I’ve caught a cold, and my head is all fuzzy. It’s terrible.
******
Tens of thousands of miles from Water Blue City, in a valley.
Yang Kai set down the middle-aged man and Shui Ling whom he had rescued. The three looked at each other, momentarily silent, their expressions grave.
Shui Ling was still a bit weak. She had been hit by a bone clan’s Divine Sense attack earlier and sustained some injuries. The middle-aged man hurriedly took out some pills from his own Cosmos Bag and had Shui Ling take them.
Watching her sit in meditation to recover, the middle-aged man finally felt somewhat relieved. He turned to Yang Kai, cupped his fists solemnly, and said, “Many thanks to Brother for saving our lives just now. My gratitude is boundless!”
“Don’t mention it,” Yang Kai nodded lightly. “It was nothing.”
“Did you know Ling’er from before?” the middle-aged man asked, looking at Yang Kai with puzzlement.
Yang Kai gave a faint smile, replying with a question: “You are the Master of the Water God Palace, Shui Yun, correct?”
“That is correct!” Shui Yun nodded. “How shall I address you, Brother?”
“Dad, he’s that Yang Kai I told you about!” Shui Ling interjected.
Shui Yun’s body shook. He looked at Yang Kai in shock and exclaimed, “My apologies! I didn’t realize you were the Master of the Nine Heavens Holy Land. This old man was blind!”
Upon learning Yang Kai’s identity, Shui Yun’s way of address immediately changed.
In the current continent, no one dared to slight the master of the Nine Heavens Holy Land!
As for Yang Kai recognizing his identity, it was simple. The Water God Palace only had one Entering Saint Realm cultivator, and that was its master, Shui Yun. Combined with his obvious concern for Shui Ling, Yang Kai could naturally deduce who he was.
“Yang Kai, why are you here?” Shui Ling asked, looking at Yang Kai while recovering.
“Just passing through,” Yang Kai furrowed his brow and asked in a deep voice, “Where did those bone clan members in Water Blue City come from?”
“Bone clan?” Shui Yun was stunned.
“Those skeletons that can absorb the essence of flesh and blood!”
“Does Holy Master Yang know about them?” Shui Yun’s expression shifted, and he asked urgently.
Yang Kai shook his head. “Not really, but I’ve seen them before, and recently too. Senior Shui, do you know where they came from?”
Shui Yun’s expression darkened. He sighed. “We’re not sure exactly where they come from either. A year ago, a melting iceberg drifted near the Water God Palace. Our disciples found a skeleton inside. Out of curiosity, they brought it out. It didn’t seem to hold anything valuable. For a long time, nothing happened… but a few months ago… for some reason, that skeleton suddenly came to life…”
Shui Yun explained briefly. Yang Kai listened quietly.
Only then did he learn that after the bone clan member came to life, it went on a rampage within the Water God Palace. By absorbing the flesh and blood essence of the dead, its strength recovered rapidly. By the time Shui Yun realized what was happening, he had gathered all the experts of the Water God Palace. They paid the price of over a dozen casualties before finally capturing and imprisoning it.
However, no matter what they did, they couldn’t kill that bone clan member. In the end, they had no choice but to burn it.
That method finally worked, and it perished completely.
Peace lasted for a few months, until just a few days ago, horrifying skeletons appeared from all directions around the Water God Palace out of nowhere. The entire Water God Palace fell in an instant.
“Those skeletons… Right. The bone clan’s strength is incredibly formidable. They have many Entering Saint Realm experts, and even the weakest are in the Transcendent Realm. There isn’t a single Shenyou Realm existence among them. Moreover, after killing someone, they can absorb the victim’s flesh and blood essence to restore themselves and shape their own physical bodies. My Water God Palace’s two thousand disciples were slaughtered overnight. A dozen nearby islands fell… The Water God Palace was utterly destroyed!” Shui Yun’s expression was pained. “In the end, not many escaped. I, Shui, was incompetent. I could only protect Ling’er and flee from the islands, arriving here in Water Blue City. I never thought a few bone clan members would pursue us here, bringing disaster upon Water Blue City as well!”
“Dad, this isn’t your fault!” Shui Ling comforted from the side.
“But the Water God Palace was destroyed under my watch!” Shui Yun was distraught.
“They might have come from the Ice Abyss World,” Yang Kai said, his expression grim.
“The Ice Abyss World?” Shui Yun looked at him blankly.
“The Ice Sect over there!” Yang Kai shuddered. “Over the past few months, has your Water God Palace had any contact with the Ice Sect? What’s the situation there like?”
“Our most recent trade was a few months ago, just a few days before that skeleton came to life…” Shui Yun replied.
“You two recover here. I’ll go check the situation,” Yang Kai said, and then summoned the Flying Shuttle, preparing to leave.
“Yang Kai, don’t go!” Shui Ling called out urgently. “Those people are very strong. It’s dangerous for you to go alone.”
“Yes, though their numbers aren’t large, they have many Entering Saint Realm experts. Moreover, they can restore their strength after killing. Holy Master Yang, your path ahead will be fraught with peril if you go!”
“It’s fine. I’ll just take a look at the situation. If you sense any danger approaching, leave this place. I’ll find a way to locate you,” Yang Kai hurriedly instructed a few words, then vanished directly.
Father and daughter Shui Yun and Shui Ling wanted to stop him but were powerless to do so.
“Let’s hope he remains safe,” Shui Yun sighed heavily. Before those terrifying skeletons, he, the master of the Water God Palace, was completely powerless to resist. If he hadn’t fled quickly this time, both he and Shui Ling would have perished.
Thinking back, a lingering fear gripped his heart.
A green light flickered as Yang Kai flew rapidly toward the Water God Palace.
The bone clan appeared in force at the Water God Palace, occupying its islands and slaughtering two thousand disciples. They couldn’t have appeared there without reason.
If Yang Kai’s guess was correct, these bone clan members should have come from the direction of the Ice Sect.