Beneath the black clouds, the colossal frame of the skeleton was ferocious. It took a step back, the greatsword in its hand blazing with vast demonic energy. Countless eyes fixed upon Yang Zicang before it suddenly vibrated, surging with power as if wrenching the arm that grasped it skyward in a sweeping thrust aimed at the heavens.

Yang Zicang watched the abrupt shift. The sword, nearly ten meters long, was thickly covered in eyes blazing with crimson light, instantly like rows of burning iron spots.

One of those eyes looked toward a distant, walking skeleton. The twisted, skeletal figure turned its head to meet its gaze, and in that very instant, its body gave a violent tremor.

Within the hollow eye sockets of the skeletal figure, ethereal soul flames twisted into the shape of the demonic sword’s eyeballs.

Beneath the bone spurs behind the Beauty Demon Lord, among the scattered pile of bones, under the cover of the spread enormous energy membrane, one by one, humanoid broken bones rose from the ground. All of them looked up at the raised demonic sword.

As they met its gaze, their empty eye sockets also began to glow with crimson pupils.

The number of eyes on the demonic sword had decreased slightly.

“Are you trying to control them as your minions and establish your own guard? “

{Minions? Hahaha, the entire realm is mine—why would I need a guard? }

The demonic sword let out a scoffing, snickering sound.

The ground suddenly bulged, and a slim, chain-like bone lashed toward Yang Zicang. But the instant its front end lunged forward, it abruptly twisted and stabbed toward the ground beside the man; the attack completely missed on its own.

Yang Zicang reached out his hand. A piece of gravel scattered by the explosion arced over like a butterfly and landed on his fingertips. The moment it touched, a golden light lit up on the stone—’swish’—it cut through the air and pierced straight into the creature that had wanted to ambush him from underground.

Boom!

Under the attack of this golden gravel, the demonic fiend burst apart, brittle as parched, cracked soil, instantly snapping in two. Its remaining half underground writhed violently, let out an illusory, roaring howl, broke through the surface, swayed to one side, and attempted to flee.

This creature had long since ceased to resemble anything recognizable.

{Wha, what! }

The flames in Beauty Demon Lord’s eyes suddenly blazed brighter and denser.

{The Undying King, he… the Myriad-Eye Divine God Sword. Didn’t you say the Undying King is nothing more than a survivor of the previous era, hiding away in our continent, someone who only uses his disaster experience to help us face the apocalypse, and that his strength isn’t terrifying?! }

The Demonic Sword was equally shocked.

{I don’t know, but no matter what, get out of here! He possesses something strange. No, ah! }

The thousand eyes on the Demonic Sword suddenly fixed on Yang Zicang, radiating intense shock and disbelief!

{I see, now I understand! This thing, he’s nothing more than a mortal! }

Yang Zicang let out a cold snort, bent down to pick up a piece of iron-like bone shard from the ground, and strode forward.

{But! } The Demonic Sword trembled as it spoke. {He possesses a Holy Ring! There is a Saint-level entity investing in him! He, on his person, carries the “Wealth_” of a Saint, and the “Authority” to borrow a Saint’s might! _}

{Wealth and Authority…? }

Beauty Demon Lord watched the figure charging forward with shocking speed.

The Demonic Sword suddenly jerked its arm behind its back.

{RUN! There’s no way you can match a Saint! }

The colossal black frame of its body, far sturdier than mere steel and bones, spun around and lunged away. Beauty Demon Lord felt tidal waves of shock within, sensing somehow that it had just touched upon deeper, darker secrets of this world.

Yang Zicang’s pace in the rear faltered slightly at these words, immediately stretching the distance between them. In that instant, the black clouds slowly churning across the horizon violently contracted.

Arcs of lightning that scattered in all directions converged in a flash, carrying a ferocious aura to strike down at the steel body below.

Rumble!

The earth trembled and exploded. Rolling thunder spread across the ground as the small skeletal figures that had just risen in the demonic aura were shattered like withered trees in a storm by the violent shockwaves, collapsing and trembling on the ground with their jawbones clattering.

Seizing this opportunity, Yang Zicang, who had still been hesitant about whether to finish off Beauty Demon Lord, coordinated with the moment. His figure shot out instantly, hurling a golden glow from his hand.

“This can also be considered a way to seize the perfect moment! “

Boom!

The small golden glow struck the spine of the imposing steel body. Beauty Demon Lord’s metallic frame toppled over like a mountain collapsing. In that instant, the Demon Sword drove its arm to slash at Beauty Demon Lord’s neck bone with one fierce cut.

{Stop protecting me! }

Boom!

Like an eruption of rock, the shattered iron bones exploded. The enormous head leaped up. The Demon Sword thrust into the empty skull, channeling the last of its arm’s strength, propelling the head like a missile across the desolate sky, falling into the distance.

“It still managed to escape.“

Yang Zicang slowed his pace, his leather boots crunching across the gray-brown gravel as he approached the remains of the Beauty Demon Lord.

A faint, coalescing dark aura clung to these bones. Upon closer inspection now, he noticed that the bones themselves had sprouted delicate, natural patterns.

A streak of light shot in.

-｛Distributor Loki. Tata Mingqi indicates “Begin work. “｝

{Big brother, } Boboli said immediately after establishing the Mental Link, {How are things on your end? Did you find any info about the statue? }

Yang Zicang suddenly slapped his own forehead.

｛I… ah, my brain was in a fog just now.｝

Now, the two people who might know the statue’s whereabouts are both gone…

That demonic sword named “The Eye of Ten Thousand Gods ” seems to know a great deal of historical intelligence about the true other world. That guy could probably guess that I’m searching for that statue. I have to find the thing before he can strategize any countermeasures.

{Not found? Hmm… it’s alright, big brother. Say, I’ve pretty much finished training in this martial technique here. Should we start stripping down to craft the next part of the “Proxy Training Manual,” or should we keep things as they are for now? }

｛Start working on the next volume. By the way, Boboli, do you know anything about the Mark of the Source of Ten Thousand Gods?｝

{I… }

Boboli hesitated a little, {I do know something about it, but if I just told you outright, you might lose the possibility of gaining glory by uncovering its secrets in the real world yourself. }

Yang Zicang covered his face.

｛Alright, then. I’ll figure something out once we get out of here.｝

On the other side, Boboli let out a sigh of relief and patted his own chest.

He had invested “Glory Lights ” in Brother Yang, and he clearly knew that if he got too positively involved in whatever Brother Yang was experiencing before the investment’s goal was achieved, the ‘Radiance of Brilliance’ and ‘Heroic Flashes of Glory’ that might have been born from it would all vanish due to his interference.

“Running into an auction, huh… I hope there won’t be any more accidents trying to obtain that ‘Ancient Gold.’ ” he murmured.

The model had already absorbed a piece of ‘Ancient Gold’-rank information from this world, all thanks to Yang Zicang taking him decades ago to visit that skeletal hall with the sleeping carving of Poli.

The boy checked the status of the ‘Stand-in Alliance Pact’ in his mind.

｛I have begun stripping the alliance pact that ‘Yang Zicang’ and ‘I’ were jointly serving in a stand-in capacity.｝

The training experience from three secret techniques—the 《Holy Flame Demon-Taming Art》, the 《Dragon-Elephant Cloud Rain Sword》, and the 《Azure Dragon Regret Mountain Slash》—surging and coalescing from both his body and memories like a solid torrent weaving back into his heart.

A book seemed to close softly within his heart.

When he opened his eyes again, Buffoli felt the aura fading from his body; it was as if that secret technique with which he had flickered and sent forth a wisp of hazy flame had never been real, just a phantom.

Compared to the delight he had felt with the “Stand-in Contract ” transferred from Morri earlier, this gain brought a different kind of heartwarming gratification.

“Hmm… for those other two, it should still take another two or three years at least, ” he thought.

……

-｛Distributor Loki. Tata Mingqi expressed “Admiration. “｝

-｛Distributor Tarta Mingqi expresses “desire. “｝

On the other side, Yang Zicang felt the fading traces of two lost secret techniques on his body. Hearing the distributor’s voice echoing in his mind, he chuckled lightly and said:

“You fancy my friend’s abilities too? Hah, I kinda wish I had that kind of skill myself—letting someone else learn things for me. “

-｛Tarta Mingqi expresses “nod. “｝

……

The massive army stationed beyond this area had already scattered into chaos and fled amid the roars of thunder earlier. Some skeletons even trampled each other in the collisions, and those with weaker frames were crushed to pieces underfoot.

As a rule, as long as a crushed skeleton’s skull remained intact, it would slowly absorb clumps of iron-sand-like soil over time and regrow new bones.

Several years later.

At the edge of a vast skeletal hill range, Yang Zicang, Qiao Bing, and Kaden—along with a handful of fairly reliable bone-men picked over the years—crossed the endless bone-ash plains and arrived at a mountain range that had stood unchanged for hundreds of millennia.

“Is this the place? ” Qiao Bing asked, scanning the surroundings. “You know, I swear even earth and rock melt like liquid under the weight of time. “

“Heh, spent a bit too much time being sentimental these past few years, huh? “

“Hahaha. “

After cracking that joke and sharing a laugh, Yang Zicang glanced back at the plain, strode to a spot, and began observing it carefully.

“Right below here. Start blasting from this point. “

The thirty-odd bone-men around him stood in a chaotic, loose crowd, gawking at the scene.

Qiao Bing walked over, squatted solemnly, pressed his hand on the ground to test its firmness, then lifted it back up.

“Hah! “

With a fierce shout, a mass of earthy yellow energy gathered in his palm, and he struck the earth with a powerful slap.

Boom!

The ground shook violently as if struck.

It was as though a colossal pile-driver had slammed down with full force; several Bonefolk nearby staggered, struggling to keep their balance.

“Come on, right here. ” Yang Zicang measured the distance with his foot from the side.

“Your turn, Old Deng. ” Qiao Bing panted slightly as he said.

Kaden nodded, walked over, and crouched like Qiao Bing to build up power. He spent even less time before his hand shot down.

BOOM!A cloud of dust burst up from the shattered ground.

Yang Zicang vaguely saw tiny wriggling worms emerge from his palm, then quickly retract back.

These creatures were called “Zombie Worms. ” He had already asked about them, but even Kaden—merely their host—wasn’t too clear on their origin, only that those with strong wills were chosen by the organization to have these strange creatures implanted into their bones, granting them the power to fight the Fogfolk head-on in close combat.

After taking turns smashing the ground, the Bonefolk spent several days excavating it, revealing the extremely weathered rock foundation beneath.

“It really is here. ” Qiao Bing stared with some astonishment at the ancient ruins before him, feeling like an archaeological site straight out of a dig.

Buried beneath them were even the fragmented remains of some of the skeletons’ own bodies.

The skeletal people also gazed curiously at the bones of their own kind from hundreds of thousands of years ago. Before long, they even discovered a skeletal person that could still move.

{That’s a bit… pitiful. }

The standing skeletal people around murmured this.

-｛Distributor February. Di’an adjusts time difference through me.｝

-｛Distributor Di’an watches over my present experience.｝

{Ugh… ahh… }

The soul-fire of the skeleton buried in the solid rock depths for countless ages flickered chaotically like a guttering candle, revealing its terror-stricken state.

That was because most of the skeletal peers around it were exceptionally sturdy, and almost all held “components ” scavenged from other skeletons as tools for digging.

In its eyes, therefore, they were like anatomists dissecting their own kind.

“Do you still have any memory? ” Yang Zicang asked, crouching down.

But there was no coherent response at all.

This creature couldn’t speak anymore. Period.

As they continued clearing away the debris, a larger area was revealed.

“Is this the city you once built? ” Carden stared in shock at the remnants of the foundations.

“Yeah, the city that once was has turned into ruins. “

He pointed into the distance.

“There should be a temple dedicated to me over there. Let’s go take a look. “

Carden wiped his forehead, slightly embarrassed, and followed along.

“Oi, oi, we’re not going to end up finding nothing at all, are we? ” Qiao Bing shouted loudly.

“Don’t jinx me. “

Several kilometers away.

A skeletal figure stood atop a small hill, watching the small “archaeological ” team far below. In its eye sockets burned faintly with illusory crimson light.

……

With the skeleton’s peering observation, a magic sword somewhere distant let out a faint moan.

{The Undying King has visited so many places in the last two years. }

{So… many places, I’ve even… forgotten that they… existed… }

In the rocky cave, the great sword was flanked by a creature like an iron hippopotamus, which sent out sluggish mental pulses while crawling at its side.

{Great King, } the Beauty Demon Lord, who now struggled even to form words, opened a jaw as large as an engine hood and said in a naive, earnest tone:

{Who knows… when they… will… finally discover that place. }

The hippo turned its head, as though in thought, and finally looked up, saying, {You think of a way? }

{Hehe, Beauty Demon Lord, if you can’t think of a way, how could I possibly do so? Actually, I haven’t even fully understood what you’re trying to say. }

The iron hippopotamus lowered its head, focusing tirelessly on pondering, but no matter how hard it tried, no good solution came.

{Mm… I just can’t… do it anymore. }

The iron hippo rested its head on the magic sword, and the soulfire within its cranium steadied into a long, slow rhythm.

Suddenly a figure stepped into the cave; it raised its head to look up.

The figure knelt down on one knee, and the crimson flames in its eye sockets stared calmly ahead at all the magic swords’ gazes focused upon themselves.

“Lord of Ten Thousand Eyes, the whereabouts of the other human you asked me to confirm have been found. This is the record of their whereabouts for the past two years. “

This skeletal warrior took off a large piece of bone slung across its back, upon which was carved a map marked with several ‘X’s.

“You’ve worked hard, Bone Exhibitor. Take me somewhere bright to look at it. “

Unwavering in its gaze within the Iron Hippo’s stare, Bone Exhibitor stood up, reached out, grabbed the hilt of the Demon Sword, and then pulled it free. Hoisting it onto its shoulder, it walked out.

Watching their departing figures, the Beauty Demon Lord felt a fleeting sense of bewilderment for a moment…

It thought, this shouldn’t be right somehow.

Yet, considering its own shameful shortcomings, it also thought that perhaps this was normal.

“It’s too far away. I can’t see what you see simultaneously, so you’ve suffered these past two years… “

A faint voice of explanation drifted in from outside the cave.

The Iron Hippo, who was about to lower its head and sleep, froze still inside the cave.

Even the Divine King’s Sword could be polite? Oh… he remembered now, long ago, there was a time when the sword had also been courteous to him…

He hadn’t seen that demeanor since, and had thought its personality had completely changed.

So it hadn’t changed after all.

Laying its head on its claw-like and hoof-like feet, the Beauty Demon Lord thought dejectedly.

Sudden darkness disrupted the faint light before its face.

The Iron Hippo’s soulfire looked upwards from within its eyeless sockets; a massive, broad-shouldered, towering iron giant abruptly appeared out of thin air before its very eyes, blocking the light.

“Who… are you…? “

The soulfire of the Iron Hippopotamus suddenly surged, and its red eyes, like a demonic sword, clearly saw the figure hidden within that bony corpse!

From outside, the demonic sword instantly shouted: {Run! }

Bone Exhibitor, clutching the map and longsword, immediately turned and bolted.

But how could it outrun Yang Zicang!

Bang!

The various iron bones encasing the long-haired youth burst apart in an instant. The figure hidden within traced a blurry arc of afterimages at supersonic speed. A bone spike in his hand trailed a flickering red gleam, like a dancing ribbon of light, slashing toward the Bone being’s back.

And it was at this critical juncture.

Clang!

The bone spike and the demonic sword clashed.

Boom!

In a flash, the demonic sword and the Bone Warrior gripping it were sent flying by the blow.

{Ah, master, it’s the Undying King in person! }

{Don’t be afraid! I can see all his moves! He’s not invincible! Follow my movements and thrust! }

Arriving at lightning speed, Yang Zicang’s eyes carried an air of indifference.

“Hmph. All these combat skills of yours were poured out into being by Wu Zheng’s relentless training, weren’t they! “