Chapter 1266: Jade Bones and Brocade Skin

Bang! Bang! Clatter... After the attack struck, the cage triggered the black chains. The runes glowed incessantly.

Jingyu sensed the danger, and hurriedly activated the Lightning Thought Orb, forming a protective shield.

Crackle! Dozens of blood-colored lightning bolts shot out and struck the shield.

The Lightning Thought Orb trembled briefly, then quickly stabilized, firmly blocking the blood lightning outside.

After this test, a trace of delight had flashed through Jingyu’s eyes. However, she did not rush forward. While continuing to attack the seal, she carefully observed the white skeleton within the cage.

The skeleton had taken a humanoid form, its features resembling those of the human race. Yet its frame was noticeably larger, thicker than that of an ordinary person. It was unclear whether it had belonged to an ancient race similar to humans, or if it had cultivated some special art.

At the bottom of the blood pool, it was not the only one sealed. Several similar cages had also been placed there.

Among them, the cage at the very center of the blood pool possessed the strongest sealing force. The ancient cultivator that Old Devil Ye and Qingjun sought was imprisoned within that very cage.

The ancient cultivator had lingered alive until now. The skeleton had been sealed alongside him at the bottom of the blood pool. In life, their cultivation had likely not been much weaker than his.

This place was the core of Blood Prison. Outside lay the Black Tower Array, and within lay the cages of the blood pool. Layer upon layer of defenses had been established, and even that had not been deemed sufficient. Shackles had also been bound to its body.

Those Corpseflower Blood Amber had taken root within the gaps of the bones, drawing strength from the ancient corpse to grow. They appeared incomparably enchanting, yet carried a strange, tragic beauty that made it difficult to look away.

Now that the ancient corpse had transformed into a skeleton, the Corpseflowers had also turned into blood amber.

At the damaged portions of the cage, the seal had been weakest. Jingyu had successfully broken through and flashed into the cage, where the Corpseflower Blood Amber lay within easy reach.

Looking at the lifeless skeleton ahead, Jingyu hesitated briefly, then once again split off a phantom from the Lightning Thought Orb.

The phantom flickered upward, flew above the skeleton, and extended sharp claws toward a piece of Corpseflower Blood Amber on the skull.

The moment the phantom touched the Corpseflower Blood Amber, a sudden change erupted!

Without the slightest warning, the white bones suddenly surged with thick blood-colored light. Countless strands of blood threads emerged.

Swish! The phantom had no power to resist. It was pierced through instantly, wrapped by the blood threads, and shattered on the spot.

Immediately after, the blood threads did not stop. As if they possessed eyes, they followed the connection between the phantom and its origin, targeting Jingyu and shooting toward her.

The transformation of the skeleton had occurred with extreme speed. In the blink of an eye, the blood threads had already reached Jingyu.

Shock surged through her. She had examined the skeleton several times before and had found nothing unusual. With no time to think, she hurriedly activated the Lightning Thought Orb again, causing lightning to burst across her body.

Boom! The blood threads were finally blocked by the Lightning Thought Orb and the lightning surrounding Jingyu. Yet they clung like parasites, spreading outward and forming a blood cocoon that enveloped her.

Her body trembled slightly. She looked toward the source of the blood threads and noticed that the white skeleton had already turned into a blood-red skeleton. Aside from releasing the threads, however, they showed no further movement.

Seeing this, she felt puzzled. It did not resemble a corpse transformation.

As she resisted the invasion of the blood threads, she focused her gaze on the blood-red skeleton. At last, she discovered faint runes emerging within it. Those runes were the true source of the threads.

Is this a curse left behind at the moment of death, born from resentment, meant to kill anyone who touches the corpse? Or is it a trap set here by that ancient cultivator? Jingyu pondered silently.

Back then, she had been lured above the blood pool by the ancient cultivator, but had fortunately seen through the scheme and never came into contact with the skeleton.

There are no signs of active manipulation. If it is a trap set by that ancient cultivator, then his condition must be dire. He must be weakened to the extreme, having already lost the ability to control the blood threads. Otherwise, I would be in grave danger. So many people have entered this place, yet that person has shown no reaction at all. That alone speaks volumes. She thought.

Once she confirmed it was not a corpse transformation, she felt reassured. Although the blood threads were strange, they were ultimately ownerless. With some effort, a method to break them could be found. It would simply require time.

With that thought, Jingyu exerted her full strength and began counterattacking the blood threads.

***

On the other side, Qingjun, who had been tracking Old Devil Ye, had also reached the bottom of the blood pool.

The scene before her was similar to what Jingyu had seen. Dense black chains extended from all directions and converged upon a massive cage. Unlike the others, every bar of this cage remained completely intact.

Within the cage, a figure sat cross-legged. When Qingjun saw the person’s face clearly, she was momentarily stunned.

The figure sat upright, facing her directly. He resembled a skeleton. All flesh had been hollowed out, leaving only bones and skin.

Only a thin layer of skin remained, so thin it was nearly transparent. It clung tightly to the bones like a layer of brocade, smooth and delicate. The meridians, organs, flesh, and everything else within had all disappeared. The body was shriveled, nearly indistinguishable from a skeleton.

The same was true of the head. The eye sockets were sunken, with a faint ghostly light flickering within. The teeth, however, remained intact, clearly visible through the thin layer of skin, forming an expression that seemed half-smiling.

What was even more bizarre was that the bones were crimson like blood, not the usual pale white. They emitted a luster like jade. It was a body of jade bones!

It no longer resembled a human being, but rather a statue crafted from jade and brocade!

At the sight of such an eerie scene, a chill rose in Qingjun’s heart, and she became deeply wary of the jade skeleton.

Jingyu had spoken with certainty that this person had still been alive before, stirring trouble within this place. Yet now, the jade skeleton remained completely motionless, devoid of any trace of vitality.

Had this transformation into something inhuman been the very reason he had managed to survive until now?

She saw that Old Devil Ye, who had arrived before her, stood before the cage, observing the jade skeleton.

The pupils and whites of Old Devil Ye’s eyes had vanished, leaving only pitch-black orbs that stared fixedly at the jade skeleton.

Sensing Qingjun’s arrival, Old Devil Ye turned around. The blackness faded from his eyes, returning to normal, as he said calmly, "Are you going to stop me?"

Qingjun raised her hand slightly, and the Fivefold Tower spun lightly before settling into her palm.

"You and I are enemies, not allies. Why ask? Unless you swear to withdraw your forces, cease the war, and hand over the jade skeleton and everything you know, to be jointly controlled by the three domains!"

Old Devil Ye let out a cold laugh but said nothing. Suddenly, he flicked his sleeve. A streak of light shot out, within which was a crystal-clear command arrow, seemingly forged from mystic ice.

The moment the command arrow appeared, a terrifying chill spread outward. Even the surrounding blood water froze. Frost formed over the black chains and rapidly spread toward the cage.

Crack! The command arrow shattered, releasing several pale figures that lunged forward like starving tigers, scrambling toward the cage and exhaling streams of cold qi at it.

The ice on the cage grew thicker and thicker, crackling as it spread.

The seal seemed to have encountered its nemesis. The runes froze over, unable to respond, and their glow dimmed rapidly. It was clear that Old Devil Ye had planned this long in advance, having prepared a treasure specifically to counter the seal.

Seeing this, Qingjun frowned slightly.

The cage was seamless and the seal intact. For the moment, it was impossible to determine whether the jade skeleton were merely feigning death, or truly at the end of his strength, trapped and exhausted by the seal.

Was Old Devil Ye not concerned that once the seal was broken, the jade skeleton might seize the opportunity, escape while they fought, and vanish without a trace?

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