Chương 173: Chapter 62: The Colossal Skeleton and the Yunluo Cemetery

A streak of orange light flashed through the gloom as the Shura Secret Bone instantly retreated to Reyn's side. It let out a series of low, guttural roars, its hollow sockets fixed on the depths of the hall. Yet, the mysterious entity within the White Bone Palace had seemingly vanished into the void. No matter how the skeletal summon provoked it, the hidden presence offered no further response, as if it had never existed at all.

"The power radiating from that palace is terrifying—it is easily on par with a Nascent Soul cultivator," Reyn muttered, his expression shifting rapidly.

"Though I do not know why he cannot strike in person, I cannot afford to linger. If I stay, I fear I will never leave this place alive." With a sharp wave of his hand, Reyn silenced the Shura Secret Bone's agitated growling. His gaze swept across the desolate surroundings, searching for an exit, when his eyes suddenly locked onto the motionless skeleton that had previously blocked his path. To his shock, the remains began to tremble.

Under Reyn's intense scrutiny, the skeleton erupted in a sudden, brilliant burst of azure light. As the radiance dissipated, the bones were gone, replaced by a single Azure Jade Plate lying quietly upon the cold ground.

"What is this?" A flicker of suspicion and surprise crossed Reyn's eyes. He gestured, drawing the plate into his palm with a thread of spiritual energy, his mind racing with hesitation. But at that very moment, a heaven-shaking roar thundered from the deepest sanctum of the White Bone Palace. Following the sound, a colossal wave of Divine Sense pressure erupted like a volcanic explosion, sweeping across the landscape with the force of a tidal wave.

"Not good!" Reyn's face paled instantly. He turned his head toward the palace, his pupils contracting into pinpricks of pure dread.

"Regardless of where this Azure Jade Plate flings me, I must gamble my life on it. Staying here is a death sentence!" His resolve hardened into steel. With a sharp mental command, the Shura Secret Bone let out a final, low howl, and the hundred blood-red skeletons immediately swarmed behind it. Reyn opened his storage bag, sweeping them all inside in a single breath, while simultaneously flooding the Azure Jade Plate with every drop of his remaining spiritual essence. Hum!

Triggered by the massive influx of power, the jade plate erupted in a blinding azure glow. Within the light, the phantom image of a teleportation array materialized instantly. In the final fraction of a second before the world dissolved, Reyn caught a terrifying glimpse of a figure looming at the palace gates—a silhouette at least a hundred zhang tall, flickering like a nightmare made flesh. Roar! Roar! Roar!

The teleportation array vanished into a pinprick of light just as a gargantuan skeletal palm whistled through the air. It slammed into the earth where Reyn had stood a heartbeat before, leaving behind a massive crater ten zhang wide and several zhang deep, the ground groaning under the impact. From the mouth of the White Bone Palace, a titan emerged. It was a skeleton standing over two hundred zhang tall, its every step causing the very foundations of the earth to shudder.

Its bones were not white, but a brilliant, polished gold, and two swirling vortexes of soul-fire danced within its eye sockets, radiating a cold, pitiless malice. Most horrifyingly, two massive, pitch-black chains—each as thick as a man's torso—pierced through its shoulder blades. The chains stretched back into the lightless depths of the hall, their origin unknown. At the points where the metal met bone, droplets of fresh, crimson blood slid down the dark links, steaming as they hit the floor.

The golden giant stared at the empty space where the teleportation array had been. It unhinged its massive jaw, letting out a roar that rolled through the subterranean tunnels like muffled thunder.

"Damned human cultivator! this Sovereign shall never let you go! One day, I will hunt you down, extract your soul, and refine your spirit so that you shall never enter the cycle of reincarnation for all eternity!" This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

"Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill!"

"Senior Brother, where in the world are we? How can there be so many Corpse-Controlling Gu in this place?" Li Zhupu gasped, her face pale with lingering terror. The three of them had just combined their strength to annihilate dozens of animated corpses. However, the deeper they ventured into the hall, the more numerous the corpses became. They had already fought through ten waves, slaughtering no fewer than two hundred of the shambling monstrosities. Yang Dawei's face was grim.

He remained silent for a long moment before speaking in a low, heavy voice.

"According to what the Master and the Elders said, this secret realm is likely the tomb of an ancient cultivator. In fact, it is highly probable that even this 'Trial Realm' discovered by the Mu Family is nothing more than a pocket of space severed and imprisoned by a primordial powerhouse using supreme magic—all for the sole purpose of housing this cemetery."

"A tomb?" Li Zhupu and Zi Luanxing felt their hearts turn cold, their pupils shrinking as the weight of the revelation settled over them. To sever the very fabric of space and forge a self-contained miniature world just to serve as a sepulcher! The sheer, terrifying might of ancient grand cultivators was truly beyond mortal comprehension.

"I only learned the full truth of this matter shortly before our departure," Yang Dawei began, his voice low and resonant.

"Years ago, the Sect Master, my Master, and Venerable Yuanyue collectively discovered a mysterious ancient cyan jade plate and a jade slip. That slip contained a general overview of this burial ground."

"This cemetery is named Yunluo. It is a grand mausoleum constructed through the supreme dharmic powers of an ancient powerhouse named Yunluo before their fall. The tomb is divided into three distinct layers; we currently stand within the first. Back then, when the three elders first ventured into these halls, they found several formidable magic treasures and top-tier cultivation techniques without even penetrating the inner sanctum."

"Take the Wind-Thunder Cone currently wielded by my Master—a dual-attribute high-grade magic treasure whose prowess is no weaker than a typical top-grade artifact! Or the Yin-Yang Fire Slaying Halberd used by Venerable Yuanyue; it possesses both Yin and Yang attributes, making it an enigmatic and exceptionally difficult weapon to contend with. Furthermore, there is the Nine-Flame Crimson Blaze Art practiced by the Sect Master himself.

Its rank reaches the High-rank Earth-grade; when cultivated to a profound stage, one can manifest Heavenly Flames out of thin air to incinerate enemies with inexhaustible power!"

"These techniques and treasures were all fortuitously obtained within these outer reaches! Later, they encountered a massive onslaught of ghost-souls and were forced to retreat. They split the ancient cyan jade plate into three fragments and swore a Heart-Demon Oath never to leak this secret, agreeing to return two centuries later by sending their own disciples to seek the treasures once more."

"Before I came, the three elders revealed this to me, yet cautioned me not to tell you too early, lest your greed for the tomb's treasures compromise your vigilance." Yang Dawei took a deep breath, his expression darkening.

"But this place clearly contradicts my Master's descriptions. Why are there so many Corpse-Controlling Gu? Has some unforeseen mutation occurred within the depths of this tomb?"

"So that is how it is." A look of realization dawned on Li Zhupu's face.

"No wonder my father only smiled and remained silent whenever I inquired about the secret realm before leaving the sect. He told me to simply ask you when the time came; it turns out they had already entrusted the secret to you." Zi Luanxing nodded in agreement, whispering, "My Master gave me similar instructions, telling me to consult with my cousin on all matters. I suppose this was exactly what she was referring to." Yang Dawei nodded.

"Indeed. However, according to the elders, we should have encountered a vast multitude of ghost-souls upon entering. That is why they had us prepare so many treasures specifically designed to counter spectral entities. Yet, the current situation is fundamentally wrong. We have slain over two hundred rotting corpses, yet we have gained absolutely nothing. It is as if every treasure within this mausoleum has already been swept clean by someone else."

Zi Luanxing and Li Zhupu both frowned deeply, their expressions turning somber.

"Cousin, in your opinion, what should our next course of action be?" Yang Dawei fell into a contemplative silence. After a long moment, he spoke gravely: "Master warned that this ancient tomb is fraught with lethal perils. Even a Golden Core Venerable would not have absolute certainty of escaping unscathed. Given our current cultivation levels, we must absolutely avoid venturing too deep."

"But we have spent a significant amount of time within the Trial Realm to enter this place. To turn back and leave empty-handed... I truly cannot stomach such a result. How about this: we shall continue searching forward. If we still find nothing after one day, we will depart immediately. What do you say?" The other two nodded sligh tly, responding in unison, "Very well. We shall proceed as you suggest, Senior Brother."