Bone Shears

"Enemy attack, prepare for battle!" A sharp, piercing whistle rang out, throwing the mountain stronghold into chaos as all the vicious bandits scrambled to their feet.

Shi Lin was fearless, charging straight into the fray. He fought the bandits with his bare hands, exerting little effort to break the bones and shatter the tendons of over twenty men, rendering them completely incapacitated.

"Truly astonishing, it's just a child!" A leader appeared, his eyes gleaming with strange light as he stared unblinkingly at Shi Lin.

Shi Lin strode forward as if walking through an empty land, continuing his assault. Seeing this, the man charged at high speed, his body erupting with precious light before layer upon layer of armor manifested to shroud him.

"Hmm, crocodile armor? No, it's armor made from the scales of a Pangolin." The man resembled a massive crocodile, his scales gleaming and ferocious as he lunged forward to kill.

"Boom!"

Shi Lin struck with a single palm, sending the others flying with broken bones. Only this man, though sent tumbling by the immense force, managed to flip over and scramble back to his feet.

"Well fought!" the man roared, raising his palms to meet the attack. Precious runes flickered, his hands glowing like the claws of a beast.

"A petty precious artifact, heh!"

"Bang!"

Shi Lin stood unmoved, while the man's arm spasmed and twisted out of shape. Despite the quality of the armor, it could not protect him entirely, and his arm bone snapped.

"You..." He could hardly believe it. The enemy before him was so young yet possessed such terrifying strength, far beyond imagination. How could an ordinary child at this age reach such a realm?

"Again!" Shi Lin stepped forward, attacking once more. He wanted to test if the scales were truly a precious artifact and if they served any real purpose.

"Boom!"

This time, the bandit leader was sent flying horizontally. His other arm snapped, his chest collapsed, and large patches of scales fell away, unable to withstand Shi Lin's immense power.

"Why even bother bringing out such trashy artifacts?" Shi Lin shook his head.

The other bandits were stunned. This was a leader, an incredibly powerful man, yet he had lasted only a few moves against this child, now lying on the ground like a pile of mud, unable to rise.

"Useless trash! Can a whole group of you not even stop a child?" Just then, a middle-aged man's voice rang out, resonant and booming like a vibrating golden bell.

Shi Lin stopped. He knew he had encountered a true expert; ahead, there was an intense fluctuation of runes, like a fierce beast waking from its slumber.

The man had thick black hair and eyes with mostly white sclera, his pupils a pale gold. His aura was overwhelming; with every step he took, the mountain ground trembled as if a behemoth were approaching.

This was the true Great Leader of the bandit group, commanding over a hundred experts. He possessed profound methods and was accompanied by a powerful Sacrificial Spirit; he was no ordinary man.

"Swoosh!"

A flash of fire ignited, and in an instant, it spread to cover the sky, transforming into a sea of flames that engulfed Shi Lin.

The middle-aged man had struck suddenly without a word. It was the Firelight Art, but its power was incomparable to what the others had used.

With a sizzling sound, a nearby stream was evaporated, and the surrounding rocks instantly turned into magma. The area became like an active volcanic crater, bubbling and surging with unbearable heat.

Shi Lin was startled. This was a true master, exceeding his expectations. He had thought only the Sacrificial Spirit would be terrifying, but he hadn't expected the Great Leader to be this extraordinary.

"Hum!"

He brought his hands together, and a Golden Moon rose, spinning rapidly to absorb the flames before expanding. The golden disc covered the area—this was the Purple Emperor Immortal Eagle Art.

The middle-aged man was shocked to see Wang Quan neutralize his Firelight Art.

At that moment, the middle-aged man's entire body glowed, and he roared, "Sacrificial Spirit, grant me power!"

With a thunderous boom, his body seemed to ignite, transforming into a humanoid Pangolin. Radiance blazed as he stood upright, swaying and lashing out with his most powerful attack.

"Swish!"

He swung violently, and a giant claw of light tore through the air toward Shi Lin, accompanied by the roaring of Dao sounds and a sky full of divine patterns.

Shi Lin stood with a solemn, dignified expression. With a soft shout, he unleashed his art. A massive Golden Moon appeared behind him, a full ten feet in diameter, illuminating the area in a brilliant, radiant halo that protected him at its center.

Golden brilliance surged from the moon disc, clashing against the giant claw. The impact exploded in the sky, turning into a shower of brilliant light.

The scene was breathtaking and beautiful. With the golden divine moon behind him, Shi Lin was shrouded in a hazy, holy radiance, looking like a young god.

Opposite him, the humanoid Pangolin roared, "Last time, it was you!"

"Indeed! I just broke through and wanted to find someone to spar with." Shi Lin did not deny it. Five Heavenly Caves appeared in the void, surging with "magma"—the essence of the divine—pouring into his body.

"What?" The powerful middle-aged man was shocked. A small child had opened five Heavenly Caves immediately upon breaking through; it was unheard of, like a fairy tale, and terrifyingly monstrous.

"To think such a peerless genius would appear in this wild land!" The middle-aged man roared. Transformed into the humanoid Pangolin, his body burned with light as he looked terrifyingly fierce. "I really should have slaughtered that village sooner."

Shi Lin's eyes were bright, the golden moon behind him glowing and shedding layers of holy light that submerged and shrouded him, making him appear even more like a deity.

The Golden Moon behind Shi Lin suddenly trembled. A bird's cry rang out, and a massive Primordial Immortal Bird emerged, rapidly expanding until it filled the sky, covering the entire mountain.

"Pfft!"

The Primordial Immortal Bird swept across the sky, its claw descending to shatter the middle-aged man's endless runes. It tore off his arm along with his shoulder, nearly cleaving him in two. Blood sprayed and splattered across the mountain ground.

"Ah..."

The middle-aged man reverted to his human form, the light on his body vanishing as he collapsed into a pool of blood. He was filled with deep unwillingness, his eyes dimming as the fierce light faded. He muttered to himself, "I have cultivated for half a lifetime, only breaking into the Heavenly Cave realm at thirty. Now, at over fifty, I have yet to break through to a higher level, and you—a mere child—are already at the same height as me."

He was filled with resentment and complex emotions, feeling utterly shocked and unwilling to accept such an incredible child as Shi Lin.

The group of bandits was dumbfounded. Their Great Leader, whom they usually revered as a god, had been defeated, his arm severed by a teenager in a display of overwhelming strength. It was both shocking and bone-chilling.

"Boom," "Boom"...

The mountain ground shook. A pale-gold behemoth appeared, looking like a brilliant golden mountain in the night, turning the entire landscape into gold.

The Sacrificial Spirit appeared, its eyes incomparably cold, glowing like two golden lanterns. It radiated a terrifying brilliance as it stared at Wang Quan, its killing intent staggering.

Shi Lin was calm, showing no fear. He muttered to himself, "A Sacrificial Spirit, mysterious and powerful, filled with many secrets. I have never killed one before."

It was a Pangolin, its entire body a pale gold. It was shockingly massive, reaching several dozen meters in length. As it coiled there, its pair of golden eyes remained icy, heavy with Sha Qi. A Sacrificial Spirit of such size made one's skin crawl and spine chill just by looking at it. What kind of immense power lay within that mountain-like golden body?

Shi Lin's expression was composed, neither joyful nor worried, as he watched quietly.

The Pangolin seemed to have slaughtered millions of living beings; a fierce, bloody aura rushed toward him. In an instant, visions of mountains of corpses and seas of blood emerged, eerie and terrifying.

"Come!"

Shi Lin focused his mind, bracing against this mental assault.

These scenes were so vivid: tribe after tribe destroyed, everyone slaughtered, corpses strewn across the fields, blood-filled puddles everywhere, the earth stained a deep crimson.

It was like hell itself; an ordinary person would have collapsed to the ground immediately.

Shi Lin's expression grew grave. This Sacrificial Spirit was definitely not simple, or perhaps it possessed something extraordinary that recorded those scenes. Its origins seemed shockingly grand, and the aura it emitted was heart-stopping!

The massive Pangolin moved, and the entire mountain range trembled. Its dozens-of-meters-long body flowed with blinding radiance, the golden light dyeing the rocks, trees, and fallen leaves a pale gold.

The mountain terrain became hazy, filled with a powerful murderous intent.

"Boom."

Suddenly, the Pangolin moved. It surged forward like a vast golden ocean, kicking up a massive wave that roared with overwhelming force. In that instant, ancient trees snapped under the golden tide and were sent flying, as were the rocks, which shot into the sky.

The scene was astonishing, like crashing waves against a shore; giant trees and boulders shattered and flew into the high air, exploding under the golden energy.

In the distance, a group of bandits trembled. Seeing this display of power akin to divine wrath, their ferocity vanished, leaving them shivering.

A giant golden claw reached out, several zhang long, and swiped at Shi Lin. It shattered rocks and pulverized trees, its brilliance dazzling and its momentum terrifying.

"Bang!"

His hands, covered in dense runes, collided with the massive golden claw. In an instant, a sky-filling light erupted, sweeping in all directions.

Trees snapped, rocks flew through the air, and the bandits in the distance were blown away like withered grass. The golden shockwave was vast and terrifying.

Finally, when the dust settled, Shi Lin remained in his original spot. His divine strength was world-shaking; he had met such a massive golden Pangolin head-on without falling into a disadvantage.

And this was without him even using the Indestructible Scripture.

The golden Sacrificial Spirit's eyes revealed a strange light. It was no ordinary Sacrificial Spirit; it had a grand origin, inheriting the blood of an ancient Qiu Dragon, and its physical body was the most formidable.

"Boom!"

The Pangolin moved again, violently turning its body. A golden tail swept across like a scythe, unstoppable. It struck a hundred-thousand-jin boulder in its path, shattering it instantly.

It was too powerful and violent!

Shi Lin met it head-on, shattering the boulder with a single punch.

The wind from his fists was biting; it was the Qilin Fist.

"Just learned it, not bad!"

The giant golden tail swept across, crushing several more boulders weighing tens of thousands of jin before its momentum finally waned. The moment it slowed, Shi Lin moved. Following the momentum, he reached out, gripped the scales on its tail, held on tight, and began to swing it wildly.

"What?" In the distance, the bandits' eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. Such a massive Sacrificial Spirit was actually being shaken. Shi Lin held onto its tail, swung it up, and smashed it against the cliffside with a boom. Boulders fell, burying the area in a display of shocking force.

"Is he... a descendant of an ancient ferocious beast?"

"In the ancient era, the Yazi or Taotie could battle gods, but their descendants would be no more than this! In this wilderness, how could such a terrifying child appear in a tiny village?!" The leader of the bandits wore a look of terror.

"Bang!"

Numerous boulders weighing thousands or tens of thousands of jin flew up as the golden Pangolin crawled out. It wasn't injured in the slightest, completely unbothered; such attacks could hardly pierce its tough hide.

It was a Sacrificial Spirit, mysterious and powerful. How could it be easily defeated? It was still far from being seriously wounded.

"Physical strength capable of battling a Sacrificial Spirit with the bloodline of an ancient Qiu Dragon—this is like a myth. And he is still just a child." The leader felt he was going insane; what he saw before him was too unreal.

The large and small beings fought fiercely for hundreds of rounds, neither gaining the upper hand. The bandits were stunned. A mere child battling a Sacrificial Spirit? Who would believe it if they hadn't seen it with their own eyes!

"I'm done playing with you, time to send you home!"

Shi Lin shot up with a "whoosh," crossing the air rapidly. He spread his ten fingers wide, aiming at the Sacrificial Spirit, instantly throwing the surrounding energy into chaos.

With a "boom," mist radiated from his palms and fingers. A Suanni appeared, and the lightning of the nine heavens poured down. Ten thousand bolts of lightning struck the Pangolin simultaneously. It was too late to dodge; the ten thousand golden lightning bolts struck, blinding and destructive. They hit the Pangolin, causing its charred body to sway and large chunks of flesh to fall away, even exposing white bone. The lightning's power was astonishing, severely wounding the Sacrificial Spirit!

Thunder roared, and golden energy engulfed the area with unstoppable force. The small figure was wrapped in golden lightning, like a god of thunder descending to battle the Pangolin.

The Sacrificial Spirit's scales glowed, but many were still blown apart, leaving it covered in blood.

In the distance, the bandits felt their scalps tingle, shivering in fear. The supreme Sacrificial Spirit was actually losing; this was hard to accept and felt completely unreal.

"Die!"

A divine thought resonated. The golden Pangolin was enraged. Its head glowed, and it spat out a ball of light. It was so blinding that one could hardly open their eyes—eerie and terrifying, emitting sounds like the roars of dragons and cries of flood dragons.

The world turned cold. Most importantly, the tragic scenes from before reappeared: tribe after tribe destroyed, corpses strewn across the fields, the earth stained a deep crimson.

"What is this?!"

As it drew closer, Shi Lin finally saw what it was. It looked like the upper and lower jawbones of the Sacrificial Spirit—the strongest part of its body, for how else could it tunnel through mountains?

What was shocking was that these two golden bones were connected. The beam of light was so stunning it made the sun look dim. Moreover, it wasn't stabbing forward, but snapping shut like a pair of scissors, intending to cut him in half.

Shi Lin's hair stood on end as he sensed a threat of death; the fluctuations of this power were terrifying. He did not attempt to withstand it head-on, instead dodging at high speed and shifting sideways in an instant.

"Snap."

The golden Treasure Bone Shears streaked past, actually shearing through a stone mountain over a hundred meters tall in front of him, causing the upper half of the mountain to come crashing down with a thunderous roar.

The power was astonishing!

Shi Lin drew a sharp breath; this ritual object was simply too formidable.

Even though he had known the bone shears were powerful, he still felt a lingering fear.

Moreover, these golden bones gave off a terrifying aura, even more so than the Sacrificial Spirit itself. The scenes of numerous tribes being wiped out and the wilderness littered with corpses were exactly what this bone had projected.

"This is the Dragon-Jiao Bone Shears!"

The golden shears were composed of two golden bones, dazzling and brilliant. The gold was so rich it seemed impossible to dilute, far surpassing the Sacrificial Spirit's own bones, which were merely a pale gold.

The Pangolin let out a roar, runes filling the sky as the golden bone shears spun and struck again.

Vaguely, the sounds of dragons and jiaos echoed, a momentum so startling that whether it was boulders or trees, anything touched was severed in two without a shred of suspense. The golden bones glowed, revealing dragon patterns. Because the Pangolin possessed the blood of a Qiu Dragon, inherited from the primordial era, the original owner of the treasure bone must have been terrifying; such manifested dragon patterns indicated an astonishing imprint.

With a "boom," Shi Lin vanished from his spot. Naturally, he would not try to tank this; the ritual object was too fearsome.

Mist suddenly appeared throughout the mountain range, hazy and dim, quickly shrouding the primeval forest until, in the end, one could not even see their own fingers, leaving everything blurred.

He had unleashed the treasure technique of the Emperor Suanni. It contained not only lightning but also clouds and smoke—innate divine abilities of the Suanni that could conceal one's body while using thunder to strike the enemy.

The Sacrificial Spirit went mad. Within the thick mist, it repeatedly brandished the golden bone shears, slicing through the forest and shredding countless rocks and giant trees, causing several small hills to suffer and their upper halves to break off.

This was horrifying; the bone shears were too incredible. As long as they were brandished, even mountain peaks could be severed. It was truly a mysterious ritual object.

Shi Lin remained calm, hiding within the mist, constantly shifting his body and changing positions while waiting for an opportunity.

Clearly, the bone shears consumed a staggering amount of energy. Even as powerful as this golden Sacrificial Spirit was, it could not sustain the drain. After only a few uses, its body began to sway, and at one point, it nearly collapsed to the ground.

It was furious. It could clearly sense Shi Lin right in front of it and would brandish the shears, preparing for a killing blow, yet every time it missed.

The Sacrificial Spirit stopped, sensing carefully, with the bone shears hovering above its head, ready to be unleashed at any moment. The ritual object shed strands of divine radiance, its killing intent shaking the wilderness.

A figure flashed, appearing behind it. The Sacrificial Spirit's eyes were icy; without turning, the shears above its head flew straight out. With a "snap," it sheared a body in two. Blood sprayed, and a scream pierced the forest.

The Pangolin was enraged; it knew it had killed the wrong person—that was merely a fierce bandit the opponent had thrown over.

It quickly deployed its defenses, but it was too late. A terrifying beam of light shone over, piercing through the air like a divine spear and stabbing into its chest.

"Sizzle."

A smell of scorched flesh rose from the spot. The scales and flesh cracked and fell away instantly, exposing the bone.

Since the momentum of the battle had been seized, it naturally could not be missed. Shi Lin raised his hand, and with a "boom," another brilliant divine light shone out like a sharp sword, this time striking a weak point on the Sacrificial Spirit.

Earlier, when the Pangolin had attacked with its rain of light, the area where it lacked scales had been spotted by Shi Lin, who had used lightning to break several of its bones. Now, that same spot suffered a heavy blow again.

The thunder Shi Lin unleashed was dazzling and terrifying, as if a God of Thunder were striking!

Those few bones snapped off immediately, and the Sacrificial Spirit's internal organs were damaged. It let out an earth-shattering roar; it had never imagined that a human as small as an insect could be so ruthless. Once a chance was seized, he would amplify it infinitely, fighting like a madman.

It quickly turned the golden bone shears to attack this side, intending to destroy Shi Lin.

"I'm done playing with you!"

However, before he could even act, the Sacrificial Spirit itself let out a miserable shriek as a drastic change occurred. Its entire body cracked, golden runes flickered, and then, with a "bang," it actually split apart.

It had been too ambitious, constantly refining and nourishing the bone shears in hopes of revitalizing them and defying the heavens. Naturally, it had failed, damaging its own foundation, which then erupted completely after the intense battle.

"Puff."

The Sacrificial Spirit was torn to pieces, dying on the spot. With a flash of golden light, the bone shears fell from the air onto the mountain ground.

His eyes glowed, his heart burning with intense heat. Ignoring his own severe injuries, he rushed over quickly. On the mountain ground, the golden bone shears flowed with a hazy, precious radiance. Mysterious and powerful, lying among the rubble, they released a heart-palpitating power.

"Truly a terrifying ritual object!" Shi Lin rejoiced, picking up the bone shears and examining them, turning them over and over in his hands.

Once shrunk, they were only the size of a palm, golden throughout and dazzling to the eye. Needless to say, this was certainly a rare treasure of the world, its value impossible to measure.