"What is this..."

Hearing the chewing sound that made one's skin crawl, Qi Xiu's eyes narrowed slightly, a thread of purple intent slowly surfacing in their depths.

In the special black-and-white interwoven vision of the Observing Qi Skill, the "darkness" that seemed alive finally revealed its true form.

"Dragon Bone Demon Child?!"

Upon seeing the true form of the dark creature, Qi Xiu was first startled, then his surprise turned into delight. He quickened his manipulation of the Golden Cry Jade Beads.

The Dragon Bone Demon Child. It was recorded in the auxiliary chapter of the White Bone Demonic Dao—the Hall of Ten Thousand Bones—as a type of rare bone creature!

The Dragon Bone Demon Child was said to be a peculiar creature, born from the shed dragon bones of the True Dragon Clan. After eons of elemental nurturing, a coincidental alignment of fate granted these bones a wisp of spiritual consciousness, leading to their animation. Essentially, the Dragon Bone Demon Child wasn't considered a demon that had attained intelligence, as it had no intellect, nor did it think. It was merely a peculiar object animated because a wisp of innate spiritual essence from the cosmos merged with the dragon bones. This Dragon Bone Demon Child ranked seventh among the ten great strange bones in the Hall of Ten Thousand Bones.

However, the True Dragon Clan had vanished countless eons ago. Occasional discoveries of True Dragon relics were exceedingly rare, considered precious remnants from those who had accidentally perished long ago. These True Dragon relics usually consisted of the remains of a single dragon; it was rare to find a burial site where many dragons were interred together. Thus, the conditions for a Dragon Bone Demon Child to be born—a place where a large number of dragon bones were gathered—were difficult to meet. Therefore, although the Hall of Ten Thousand Bones recorded the existence of Dragon Bone Demon Children, no practitioner of the White Bone Demonic Dao had ever truly found such a rare bone creature. Its rarity and preciousness were undoubtedly among the absolute highest in the Hall of Ten Thousand Bones.

"Before even entering the Dragon Prison, they've given me such a significant gift. It seems my journey here could be one of rapid progress!"

Looking at the Dragon Bone Demon Child before him, Qi Xiu felt an urge to act.

The White Bone Demonic Dao was an extremely potent Demonic Path cultivation technique, no less profound than the Five Thunder Orthodox Skill or the Gourd Sword Skill. However, this cultivation technique was similar to the Heshan Path. In its early stages, it relied heavily on refining and subjugating White Bone Devil Gods. The White Bone Bodhisattva at the Blood-Stained Realm that Qi Xiu originally possessed had completely dissipated after its death-substitution effect was triggered. Later, although he captured another Blood-Stained Realm demon and refined it into a White Bone Bodhisattva, his attention to this voluminous Demonic Path scripture had always been minimal. Firstly, refining White Bone Devil Gods was time-consuming and laborious. Secondly, during that time, he had just acquired the Talisman Array Tao. Most of his energy was focused on it, leading him to further neglect the White Bone Demonic Dao.

But now, things were different...

"The White Bone Bodhisattva represents the most fundamental and comprehensive lineage system within the White Bone Demonic Dao. The required materials are the simplest. However, comparatively, aside from its death-substitution ability, its other aspects are somewhat inferior. But if I can capture these Dragon Bone Demon Children, I can refine the most tyrannical, ferocious, and utterly lawless protector Demonic God in the White Bone Demonic Dao! The Mighty Dragon Demon Vajra!"

Stroking his fingertips, Qi Xiu's eyes slowly roamed.

His primary combat methods currently relied on Cloud Seal Talismans and the Talisman Array Tao. He used a continuous barrage of talisman arrays combined with Talisman Scripts to relentlessly crush his opponents. But as his opponents reached the Blood-Stained Realm, their life force was far more tenacious than those in the Dao-Entering Realm. Moreover, after entering the Blood-Stained Realm, Demonic Evil Cultivators also developed their physical bodies and bloodlines in a more refined and profound manner. This was true for foes like the Elephant Demon he previously encountered, and Nie Biao's ilk. Although he possessed the Innate Mixed Yuan Holy Body, and his physical constitution was not inferior to these Great Demons, he ultimately wasn't a close-combat specialist. Once these physically formidable Great Demons closed in, his techniques were inevitably restricted. While he wouldn't be defeated, he would feel constrained and be vexed by the entanglement.

But if he had the Mighty Dragon Demon Vajra as a protector by his side, then such vexing problems would cease to exist. The Mighty Dragon Demon Vajra was the foremost of the eight great protector Demonic Gods in the White Bone Demonic Dao. It possessed the heaven-supporting power of a True Dragon and an indestructible Vajra body. It was a 'blood cow' warrior type—high attack, high defense! With their combined efforts, his battles would become much easier.

"If anyone else encountered you little things, it would surely be a huge headache. But coincidentally, it's me."

With a soft chuckle, Qi Xiu was even more certain that he was currently in a period of great fortune.

This Dragon Bone Demon Child was a natural anomaly, gestated and born from dragon bones. No Divine Weapons or Magic Artifacts could harm its dragon bone body. Anyone encountering it could only turn and flee for their life. Otherwise, they would surely perish under its dragon fangs, which were capable of shattering even Magic Artifacts.

But it just so happened to encounter him, Qi Someone.

The White Bone Demonic Dao recorded a secret technique called the Bone Subduing Skill! It was specifically designed to overcome the tenacious spirits generated from these strange bones!

With a light flick of his sleeve, Qi Xiu's fingertips glided gently. Using the technique of inscribing talismans in the void, he drew several peculiar Talisman Scripts shaped like miniature wooden coffins. He had drawn Bone Subduing Talismans, which were an evolution of the Bone Subduing Skill.

Qi Xiu waved his sleeve, and several Bone Subduing Talismans instantly turned into frosty white streaks of light, flying towards those Dragon Bone Demon Children. The Dragon Bone Demon Children, devoid of intelligence, had wandered this Dragon Prison for countless years. Having never encountered such a thing, upon seeing the streaks of light from the Bone Subduing Talismans approach, they immediately reached out to grab them.

However, the instant a Dragon Bone Demon Child touched a Bone Subduing Talisman, the palm-sized Talisman Script instantly adhered to the Dragon Bone Demon Child's hand. The more it struggled and shook, the larger the area the Talisman Script covered. The Dragon Bone Demon Children fell to the ground, struggling incessantly. In the end, each was tightly encased, forming a perfectly smooth and round white jade-like bead.

Raising his hand, Qi Xiu collected these sealed Dragon Bone Demon Orbs into his sleeve and walked forward, a wide smile on his face.

A promising start indeed!

Moving onward, it wasn't long before Qi Xiu had gathered seventy to eighty Dragon Bone Demon Orbs. Cobbling them together, there should be enough to refine two Mighty Dragon Demon Vajras. This journey into the Dragon Prison was filled with pleasant surprises, making Qi Xiu marvel inwardly.

Could this be the fabled karmic reward? After all, his purpose in coming to this Dragon Prison was none other than to intercept the surging tide of the Nu River. He hoped to save the ordinary folk who would otherwise be doomed beneath the floodwaters, fated never to live again. And yet, along this path, he had encountered one fortuitous opportunity after another, his luck soaring. Not only had he slain his great enemy Nie Biao, but he had also obtained the precious Dragon Binding Rope and the True Dragon Method's Dragon Might Spell. Now, he even had these Dragon Bone Demon Children, perfect for refining the Mighty Dragon Demon Vajras. Calculated this way, these gains were far greater than what he might have reaped from specifically venturing out to seek treasure.

It is rumored that those with great accumulated merit will enjoy prolonged and flourishing fortune. Although I don't consider myself a person of great merit, my Human Path Merit has indeed reached the third realm. Even among Blood-Stained Great Cultivators, this is considered outstanding. Moreover…

Slowly raising his head, Qi Xiu's eyes, suffused with a purple glint, gazed at the Merit Golden Light of the Human Path above him.

Within it, something seemed to be faintly coalescing. Perhaps, once he finished his task of stopping the Nu River's great tide, this object would manifest in accordance with destiny.

Having cleared away the obstruction caused by the Dragon Bone Demon Children, Qi Xiu once again dispersed his small white figures. From the earlier passage, which was over a thousand zhang high, it wasn't hard to deduce that the area of this Dragon Prison must be astonishingly vast. It probably wasn't much smaller than the labyrinth above. With such a vast area, finding the Dragon-Slaying Banner before being discovered by the Sin Dragon Remnants was certainly no easy task.

Watching the dense swarm of small white figures scatter into the cold, oppressive Dragon Prison, Qi Xiu slowly retreated, returning to the previous demarcation line, and waited silently.

Saving people was his initial intention. But to sacrifice himself for it? He was unwilling. After all, a gentleman doesn't offer salvation at his own ruin. There were undoubtedly people in this world willing to sacrifice their lives for righteousness, acting selflessly for the greater good—and quite a few of them at that. But Qi Xiu acknowledged he was not such a person. He could, to the best of his ability, help the grievously suffering common folk of Dianchuan Province, but the prerequisite was ensuring his own safety. To trade his single life for millions of others? He hadn't yet reached that level of ideological enlightenment. Therefore, without thorough preparation and meticulous planning, he would not act rashly.

Quietly waiting at the demarcation line, Qi Xiu's eyes were half-closed. He appeared to be resting his mind, but in reality, he was meticulously counting the number of small white figures that had lost connection with him.

In less than a quarter of an hour, two-thirds had vanished.

In his mind, he reconstructed the routes taken by the small white figures, as well as the locations and areas where they disappeared. An incomplete topographical map was gradually pieced together.

Taking out a writing brush, Qi Xiu sketched the pieced-together topographical map, his gaze sweeping over the drawing again and again.

Suddenly, his gaze fixed. His attention converged on the upper right corner of this topographical map.

Is there something at this location?

Across the entire map, only the route in the upper right corner was the most complete and clear. This evidently indicated that this area was relatively safe, allowing the small white figures to continue exploring forward without disappearing.

I can't be sure yet; further exploration is necessary.

Turning the Golden Cry Jade Beads, batch after batch of small white figures were continuously dispatched. They delved deeper into the Dragon Prison, bringing back the latest intelligence. Meanwhile, Qi Xiu sat cross-legged before the demarcation line, holding his ink brush, and gradually, piece by piece, completed the topographical map as it was being filled in.

「Twelve hours later.」

A map, approximately seventy percent complete and marked all over with red circles of various sizes, now lay in Qi Xiu's hands.

This is as much as I can accomplish for now.

Fine beads of sweat had appeared on his forehead. Maintaining focus on all the small white figures for such an extended period, processing the vast amount of information and performing the necessary calculations, was undoubtedly a significant trial. Fortunately, Qi Xiu had already stepped into the Realm of True Spirit of the Soul. His Divine Soul Force had undergone a qualitative leap compared to before; otherwise, he truly wouldn't have been able to persist for so long.

Examining the map in his hand, Qi Xiu's gaze remained fixed on the upper right corner. Compared to almost every other area, which was marked with red circles, the cleanness of the upper right corner exuded a peculiar eeriness. It was as if there was something within that area that even the Sin Dragon Remnants feared.

Unfortunately, the suppressive force in this Dragon Prison is too strong. I can only vaguely sense the positions of the small white figures, but I'm unable to access their perceptions to clearly see what's actually there.

Stroking the map in front of him, Qi Xiu slowly turned the Golden Cry Jade Beads, pondering his strategy.

The truth should be as that prison guard named Divine Blade speculated. The Karmic Dragon died, but its remnant soul did not disperse. Currently, in this Dragon Prison, those Sin Dragon Remnants are still wandering and lingering endlessly. At the very least, they are the remnant souls of Dao Body Realm great cultivators. If I encounter one, death is certain. And the key to breaking this deadlock should be right here!

Gazing down, Qi Xiu's finger decisively pointed to that conspicuously 'clean' upper right corner on the map.

...

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