quality of that Golden Bone, it didn't seem any worse than his own. Damn it, he even wanted to roar that it was unscientific.

"Golden Body!" Another Rank 6 high-stage Catacomb Inhabitant was so terrified that his soul nearly left his body. Ignoring whether he could land a finishing blow on Zhang Tao, he turned and fled in a panic.

But at this moment, Zhang Tao sneered and threw his long saber. Infused with powerful blood-qi, the blade pierced straight through the man's skull. What a fool, daring to expose his back to him—wasn't that just asking for death?

By now, Li Zhen had also finished off his own opponent. For a guy like Zhang Tao, who had only just entered Rank 6, to be able to kill three Rank 6 mid-stage and two Rank 6 high-stage experts, even Li Zhen had to concede. Such combat power—he, Li Zhen, truly didn't possess it.

Zhang Tao recovered slightly before pulling out his long saber and rushing to the side to assist his companions. Soon, these Catacomb Inhabitants were wiped out. Zhang Tao said, "Hurry up and dig a pit; bury them first. We still need to keep moving!"

With everything arranged, Zhang Tao sat down on the ground. The wound on his chest was already healing slowly, no longer the bloody mess it had been just moments ago.

"You brat, how did you get that Golden Bone?" Li Zhen leaned in and asked in a low voice. After all, Zhang Tao was a pauper; if he could do it, maybe he, Li Zhen, could too.

Zhang Tao chuckled. Knowing exactly what Li Zhen was thinking, he said, "I sought death to find life, and it just came naturally!"

Li Zhen gave Zhang Tao a suspicious look. There was no helping it; this deadbeat rascal never let a single honest word slip out of his mouth, but aside from that explanation, there didn't seem to be any other.

"Let's go. If we're late, who knows if we'll even get a sip of soup!" Zhang Tao stood up, stretched his body, and dashed forward. The others quickly followed. This time, they didn't run into any large groups.

They encountered a few scattered Catacomb martial artists, who were promptly swarmed and beaten to death.

When they arrived at the small mountain range, Zhang Tao looked at the tunnel he had dug. He pondered for a moment before saying to Li Tingxiu, "There are at least forty or fifty people over there. I'm not sure if there are any high-rankers, though. Senior, why don't you go take a look?"

Li Tingxiu nodded. Wasn't that the very reason he had come?

He immediately flew off. Zhang Tao and the others lay in wait, anticipating Li Tingxiu's signal.

Before long, a battle broke out over there. Zhang Tao immediately leaped up and roared, "Kill!"

They had agreed beforehand: if Li Tingxiu started a fight, it meant it was safe to engage. If Li Tingxiu simply ran away, it meant there was a powerhouse present, and they should forget about the mineral vein.

Just like that, led by Zhang Tao and Li Zhen, everyone charged forward rapidly. Another battle erupted. When Zhang Tao and the others arrived, they found Li Tingxiu locked in combat with a Rank 7 Catacomb expert. For a moment, it was hard to tell who was winning. However, Zhang Tao took a look at the Catacomb martial artists; although they were numerous, most were only Rank 5. It was no wonder Li Tingxiu had initiated the fight.

"Kill!" Zhang Tao roared, taking the lead as he charged toward a Rank 6 high-stage expert. Li Zhen didn't lag behind; his Void-Breaking Sword Art struck first despite being launched later, already closing in on another Rank 6 high-stage expert.

The others followed closely behind the two, charging out. Once they finished off this group, they could taste the fruits of victory.

For a time, despite the Catacomb Inhabitants' numerical advantage, the humans who had come this time were all elites. Every one of them was a veteran of countless battles, striking without a hint of hesitation. Some even resorted to mutual destruction tactics just to end the fight as quickly as possible.

Zhang Tao was the most prominent among them. He was even using the Blood Blade Art. He had already used this technique—which harmed the user before the enemy—several times. This was Zhang Tao testing the Kongtong Seal within his body. The facts proved that although he didn't have a system, the Kongtong Seal was truly powerful. He didn't know what the Kongtong Seal consumed, but regardless, Zhang Tao recovered very quickly.

"You damn freak, something is definitely not right!" Li Zhen roared.

He had already seen Zhang Tao use the Blood Blade Art several times. He knew that technique too, but after Zhang Tao used it, he didn't even need to take pills before he was back to being full of vigor. Damn it, even consuming Life Essence shouldn't be that fast.

Zhang Tao ignored Li Zhen. Why was he yelling? If it wasn't right, then it was working perfectly.

"%&***%¥..." a Catacomb Inhabitant shouted, spewing a string of bird-like language. Zhang Tao knew some of the Catacomb Language and roughly understood what it meant, so he roared, "Don't let a single one of them escape!"

Indeed, the Catacomb Inhabitant just now had been ordering someone to go report the news. How could Zhang Tao let them have their way?

In an instant, Zhang Tao's side fought even more frantically. Several people were severely injured, yet they continued to fight with everything they had.

Zhang Tao rushed over immediately, beginning to assist those few. With Zhang Tao's intervention, the pressure on them eased, giving them a moment to swallow a few pills.

High above, Li Tingxiu finished his fight and flew over. With a single sweep of his sword, he easily killed a dozen Rank 6s. With Li Tingxiu's participation, these people were being cut down like wheat.

Zhang Tao and the others didn't even bother to recover; they rushed into the mineral vein. The Catacomb people had already dug out quite a bit, and it was all neatly piled up, which now conveniently belonged to Zhang Tao and his group.

"Quick!" Zhang Tao shouted.

After all, a Rank 7 battle was very likely to attract the attention of high-rank powerhouses. They didn't have much time left.

Just like that, everyone took out their bags and began stuffing them, prioritizing the high-quality materials; there was no time to worry about the low-quality ones.

"Go!" Li Tingxiu roared at that moment. He could already sense a powerhouse approaching. Zhang Tao didn't say a word and commanded, "Go this way!"

Everyone followed him, fleeing at high speed through the tunnel he had dug earlier. Right now, it was a race against time. As long as they ran fast enough, they would be safe and sound.