Qi Ling once again destroyed a large section of the mountaintop above the cave, successfully sealing off the exit and temporarily blocking the Skeleton King behind it, allowing Qi Ling and the others to escape.
The group then followed the passage and found a place to rest temporarily. In their panic, they didn't even notice that Jinri En, who had just been their enemy, was with them as they continued forward.
After everyone sat down to rest, Bei Na finally realized, "Oh wait! How did you two get here too? Aren't you enemies?"
"This..." Dongfang Ye felt extremely embarrassed. After all, they really had nowhere else to escape to. Under those circumstances, they could only follow Qi Ling and flee here.
Cao Yang, however, was far more shameless, saying directly, "This place isn't yours to run. Anyone can go here. Do I need your permission to go wherever I want?"
"Damn it, you're injured and still so arrogant! You're such a stubborn mule!" Bei Na said angrily. "Hmph! I might as well just kill you now! That way I won't be so angry!"
Cao Yang snorted coldly. Although he appeared disdainful, he knew he was at a disadvantage, so he didn't say anything more and instead tended to his injuries in preparation for any eventuality.
Qi Ling then laughed and said, "Alright, since we're all in the same boat now, why not put aside our differences and cooperate for the time being? At least I know that if we keep making trouble like this and get interfered with by others, we definitely won't be able to deal with this Skeleton King."
Dongfang Ye and Cao Yang understood this principle, so Dongfang Ye said, "Then tell me, how should we cooperate?"
"It's very simple. First, we need to reach a consensus: since we're going to cooperate, no matter what grudges we have against each other, we must not attack each other before the cooperation ends. Can you two do that?" Qi Ling asked.
Cao Yang and Dongfang Ye exchanged a glance, then both nodded. This was the basis for cooperation, so there was no reason for them to refuse.
"Then things become much simpler. Our first task is simply to deal with this Skeleton King," Qi Ling said.
"The reason we suffered a loss just now was not only because the event was rushed and we were unprepared for the Skeleton King's strength, but also because we were distracted and failed to unite against it. If we had concentrated our strength, we could have defeated it."
Dongfang Ye nodded in agreement upon hearing Qi Ling's words, while Cao Yang sneered and said, "Hmph! Qi Ling, don't make it sound so good. Even if we can defeat the Skeleton King using your method, there's still one crucial issue you haven't mentioned!"
"After we take down the Skeleton King, the Demonic Weapon will appear. How should we divide them up? Wouldn't the two of us just be doing all the work for you? Do you think I'd do something like that?"
Qi Ling then smiled and said, "That's a good question, I was just about to say that. I'm sure you all know that divine weapons have spirits, and you can't just use them once you obtain them. To unleash their power, the Demonic Weapon needs to approve of them."
"Therefore, I can promise you both that after obtaining the Demonic Weapon, you can try it first. If you can gain the Demonic Weapon's approval and take it away, I guarantee I will absolutely not steal it!"
Cao Yang frowned upon hearing Qi Ling's words. Qi Ling was practically giving up the Demonic Weapon; would he really be so kind?
"Is what you said true?" Cao Yang couldn't help but ask.
"Of course it's true, Cao Yang. You should have heard about my reputation from Qian Xunji. You can't compare to my credibility!" Qi Ling laughed. "I won't interfere until you're satisfied. But if you can't obtain the Demonic Weapon weapon, please give it to me to try."
Cao Yang nodded in agreement. If he couldn't gain recognition, then this thing would be useless. However, how could the proud and arrogant Cao Yang think that he couldn't gain recognition?
"Okay, I agree. I hope you'll keep your promise!" Cao Yang said.
Seeing that Cao Yang had agreed, and knowing that his brain wasn't quite up to par at this moment, Dongfang Ye also said, "Okay! I agree too, let's do it your way!"
Cao Yang probably thought that Qi Ling was arrogant and thought herself superior, which was why she agreed to let the two of them try first. But little did he know that Qi Ling had already received information from the Blood Devil that this Demonic Weapon could only be unsealed with one's own blood.
This means that no matter how hard the two try, they will ultimately only benefit themselves. Leaving aside whether the Demonic Weapon can be used, if they can't even unseal it, then there's nothing more to discuss.
Of course, if the Blood Devil news turns out to be inaccurate and Cao Yang and Dongfang Ye manage to easily unseal the Demon God Fangtian Halberd, then Qi Ling feels that she might as well not have such an unreliable thing.
After reaching a preliminary agreement, the group rested while discussing how to deal with the Skeleton King. The Skeleton King was difficult to deal with not only because of its own powerful strength, but also because of the minions it summoned, which was a headache for everyone.
"That's easy. Now that we know its abilities, we just need to send people to deal with these things," Cao Yang said. "I estimate we only need to spare two people..."
"No, two people aren't enough, so my idea is..." Qi Ling said, "The four of you go and deal with the minions summoned by the Skeleton King. I'll handle the Skeleton King."
The four were taken aback by Qi Ling's words. Bei Na hurriedly asked, "Ah? Qi Ling, can you handle that terrifying creature? Weren't you just badly beaten by it?"
Qi Ling laughed and said, "Don't worry, if we don't get distracted, I'm confident I can handle it. On the contrary, you guys shouldn't be too careless."
"I can sense that not all of the Skeleton King's subordinates are easy to deal with; some may even be more powerful than we imagine, like that Bone Dragon."
Upon recalling that Bone Dragon, everyone fell silent. The Bone Dragon's strength was indeed astonishing, even surpassing that of living Dragon Clan. After all, a being that had died once would not fear death.
If the Skeleton King can summon even more of these beings, then it will indeed be a problem, and the task for the group will not be as easy as they imagined.
However, Jian Lan still said, "But Qi Ling, the Skeleton King's strength is too much for you to handle alone, isn't it? Let me go with you."
"My abilities should still be useful against the Skeleton King, and can also help us guard against any unexpected attacks it might employ."
Qi Ling thought for a moment and said, "That's fine, but can the rest of you hold off the skeleton army?"
"Huh? Qi Ling, are you underestimating me?" Cao Yang said at this moment, "You can even deal with the Skeleton King, do you think we're inferior to his underlings?"
Bei Na said firmly, "Don't worry, Qi Ling, I'll definitely be fine! They're just a bunch of skeletons, I'll just treat them like chicken bones that can run away!"
Qi Ling was relieved, and the battle plan was decided. Qi Ling and Jian Lan formed the assault team to deal with the Skeleton King himself, while Bei Na, Cao Yang, and Dongfang Ye formed the cover team to hold off the other beings summoned by the Skeleton King.
After a good rest, everyone set off. However, the path that Qi Ling and the others had taken earlier had been destroyed by Qi Ling, so they needed to find another way to enter the Skull Hall again.
Fortunately, Cao Yang and Dongfang Ye remembered the way they entered the Skull Hall, and since they descended from the sky, this method of entry made it easier for everyone to implement their battle plan.
Following the path Cao Yang and Dongfang Ye had taken, the group continued onward. Along the way, they saw many monsters lying by the roadside and numerous skeletons scattered on the ground, clearly indicating that the two had also fought their way in.
Even as they approached the Skull Hall, Qi Ling spotted a lizard as tall as a three-story building, with a large hole pierced through its body and the wound still burning. He couldn't help but take a second look.
"That was done by this kid," Cao Yang said at this moment. "This guy's Martial Soul has very strong attack power."
Cao Yang was naturally referring to Dongfang Ye. For Cao Yang to praise him so highly, it seems that Dongfang Ye's Martial Soul truly has something unique about it.
The group then arrived at the entrance where Cao Yang and Dongfang Ye had entered. It was directly above the Skull Hall, a large hole that had been forcibly dug out, from which they could clearly see the situation inside the Skull Hall.
The towering Skeleton King still sat on his throne, but that throne was clearly no longer the same one. Qi Ling even suspected that the throne, which was entirely composed of skeletons, was made up of skeleton soldiers.
As for the other skeletons, they were scattered all over the ground, not resembling human figures at all, just like a pile of broken bones. But Qi Ling knew that as long as the Skeleton King gave the order, these broken bones would immediately transform into undead soldiers.
" Qi Ling, are you absolutely certain you can handle this guy?" Cao Yang asked at the last moment. "They're all Undying Body. Even if they're shattered to pieces, they can probably regenerate instantly. Ordinary methods simply won't work."
Qi Ling then laughed and said, "Don't worry, others may not be able to, but I definitely can! You just need to hold off the other skeletons, and I'll take care of the rest."
Although the two were mortal enemies, Cao Yang still had to admit that when Qi Ling was his teammate, he felt incredibly reliable, as if he had a way to solve anything that happened.
This also explains why being his enemy can be so despairing; an opponent who is always confident and prepared is simply a nightmare.
"Alright everyone, are you all ready?" Qi Ling said with a smile, "The exorcism ceremony is about to begin!"