The black fire did not burn in midair. It clung to massive bone after massive bone.
The bones were milky white, carrying a sacred, holy quality.
One central trunk ran from east to west, piercing through heaven and earth like a dragon spanning the nine heavens, extending beyond the limits of Fang Yuan's vision. On either side of this trunk, countless branch bones extended outward in orderly rows, resembling colossal ivory tusks.
The entire skeleton was like the spine and ribs of some titanic giant, propping up the very firmament!
"The Sky Dome Spine…" Fang Yuan murmured. The sight before him was breathtaking in its grandeur. Standing beneath the massive bones, he felt as insignificant as an insect.
These bones loomed like towering ancient trees, while the black fire gathered in great clouds, shrouding the majority of their surface.
After studying the scene for a while, Fang Yuan grasped several key mysteries: "This Sky Dome Spine is actually a Ninth Transformation Bone Path Immortal Material!"
This single fact was already inconceivable.
The Sky Dome Spine was not made of human bones. Which Gu Immortal could possess such a colossal body?
If not human bones, then they must be beast bones.
But what savage beast could ever reach the Ninth Transformation level?
Impossible!
Ninth Transformation was the realm of Gu Sovereigns. Throughout all of history, only humans had ever achieved it—a mere nine individuals at most. Other races could reach Eighth Transformation at best, or perhaps they were Primordial Desolate Beasts or Primordial Desolate Plants.
Could there exist in this world a Ninth Transformation Desolate Beast or Desolate Plant?
Only such an existence could leave behind immortal material of this grade upon death.
"Besides that, could it have been forged by Immortal Venerable Le Tu?" Doubts filled Fang Yuan's mind.
This possibility was equally slim.
He had already divined the purpose of the Sky Dome Spine—it served only one function: to reinforce this Dragon Whale Le Tu.
If Immortal Venerable Le Tu had wanted to reinforce the Le Tu, he could have used Earth Path methods, or even Sound Path methods. Those were what Immortal Venerable Le Tu excelled in. Why would he resort to Bone Path?
"Furthermore, why would Immortal Venerable Le Tu set things up this way, specifically to reinforce Dragon Whale Le Tu? As if Dragon Whale Le Tu were unstable and could collapse at any moment."
"But in truth, the Azure Dragon Whale was a Primordial Legendary Desolate Beast, possessing power at the very peak of the world. There were exceedingly few beings that could threaten it. If its life were truly in danger, would reinforcing Dragon Whale Le Tu even matter?"
"The greatest mystery is: why is there such massive black fire on the Sky Dome Spine?"
This was clearly not caused by Shen Shang.
If Shen Shang could release black fire of this magnitude, how could he possibly have returned in one piece and voluntarily asked to be sealed away?
"What exactly is the connection between the black fire here and the black fire on Shen Shang?" Fang Yuan continued to deduce. In the process, he watched a branch rib dissolve entirely within the black fire.
The sky-spanning black fire was corroding with terrifying intensity, ceaselessly destroying the Sky Dome Spine!
If the Sky Dome Spine were completely annihilated, what would happen?
Fang Yuan did not know, but it certainly would not be anything good.
He tried to act, commanding the Myriad Year Battle Flying Ship and unleashing the Dawn Breaker Sword Swarm to assault the black fire.
Just as he had expected, the black fire was like an ocean. His attacks were merely stones tossed into the sea—they could not stir even the slightest ripple.
Fang Yuan attempted this for a good while before finally giving up, helpless. Even a figure of his caliber felt powerless before this.
This was the difficulty of a super-tier task.
Fang Yuan thought for a moment, then departed from the area, returned to the Guide Island, and from there made his way to the undersea grand formation.
Shen Shang was still conscious, so Fang Yuan told him about the Sky Dome Spine.
"Do you have any impression of this place?" Fang Yuan asked.
Shen Shang shook his head in distress. "None whatsoever. But this must be connected to my black fire somehow. If we can unravel the mystery of the black fire, we might be able to see through Immortal Venerable Le Tu's calculations from back then—and uncover the deepest secret hidden within Dragon Whale Le Tu!"
At this point, Shen Shang paused. "I'd like to go see it for myself. Would that be possible?"
"Of course." Fang Yuan agreed without hesitation. Having told Shen Shang about the situation, he had no intention of hiding anything.
Attempting to complete a super-tier task with his strength alone was far too meager. He needed to gather the power of every Gu Immortal.
Soon, the assembled immortals gathered together and arrived at the Sky Dome Spine.
Upon witnessing the vast sea of black flame clouds filling the sky, the immortals' expressions shifted in awe. The sight left them utterly stunned.
The immortals attempted to purge the black fire, but their progress was minuscule. It seemed that the larger the scale of the black fire, the more difficult it became to eliminate.
Among all the immortals, only Shen Shang's Human Path methods showed notable effectiveness. Everyone else was completely overshadowed by him.
The campaign to clear the black fire continued for several days before Flower Butterfly Fairy was the first to reach her limit.
It was not that her mental or physical state had deteriorated—her immortal essence consumption had simply become too great.