Chapter 915: The Bone Emperor
When she learned the tombstone’s true origins, You Xue couldn’t help but be impressed.
It was just a tombstone, yet it combined Diting’s natal bone, the Mirrored Platform of Sin of the Pool of Rebirth, and the Cycle of the Six Paths, which the monarch of the Infernal Palace had spared no effort to carve.
No wonder it had successfully protected the City of the Wrongfully Dead since antiquity!
“Who is it?”
Suddenly, a voice like the clanging of metal resounded from deep within the cave. It was just a few words, but each was like the humming of a sword or saber.
You Xue was instantly solemn, and she cast her scattered thoughts aside.
It was then that she and Su Yi reached the bottom of the cave.
It was like a massive underground world. Corrosive Yin energies combined, forming beams of dark radiance scattered throughout different sections of the underground world.
From a distance, they were like coiled, dark, malevolent dragons.
A bronze platform stood not far away. A skeleton in worn-out armor sat cross-legged atop it.
Its bones were translucent white, and golden flames blazed in its hollow eye sockets. Its worn-out armor was covered in holes clearly left there by bladed weapons.
It sat there alone, the wisps of dragon-like, corrosive Yin Laws slipping freely between in bones. This gave it a strange and sinister presence.
Whoosh!
When Su Yi and You Xue came into view, the skeleton suddenly raised its head, its eyes like twin golden lanterns. They suddenly burst with sharp radiance, ripping even the surrounding air apart.
A monstrous, terrifying momentum spread from the bones, and the entire underground space shook. Streaks of the Laws of Corrosive Yin churned and surged throughout the surrounding area.
You Xue’s gaze focused, as if a mighty foe were approaching.
The skeleton’s forceful aura was so strong that even she sensed an enormous threat!
“The Book of Diting!?” The skeleton suddenly exclaimed. Its fiery “eyes” stared?intently at the bronze page in Su Yi’s hand. “No wonder a Spiritual Revolution Realm kid like you made it here alive. Don’t tell me you’re the Night Watchman of this generation?”
The clanging of a sword rang out, and the skeleton sat upright on the bronze platform, like a demon god of the nine heavens!
Su Yi had a slightly strange look in his eyes, and instead of answering, he muttered to himself, “It seems the little crow didn’t come looking for you. Otherwise, you likely would have already guessed my identity.”
The skeleton laughed coldly. “That so? I’d actually be rather curious to find just where you come from, little fellow.”
His voice was rife with disdain. How dare some Spiritual Revolution Realm punk kid act all mysterious around him? How ridiculous was that?
“Fellow Daoist, is this the White Bone Emperor you told me about?” You Xue couldn’t help but ask.
“That’s right, it’s him.” Su Yi nodded. “Throughout the ages, countless Emperors have been buried here in Fallen God Valley. He’s the one exception. Although his flesh has been corroded, his cultivation remains, fused fully into his skeleton.
“Body refiners typically prove their Daos with the power of their flesh, but this old skeleton walks an unusual variant path. He carves his bones with the markings of the Grand Dao, and he proves his Dao through the power of his skeleton. Emperors like him are very rare indeed.
“It’s for this reason that, despite countless years of corrosion by Yin energies, he’s stubbornly remained alive all this time.”
Atop the distant bronze platform, the White Bone Emperor seemed quite surprised. “Did a senior Night Watchman tell you that?”
Su Yi ignored him and said to You Xue, “In a bit, I’ll teach you a spell to neutralize the restriction. It’s up to you to suppress the ol’ skeleton while I use the Book of Diting?to capture him.”
“Got it.” You Xue nodded.
The White Bone Emperor obviously could no longer sit still. “Wait! Are you here to imprison this lofty one within the Book of Diting?”
Su Yi nodded. “That’s right, but rest assured. Once my business here is done, I’ll naturally leave you a path to life.”
The White Bone Emperor was dumbstruck, but a little while later, he couldn’t help but throw back his head and laugh. “Very well! I’ve been imprisoned here for thirty-six thousand and nineteen years. I’ve long since been desperate to escape confinement. If you can free me from Old Monster Su’s restriction, I promise not to kill you!”
Here, his laughter faded, and his fiery sockets blazed imposingly. “But if you can’t do it, I promise you’ll die without a proper burial on this very day!”
“Oh,” said Su Yi.
You Xue’s expression was strange, and her red lips were tightly pursed as she fought back laughter.
Their responses surprised the White Bone Emperor; something seemed a bit off.
He thought for a moment, then said, “Don’t blame me for not warning you. See the bronze platform beneath me? Old Monster Su left it there… I mean, the Swordmaster of Abstruse?Force left it there. Given how grand his reputation is, I trust you’ve long since heard of him.”
The White Bone Emperor let out a long sigh. “To tell the truth, despite all my years of imprisonment here, I’m not all that bitter about it. Old Monster Su was just too strong. No matter what you people have come here for, if you can undo my seal, I’ll be deeply grateful to you, and I’ll reward you accordingly.”
“Are you done talking?” asked Su Yi.
The White Bone Emperor was inwardly displeased. Did this kid hear a word I just said? Why is he still so arrogant!?
“You Xue, this jade slip contains the method to undo the restriction. Have a look.” Su Yi passed You Xue a jade slip.
You Xue accepted it, briefly examined its contents, and nodded. “Got it.”
Su Yi nodded back. “Let’s do it, then.”
The White Bone Emperor couldn’t help but interject. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you! When touched, the restriction’s power is enough to destroy even Emperors!”
You Xue laughed, then drew the Burning Silence Ruler with one hand as her other hand formed a seal.
“The Burning Silence Ruler!” The White Bone Emperor’s heart shook.
Seeing Su Yi with the Book of Diting?had already come as quite a surprise.
Now, when he saw You Xue wield one of the Netherworld King’s Nine Taboos, the White Bone Emperor couldn’t help but feel astonished. Just… where did these two come from?
But before he could give the matter any further thought, he trembled from head to toe. The seals You Xue was forming immediately drew his gaze.
Wisps of Dao Light reminiscent of spring rains interwove?and wrapped around You Xue’s slender fingers.
The formless and unfathomable fluctuations of a formation spread outward like a ripple.
When the undulations touched the bronze platform the White Bone Emperor was seated upon, the platform’s surface shone with piercing, misty blue light.
The light transformed into illusory Dao Swords, which clanged and hummed. Together, they were like a prison of swords trapping the White Bone Emperor.
The White Bone Emperor’s expression changed dramatically, and he was instantly on guard, like a startled wild animal.
This formation was called the Sword Prison of Forbiddance, and the Swordmaster of Abstruse Force had placed it there at the peak of his power. It contained inestimable profundities, and it connected to the Laws of Corrosive Yin outside it.
Throughout his countless years of confinement, the White Bone Emperor had tried to break it more than once, but every attempt had ended in failure.
Even more cruelly, on several occasions, the power of the Sword Prison of Forbiddance had almost killed him!
Yet now, You Xue had awakened its power once more. How could the White Bone Emperor not be alarmed?
He feared that a moment’s incaution on You Xue’s part would trigger a complete eruption of the restriction’s power. If that happened, the White Bone Emperor feared he’d be doomed.
But before long, the White Bone Emperor sensed that something was amiss.
The restriction didn’t unleash its power. Rather, this woman of suspicious origins was controlling it precisely and slowly transforming it.
That woman really can control Old Monster Su’s Sword Prison of Forbiddance!
The White Bone Emperor was stunned, but after a brief daze, he went mad with delight. He was so excited that his bones quivered.
“Fellow Daoist, should I suppress him?” asked You Xue.
One sentence, and the White Bone Emperor calmed back down.
Instead of answering, Su Yi tossed the Book of Diting onto the bronze platform. “Old Skeleton, I’ll give you a change. Be good and enter the book. Otherwise, well, you ought to know just how severe the consequences will be.”
The White Bone Emperor fell silent.
His golden eyes stared intently at the Book of Diting. He repeatedly felt the urge to seize the treasure for himself and use it to escape.
But each time he had this impulse, he looked at the power of the Sword Prison of Forbiddance surrounding him, and he hesitated.
He was well aware that if someone in control of this formation wanted to kill him, it would be no more difficult than turning over their hand!
When that happened, not even the Book of Diting?would be able to save him!
“Who… exactly are you?” The White Bone Emperor looked at Su Yi.
He’d long since realized that there was something strange about this mysterious Spiritual Revolution Realm young man. He didn’t just control the Book of Diting; he even knew the method for controlling the Sword Prison of Forbiddance.
This was unquestionably unbelievable.
Su Yi said calmly, “It’s time for you to make a choice. It’s just as I said earlier: if you assist me, I’ll naturally leave you a path to life.”
The White Bone Emperor stared intently at Su Yi, then seemed to understand something. “You have no trace of the Night Watchman's aura of Annihilation about you, yet you wield the Book of Diting, and you can control Old Monster Su’s Sword Prison of Forbiddance. If I’m not mistaken…”
He took a deep breath, and his eyes suddenly blazed like torches. He spoke slowly, pausing for emphasis between each word. “You’re either Old Monster Su’s descendant or his disciple!”
He spoke with staunch assurance.
You Xue couldn’t help but suppress the urge to laugh. She found this quite amusing.
However, Su Yi was accustomed to this. The old blind man and Cui Jingyan had mistakenly assumed this too. Although he too found it funny, he also felt a bit exasperated.
His cultivation was too weak. It really was easy for others to misunderstand!
The White Bone Emperor looked relieved. “Had you told me who you were earlier, there would have been no need for any further conversation. I would have cooperated with you of my own free will.”
You Xue was stunned. “Truly?”
The White Bone Emperor had a conflicted look on his face as he muttered, “It’s true that my hatred for Old Monster Su is bone-deep, but I would never doubt or disparage his character. You know the secret method for controlling the Sword Prison of Forbiddance, so you’ve surely come here on his orders.”
You Xue instantly understood. So, the White Bone Emperor changed his attitude because of Su Xuanjun!
Alas. Outside, it’s common knowledge that the Swordmaster of Abstruse Force passed on five hundred years ago, but he’s been imprisoned here all this time. He obviously has no idea.
How would his attitude change if he knew?
You Xue wasn’t certain.
But she was well aware that no matter how the White Bone Emperor resisted, he couldn’t possibly escape being suppressed within the Book of Diting.
“Little guy, if possible, please tell Old Monster Su that I hope to meet with him again!” said the White Bone Emperor. With that, he blurred into a streak of light and shot into the Book of Diting.
The bronze book shone with strange lights, then returned to normal.
However, there was now the image of a skeleton in worn-out armor depicted on its formerly blank page.
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