Chapter 308: White Bone Soul Nail, Ascending Dragon Platform, Unsealing the Codex

After making his decision, Zhao Xing immediately went to the Xila Estate.

Ji Mengjun's residence in the Royal City had become a temporary council hall where many high-grade experts deliberated. As the Fate Official responsible for central coordination, Ji Si offered a wry smile upon seeing Zhao Xing.

"My Lord, you seem to know what I'm going to say," Zhao Xing greeted, bowing.

"I'm not as skilled as my brother in other aspects, but I excel at divining human affairs. Your divine secret concealment was performed by my brother; his techniques are of the same lineage as mine," Ji Si sighed.

"Then you must know I have no choice but to go," Zhao Xing said calmly.

"Zhao Xing, I have only one request," Ji Si's tone was gentle. He spoke of a 'request,' not a 'demand.' At this moment, Ji Si was not speaking as a superior official to a subordinate, but rather like an elder giving instructions.

"Please speak."

"In the Nine Stars Fire Purgatory of the Central Dragon Court, there are traitors. You need Ji Mengjun to lead an escort for you."

"You don't trust Shenluo King and Ye Yukong?" Zhao Xing asked, surprised.

"I trust them, but they're not strong enough."

Zhao Xing thought, *Good thing those two are waiting outside, otherwise they'd be heartbroken hearing this.* Frankly, Old Ye and Shenluo King were not weak at all. On the contrary, Old Ye possessed top-tier swordsmanship talent, and Shenluo King wasn't far behind. It was simply that, given the current situation, they weren't formidable enough.

But more people don't necessarily make things easier. If Ji Mengjun went, who would be in charge of the operation? Ji Si seemed to perceive Zhao Xing's concern and immediately said, "Although Ji Mengjun is the Vice-Head of the War Dance Department of the Military Sector, she won't assume military command. The operation will still follow your lead."

"Won't this..."

"She knows."

Zhao Xing suddenly understood. Talking with a Fate Official was straightforward; there was no need for extensive explanations. Ji Si knew he would go no matter what, so he didn't try to dissuade him. Instead, he directly prepared the escort team's roster.

"First-grade Dance Master Ji Mengjun, Second-grade Music Master Xiao Huang."

"First-grade Martial Master Tong Jin, Second-grade Sorcerer Jiang Chuan."

"Plus Shenluo King and Ye Yukong."

"There are detailed descriptions of their strengths above." Ji Si handed over a document.

Zhao Xing respectfully received the list and burned it after reading. "You've gone to a lot of trouble. Xing is very grateful."

"Since you're so grateful, why don't you just not go? Bai Yunwu isn't without others to rescue him." After speaking, both Ji Si and Zhao Xing smiled.

After a pause, Zhao Xing cupped his hands and bid farewell, "Please take care."

Ji Si silently waved his hand.

After Zhao Xing left, Ji Mengjun emerged from the back of the hall. Ji Mengjun asked, "Are you really letting him go?"

"What can I do?" Ji Si shook his head. "I've considered ten thousand possibilities for this conversation, and not once was I successful in dissuading him." How could Ji Si bear to let Zhao Xing go? It was simply beyond his control. If he gave an order, it would only backfire, provoking Zhao Xing's rebellious streak. If he forcibly restricted Zhao Xing's freedom, the consequences would be even more extreme, potentially leading to Zhao Xing defecting from Great Zhou.

Ji Si, as a Fate Official, was only responsible for central coordination. Nominally, he wasn't a military commander either. In terms of strength and prestige, he couldn't command the top experts in the military. Even taking ten thousand steps back, even if he were, he would still have to listen to the advice of those first-grade experts. To override general opinions and deploy first-grade experts to fight to the death would likely require the prestige and position of someone like King Luo; even Yang Qingyun, the Commander of the Golden Guard, would find it difficult to achieve. That's why Ji Si, this time sending people to escort Zhao Xing, only selected two first-grade and two second-grade experts. This was solely because Ji Mengjun and Tong Jin were both experts absolutely trusted by the Ji Royal Family. They would unconditionally obey Ji Si's orders as a Fate Official and were qualified to know the secrets related to Zhao Xing and the Divine Evolution Art. As for other first-grade experts? Ji Si wouldn't even mention them. Setting aside trust issues, those first-grade experts each had high-priority missions.

Of course, Ji wasn't completely out of options. Ji Mengjun asked, "Do you have any other instructions?"

Ji Si thought for a moment, then took a secret imperial edict from his sleeve and handed it to Ji Mengjun: "This is His Majesty's secret edict. If you encounter extreme danger on this journey, you may activate it. If it's not used, you must return it to me after the mission."

Ji Mengjun took the secret edict: "At what point does it become extreme?"

Ji Si said indifferently, "If you believe the situation is so perilous that Tong Jin, Shenluo King, Ye Yukong, Jiang Chuan, and Xiao Huang all perish, and you still cannot ensure Zhao Xing's safe departure, then you may use it."

Ji Mengjun softly said, "I understand."

***

Guting Royal City, Central Teleportation Array.

Nine mountains, ten thousand meters high, stood majestically in the vital area of the imperial palace, resembling true dragons soaring into the sky. A dragon boat slowly flew into the central area surrounded by the nine high mountains.

"This is the Nine Dragons Teleportation Array, an ancient Dragon Court formation," Shenluo King said from the bow of the ship, looking out through the barrier. "The technique for this formation has been completely lost. Our dynasty has always wanted to thoroughly study this ancient array, but unfortunately, no one in the world can do it; even the dragon race themselves cannot recreate a Nine Dragons Teleportation Array."

Teleportation arrays had always been the most dazzling stars in the grand category of mechanism formations. However, in the Era of Origin Energy, no one could claim this brightest star. Whether it was the Azure Jade Sea or the Departing Fire Altar, they had existed since ancient times. Later generations only knew how to use them, but not how to recreate them. To this day, the range of the Azure Jade Sea is still limited to Pinghai Province, and its scope is increasingly shrinking. The same applied to the Departing Fire Altar; the maximum number of its fire pits had become fixed, and many had completely extinguished, unable to be rekindled.

"Boom~"

At a certain moment, light pillars erupted from the mouths of the nine dragon heads, and colorful brilliance shot straight towards the central area encircled by the mountains. At the moment of convergence, the light pillars suddenly refracted, soaring skyward. The dragon boat at the center instantly vanished with the light pillars.

The next moment, the light dissipated. They had appeared in a new environment: the True Dragon Royal City.

Zhao Xing surveyed his surroundings. This was a massive dragon-stone plaza, also surrounded by nine high mountains. However, their flying ship was not in the central area, but had appeared on East Dragon Mountain in the northeast.

"We've entered the Central Royal Court's territory," Shenluo King pointed west. "Flying west from here is the Nine Stars Fire Purgatory, where Bai Yunwu is trapped."

"Not that way," Zhao Xing unfolded a map. "First, we go to the Soaring Dragon Altar in the south."

"Alright." Shenluo King immediately steered the flying ship, beginning to fly rapidly southwards.

As for Ji Mengjun, Tong Jin, Jiang Chuan, and Xiao Huang, they remained inside the cabin. If there was no danger, they wouldn't easily show themselves, to avoid attracting unnecessary trouble and being tracked. Their mission was merely to escort Zhao Xing; it was best if they didn't have to fight. Shenluo King and Ye Yukong didn't ask anything; if they asked, the answer would be "classified."

Zhao Xing closed his eyes, quietly waiting for their destination to be reached, while pondering in his memory palace.

"Bai Yunwu holds a Dragon King peerage, and he has a large fiefdom in the Gusi Kingdom. According to intelligence, Bai Yunwu received a distress call from 'Boyi,' a First-grade expert of the West Sea aquatic race. He then contacted Tang and Ao, two First-grade Vassal Kings, and a total of forty-five human high-grade experts from three demonic factions to go for rescue. It turned out to be a deception. 'Boyi,' the expert of the West Sea aquatic race, had long been brainwashed by the Sect World and had set up an ambush in advance, resulting in Bai Yunwu's reinforcements being trapped in the Fire Purgatory Plain.

"Bai Yunwu is one of Great Zhou's four Dragon King-level peerage holders. Patriarchs Tang and Ao are also chieftains of the East Sea aquatic race, forming a bulwark for the East Sea defense line. Their encirclement immediately drew support from Great Zhou's other three Dragon King-level peers. The hostile forces involved the Golden Feather Royal Court, Sacred Spirit Royal Court, Fiery Light Royal Court, and Purple Dragon Royal Court from the Four Barbarian Royal Courts of the Southern Barbarians; the Great Serpent Nation of Dongying and its thirty affiliated feudal domains; the Azure Water and Profound Heaven Divine Sects from the Ten Divine Sects. Also, the White Bone, Puppet Clan, Four Saints, Azure Sun, and Reverting Origin, five top-tier sects. These forces began to 'besiege a point to strike reinforcements' against Great Zhou's support. Most strong individuals have authority to command dragons. For example, Lord-level (Second-grade) authority can command City Lord-level dragons (Third-grade). Great Zhou's other three Dragon King-level peers could mobilize even more. Consequently, the number of human and dragon experts from the Ten Kingdoms of the Ancient Dragon Court heading to the Central Dragon Court rapidly surged. Initially, it only involved Bai, Tang, and Ao, three First-grade aquatic Vassal Kings, and forty-five high-grade experts. In less than seven days, the number of First-grade humans exceeded one hundred, and the number of high-grade experts involved surpassed ten thousand, and was still increasing."

"Truly, the whole world is against us. The negative impact of Prince Liang's rebellion is now manifesting in the external situation," Zhao Xing mused. "Such large-scale offensives against Great Zhou were unheard of before. However, it can't all be blamed on Prince Liang. Emperor Jing's external expansion for nearly three hundred years has firmly established him as a 'demonic cult' in the eyes of external forces, and Emperor Jing himself is considered the world's foremost devil. Seizing the opportunity during Emperor Jing's initial years of 'Great Governance' involving purges and military power reduction, they swiftly struck at Great Zhou's high-end forces in the Dragon Court Ancient Land."

Zhao Xing knew about this, but he hadn't intended to participate because such a war wouldn't last long. Emperor Jing simply didn't want to engage in high-level battles that would deplete national resources; it wasn't that he couldn't fight. Within a few months, the alliance of external hostile forces couldn't hold on any longer. Great Zhou could lose a few First-grade experts without much consequence, but for those so-called top-tier sects, large tribes, and powerful aquatic races, losing even one First-grade expert would be a severe blow to their vitality. With no significant benefits, what were they fighting for alongside the Divine Sects and Southern Barbarian forces? Thus, this encirclement of Great Zhou in the Dragon Court quickly faded away.

As he was pondering, a second "Zhao Xing" appeared at the entrance of Zhao Xing's memory palace. With a cold expression, he said to the first Zhao Xing, "I originally planned to wait for this turmoil to pass and peacefully reap benefits, but now I have to risk my life. Have you forgotten the initial purpose of the eternal life plan?"

The first Zhao Xing replied, "I was planning to wait for this turmoil to pass. In my previous life, it wasn't Bai Yunwu who fell into the Nine Stars Fire Purgatory, but Tang Yinglong. But now, things have changed."

The second Zhao Xing snorted, "What does that have to do with you? Long Xiao is just an NPC; what does his death matter to me?"

The first Zhao Xing said, "It's not just for Long Xiao. Bai Yunwu cannot die now, and ideally, none of the three aquatic Vassal Kings should die."

The second Zhao Xing retorted, "Why can't they die? Now that there's a deviation, are you sure you can escape unscathed?"

The first Zhao Xing explained, "The deviation isn't significant. What's certain is that one of the East Sea's three aquatic Vassal Kings is trapped in the Nine Stars Fire Purgatory, because the encirclement operation of Great Zhou's hostile alliance was aimed at them. Only by eliminating an East Sea aquatic chieftain Vassal King is the optimal choice. The Pinghai Province turmoil has just settled. If another one of the three aquatic Vassal Kings dies, Great Zhou's expansion efforts from the East Sea will become very difficult, and the seven island chain defense lines will have to contract by half. Marine resources are abundant. If this area is blocked, how will Great Zhou's various goods be sold overseas? Future fiscal revenue will inevitably decrease significantly. With reduced fiscal revenue, won't I be a poor bastard if I become the Grand Minister of Agriculture in the future? If Great Zhou's destiny decreases, how will I survive?"

Zhao Xing continuously found reasons to save Long Xiao, because another thought in his mind was constantly interfering, stopping him from taking risks.

"How will you save him? The Nine Stars Fire Purgatory was created to imprison Dragon Kings; anyone who falls in cannot get out!"

"I have the Dragon Emperor Codex!"

"Ridiculous! Even activating the codex is dangerous. Do you think Ji Mengjun and that Tong Jin, whose name you've never even heard of, plus a few other weaklings, can ensure your safety? The ritual requires your true body to go. If anything goes wrong, you're dead."

"I have Sixth-tier destiny. Activating the Purple Gold Ancient Coins and the Lucky Coins can raise it to Seventh-tier destiny!"

"Destiny isn't invincible! Accidents, do you know what accidents are?" the second Zhao Xing said coldly, "Once you encounter one, there's no turning back."

"I can become a Yin Spirit, wait for spiritual energy resurgence with the Ancient Yin Warship, and still be resurrected!"

"Have you been hit by a Ritual Cultivator's intelligence-reducing spell? If you die, won't the Shang Tang Edict drop? The True Dragon Royal City cannot tear open Yin-Yang passages."

"Shut up! Can you not wish for something good?"

"So impulsive, no wonder your ex-girlfriend left—"

"What the hell? You're bringing that up too? Get lost! If I don't go, my thoughts won't be clear!"

As the first Zhao Xing's presence grew, his voice became louder, and the phantom of the second Zhao Xing gradually faded.

Opening his eyes, Zhao Xing saw double vision and felt somewhat disoriented. He rubbed his eyes and shook his head. Ye Yukong noticed this movement and immediately walked over: "Brother, are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Zhao Xing said humorously. "Maybe I'm just tired from raiding homes recently."

"Hahaha." Ye Yukong laughed loudly upon hearing this. "Your courage is truly incomparable." Where were they going now? It was a perilous place where First-grade experts were common, and Third-grades were considered insignificant. Shenluo King and he were both somewhat nervous. Upon arriving at the Central Dragon Court, they even spoke less. Who isn't afraid of death? As long as there is life, there is an instinct for survival! Yet Zhao Xing could still crack jokes.

"I have a clone, after all." After a pause, Zhao Xing looked at the long sword at Ye Yukong's waist. "How long have you used this sword, Brother Ye?"

"You mean the Bright Moon Sword?" Ye Yukong gripped the hilt. "Nearly thirty years."

"It should be at the eighth-grade supreme level?"

"Hmm."

"Why don't you change it?" Zhao Xing was somewhat puzzled. Ye Yukong had previously participated in a lottery; one item was a ninth-grade supreme treasure, and the other was merely a randomly chosen eighth-grade material. But even these items were enough to trade for a sword with Ji Si, as Ji Si had acquired many good things when mobilizing people this time. There was no problem at all for Ye Yukong to switch to a ninth-grade sword. He was currently Second-grade, and his mastery of the Dao was high enough to wield it fully.

"I had the Bright Moon Sword custom-made by a grand craftsman from the Hundred Weapons Dao Academy back then, and I'm used to it," Ye Yukong explained. "Switching to a ninth-grade sword, if it's of mediocre or lower quality, would be useless; it wouldn't even be as powerful as the Bright Moon Sword. If it's of superior or supreme quality, then my swordsmanship power might increase significantly."

Zhao Xing asked, "What about a treasure-grade swordsmanship divine weapon? Can Brother Ye unleash its power?"

Ye Yukong said proudly, "I am from the Sword Sect school, so of course I can unleash its power. Although I haven't tried it, it will definitely work."

To adjust his state, Shenluo King also joined the conversation. The fellow immediately went for a direct jab: "By the way, isn't your Sword Sect inferior to the Qi Sect?"

Ye Yukong's face immediately darkened: "Bastard! Don't talk nonsense if you don't understand! Our Sword Sect is number one in the world!"

Shenluo King waved his hand: "Never heard of it."

Ye Yukong sneered, "Then you must have heard that the Shenluo school is inferior to the Dao Soldier school, right?"

Shenluo King glared at him: "Nonsense!"

Ye Yukong snorted, "Back when we fought Yu Shanzi, if a Dao Soldier school artificer had come, we wouldn't have needed to fight for so long."

Shenluo King immediately bristled: "At that time, Yu Shanzi had fused the soul and destiny of a Second-grade Ritual Cultivator. Only the Shenluo school could fight for so long. If a Dao Soldier school practitioner had come, that bastard would have escaped long ago! Don't talk nonsense if you don't understand! The top-ranked artificer in the Dao Arena is also from the Shenluo school! What about you martial artists?"

Ye Yukong was immediately silenced, because the world's number one martial artist really was from the Qi Sect school.

"Dao Arena competitions, do those count?" Ye Yukong argued stubbornly.

"Why wouldn't they count?" Shenluo King chuckled. "Duke Situ cultivates the Gluttony Art internally and the Black Tortoise Dharma Form externally. His golden body is invincible, his divine fists are unmatched, and his vital energy is as vast as the boundless ocean. He could stand there and let you stab him, and you wouldn't even pierce his skin."

Zhao Xing stood to the side, secretly chuckling. The Duke Situ that Shenluo King referred to was a Duke of Great Zhou, Situ Wu, the former dean of the Divine Martial Academy. Although he had never publicly endorsed the Qi Sect, the world regarded Situ Wu as a grand master of the Qi Sect. His status was second only to Ji Shuang, Great Zhou's first Martial God, who cultivated the Dragon-Elephant Golden Body.

The Qi-Sword dispute within Great Zhou's martial arts had a long history. The Qi Sect believed the body could embody heaven and earth, and martial cultivation should develop towards "allowing the body to contain more vital energy." To achieve this, the martial golden body must be strong enough; as the body, this vessel, becomes stronger, it can hold more vital energy. Conversely, vital energy can also strengthen the body, making the body comparable to a divine artifact! Supported by vast vital energy, a casual punch could overwhelm an enemy. Releasing one's own vital energy could trigger a vital energy storm. Technique? All show! "Watch me become a god with one punch!"

The Sword Sect, on the other hand, believed that martial arts techniques were the essence of human wisdom and skill. Cultivating martial techniques, through profound martial arts, one could comprehend the Dao of Heaven and Earth. A single sword strike could twist rules, or even change them! Qi Sect? Crude and primitive! The more they train, the more they regress!

The difference between the Shenluo school and the Dao Soldier school was: the former specialized in colossal divine weapons, giant mech suits, and massive mechanical puppets, believing that size equated to strength! And they advocated for artificers to personally control them! The latter was the "troop-spamming" school, advocating for cultivating the combat instincts and battle souls of mechanical beasts and puppets, allowing them to fight independently without the artificer's direct control.

Unable to win the argument, Ye Yukong immediately pulled Zhao Xing over: "Brother, you judge for us?"

"Me?" Zhao Xing quickly shook his head. "I'm just a small Grand Minister of Agriculture, how would I know about this?" Every generation has its rising and falling stars; every school has its time to flourish and decline. Except for Fate Officials, of course.

The power of Fate Officials has consistently declined through the generations! From a historical perspective, the strength of the Fate Official profession had been consistently declining. Primarily, in the era of spiritual energy resurgence, Fate Officials' spells received very little amplification from spiritual energy. Furthermore, the extent to which other professions strengthened surpassed that of Fate Officials. This constant ebb and flow essentially meant Fate Officials were nerfed. In the Era of Spiritual Energy, all beings strive for freedom! The stronger an individual's power, the greater their control over their own destiny! This led to a sharp increase in the difficulty for Fate Officials to divine people's fates.

Of course, this was only from an overall perspective. Certain less common factions, such as treasure-hunting sorcerers, still played a significant role. Certain individuals possessing divine artifacts like the Creation Disk still could not be ignored. Additionally, aspects like curse-casting and destiny-tracking still yielded good results.

Thinking of this, Zhao Xing couldn't help but worry about Long Xiao. He began to divine Long Xiao's situation with his fingers, but as soon as he started, his ten fingers split open, bleeding profusely, with wounds deep enough to reveal bone. "Even Old Chen didn't die, you can't perish here," Zhao Xing licked his fingers, silently chanting in his heart. "Hold on."

***

Outside the cabin, three people were chatting. Inside, First-grade Martial Warrior Tong Jin and First-grade Dance Master Ji Mengjun were also conversing.

"Mengjun, he doesn't have much to do with Bai Yunwu, does he?"

"Not with Bai Yunwu," Ji Mengjun said. "But his relationship with Long Xiao, Bai Yunwu's grandson-in-law, is extraordinary. Long Xiao and Chen Shijie were the guides who led Zhao Xing to join the army. Later, when Zhao Xing completed his training in the Ten Yang Grotto-Heaven and went to complete the Military Sector assessment, Long Xiao was his Dao Protector. Afterward, they fought together on the Pacification battlefield and were both demoted to the East Sea due to being ostracized by Prince Liang's faction. It's said that Marquis Shenwei's war pet's name was given by Long Xiao."

"Earth Official peerage, that mountain cat?" Tong Jin recalled some impressions. When Zhao Xing was staying in the Royal City, he had seen him several times. Zhao Xing was always accompanied by a cat, a sheep, and a dog, which were now still in Guting Royal City.

"So that's it, no wonder." Tong Jin suddenly understood. Such friendships, forged by growing up together from humble beginnings, were naturally deep. He had also been a soldier, so he could easily comprehend it. What he didn't quite understand was why Ji Si would agree to let Zhao Xing take such a risk. Even if Zhao Xing possessed some kind of divine artifact of the dragon race, could it really influence the current situation?

"Someone's there." Ji Mengjun suddenly raised her eyebrows, her gaze shifting to look outside the ship.

Tong Jin immediately darted out like a cat.

The Soaring Dragon Altar was not within the True Dragon Royal City, but outside it. It resembled the Altar of Heaven, Altar of Earth, and sacrificial altars used by humans during rituals. Around the Soaring Dragon Altar were many dragon god totems and Dragon Emperor statues. Here, one could comprehend dragon race incantations and learn Dragonic. There were rumors that the Soaring Dragon Altar was the Dragon Emperor's review stand for generals. Others said it was where the Dragon Emperor consulted with dragon gods and bestowed rewards upon meritorious dragon race subjects. In short, the Soaring Dragon Altar was a relatively popular exploration site within the Central Dragon Court. Every time the Dragon Court opened, human visitors would always come to see the Soaring Dragon Altar.

Now, a great melee had erupted in the Central Dragon Court, breaking the previously peaceful coexistence. Great Zhou's three other Dragon King-level peers, besides Bai Yunwu, had all issued commands. Now, whenever Great Zhou and the hostile alliance encountered each other at any location, a major battle would ensue. Having lost the initiative, the Soaring Dragon Altar was now occupied by three hostile factions.

When Zhao Xing's flying ship approached, they detected signs of numerous reconnaissance outposts from afar. "Brother Ye, let's catch a tongue to question," Zhao Xing said.

"No problem." Ye Yukong immediately transformed into a streak of moonlight and flew towards a giant rock to the east.

"Swoosh." Behind the giant rock, a red light attempted to flee but was intercepted by the moonlight, and its glow instantly extinguished. In five breaths' time, Ye Yukong returned to the flying ship from a thousand meters away, accompanied by a man in a Daoist robe and a white bone mask. Two sword qi strands, pure and dense like solid matter, were lodged in his shoulder blades. The moonlight-like sword qi, fine as silk, spread through his internal organs, sealing all of his vital energy.

"Kneel." Ye Yukong kicked the back of his knee, and the man in the white bone Daoist robe plopped to his knees.

At this moment, Ji Mengjun, Tong Jin, Jiang Chuan, and Xiao Huang all emerged.

"White Bone Sect, early Third-grade. Judging by his attire and token, he should be an elder of the sect," Tong Jin said.

"Marquis Shenwei, I'll handle the interrogation," Ji Mengjun looked at Zhao Xing.

"Thank you, Lady Ji," Zhao Xing nodded. Third-grade sect devils usually had very profound protective measures to prevent leaking secrets. Ordinary torture wouldn't easily extract any information. However, facing Ji Mengjun, it was different.

Ji Mengjun merely walked into the captive's line of sight, and the Third-grade White Bone Sect member abruptly lifted his head, his expression dazed. The moment he saw Ji Mengjun, his eyes were filled solely with her image, and he unconsciously took two steps forward. His vital soul thus floated out of his body. Shenluo King, Ye Yukong, Second-grade Sorcerer Jiang Chuan, and Music Master Xiao Huang all showed expressions of admiration. Zhao Xing also felt the terror of a Soul Dancer. He didn't even know what Ji Mengjun had done, but the opponent's primal soul was just drawn out like that.

Without even being asked, the man voluntarily began to confess: "My name is 'Bone Thirteen,' an elder of the White Bone Sect, a disciple of Purple Bone Celestial Venerable—"

Zhao Xing listened quietly. In the Sect World, generally only First-grade practitioners were addressed as Celestial Venerable. Above First-grade, they were called Divine Venerable. Second-grade and Third-grade were more casual: True Man, True Lord, Primal Lord, Venerable, Great Immortal—they could be called anything, whatever pleased them.

"...I was ordered by my master to stand guard around the Soaring Dragon Altar. There are seventy-five people like me, and our sect is responsible for the south side of the Soaring Dragon Altar. There are sixteen Celestial Venerable-level figures, four in each direction—a total of thirty-five True Lords, Primal Lords, and Venerables... A total of one hundred and two Dragon Lords—A total of..."

The voluntary information disclosure quickly concluded. Ji Mengjun began to dig deeper for important information: "What magical treasures do the First-grade Celestial Venerables carry, and and what are their effects? If there are formations, where are they deployed?"

A Third-grade cultivator was considered high-level even in Great Zhou, and held an even higher status in the Sect World. It was only upon entering the Central Dragon Court and encountering such a massive melee that he would be reduced to a pawn. But in reality, he knew many things; at least his usual knowledge wouldn't be too poor.

However, at this moment, Bone Thirteen's vital soul began to tremble incessantly, unable to utter a single word. Ji Mengjun, seeing this, swiftly extended a finger and lightly tapped. Bone Thirteen stabilized again.

"Lady Ji, what's wrong?" Tong Jin asked.

"He has self-destructing measures on him." Ji Mengjun pondered for a moment, and the silver chain bells on her wrist jingled. Subsequently, on Bone Thirteen's vital soul, at various locations such as his forehead, lower back, shoulder blades, abdomen, and thighs, nail-like magical artifacts emerged. The nails were in red and blue colors. Many fine lines emerged, glowing with flowing luminescence, intertwining inside and outside Bone Thirteen's soul body, appearing very strange.

Everyone was slightly moved.

"White Bone Soul Nails?"

"Precisely, White Bone Soul Nails."

"The White Bone Soul Nails are incredibly cruel. For each one driven in, the soul feels torture akin to being slowly cut into a thousand pieces. White Bone Soul Nails can destroy the vital soul, preventing it from being controlled by others and leaking secrets. Life and death are in the hands of the superior. It's not all bad, White Bone Soul Nails can stabilize the vital soul, allowing it to travel further when the primal soul leaves the body, and endure stronger attacks."

"Truly malicious!" Ji Mengjun looked to the side: "Shenluo King, can you undo this?"

Soul Nails were divine weapons/magical treasures. Only Shenluo King had the potential to dismantle the miniature formations inscribed on them. However, facing Ji Mengjun's question, Shenluo King said somewhat shamefully, "Soul artifacts are rare, and the miniature formations within them are not part of my research. Moreover, I am of the Shenluo school..." The Shenluo school always focused on large-scale creations; why would they research miniature formations? The Dao Soldier school would be more likely to.

"Should I go catch another one?" Ye Yukong said.

"They're not stupid," Tong Jin shook his head. Earlier, it was a surprise attack, allowing them to capture one. Now that the people ahead had already fled back, how could they easily capture another live captive?

Ji Mengjun didn't say much. She had intended to directly destroy Bone Thirteen's vital soul, but seeing Zhao Xing's thoughtful expression, her eyes subtly moved: "Marquis Shenwei, do you have something to say?"

Zhao Xing said, "During the period of turmoil, I once killed an elder of the White Bone Sect and unintentionally obtained the 'Seven Stars Diagram of White Bone Soul Nails.' At the time, I saw a nail covered in stars, but didn't understand what it was. I just memorized it. Now, hearing Shenluo King's words, I'm reminded of it. With Lady Ji overseeing, perhaps I can tell him this method and see if it helps." Old Master Zhao truly milked the Prince Liang incident for all it was worth; he could attribute anything to it.

Upon hearing there was a chance to redeem his image before the goddess, Shenluo King immediately said, "If there's a secret method to learn on the spot, the chances are much higher."

Zhao Xing said, "I don't know what will happen, but there's no loss anyway, so let's try." The miniature formations on the Water-Fire White Bone Nails, forming the restriction, were like the wires inside a bomb. He had no secret method to tell Shenluo King; he simply knew the correct sequence for removing the nails. Back when he broke into the Hall of Heavenly Crafts in the Grand Dream Academy, he also just memorized the solution and got through. Of course, the current situation was far more complex. Zhao Xing didn't guarantee success, as Purple Bone Celestial Venerable could have made slight modifications, potentially changing things. But there was no loss in trying it on Bone Thirteen.

Zhao Xing thought for a moment, then stood next to Bone Thirteen's vital soul, side by side with Shenluo King. He waved