The Oracle Bone Map

“Farewell, fair maidens! Jin Sanyi shall return!”

Those were his final words before leaving the Nine Provinces, the sound echoing through heaven and earth for a long, long time.

Considering his cultivation and safety, Xiao Chen had not intended to bring him into the Death World. But that fellow swore by heaven and earth, made a hundred vows, and pleaded so earnestly that he finally got his wish.

To be honest, Xiao Chen found him a headache. No sooner had they reached the Divine Village than the man’s eyes began to drift, and he promptly fetched a small stool, chose a prime spot in the village, and sat whistling, watching the lovely maidens of the Divine Tribe parade by.

However, Jin Sanyi soon discovered that the best position was already taken. A Yellow Diamond skeleton seemed to be a kindred spirit, his eyes gleaming like a wolf’s.

“Brother, what are you doing?”

“I am seeking the beautiful things in life,” the Yellow Diamond skeleton replied with an air of righteousness, not even turning his head, his gaze fixed unblinkingly on the village maidens. He then asked, “And you, brother, what are you doing?”

Jin Sanyi’s stutter seemed to have vanished entirely. Without a hint of shame, he declared, “I am uncovering the beauty hidden in the ordinary.” His eyes hooked like fishhooks, tracking the Divine Tribe beauty Ice Orchid across the square, and without moving his head, two arcing beams of light shot from his pupils.

The Yellow Diamond skeleton seemed to have found a soulmate. He nodded emphatically. “Indeed, there is so much beauty in this world waiting to be discovered.”

“Absolutely. Every beautiful thing requires us to boldly explore and uncover.” Jin Sanyi nodded in deep agreement, putting on a most serious and earnest expression.

…

The two were like peas in a pod. Within half an hour they were already calling each other brothers. In the end, they were arm in arm, lamenting that they had not met sooner. “Hahaha… brother, what fate!”

After a heartfelt conversation, Jin Sanyi and Sha Polang became fast friends, eagerly exchanging insights on the ‘beautiful’ and the ‘good’ in life.

“A pity that the world is so full of vulgar people. It’s rare to find refined souls like us. A true kindred spirit is hard to come by… Ah, the loneliness of high art with few listeners!”

“Vulgar! Those people are far too vulgar! They haven’t the slightest appreciation of beauty. Let’s not speak of them. Let us continue our refined pursuit. Hey, look there—that young lady is dazzlingly beautiful!”

“Those are a pair of sisters, Ice Orchid and Snow Dream. But brother, understand that though we are like brothers, beauty is priceless.”

“True. We are refined men. We know each other. But whoever touches my beauty, I’ll chop off his limbs.”

“Shall we go and spar a little first?”

“Fine! The pursuit of beauty requires courage!”

…

Xiao Chen stood by, utterly speechless. He did not know what to say to those two.

As he passed by, Sha Polang even took the time to chide him: “Big brother, you need to break away from those vulgar people. Learn from us—learn to discover and appreciate beauty.”

Jin Sanyi also brazenly chimed in, his eyes drifting as he sighed heavenward. “Life is truly lonely as snow. Alas, there are far too few refined souls like me.”

Xiao Chen slapped them both flying with a single palm.

Not far away, Heaven Beyond Heaven and Man Beyond Man showed peculiar expressions and murmured softly.

“Is it really him?”

“It seems to be that lad Eternal Life.”

From the moment Sha Polang entered the Divine Village, Heaven Beyond Heaven and Man Beyond Man had been observing him in secret.

Xiao Chen’s expression moved. “Do you two seniors know him?”

“He seems to be a disciple of mine who vanished several thousand years ago,” Heaven Beyond Heaven said, rubbing his smooth chin with a strange expression.

“… Xiao Chen found nothing left to say. Like master, like disciple. Heaven Beyond Heaven had reached the Half-Ancestor realm yet behaved like a delinquent youth. Sha Polang truly inherited his style—undoubtedly from the same lineage.

“Was his name Eternal Life?” Man Beyond Man asked uneasily.

“Yes, he once called himself Eternal Life, but later said he no longer sought immortality and changed his name to Sha Polang.” He paused. “But unfortunately, it seems he has forgotten his past lives. Only a few fragmented memories remain.”

Man Beyond Man wanted to awaken Sha Polang’s past life memories, but Heaven Beyond Heaven was magnanimous. “Bygone days are gone. Eternal Life has passed. Let him be Sha Polang. Still, since he was once my disciple, I cannot treat him poorly. I will give him a hand when the time comes.”

It was clear that Heaven Beyond Heaven, despite his wild and uninhibited demeanor, still valued this disciple. Otherwise, why would he have once blocked Heaven’s gate and cursed the Angel Holy God?

Xiao Chen and the two Half-Ancestors planned to rest a few days in the Divine Village before heading deep into the Death Continent.

During that time, Heaven Beyond Heaven discovered the corpse worm that had absorbed the blood of a sovereign. He forcibly took it, refined its essence, and bestowed it upon Sha Polang.

Back then, Xiao Chen had reached the Perfected Man realm thanks in no small part to the sovereign’s blood. And that corpse worm, which had guarded the Sovereign Banner for ages, had absorbed no less vital essence—otherwise, how could a mere corpse worm have attained the Perfected Man realm?

Of course, the blood pool sealed in the ancient ruins had lost most of its essence over the passage of time. Otherwise, the effect would have been even greater.

Over the next few days, Sha Polang ordered the fire seed beings of the outer territories to keep investigating. They learned that the colossus bones buried underground had not yet reassembled, and that the King Ship still lay deep beneath that land. But the corpse remained utterly untraceable, as if it had vanished into thin air.

When they set out, only Xiao Chen, Man Beyond Man, and Heaven Beyond Heaven went. As for Jin Sanyi and Sha Polang, they were left behind in the Divine Village. Not that they minded—they were happy to stay and enjoy themselves. Of course, they risked being chased off by the village beauties at any moment.

Keke was also left behind. With two Half-Ancestors accompanying them, there was no need to bring her along. And the little creature was thoroughly sick of the Death World. Besides, some of the Divine Tribe elders were planning to return to the Nine Provinces, so she could go with them.

Heaven Beyond Heaven and Man Beyond Man wanted to get a thorough understanding of the Death World, so the three of them did not fly. Instead, they traveled on foot. But even so, their pace was far faster than ordinary people.

By the time they entered the domain of the young female sovereign and met Lian Po again, half a year had passed.

The towering sovereign city was as majestic and solemn as ever. The fire seed beings within were not unfamiliar with Xiao Chen, and quickly led them to Lian Po’s residence.

“Haha… we meet again!” Lian Po was clearly in good spirits, his seven-colored bones glittering brightly.

From him, Xiao Chen learned that the female sovereign had not yet returned. She had entered the depths of the Death Continent years ago and seemed to have vanished. And the three war emperors who followed her had sent no word back either.

If it were not for the fact that each sovereign had left powerful war emperors guarding their strongholds, the territories they ruled would have long since fallen into chaos.

“Have you discovered any trace of that corpse?” Xiao Chen was very concerned about this question. He felt that the terrifying existence, whose power made even gods tremble, must still be in the Death World.

Lian Po nodded. “Several times.”

“What? Several times? Where did it appear?”

“It appeared once in this very city. At the time, dark clouds rolled down until they pressed against the rooftops. It was an utterly dreadful scene. But that powerful divine thought only swept through the city once and then vanished completely. I heard that the same thing happened in several other sovereign cities.”

Both Xiao Chen and the two Half-Ancestors were stunned. What was that corpse trying to do? It only appeared in sovereign cities—was it seeking sovereign-level experts?

Now, they were ninety percent certain that the corpse had headed deep into the Death Continent.

The sovereigns along the way were likely in a dire situation.

But what lay deep in the Death Continent?

According to what they had learned, many sovereigns were trying to enter the depths, and that corpse had also joined the fray. It was impossible to foresee what would happen.

Xiao Chen thought of another problem. Ancestral Goddess Nuwa and others seemed to have flesh-and-blood reborn in this world. She had vanished for so many years—had she already entered the deepest regions?

They stayed in the sovereign city for a few days, then set out again.

This was a long journey, taking them into territories Xiao Chen had never explored before.

They continued on foot, and this time they walked for two full years. On the way, they passed two sovereign cities. Not wanting to cause trouble, they did not linger in the rulers’ domains. However, they learned in secret that the corpse had visited those two cities, nearly beating one of the sovereigns to death.

For this matter, Xiao Chen and his companions spent several months investigating in secret. They finally learned the details: the sovereign who had nearly been killed seemed to possess a fragment of a broken oracle bone map.

The corpse had stolen that oracle bone map!

This was truly startling news. They had accidentally learned the reason why the corpse had descended upon each sovereign city.

What secret did the oracle bone map hold? That it had been kept secretly by sovereigns was already remarkable. But now, a corpse with the power of an Ancestral God valued it so highly—that made it far more extraordinary.

And that was only a fragment of a broken corner. It was hard to imagine where the complete oracle bone map would lead and what secrets it would uncover.

“How about we go find that sovereign and ask him exactly what’s going on?” Heaven Beyond Heaven said with a rogue’s grin, staring back at the sovereign city they had left behind. That city was where the sovereign nearly killed by the corpse dwelt.

Man Beyond Man shook his head. “Forget it. This is the Death World, which we still don’t fully understand. If he summons several powerful sovereigns to help him and chases us across the world, we’ll be in trouble.”

They set out again, continuing deeper into the Death Continent. Heaven Beyond Heaven and Man Beyond Man looked around as if trying to confirm something, while Xiao Chen treated the journey as a cultivation exercise. The three did not rush.

“Don’t you find it strange?” Heaven Beyond Heaven asked. “In this Death World, there are tens of thousands of li of what looks like the Great Wall ruins.”

“Could it really be that bunch who did it?” Man Beyond Man’s expression also turned serious.

“What have you two seniors deduced?” Xiao Chen asked.

“We’ve found a cage.”

“What cage?” Xiao Chen was puzzled.

“A cage built from worlds,” Heaven Beyond Heaven said. “Come, let’s keep going. We’re sure to find something.”

In the third year, Xiao Chen and his companions entered a vast and expansive new region. The fire seed beings that appeared here were increasingly powerful. And sometimes, they encountered unheard-of, fearsome creatures.

Without the strength of a Half-Ancestor, it was impossible to pass through these dangerous territories.

“What is that sound?” Heaven Beyond Heaven suddenly stopped, alert.

Man Beyond Man also sensed it, his expression grave. “Extreme danger.”

Soon, Xiao Chen felt it too.

The Death Plain stretched endlessly.

From far ahead came a sound—faint, yet carrying a force that could shatter everything in its path!

Something terrifying seemed to lie in the far distance.

“Boom!”

The only three mountains on the blood-colored plain crumbled to dust in an instant.

“What is that?!” Man Beyond Man cried out in shock.