The Stone Statue Rises from the Sea

Divine radiance blazed down from the void, illuminating every corner of the world with dazzling light. Xiao Chen's entire being was crystalline and translucent, his flesh suffused with sacred aura.

For dozens of li around, all the flame creatures prostrated themselves in that direction, paying homage to a king.

Only the Red Diamond Skeleton wore a sorrowful look, sighing long into the void. Now that he was a rank lower than Xiao Chen, he knew he would never escape the other's grasp.

"Go and refine the other two powerful flames," Xiao Chen said, unwilling to treat him poorly.

"Really?" The Red Diamond King was overjoyed. Of the three mighty flames, he would end up with two—no loss at all.

Xiao Chen did not turn back to look at him. He strode forward, and the surviving flame creatures prostrated themselves on the ground, trembling in fear—the terrible pressure of a strong being terrified them to the extreme.

No obstacle in front could stop him. With a light swing of his bone blade, massive stone tables and chairs turned to dust. Xiao Chen walked straight ahead; even walls blocked his way melted like snow under the blazing sun, dissolving in an instant.

He advanced by instinct, shattering all obstruction, until he came to a gloomy hall. It had originally been a hidden chamber, but the blade's devastating power had exposed it. In the deathly still hall, only a stone table stood, upon which rested a jade gourd.

Xiao Chen strode over, grabbed it, and twisted open the stopper. A surge of emerald light shot up, tingeing the entire hall green.

It was Life Source Liquid! For flame creatures, this was a supreme essence—it could purify the flame, filter out baleful energy, make the source power immaculate, and enhance the potential of a flame creature.

Xiao Chen studied it in his hand, then replaced the stopper and dropped it into his spatial ring. If he absorbed it now, it would indeed make his flame extremely pure and boost his combat strength by a tier, since this was a divine liquid that could return to the origin. But absorbing it now would be somewhat wasteful, because his path of transformation was far from complete; he would continue to refine flames in the future. Even if he purified his flame now, he could not preserve that state. Xiao Chen decided it would be best to reach a stronger realm before absorbing this divine liquid.

"What excellent fortune!" The Red Diamond Skeleton had just finished refining the two flames and arrived just in time to see this. He wailed again: "Heaven envies talent! If I had come a few days earlier… Alas!"

"Look at you, so petty. This isn't such a rare thing. Stick with me, and you'll never lack for good fortune."

The Red Diamond King was taken aback. This fellow actually used the word "stick"—was he the same kind of person? Had he boarded the wrong ship? But seeing Xiao Chen's current strength, he had to accept reality: "Boss, after your promotion your power has increased by a large margin. If you advance one more rank, you'll transform into a Purple Diamond King. Then we can conquer cities and seize territory in this world of the dead!"

His eye sockets burned with fervent light. Refining powerful flame creatures, conquering cities in the world of the dead, leading an army to the depths of the continent—that had always been his goal.

"Let's go. First, leave this place." Xiao Chen swung his blade. The thick wall of the gloomy ancient castle crashed open, revealing a huge opening. Moonlight streamed in, and he stepped outside.

The bright moonlight flooded the silent plain. All the flame creatures had retreated far away; nothing blocked their path.

"What do you know about Life Source Liquid?" Xiao Chen asked on the road.

"It's said to be extracted from divine races, though some claim it can be refined from plants and animals. I don't know the specifics. I only know it's very beneficial for flame creatures. Strange…" The Red Diamond King seemed to recall something, then pondered for a moment. "In the remote territories, Life Source Liquid appears from time to time, as if a major force is secretly cultivating promising flame creatures. Could it be that they're planning something?"

Xiao Chen was startled. "If what you say is true, someone seems to be grooming potential strong fighters. This is no simple matter."

Beyond the cities, in those remote lands, a powerhouse of Xiao Chen's level was extremely rare. No flame creature could block the duo, and they soon returned to the Divine Village without delay.

The Red Diamond King had been somewhat hesitant at first, not daring to approach, never expecting Xiao Chen to have such close ties with the divine race. But he quickly adjusted his mindset.

"Skeleton Sir, you're back…" Little Tianya came bouncing over. He tilted his head at the Red Diamond King. "Who are you?"

Some of the divine race youths also looked at the Red Diamond King with curiosity.

"He's a companion I found for you. You're always complaining that nobody plays with you, aren't you? Now I've brought one for you."

"Oh, oh, wonderful!" The boy was overjoyed, but the Red Diamond King wailed: "I have to babysit? Ah… Questions: how much sorrow can one man bear? Like a river in spring flowing east—to the endless despair! Questions: how much sorrow can one man bear? Like a troop of eunuchs mounting the whorehouse stairs! Questions: how much sorrow can one man bear? Like a proud son of heaven weeping hot tears!"

Xiao Chen smacked him on the skull with his bone blade, silencing him at once.

Nearby, the divine race youths found him very amusing and crowded around, laughing and staring.

The Red Diamond King regretted everything. How had he ended up being captured and made a younger brother? Forces here to entertain brats—it was unspeakable.

"Don't worry, I won't let you suffer." Xiao Chen came over and patted his shoulder. "Stick with me, and you'll benefit plenty." With that, he led the Red Diamond King back to his dwelling. Only Little Tianya followed; the other divine race youths did not come in.

Xiao Chen opened his spatial ring, and with a crash, a pile of colored-diamond bones tumbled out, startling the Red Diamond King.

"I think you know the value of these colored diamonds. I can provide them in large quantities, enough to let you advance in rank quickly. You call yourself a wandering poet—you must have traveled far and wide. You should be able to sell these safely and smoothly, shouldn't you?"

"Oh," Tianya breathed, his eyes full of little stars, knowing the worth of colored-diamond bones.

"No problem. From now on, you're my true big brother!" The Red Diamond King was genuinely awed. When he saw Xiao Chen assemble two almost-complete Purple Diamond skeletons, he glimpsed a whole new path of evolution and said excitedly: "*** So this is how you advance! Hahaha… If nothing else, no one knows the cities better than I do. Finding me to trade with is the best choice!"

Xiao Chen had given him hope, and naturally needed his service. He carefully produced a pale-yellow crystalline skull. "Can you sell this?"

"A Yellow Diamond skull?!" The Red Diamond King cried out in surprise. He stretched out his trembling hands to touch it. "A Yellow Diamond flame creature hasn't appeared in many years. Even if one did, it would have already ventured into the depths of the continent. I never thought I'd see one today."

"That's right. This is a king's skull, superior to Purple Diamond. You know its value. It's not a limb bone but a true skull. Whoever controls it has a chance to transform into a complete Golden-Bone body."

The Red Diamond King naturally understood its value. Evolutionaries like themselves—colored-diamond flame creatures—were extremely rare. If a non-colored-diamond creature obtained a colored-diamond skull, even though it wasn't a complete skeleton, with luck they could evolve a lower body. But of course, they weren't true evolutionary masters; such bone-changers would find it difficult to advance further in colored diamond, and most would remain at that color forever.

A single Yellow Diamond skull meant a complete Golden-Bone body. It was the ultimate desire of those terrifyingly powerful Bone Kings. If one didn't go deep into the continent, a Yellow Diamond flame creature was an absolute invincible king in the outer regions.

"This… is difficult…" The Red Diamond King stared for a long time before speaking. "Yellow Diamond is three ranks above Purple Diamond, and I'm two ranks below Purple Diamond. Seeking a trade with a Bone King of that level is dangerous without sufficient strength."

"You don't have to trade with the absolute top-tier kings. As for the flames I'll get in exchange, I don't require high quality—just one rank above me, Purple Diamond, is enough."

"Alright, I'll do my best." The Red Diamond King agreed readily. He was hoping to advance one rank quickly by following Xiao Chen.

"I need to go out and handle some matters. You should visit the various cities and see which experts are suitable for trading." Xiao Chen instructed the Red Diamond Skeleton to contact potential traders and planned, upon his return, to have the two elders of the divine race escort and protect him. He knew that trading bones for flames would only work up to the Purple Diamond rank; higher-tier flames could not be bartered. At that level, only life-and-death battles could spur real evolution.

"When we both evolve to Purple Diamond, who'll be a match for us? We'll capture a few cities, carve out a vast fiefdom, and become regional overlords—just thinking about it gets me excited!" The Red Diamond Skeleton began to dream.

"When you find a good buyer, we'll advance together."

Xiao Chen paid his respects to the two elders of the divine race and set out. He was going to descend through the Bone Well again to return to the Nine Provinces.

Traveling alone, he entered the city where a king had once fallen. Nothing unusual happened. The Bone Well had already been concealed by a formation. Xiao Chen followed the prescribed steps, entered, and jumped into the well.

Ripples of radiance surged within the Bone Well. Xiao Chen sank to the bottom, felt a flash of seven-colored light, and the vast, familiar breath of the Nine Provinces rushed toward him. The dreamlike world spun endlessly, and then he crossed into the Nine Provinces once more.

He still emerged before the Dead City, his form materializing. No longer as agitated as when he first came, Xiao Chen calmly walked a full circuit around the ancient city, then strode away.

Avoiding the soldiers guarding the Dead City, he traveled east along the Yellow River.

After all, his current body was a Red Diamond skeleton. In this form, he could not enter a town by day, or he would be taken for a monster. From west to east, he traveled by night and slept by day, mostly crossing uninhabited wilds to avoid frightening mortals.

The spiritual energy of the Nine Provinces was now dense and palpable, completely different from the past. The famous mountains and great rivers were veiled in immortal mists; all the blessed caves and celestial abodes had been claimed by the various major sects.

Xiao Chen wanted to know what had happened over the years. He wanted to find Keke, to know how the Little Defiant Dragon was doing, to learn the fates of Liu Mu, Niu Ren, Jin Sanyi, and the others.

"Where is that greedy little one?" Thinking of Keke, he inevitably thought of Qingqing. That ethereal, pure maiden was forever etched in his heart. Every time he recalled her, he fell silent for a long time.

He had come back to life through an unusual rebirth in the world of the dead. Often he would silently pray that one day Qingqing would reappear in the world.

In his current state, Xiao Chen could hardly approach crowds. This was a severe handicap, preventing him from learning everything he wanted to know. Moreover, he dared not seize anyone to interrogate, because once he used his power, the time he could stay in the Nine Provinces would be severely limited.

He drifted like a ghost, from Mount Heng to Mount Song to Mount Tai, but could only gaze from afar…

Looking at the familiar land, he felt an intimate warmth. But now he had become this. Recalling the past, everything seemed like a dream.

He had once fought invincibly across the land, yet now he could only drift like a specter, avoiding the crowds and appearing in the shadows. His heart was filled with complex, unutterable emotions.

Dejected, he wandered at night for days without finding any trace of his old friends, not knowing where they were now.

Finally, Xiao Chen decided to go to the imperial capital. He would fight one battle there and then return to the world of the dead.

If he could not find his friends of those years, at least he could find some of his enemies.

The imperial capital rose grandly before him. The palace, with its red walls and green tiles, carved beams and painted rafters, had been rebuilt even more magnificently than before.

Xiao Chen had once stormed this place alone, wielding the Golden Divine Halberd, with no one daring to stand in his way. But now he could only creep through the darkness, entering with caution.

Within the imperial garden, ancient pines and verdant cypresses stood tall, ancient vines coiled around, and exotic flowers and rare herbs exuded intoxicating fragrances. Odd rocks were arranged, small bridges arched over flowing streams, and pavilions were set in graceful repose—a harmonious, lively scene.

In the garden, Xiao Chen saw an old enemy: Zhao Lin'er. This empress, who had feigned death, was ageless, still peerlessly beautiful, her charm unmatched under heaven. Now that she ruled the Nine Provinces, she carried the imperial authority of a sovereign.

Her graceful figure seemed carved from peerless jade, exquisite to the utmost. Her slender legs moved gracefully as she walked in this direction, like a holy immortal swaying in the breeze.

Beside Zhao Lin'er stood another person: the Nine-Headed Serpent. His body gave off a faint radiance, like a divine armor protecting his exterior. He was discussing something with Zhao Lin'er.

Xiao Chen concealed himself deep in the garden, motionless, listening intently.

"I never thought that Inverse Dragon King would be so terrifying, that even you could not gain an advantage." Zhao Lin'er's voice was alluring, magnetic.

The Nine-Headed Serpent's cultivation had clearly reached an ethereal realm; the divine glow around his body was not deliberately released but flowed naturally. He said, "I didn't expect him to have reached such a level. Next time, I will cut the roots, or else letting him live is always a great threat."

"Ye Jiuchong and the other four Qi Refiners have already arrived in the capital. You can act together with them. The Inverse Dragon King will surely die."

The Nine-Headed Serpent frowned. "I want to duel him one more time."

Zhao Lin'er reminded him, "Better to eliminate him quickly, lest complications arise. I heard that the crybaby little beast appeared half a year ago. If those two meet, they could become an invincible pair under heaven."

"That crybaby little thing is indeed terrifying. I don't know its origin, but whenever it appears, that Golden Lion King will show up and fight it to the death." The Nine-Headed Serpent looked east. "The Inverse Dragon King has been at the Eastern Sea for the past few days. I'll leave tonight to meet him."

Zhao Lin'er said, "I'll notify Ye Jiuchong and the others to assist you."

"It's not that I'm unwilling to join forces with them to kill the Inverse Dragon King, but he is extremely fast. If we gang up on him, he'll surely hide."

"That's fine. You go first. I'll have Ye Jiuchong and the others head out later."

Under the night, the Nine-Headed Serpent turned into a beam of light and flew away.

Zhao Lin'er watched his back and sneered coldly, "Deceiving me? We're just using each other. You're holding back too much." Then she ordered into the darkness, "Tell Ye Jiuchong and the others to move out."

Xiao Chen was furious. Zhao Lin'er was so venomous! After all these years, she dared to go after the Little Defiant Dragon. He wanted to strike immediately, but in the end, he held himself back. He was no longer the Xiao Chen of those years. His combat power could only manifest in a flash, and he was not certain he could kill with one blow. Moreover, there were several extremely powerful experts hidden in the darkness protecting Zhao Lin'er. Now was not the optimal moment.

Once Zhao Lin'er left the garden, Xiao Chen transformed into a bolt of lightning and left the capital, rushing east. With his Purple Diamond Divine Wings granting him flight and extreme speed, he reached the Eastern Sea by dawn.

At that moment, he sensed something deep in the ocean calling to him. Greatly astonished, Xiao Chen entered the deep sea.

At the same time, many cultivators in the vast ocean felt an extremely powerful energy fluctuation and all converged toward the same region.

The Eastern Sea was always a place of conflict, with frequent battles among strong fighters. Among them, the Inverse Dragon King had been challenging experts of the Nine Provinces for many days, drawing countless of the world's top fighters.

Xiao Chen spotted Dragon Island, but it seemed to be suffused with an overwhelmingly powerful force, preventing outsiders from approaching. For years, no dragons had emerged. The island was misty and indistinct, and occasionally he heard earth-shaking roars.

No one underestimated this island. When the dragons truly emerged one day, the power structure of the world would be completely rewritten.

Skirting Dragon Island, Xiao Chen continued deeper into the sea.

Along the way, many experts were flying forward, all sensing a terrifying energy fluctuation.

When Xiao Chen arrived, he found the sea surface already packed with human figures. The overseas regions were naturally home to many powerful cultivators, and the current convergence of events caused numerous strong individuals to emerge.

Xiao Chen saw the Inverse Dragon King and also the Nine-Headed Serpent. They were confronting each other but had not yet attacked. Their gazes kept drifting to the sea surface. The gathered experts were not drawn solely by the impending battle between two kings; everyone's eyes were fixed on that patch of sea. The terrifying fluctuations emanated from there.

From experience, many believed a spirit treasure was about to appear.

In his current state, Xiao Chen could only watch from a distant, unoccupied spot.

"Boom!"

At that moment, the sea began to rage violently, churning up immense waves. Then, a shocking sight occurred: from the azure depths, a colossal stone statue slowly rose to the surface, standing in the middle of the ocean like a mountain!

It was an unbelievable scene. The sea roiled, waves towered, and energy pulsed wildly, as a stone statue as huge as a mountain emerged from the water!

Twenty-four gigantic stone swords pierced through its body, each fixing it firmly in place.

Everyone was dumbfounded. How could this be?!

"It's… that man's stone statue!"

"Heavens, it's him!"

…

All who recognized it drew sharp breaths.

Back then, Xiao Chen had been pierced by twenty-four swords to hold back the half-ancestors. Almost everyone knew about that event. Still, his statue could be recognized at a glance.

"Senior, who are you referring to?"

"Which figure is this? It seems everyone is cautious about him…"

There were naturally some newly risen experts who had never seen Xiao Chen.

"It's that Xiao Chen from back then!"

As soon as the words were spoken, a wave of exclamations swept through.

"Him?!"

"How did his stone statue appear here, and so huge?"