Devour

Chapter 449 Bone Lotus Metamorphosis

Cheng Bai raised the Blazing Flame Token with his left hand, revealing the pattern on the back of the token, and asked firmly, "Don't you recognize it? Which place does this image depict?"

Under repeated questioning from Tongyan Shu, Huang Yunzi unconsciously murmured, "What is engraved is... the lava canyon deep in the Blazing Fire Mountains, a secret treasure land of my Blazing Flame Sect."

"We've found a key location!" Cheng Bai thought to himself with delight. He pressed his advantage, pressing for answers to the unsolved mystery from that day, "How exactly did you die in the Snow Fox King's Tomb?"

Huang Yunzi's eyes were vacant, as if he had fallen into a nightmare. He mumbled, "I spent more than ten days in the Royal Mausoleum Secret Realm. Because my cultivation was insufficient, I had to do my best to repair the Mountain and River Spirit Map. I also had to withstand a wisp of imperial power from the stone statue, which eventually led to my exhaustion... However, the spiritual energy consumed by the immortal artifact was too enormous. Before the project was even half completed, I had no choice but to... I had no choice but to..."

Cheng Bai was slightly surprised, not expecting the truth to be like this. He thought to himself, "So Huang Yunzi was worked to death. Or rather, when he was on the verge of death, the Bone Emperor simply extracted his essence and refined it into a human puppet. This was not to save him, but to completely exploit him! Huang Yunzi's abandoned remains were filled with resentment, so he secretly hid the Blazing Flame Token."

"In the end, the Mountain and River Spirit Map was not fully repaired, resulting in a slight decrease in its grade. This information is crucial!" Cheng Bai silently deduced the entire process, then pressed for more information: "Where is Shan Liu? Where are he and the Demon Map hiding?"

Huang Yunzi replied in a daze, "Mr. Shan is carrying the Mountain and River Spirit Map, and he's in the Lava Canyon..."

Seeing that the puppet was being led astray and was losing control of its behavior, the Bone Emperor impatiently scolded, "Stop wasting time talking to unimportant juniors! Go and seize the Pure Yang Sword Bone! We'll deal with this little rascal later."

Sweating profusely under the pressure from both sides, Huang Yunzi knew he was no match for Cheng Bai and anxiously reported to his master: "Mr. Gu, this man is too difficult to deal with. He has repeatedly blocked us. Our prey is about to escape!"

Sensing the threat and realizing his goal was slipping further away, the Bone Emperor pondered, "Once I obtain the Pure Yang Sword Bone and the Bone Lotus reaches its perfect peak, I can welcome the arrival of the Sword Prison and dominate the world. Now that I have merged with the Bone Lotus, I am no less powerful than the Bone Prison Three Corpse Demon Tower at its peak. I will show you true terror!"

Once the decision was made, a terrifying, surging wave of energy erupted from Huang Yunzi's body.

An ancient and majestic celestial phenomenon appeared in the world, followed by black, white, and gray sword energy, whose offensive power far exceeded that of the past.

"Your Excellency, be careful!" Bei Tingjun guided his sword technique, and "Thousand-Foot Ice Slash" was unleashed in response, condensing into hundreds of crystal-clear ice swords, barely managing to withstand the incoming attack.

With a sharp, cracking sound, the ice sword shattered, sending ice shards flying like mist. Bei Tingjun was thrown back by the powerful aftershock.

Taking advantage of the brief opening she had gained, Cheng Bai unhesitatingly summoned the Golden Pagoda, which hung high above.

Startled by the other party's sinister transformation, Cheng Bai felt a chill and whispered, "The Bone Emperor is completely different from before."

The Bone Emperor no longer used the World-Burning Fire Lotus phenomenon to disguise himself, but instead directly revealed the hideous true form of the Twelve-Petal Bone Lotus.

Poor Huang Yunzi's puppet body was instantly burst open, exploding into a cloud of blood mist. All the essence he transformed into was absorbed by the bone lotus and turned into nourishment for the immortal flower.

The bone lotus, composed of 4,859 sword bones, slowly rotated, its size rapidly expanding to the size of a mountain peak, wantonly crashing into houses and radiating an overwhelming killing intent.

The aura of death swept across the land like a torrent, eroding everything—the land, houses, and vegetation—and in the blink of an eye, they lost their original colors, covered by a layer of slightly trembling, grayish-white bone.

The surrounding air was unusually thick and filled with a putrid stench, making everything feel as if it were mired in a swamp, as if a world of bones had suddenly appeared in the world.

Cheng Bai hurriedly said, "This fiend is not what it used to be; do not confront it directly!"

Bei Tingjun's expression changed drastically. He quickly retreated and hid next to Cheng Bai for protection.

"Let's avoid the limelight for now." Cheng Bai manipulated the Golden Pagoda to deploy an invisible defensive force field, and retreated with Bei Tingjun.

The elemental barrier of the immortal artifact collided violently with the overwhelming wave of strange phenomena emanating from the bone lotus, creating a chilling, sharp "sizzling" sound.

"If it comes to comparing the power of magical treasures, I might not be afraid of you. But... this skeleton's performance today seems a bit off. Its aura is completely different from before." Cheng Bai's thoughts raced, and his gaze grew increasingly solemn.

……

The second floor of Qingyun Tower is filled with vital energy and spiritual energy, containing the profound mysteries of the universe.

Numerous paintings float on the wall like miniature stars. Each painting is imbued with a misty, ethereal light, depicting magnificent landscapes, galloping beasts, or ancient inscriptions.

The interplay of spiritual light illuminated the building as bright as day, but this was no ordinary radiance; rather, it was a mysterious and profound Daoist charm that nourished the soul.

Master Li, with his flowing hair and beard and a solemn expression, led his six most outstanding disciples in a circle, sitting cross-legged. The group formed an array, working together to guide the primordial energy of heaven and earth, converging it towards An Yiren, who sat cross-legged in the center, eyes closed, meditating.

An Yiren, who was usually playful and carefree, was now completely different, as if he were a different person. His face was dignified and majestic, and a single, slightly curved horn, as clear as jade, had suddenly sprouted from the top of his head. He was surrounded by a soft white light.

Master Li gazed at the gradually stabilizing situation and breathed a sigh of relief, saying, "Your foundation is solid, and your bloodline is flowing smoothly. Yi Ren, your Ten Thousand Demon Body talent has been successfully awakened. It is time to inherit the skills from your previous life that are sealed within the painting."

An Yiren opened his eyes, his pupils shooting out a silvery-white light, and looked up at an ancient painting hanging on the opposite wall.

The painting, made of animal hide as paper, has aged considerably over time and looks quite old, with minor tears along the edges.

The painting depicts a verdant fairyland, where a four-legged, one-horned ram-like ancient beast strolls through the clouds. Its entire body is as white as silver frost, with dragon scales peeking out from beneath its magnificent mane, its beard and hair bristling, displaying its regal bearing.

The ancient beast, possessing sentience, stopped and faced An Yiren, speaking in human language. Its voice, like a resounding bell, echoed in his mind: "Child, after more than two hundred cycles of hardship and suffering, wandering and reincarnating, all to break free from the protective pact with the Great Emperor, I have finally found a glimmer of hope, escaped the endless beastly path, and regained my freedom."

An Yi was shaken to his core. He tried his best to remain calm and asked in a trembling voice, "You... who was I in my past life? Could I have been a powerful figure among the demon race?"

The ancient beast grinned smugly, its expression mirroring An Yiren's usual smugness, and said in a mocking tone, "A powerful being? Hahaha... Don't dream! You're just a pawn on the chessboard of heaven and earth, capable of bouncing around a bit. Disappointed?"

Seeing the complex look in An Yiren's eyes, the ancient beast said with self-deprecation, "Child, climbing from the bottom to the top step by step is far more difficult than you can imagine. If I hadn't been more resourceful than other demon kings and managed to escape the cruel battlefield in time, I would have been buried in the long river of time long ago."

An Yiren did not show any frustration or disappointment. Instead, he seemed to have unloaded a huge burden and chuckled, "So, in my previous life, I was just a nobody... uh, a little demon king, and I was even a deserter. It's good that I didn't have any enemies chasing me."

"You wish!" The ancient beast poured cold water on your dreams without hesitation, its smile turning serious. "Awakening the Myriad Demon Body is a taboo for all demons. You will become a thorn in the side of all the demon kings."

An Yiren was so frightened that he almost jumped up from the ground. He asked in a panic, "What should I do? Should I swear to be an enemy of the demon race and fight to the death?"

"Preserve your own life first, then you can achieve something in the future. Sometimes it is not shameful to endure and live a life of hardship."

After the ancient beast finished speaking, its body suddenly disintegrated, transforming into several beams of white light containing ancient knowledge, which precisely rushed into An Yiren's eyes, ears, mouth, and nose.

An Yiren's consciousness was occupied by a massive flow of information. His whole body trembled slightly, the veins on his body surface twisted, and the light on the single horn on his forehead flickered uncertainly.

The lingering thoughts of the ancient beast echoed deep within his soul, filled with urgency and a hint of cunning: "I will impart to you the martial arts and combat techniques, rune spells, and life-saving escape experience of the Bai Ze clan... no, it should be the insights into 'strategic retreat'! Remember this, until you cultivate to the Three Lives Realm, comprehend the past and future, sever the Three Corpses and become a saint, at which time you will naturally know the hidden causes and effects."

An Yiren gritted his teeth, focused his mind and guided the vast knowledge into his ocean of consciousness, gradually refining it, and his power increased rapidly.

Within his dantian, numerous silver runes, as if guided, shifted from swirling and dancing to churning and converging, finally condensing into a profound rune: "Illusion Technique..."

Time passed silently. An Yiren's single horn disappeared without a trace, and his appearance returned to normal. The ancient painting lost all its luster, and the image of the Bai Ze beast vanished completely, leaving only a desolate, barren scroll.