63: Ancient battlefield, Alliance token

The sunlight of shen hour penetrated the thick clouds, scattering over the rolling desolate mountains. The mountain wind howled, sweeping up gravel and withered bones, exuding an aura of desolation and death. This was the ancient battlefield relic recorded in the “Alliance Charter.” Tens of thousands of years ago, various races of the Cultivation World engaged in a brutal war here. Countless Cultivators died on the battlefield, their bones piled like mountains. The spiritual energy also became extremely chaotic due to years of slaughter. Ordinary Cultivators who entered this place, if even slightly careless, would be backlashed by the chaotic spiritual energy, or even lose their minds.

Lu Chen and Chu Feng slowly ventured deeper into the relic, treading on gravel. Both were dressed in practical, tight-fitting clothes, their spiritual energy circulating around them, forming faint protective barriers to resist the chaotic spiritual energy and sinister aura in the air. Lu Chen held a rune iron sword, with the myriad manifestations pendant given by Yu Lan tucked at his waist. His spiritual sense fully expanded, perceiving the movements around him. Chu Feng, on the other hand, held a shimmering white longsword, its blade glowing with a faint spiritual light. It was precisely the azure cloud sword, the famous weapon of the Qingyun Sect. His eyes were sharp, constantly vigilant for potential dangers. Their steps were steady, their cooperation tacit, not daring to show the slightest slack.

"This ancient battlefield is indeed dangerous. The spiritual energy in the air is chaotic and mixed with a strong yin evil Qi. Staying here for long might affect one's mind." Chu Feng frowned slightly, circulating the Qingyun Sect Mind-Cultivation Technique to suppress the restless spiritual energy within him, speaking with a solemn tone. He could clearly feel that the surrounding spiritual energy was sometimes as violent as a tide, and sometimes as weak as a thread, making it impossible to absorb normally. It was even continuously eroding his own spiritual energy protection; a slight lapse could lead to spiritual energy disorder.

Lu Chen nodded in agreement, raising his hand to take out the myriad manifestations pendant. The jade pendant instantly emitted a faint green light, and a soft spiritual glow enveloped both of them. The yin evil Qi in the air was immediately dispelled, and the discomfort caused by the chaotic spiritual energy also disappeared. "With the myriad manifestations pendant, we can temporarily resist the erosion of yin evil Qi and chaotic spiritual energy. Let's find the concentric token as soon as possible and leave this place early." Lu Chen said softly, his gaze sweeping over the surroundings. All he saw were broken weapons and scattered bones. Some bones had long turned to white, while others still had some flesh and blood remaining, clearly indicating recent activity here, exuding an eerie aura.

The two slowly moved deeper into the relic. Along the way, they occasionally saw huge pits and broken rocks, clearly traces left by the great war of yesteryear. In the air, a faint residual powerful spiritual energy fluctuation could still be felt, sending chills down one's spine. After about half an hour of travel, a low growl suddenly came from ahead. The growl was powerful and carried a strong yin evil Qi, making the surrounding gravel tremble slightly. Clearly, a powerful Yao Beast was dwelling here.

"Be careful, there's a Yao Beast!" Lu Chen whispered a warning, pulling Chu Feng to quickly hide behind a large rock. His spiritual sense fully probed, discovering a huge Yao Beast crouching in a pile of bones not far ahead. This Yao Beast was entirely composed of white bones, shaped like a Dragon, several zhang long, with bone claws as sharp as knives. Dark green ghostly flames burned in its eye sockets, and a thick yin evil Qi enveloped its body. It was precisely a third-tier Yao Beast, the Bone Dragon. Bone Dragons are formed from the Fusion of ancient Cultivators' bones and yin evil Qi. They possess formidable defense, are skilled at manipulating yin evil power, and their strength far surpasses that of ordinary Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators, making them extremely dangerous.

"It's actually a third-tier Bone Dragon! This is troublesome." A hint of solemnity flashed in Chu Feng's eyes. The strength of a third-tier Yao Beast was already close to the Golden Core Stage. It would be no easy feat for the two of them alone to slay it. "The Bone Dragon has strong defense, and its yin evil power can erode spiritual energy. We can only attack together and look for its weak point."

Lu Chen nodded, carefully observing the Bone Dragon's movements. He noticed that the white bones at its spine were relatively weaker, and the yin evil Qi there was the thinnest, clearly its weak point. "The Bone Dragon's weak point is its spine. I'll use the Myriad Manifestations Art to draw on the power of the earth to restrain it. You take the opportunity to use the Azure Cloud Sword Art and attack its spine, striving for a decisive blow."

Chu Feng nodded in agreement, and both prepared for battle. Lu Chen circulated the complete Myriad Manifestations Art. The spiritual energy within him fused with the power of the earth between heaven and earth. He formed hand seals and gently patted the ground. Instantly, the ground vibrated violently, and countless thick stone spikes surged from the ground, stabbing towards the Bone Dragon, attempting to trap it. The Bone Dragon sensed danger and let out a low growl. Its huge bone tail swept out, shattering all the stone spikes. At the same time, the yin evil Qi around its body surged, and countless yin evil claw shadows grabbed towards the two of them.

"Now!" Lu Chen roared, circulating the Lightning Movement Technique. His figure, like an afterimage, dodged the yin evil claw shadows. Simultaneously, he activated the power of the earth, temporarily immobilizing the Bone Dragon's four limbs on the ground. Chu Feng seized this rare opportunity, circulated the Qingyun Sect Secret Tome, and his spiritual energy surged. The azure cloud sword emitted a dazzling green light, and a sharp sword energy condensed, striking fiercely at the Bone Dragon's spine.

The Dark green ghostly flames in the Bone Dragon's eyes flared, wanting to break free from the earth's restraints, but it was too late. The sword energy precisely struck the Bone Dragon's spine. With a "crack," the white bones shattered, and the yin evil Qi instantly became chaotic. The Bone Dragon let out a mournful howl, its massive body crashing down, the ghostly flames in its eye sockets gradually extinguishing, completely devoid of life.

Both of them let out a long breath, covered in sweat. The battle just now was extremely dangerous; if not for their tacit cooperation, it would have been difficult to slay the Bone Dragon. Chu Feng walked over to Lu Chen, his eyes full of admiration, and cupped his hands, saying, "Brother Lu Chen, your strength is truly impressive, and the Myriad Manifestations Art is endlessly profound. If not for you today, I fear I would have had great difficulty defeating this Bone Dragon. Chu Feng is willing to become sworn brothers with you, to share blessings and endure hardships together in the future. What do you think?"

A hint of surprise flashed in Lu Chen's eyes, then he smiled and nodded, saying, "It is my wish, and I dare not ask for more. It is my honor to become brothers with Brother Chu." The two exchanged smiles, then knelt on the spot, bowing three times towards the ancient battlefield, becoming sworn brothers. From then on, they would fight side by side, sharing life and death.

After becoming brothers, the two walked to the Bone Dragon's corpse and discovered that its lair was in a nearby cave. The cave was dark and damp, filled with many Cultivators' relics and spiritual materials, clearly collected by the Bone Dragon over the years. The two entered the cave and searched carefully, soon finding a pure white token on a stone platform deep inside the cave. The token was about the size of a palm, with the characters " concentric" (Concentric) carved on its surface in a vigorous script. A faint sacred spiritual light enveloped it, capable of dispelling the surrounding yin evil Qi. This was precisely the Alliance token they were looking for on this trip, the concentric token.

Lu Chen picked up the concentric token and could clearly feel the immense sacred power it contained. By simply injecting spiritual energy into it, it could release a powerful deterrent, having a strong suppressive effect on low-tier Evil Cultivators. "With this concentric token, the Alliance's cohesion will be even stronger, and we'll gain an advantage when fighting Evil Cultivators." Lu Chen said with a smile, carefully putting away the concentric token.

Just then, a tattered booklet fell out of the Bone Dragon's pile of relics. Lu Chen bent down to pick it up. The cover read "Corpse Bone Purification Art," which detailed how to purify the yin evil Qi in corpse bones and convert yin evil power into pure spiritual energy, greatly helping in clearing ancient battlefields or dealing with sinister Yao Beasts. Lu Chen put away the booklet, secretly deciding to teach this art to Alliance Disciples in the future to enhance their ability to deal with sinister forces.

The two rested briefly in the cave, replenishing some spiritual energy and dry rations, then prepared to leave the relic and return to the Alliance. But just then, Lu Chen's spiritual sense suddenly detected a faint sinister spiritual energy fluctuation coming from deep within the relic, extremely similar to the aura of Blood Shadow Sect Evil Cultivators. "Something's wrong, there's a Blood Shadow Sect aura deep in the relic." Lu Chen said with a solemn expression, his eyes sharply looking towards the depths of the relic.

Chu Feng was startled by the news and quickly circulated his spiritual sense to investigate. Indeed, he felt a faint sinister aura. Although extremely subtle, it could not escape their perception. "Why are the Blood Shadow Sect people here? Are they also looking for some treasure?" Chu Feng said, puzzled, his eyes full of vigilance.

Lu Chen pondered for a moment, then said, "No matter what they're looking for, we must go and see. If they are searching for treasures that harm the Alliance, we must stop them." The two exchanged glances, both nodding in agreement, then quietly sneaked towards the depths of the relic. Their spiritual senses fully expanded, trying to conceal their auras as much as possible to avoid being discovered by the Blood Shadow Sect people.

After about a quarter of an hour of travel, the sinister aura grew stronger and stronger. The two hid behind a large rock, looking through a crevice. They saw several Blood Shadow Sect Evil Cultivators in black robes busily working in an open space not far ahead. They held strange Magical Artifacts, seemingly digging for something, and many Blood Shadow Sect insignia tokens were scattered around.

"It's indeed the Blood Shadow Sect people. They seem to be excavating something in the relic." Chu Feng said in a low voice, his eyes full of doubt. "Besides the concentric token, what else in the ancient battlefield relic is worth their such attention?"

Lu Chen watched the Evil Cultivators' actions with a solemn expression, his heart filled with unease. The Blood Shadow Sect had always been ambitious. Their excavation in this ancient battlefield relic must be to find treasures that could enhance their strength or initiate a conspiracy. If they succeeded, the consequences would be unimaginable. "Let's observe quietly first to see what exactly they are looking for, then act opportunistically." Lu Chen whispered. The two continued to lurk behind the rock, closely monitoring the Evil Cultivators' movements, secretly preparing for battle.

The setting sun gradually descended, and night quietly fell. The yin evil Qi within the ancient battlefield relic grew even denser, and the Blood Shadow Sect Evil Cultivators' movements became faster and faster, clearly eager to find what they wanted. Lu Chen and Chu Feng lurked in the shadows, their eyes firm. As soon as the Evil Cultivators found the treasure, they would immediately act to stop the Blood Shadow Sect's conspiracy. And the Blood Shadow Sect's activities in the relic also indicated that their conspiracy was far from over; a new confrontation was quietly brewing in this ancient battlefield relic.