The Monarch, a Great Earthquake

The hundred clans descended from the four worlds, and the overseas regions were completely ruled by foreign races. Every giant island was like a continent, occupying vast swaths of the boundless ocean, stretching beyond the horizon.

Standing in the midst of the endless sea, Xiao Chen felt a profound unease. Every time he approached an island ruled by a foreign race, his heart seized with a suffocating dread. Those towering, verdant islands, where beast roars shook the heavens, seemed like slumbering leviathans, pressing down on his soul with an overwhelming sense of oppression.

This place was far more complex than he had imagined, certainly no land he could enter at will.

But since he had already come, he was unwilling to retreat empty-handed. He flew cautiously over the ocean.

Passing more than a dozen giant islands, Xiao Chen observed from a distance and spotted many powerful races near those sea islands, but he had not yet found the Yecha clan.

After flying another thousand li, black mist coiled ahead. A giant island loomed faintly, devoid of any spiritual energy, with waves of deathly aura pulsing through the air.

Thick demonic clouds shrouded the island's sky, blocking the sun and casting vast shadows. Even in daylight, the giant island remained a gray, sinister gloom.

Every island he had encountered along the way was brimming with life and spiritual energy, but this one could well be called an island of the dead. Not a trace of green; it was utterly shrouded in deathly aura.

Xiao Chen was somewhat startled. This place bore a resemblance to the world of the dead. He felt familiar energies. He cautiously approached, stepped onto the giant island, and wanted to see what was going on.

The island held not the slightest trace of green. The reddish-brown earth was parched and hard, littered with white bones. Bands of black mist coiled about, giving the island a ghostly, sinister atmosphere.

"Crack, crack."

Not far off, a white skeleton walked back and forth, as if patrolling the shoreline.

Skeleton Island!

Xiao Chen instantly understood where he had come. Among the hundred clans was a skeletal clan, and this was clearly an island they ruled. It was said they had descended from the Soul World among the Four Worlds, yet it looked all too much like the world of the dead.

Among the foreign kings who had pursued Liu Mu was a Skeleton King. Though he had not yet found Yecha Island, discovering this Skeleton Island was not an opportunity to be missed.

Xiao Chen hesitated only briefly, then stripped off all his iron garments, revealing his yellow-diamond skeleton body, and walked into the island's interior.

Soon, white skeletons spotted him. From a distance, they bowed and saluted, showing extreme deference.

Xiao Chen had expected this. Back in Chang'an he had encountered three skeletons who had treated him with the same reverence. That proved there must be a yellow-diamond-rank powerhouse on this island.

The giant island was vast indeed. After traveling at top speed for over an hour, he had still not reached the deepest part. Along the way, Xiao Chen hid when he could, and when he could not, he simply strode forward boldly.

On that death-shrouded giant island, broken bones were innumerable, and many walking skeletons wandered about. Numerous great fortresses dotted the island, each with powerful beings stationed within.

It was only when he heard a series of rhythmic, highly structured mental fluctuations that he stopped.

They sounded something like the Weng Heaven Sound. Xiao Chen's heart trembled. In the world of the dead he had already learned that some powerful fire-seed beings mastered soul-cultivation techniques, but aside from himself, he had never encountered any.

It was said that beings of that caliber were deep within the continent of the dead; the outer regions had none. Unexpectedly, this day on Skeleton Island he had found such a powerhouse.

Powerful mental fluctuations rolled forth, an undisguised, terrifying pressure that shook a person's soul.

Yet Xiao Chen felt no fear. He sensed that this fluctuation was not stronger than his own, at best on the same level.

He rushed forward, wanting to see exactly what was there. A giant castle blocked his path, its surface a reddish brown, built entirely from massive stone blocks, reeking of death. The terrifying mental waves originated from that very place.

Xiao Chen held the Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree and approached like a ghost.

Demonic clouds densely covered the sky, blocking sunlight and casting vast shadows over the island. Even a yellow-diamond skeleton body could easily conceal its movements.

Xiao Chen deliberately suppressed his fire seed, nearly extinguishing it so that no abnormal fluctuation leaked out. Soon he reached that reddish-brown ancient castle and noiselessly infiltrated it.

Within the castle, aside from the rhythmic heavenly sound, there was no other noise. All fire-seed creatures kept far away, not daring to approach one bit.

Xiao Chen easily arrived at the source of the vibration of the Origin Heavenly Sound.

In a great hall, a yellow-diamond skeleton sat cross-legged on the ground, constantly vibrating its fire seed. The mental fluctuations were emitted by it.

"Very good. You have progressed remarkably these past two years, nearly fully mastering the method of cultivating the soul."

Not far from the yellow-diamond skeleton, on a white bone throne, sat a seemingly ordinary white skeleton. It had no remarkable features; its fire-seed fluctuation was very weak, not powerful at all, even feeble.

Yet Xiao Chen somehow sensed on it an aura of ages, as if it were an ancient fossil.

A strange feeling, entirely instinct.

The yellow-diamond skeleton stopped vibrating its fire seed, knelt respectfully, and kowtowed. "Many thanks for the senior's guidance. I will surely live up to your expectations and carry this technique forward."

Xiao Chen was greatly shocked. A yellow-diamond skeleton kneeling to a white skeleton clearly meant that white skeleton was an old-timer, seemingly having guided the yellow-diamond skeleton's cultivation.

"I am already crippled. You are my hope. I entrust this lineage to you. You can be considered a king now; you may travel to the Nine Provinces and gain experience." With that, the old skeleton removed a spatial ring and tossed it to the yellow-diamond skeleton. "In my time, I slew countless experts of the hundred clans and refined a hundred bottles of divine liquid. I have used up eighty or ninety percent of it. The rest I bestow upon you."

The yellow-diamond skeleton kowtowed again, placed the ring on its finger, and said reverently, "Senior will surely regain your former glory. I believe that one day you will recover your invincible combat power."

"Go. You may train in the Nine Provinces." The old skeleton waved its hand.

The yellow-diamond skeleton bowed once more and withdrew.

Xiao Chen watched, dumbfounded. Just what was this old skeleton's identity, that it commanded such deference from a yellow-diamond skeleton? It was astonishing. Yet the old skeleton claimed to be crippled, so it should pose no threat. He considered pursuing the yellow-diamond skeleton and killing it.

But just then, the snow-white old skeleton emitted a hair-raising mental fluctuation, grim and chilling. "You have spied long enough. Come out."

Xiao Chen's heart jolted. Wasn't this fossil-like old relic crippled? How had it detected him? But since things had come to this, he had nothing to fear. He stepped out from the shadows.

Footsteps echoed especially far through that sinister, dark hall.

When the old skeleton saw a yellow-diamond skeleton appear before it, its dim soul fire flickered. It said grimly, "I have seen all the other yellow-diamond skeletons, but never you. Could you be a junior born from the white bone altar... No, you are not of my skeletal clan." Its eyes shot two terrifying beams of light. "Your aura is unusual. You are not my kin. Who are you?"

"Does who I am matter?" Xiao Chen took two steps forward.

"You are very arrogant. But before me, put away your confidence. When I roamed the cosmos and waged war across the world, you were nothing but a mote of dust somewhere." The old skeleton's tone was sinister.

Xiao Chen sensed danger and quickly retreated a few steps.

"Too late. From the moment you stepped into this hall, your escape was sealed. I will ask once more: where do you come from? If you tell me, I may consider letting you go." The old skeleton stared at Xiao Chen with a ghastly, eerie light.

"You are crippled. What can you do to me?"

"Heh heh heh... Even a dying tiger is stronger than a cat in its prime." The old skeleton's eyes shot two horrifying beams, a baleful green like ghostfire.

At that moment, an overwhelming pressure surged toward Xiao Chen—a powerful mental fluctuation, vibrating in a highly rhythmic pattern.

Xiao Chen cried out in alarm. He vibrated the Origin Weng Heaven Sound with all his strength, using heavenly sound to counter heavenly sound, while retreating as fast as he could.

But he could not stop it!

That pressure was unblockable, irresistible!

It was as if the primordial chaos itself was crashing down, trying to crush him!

Xiao Chen's yellow-diamond skeleton body blazed as if on fire, erupting with blazing sacred light. He poured everything into the Weng Heaven Sound, and while retreating at extreme speed, thrust the Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree before him.

"Boom!"

A force like an ocean blasted Xiao Chen flying. Where it passed, the ancient castle crumbled to dust. The Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree before him blazed with intense light, enduring unimaginable power, and then—with a sharp cracking sound—a terrifying fissure appeared, nearly snapping it in two.

But at last he had blocked that soul-devouring attack. The surging mental wave receded like a tide.

Xiao Chen was horrified. What level had that old skeleton reached? If not for the Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree in his hand, he would surely have been annihilated in both body and spirit.

He climbed out of the rubble. Half of the grand castle had been utterly obliterated, destroyed by the soul power aimed at killing Xiao Chen. Yet the other half remained perfectly intact. The old skeleton sat quietly within the ruined hall, looking extremely weak, barely able to support its skeletal frame on the white bone throne.

Xiao Chen was uncertain. Hadn't the old skeleton been crippled? How could it still unleash such a terrifying attack, nearly destroying the Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree? It was utterly unfathomable.

But the wavering skeleton on the throne made him doubt. He picked up a dry bone and threw it with force.

"Crack."

The bone shot forward like a white streak, instantly piercing the old skeleton, sending it tumbling off the white bone throne.

Xiao Chen shot into the hall like lightning and struck three Supreme Hands at the old skeleton, but to his shock, the bone body was not damaged in the least!

It was harder than he could imagine!

The old skeleton had indeed lost its combat power; it only had one attack in it and could not strike again for a short time.

Even so, Xiao Chen was profoundly shaken. If the old skeleton had not been crippled, how powerful would it have been? From that single attack and the extreme hardness of its bone body, it was easy to envision how mighty and terrifying it must have been at its peak.

"I understand... I sense a familiar aura on you... you come from the world of the dead." The old skeleton's soul fire flickered weakly, its mental fluctuation growing fainter. "Our progenitor fought his way out of that world and entered the Soul World among the Four Worlds..."

"A pity..." The old skeleton mocked Xiao Chen. "You, too, missed an opportunity—a chance to enter the Primordial Celestial Realm from the deepest reaches of the world of the dead..."

"What? What are you talking about?" Xiao Chen's heart surged with towering waves.

"In those days, our progenitor was among the top figures in the world of the dead. But the deeper he pushed, the more powerful the malignant spirits and evil tribes he encountered. Though he was lucky to escape with his life, he missed a tremendous opportunity..." With that, the old skeleton's eyes suddenly blazed with two ghastly green beams, shooting toward the fire seed in Xiao Chen's skull.

Xiao Chen had been on guard. He vibrated the Weng Heaven Sound, and amid the fierce soul-force fluctuation, the old skeleton's fire seed was extinguished. Yet the snow-white bones remained unharmed, perfectly preserved.

This old skeleton was so powerful it defied heaven. No matter how Xiao Chen attacked, the bones it left behind simply would not break. That thought immediately brought two words to Xiao Chen's mind: Monarch?!

Had this old fellow in its prime really been a Monarch-level being?

As the castle was utterly demolished, distant commotion arose. Many skeletons had noticed the anomaly and rushed over.

Xiao Chen dared not linger. He transformed into a golden rainbow and shot into the sky. At the island's edge, he donned his iron garments and plunged into the ocean, traveling through the underwater world.

He swam several thousand li that way, more than half a day passing before he surfaced.

Now he was still far overseas, but far from Skeleton Island. He could clearly sense the tension in the atmosphere: many experts of various races were prowling the sea, and each giant island was heavily guarded, as if something major had happened.

When he saw many flying skeletons searching the endless ocean, he understood completely.

Through the furious roars of those flying skeletons and the coordinated search efforts of many race experts, Xiao Chen learned what had happened.

Skeleton Island was in an uproar!

A super terrifying existence had been killed, causing a great earthquake overseas.

"Damn... Could I really have... killed a Monarch?!"

Xiao Chen was shocked by his own thought. Even if that was a crippled Monarch, it must have held an unimaginable status on Skeleton Island. This was indeed a major event that shook the seas.

With such a commotion, Xiao Chen felt he could not stay overseas any longer. If he did not retreat quickly, he might face destruction at any moment.

He sank again into the depths and stealthily made his way toward the Nine Provinces.

Only when he reached the coastal waters did he surface. Just as he was about to take to the sky, he suddenly sensed powerful energy fluctuations and immediately hid back in the water.

Through the blue waves, he saw many foreign race experts hurrying from the direction of the Nine Provinces toward the open sea.

Group after group—the Wraith King, the Fallen Angel King, the Ant King, and others—rushed urgently overseas.

Then he saw War King Jing Pu leading more than a dozen War Clan experts, also dashing into the deep sea.

After that, he caught sight of the Yecha King. The mighty Yecha King transformed into a streak of green light, stirring up monstrous demonic energy that made the once-calm sea roar and churn.

Finally, the Skeleton King and other foreign kings appeared one after another, flying like wind and lightning toward the open sea.

The foreign kings had actually all withdrawn from the Nine Provinces. Xiao Chen was even more certain that, unintentionally, he had killed a truly great figure.

It seemed the "great earthquake" sent aftershocks far and wide, hardly likely to subside quickly. Xiao Chen felt it necessary to trigger a few more "tsunamis." If he could kill a few foreign kings overseas, that would be even more perfect.