237: Chapter 237 Mysterious Bone: I was just teasing you!

Chapter 235: Xuan Gu: Just a Jest!

Seeing Alliance Leader Ling so excited that she couldn't wait to step forward and pluck the seven-colored haze lotus, Ling Yuling's brows furrowed tightly. Instead of joy, a deep suspicion appeared on her beautiful face.

"Wait a moment!"

Her clear, cold voice rang out with gravity, interrupting Alliance Leader Ling's daydreams. "According to the oldest records in my Star Palace's archives, while the miraculous effects of the seven-colored haze lotus match the rumors, the item itself is very likely a legendary object fabricated by ancient Cultivators or a myth created from an exaggerated description of some extinct Spirit Medicine. The records explicitly mention that there has never been a reliable account or evidence proving that a true seven-colored haze lotus has ever appeared in the human world. This thing before us..."

Her sharp gaze swept over the three-colored bud and the small seven-colored rainbow, her eyes filled with scrutiny and distrust.

Alliance Leader Ling's burning gaze remained locked on the seven-colored haze lotus. Hearing this, she shook her head and said, "Yuling, records are static, and rumors are rarely without foundation. Since there is such a description, there must be a source. Perhaps it's just that this item is too rare; from ancient times to now, those lucky enough to see it are so few that it was mistaken for a fabrication. Look at it—the three colors flowing, the natural accompaniment of rainbow mist, rooted in this pool of what appears to be ten thousand year spirit milk. How perfectly do these characteristics match the rumors? Whether it's real or fake, we'll know once we pluck it, take it back for careful identification, or even try to refine it into a pill!"

The more she spoke, the more her heart stirred. With such an Opportunity right before her eyes, how could she give it up because of some ethereal "doubts from the archives"?

At that moment, she no longer hesitated. Recalling the taboos regarding the harvesting of such natural treasures, she said, "Rumor has it that these sentient miraculous flowers must not be touched by metal Magical Artifacts. They must be plucked with jade tools or by hand so as not to damage their spirituality..."

As she spoke, she slowly approached the milky-white pool, raising her fair hand. Spiritual light swirled around her fingertips as she prepared to retrieve it from a distance or pluck the seven-colored haze lotus within reach with her own hands.

"Alliance Leader Ling, wait before you act."

Just then, Lu Qiu's calm voice rang out. It wasn't loud, yet it possessed a penetrating power that made one's heart tremble.

Alliance Leader Ling paused, a flash of confusion in her eyes as she looked back at Lu Qiu. "Fellow Daoist Zhou, what is the meaning of this?"

Could it be that this Fellow Daoist Zhou had also taken an interest in the seven-colored haze lotus and wanted to fight for it?

Several thoughts flashed through her mind in an instant, but seeing Lu Qiu's calm expression, he didn't seem to be in a state of greedy competition.

Lu Qiu did not explain immediately. His gaze moved past the tempting seven-colored haze lotus and the strange seven-colored rainbow, landing on the nearby lustrous white skeleton whose skull was pinned by a jade-green small arrow.

"Look closely at that skeleton's right hand," he said, pointing toward the edge of the pool.

Hearing this, Alliance Leader Ling and Ling Yuling temporarily suppressed their focus on the seven-colored haze lotus and looked where Lu Qiu pointed, focusing their gaze on the right hand of the well-preserved jade-colored skeleton.

Upon closer inspection, the expressions of the two women changed instantly!

They saw that the entire right hand bone of the skeleton was not white and warm like the rest of its body, but instead displayed a weird, pitch-black color that looked as if it had been soaked in thick ink!

This blackness spread from the finger bones all the way to the wrist, the color so deep it was exceptionally jarring against the lustrous white body.

Even more heart-chilling was the fact that a small section of the skeleton's right index finger was missing!

The break was jagged with bone fragments exposed; it was definitely not a clean cut from a sharp blade, but rather looked as if it had been forcibly bitten off and torn away by some ferocious creature!

An ancient Cultivator with impressive cultivation who could break into this place, with a black right hand, a missing index finger, a bizarre death, and pinned here by a jade-green small arrow...

Both women were exceptionally intelligent and understood instantly. A chill rose from their spines.

"This skeleton... was ambushed! He died right here by the pool!" Alliance Leader Ling sucked in a breath of cold air. The burning greed in her beautiful eyes quickly receded, replaced by a delayed sense of horror.

If she had really reached out to pluck that seven-colored haze lotus just now, being so close, her fate would likely have been...

Ling Yuling's pretty face also turned slightly pale. Her gaze toward Lu Qiu now held a bit more gratitude and deeper curiosity.

He was actually able to maintain such calm observation in the face of such temptation and instantly discover this fatal flaw.

"It seems this seven-colored haze lotus is likely a lure," Ling Yuling said solemnly. When she cast her gaze toward the brilliant bud and rainbow again, she was filled with vigilance.

Lu Qiu said no more. Suddenly, he pressed his fingers together like a sword and pointed through the air toward the seven-colored haze lotus in the center of the pool!

Ssh!

A condensed streak of green Sword Qi shot through the air, heading straight for the three-colored bud!

This strike wasn't fast, and its power was controlled at the Early Core Formation Stage level, clearly meant as a probe.

However, the next scene caused Alliance Leader Ling and Ling Yuling's pupils to shrink!

The seven-colored haze lotus, which should have been stationary, suddenly twisted its bud and the lotus stem below the moment the Sword Qi approached. With an extremely weird and flexible posture, it dodged to the side!

At the same time, the palm-sized seven-colored rainbow floating above it also shook, its light flickering wildly.

This was not a reaction a plant should have at all!

Hiss—!

A dark shadow flashed! It was as fast as a ghost!

A long, thin dark shadow shot out from the milky-white viscous pool water like a poisoned arrow that had been waiting for its moment. Carrying a fishy wind, it lunged straight for Lu Qiu's face!

Its speed was far greater than the previous dodging movement; clearly, this was its true attack!

"Watch out!"

Alliance Leader Ling reacted extremely quickly. Despite her internal shock, with her rich combat experience, she struck almost the instant the dark shadow appeared.

The moon-white flying wheel Magic Treasure flew out from her sleeve, transforming into a cold silver arc. Arriving after but striking first, it slashed with unerring precision at the dark shadow shooting toward Lu Qiu!

Puchi!

The silver light swept past, and blood splattered!

The dark shadow was sliced into two by the incomparably sharp flying wheel. It fell powerlessly to the ground, twitching a few times.

The three of them looked closely. What had fallen on the ground was unexpectedly a pitch-black strange snake!

It was about as thick as an adult's arm and less than three feet long, its body covered in fine, cold black scales. Most bizarre was its head, which had a short, thick fleshy horn on top. And the tip of that fleshy horn was actually the "three-colored bud" that had deceived everyone just now!

At this moment, the color of the "bud" quickly dimmed, drooping limply atop the severed snake's head, while the small "seven-colored rainbow" had long since vanished.

"Demon Crown Snake?!"

Ling Yuling cried out in surprise again, her pretty face full of bewilderment. "But... but the fleshy crown on a Demon Crown Snake's head is usually just a brightly colored lump or a simple pattern. How could... how could it realistically transform into the appearance of a seven-colored haze lotus? It could even simulate the phenomenon of the accompanying rainbow mist?"

Alliance Leader Ling was also suspicious and uncertain. Looking at the strange snake that was quickly losing its vitality and the lifelike "withered flower" on its head, her back was already soaked with cold sweat.

If she had really tried to pluck it with her own hands just now...

"This thing certainly didn't grow this way naturally."

Lu Qiu stepped forward, nudging the snake corpse with the tip of his foot, and said calmly, "It must have been refined and modified over a long period using an evil method to turn the fleshy crown on its head into this realistic seven-colored haze lotus. It was placed in this pool of spirit milk as a trap to lure and kill newcomers. That skeleton most likely fell for this trick, was bitten on the index finger by this demon snake, and died from the poison. As for that jade-green small arrow pinning his skull..."

His gaze swept over the jade-green small arrow. He didn't finish his sentence, but the meaning was clear.

The killer might have been someone else, or perhaps it was the one who set the trap, delivering the fatal blow after the owner of the skeleton was poisoned.

Hearing this, a wave of lingering fear washed over Alliance Leader Ling's heart, along with a sense of heartfelt gratitude toward Lu Qiu.

She turned to Lu Qiu and gave a solemn bow. "Fellow Daoist Zhou's observation is meticulous and his mind is sharp. You have saved this humble one once again. I shall keep this kindness etched in my heart."

She no longer had any doubts. Regardless of whether this "Fellow Daoist Zhou" was that newly ascended Nascent Soul, his insight, Heart-Nature, and ability far exceeded his peers and made him worthy of deep friendship.

Ling Yuling also took a deep look at Lu Qiu, sighing inwardly, "This person not only has mysterious methods, but this calm mind and insight to see through things in the face of danger are even more terrifying."

"Jie jie jie..."

Just as the atmosphere in the hall eased slightly, a string of cold, dry laughter that seemed to come from the Nine Serenities of the Underworld abruptly echoed through the hall!

The laughter was elusive, sometimes coming from the left stone wall, sometimes ringing out from the right archway. It was near and then far, making it impossible to pin down the source, and it was filled with a thick sense of evil and mockery.

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"I didn't expect there to be a smart one."

The two women's expressions changed abruptly. They instantly stood back-to-back, the radiance of their Magic Treasures lit up, and they expanded their Divine Sense to the limit, sweeping across every corner of the hall.

"Who is playing god and acting the ghost here! Come out!" Alliance Leader Ling shouted coldly, a moon-white flying wheel hovering before her, spinning rapidly, ready to strike.

"Hiding your head and showing your tail, the behavior of a rat!" Ling Yuling also shouted delicately, the Profound Yellow Ward-Evil Bell shining brightly, protecting her whole body even more tightly.

Before the words faded—a strange change occurred again!

All around the hall, on the stone walls dotted with starlight, large billows of pitch-black, chilly ghost mist suddenly emerged without warning!

This ghost mist was so thick it couldn't be dispersed, emitting a bone-chilling cold and a strong aura of resentment and hatred, instantly spreading out and completely swallowing the entire hall along with Lu Qiu and the others.

Vision and Divine Sense were greatly obstructed in this eerie ghost mist, and they could only barely see the blurred outlines of the companions beside them.

"Do not scatter, stay close to each other!" Lu Qiu's steady voice rang out in the ghost mist, carrying a reassuring calmness.

The three immediately gathered together, forming a triangular formation, backs against each other, vigilantly facing three directions.

Suddenly—at the stone wall where the ghost mist was churning on the left, a burst of eerie green light erupted!

A ghost claw, entirely emerald green, with sharp, long fingernails and emitting a miserable green light, reached out from inside the stone wall like lightning without warning!

The speed was so fast it left only a green afterimage in the air, aiming straight for the back of Ling Yuling, the one with the weakest cultivation aura among the three!

Before the ghost claw arrived, the bone-chilling wind that invaded the Soul already made Ling Yuling feel as if she had fallen into an ice cellar!

"Swish—!" At the critical moment, a gray, unremarkable sword light arrived first despite being launched later, precisely striking the wrist of the emerald ghost claw!

It was exactly the yinming sword Lu Qiu had unleashed!

"Clang!!" A loud sound like striking metal erupted, and sparks flew everywhere!

The emerald ghost claw was knocked askew by the immense force contained in the yinming sword, its sharp fingernails grazing Ling Yuling's protective yellow light, emitting a teeth-aching "creak" sound, but it ultimately failed to break through the defense of the Profound Yellow Ward-Evil Bell.

The ghost claw, having missed its strike, immediately retracted into the stone wall and disappeared, as if it had never appeared.

The thick ghost mist churning all around also retreated rapidly like a tide, shrinking back into the walls, and the hall regained its previous clarity, only the lingering chilly aura in the air became increasingly heavy.

"Hehe!" The cold, sinister laughter rang out again, and this time, the voice carried clear mockery and a hint of imperceptible surprise.

"Your reactions aren't slow, tsk tsk." The voice paused: "This Seat has been trapped here for too long and needs a suitable Physical Body to leave. Among you three, who intends to 'sacrifice' it to fulfill This Seat? This Seat can be merciful and let the other two leave."

Following these words filled with temptation and attempts to sow discord, the surface of a thick stone pillar in the center of the hall rippled like water, and a strange shadow slowly "walked" out.

It was a humanoid shadow shrouded in emerald green light; the light was lustrous, and its specific features could not be seen clearly, only the blurred outline of its facial features could be distinguished. On its body, several black mist bands as thick as an arm, which seemed to have a life of their own, were coiled around it like chains or venomous pythons, slowly wriggling and binding its body.

What was most heart-palpitating was the position of its eyes; two points of scarlet, blood-like light were embedded in the green light like rubies, emitting greedy, evil, and cold rays. When it swept its gaze over, it made people's Souls feel a tremor.

Swept by these blood-colored eyes, Ling Yuling suddenly felt an invisible pressure enveloping her entire body, as if she had been seen through from the inside out, and even the most secret thoughts in her heart were about to be exposed. A chill originating from the level of life rushed from the soles of her feet straight to her crown!

This feeling... she had only experienced it from those Grand Elders of the Star Palace who were at the Nascent Soul Stage!

Although the aura of this emerald strange shadow was eerie and flickering, the pressure it brought her absolutely reached the Nascent Soul Stage level!

She subconsciously looked at Lu Qiu in front of her, only to see this "Fellow Daoist Zhou" still standing straight, his gaze under the mask calm and waveless, as if this terrifying Nascent Soul ghost creature before them was no different from that demonic crown snake from just now.

This calmness was definitely not forced, but a composure originating from the marrow of his bones.

Ling Yuling's wildly beating heart inexplicably settled down a bit. Perhaps... he really had something to rely on?

"Evil creature, you still dare to be rampant when death is imminent!" Although Alliance Leader Ling also felt immense pressure, seeing Lu Qiu so calm and thinking of his potentially hidden strength, her courage grew, and she coldly scolded, "With you, a ghost creature clinging to life, you actually dream of occupying our Physical Bodies? Wishful thinking!"

She sensed it clearly; although the opponent's aura was eerie and strongly oppressive, it seemed limited by those coiled black mist chains. The actual power fluctuations it could mobilize were approximately between the Late Core Formation Stage and the Pseudo-Nascent Soul Stage, so it was not invincible. Moreover, there was the unfathomable Fellow Daoist Zhou by their side.

"Oh? Is that so?" The emerald strange shadow, or rather the ghost creature transformed from the remnant Soul of Master Xuan Gu, had its blood-colored eyes flicker, seemingly finding it interesting.

It suddenly changed its mind and said in that sinister voice: "How about this, This Seat has changed its mind. After all... This Seat was a man in his previous life, and using a woman's body is always a bit uncomfortable. You two little girls can leave now. This Seat only needs his Physical Body."

It raised that emerald-glowing ghost claw and pointed straight at Lu Qiu, who was standing at the very front.

Sowing discord! Naked, blatant sowing of discord! This ghost creature was malicious, wanting to use the weaknesses of human nature to make the two women abandon Lu Qiu and escape alone, so it could easily succeed, and then chasing down and slaughtering the two women later would also be as easy as turning over a hand.

How could Alliance Leader Ling and Ling Yuling not see through such clumsy tricks? The two women not only did not waver but instead moved closer to Lu Qiu, their Magic Treasure radiance shining even brighter, indicating their stance of advancing and retreating together.

"You want my Physical Body?" Lu Qiu finally spoke, his voice coming through the mask with a hint of faint mockery. "If you have the ability, come and take it."

Before the words faded, a faint silver light flashed in his eyes; the Xuanji Pupil had already been activated, instantly piercing through that layer of emerald light and the coiled black mist, directly locking onto a weak but extremely solid point of Soul fire at its core. That was the true hiding place of the remnant Soul of Master Xuan Gu, relying on some kind of yin-vein node inside the stone pillar.

At the same time, he opened his mouth and spat out—"Hum!" A treasure pearl the size of a dragon's eye, with its surface intertwined with scarlet gold and deep purple lightning, emitting a terrifying scorching and destructive aura, flew out while spinning rapidly! It was exactly his Lifebound Treasure that he had nurtured for many years—the chixiao thunder fire pearl!

Once this pearl appeared, the temperature in the hall seemed to rise suddenly, and the air slightly distorted due to that violent thunder-fire power. On the body of the pearl, scarlet gold flames and deep-purple electric arcs jumped and crackled crazily. A majestic power of extreme yang and extreme hardness, specialized in countering yin and evil ghost creatures, burst forth, transforming into an angry Dragon intertwined with scarlet and purple, fiercely striking toward the position locked by Lu Qiu's Xuanji Pupil!

"What?! Thunder-fire power?! And it's so pure and violent?!" The emerald strange shadow, the remnant Soul of Master Xuan Gu, had those two blood-colored eyes jump violently the moment the chixiao thunder fire pearl appeared, emitting a sharp, weird cry mixed with shock, fear, and disbelief!

This thunder-fire power not only completely countered his kind of yin-Soul ghost creature in terms of attributes, but its purity and contained power far exceeded the Lifebound Treasure of an ordinary Core Formation Cultivator! It even gave him the feeling of facing the thunder-type Divine Ability of a Nascent Soul Cultivator!

His current state was special, relying on the yin-vein to cling to life, and what he feared most was this kind of extreme yang and extreme hard thunder and flame! If this strike hit solidly, his remaining bit of Soul fire would likely dissipate by more than half in an instant!

"Everyone! Wait a moment before acting!" The originally cold and arrogant voice suddenly changed, carrying a hint of urgency and... panic. "That was just a joke! Fellow Daoist, quickly stop!"

The scarlet-purple thunder-fire Dragon roared and arrived, the scorching heat wave and destructive thunder light already illuminating the emerald light shadow around his body. "I have no intention of being your enemy! Everything is negotiable!"