201: Chapter 201 The Will of the Skeletons

Boom!

The Giant Guardian Beast's front claw slammed down violently.

Lin Mo looked up abruptly, his eyes bloodshot, but showing no sign of backing down.

The dragon marrow power within him was still surging, his limbs and bones aching as if they were on fire, but it was this very pain that caused his strength to climb in a visible manner.

"You want to crush me to death?"

Lin Mo grinned, his smile carrying an extremely fierce edge.

"You're not enough."

In the next instant, without dodging or evading, he stomped his right foot heavily and threw a punch directly at the descending giant claw!

Bang—!!!!

A thunderous roar, more terrifying than any before, exploded.

The shockwave instantly blew away the surrounding bone fragments and black mist, even causing several remaining bone pillars at the edge of the altar to crack and crumble.

Han Xiao, Gu Yunting, and the others were forced back several steps by the airwave, their expressions changing simultaneously.

Because this time, it wasn't Lin Mo who retreated.

It was the Giant Guardian Beast.

Its descending front claw had been forcibly held back by Lin Mo's punch, and its massive body even swayed backward from the impact.

"What?!" Gu Yunting blurted out.

Ji Wuchen stared intently at the dark gold patterns emerging on the surface of Lin Mo's arm, his breathing quickening.

"The dragon marrow has completed the first bone tempering..."

"His strength has increased by at least two or three times!"

Lin Mo felt it too.

That punch just now was completely different from before.

Not only was his vitality stronger, but his bones, fascia, and explosive power seemed to have been forcibly elevated to a new level by the dragon marrow.

It felt as if a bowstring stretched to its limit had suddenly been replaced with a tougher material.

It could be drawn even fuller.

It could strike even harder.

The Giant Guardian Beast clearly sensed something was wrong, and for the first time, a trace of emotion akin to shock and fury appeared in its crimson vertical pupils.

A low growl escaped its throat, and its other front claw immediately swept out!

Lin Mo's gaze turned cold as he suddenly lowered his stance.

Evade the claw!

Close in!

With a twist of his feet, he forcibly entered the blind spot under the Giant Guardian Beast's belly despite the terrifying dragon pressure, and threw his right fist like a cannon toward the blood-gold crystal core on its chest.

"Shatter for me!"

The Giant Guardian Beast roared, its tailbone whipping wildly in an attempt to force Lin Mo back.

But Lin Mo's punch had already been thrown.

Boom!

The force of the punch hit the edge of the crystal core dead center.

The blood-gold light trembled violently, and the Giant Guardian Beast's massive body stiffened as it let out a pained roar.

Although it didn't shatter, it was damaged.

Gu Yunting's eyes lit up. "Its core can actually be hit!"

"No kidding. No matter how tough a beast is, it only has one vital point." Han Xiao grinned.

But just as he finished speaking, another change occurred behind them.

The Short-caped Man kneeling in the Spirit-Trapping Array quietly took out a silver-white holy seal from his robes while everyone's attention was on Lin Mo and the guardian beast.

The holy seal was covered in divine runes, and the moment it appeared, the surrounding air vibrated slightly.

Ji Wuchen caught a glimpse from the corner of his eye, and his expression changed drastically.

"Not good!"

"It's a Sanctuary Explosive Seal!"

The Middle-aged Man turned back abruptly. "What is that?"

"Something the West Federation Sanctuary gives elites for self-preservation or mutual destruction!" Ji Wuchen's voice was strained.

"He's going to blow up the core area!"

If it went off, not just Lin Mo, but everyone near the altar would be caught in it.

The Short-caped Man's face was pale, but his gaze was filled with extreme malice.

"I said it."

"If I can't have it, none of you can!"

He suddenly crushed the holy seal.

A blinding white light suddenly rose.

But just a moment before it could fully explode, one figure was faster than everyone else.

It was Gu Yunting.

"You bastard, do you really think I'm just here for show?!"

No one expected that Gu Yunting, who usually seemed the most cowardly and talkative, would be the first to charge out at this moment.

Gritting his teeth, he pushed his speed to the limit, lunging forward and slashing his spirit blade fiercely at the Short-caped Man's wrist.

Pfft!

Blood splattered.

The white light in the Short-caped Man's hand veered off course, and the explosive force intended for the core area slammed diagonally into the bone runes of the nearby Spirit-Trapping Array.

Boom—!

The white light exploded, shattering the bone runes and sending the Short-caped Man flying, half of his body blown apart on the spot.

Gu Yunting was also knocked back by the aftershock, coughing up blood and rolling a long distance away in a disheveled state.

"Gu Yunting!" Han Xiao roared.

"I... I'm not dead yet!" Gu Yunting clutched his chest, grimacing in pain, but his words remained stubborn.

"Damn, this will be enough for me to brag about for half a year..."

Han Xiao was stunned for a moment before bursting into laughter.

"You kid actually have a moment when you're not a coward!"

"Screw off!" Gu Yunting cursed, but he couldn't help but grin.

Meanwhile, Lin Mo had completely entered his zone.

Although the holy seal's explosion didn't hit the core directly, it caused the bone rune connection between the second layer of the Spirit-Trapping Array and the fire-protection zone to become unstable again.

This caused the Giant Guardian Beast's movements to visibly lag for a split second.

That was the moment—

Lin Mo's eyes sharpened.

"Opportunity."

He stepped onto the Giant Guardian Beast's side forelimb, using the momentum to surge upward, rushing all the way up its massive body to its chest.

The Giant Guardian Beast shook its body wildly, trying to throw him off.

But Lin Mo gripped a protruding bone plate tightly with both hands, driving his knee in to wedge himself in like a nail, then raised his right fist high.

On his fist, dark gold blood veins and the thunderous roar of vitality surged simultaneously.

He stared fixedly at the blood-gold crystal core right in front of him, his eyes filled with nothing but pure ferocity.

"I said—"

"Shatter for me!"

Boom!!!!!

This punch slammed down heavily.

The entire altar area seemed to tremble under this punch.

In the next second, a clear crack finally appeared on the millstone-sized blood-gold crystal core on the Giant Guardian Beast's chest.

Crack—

As soon as the crack appeared, the Giant Guardian Beast's entire body stiffened.

Then, as if it had gone completely insane, it threw its head back and let out an incredibly enraged roar. The black mist around it swirled violently, and the blood-gold crystal core on its chest flickered intensely, looking like it could explode at any moment.

"Not good!" Ji Wuchen's expression changed drastically. "It's going all out!"

Lin Mo felt it too.

The power within the beast beneath his feet was spiraling out of control at an abnormal speed.

Like a volcano on the verge of collapse that was finally going to erupt completely after someone punched through its crater.

But at a time like this, retreating meant death.

Having fought to this point, whoever backed down first would be finished.

Lin Mo's gaze was cold as he gripped the bone plate on the Giant Guardian Beast's chest like an iron hook, giving it no chance to shake him off.

"You want to go all out?"

"You're not worthy."

As soon as he finished speaking, the dragon marrow power that had just completed its first round of bone tempering surged violently once more.

At this moment, Lin Mo felt as if heatwaves were exploding throughout his entire body.

It wasn't pain weakening him.

It was pushing him to keep pressing forward.

He could clearly feel his punching power, explosiveness, and bone pressure tolerance all continuing to climb.

The dragon marrow fire seed hadn't been fully refined.

But precisely because it wasn't fully refined, this power seemed even fiercer, more violent, and more unreasonable.

Bang!

The Giant Guardian Beast shook its body frantically, but Lin Mo used the momentum to steady himself before raising his right fist and slamming it down for a second time!

Boom—!

This punch hit the crack dead center.

The blood-gold crystal core trembled violently, the cracks instantly spreading several inches in all directions.

The Giant Guardian Beast let out a shrill shriek, its front limbs pounding the ground madly, causing the entire altar to shake incessantly.

The Dragon-blood Corpse Lizards and Mutated Bone Beasts that were still fighting on the periphery seemed to be stimulated, all becoming frenzied.

"It's summoning other guardian beasts to protect it! Stop them!"

The Middle-aged Man slashed back a lunging corpse lizard and shouted in a deep voice.

"You don't have to tell me!" Han Xiao, covered in blood, blocked the gap in the middle path with his blade, his face becoming increasingly excited instead.

"I'm standing right here today; let's see who can get past!"

Blade light flared.

A Dragon-blood Corpse Lizard had just rushed close when he slashed open the dragon runes on its chest, black blood and shredded meat splattering everywhere.

The man with black wristguards had also completely lost himself in the slaughter, swinging his war hammer in wide arcs and forcibly breaking a Mutated Bone Beast's forelimb while cursing:

"Get the hell away! That big one belongs to Lin Mo!"

Gu Yunting leaned against a piece of broken bone, his face pale and his chest still aching, but as he watched the scene ahead, his eyes gradually brightened.

He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and grinned.

"Damn... if he really pulls this off, who will be able to suppress this freak in the future?"

Ji Wuchen didn't speak.

He just stared intently at the depths of the altar, his gaze behind his glasses focused to the extreme.

Because he knew very well that although Lin Mo was incredibly strong right now, he was also standing on the edge of extreme danger.

That Giant Guardian Beast was no ordinary exotic beast.

The blood-gold crystal core on its chest was essentially a core nurtured by dragon pressure, Evil Qi, and the ancient array of the altar.

Once it was completely destroyed, no one could predict what would happen.

But if it wasn't destroyed, they would die all the same.

So this battle, from the moment Lin Mo grabbed the dragon marrow fire seed, could only have one outcome.

He had to fight it out to the bitter end.

At the core of the altar, the Giant Guardian Beast had completely lost control.

The cracked crystal core on its chest continuously spat out blood-gold light mist, and its massive body seemed to have part of its power drained, with cracks appearing on the surface of its black-mist-shrouded bone armor.

But the more it was like this, the more vicious its counterattack became.

Swish!

Its massive tailbone swept across again, the force of the wind creating a visible white trail in the air.

If this hit landed, even if Lin Mo didn't die, he would be sent flying directly off its body.

But this was the moment Lin Mo had been waiting for.

His gaze sharpened, and at the moment the tailbone swept toward him, he actively released his left hand. Using the momentum of the guardian beast's swing, he leaped half a foot into the air, narrowly avoiding the strike, before slamming his left hand back onto another bone plate on the guardian beast's chest to steady himself once more.

The dragon marrow power and the Awakening of Insects counter-shock within him were pushed to their limits almost simultaneously. The dark gold patterns on Lin Mo's arm suddenly brightened, and even the air around his fist seemed to distort slightly under the pressure.

The Giant Guardian Beast also seemed to sense the aura of true death; the crystal core on its chest flickered wildly as it tried to forcibly contract to avoid the blow.

Too late.

Lin Mo grinned, the killing intent in his eyes like a blade.

"It's time for you to die."

Boom!!!!!!

The third punch slammed down violently.

The moment this punch landed, everyone felt as if their ears had gone silent for a moment.

It was as if the sound had been sucked away first.

A split second later, a deafening explosion finally erupted.

The blood-gold crystal core shattered under Lin Mo's fist!

Large fragments of the crystal, mixed with violent energy, exploded like a blood-gold rain, sweeping out in all directions.

The Giant Guardian Beast threw its head back and let out a short, piercing wail. Its massive body instantly went rigid, and a huge hollow was forcibly punched into its chest.

The crimson light in its eyes quickly dimmed.

The black mist swirling around it also began to dissipate frantically, having lost its core.

"Is it dead?" Gu Yunting's eyes widened.

"Not yet, but soon—"

Ji Wuchen said in a deep voice.

Before he could finish, the Giant Guardian Beast's massive body stumbled back a few steps and then collapsed with a crash!

Bang!!!

The ground shook, and bone dust flew into the air.

The terrifying dragon pressure that had been weighing on everyone's hearts also visibly loosened.

For a moment, the entire battlefield seemed to fall silent.

Immediately after, the Dragon-blood Corpse Lizards and Mutated Bone Beasts on the periphery seemed to lose their command simultaneously, their movements suddenly becoming chaotic.

Some roared in place, some fled frantically, and a few even began to tear at each other.

Han Xiao was stunned for a moment before bursting into laughter.

"Hahahaha! He really killed it!"

The man with black wristguards also panted heavily, knocking over a corpse lizard in front of him with a hammer blow. His face was covered in blood, but he laughed with great satisfaction.

"I knew this big one wouldn't last more than a few punches from Lin Mo!"

Gu Yunting leaned against the broken bone, taking a sharp breath after a long while.

"...Those weren't just punches."

"He literally beat it to death."

At the core of the altar, Lin Mo jumped down from the Giant Guardian Beast's chest, his steps heavy as he landed.

He wasn't unscathed either.

Those three punches, especially the last one, had once again pushed his Physical Body—which had just been strengthened by the dragon marrow—to its absolute limit.

His right arm was numb, his chest felt tight, and the dragon marrow power within him was still surging.

But more than that, what caught his attention was something slowly rising from above the Giant Guardian Beast's corpse.

It was a blood-gold light orb slightly smaller than the previous dragon marrow fire seed.

However, it was more solid and heavier than the fire seed.

It looked like a blood-colored heart core floating in mid-air, surrounded by strands of dark gold dragon runes. Every wave of energy it emitted radiated an astounding life force and pressure.

Seeing that, Ji Wuchen's breathing instantly quickened.

"beast core feedback..."

"After it died, the core essence didn't dissipate; instead, it was forcibly condensed by the altar!"

Han Xiao took two steps closer with his blade, his eyes fixed on it. "Is this thing... worth more than the dragon marrow fire seed?"

"In terms of raw power alone, it might not be as potent as the dragon marrow fire seed." Ji Wuchen's voice was tight.

"But in terms of stabilizing the Physical Body, strengthening vitality, and condensing dragon pressure, this thing is absolutely a top-tier treasure."

Gu Yunting's eyes twitched.

"You mean... Lin Mo just picked up another big prize?"

Ji Wuchen was silent for a moment before nodding.

"Pretty much."

Gu Yunting: "..."

He suddenly felt that entering a Secret Realm with a monster like this was truly demoralizing.

Lin Mo looked up at the blood-gold heart core, his eyes flickering slightly, but he didn't reach out for it immediately.

Because he had already sensed it—

What was truly wrong wasn't this heart core produced by the feedback.

It was the deeper parts of the entire Black Dragon Gorge.

After the Giant Guardian Beast fell, the dragon marrow fire seed was taken, and the altar core disintegrated, a very faint but ancient vibration suddenly came from the deepest part of the canyon that had been obscured by black mist.

It was as if something had slowly opened its eyes across endless ages.

In the next second.

Thump.

A dull heartbeat suddenly sounded.

It didn't come from anyone's chest.

It was as if the entire Black Dragon Gorge itself had skipped a beat.

Everyone's expressions changed at once.

Ji Wuchen turned abruptly toward the depths of the canyon, his voice truly losing its composure for the first time:

The dragon skeletons will.

It has truly awakened.