Chapter 1266: 滴天髓阐微

Ordinary bones would have long since decayed into dust, but these remains were remarkably well-preserved. The very shape of the bones suggested the individual was powerful in life.

Anything associated with such a person was undoubtedly a treasure. Duan Tiande couldn't hold back. His figure flickered, using the shadows to appear near the bones. His slender sword immediately aimed at Wu Liang's wrist, clearly intending to force him to release his grip.

Ma Huang moved at the same instant. With a sweep of his cloak, he transformed into a crimson blur, rapidly flying towards the two men and reaching directly for the pendant in Wu Liang's hand.

At that moment, Wu Liang flicked out two yellow talismans from his hand. As Duan Tiande's and Ma Huang's attacks made contact with the talismans, the papers instantly ignited, forcefully blocking both assaults. Wu Liang then seized the opportunity to roll on the ground, becoming like a human ball, and quickly rolled away into the distance. His speed was astonishing.

The other demon clan experts reacted quickly, each employing their movement techniques to pursue him.

Even Princess Siren was no exception. She pondered the immense favor she now owed Zu An. Although he hadn't asked for repayment, an undefined debt was the hardest to settle. What if he were to make an… excessive demand later? What could she do then? Therefore, she thought that if she could seize the pendant now and bring it back to Zu An, it would settle their accounts. Prince Silver Shark, being her devoted admirer, naturally followed her without hesitation.

Zu An and the others who remained behind were dumbfounded. Yun Jianyue asked, "Aren't we going after him?"

Zu An shook his head. "Forget it. That fat Taoist priest meticulously planned all of this, likely just for that pendant. We don't know what other traps he's set. Let's not get involved in the commotion." He now wanted to quickly find the item the giant snake mentioned that could help Yu Yanluo break through, and then leave this place as soon as possible. The feeling of being secretly watched by that powerful presence in the Misty Forest was like a Sword of Damocles; he preferred to avoid conflict with it if possible.

Yan Xuehen asked curiously, "Did any of you get a good look at what that pendant was?" She was severely injured and her power had significantly declined, making it difficult to discern anything from that distance.

Yun Jianyue replied, "It was a dark golden object, very strangely shaped. It didn't look like a jade pendant or a piece of jewelry. In fact… in fact…"

"More like a claw," Zu An interjected.

"That's it, exactly like a claw!" Yun Jianyue's eyes lit up. She had finally found the perfect description, and a wave of relief washed over her.

"A claw?" Yu Yanluo paused, "How could something treated with such importance be just a claw?" People were fighting tooth and nail for it; what would their expressions be if they knew they were fighting over a claw?

"It's not an ordinary claw. It's somewhat like… a 'Tomb-Raiding Talisman' from my previous… *cough*… my homeland. Legend has it that certain tomb-robbing families would craft these talismans from pangolin claws to ward off evil…" Zu An gave a rough description of the legends he'd heard about 'Mojin Xiaowei' (tomb raiders) from his past life.

"Pangolin?" Yu Yanluo's heart stirred. "Among the demon clans, the Pangolin lineage is indeed skilled in tomb raiding. Because they can excavate many ancient tombs, they often discover treasures or secret techniques, which is why their cultivation levels are generally very high. However, since they cultivate by finding techniques in various tombs, their accumulated knowledge is very broad, and there's a risk of it becoming muddled if they're not careful."

"Furthermore, tomb raiding is a disgraceful act for both demon and human races. Many ancient tombs still have descendants alive, and having an ancestral grave plundered is a profound vendetta. Consequently, the Pangolin lineage was almost universally reviled. Many years ago, they incurred the wrath of various clans and were collectively attacked, after which they gradually disappeared from sight. Even if there are descendants, they dare not reveal their identity."

Yan Xuehen's heart skipped a beat. "I've also heard legends about the Pangolin lineage. That fat Taoist priest curling into a ball and rolling away earlier strongly resembled their legendary escape technique."

"Indeed," Yun Jianyue said. "Look…" By now, they had reached the skeleton. Yun Jianyue pointed to its hand and tailbone area. From a distance, they hadn't seen clearly, but now, upon close inspection, they noticed that although the skeleton was clearly male, its stature was significantly shorter than that of a normal person. Its fingers were exceptionally long and slender, with tips that appeared somewhat sharp. Moreover, the tailbone area was quite prominent, as if a tail had not fully degenerated, clearly indicating that these were not human bones.

Although the demon race encompasses many species, most are born with a general human form—though they naturally retain some unique characteristics of their own lineage. Another portion, even if born in their true demon form, could transform into human form within a few years. In this cultivation world, the human body is considered closest to the Great Dao; cultivators generally maintain a human form for practice. Many fierce beasts, no matter how powerful, were still referred to as "fierce beasts." Besides their undeveloped sentience, their inability to transform into human form like regular demons was a significant reason.

"This appears to be the skeleton of a Pangolin clan member." Among the group, Yu Yanluo had the deepest understanding of demon clans. After observing for a while, she made her judgment. "I remember now. The Pangolin clan's last known appearance was a century ago. At that time, a figure known as Old Ancestor Pangolin emerged, truly astonishingly talented. His cultivation surpassed all previous ancestors, and every time he acted, he was sure to find an extraordinary grand tomb. Various clans pursued him for a long time, but not only did they fail to capture him, he retaliated by plundering many of their ancestral graves."

"The incident caused a huge uproar at the time, and the bounty on his head reached an astronomical sum. Later, he mysteriously vanished, and people speculated that he must have met his end in a powerful ancient tomb. Could this be him?"

The others were startled. Yun Jianyue and Yan Xuehen carefully examined the bones. "Judging from the state of these bones, this person was likely a half-step Grandmaster in life, or perhaps had only recently broken through to Grandmaster. Since only a skeleton remains, it's difficult to be precise."

"Around Grandmaster level," Zu An said, his expression grim. "Even someone with such high cultivation died here. Moreover, he frequently entered ancient tombs, lacking neither experience nor life-saving techniques. What kind of entity could have killed him?"

As he spoke, he moved to examine the remains, hoping to discover the cause of death. Suddenly, his gaze sharpened. He moved the entire skeleton aside, dug away the earth beneath, and retrieved a book. Its cover appeared to be woven from golden threads.

The women were surprised. In a place where even bones had decayed, this book remained perfectly preserved, clearly indicating its extraordinary nature.

"Huh, what does this say?" The women were also well-read, but the characters on the cover were exceedingly strange, completely different from any known script.

Zu An, however, felt a stir in his heart. He was all too familiar with this script; he had encountered it several times in secret realms. It was Small Seal Script, an ancient Chinese script from his previous life. With Mi Li as his teacher for so long, recognizing Small Seal Script was now second nature to him.

"'*Di Tian Sui Chan Wei*!'"

Hearing him read it aloud, the women looked bewildered. What was he talking about?

Zu An opened the first page and found, in addition to the main text, tiny annotations written in small script. These were clearly notes made by the skeleton's owner during his lifetime. The gist was that he had narrowly escaped death in a grand tomb to acquire this book, but tragically, he couldn't read the characters, which he deeply regretted. Nevertheless, he was a prodigious talent. By sheer determination and combining his life's knowledge, he managed to glean some superficial understanding from the book's illustrations and even the implications conveyed by the strokes of the characters. This was enough to make him far surpass his clan's predecessors. From then on, he found mountains and sought tombs with unparalleled success. He even discovered primeval stone veins and various blessed lands and grotto-heavens, providing him with more cultivation resources, leading to rapid advancement in his cultivation, far exceeding his clan's ancestors. The more profound secrets he uncovered, the more he lamented not being able to grasp the book's true essence…

"It really is Old Ancestor Pangolin," Yu Yanluo noted, observing the signature at the end. Old Ancestor Pangolin's signature included a claw-shaped seal, which was clearly the pendant everyone had just been fighting over.

"It's a shame we don't know what this book is about," Yun Jianyue said with a touch of regret. "Old Ancestor Pangolin's description has certainly piqued my interest."

Zu An looked at the book's title page and slowly read aloud: "To comprehend the origin of all methods, one must first observe the imperial workings and divine achievements…"

"Brother Shen!"

"Hmm!"

As Shen Changqing walked along, he would greet or nod to acquaintances he encountered. But no matter who it was, everyone's face was devoid of extra expression, as if they were indifferent to everything. Shen Changqing was already accustomed to this.

This was the Demon Suppression Division, an organization responsible for maintaining the stability of Great Qin. Its primary duty was to slay demons and strange creatures, though it also had other auxiliary tasks. It could be said that every person in the Demon Suppression Division had a great deal of blood on their hands. When one becomes accustomed to life and death, they grow indifferent to many things. When he first arrived in this world, Shen Changqing was somewhat unaccustomed, but in time, he grew used to it.

The Demon Suppression Division was vast. Those who could remain were either powerful experts or individuals with the potential to become experts. Shen Changqing belonged to the latter category.

The Demon Suppression Division had two main professions: Suppressor and Demon Exterminator. Anyone entering began as a Demon Exterminator, the lowest rank. They would then gradually advance, eventually hoping to become a Suppressor. Shen Changqing's predecessor was a probationary Demon Exterminator in the Demon Suppression Division, the lowest level among them. With his predecessor's memories, he was very familiar with the environment of the Demon Suppression Division.

It didn't take long before Shen Changqing stopped in front of a pavilion. Unlike the other grim and austere places within the Demon Suppression Division, this pavilion stood out like a crane among chickens, presenting an unusual tranquility amidst the blood-soaked atmosphere. The pavilion's main door was open, with people occasionally entering and exiting. Shen Changqing hesitated only for a moment before stepping inside.

Upon entering the pavilion, the atmosphere immediately shifted. A scent of ink mixed with a faint smell of blood wafted over him, causing his brow to instinctively furrow, but it quickly relaxed. The pervasive scent of blood on everyone in the Demon Suppression Division was almost impossible to wash away.