Chapter 495: True Spirit Transformation, Wujie White Bone Divine Realm

Wei Tianchen asked Zhao Xing to lead the way, but the problem was that Zhao Xing didn't know their exact location. His system panel only displayed a large map showing that they were in the Xuanhuang World, with no specific coordinates.

Normally, this wouldn't be an issue. With the Nineteen Prefectures being such a tiny region, a quick scan with a spiritual eye would reveal everything, and even small spatial realms like grotto-heavens and blessed lands couldn't escape its detection.

However, the current Xuanhuang World felt unusual. Even Venerable Zhujian and Wei Tianchen had their powers restricted, let alone Zhao Xing.

"Let's go down the mountain first and ask someone where we are," Zhao Xing suggested. "Which way do you two think we should go?"

Venerable Zhujian said, "Northwest."

Wei Tianchen said, "Southeast."

Venerable Zhujian and Wei Tianchen were at odds again.

Wei Tianchen insisted on heading southeast, believing it would increase their chances of encountering powerful cultivators and offer more hope of understanding the situation in the Xuanhuang World.

Venerable Zhujian, however, didn't want to go southeast. The four swords he had previously sent out indicated that they would experience severe suppression in that direction.

"You two can't agree, so how are we supposed to proceed?" Zhao Xing inwardly shook his head.

Venerable Zhujian simply wanted to fulfill his promise. Wei Tianchen had said he would find a safe place, and once his and Zhao Xing's matters were concluded, Zhujian intended to take Zhao Xing away. But now that they had arrived, the place was far from safe, leading Zhujian to believe Wei Tianchen was deceiving him.

Currently, Zhao Xing stood alongside Venerable Zhujian, maintaining a distance from Wei Tianchen, and Zhujian's four swords remained pointed at Wei Tianchen.

Zhao Xing's demands were different; he wanted to get rid of both Zhujian and Wei Tianchen simultaneously.

Wei Tianchen, on the other hand, had multiple objectives. Coming to the Xuanhuang World wasn't just to lift the Heart Sealing Technique but also to uncover the secret of Qingyuzi's ascension to godhood.

Despite their differences, the three temporarily shared one common goal: safety.

Without guaranteed safety, everything else was meaningless.

Barren mountains stretched endlessly, as far as the eye could see, with not a single blade of grass or tree present. The sky was gloomy and oppressive, and chilly winds blew in gusts, making one's heart uneasy.

Venerable Zhujian and Wei Tianchen were at a stalemate, but Wei Tianchen was the first to compromise. "How about we listen to Zhao Xing?"

Venerable Zhujian tacitly agreed.

But in that brief moment, the two discovered that Zhao Xing, under the influence of the Enlightenment Golden Hoop, had actually sat down on the spot to cultivate.

In truth, Zhao Xing wasn't cultivating; he was summoning.

"Before my ascension back then, I left behind quite a few 'divine artifacts,' such as the Kunyuan Hoe. I wonder if I can summon it, and what its quality is now."

When Zhao Xing first retrieved the Kunyuan Hoe from the Dragon Court, it was merely at the Star Dao Soldier level. After the manual spiritual energy recovery, it reached the World Star Dao Soldier level. As spiritual energy in the Xuanhuang World revived, some original treasures and rare artifacts also ascended in rank, which was a characteristic of Xuanhuang World's treasures.

"According to Wang Tianzhi's account, two thousand five hundred years after we left, the Human Emperor Sword and Book of Destiny left by Ji Che, the Heaven and Earth Seed Soldier Scripture left by Liu Tianning, and the Heaven and Earth Smelting Furnace left by Grand Supervisor Lu Ying had all appeared in the world and undergone large-scale ascensions."

"As the Grand Minister of Agriculture, I left behind even more things. Besides the Kunyuan Hoe, there's also the Earth Emperor's Peak, the Ancient Yin Warship, the Divine Court Calendar Order, the Dragon Court Code—"

Zhao Xing believed that since the Xuanhuang World had collectively ascended, the items he had left behind might have also become true divine artifacts!

*Whoosh!*

A strong pulsation suddenly surged within him. From a very distant southeast direction, a faint sense of familiarity emanated.

"Is that the Kunyuan Hoe? Or something else?"

Zhao Xing wasn't sure. He had left behind many things, and this fluctuation felt both somewhat strange and somewhat familiar, so he couldn't determine its origin. He tried summoning, and noticed the fluctuation strengthen slightly. This subtle difference proved one thing: his summoning was effective, but the object was either too far away or subjected to some restriction, causing it to move very slowly.

*Hiss!* Venerable Zhujian used his Heart Sword to lightly burn Zhao Xing, pulling him back to reality from the influence of the Enlightenment Golden Hoop.

"Since you're listening to me, let's head southeast."

Venerable Zhujian frowned, but having agreed to let Zhao Xing decide, he didn't argue further.

To be cautious, the three chose the most primitive method: flying using aerial magic. Wei Tianchen led the way, holding a divine artifact called the Primordial Wheel. According to him, this artifact could conceal one's aura and karma, making it crucial for evading pursuit.

The Primordial Wheel resembled a flat, golden alms bowl. The three stood inside it, letting the Wheel carry them in flight.

Just ten breaths later, a problem arose.

Wei Tianchen: "Something's not right."

Zhao Xing: "What's not right?"

Wei Tianchen: "While the Primordial Wheel's main purpose is concealment, its speed isn't slow. We've flown for ten breaths, yet we've only traveled ten thousand li!"

Zhao Xing was puzzled: "Aren't you deliberately controlling it this slowly?"

"No, that's not it."

Wei Tianchen suddenly put away the Primordial Wheel and began flying with his physical body, driven by spiritual power. After another ten breaths, he stopped again.

At this moment, Venerable Zhujian's expression was extremely grim.

"Something's not right."

Zhao Xing wondered, "What's wrong?"

Venerable Zhujian took a deep breath: "Wei Tianchen's divine artifact has been pushed to its limit, yet its speed is still limited to ten thousand li per breath."

"Flying with spiritual arts is even slower."

Zhao Xing: "Are you being suppressed?"

Venerable Zhujian took a deep breath: "The problem is that neither Wei Tianchen nor I feel any actual suppression. Our recent tests were all at our maximum speeds."

"Whether flying with spiritual arts, sword-riding, or using a divine artifact to carry us, the maximum speed is constant: ten thousand li per breath."

Wei Tianchen explained with a serious expression: "It seems the Heavenly Dao's laws in this world stipulate that ten thousand li per breath is the fastest speed. Whether you're a demigod or using a divine artifact, whether you have a lot or a little spiritual power, whether your flying technique is advanced or basic, it makes no difference."

"Assuming you were to fly, you could also reach ten thousand li per breath."

"Do you understand?"

Zhao Xing understood: "In terms of maximum speed, there's no difference between a demigod and an Emperor-tier cultivator. If I were to fly, I could also reach that maximum speed. Using one wisp of spiritual power to fly, or ten wisps, both result in ten thousand li per breath."

"Yes, that's it," Venerable Zhujian nodded, then paused. He couldn't help but add, "But how can this be?"

The power difference between demigods and Emperor-tier cultivators was immense, yet now they were forcibly leveled to the same standard. At least in terms of flying speed!

Wei Tianchen murmured, "A True Self God cannot change heaven and earth; only a Tribulation-Free True God can control heaven and earth."

"Even with the Primordial Wheel, we're still affected. Could there be a Tribulation-Free God-King in the Xuanhuang World?"

"What kind of place is this—"

For the first time, Zhao Xing saw obvious fear on Wei Tianchen's face. He remembered that when Wei Tianchen first tried to capture him, he acted despite knowing Zhao Xing had Qingyuzi's protection. He even boasted that he might not fear Qingyuzi even if he showed up. With multiple divine artifacts, Wei Tianchen naturally didn't take a newly ascended Qingyuzi seriously at the time. But against a Tribulation-Free God-King who had attained the Dao through Heaven and Earth, it was a different matter entirely. No matter how many divine artifacts Wei Tianchen possessed, he would be nothing but an ant.

Venerable Zhujian released a wisp of sword qi. He felt that his sword qi hadn't been weakened in the slightest, yet it only managed to cleave off a small hilltop before stopping.

"My Sword Dao, how could it become like this?"

The Fourteen-Tribulation Medical Venerable and the Eleven-Tribulation Sword Venerable both felt fear at this moment. As the saying goes, the more one knows, the more reverence one feels. Zhao Xing, on the other hand, was fearless in his ignorance. He showed no sign of alarm.

"Sirs, even if there's truly some powerful deity here, at least you saw it before getting scared."

Venerable Zhujian replied, "Your realm is too low; you can't understand. The origin of the Sword Dao is omnipresent, all-encompassing. Even if I were suppressed, I should feel where the suppression comes from, but now I feel nothing. Even the Sword Dao origin I sense shows no change. A full-power sword strike, yet it can only cleave a hundred-meter-high mountain..."

Zhao Xing could sense that Venerable Zhujian was experiencing a certain degree of Dao heart collapse. It seemed that heading southeast indeed caused severe suppression for him.

"My realm may be low, but I know we still need to keep moving forward. Let him be strong as he may, a gentle breeze still brushes the mountain ridges."

"Let's just fly at the speed of ten thousand li per breath. You two are both demigods; this world can't possibly be full of God Realm experts everywhere. We won't easily encounter danger."

Wei Tianchen seemed to be the first to regain his composure. "You have a point. We were too attached to external appearances."

"This old man thought he had long since accepted death, but it seems my resolve isn't deep enough yet."

"Heaven and Earth Dao-attainment, heh, I want to see this for myself."

Venerable Zhujian also quickly adjusted. He put away his Bamboo Sword and didn't even release any sword qi. According to Wei Tianchen, his cultivation path as a True Self God involved not seeking external things, so he simply stopped sensing the outside world and guarded his spirit with his Heart Sword.

As a result, he felt much better. Although reverence remained in his heart, fear had vanished. Before they had even traveled far, the New Xuanhuang World had taught the two demigods a lesson.

"I'll lead the way."

Zhao Xing unleashed his azure flower spiritual power, soaring through clouds and mists, continuing to fly southeast. The actual situation was indeed as Wei Tianchen and Zhujian had described: whether using a wisp or an abundance of spiritual power, the maximum speed was ten thousand li per breath.

Zhao Xing adapted quickly to this change. He had experienced becoming a mortal during the Heaven-Earth Severance instance, so what was this in comparison? Before long, he found a balance point. Roughly three wisps of azure flower spiritual power were enough to perform the cloud-soaring technique and reach the speed of ten thousand li per breath; more would be wasteful, less would slow him down.

After about a month of flying, the sky gradually darkened, and finally, after four months, they entered a complete eternal night. Zhao Xing also grew puzzled.

"Is this even the Xuanhuang World?"

"After flying at full speed for a month, I still haven't left the mountain range and instead entered an eternal night region?"

"Apart from the Western Extremity Prefecture, where in the Xuanhuang World is there an eternal night region?"

"It's been a month, and I haven't seen the sun once. It's either been a hazy cloud cover or perpetual night."

"The ley lines are also erratic; it's impossible to determine their direction."

"The indigenous divine artifact's sensation is closer. But after a month of travel, the sensation has only strengthened by less than one ten-thousandth. How far away is it, exactly?"

Zhao Xing was utterly perplexed by the changes in the New Xuanhuang World. Not only did it differ from his own understanding, but it also varied significantly from Wang Tianzhi's descriptions years ago. Calling it completely unrecognizable wouldn't be an exaggeration.

"First, we need to find someone, absolutely must find someone to ask, to know what has happened. Wang Tianzhi said that Great Zhou still occupied the treasured land of the Central Divine Continent, and Empress Ji Luohong ruled the Nineteen Prefectures. As long as we can find a cultivator to ask, they will surely know about Great Zhou. As long as I can return to Great Zhou and establish contact with Old Wang..."

*Ah!*

While he was thinking, Wei Tianchen suddenly clutched his head and shrieked. He collapsed directly onto his cloud, as if in immense pain. Wei Tianchen's actions startled Zhao Xing.

"You, what's wrong?"

Wei Tianchen couldn't die. The Enlightenment Golden Hoop was bound to him, and if Wei Tianchen ceased to exist, the hoop would self-destruct.

*Crack, crack, crack!*

Just as he leaned down to check on Wei Tianchen, he heard crackling sounds coming from Venerable Zhujian, as if his bones were rubbing together. Zhao Xing looked back, just as a sparse moonbeam pierced through the dark clouds.

He saw pieces of flesh falling from Venerable Zhujian's face, and his bones, flesh, tendons, and membranes rapidly intertwined and melted away. In the blink of an eye, only a skull remained, with a flickering true spirit flame inside.

Looking down again, Wei Tianchen's flesh and blood also melted away inch by inch, turning into a skeleton in a short while. The only difference between him and Venerable Zhujian was that Zhujian's skeleton was dark gold. While the Sword Sect's physical bodies weren't as strong as the Qi Sect's, they also possessed golden bodies, though not as extreme, because their golden bodies didn't merge with their souls.

"Venerable Zhujian, Old Imperial Physician, how could you—"

Before Zhao Xing could finish speaking, he found that the hand he had extended to help Wei Tianchen was also slowly turning to bone. His flesh vanished, gradually spreading from his fingers to his wrist, though his speed was slow. Venerable Zhujian and Wei Tianchen had lost all their flesh and blood in an instant, as if something had instantly drained them away.

"Zhao Xing, all of my cultivation is gone, only my sword body remains." Venerable Zhujian's true spirit flickered in his eye sockets as he stared blankly at his skeletal hand. "I can no longer condense sword qi. I'm—ruined."

Wei Tianchen also crawled up at this moment. He still wore his cultivation robe, but it had shrunk a size. "All of my flesh and blood secret arts have vanished as well. Only my ability to make medicines and concoct poisons remains."

Zhao Xing remembered that Wei Tianchen possessed some kind of fleshly body secret art; he had used it when he infiltrated the Rain Immortal Realm within the Spirit Void Origin World.

"Was his cultivation drained away?" Zhao Xing was suddenly alarmed. He immediately realized a serious problem. While the path of spiritual arts didn't emphasize the physical body, that also depended on the individual.

The collapse of his Dharma Body wouldn't matter to the core cultivation method of the Earth Advantage faction, "Extreme Land." He had four Primeval clones left outside, one of which had already learned the Life Underworld Palace technique. After his physical body was re-nurtured, the progress of "Extreme Land" could still be retained, and recultivating "Extreme Land" wouldn't take too long.

The Heavenly Timing faction? They didn't really have any specific cultivation methods, and their spiritual arts were all tied to the true spirit. As long as the true spirit wasn't extinguished, a collapsed Dharma Body had no impact.

However, if the Dharma Body ceased to exist, then the inner world would cease to exist!

To recultivate his inner world, he didn't have a second World-Splitting Divine Stone! If his Dharma Body collapsed, his inner world would also explode, and his troop types, Primordial Dao Tower, and other elements would all be ejected. The crucial point was that the God-tier aboriginal seed, which had not yet fully gestated, would be "stillborn"!

"Bloody hell!"

Master Zhao immediately grew anxious. He had risked his life to trade with Old Qing for the World-Splitting Divine Stone, which was how his inner world reached its current scale.

"My Dharma Body can't collapse! If it collapses, my inner world will collapse!" Zhao Xing was burning with anxiety. He frantically circulated his spiritual power, desperate to stop this collapse. But although his Dharma Body's collapse was slower than Wei Tianchen's and Venerable Zhujian's, it was spreading at a constant rate. Soon, the disappearance of flesh from his right hand reached his shoulder.

"No!"

Azure flower spiritual power surged from Zhao Xing's body, followed by a layer of red lotus spiritual power, and finally, virtualized Cangming spiritual power. But none of the three seemed to have any effect; his Dharma Body continued to steadily collapse. As long as it spread to his Dantian, his inner world would completely vanish!

*Buzz!*

No matter how unwilling he was, the skeletonization symptoms continued to spread to his Dantian.

*Boom!*

Like a bursting firework, the spiritual energy vortex exploded with a sound. The three layers of "Extreme Land" he had cultivated collapsed, disappearing into thin air. Next was his inner world. It had originally evolved from pure origin soil into an origin space, then transformed into his inner world, still possessing a physical world core.

Just as the world core was about to be overtaken, two forces emanated from within his inner world: one was the Primordial Dao Tower created by Emperor Chixing, and the other was the God-tier aboriginal seed that had absorbed the power of the World-Splitting Divine Stone.

*Whoosh!*

The world core suddenly collided with Zhao Xing's pelvis, embedding itself deeply into the bone. In the instant before his vast, sea-like spiritual power evaporated into thin air, it merged with his skeletal body. The next moment, all his vast spiritual power vanished into thin air, including his azure flower, red lotus, and Cangming spiritual powers.

*Ah!*

Being instantly drained of spiritual power caused Zhao Xing extreme weakness and pain. Without spiritual power, he couldn't even maintain his cloud-soaring.

*Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!*

Wei Tianchen, Zhao Xing, and Venerable Zhujian simultaneously plummeted downwards. In the last moment before they hit the ground, Venerable Zhujian's golden body suddenly glowed, enveloping Zhao Xing's skeletal body.

*Thump!*

Wei Tianchen, however, went into a freefall, his bones scattering across the ground.

"Zhao Xing, Zhao Xing, how do you feel?" Venerable Zhujian shook the white skeleton.

"I'm not dead," Zhao Xing's true spirit flame flickered in his eye sockets, conveying his thoughts. He quickly adapted to the new changes.

As for Wei Tianchen, only his true spirit flame floated nearby, his elderly figure visible within the flame, silently looking at his scattered bones on the ground. "Zhujian, why didn't you save me?"

Zhujian's true spirit flickered. "If you hadn't deceived me, why would I be in such a state?"

Wei Tianchen sighed, then sought Zhao Xing's help. "Zhao Xing, please help me reassemble my bones."

Zhao Xing was about to pick up Wei Tianchen's bones, but he saw a glittering golden hoop nearby, immediately stopping his hand. Instead, he raised his middle finger: "Reassemble them? Hmph, go piece your own damn self together!" Under this unknown change, the Enlightenment Golden Hoop had actually come off. His true spirit flame was no longer ensnared by the golden hoop, so Zhao Xing no longer had to worry about self-destructing if he left Wei Tianchen!

Seeing Zhao Xing refuse, Wei Tianchen now controlled his true spirit, which dispersed among his bones, slowly wriggling and reassembling itself. As a demigod who had endured fourteen tribulations, his true spirit was incredibly powerful, and his true spirit flame was a brighter mass than both Zhujian's and his own. Clearly, in these unknown changes, this old man adapted faster. Wei Tianchen even quickly retrieved a new set of cultivation robes from his storage ring and put them on.

*Swish, swish, swish!*

The three skeletons, with true spirit flames of varying sizes, immediately sat down cross-legged, adapting to the new changes.

Name: Zhao XingProfession: Minister of AgricultureRealm: First-Tribulation True Spirit (Primeval Clone, ninety-six-fold amplification)Bone Body: Star Dao Bone (0/10000)White Bone Power: Tier One (0/1000)Inner World (Sealed)Heart Sealing Technique (Abnormal)Spiritual Arts (Abnormal)Bone God 'Yuan' established his Dao in the Xuanhuang World, creating the Tribulation-Free White Bone Divine Domain, seizing the heavenly opportunity for three hundred and forty-two years.

Zhao Xing fell into deep thought, looking at the new changes on his panel. The new information contained too much to process.

Firstly, after the physical collapse he had just experienced, he had somehow passed a tribulation and become a First-Tribulation True Spirit. Secondly, the panel gained a new type: Star Dao Bone. His spiritual power had vanished, but a new power called White Bone Power flowed within his bones.

Fortunately, his inner world had not disappeared. The world core had merged into his pelvis and was only temporarily sealed, as if Emperor Chixing's power was contending with some divine realm entity, finding a way for it to barely survive. However, Zhao Xing could no longer open his inner world. Due to the disappearance of spiritual power, all his spiritual arts, except for those related to mind, will, and soul, were temporarily unusable. The progress of the Heart Sealing Technique's three spiritual powers remained the same, but without a Dharma Body, he couldn't temporarily cast them.

Curiously, there was still a flame imprint on his ribs, where his heart used to be. It was a wisp of Heart Lamp power left by Wu Tian.

"Wu Tian? His Heart Lamp power level is actually that high?" Zhao Xing was somewhat surprised.

However, at this moment, he wasn't in the mood to investigate, because a sentence at the end of the panel had caught his attention: "Bone God 'Yuan' established his Dao in the Xuanhuang World, creating the Tribulation-Free White Bone Divine Domain, seizing the heavenly opportunity for three hundred and forty-two years."

"Bone God Yuan created the Tribulation-Free White Bone Divine Domain?"

"Did the 'Yuan 342' displayed on my coordinates refer to a time period? No, coordinates have never shown time." Zhao Xing was puzzled. But from this sentence, he learned that Bone God 'Yuan' had created the Tribulation-Free White Bone Divine Domain in the Xuanhuang World, and it had been active for three hundred and forty-two years. The changes that had occurred in him, Venerable Zhujian, and Wei Tianchen were likely all influenced by 'Yuan's Tribulation-Free White Bone Divine Domain. Thinking of this, Zhao Xing immediately glanced at Wei Tianchen and Venerable Zhujian.

After a short period of pondering, both of them had undergone significant changes.

Name: Wei TianchenRealm: Fourteen-Tribulation True SpiritBone Body: Silver Moon Dao Bone (0/10000)White Bone Power: Tier Three (124/1000)Spiritual Arts: Bone Spirit Heavenly Poison, Marrow Refining, Spiritual Axis Nine Needles: Reverse Fate, Hundred Spirits Blood Ignition Art (Sealed), Glazed Heart Seed (Sealed), Bone Cavity Meridian Art, Three Corpse Pulse Diagnosis, Grand Simplicity Pulse Wheel.

"Most of Wei Tianchen's spiritual arts were also sealed, but he's unsealing them so quickly. In just this short while, a small portion of his spiritual arts have been unsealed."

"It seems he's already familiar with the application of this new power," Zhao Xing mused. In that very second, Wei Tianchen unsealed another new spiritual art. Wei Tianchen even picked up the Enlightenment Golden Hoop again, seemingly trying to recite an incantation. Zhao Xing's skull tightened. This old man was up to no good again!

"No, I also need to quickly unseal my spiritual arts and adapt to this new power." Zhao Xing fumbled around. He found that it was actually very simple. The application of White Bone Power was not much different from spiritual power; instead of drawing spiritual power from a specific Dantian location, he could now draw White Bone Power from anywhere in his bones, effectively having countless Dantians.

As for Venerable Zhujian, he was the fastest adapter among the three.

Venerable ZhujianProfession: Martial Artist (Sword Sect)Realm: Twelve-Tribulation True SpiritBone Body: Silver Moon Golden Body (0/10000)White Bone Power: Tier Three (424/1000)Martial Techniques: Three Thousand Sword Worlds (Sealed), Heart Sword Art, Grand Thousand Sword Array (Qi), Grand Thousand Sword Array (Artifact), Bright Moon Sword Body...

"He's even adapting faster than Wei Tianchen." Zhao Xing looked at his appearance: his bones emitted a faint starlight, his golden sword body turned platinum, and his elbow and finger bones resembled sharp swords. While they were all continuously adjusting and adapting, Venerable Zhujian was clearly faster; his White Bone Power even surpassed Wei Tianchen's. Bone God 'Yuan' was clearly a Martial Dao God Realm expert, and although Venerable Zhujian was from the Sword Sect, he was also a martial artist. Thus, he adapted faster within the divine domain.

*Whoosh!*

The Enlightenment Golden Hoop in front of Wei Tianchen floated towards Zhao Xing's skull. The flame in Venerable Zhujian's eyes flickered, and a rib suddenly detached from his body, flying out.

*Clang!*

The Enlightenment Golden Hoop and the rib collided, emitting a burst of light in the night sky. The rib flew back and re-embedded itself in its original position. The Golden Hoop, having deformed, also returned to Wei Tianchen's hand.

*Crack, crack, crack!*

Three more ribs detached, hovering around Zhao Xing. Wei Tianchen pulled out a new divine artifact from his storage ring. It resembled a long, silk-like cloth, draped over Wei Tianchen's shoulder. The Enlightenment Golden Hoop flew towards Zhao Xing again, while the silk-like divine artifact flew towards Zhujian's three ribs.

*Clang, clang, clang!*

The red silk shimmered with light, knocking Zhujian's ribs away. Both men desired to gain control over Zhao Xing. Zhao Xing was linked to their hopes of ascending to godhood. Wei Tianchen needed to open the Seven Star Cabinet and use the poisons within to complete his Heaven and Earth Dao-attainment plan. Venerable Zhujian hoped Zhao Xing would fulfill his promise to take him to the Ten Directions Mountain.

*Boom!*

In the third collision, Venerable Zhujian was at a disadvantage. Although he was stronger than Wei Tianchen in combat power, his opponent possessed more treasures. After the third collision, the Enlightenment Golden Hoop landed on Zhao Xing's head again. Venerable Zhujian snorted coldly and could only reattach his ribs to their original positions. In the contention for control over Zhao Xing, he had still lost to Wei Tianchen.

Watching the Enlightenment Golden Hoop settle back onto his head, Zhao Xing sighed helplessly. He had been ensnared by this old man again. Even in such a dangerous situation, he stubbornly clung to Fan Qianrou's Heart Sealing Technique.

However, Zhao Xing didn't feel too much resentment about it. They were currently within Bone God Yuan's Tribulation-Free White Bone Divine Domain. Separating from Wei Tianchen was by no means a good thing. The old man had many treasures, and having him nearby would significantly increase their safety.

*#* Wei Tianchen began chanting, testing whether the Enlightenment Golden Hoop was active.

*Hiss!* Zhao Xing's flames surged wildly, and his true spirit felt a headache. "Old Imperial Physician, stop chanting! It was my fault just now."

Wei Tianchen ignored him, seemingly intent on teaching Zhao Xing a lesson.

"Damn it, Wei Tianchen, if you chant again, I'll self-destruct!"

Red lotus flames erupted from Zhao Xing's body. In that short time, he had also adjusted, and his White Bone Power was now imbued with the properties of red lotus spiritual power.

"Since the Xuanhuang World possesses the might of a God Realm expert, it proves that this place is different from other barren domains. It absolutely possesses the conditions for resurrection!"

"I've made huge contributions to the empire's two ancient paths. With my merits, do you think I don't have the right to resurrection?"

"If you push me too far, I'll self-destruct, and you'll never get Fan Qianrou's sealed item!"

These words made Wei Tianchen calm down, and he didn't make another move.

"Zhao Xing, I told you I'd let you go if you just gave me her method. You know what this means to me, so don't push me either."

"I know, I know!" Zhao Xing retorted angrily, "Who cares about that broken method anyway? If it weren't for the divine power restriction—I would have taught it to you long ago."

Wei Tianchen said no more. He knew he couldn't pressure Zhao Xing too much. But he wasn't so polite to Venerable Zhujian.

"Zhujian, this is your last warning. Zhao Xing is involved in my plan to attain godhood. If you dare to obstruct me again, you'll be obstructing my Dao, and you will be my sworn enemy, until death."

"You're just a rogue cultivator; you have no chance of resurrection. Although your sword skills are superb, if I'm willing to use my divine artifacts, killing you won't be difficult."

Venerable Zhujian didn't respond at all, lost in his thoughts. However, his first clash with Wei Tianchen ended with Wei Tianchen in a clear advantage. Zhao Xing knew it was impossible to rely on Zhujian to free himself for the time being. Fortunately, Wei Tianchen was still very useful at this point, so he wasn't in a hurry. The Xuanhuang World was full of pitfalls; he didn't believe Wei Tianchen could walk through it unhindered, and he would surely find an opportunity eventually!

"Let's go. I see you've both adapted well enough. According to our original plan, we'll continue flying southeast," Wei Tianchen urged them to move.

In the dark night, sparse starlight dimly illuminated the mountains. The three did not fly again, as after the skeletonization incident, they had arrived in a land with signs of life. Grass and trees appeared on the barren mountains, though withered, they at least proved that life had once existed.

After crossing a small ridge, they encountered a misty marsh, emanating a corrosive odor. Gigantic skeletal remains, like those of prehistoric creatures, lay everywhere, and faint roars seemed to echo from a distance. The three skeletons traversed the poisonous, misty marsh under the cover of night. After about three months, they finally saw something different.

"Fire! There's a light ahead!"

The three simultaneously saw pillars of fire soaring into the sky. The fire pillars erupted rhythmically; it was clearly not a natural fire but man-made. When the three got a bit closer, they crouched on a ridge and observed from afar, discovering it was a massive fire pit spanning over a dozen li.

Around the fire pit were many skeletal remains of various colors and forms, but none had the aura of true spirit flames. Zhao Xing vaguely felt a sense of familiarity with this fire pit, as if he had encountered it somewhere before. Venerable Zhujian also seemed to sense something unusual; the true spirit flame in his skull became noticeably more active.

"There seems to be someone ahead," Wei Tianchen said, pulling out a bronze mirror from his skeletal hand, which reflected the area around the fire pit.

Around the fire pit sat a fiery red gigantic skeleton, about sixteen or seventeen meters tall. Its head and limb bones were studded with red diamonds, embedded in its bone body like suns.

"He must also be a cultivator who has undergone some kind of transformation," Wei Tianchen speculated. "But his strength isn't particularly strong, probably around the level of a Six-Tribulation True Spirit."

"Shall we just go directly and capture him?" Zhao Xing suggested.

"Let's go directly," Wei Tianchen and Venerable Zhujian both agreed. The three skeletons swiftly ran towards it.

The fiery red giant skeleton was squatting by the fire pit, seemingly enjoying its warmth. When Zhao Xing and the others approached, it neither panicked nor fled. Instead, it spoke in a very familiar tone towards their rear: "You're too late. I've already killed all the Yanfang tribe's people. If you keep this up, I'll report it to the God-Venerable."

"I'll leave the soul crystal scavenging to you. I don't know how many more I need to collect before I can leave this damned place. These Tier Three soul crystals aren't enough... Wait, who are you?"