Chapter 79: Bone Dragon

Chapter 79: Bone Dragon

Shen Lian's thoughts returned to that Demon Dragon—it had a single head, yet eight pairs of wings.

Shen Lian looked at Shen Nian. "Would that bloodline also produce nine heads?"

Shen Nian mused for a moment. "Not necessarily. It's been over ten thousand years since the ancient battlefield. Its lifespan has long been depleted. It may have produced offspring, but how much of the bloodline they'd inherit is uncertain. Perhaps, diluted generation after generation, they've become mindless beasts—who knows?"

Shen Lian let out an "oh."

But he noticed Shen Nian looking at him with a hint of anticipation. "A Lian, is there anything else you want to ask?"

Shen Lian pretended not to notice his gaze. "Nothing more to ask."

Shen Nian's eyes darkened.

Shen Lian looked away. He'd originally wanted to try flying, but there seemed to be a barrier in the sky.

Shen Nian said, "You can't sword-fly here, and teleportation's out too."

So they had no choice but to walk. The wind and snow never let up, carrying an unnatural cold.

He Ci murmured, "There's nothing around here at all. How are we supposed to find our way out?"

Shen Nian's eyes stirred. "A Lian—"

But Shen Lian simply pulled out a compass, its casing like a tortoise shell, exuding dense spiritual energy.

He Ci's eyes bulged. "A Lian, how do you have so many good treasures?"

Shen Lian worked the compass, watching the needle, and said offhandedly, "I'm an alchemist."

He Ci thought so too. Alchemists—the most loaded cultivators in the entire Primordial Realm.

Some famous master alchemists could, with just a few crumbs from their fingers, match the entire savings of a mid-tier sect.

Shen Lian gripped the compass. When he opened his eyes again, a faint gold light glowed in them.

He looked around and quickly said, "East and west are the life gates. We head east or west."

He Ci nodded without a second thought. "Alright."

Shen Nian, completely ignored the whole time, stared at Shen Lian's back.

Throughout this journey, Shen Lian had been calm, composed, and ruthless.

He was no longer that slightly naive young alchemist from the small secret realm.

Likewise, a thick layer of ice seemed to have formed around him, shutting everyone out.

He Ci looked back. "What are you spacing out for? Standing there waiting to die?"

Though he knew the other guy was his rival, they were still brothers in arms now. And since Shen Nian had pulled him along before, He Ci wouldn't actually hurt him even if he didn't like him.

He Ci furrowed his brow. "You're not too worn out to walk, are you?"

He looked at Shen Lian. "Then take out that board of yours—I'll drag him along!"

Shen Nian's eyes moved, settling on He Ci.

He hadn't expected He Ci to say something like that.

These two days together had shown that He Ci truly had no cunning in him. He was open and honest, and even his affection was fervent.

Especially when he thought of He Ci's words—

"You think everyone's some kind of animal? And so what if A Lian rejected me now? I can still chase him. One day, I'll win him over."

His sincerity, for a moment, overlapped with that young man from the past.

"It's fine if Your Highness doesn't like me now. As long as I keep being good to you, what if one day you're really won over? A day, a month, perhaps a year."

"Even if I win you over, I'll still be by your side."

Shen Nian knew all too well whether Shen Lian could be won over.

That was the path he himself had once taken.

He Ci finished and noticed Shen Nian still hadn't budged. "Hey, what's up with you? Say something already."

Shen Lian's cold gaze landed on him, studying Shen Nian's expression.

Shen Nian raised his eyes too.

The two locked eyes, each falling into the other's depths.

Shen Nian's lips parted. For a brief moment, he wanted to say something.

But Shen Lian swiftly averted his gaze, his voice cold. "If he won't move, we go without him. Forget him."

The words Shen Nian hadn't said froze on his tongue.

He Ci didn't get it, but seeing Shen Lian move, he followed anyway.

Shen Nian stood still. After a long while, he followed anyway.

He Ci, on the other hand, was cheerful. "What were you dragging your feet for? Come on, hurry up."

Shen Nian nodded slightly.

No matter what, he didn't want to give up.

Shen Lian suddenly halted, his eyes fixed on He Ci's face. "You're really this dumb."

He Ci looked clueless. "Huh?"

Shen Lian didn't even want to call him out. Knowing full well Shen Nian meant no good—was even his rival—he could still care about Shen Nian.

But he also knew that was just He Ci's nature. Whoever treated him well, he treated well in return.

Dumb in an adorable way.

He'd be sold and wouldn't even realize it.

Shen Lian finished and kept walking, leaving behind a bewildered He Ci who quickly bounced back to his carefree self.

They'd walked for about three or four hours, yet the exit was still three or four days off.

Shen Lian glanced at the black line on his arm—it was almost at his elbow.

They were running out of time.

He Ci's face fell when he saw that. "Tianyang City's under siege by the demon clan. I just hope that Demon Cultivator can stay hidden."

Shen Lian stayed quiet too.

But he wasn't putting all his hopes on that big-shot Demon Cultivator. Instead, he was racking his own brain for a way to break the curse.

The little paper figure suddenly looked up. "It's getting dark! It's getting dark! Ahhh!"

Shen Lian and the others looked up. Sure enough, the sky was instantly bathed in red, the color deepening by the second.

Once it fully blocked out the sun, day and night would flip here.

Shen Lian immediately pulled out the three pills that could pass off spiritual energy as demonic energy. "These are the last three. We're out of materials. Use them as you see fit."

He handed one to He Ci. When it came to Shen Nian, Shen Lian hesitated, then tossed one over anyway.

Shen Nian broke into a smile, but Shen Lian still didn't look his way.

They'd already scouted out a cave. Once inside, Shen Lian pulled the same trick, sealing the entrance.

They planned to hunker down and wait out the darkness outside.

By the time Shen Lian had sealed off their cave, the sky outside had gone pitch black, and the ground started rumbling.

The roars kept echoing all around them.

The Forgotten Snowfield was too barren. To survive, you had to fight whatever else was alive out there, or you'd starve.

None of them used the pills for now, since there were so few left. And once their spiritual power accumulated, it would be drained away immediately. Only in an emergency could they take a pill to preserve their spiritual energy.

The rest of the time, they could only endure in silence.

They had thought tonight would pass like the previous ones, but unexpectedly, a roar suddenly shattered their expectations.

Shen Nian immediately grabbed Shen Lian's hand and shoved He Ci aside at the same time.

The three of them dodged in an instant. Where they had just been gathered, a massive bone claw had already appeared.

Shen Lian's eyes narrowed. "It's that Bone Dragon."