155: Chapter 155 True Identity

She swallowed it without hesitation.

A bizarre scene unfolded.

At first, it was just her fingers twitching and swaying, but after consuming the Medicinal Pill, Earth Stone One's entire body began to contort into strange positions.

Leaning backward, her hands touched the ground, forming an inverted bow shape.

Her left leg lifted, the tip of her toe touching her forehead.

Both hands and one foot gradually drew closer together.

Simultaneously, her body emitted cracking sounds, seemingly the noise of bones shattering.

"What is that?"

Those present were not blind; everyone could see Earth Stone One's movements not far away.

"This is...?"

True Man Zhuzhao found it somewhat familiar, but he couldn't recall it at the moment.

"Ignore her. Candlefire, burn!"

True Man Zhuzhao's combat experience was incredibly profound; he knew he had to end the battle quickly.

The flames in the space suddenly contracted toward the center, like a hundred boats racing for the lead, scrambling to condense into a single point.

In just a few breaths, the flames that had filled every corner were condensed into a single dot.

It floated quietly in the empty space; as a breeze blew past, the flame flickered as if it were about to go out.

Seeing this flame, Xu Changsheng's heart stirred; True Man Zhuzhao's flame refinement method seemed different from what he had learned in the Great Sun Fusang Scripture.

Though appearing weak, the core of the flame was bright and contained immense energy.

Sure enough, in the next moment.

Thousands of fire lines burst from the candle wick like swords and needles, shooting across the sky, all aimed at the contorted Earth Stone One nearby.

The corner of an eye, dense with net-like wrinkles, twitched.

At the very instant they were about to hit Earth Stone One.

The latter had also just finished her spellcasting.

A muffled roar, unlike anything human, erupted from deep within her chest, and the skin on her back bulged strangely.

With a "puchi" sound, seven vertebrae as thick as a child's arm burst through her body, transforming into rugged bone armor that covered her back.

Then, the joints of her limbs emitted popping sounds like roasting beans, and her stature shot up, ballooning from six feet to twenty feet, like a bone-armored giant.

The black clothes on her body were torn open; beneath the white bones was icy skin as smooth as creamy jade.

Crimson Rainbow looked at True Man Zhuzhao: "Junior Martial Uncle? Is it the Bone Fiend Sect?"

The latter nodded: "Yes, it is indeed the unique secret technique of the Bone Fiend Sect, the Corpse Bone Incarnation Technique."

Her aura rose steadily.

Golden Core Early Stage, Middle Stage, Late Stage...

It didn't stop, eventually surpassing the Golden Core Great Perfection, only half a step away from the Nascent Soul stage.

Feeling the astonishing aura from the bone person, True Man Zhuzhao's white brows furrowed tightly, his entire face puckering like a chrysanthemum:

"Impossible! It's a complete Tier 4 Demon Bone!"

Atop the terrifying bone spikes was a head no different from an ordinary person's, with short ear-length hair and delicate features.

Earth Stone One smiled slightly: "What? Is Fellow Daoist surprised?"

He shook his head vigorously: "The Bone Fiend Sect clearly only has one Tier 4 Demon Bone, held by the Sect Master. How could you have one in your body?"

"That's because the Sect Master is my father."

Her words were shocking.

True Man Zhuzhao was dumbfounded: "I do remember the Bone Fiend Sect Master has a daughter, Gu Lingye, but she is frail, sickly, and has low cultivation, always staying within the Sect."

Earth Stone One smiled slightly: "Hehe, that was merely a double I found."

"So, you are the real Gu Lingye?"

"Precisely."

"I never expected the Young Sect Master of a major Demonic Path Sect to travel thousands of miles to the Western Regions to be an assassin facing certain death."

"Why not? I just don't like being disciplined; I like being free and unfettered. So, now that you know my name, are you still unwilling to let me go?"

Xu Changsheng tugged at Crimson Rainbow's skirt pleats and winked.

The latter immediately understood his meaning and stepped forward with a slight bow: "In that case, Junior Martial Uncle, why not let this Senior go, to avoid a life-and-death struggle here."

True Man Zhuzhao refused with a hand seal: "Niece, you are short-sighted."

His gaze locked onto Gu Lingye: "Since you are the descendant of a demonic Sect, I definitely cannot let you live!"

Saying this, he pinched a seal with both hands, and the candlefire was stirred again. Thousands of sword lights leaped out, weaving into a net that blocked all of Gu Lingye's paths of retreat.

Gu Lingye had a playful look on her face: "Candle Cage? It's nothing special!"

Her hands hung down.

"Cree—"

Accompanied by a piercing sound of metal and stone scraping, a Bone Blade grew from the center of each of her palms.

They continued to lengthen, stopping at thirty feet; reflected by the firelight, they seemed to be burning with flames.

With a movement of her body, she flew toward the fire net.

Her hands rose and the blades fell.

"Ssh."

The massive fire net was sliced to pieces in the blink of an eye.

"Impossible!"

Immortal Master Candlefire could not believe the scene before him and cried out, his voice turning raspy.

"Hehe, you old fogey, I gave you a chance just now, but you're truly useless!"

Gu Lingye's eyes looked over, her pupils turning into vertical slits, filled with overwhelming pressure.

Seeing this.

In his heart, Xu Changsheng had already cursed Immortal Master Candlefire countless times; even as a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, he could feel the massive gap between the old man and Gu Lingye.

"Sigh, seeking greatness and success, even those with high cultivation still cannot avoid it."

He was planning the possibility of escaping when True Man Zhuzhao was defeated.

Suddenly.

His sleeve fluttered once.

...

True Man Zhuzhao was still not giving up: "Junior, do not get ahead of yourself. With your cultivation, you are far from being able to control a Tier 4 Demon Bone."

His hands moved like spinning wheels.

He took a censer filled with red candles from his Storage Pouch and spat fire to light them.

At the same time.

The candlefire transformed again, expanding with lightning speed!

"Candle Dragon!"

It twisted and changed, eventually transforming into a giant fire dragon!

Its eyes were closed as if the dawn had not yet broken, with long beard-like candle flames hanging down, and patterns of alternating light and dark flowing over its scales.

Facing this fire, Gu Lingye's arrogant expression vanished; her body shook, and the bone spikes on her body fell off, floating beside her and merging into a ghastly white Bone Spear.

The giant dragon's eyes snapped open, instantly turning a hundred miles into broad daylight.

The Bone Spear accumulated cold energy, instantly freezing a hundred miles.

With the space between them as the divide, the scenes on both sides were completely different.

Xu Changsheng watched in awe; this was the power of a Golden Core Perfection!

Even though he had seen a real Soul Transformation battle, the current scene still shocked him, as he was experiencing it firsthand.

"Chiss!"

The sound of ice and fire clashing came from the barrier.

All of them held their breath, watching this contest that would decide their life or death.

"Whoosh!"

The winner was decided.

The 'Candle Dragon' wailed as its throat was pierced by the Bone Spear, dissipating into the world as specks of fire Spiritual Qi.

"No!"

True Man Zhuzhao spat out blood as the candles on the censer burned out.

This appeared to be his Lifebound Treasure.

"Kacha."

The Bone Spear collapsed and returned to Gu Lingye's body; the two Bone Blades in her palms completely shredded the surrounding fire walls.

She charged straight toward Immortal Master Candlefire.

In a panic, the latter took out a giant iron shield to block in front of him; the surface of the shield shimmered with the luster of refined iron, and it was also a top-tier Magic Treasure with extremely strong defensive power.

But facing Gu Lingye now, it seemed extremely difficult.

"Clang, clang, clang."

The Bone Blades struck it with a sound like a gong being beaten; numerous dents appeared on the surface, and it clearly wouldn't hold for long.

His voice transmission reached everyone's ears: "I will tie her down, you all leave quickly!"

Crimson Rainbow immediately led everyone toward the dense forest.

"Whoosh!"

In the next instant, a giant grayish-white figure suddenly appeared in front of them, her gaze firmly locked onto Xu Changsheng.

"Want to leave? It's you, isn't it? Daring to ruin my plans, I'll kill you first!"