CHAPTER 239: THE DRAGON LURED FROM THE MOUNTAIN, DIVIDE AND CONQUER

Nantian Yijian stared at the skeletal giant rising from the ravine, eyes wide with disbelief. "Boss... is that... a giant made of bones?"

He trembled, stuttering, "It... I-It's already noticed us. W-what should we do? Think of something, please! Quick!"

The skeletal giant straightened, its hollow eyes emitting thick black mist as it scanned the surroundings. Strange purple light surged wildly within its frame like serpentine streams of blood. Nantian Yijian gasped as the giant's gaze locked onto Lu Chen and his group.

The giant lowered its hollow face slightly and grinned at Nantian Yijian. The smile was childlike, innocent even, filled with the same naive curiosity Granny Liu had shown on her first visit to the Grand View Garden.[1]

Though the giant showed no hostility, its massive visage still terrified Nantian Yijian. He clung to Wind Dragon's shoulder, shivering uncontrollably.

"That damn skeletal giant..." Wind Dragon snorted, his expression grim. "We're a step too late. Red Fox, break the barrier. I'll hold it off."

Red Fox appeared beside him, nodding firmly. Tilting her head toward the skeletal giant's glowing purple light, she let out a series of low, puzzled hums.

Wind Dragon ignored her sounds. As stormy gusts blew from the giant's nostrils, he swung his massive tail, flinging Jun Laoye and Nantian Yijian to safety. Dark blue mist enveloped him, growing until he reached nearly a thousand zhang in length.

Lu Chen watched Wind Dragon as he grew, then drew the Hunyuan Greatsword and prepared to soar into the air.

Just then, Wind Dragon turned and forced him back to the ground. He slammed his colossal dragon feet into the earth and drove the Hunyuan Greatsword into the center of his forehead with a single sweep of his tail.

The sword unleashed waves of violent black energy that coursed through his body, pushing his cultivation to new heights.

Fixing his gaze on the skeletal giant, Wind Dragon shook his head fiercely. The Hunyuan Greatsword trembled violently on his forehead. Torrents of black, frenzied energy burst from its hilt, spreading from his horns and hair along the lines of his scaled body, enveloping him in dense, raging power.

In that moment, Wind Dragon resembled a demonic dragon. He slammed his front claws into the ground, shaking the withered trees and shattered stones around him.

Wind Dragon now matched its size, and the skeletal giant let out a foolish chuckle. Its grin stretched unnaturally wide, and a few skeletons tumbled from its gaping mouth, yet the giant paid them no mind. It reached out with its corpse-forged arm in a gesture of both pleading and yearning for companionship.

Seeing Wind Dragon ignored it, the giant grew anxious and tried to climb out of the ravine. Its massive movements proved too much, and its waist and abdomen, formed from countless corpses, crumbled, sending bones cascading down the cliff.

Wind Dragon didn't lower his guard despite the skeletal giant's seemingly clumsy movements. He planted all four claws on the ground and surged forward, roaring furiously at the giant.

The skeletal giant's hollow face lit with excitement at the sight of the approaching Wind Dragon. It spread its arms wide, as though it was ready to embrace him. But the harder it struggled, the faster its skeletal body fell apart.

It helplessly reached toward its crumbling waist, only for the bones to slip from its grasp. It lifted its head to the charging dragon, arms extended pitifully, like a lonely child begging for comfort.

Wind Dragon, however, ignored the plea. "Stop playing the miserable act..."

The Hunyuan Greatsword on his forehead flashed, and he unleashed a powerful wind blade.

Swoosh!

The blade pierced the giant's forehead. The skeletal giant froze mid-reach, staring at Wind Dragon in disbelief, before collapsing backward. A pained roar echoed as countless bones tumbled into the ravine.

Wind Dragon approached the edge, frowning at the scattered remains. "That was too easy. It was nowhere near as threatening as it had seemed before."

Wind Dragon scanned the ravine. Earlier, the mountain of skeletons had fused into the giant's body, and now, as it fell, the bones collapsed along with it.

Puzzled, he flew along the ravine's edge, probing with his Divine Eye. He released spells into the chasm, but this time, none were absorbed. As he dispersed the lingering storm clusters, he muttered, "Could the Void energy have vanished with it?"

As the ravine grew silent, Wind Dragon turned to Lu Chen with a faint smile, shrinking gradually as he flew toward him.

***

Back on the cliff, the cultivators lost interest after seeing the giant fall to a single wind blade.

In the cultivation world, every gain came with its fair share of risk. They had expected a formidable foe worth fighting for, yet—to their surprise—it vanished with ease. One by one, they returned to their camps and resumed meditation to prepare for tomorrow's descent into the secret realm.

By now, only Ancestor Suitian and the nine venerables were still on the cliff's edge. Their gazes were locked onto the ravine. As cultivators at the Human Core Realm, their insights far surpassed those of ordinary cultivators.

When the skeletal giant shattered under Wind Dragon's strike, the ten venerables watching didn't relax for a moment. Their brows were furrowed, eyes locked on the ravine below. None of them believed the giant could truly be destroyed with a single blow. They waited in tense silence, expecting something far worse to emerge.

A deafening roar erupted from the depths of the chasm. All ten venerables activated their Divine Eyes, their gazes snapping toward the source of the sound.

Ancestor Suitian watched calmly as the ground south of the rift suddenly exploded. "As expected..."

Lu Chen and his group happened to be right in that area. Ancestor Suitian subtly shook his head, then turned back to his recliner with an air of ease. He sat down and poured himself a cup of tea while observing Lu Chen's movements with mild interest.

"High Sage Suitian, that roar just now... even a cultivator at the peak of the Core Breakthrough Realm couldn't have made that," Hua Xin said, frowning slightly as she glanced at Ancestor Suitian's calm demeanor. "Isn't one of the cultivators near the giant from your own bloodline? You don't seem the least bit worried."

Ancestor Suitian waved a hand with a sigh. "The outcome has long been decided. There's no point worrying. In the worst case scenario, the process will just be... a little brutal."

"What do you mean by that?" Venerable Tian Suo asked, walking up to Ancestor Suitian and grabbing a cup of tea, draining it in a single gulp. "The sudden change in terrain, the abrupt rise of those bones... Could this be part of a scheme set up by the one up in the sky?"

Ancestor Suitian leaned back with a faint smile on his lips. "It's good that you noticed. Keep this matter to yourselves. The more people know about Lu Chen's background, the more trouble we'll have."

Venerable Tian Suo glanced at the sky, where thin layers of corpse qi formed gloomy clouds, then quietly settled cross-legged near the cliff's edge. The remaining venerables also fell silent. Some stared at the chasm, others at the central crater, all waiting patiently for the teleportation formation to appear.

***

At the northern edge of the ravine, Lu Chen sat on the ground. Having witnessed Wind Dragon's triumph over the skeletal giant, he was calmly waiting for Wind Dragon's return.

Wind Dragon hovered in the air. He was about to fly back to Lu Chen when a thick, transparent wall suddenly materialized before him. Before he could react, it burst outward with a powerful shockwave, sending the dragon crashing backward.

Sensing the wall's strange energy, Wind Dragon tensed. "What is this..."

Several more transparent barriers appeared behind Lu Chen, instantly enclosing Jun Laoye and Nantian Yijian.

Red Fox was already working to break through the barrier when six more walls rapidly converged toward her. Her crimson fur bristled as danger closed in, and she instinctively shot back three zhang, barely escaping the first wave of walls.

Wind Dragon roared anxiously, "Red Fox, be careful! Little Lu, watch out! This is a trap! It's all part of a scheme to target you!"

He darted frantically within the barrier, desperately searching for a weak point, but each attempt only made the walls close tighter.

Boom!

Before Wind Dragon could react further, the ground beneath Lu Chen cracked open. A massive crystalline bone hand erupted from the fissure, shattering the earth as it rose.

Wind Dragon turned toward the chasm below, only to realize that most of the countless bone remains had vanished, leaving behind just a few broken fragments.

His mind raced. A decoy to lure us away... to divide and conquer... There is something intelligent hiding beneath that rift.

That was the only conclusion he could reach. He activated his Divine Eye, extending his divine sense into the abyss. The first thing he saw was an icy, piercing gaze that cut straight into his soul like a blade. Wind Dragon shuddered violently. This is the worst possible outcome.

"Little Lu, run!"

With a roar, Wind Dragon swung his Hunyuan Greatsword against the transparent wall, but not even a scratch appeared. A chilling premonition swept through him as six more walls emerged, closing in rapidly.

He growled, "A cage barrier..."

Summoning the Hunyuan Greatsword, he used his unique movement art to slip through a narrow gap between the walls. Just as he thought he had broken free, the previous walls vanished, and six new ones formed beside him, closing in even faster.

Wind Dragon was trapped once again. He could only glare anxiously toward Lu Chen, hoping he would find a way out before it was too late.

1. Granny Liu is a simple old woman from the countryside in the Chinese classic Dream of the Red Chamber. During her first visit to the Grand View Garden, she is amazed by its luxury and beauty. The scene became an idiom that describes someone showing naive curiosity and wonder when seeing something grand or unfamiliar for the first time. ☜