Chapter Sixty-Five: The Bone-Melting Technique

Yang Xiao and Ling Yunmei searched everywhere but naturally found no way out; all the exits were sealed by restrictive barriers, far beyond their abilities to break. However, as they scoured the place, they stumbled upon an unexpected discovery: in one of the rooms, they found a skeleton. The skeleton itself was unremarkable, but what caught their attention was the tattered clothing beside it—distinctly the garb of the Giant Spirit Sect. This could only mean the skeleton belonged to a member of their sect.

With this revelation, Yang Xiao and Ling Yunmei immediately returned to inform Master Lingfeng. Upon hearing, Lingfeng came swiftly to the spot, but as soon as his eyes fell upon the skeleton, he was visibly shaken, standing speechless for a long while.

“Uncle Master, what’s the story behind this skeleton? Do you know who it is?” Ling Yunmei asked.

“Of course I know,” Lingfeng replied, his voice tinged with sorrow. “This is the very master I’ve been seeking for years—your grandmaster, the Venerable Jiyuan, my own teacher and the father of my junior sister, Master Kurong.”

“So Grandmaster disappeared in the past? I never heard Master mention this,” Ling Yunmei exclaimed in surprise.

“It was a closely guarded secret of the Giant Spirit Sect,” Lingfeng explained. “Apart from my junior sister and me, no one knew. Many years ago, my master left to travel and never returned. At the time, I thought he would be back in a matter of days or months, but he vanished without a trace. Now it seems that he, too, met a fate much like ours—trapped here until he perished.”

“It seems the Barbarian Clan has targeted our sect for a very long time, laying this trap to ensnare generations of sect leaders,” Yang Xiao observed.

“We are to blame as well, our greed clouded our judgment. If it weren’t for our desire for the Lingji Herb, would we have walked into this snare? Back then, my master’s life was nearing its end, so he likely came here in search of the herb as well. But once inside, escape became nearly impossible. It seems we may follow in his footsteps,” Lingfeng sighed.

“Let us at least gather Grandmaster’s remains and give him a proper burial,” Yang Xiao suggested.

“Not just yet,” Lingfeng said. “The Giant Spirit Technique my master taught me was incomplete. There should be a jade slip with the full technique hidden somewhere on his body. Let me search for it.”

So saying, he extended his hand over the skeleton, sensing carefully.

“A jade slip? That’s unlikely—Yang Xiao and I already searched, and found nothing,” Ling Yunmei doubted.

“I’ve found it! It’s inside the leg bone!” Lingfeng exclaimed in delight. He formed an intricate seal with his fingers, and at his command, a bluish light emanated from his palm. Simultaneously, a blue glow began to pulse within the skeleton’s leg bone, gradually drifting outward. As it emerged fully, it revealed itself to be a jade slip.

“This is my master’s unique Bone Transformation Technique. With it, he could embed a jade slip inside bone, making it undetectable to all but those of the highest cultivation,” Lingfeng explained.

“How remarkable—our grandmaster was truly a man of many talents,” Ling Yunmei praised.

“Now, I’ll make two copies of this jade slip and give them to you both. You should try cultivating with it, and see if you can make any breakthroughs. Since we cannot leave this place for now, we may as well treat it as a training ground. Once my injuries heal and your strength improves, perhaps together we will have a chance,” Lingfeng said, handing the copied jade slips to Yang Xiao and Ling Yunmei.

“I need to meditate here and recover, and keep my master company. You two may go and find another room to cultivate. For cultivators like us, not eating or drinking for years poses no problem. Since we cannot leave, all we can do is try to advance. Once my wounds are healed, I’ll instruct you both carefully. Let’s hope fate hasn’t abandoned us, and that we find a way out,” Lingfeng concluded, then closed his eyes and began meditating.

“Rest well, Master. Senior Sister Ling and I will take our leave,” Yang Xiao said politely, and departed with Ling Yunmei.

“Yang Xiao, why don’t we search the place once more? Maybe there’s something we missed,” Ling Yunmei suggested, still unwilling to give up. Their previous search had been only superficial; a more thorough investigation might yield something new.

After all, breakthroughs in cultivation are not achieved overnight, and even if they did improve, the chance of escaping remained slim. Even their grandmaster, the Venerable Jiyuan, with his vast mastery of the Giant Spirit Technique, failed to break free from this place. Clearly, escaping was no easy feat—likely impossible for anyone below the Convergence Realm, and only someone at the Cosmic Cycle Realm might have hope.

But in a place like this, with no cultivation resources, reaching the Cosmic Cycle Realm was nothing but a fantasy. Any hope of escaping through pure cultivation was futile.

“Very well. Senior Sister, let’s split up and search. Perhaps the formation has a weak spot, and if we find it, we might break through with little effort,” Yang Xiao agreed.

The two then divided up, setting off in opposite directions from the same starting point, searching as they went. Since the formation was circular, they eventually met on the opposite side of the circle.

“Well, did you find anything, Senior Sister?” Yang Xiao asked.

“Nothing at all. The edges of the formation are uniformly strong—completely unbreakable,” Ling Yunmei replied, disheartened.

“And you?” she asked in return.

“Same here. The formation is solid everywhere, impossible to breach,” Yang Xiao said, shaking his head.