The Blue-Crystal Skeleton

A shrill, blood-chilling roar came from a distant, unknown region. It was not a spiritual fluctuation but a true howl, instantly silencing the clamorous area around the surging spiritual waves.

Unquestionably, an extremely powerful existence was present. Xiao Chen halted atop the giant mountain as well. Night was the time when flame-seed beings were most active. If he rushed forward, he might encounter danger. This outer world seemed even more perilous than the dark forest, with stronger flame-seed beings lurking.

He had to plan carefully, or he would never survive. What he needed most now was to make his own flame-seed burn more fiercely and strive to improve his strength. Only by constantly growing could he survive.

As expected, after a brief silence, the "deathly night" of the flame-seed beings descended.

The strong began to strike, the weak to resist. On the plain before the giant mountain, flame-seeds flickered like fireflies, scattered across various zones.

The firefly lights grew more numerous; howling soundwaves came continuously, shattering the stillness. The most terrifying existences in this domain no longer restrained them—this was the night they were destined to roam.

Under the night sky, the vast plain seemed dotted with faint, dying stars, as if the heavens had mirrored themselves upon the earth.

Standing at the peak, Xiao Chen looked down at the countless flame-seeds below, calculating in his mind. Within each area of the plain, several flame-seeds burned exceptionally brightly, moving with incredible speed, streaking across the night like meteors.

These were formidable foes. Xiao Chen realized that the "king" he had been in the dark forest was no longer a king out here. His advantage was gone; every region held existences more powerful than kings.

And if he pressed deeper into the continent, the disparity would likely grow even greater. Especially since, within a hundred li, several bone halls stood, making him acutely aware of the threat to his survival.

At this moment, he did not join the brutal competition as before. Instead, he sat atop the mountain peak, silently thinking, formulating a plan for survival and growth, considering how to truly revive.

The pure white moonlight flowed like water, coating the entire mountain in a milky halo. Light mist swirled gently—ethereal, hazy, harmonious, and serene.

Xiao Chen gazed up at the bright moon in the sky, his white bones glistening with crystalline light under the moonbeams.

Only at dawn did the restless plain gradually quiet down. The flame-seed beings dispersed, their flickering lights extinguishing as they hid.

The darkness before dawn was especially still. When day broke, Xiao Chen rose and began to descend the mountain.

At dawn, the empty, desolate plain lay shrouded in deathly silence, with faint mist curling. Ahead, white bones stretched like snow, painting the earth a world of white.

There were bones of all kinds—many from savage beasts, ranging from one or two meters to over ten meters in length. What shocked Xiao Chen was the number of human skeletons as well. Amid the endless bones lay corroded swords, nearly obliterated armor, heavily eroded, leaving only fragments.

It resembled an ancient battlefield. Could there be a human world ahead? Xiao Chen's heart leaped.

As the morning sun rose, it slowly dispersed the mist, but could not change the world's oppressive death. Sunlight scattered among the bones, and the battlefield lay quiet.

Xiao Chen noticed that most of the bones lacked flame-seeds; they were failures, devoured by stronger beings long ago. However, he also sensed flame-seed beings lurking beneath many bone piles, some of them powerful. They simply disliked sunlight and were accustomed to moving at night.

"Crash."

Using his hard bone blade, Xiao Chen pried open a pile of bones, exposing a moderately strong flame-seed being below. As it lunged, he split its skull with a single blow and absorbed the flame-seed.

Growth! He needed rapid growth. Defying the flame-seed beings' aversion to daytime activity, he began an intensive harvest of powerful flame-seeds.

For dozens of li around, there were only white bones—no trace of life. Further ahead stood a towering bone hall, clearly a forbidden zone that ordinary flame-seed beings dared not approach.

Xiao Chen assessed the situation. To advance, he needed corresponding strength, or he would only court death.

Thus, he gradually calmed down, just as he had in the dark forest—patient and unhurried, focusing on becoming stronger.

Time flowed like a shuttle. A full year passed in a flash. Day and night, he roamed the surrounding areas, avoiding the restricted zones and harvesting flame-seeds in safe territory.

At last, Xiao Chen advanced again. His flame-seed blazed fiercely within his skull, burning like a bright star in the night. Moreover, his own bones began to grow again—from the skull and neck down to the collarbones and shoulder blades—crystal clear as jade, replacing the parts he had pieced together.

This was a true transformation.

But as he grew stronger, trouble followed. His blazing flame-seed emanated the aura of a powerful being, easily detected by others, and he faced constant life-or-death challenges.

Against opponents of similar strength, every clash was a fight to the death. An ordinary flame-seed being could hardly remain victorious and absorb enough flame-seeds to advance.

Xiao Chen, however, had an advantage. His past and present lives had merged; he remembered his former combat techniques. Though without qi to power devastating energy, his agility and skill remained, maximizing his combat effectiveness.

At the same time, he began to ponder how to suppress the brilliant radiance of his flame-seed. After months of experimentation, he gradually found a method.

He noticed that some powerful flame-seed beings possessed the same ability, proving they were no longer mere skeletal creatures—they had awakened intelligence.

Another two years passed. Xiao Chen had defeated thirty powerful flame-seed beings of the same level and advanced once more. His flame-seed had grown stronger, and the upper half of his skeleton had been completely replaced by his own jade-like bones. The true bones belonging to him grew faster.

"Roar…"

From the direction of the bone hall, dozens of li away, a terrifying roar came, shaking the flame-seed beings for miles and making them tremble.

Xiao Chen sensed the anomaly and listened intently. The roar sounded again—a battle between extremely powerful existences ahead, fighting to the death over flame-seeds.

This was a brutal and realistic path of growth.

The howls grew more savage; the battle was fierce.

Xiao Chen stood under the night sky, gazing into the distance. Then, gripping his hard bone blade, he strode resolutely forward across the bone field, his eyes growing brighter, targeting the bone hall dozens of li away.

This was a rare opportunity. The most powerful flame-seed beings of the region were locked in combat. If he let this slip, he would regret it for years.

The moonlight was bright. In the ancient battlefield, points of flame flickered—the cruel night of the flame-seed beings.

Now, besides his inability to fly, Xiao Chen's speed had become like lightning. He moved without a sound, no longer stiff, his joints silent.

He had transformed into a powerful warrior. Except for the masters within the bone halls, he was the strongest king within a hundred li.

Xiao Chen shot across the night like a meteor, his body a beam of light cutting through the white bone plain. Dozens of li seemed no distance at all; he arrived swiftly, bone blade in hand.

The bone hall, constructed entirely of white bones, soared over ten meters high, shaped like a demon's skull. Its gate was the demon's open maw, seeming to roar, exuding a sinister aura that frightened all flame-seed beings nearby.

But the hall had been half demolished. Not far away, two powerful flame-seed beings were locked in violent combat. Dust and smoke surged into the sky; rocks flew, and the surrounding bones were ground to white powder.

One of them had a pair of rotting wings, its frame about the size of a human, but its white bones shimmered with a resplendence that seemed to condense starlight—like the skeleton of a fallen angel.

The other was shaped like a giant spider, as large as a house, its bones stark white, its flame-seed blazing like raging fire. A very peculiar and terrifying being—how could a spider have true bones? It must have assembled them itself, which, nourished by a powerful flame-seed, had grown into this strange form.

Among the two, the bone angel was the master of this hall, now on the losing side. The gigantic bone spider's eight legs moved like eight sharp longswords, forming a dense net of blades. Its snow-white radiance was dazzling under the moonlight; even the slightest touch would pulverize bones and boulders—truly unstoppable.

The angel-formed being was also powerful, wielding two thick bone swords, but it was gradually losing. It relied on its rotting wings, able to fly low, compensating for its combat weakness through mobility.

Clearly, they had been fighting for a long time. The area around them had been leveled; anything they touched was ground to dust.

At that moment, the eight-legged bone spider was suddenly knocked over. Two long, snowy bone swords came crashing down; the bone angel's eyes blazed with divine fire.

But then, the unexpected happened. The bone spider spread all eight legs, using seven to block the swords and the angel's stomping feet, while its eighth leg shot upward, swift and decisive, tearing the angel's rotting wings and sending it crashing into the dust.

Close-quarters combat began. The two powerful beings tangled, rolling in the dust, their flame-seeds flaring brilliantly, each trying to devour the other.

Both had suffered severe damage. Cracks appeared in their gleaming frames.

Xiao Chen watched silently, waiting for the perfect moment.

But at that moment, a violent, terrifying wave swept over. An immense, ferocious lion skeleton—the size of several elephants combined—came charging. The ground trembled with its steps, and twin beams of divine fire shot from its eyes, aimed directly at the bone angel and the giant spider.

Xiao Chen was not the only one playing the opportunist. This enormous Lion King skeleton was no weaker than the bone angel or the eight-legged spider; it was likely a master from another bone hall.

Within a hundred li, there were four giant bone halls, ruled by the four most powerful beings of this battlefield.

The Lion King wanted to swoop in and claim the spoils, but the bone angel and the giant spider were intelligent flame-seed beings, awakened for years. They immediately made the smartest decision: breaking apart and attacking the Lion King simultaneously.

For years, the four halls had stood, and the four powerful flame-seed beings had exercised restraint, never attacking each other. But everything changed tonight, erupting into a bloody conflict.

Though both had been severely wounded, the bone angel and the giant spider, two against one, still held their own. The Lion King had moved too early, resulting in a stalemate.

"Boom…"

Rocks flew, dust filled the air. The three terrifying flame-seed beings fought a pitched battle, destroying everything around them with devastating force.

The battle raged for half an hour. Finally, all three skeletal bodies shattered—even their skulls were cracked. The three terrifying beings lay in pieces on the ground, unable to overcome each other.

This was the perfect chance. Xiao Chen knew that if he rushed over, he could harvest their flame-seeds.

But he did not act rashly. He knew there were four bone halls within a hundred li; only three kings had come so far. The fourth was missing. If that one was lurking in the shadows, going out now would mean certain death.

"Roar…"

A low roar sounded. A pile of bones split apart, and a tall flame-seed being burst forth, rushing swiftly toward the three fallen kings.

Then, from all directions, seven more powerful flame-seeds leaped out, all charging into the fray.

A fierce battle erupted there. The eight powerful flame-seed beings fought, struggled, and clashed, while the three kings, though their skulls were nearly shattered, did not resign themselves to death. They fought back savagely; even with only their heads, they used their powerful flame-seeds to annihilate three of the charging beings.

But in the end, the three kings had their skulls shattered, their flame-seeds scattered. The five surviving beings began a frenzied battle over the precious flame-seeds.

Xiao Chen was puzzled. Why had the fourth king not appeared? If it came out now, it could easily claim the spoils. Had it truly not come?

As he watched the five powerful beings fall one by one, until only two remained, barely standing, Xiao Chen hesitated no longer and charged in decisively.

The two survivors were already weaker than him, and both were grievously wounded—spent forces. How could they withstand Xiao Chen, who had been conserving his strength?

The bone blade traced a terrifying white arc, like a comet illuminating the earth. Though no blade-light appeared, it condensed Xiao Chen's intent—truly fearsome.

With one masterful slash, he shattered one of the cracked skeletons completely, leaving only scattered flame-seed fragments.

A second slash severed the legs of the other skeleton, then an oblique cut split its skull in two.

The battlefield fell silent. Though many weaker flame-seed beings watched from afar, none dared approach. This was a feast for the strong.

Xiao Chen absorbed the flame-seeds swiftly, using his bone blade to pierce all the shattered skulls and gather the remaining flame-seeds.

He felt unsafe here. He collected all the flame-seeds and prepared to find a place to absorb them. Even during his retreat, he began absorbing, wasting no time.

Only after he had left the battlefield a hundred li and approached the giant mountain did he stop to absorb the flame-seeds fully. It took several hours to absorb the bone angel's flame-seed completely.

The moment he finished, a divine flame blazed within his skull, so brilliant it shot out from his cranium, like a dazzling ray of starlight piercing the sky.

Then the resplendent light coalesced into a blazing beam that shot back into his skull.

At the same time, a faint halo enveloped his entire body.

The pelvis and lower limbs that were not his own shattered instantly. Then the crystalline upper frame began to extend downward, growing rapidly. Finally, the pelvis and legs took shape, fully formed.

In that moment, his entire body shone. Every bone in his body sparkled with radiance. All the bones truly belonging to him had grown out.

They were far harder than the assembled skeleton. When he waved his hands, they cut like blades, easily piercing the rock beside him.

"Roar…"

Xiao Chen could not help but let out a long howl. His spiritual fluctuations spread in all directions, and no one dared to respond. In the distance, many weaker flame-seed beings watched in fear.

Unquestionably, Xiao Chen had ascended to become a terror king of this region, now on par with the masters of the four bone halls.

But three of those masters lay dead here. Xiao Chen wasted no time; he began absorbing the flame-seeds of the bone spider and the giant Lion King.

Having already advanced to this level, he did not need long to absorb the scattered flame-seeds of the two powerful beings.

Of course, he did not neglect the other flame-seeds he had brought back.

Though he needed to harvest thirty kings of the same level to break through again, after absorbing these flame-seeds, Xiao Chen still underwent a remarkable change.

When his flame-seed fluctuated, it blazed like a scorching sun; when still, it was serene as a holy moon. His entire skeleton began to emit a blue radiance, undergoing a stunning transformation, translucent as blue crystal.

One might even describe it as blue diamond—truly beautiful, luminous, sparkling under the star and moon light.

Xiao Chen had no idea why this transformation occurred. He picked up the hard bone blade that had accompanied him for years, then pinched it with two fingers. With a soft snap, the thick blade broke soundlessly, as if severed by a divine knife, the cross-section smooth as polished.

His powerful skeleton, carved from blue diamond, was unimaginably hard, radiating crystalline light.

Xiao Chen discarded the bone blade. Now his own translucent form was the mightiest weapon—this body was truly his own.

Having completely abandoned the borrowed bones of others, Xiao Chen felt his entire blue-gleaming frame exceptionally agile and powerful, as if one punch could shatter a mountain.

Though lost in the Demon Well world, Xiao Chen felt no despair. On the contrary, he was filled with confidence. This was a sacred ground for cultivation. If he continued like this, he might reach an unimaginable realm.

Under the moonlight, he took a step forward, his gaze fixed on the last bone hall a hundred li away.

Now that he was so powerful, he no longer feared the terror king there. He wanted to test just how strong he had become.

All the flame-seed beings on the road were intimidated by his oppressive aura, cowering and retreating in submission.

After harvesting that king's flame-seed, it would be time to set out again.