The Bone Well and the Nine Provinces

The elders from the God Village stood at the edge of the bone well, their faces etched with a mixture of awe and dread.

“Are you certain this well is a single spine?” Zhao Ying asked, her voice tinged with disbelief. The notion was too staggering—if true, the being whose skeleton this once was must have been a creature that towered between heaven and earth, a presence so vast it defied comprehension.

Li Mu’s expression was grave. “I observed it for a long time from below. There is no mistake. If we excavate the surrounding earth, we should find more of the giant bone.”

The two God Race elders moved with reverent caution, breaking apart the packed soil. What they uncovered only deepened their shock: a colossal bone, buried deep beneath the earth, its scale far exceeding the legacies of the legendary Sovereigns. They had heard the tales—Sovereigns could command all under heaven—but this skeleton seemed to dwarf even those mythic remains.

“How terrifying. If such a being still lived, its might would shake the world. And yet here it lies, fallen in obscurity.”

“Could this be the very Sovereign of that ancient kingdom that perished in this region?”

“No,” another elder countered. “The Sovereign’s frame should be smaller. Our ancestors lived through that age of terror under the Sovereign’s rule; they would not have mistaken the size.”

“Then… was the fall of that Sovereign kingdom connected to this buried giant?”

The two elders exchanged a look, fear flickering in their eyes. The discovery filled them with dread, and it made the World of the Dead seem even more unfathomable. Perhaps there was no true limit to the peak of power.

Li Mu turned his gaze toward the distant interior of the continent. His voice was low and heavy. “A Sovereign, once roused, can command the world. But that is only what we have seen. Who knows what horrors lurk in the deepest reaches? You and I have both ventured into the inner lands, risking death a hundred times. We saw those ancient cities, vast beyond measure, and felt their crushing pressure—power that must not be far below a Sovereign’s. And those cities were still nowhere near the very heart of the continent. One can only imagine what earth-shaking terrors dwell in the farthest depths.”

Zhao Ying nodded slowly. “The memory still chills me. Even with our cultivation, we barely escaped with our lives. What secrets does the deepest part of this dead world hold? What beings of heaven-and-earth-shattering power exist there?”

“It is precisely that mixture of mystery and terror that drives me to want to see it all,” Li Mu said with a sigh. “But we do not yet have the strength.”

Zhao Ying thought of their ancestors, the founders of the God Village. She said, “Our ancestors departed long ago and never returned. Did they discover some great secret, or did they meet with misfortune…?” She could not finish. To those in the God Village, it seemed clear that the great saints of old had perished. Why else would they never return, never send word?

The two elders fell silent. They began to rebury the giant bone, packing the earth firmly. Such a horrifying relic, if left exposed, could spark chaos. It had to be sealed away.

Just then, a burst of dazzling light erupted from the well water, pushing the two elders back.

Zhao Ying was not surprised, having heard of the phenomenon before. She asked, “When you descended to the bottom earlier, did your divine sense enter that legendary pure land of the Nine Provinces?”

Li Mu shook his head. “No. As I went deeper, I became more convinced that this well was formed from a giant vertebra. I turned back before reaching the very bottom. I wanted to confirm whether it was truly a spine.”

“We should investigate further,” Zhao Ying said.

The two elders retreated to the side, waiting in silence for Xiao Chen to return.

At the bottom of the bone well, Xiao Chen’s Red Diamond Bone Body lay still. The area around it sparkled with multicolored diamond bone shards, a hoard of treasure that held no trace of deathly yin aura. It looked more like a celestial treasure vault than a burial pit.

The divine fire within his skull was nearly extinguished, with only a single-point of spirit light shining through—a window into a dreamlike, seven-colored world.

Once again, he had entered the Nine Provinces. He appeared outside the City of the Dead, his form ethereal and mist-like. Though he looked like a mighty Skeleton King, he had no physical substance.

This time, he did not intend to linger. He was not here to revisit the mortal realm.

To test a certain thought, he gathered his battle intent to its peak. In that moment, his body felt as if it were solidifying. But the moment he raised his hand and executed a simple palm strike toward the sky, he vanished into thin air.

Through a hazy passage of light and space, he returned to the bottom of the bone well.

Xiao Chen now roughly understood the mechanism: to return, one had to exhaust the momentary energy gained upon entry, and a powerful divine force would pull them back.

Rejoining his Red Diamond Bone Body, the divine fire in his skull blazed back to life. Around him, multicolored diamond bone fragments were piled like mountains of the finest divine jade. He opened his spatial ring and began collecting them.

These were indeed a treasure for him. If traded, he could obtain powerful fire seeds. But the ring’s capacity was limited; he could not take all the diamond fragments. Still, what he gathered would be enough to meet his needs.

The two God Race elders waited by the well for a long time. The light rippling from the mouth gradually faded. After a while, a splash was heard, and Xiao Chen emerged from the water.

“Was it the same as last time?” Li Mu asked, barely containing his eagerness to descend again.

“Yes. To return, I had to exert every ounce of power and exhaust all the energy I had gained.”

Li Mu laughed heartily, his excitement barely contained. “The land of my dreams! The ancestral homeland of the Nine Provinces! I must see it for myself…” Without further delay, he leaped into the bone well.

The other elder, Zhao Ying, naturally remained behind. The two strongest of the God Village could not both venture into the unknown at once.

“Did you collect the diamond bone shards?” Zhao Ying asked.

Xiao Chen opened his spatial ring. A blaze of multicolored light flooded the courtyard, turning the drab space into a sea of radiance. These were no bones of the dead—they were a treasure hoard.

“So much. Enough for you to use for a time,” Zhao Ying said with a nod. She then added in surprise, “There are even fragments from true powerhouses among them. Those should be enough for you to advance several ranks.”

Xiao Chen felt a surge of joy, but quickly calmed himself. “I cannot rely entirely on them. Without the battle experience and insights gained from combat, I would be like a flower in a greenhouse—a single encounter with a real expert would spell disaster.”

“You understand well,” Zhao Ying said approvingly. “But do not worry too much. Using these diamond bones to trade for fire seeds will only let you advance a few ranks. Beyond that, you will need the terrifying fire seeds of the King level, which cannot be obtained by simply trading bone bodies.”

Xiao Chen and the God Race elder talked as they waited for Li Mu to return. After more than two hours, the light around the well mouth gradually dissipated.

With another splash, Li Mu shot out of the well, his demeanor wild with excitement. Even a veteran powerhouse of the God Race could barely contain himself; his body trembled. “Unbelievable… I actually entered that dreamlike world! There is no yin mist, no breath of death—only green peaks and clear valleys, majestic mountains and rivers, the very essence of heaven and earth…”

It took a long time for Li Mu’s excitement to cool, and he gave Zhao Ying a detailed account of what he had seen.

He finally stated that when he was about to return, his body had changed from insubstantial to substantial and he had lingered there for a while—unlike Xiao Chen, who vanished instantly.

This startled Xiao Chen. Could Li Mu actually stay in that world physically, and fight with his true power?

The three of them agreed that it was because Li Mu’s cultivation was far deeper.

Realizing this, Xiao Chen felt a fiery hope kindle in his chest. If he trained hard, the day might come when he could truly descend into the mortal world.

Later, Zhao Ying also entered the bone well to experience it for herself.

The implications of this discovery were earth-shattering for the denizens of the dead world. The two elders finally used their great divine power to lay down a forbidden formation, sealing the well so that only the three of them could enter.

Leaving the ancient, yin-infused building complex, Xiao Chen and the elders returned to the trading market in the city. Li Mu took the lead, using some of the rare multicolored diamond bone shards from Xiao Chen’s spatial ring to assemble a nearly complete skeleton, which he then traded for the powerful fire seed that Xiao Chen needed.

From the Red Diamond Bone Body to the Purple Diamond Bone Body required three transformations. Fire seeds of that level were extremely rare, even in a dead city. One per day was considered good fortune.

Those who sold such treasures were naturally formidable beings. Trades of rare fire seeds were not conducted in the open market; they took place in the eastern district’s lord’s manor. Without a powerhouse like Li Mu to vouch for him, Xiao Chen could never enter.

The assembled skeleton, predominantly purple diamond, gleamed with a blinding light. It was a rare treasure, as multicolored diamond bone bodies were the foundation for super-evolution—they allowed a fire seed being to advance rapidly and even granted the chance to become a Sovereign. Thus, the trade went smoothly, and both parties were satisfied.

This expedition had brought Xiao Chen immense benefits. His strength would rise sharply.

He did not forget Xiao Tianya and the God Race youths. Using some of the multicolored diamond bones, he bought each of them a gift they fancied.

“Do not come here to trade again for a while,” Zhao Ying warned on the way back. “The assembled purple diamond bone body today caused quite a stir among the fire seed beings. And you bought many items with diamond bones. Some strong ones may have taken notice.”

Li Mu nodded. “If you need to trade again, go to a more distant dead city.”

The two elders were seasoned and wise. Xiao Chen nodded in agreement.

“I want to go next time! I’ve never been to another city,” Xiao Tianya chirped, hopping along beside them. He knew the secret of the bone well.

“Little one, if you want to go farther, you’d better grow up fast,” teased one of the God Race youths. The company was filled with laughter and joy as they returned home heavily laden.

Back in the God Village, Xiao Chen shut himself in his room to refine the powerful fire seed. The divine fire danced and flickered within closed walls, its brilliant light streaming out for half the night, making the stars and moon outside seem dim.

When the morning sun rose, Xiao Chen pushed open the door. His body was as translucent as fine jade, polished like a precious agate. The dawn cast a holy radiance over his bones. He had successfully advanced one more rank, and his power had soared.

He marveled inwardly. The world of the dead was filled with unimaginable dangers, but it also held opportunities beyond anything in the Nine Provinces. In a single night, he had completed a transformation that would take years in the mortal world.

Xiao Chen settled into quiet cultivation for two months. During that time, he and the two God Race elders journeyed to the bone well again. The elders were driven by a dream—to one day return to the land of their ancestors.

Xiao Chen, meanwhile, tested how long he could remain substantial in the mortal world now that his power had increased. The result was satisfying: instead of vanishing instantly, he could stay for about five breaths.

With his preparations complete, he set out alone toward several cities to the east.

To advance again through trading, he had two options: acquire a fire seed one rank higher, or obtain thirty fire seeds of the same rank.

Exchanging for a higher-ranked fire seed was extremely difficult. Beings of that level were absolute powerhouses outside the continent’s core—they were not easily hunted down for trade, and the price in multicolored diamond bones would be astronomical.

He decided to gather thirty same-rank fire seeds. If trading alone did not yield enough, he could hunt for opponents of that rank in the wilderness outside the cities.

Daring not to venture too deep into the continent, Xiao Chen found five dead cities in the eastern region. After scouting, he selected three of them, where trades had to be conducted at the lord’s manor, which suited his purpose.

In Seven-Slayer City, the powerful being Dusse was delighted. Xiao Chen had killed a mortal enemy of his and traded the fire seed for a Purple Diamond Bone Body, granting Dusse the potential for super-evolution. But over the following half-month, Dusse watched one person after another exchange for Purple Diamond Bone Bodies, and his joy soured into fury.

Rarity brings value, but in just half a month, eleven Purple Diamond Bone Bodies had been traded in Seven-Slayer City. Dusse was livid. He reported the anomaly to the city lord and began lurking in the trading market, waiting to ambush this “fat sheep.”

Similar things happened in Broken-Army City and Greedy Wolf City.

In less than twenty days, nearly thirty nearly complete Purple Diamond Bone Body fire seed beings had flowed into these three cities, driving the market into a frenzy. The three city lords and many powerhouses turned their attention this way.

Every time he traded for a powerful fire seed, Xiao Chen immediately refined it. He knew the danger he was in, but this was a one-time transaction; he had to move fast and then vanish far away.

He sensed danger closing in. Though he was only five fire seeds short of another advancement, Xiao Chen decisively retreated without any hesitation.

But he was already under surveillance. Dusse from Seven-Slayer City had brought in his city’s formidable lord. They lay in wait on the road, intent on destroying Xiao Chen.