Chapter 69: Buried Bones
Chapter 69: Buried Bones
In the gloomy Meditation Chamber, Li Yi was bare-bodied, revealing a physique that was lean and muscular, even exuding a fierce aura. He wore only a simple pair of shorts.
He sat coiled up, his posture somewhat resembling a yoga stance, yet it was even more twisted, bizarre, and mottled, difficult to describe in words.
His left and right feet bent from behind, coiling around his neck. His arms crossed in front of his body, then twisted back behind him. His head hung low, and his waist and legs were bent. His entire figure looked like a squid curled into a ball.
It was Siren Splits the Tide!
The Sea Demon, this creature, somewhat resembled a squid. It was an abyssal behemoth.
The Sea Demon, full name Vast Sea Colossus, was known in ancient times as “Thunder God,” “Sea Lord,” “Tide-Raising Tyrant,” “Walking Island,” and other titles. Its body was larger than towering peaks, with nearly a thousand tentacles. It could pluck stars and seize the moon, and could also summon colossal tsunamis. It was the true overlord of the seas.
To this day, among the Seafolk’s war vessels, the largest in scale and most formidable in combat power are still called “Sea Demon warships.”
“Huu…”
Breathing softly, Li Yi’s expression was calm, but his skin gradually began to ripple and swell. A faint, rustling sound emerged, like the chirping of cicadas, quite mystical.
The art of Siren Splits the Tide had five levels: “Cicada Restlessness,” “Frog Croak,” “Tidal Sound,” “Tsunami,” and the yin-transformed-from-yang level, “Undercurrent.”
After several days of arduous cultivation, with accumulation not yet deep, Li Yi had only reached the first level.
The buzzing, trembling sound gradually grew stronger. Beneath his skin, it seemed as if coiling dragons were lurking and scurrying, rising and falling in waves, causing continuous tremors.
The delicate vibrations began to disperse and transmit, stirring the wind and generating waves. Even the surrounding air gradually became turbulent.
After a while, the slight breeze turned into a fierce storm. Violent winds slammed against the four walls, clashing with the Defensive Array. The winds whirled back like overturned waves, crashing against his exposed torso like surging spray.
“Hisss—”
Li Yi let out a strange, sobbing-like sound. On the surface, it seemed ordinary, but inside, his energy surged, and outside, fierce winds assailed him. His entire skin was actually enduring terrifying, extreme pressure!
This kind of pain was on par with the punishment of death by a thousand cuts.
Fortunately, he had tempered his body with Earth Essence, forging his bones, flesh, tendons, and skin. His skin already had the toughness and strength of bronze skin and iron bones. Otherwise, under such pressure from both inside and out, his skin would surely have split!
Every inch of his skin sometimes sank, sometimes swelled, sometimes contracted, sometimes expanded. It was like rubber, being kneaded and stretched. Its strangeness was hard to describe.
Enduring the intense pain, Li Yi gritted his teeth and stubbornly held on.
“Li Yi, is Li Yi there? If you are, answer quickly!”
Outside the door, a very impolite voice boomed, clearly amplified by a sound-enhancing spell.
“Who is it this time? People coming and going, won’t they let anyone cultivate?”
Li Yi’s brow furrowed coldly, displeasure in his mouth, but deep down, truth be told, he actually felt a sense of relief.
The visitor gave him an excuse to catch his breath.
Li Yi was not crazy. Although the art of Siren Splits the Tide offered amazing benefits, the pain during cultivation was truly hard to relish.
However, reason told him this kind of sentiment was unacceptable.
It was hard to tighten a bowstring, but easy to loosen it.
“Coming, coming!” Li Yi quickly responded. As he went to open the door, he noticed he was barely dressed and hurried back to get his clothes.
…
In recent days, visitors had multiplied severalfold. Sometimes, one group would leave, only for another to arrive, causing Li Yi quite a bit of distress.
The source, naturally, was the Hundred Puppets War.
Among these continuous visitors, almost all were level 1 Puppeteers.
Their requests were also largely similar. Most were straightforward, presenting the blueprints of puppets they had designed, hoping Li Yi could offer improvement suggestions and promising handsome rewards. Some unscrupulous ones even only wanted Li Yi to lend his name for brand promotion.
Preoccupied with cultivation, Li Yi rejected ninety percent outright. For the few blueprints he accepted, he set very long deadlines. He no longer researched them day and night, but only glanced at them during his leisure time to change his mental focus.
After all, the puppet path was not his main goal.
Then there were some clueless challengers who wanted to use the “Reverse Halberd” as a stepping stone to make a name at The Precipice.
These kinds of people, Li Yi completely couldn’t be bothered with. No matter how much they shouted insults, he kept his door shut.
In recent days, the visitors had gradually decreased.
“Another challenger? Why is the tone so hostile?” Li Yi wondered internally, then dismissed the thought. “But, it doesn’t sound like it. If it were a challenger, they’d probably already be boasting about how amazing their puppet is…”
He opened the door.
Before him was a Mage with an unfriendly expression and a long face.
His Dawnlight Eyes flickered slightly, and Li Yi was immediately surprised. Judging by the man’s cultivation, he was actually a High-Rank Spell Apprentice!
“Senior Brother, were you looking for me?” His expression immediately became much more respectful. The other party was a full two ranks higher than him.
“You are Li Yi?” The long-faced Mage looked up, tilting his head, sizing Li Yi up and down a few times as if trying to see through him.
“That’s right. May I ask why Senior Brother seeks me? Also, may I know your esteemed name?”
“You don’t need to know my name.” The long-faced Mage’s expression was arrogant. Of course, he did have the capital to be arrogant toward Outer Manor Disciples. “I came only to notify you of one thing. Once notified, I’ll leave!”
“Oh? What is it?”
“You little fellow, you’ve had great luck!” The long-faced Mage curled his lip, his expression actually tinged with envy. “The day of ‘Dragon Raising Head’ is approaching. You have been selected to become a ‘Golden Carp.'”
“Dragon Raising Head? Golden Carp?” Li Yi’s eyes flickered. He racked his brains but couldn’t recall these two terms.
“Dragon Raising Head is the day the Dragon’s Burial Ground opens. It only happens once every ten years.”
“Those selected to enter are called ‘Golden Carp.'”
“You kid, you stepped in dog poop luck. Not only did you catch the once-a-decade Dragon Raising Head, but you also got a recommendation from someone important, becoming a ‘Golden Carp’ with half-step cultivation! Though, youngsters like you, nine out of ten will probably die inside…”
The long-faced Mage spoke with displeasure, his tone a mix of sour grapes and a hint of a curse.
“Dragon’s Burial Ground? What’s inside?” Li Yi caught some clues, but it was still foggy and unclear, so he continued to ask.
“Do I look like a teacher here to preach, teach, and resolve doubts?” The long-faced Mage rolled his eyes. “If you want to know, go look it up yourself!”
With that, he raised a hand and, amidst a whirlwind, vanished without a trace.
“Dragon’s Burial Ground?”
Li Yi muttered to himself, his expression hesitant.
The Dragon’s Burial Ground was both a sacred place and a dangerous land. He had heard of it and knew the general idea.
This place buried six Ancient Dragons. They were the six behemoths that “Dragon Angler” Jiang Shang fished up from the deep abyss!
These six beasts were both Apocalypse Dragons and War Beasts. Their bloodlines were even nobler than those of epic dragons like “Morning Duck” and “Surpassing Radiance”!
Their titles were “Abundance and Void,” “Civilization’s Dawn,” “Hidden Sigil,” “Leixu,” “Tuzhan,” and “Martial Vanguard,” collectively known as the “Six Strategies.”
It could be said these six Outer Realm Dragons were absolutely at the pinnacle of dragonkind!
And this could be glimpsed from their remains.
Their burial place: the bones did not decay, the oppressive aura did not disperse. Even today, it remained a forbidden zone.
Every few years, the six skeletons would actually give rise to new Dao Patterns. The patterns grew denser and finer, and the dragons’ oppressive aura became increasingly grand and overbearing.
Anyone below the titled rank who set foot in the Dragon’s Burial Ground would, in an instant, turn to stardust, vanishing without a trace!
There was a saying that these six beasts could reverse Samsara, or perhaps one day revive, a Return of the Dead.
But what was “Dragon Raising Head”?
Also, the “Golden Carp” quota actually made even a High-Rank Spell Apprentice envious. What was the reason?
Unable to figure it out after much thought, Li Yi rubbed his chin and decided to seek help from others.
He took out his identity token. A thread of mental consciousness entered it, transforming into a shimmering light.
This token also had the function of transmitting messages. It couldn’t transmit sound, but could transmit text.
His two good friends, Zhangsun Shenji and Yan Zhao, were already Inner-Mansion Disciples. Meeting them was difficult, so they could only communicate via the token.
Li Yi contacted Zhangsun Shenji.
It wasn’t for any particular reason, but because the time flow in the Demiplane “Darkest Starry Sky” where Yan Zhao resided was completely different from the outside. Messages Li Yi sent often took several days to get a response.
“What exactly is Dragon Raising Head? What is a Golden Carp? Is there something precious inside the Dragon’s Burial Ground?”
Li Yi asked.
After a while, four words came through.
“Six Strategies Qi!”
“Six Strategies Qi?” Li Yi wore a puzzled expression. Clearly, this was the answer to the last question.