Skeleton Forest

"Get out of the way!" Xiao Yan suddenly roared, his voice like a thunderclap. In an instant, lightning burst beneath his feet, thousands of electric snakes seeming to coil around him. He shot up from the Lizard Camel's back like an arrow loosed from a bow. The Heavy Xuan Ruler appeared in his grasp, its massive body roaring with wind and thunder as if bearing the might of heaven and earth, and came crashing down toward the enormous bone pincer.

Clang—!!!

The deafening crash rang out like metal striking metal, making their eardrums ache. The Heavy Xuan Ruler slammed into the bone pincer, sparks scattering in all directions like fireworks. Xiao Yan felt an irresistible force surge toward him like a raging tide, crashing into his body. The web between his thumb and forefinger split at once, blood streaming freely, and the Heavy Xuan Ruler nearly flew from his grip. The next instant, he was blasted away as if struck by a cannonball, tracing a miserable arc through the air.

At the same time, three bone-tail whips lashed toward them like three savage venomous snakes, murderous intent blazing. The air tore apart in their wake, releasing a piercing whistle.

"Condense!"

At this critical moment, Xiao Yi Xian's cool voice rang out like a streak of cold light across the night sky. Somehow, she had already appeared like a phantom in the path of Xiao Yan's flight. Her hands rapidly formed seals before her chest, each motion smooth and fluid. The Woe Poison Pill flared with light, like a dark purple sun radiating a mysterious and dangerous aura. Countless streams of concentrated gray-white poison mist poured out of the pill, like living tendrils, and instantly wove themselves into a gigantic poisonous net before her. The net gleamed with a chilling light, as if it could devour anything.

Sss, sss, sss—!!!

The three bone-tail whips crashed into the poisonous net with such force that it bowed inward violently, as though it might tear apart at any moment. Yet the net's power to corrode and dissolve was even more terrifying, like the hand of Death itself, destroying everything it touched. Where the bone whips met the net, a dense hiss of dissolution rang out. The hard bones turned gray and brittle as if eaten away by strong acid, their surfaces quickly riddled with tiny holes.

"Graaah!" The Bone Demon Scorpion King let out a pained, desperate shriek. It yanked back its bone tails as if fleeing some terrible calamity. But their tips had already been corroded into a pitted mess, and the sickly green soul fire dimmed, like a candle guttering in the wind, ready to go out at any moment.

"Now!" Xiao Yan twisted around forcibly in midair, his body as nimble as a snake whipping its tail. He suppressed the churning blood and qi inside him, and a blade-cold glint shot from his eyes, icy and resolute. Clasping the Heavy Xuan Ruler in both hands as if he held the power of heaven and earth, he poured the Dou Qi from his body into it like a flood bursting through a dam. In an instant, Bone Spirit Cold Flame surged over the ruler, a strange fire blooming in a land of utter cold and radiating a chilling aura.

"Flame Splitting Devouring Wave Ruler! Freeze!" Xiao Yan bellowed, his voice like thunder.

Boom!

A massive ruler-shaped shadow, condensed from freezing cold, descended like a frost blade from the heavens. Carrying a chill that could freeze the soul, it cleaved through the scorching air and crashed down toward the Bone Demon Scorpion King's exposed core—the soul fire burning in its head, laid bare by its injuries. Everywhere the shadow passed, the air froze into sparkling ice crystals that drifted down.

The Bone Demon Scorpion King sensed the mortal threat. Its sickly green soul fire thrashed wildly like a candle flame wavering in the wind, and it tried to raise its bone pincer to block the blow. But its tail, corroded by Xiao Yi Xian's poisonous net, throbbed with unbearable pain like a sharp thorn driven deep into its nerves, disrupting its movement and making it just a fraction too slow.

Crack—!!!

The pale ruler-shadow struck the Bone Demon Scorpion King's enormous skull like an unstoppable divine weapon. Bone Spirit Cold Flame erupted in an instant, sweeping across the battlefield like an icy blizzard.

Sss, sss, sss—!

A series of piercing freezing sounds rang out, like whispers from Death. The sickly green soul fire was like a flame plunged into an icy sea; it froze and went out in an instant, stripped of its former ferocity and savagery. Thick, bone-white frost spread visibly across the enormous skull, crystalline and clear yet radiating endless cold. It raced over the whole massive skeleton, encasing the Bone Demon Scorpion King in ice until it stood like a frozen statue in the desert.

In just a few short breaths, the tide had turned!

The Bone Demon Scorpion King, which moments ago had been fearsome and invincible, had now become a gigantic frozen skeleton. Thick frost blanketed the ice sculpture, making it all the more eerie against the blazing desert. It remained frozen in a savage lunging pose, as if time had stopped forever in that instant. All its former vitality was gone, leaving behind a cold monument to death.

Xiao Yan landed heavily, his feet sinking into the sand. Leaning on the Heavy Xuan Ruler, he panted in great gasps, his face pale as paper. That strike had consumed nearly half his Dou Qi. Now his whole body felt weak and limp, as if every last ounce of strength had been drained from him. Xiao Yi Xian drifted down beside him like a light purple cloud. Her violet eyes, deep as a lake, swept across the enormous ice sculpture. She extended a fingertip, sending out a wisp of poison mist. Like a nimble little snake, it darted into the sculpture and completely snuffed out the faint soul fire that remained within, leaving not a trace.

"Nice teamwork." Xiao Yi Xian looked at Xiao Yan, a rare, faint smile appearing on her usually cool face, like the first ray of sunshine on a spring day—warm and precious.

Xiao Yan scratched his head. The girl's violet eyes were so close, and they seemed to conceal endless mystery and allure, making his heart inexplicably beat faster. "I have you to thank," he said sincerely, a note of gratitude in his voice.

They rested briefly, each taking a pill to restore their Dou Qi. The pills dissolved as soon as they entered their mouths, turning into a warm current that soothed their exhausted bodies. Xiao Yan gazed at the terrifying forest of bones stretching endlessly before them. Skeletons lay piled like mountains, seemingly the remains of ancient beasts, radiating an unsettling aura. Farther in, the space grew darker and more warped, like a vast black hole poised to swallow everything. His brow furrowed, worry rising in his heart.

"According to the pull, we should see the 'Ancient River of Buried Gods' after we cross this forest," Xiao Yan said, pointing to the ring on his left hand, which was growing slightly warm. It seemed to be a guiding light for him. "But the depths of the forest... feel even more dangerous. It's as if countless unknown demons are lurking there."

"It's all right." Xiao Yi Xian gazed into the depths of the forest, her violet eyes steady and composed. The Poison Pill inside her stirred faintly, as if sensing a source of even more "delicious" poison—a power it yearned to devour. "The thicker the poison miasma, the better for me. Let's go," she said softly, her voice full of confidence.

The two Lizard Camels set off once more, carrying them cautiously into this Skeleton Forest, piled high with the remains of ancient death. Huge shadows fell over them, as though they were walking through the belly of a giant beast. Every step landed upon the bones of history and the dangers of the unknown, as if they were crossing through time to speak with the spirits of the ancient dead.

Xiao Zhan sat quietly in meditation beside the Dragon Qi Vortex swirling at the heart of the tower foundation, his eyes closed, still as an ancient mountain. The mighty, pure Earth Vein Dragon Qi flowed up from beneath the earth like a gentle, nimble river, pouring endlessly into his body. It softly nourished the ragged wound on his left shoulder, like spring sunshine melting winter ice and easing the pain. It also formed a sturdy barrier, firmly suppressing the Nirvana Extinction Residual Poison lurking between his brows and giving it no chance to run rampant. At the same time, it acted like a powerful driving force, accelerating the circulation of the Dragon Phoenix Tyrant Body Art through his body, its power surging without end like a mighty river. The tower foundation had begun to take shape, like a boulder dropped into a still lake, stirring the dragon vein deep beneath the oasis. The benefits it brought far exceeded his initial expectations.

Yet in the midst of this peaceful cultivation, a sudden change struck!

Buzz—!!!

A shrill, piercing hum rang out, like an alarm from hell. The Green Lotus Core Flame mark he had left on Xiao Yi Xian, along with the normally faint connection through the Mother-Child Heart-Linked Soul Jade, both pulsed with a violent fluctuation. Like a raging storm, the disturbance brimmed with destruction and chaos, as if it would tear everything around it to pieces. Its direction pointed straight toward the mysterious and perilous depths of the Desert of Buried Immortals!

"Yan'er! Xiao Yi Xian!" Xiao Zhan's eyes snapped open, and two sharp golden beams shot out like lightning, as if to pierce the void before him. A powerful unease seized his heart like a rising tide, bringing his breath to a halt. What had happened? What could have triggered such a terrifying disturbance? Could they have encountered an unprecedented, peerless crisis?!

He sprang upright like a pine tree, his gaze as keen as lightning as he peered through layer upon layer of space and fixed his attention on the northwest, as if he could see through every obstacle and make out what was happening there. His hand, hidden in his sleeve, slowly clenched into a fist. His knuckles whitened with the force of his grip, revealing his tension and worry.

The journey into the Desert of Buried Immortals was fraught with danger at every turn, like walking along the edge of a blade. Yan'er, Xiao Yi Xian... You have to... hold on! Xiao Zhan prayed silently, his eyes brimming with resolve, as if he were already prepared to face any challenge.