A familiar voice suddenly echoed from the doorway, “Bao Gu!”
Bao Gu looked up in surprise towards the tower entrance but didn’t see Yu Mi’s figure, only the rock that was level with the coffin.
Her heart sank, and she thought, “Something’s wrong!”
She quickly looked into the coffin and saw the skin-and-bones figure inside gulping down her wine.
Bao Gu heard her senior sister’s voice again, “Bao Gu! Bao Gu, answer me!”
She didn’t dare respond, fearing something was amiss.
She glanced into the coffin and saw the skin-and-bones figure had already finished her precious fifth-grade monkey wine in an instant.
The figure was still as thin as ever, but its eyes seemed a bit brighter.
She called out suspiciously, “Senior Sister.”
As soon as she spoke, the rock on the ground disappeared, revealing the tower door.
Her senior sister and Jade Shura stood at the entrance, both looking at her in shock with their mouths half-open.
Bao Gu remembered her embarrassing act of urinating on the coffin earlier and smiled awkwardly, saying, “I had no choice, don’t blame me!”
Jade Shura’s teeth were chattering, thinking, “You dare release such a high-level demon? Are you tired of living?”
Yu Mi was relieved that Bao Gu was temporarily safe but was also scared stiff.
Suddenly, a bony hand rested on the edge of the coffin.
Yu Mi’s heart skipped a beat, and she quickly shouted, “Bao Gu, be careful.”
Bao Gu looked at the skin-and-bones figure struggling to sit up and said, “Senior Sister, it seems like there’s a person trapped here.”
Yu Mi and Jade Shura exclaimed in unison, “A person?”
Bao Gu said, “Yes, he’s almost starved to death. If he were a demon, he would have shown his true form long ago. How could he maintain a human shape?”
Seeing her senior sister appear, her fear and unease vanished, and she felt more confident.
Jade Shura said, “Why did you put so many talismans on your forehead?”
Bao Gu replied, “I thought the coffin sealed a demon. I was afraid it would harm me once it got out, so I took precautions.”
She then looked at the skin-and-bones figure struggling to sit up.
As the figure sat up, Bao Gu suddenly felt a heavy pressure, as if the figure was growing larger and she was shrinking, like a giant and an ant…
Jade Shura involuntarily took a few steps back, her heart pounding like a drum.
Even a weak camel is bigger than a horse; no matter how weak, it could easily capture them.
Such powerful beings, trapped for ages without any source of spiritual energy, often survive by reducing their own consumption, enduring endless years.
Their resentment grows, and their desire for food and spiritual energy increases.
The first thing they do upon release is replenish their energy and seek revenge—in short, whoever releases such a being will face immense trouble and possibly lose their life on the spot.
She didn’t know whether to admire Bao Gu’s courage or call her foolish for not knowing the dangers.
Any cultivator, even if trapped to death, would never dare release such a powerful being.
Yu Mi, holding the Lihuo Sword, walked towards the tower, ready for anything.
As soon as she stepped inside, she felt an invisible pressure.
The spiritual energy she had gathered dispersed!
She instinctively thought the being in the coffin was causing trouble and said in a deep voice, “Senior, Bao Gu released you. It wouldn’t be right to repay kindness with enmity, would it? If we fight to the death, you won’t benefit either.”
The skin-and-bones figure didn’t even look at her, only staring at Bao Gu and asking, “Child, do you have any more food?”
His voice was so hoarse it barely sounded human.
Bao Gu hesitated and handed over two more spiritual fruits, saying, “Eat sparingly. My supplies are almost exhausted in the ancient ruins. I know you’re hungry, but so am I. My senior sister, Jade Shura, and I are all trapped here. I’m counting on you to get us out.”
The figure devoured the fruits in a few bites.
Jade Shura stood there as if struck by lightning, thinking, “Bao Gu, are you stupid or crazy? If you feed him, he’ll have enough strength to deal with us…”
She didn’t dare say it out loud, fearing the figure would kill her first!
If she had to die, it didn’t matter if she was the first or the third.
It was better to strike first while the figure was still weak.
Jade Shura suddenly drew her curved blade and disappeared, only to reappear with a scream, falling from the void.
She looked at the figure in horror and shouted, “Even if we must die, we deserve to know why. Who are you to render me powerless?”
Bao Gu hesitated again and said, “Jade Shura, this tower has restrictions.”
The figure said, “No matter. Child, do you have any more monkey wine? Give me a few more gourds, and I’ll have enough strength to break these restrictions.”
Bao Gu shook her head, “That wine is precious… I don’t have any more!”
The figure asked, “What do you mean by ancient ruins?”
Bao Gu explained, “A long time ago, the ancient ruins suddenly appeared. The various cultivation sects searched the place and found no danger, so they turned it into a training ground for foundation-building disciples.”
The figure asked, “How did you get here?”
Bao Gu recounted her encounter with the white snake, the Little Celestial Fox leading her here, and their experiences after entering.
She paid special attention to the figure’s reactions, noticing his eyes dimmed when she mentioned the dragon’s rib and became complex when she talked about the skeleton ghost at the bottom of the pit.
After finishing her story, she asked, “Do you know the dragon and the skeleton ghost?”
The figure remained silent for a long time before saying, “You saved me, so I owe you a favor.”
Bao Gu quickly smiled, “Then repay it by safely getting us out of here, and we’ll be even.”
The figure glanced at Bao Gu’s dantian, slowly got up from the coffin, and opened his arms, inhaling the spiritual energy descending from the tower’s top.
The pure spiritual energy continuously flowed into the figure’s mouth.
The figure seemed to come back to life, his skin filling out, and his hair growing back.
Jade Shura closed her eyes in resignation, thinking, “Our fate now depends on whether this being wants to spare us.”
Yu Mi, having seen Bao Gu recruit Nanshan Yijian, felt a bit more hopeful, though she couldn’t be sure if it would work this time.
She watched as the dying old man reversed time, becoming a robust man in his thirties.
His clothes had long decayed into tatters over the endless years.
Bao Gu shyly looked away and handed him some dried tiger skins, saying, “I don’t have men’s clothes, senior. Please make do with these.”
The man waved his hand, “No need.”
A layer of hazy light covered him, making it impossible for others to see clearly.
Bao Gu didn’t feel awkward about being refused.
She put away the tiger skins and looked at the now robust man.
Though she couldn’t see his face, she could see his eyes.
When she saw his eyes, her heart sank, thinking, “It’s over, he’s not human!”
His pupils were different from humans, diamond-shaped like a snake’s or a cat’s, more like a beast’s than a human’s.
Though her heart sank, she remained calm and asked, “Senior, what kind of demon are you that you can maintain a human form?”
Yu Mi: “…”
Jade Shura: “…”
A low voice came from his throat, “The dragon skeleton you saw was my true form. The dragon shadow at the bottom of the pit was an evil spirit formed from the world’s resentment.”
Bao Gu curiously asked, “Then this body of yours…”
She thought of possession.
Could it be that he took over someone else’s body?
“This is my Dao body.”
Bao Gu exclaimed, “Dao body! Dao body! Dao body! You cultivated a Dao body! A dragon can cultivate a human Dao body?”
She was so shocked her mouth was wide open!
She suddenly thought of her Little Martial Aunt, who, despite being a snake, would likely follow the human cultivation path and wouldn’t want to achieve the Dao in a demon form.
She then understood and said, “I get it, you must have a heart like my Little Martial Aunt, wanting to be human, right? When you called me ‘child,’ I knew you must be kind-hearted, a good person—no, a good dragon, I mean, a good person…”
The tower fell silent.
Jade Shura thought, “What if he’s just tricking you for your wine and food, using delaying tactics?”
Yu Mi was speechless.
She sensed that this dragon had a big secret.
If they were seeing his Dao body and the dragon skeleton outside was his true form, then who was the skeleton ghost?
Who built this corpse city?
Who trapped him here?
Yu Mi didn’t know if Bao Gu releasing this dragon was a blessing or a curse.
If it was a curse, it would be a catastrophic one, and the likelihood was high.
The dragon’s nature was evil—
Bao Gu suddenly felt a gaze sweep over her dantian, and the Xuantian Sword, usually hidden and domineering, trembled slightly with arrogance.
She even heard a sword hum and felt a surge of overwhelming sword intent, as if one swing could cause mountains to collapse and sweep away thousands, powerful and domineering.
The dragon suddenly trembled and took two steps back, black blood oozing from his mouth, emitting a strong stench of decay.
Bao Gu knew immediately that the dragon had noticed the Xuantian Sword in her dantian and tried to take it, only to be thwarted.
Seeing the black blood at his mouth and smelling the stench, her heart sank, but she remained calm and asked with concern, “Dragon senior, are you okay?”
She then winked at the dragon and smiled triumphantly.
The dragon spat blood, but she was fine, indicating the Xuantian Sword had the upper hand.
The dragon waved his hand and said indifferently, “It’s nothing. The sword in your dantian is quite domineering!”
Bao Gu smiled, “Of course. My master gave it to me for protection.”
Yu Mi: “…”
She thought to herself, “If our master, Zhuo Wangchuan, heard this, he would shout, ‘Did I give you that sword? If so, give it to me to use first!'”
The dragon nodded and asked, “What realm is your master in?”
Bao Gu casually replied, “Void Tearing stage! He was about to transcend the tribulation but failed, so he went into seclusion. Fearing for my safety, he gave me this sword.”
The dragon continued, “Your master seems to value you highly?”
Bao Gu replied, “Of course, I’m the next sect leader.”
The dragon’s eye twitched slightly.
He waved his hand, sending Bao Gu, Yu Mi, and Jade Shura out of the tower, saying, “I’ll send you away.”
Bao Gu responded, “Thank you!”
She suddenly thought of something and said, “Senior, although our master taught us to repay kindness, this tower…”
She pointed at Jade Shura and said, “She worked hard to get the tower. Besides, you’ve been trapped here for so long, you must hate this tower. Why not give it to Jade Shura so you don’t have to see it?”
The dragon’s eye twitched again.
He looked deeply at Bao Gu, then waved his hand, sending the tower to Jade Shura.
Jade Shura hesitated, looking at Bao Gu in shock.
Bao Gu smiled, “Jade Shura, the dragon senior is giving you the tower. Take it.”
She then took out her abacus and said, “Uh, senior, although the monkey wine was brewed by my spiritual pet, the ingredients are precious. You drank a whole gourd, so it costs money…”
She looked at the dragon expectantly, “I know you’re poor now, but you must be one of the owners of the ancient ruins. You must know where the treasures are! I’m not greedy, but as the next sect leader, my master taught me not to do losing business—besides, you tried to attack me, so I need compensation.”
Jade Shura, having received the tower, looked at Bao Gu in shock, thinking, “Are you extorting him? This great demon attacked you? And you’re still standing here, daring to extort him?”
The dragon’s face twitched, and his voice turned cold, “Are you threatening me?”
Bao Gu looked at the dragon innocently, “After a fight, there should be negotiations and compensation. The winner takes the spoils, and the loser pays. I released you, you attacked me, and now you’re denying it. You can’t be shameless just because you’re stronger!”
The dragon’s face muscles twitched, as if he wanted to shout, “I’ll kill you with a slap,” but when he glanced at Bao Gu’s dantian, he silently released a steady force, pushing Bao Gu and the others away.
Bao Gu was lifted by a gentle force and shouted unwillingly, “You can’t deny it. If you don’t pay, I’ll come back—”
