Chapter 30: The Bone Demon

“What sort of sneaky evil demons are we talking about? If such a thing existed, how could the Spirit Plate possibly show no signs? You aren’t just flattering her because she’s a pretty girl, are you?”

“……”

“Ah, Brother Zhe, never mind, never mind. Mr. Murong is just looking out for everyone’s safety; being cautious isn’t wrong. After all, he has walked back and forth down there alone several times, right…”

“Exactly! Mr. Murong, don’t take it to heart. Brother Zhe is just blunt, but he truly respects your strength.”

As the debate escalated into personal attacks, the other two disciples of Guiyuan Sect saw things were getting out of hand and quickly intervened, pulling the leader away.

The middle-aged man in white shook his head helplessly.

“I’m not angry; it’s just that this Brother Du Zhe is underestimating this place too much. Such an attitude can easily… Hmm?”

Before he could finish, Murong Yun suddenly stopped speaking, turning sharply as his pupils dilated!

Because the charm he wore to sense danger abruptly transformed into a ball of green flame for no apparent reason!

“Everyone, be careful!!!”

“Creak, creak, creak, creak, creak!!!”

As Murong Yun tore away the useless talisman and shouted a warning, the Spirit Plate in Du Zhe’s hand began to vibrate violently, the spoon’s handle on top oscillating erratically.

It wasn’t pointing toward a specific location; instead, it spun aimlessly like some compass in a strong magnetic field, resembling a frightened bird that could no longer determine direction.

No, there was another explanation.

They were surrounded by enemies.

“Zhe, Brother Zhe, the Spirit Plate…”

“Of course, I see it!”

Even the slowest person would have realized the impending crisis. Though Du Zhe was arrogant, his response was immediate. He raised his hand without hesitation!

A copper sword spun rapidly in his grasp, and without turning his head, he shouted!

“Form the Three Qi Guiyuan Formation!”

“Oh!”

“Good!”

The other two, dressed in blue, obviously had practiced with him for a long time. With perfect timing, as Du Zhe commanded, they stepped behind him, each positioning themselves to form the formation, three copper swords pointing towards the sky, quickly creating a simple yet complete array at their feet.

“Three Qi Guiyuan!”

A blue halo spread from the formation they stood upon, transforming into some sort of barrier that moved with them, enveloping the space.

However, Vilyric was somewhat surprised; despite all the loud arguments and disdain for the temporary team members, now facing combat, this guy actually protected everyone within the formation.

This consumed a lot more than just covering themselves; the priestess had thought he would be more selfish.

Well, it seemed at least the three of them weren’t plotting anything devious.

Suddenly, a chilling wind rushed in.

“Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…”

“Yikes!”

A cold, biting wind swirled through the jagged depths of the underground gorge, weaving through the hollows and cracks, emitting sounds like the wailing of spirits. The girl from the young couple was so frightened she instinctively curled up and hid behind the boy.

With no escape, Murong Yun also took a stance, vigilantly scanning the changes around, trying to locate the attacker and see their true form.

But at that moment, Ling Feng suddenly shouted.

“Mr. Murong! To the left!”

“What!?”

Following her warning, Murong Yun rolled to the side without a second thought, and in the next instant, a skeletal claw burst out from the rock behind him, reaching for where his heart should be.

“Creak!”

The pale bony fingers clashed in the air, emitting a bone-chilling sound. Though Ling Feng did not move, Bai’er immediately drew her sword and swiftly sliced through the bone.

It fell to the ground, twitching a few times like a severed tail before becoming still.

“Hey, what kind of fierce demon dares to intrude on our Guiyuan Sect’s Three Qi Guiyuan Formation?!”

Du Zhe, the blue-robed cultivator, maintained the formation beneath their feet, trying to shield against the surging malevolent aura and unseen evil, casting a shocked glance at the fallen claw nearby, as if he couldn’t quite believe it.

“It’s a Bone Demon, an exceptionally stealthy evil creature. These bone demons are quite the challenge; they can conceal their demonic energy to such an extent… Thank you for the reminder, Miss Ling Feng. Everyone, be careful, and don’t get too close to the walls and protruding rocks.”

Gratefully, Murong Yun clasped his hands towards Ling Feng, quickly provided his assessment, and turned his focus back to the surroundings, preparing for another potential attack.

A Bone Demon, huh…

Vilyric had indeed heard this name before; it wasn’t something particularly impressive, but when it came to the Ancient Spirit Realm… it became a bit different.

These demons typically appear on battlefields where many lives have been lost, like mass graves, transformed skeletons nourished by resentment and evil energy to regain the ability to move.

To put it simply, they could be called skeleton monsters.

However, on another continent, skeletons are mainly created through necromancy or similar forces, like the Forgotten Land which had been leveled by some Little Dragon Daughter.

Most skeletons are the lowest level of undead creatures, only able to be manipulated or wander around by instinct.

But the Bone Demons of the Ancient Spirit Realm are entirely different.

The key lies in the essence of the earth that leads to the emergence of “demons.”

This energy, drifting between heaven and earth, nourishes all things and can awaken lifeless entities over time. Most human cultivators enhance their powers by absorbing this energy through specific practices.

To put it absurdly, the essence of the earth can almost nurture all things.

Yet this essence, after being transformed by a power in the Ancient Spirit Realm, results in a kind of malevolent energy that births twisted beings—leading to the emergence of Bone Demons that are similar to skeletons but even stronger, more dangerous, and even cunning.

This process should be consistent with the cause of the surge of evil energy across the land due to the Holy Moon’s emergence, but to this day, Vilyric could not figure out what kind of power caused the essence of the earth to become chaotic.

“It seems these are probably the bodies of those who fell and drowned over the years in this tidal gorge, turned into demons under the malevolent energy. There must be a considerable number of these bone monsters.”

Listening to Ling Feng’s murmurs from not far away, Vilyric nodded but did not give a clear response.

The next moment.

“Ah! Protect, protect!!!”

A sudden panicked scream came from behind.

Even without looking back, the priestess knew it was the girl from the young couple, hiding at the back.

Despite Murong Yun’s warning to avoid the rocks and walls, this girl was as oblivious as a fool, leaning right against the wall, and was directly grabbed by an outstretched skeletal claw, yelping in pain, even failing to form coherent words in her fright.

Hey, hey, where did this lady of high society come from?

   

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