Chapter 128: The Birth of Bones

Cheng Lingyu soared into the air and threw a punch upward, blasting open a huge hole. He grabbed Lan Xiaozhu from mid-air and swiftly retreated.

The earth crumbled as time and space trembled. Guishun Valley underwent violent upheavals, teetering on the brink of destruction.

“Is this the northern part of Guishun Valley? Next we should head west to the Thousand Mountains Trapped Dragon site?”

Cheng Lingyu had already claimed half of the Four Immortal Souls, leaving only the Jade Crystal Ice Wing Dragon in the west and the Nine Nether King Sparrow in the south.

Geographically, heading to the closer western region first made sense.

But Cheng Lingyu shook his head. “We’ll subdue the Nine Nether King Sparrow first—it gives us better odds. We’ll deal with the toughest bone last.”

Deep down, Cheng Lingyu knew the Jade Crystal Ice Wing Dragon would be the hardest to conquer, so he saved it for the final trial.

Through the teleportation array, they soon reached the Nine Nether King Sparrow’s domain—a blazing hellscape of crimson Nether Flames that scorched the air.

Lan Xiaozhu retreated to a safe distance, her delicate face creased with worry.

Cheng Lingyu plunged into the inferno and clashed fiercely with the Nine Nether King Sparrow. Pressed for time, he unleashed the Burning Sky Technique at full power.

The prideful phoenix resisted relentlessly, repelling every attack.

Forced to escalate, Cheng Lingyu summoned the Ghostly Magic Blade. The weapon awakened as a black dragon, its restored power rivaling a Blood Martial Realm expert after breaking its first seal.

Combined with Cheng Lingyu’s cultivation level, the blade’s divine might gradually overwhelmed the phoenix. Yet the defiant creature kept counterattacking despite being outmatched.

Frustrated, Cheng Lingyu withdrew the blade and activated the Fang Tian Bao Yin instead. Channeling the Burning Sky Technique, he began devouring the Nine Nether Flames.

The dual allure of the technique and treasure eventually wore down the phoenix’s resistance. With a final shriek, it submitted and vanished into Cheng Lingyu’s sea of consciousness.

Roaring triumphantly, Cheng Lingyu absorbed all surrounding Nine Nether Flames into his body before dragging Lan Xiaozhu away from the collapsing terrain.

Mountains quaked as strange energies seeped from fissures in the earth. They soon reached the western Thousand Mountains Trapped Dragon zone, where the quakes felt milder—the land itself seemed to restrain the chaos.

Lan Xiaozhu lingered far from the battle site, instinctive dread keeping her from approaching the Jade Crystal Ice Wing Dragon’s lair.

Cheng Lingyu faced his greatest challenge yet. While he’d had 60-70% confidence against the previous three Immortal Souls, this icy foe offered no obvious weaknesses.

Deep within the stone labyrinth, the Jade Crystal Ice Wing Dragon glared with murderous frost. Cheng Lingyu attacked immediately—Burning Sky Technique blazing, Magic Eyes sharpened to the Fourth Layer of Soul Refinement, Ghostly Magic Blade singing through the air.

Silver frost solidified the battlefield, trapping Cheng Lingyu. He fought back with Nine Nether Flames and mental assaults, barely holding his ground against the dragon’s onslaught.

This icy adversary proved tougher than the phoenix. Without the Fang Tian Bao Yin’s advantage, Cheng Lingyu’s usual tactics fell short. Survival alone became his goal as the battle raged on.

Now facing the Jade Crystal Ice Wing Dragon, Cheng Lingyu couldn’t find any advantage except brute suppression. With his current cultivation level, suppressing the dragon proved impossible – he could only manage to stay undefeated through constant maneuvering.

While attacking, Cheng Lingyu realized Soul Martial Realm experts couldn’t subdue this Immortal Soul without absolute dominance. The Thousand Mountains Trapped Dragon formation confined this area, making earthquakes far weaker than elsewhere. Yet the entire Guishun Valley suffered destruction, and this temporary solution wouldn’t last.

Mid-battle, inspiration struck Cheng Lingyu. Flames began dancing across the ground, spreading in intricate layers – he was recreating the Thousand Mountains Trapped Dragon formation using Nine Nether Flames. He’d memorized this natural formation when first exploring Guishun Valley’s western region, knowledge that now proved vital.

The Jade Crystal Ice Wing Dragon sensed danger and launched frenzied attacks, but the terrain limited its power. After half an hour, Cheng Lingyu completed his Nine Nether Flame formation – scalable and fully controllable. The opposing elements of ice and fire, combined with formation restraints, quickly overwhelmed the dragon.

Cheng Lingyu pressed his assault relentlessly. Subduing this prideful creature would aid future Soul Fusion. The Dreamy Thousand Tear Bamboo, Glowing Star Seven-Colored Source, and Nine Nether King Sparrow currently confined in his sea of consciousness remained unmerged. Though docile now, these Immortal Souls would inevitably resist during fusion. Crushing their defiance now proved essential for later success.

…

In central Guishun Valley, the third Spirit Hall lay in ruins, though its stone coffin remained intact, radiating coldness. The half-open lid resembled hell’s gate, repelling all bare-handed attempts. Only spirit artifacts could withstand the coffin’s Corrosive Power.

Factions with spirit artifacts clashed fiercely for the ancient legacy jade. Initial skirmishes devolved into chaos, attacks accidentally striking the coffin and triggering valley-wide quakes. When the coffin lid finally shifted, revealing swirling spiritual birds and glowing runes in the void, desperate experts intensified efforts.

After countless attempts, someone finally hooked the jade out. The ensuing frenzy drew even bystanders into deadly competition. No one noticed when the coffin’s skeleton twitched – not until it sat up, silver light flowing through its bones.

An aura suppressing the heavens exploded across the valley, flinging combatants away and killing weaker cultivators. The complete skeleton stood, ground fracturing beneath its feet. Eye-sockets swirled with deadly vortices as it turned toward the jade now held by Beichen Haoyu.

Mid-air martial souls scattered in terror. “Destroy it with spirit artifacts!” someone shouted. The skeleton casually crushed incoming artifacts to dust, energy waves injuring nearby cultivators.

“Retreat!” Hua Yuehong shouted, leaping skyward first.