Chapter 903: A Finger

They quickly arrived at the place previously filled with bones. Although many armors were scattered on the ground, a closer look revealed fine patterns on these bones. These patterns must have been left by the Sealing Master Hall after receiving the recognition of ancient sages.

This meant that all these were Master Teachers.

Each Master Teacher is a treasure to humanity. The Master Teacher Pavilion invests immense resources to cultivate them. To see so many killed here, their flesh and blood dissolved, was a horrifying thought.

This alone showed that the crimes of the Golden Bear Tiger Beast were unforgivable; even dying a hundred times would not be enough.

"You sacrificed for humanity, fearless for justice. You are heroes of mankind. Your remains cannot be left exposed here!" Zhang Xuan's expression turned somber.

He gently pressed his palm on the ground nearby, and a large pit immediately appeared. True Qi surged, gathering the scattered bones from the ground and slowly placing them into the pit.

The skeletons were already shattered and indistinguishable. It was better to bury them together. Having fought together in life, being buried together in death would leave no regrets.

After burying the remains, Zhang Xuan activated his Eye of Insight and continued to look forward.

The trace left by "His Majesty" disappeared beneath the location where the skeletons had been found.

"Is it underneath here?"

Below the skeletons was flat ground, with no pits or any mechanisms when he touched it.

There was nothing. Where did it go?

The trace seen by his Eye of Insight had disappeared precisely from this spot; there could be no mistake.

"Could it be..." Suddenly, an idea popped into his mind.

Zhang Xuan flipped his wrist, and a spirit beast rolled onto the ground.

"Thousand-Ant Bee Queen, check if there's a folded space beneath this area!"

Folded spaces involve the laws of space, which he couldn't detect with his current strength. The Thousand-Ant Bee Queen, naturally sensitive to space, could easily discern them.

The Bee Queen nodded, sniffed the ground with its nose, circled the area, and then stood up.

"Master, there is indeed a folded space here, but it's not very large. Would you like to go in and take a look?"

"As expected!" Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up.

He had only been guessing. Since it wasn't here and no underground palace or similar structure was found, it was highly likely to be a folded space. He hadn't expected to be right.

"Of course, I want to see!" He didn't hesitate.

His purpose for coming here was to find "His Majesty," whom the Golden Bear Tiger Beast had mentioned. Having discovered a folded space, how could he not enter?

However, if the opponent was inside, given their methods and abilities, it would definitely be very dangerous. After a moment's thought, Zhang Xuan looked up and said, "You don't need to go in. Just tell me how to enter."

Inside this folded space, there was a high possibility of a Saint 4- or 5-dan expert. The Thousand-Ant Bee Queen was only at Transcendent Mortal 9-dan, so rashly entering would likely lead to danger.

Such spaces all had specific entry methods. Without mastering spatial abilities, one couldn't even discover them, let alone enter even if they knew.

It was like the one left by Master Kong on the Conferred Saint Platform; it couldn't be opened without finding the error in the insights.

This one in front of him must be the same. But since the Thousand-Ant Bee Queen could discover it, it must know a way to enter.

"Alright, I'll help Master open the entrance. You can go straight in!"

Not knowing what existed within these spaces, the Bee Queen didn't insist when its master told it not to enter. It nodded.

Zhang Xuan acknowledged.

After sniffing the ground for a moment longer, the Bee Queen suddenly clutched with both hands.

Rip!

As if something had been torn apart, a man-sized hole appeared before them.

Taking a deep breath, Zhang Xuan flipped his wrist, and a book appeared before his chest. He instructed the Ruthless Person to protect him, then his body swayed, and he stepped inside.

Upon entering the hole, he immediately saw the situation inside. It was indeed a small space, only seven or eight meters in diameter, many times smaller than Master Kong's.

He didn't see the Azure-Horned Dragon Beast he had seen before. There was only a small circular platform, about a person's height and half a meter in diameter. Unlike what he had imagined, it was empty.

He circled around, but found nothing, causing Zhang Xuan to frown.

His Eye of Insight couldn't be wrong; "His Majesty" had definitely entered here. But why was there nothing?

Even a Soul Oracle couldn't escape the Eye of Insight. Moreover, he himself was a Soul Oracle Master; if such a thing truly existed, it would have nowhere to hide.

Just as he was about to observe more carefully, a sharp sound suddenly pierced his eardrums, as if something was breaking through the air and striking.

Before he could react, he felt a powerful force impacting his back.

A layer of light membrane appeared on his body—it was the Sky-Breaking Talisman he had obtained from Brother Yu, Yu Cheng, back then.

This Sky-Breaking Talisman could withstand a full-strength attack from a Saint 1-dan expert. For safety, he had always kept it close to him, never putting it in his storage ring. Now, facing danger, it activated immediately.

Crack!

The Sky-Breaking Talisman, capable of withstanding a full-strength blow from a Saint 1-dan expert, shattered instantly upon contact with the sharp sound from behind him, not even lasting half a breath. A violent force struck his back, sending him uncontrollably flying forward as if hit by a train.

He slammed heavily into the wall ahead, creating a large crater.

He spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.

Even with the Sky-Breaking Talisman protecting him, he was severely wounded by that blow.

As the Heaven's Path True Qi circulated to heal his injuries, Zhang Xuan turned around.

Before him, there was no human figure, nor the Azure-Horned Dragon Beast's Soul Oracle from before. Only a shriveled finger floated in the air.

The attack he had just suffered must have been the power unleashed by this finger.

"A single finger shattered the Sky-Breaking Talisman and injured me?"

Zhang Xuan's pupils contracted.

He couldn't sense if the finger possessed any power, but its ability to injure him so easily was terrifying.

"Are you 'His Majesty' that the Golden Bear Tiger Beast spoke of?" Stabilizing his breathing, Zhang Xuan asked when he saw the other party wasn't attacking further.

"Hehe, you're quite capable to have found this place!"

A thought was transmitted from the finger, speaking in ancient beast language.

From the voice, it was indeed the Soul Oracle of the Azure-Horned Dragon Beast from before.

"It seems so. I didn't expect the Soul Oracle of the majestic Azure-Horned Dragon Beast to have survived by hiding inside a finger!"

Zhang Xuan's brows furrowed.

A Soul Oracle couldn't exist independently. He had been confused about this before, but upon seeing this, he realized the opponent must have been hosted within it, surviving for so long.

It was just like Mo Hunsheng being hosted within the Nine Heavens Lotus Embryo.

As long as there was a good vessel, one could persist for a very long time.

However, a finger wasn't a good vessel. To maintain vitality, it needed to absorb the power of flesh and blood. Perhaps... this was why the Golden Bear Tiger Beast was ordered to sacrifice Master Teachers.

Master Teachers' True Qi was pure, and their flesh and blood power far surpassed that of ordinary cultivators. For a decaying entity, it was undoubtedly a powerful tonic.

"Good insight. To have such knowledge at such a young age, it seems you are no ordinary student, nor are you the disciple of that elder outside!"

Seeing him immediately state its origin, the finger snorted softly.

"That's right, I am indeed not Elder Mi's student..."

Zhang Xuan shook his head.

"To be able to tame all nine kings of Cloudmist Ridge, you indeed possess extraordinary abilities. However... what I like most to devour are talented Master Teachers like you. Once devoured, I can replenish the flesh and blood of this finger and extend my life by another 50 years!"

The finger chuckled sinisterly, as if possessing greedy eyes, wishing to devour him.

"Extend your life by 50 years?" Zhang Xuan looked at it. "You extend your life by devouring the flesh and blood of Master Teachers? What is this finger that allows you to avoid the Decay of Flowing Light?"

Among the five decays of a Soul Oracle's soul power, there is the Decay of Flowing Light. As time passes, even with flesh and blood replenishment, soul power will gradually weaken.

Even a Soul Oracle Master cannot exist indefinitely or live forever.

Mo Hunsheng was trapped in the Nine Heavens Lotus Embryo, isolated from the world. Even so, his power had significantly diminished, with less than a tenth of his Transcendent Mortal 9-dan peak strength remaining.

This fellow survived with just a finger; could there be something strange about it?

"You know about the Decay of Flowing Light?" the finger asked, surprised.

Many people knew about Soul Oracles, but few knew about the five decays of soul power. After all, it was a secret of the profession. Yet this person in front of it knew so clearly. Could he also be a Soul Oracle Master?

"Of course, I know! Not only that, but I also know that you haven't truly inherited the Soul Oracle legacy. Although you survived in soul form, it's actually an attached symbiosis, not true possession!"

Zhang Xuan continued.

When the opponent didn't attack, the Library couldn't examine it. However, when it attacked him just now and used its power, a book had formed in his mind. By now, he had already opened it, and the information had become his own knowledge.

He had thought this fellow possessed the Soul Oracle legacy to have lived so long. Now, it seemed that wasn't the case at all.

It had merely used a special method to bind its soul to this finger and then relied on devouring the vitality of Master Teachers to sustain its life. It had no actual connection to the Soul Oracle legacy.

For its soul to have lived so long, this finger must be extraordinary.

Unfortunately, the soul of this Azure-Horned Dragon Beast and the finger only had an attached symbiotic relationship, not true possession. The attack earlier was from the soul, so the Library didn't reveal the finger's origin.

Otherwise, he wouldn't need to waste words with the opponent; he could just slap it dead with a book.

"To be able to tell my origin immediately, despite your young age, shows considerable knowledge. However... the more you know, the less I can let you live! If you hadn't come to my folded space, it would have been fine, but since you're in, you won't leave today..."

After a brief surprise, the finger sneered.

Immediately after, a powerful force spread out, and the phantom of the Azure-Horned Dragon Beast that Zhang Xuan had seen in the cave before reappeared from the finger, carrying intense killing intent, seemingly intending to devour him.

"I'm speaking to you properly, why do you insist on devouring me? Are you sure you can succeed?"

Seeing that the opponent was about to act at any moment, Zhang Xuan was preparing to throw out the Heaven's Path Book when he heard the Ruthless Person's voice beside his ear.

"Leave this guy to me..."

"Leave it to you?"

Without his command, this Ruthless Person never voluntarily acted. Why was it suddenly offering to help?

Before he could wonder for long, he heard its voice continue.

"It's... that's my finger bone!"