A crystalline, snow-white, slight skeleton suddenly descended from the sky, landing precisely between the two Bone Dragons.
The Bone Dragons, which had been fiercely focused on tearing and biting at Mei Ji, recoiled sharply, shrinking back like obedient hounds. They prostrated themselves at the child's feet, their rolling eyeballs actually flashing with expressions of fawning appeasement.
Mei Ji froze, her bright eyes wide with astonishment. She took a deep look at the small child of the Bone Tribe, and a look of utter shock crossed her otherwise exquisitely charming features.
She possessed profound knowledge of the genesis of the Bone Tribe's people. She knew perfectly well that even if two peak Immortal realm Bone Tribe male and female spent ten thousand years endeavoring, they could never 'give birth' to such a terrifying child.
From this small Bone Tribe child, she sensed an extremely horrifying fluctuation—a wave that caused even her own heart to tremble uneasily.
For the first time, Mei Ji felt a flicker of dread.
She looked up at the Skull Island beneath her feet with reverence, adopting an uncharacteristically cautious and solemn demeanor, no longer daring to act rashly.
The parents capable of 'refining' such a powerful child must possess a terrifying and exquisite mastery of their realm. If such figures truly resided on the island, they must undoubtedly be among the select few most powerful individuals within the entire Bone Tribe!
The entirely snow-white little skeleton possessed no flesh or skin. Its eye sockets were inlaid with strange gems resembling stars—one gem was red and the other white, respectively emitting intense heat and biting cold. Meeting the gaze of those eyes made even Mei Ji secretly flinch.
The little skeleton possessed a Core Heart, condensed from an unknown, glowing object. The Core Heart was the source of power for the Bone Tribe, akin to the Essence Trees of other races.
The formation of the Core Heart was incredibly complex, related both to the activation of the life seed and the materials used in its 'refinement.' The power contained within this little skeleton's Core Heart seemed endless, making the child appear utterly inscrutable to Mei Ji.
"Crunch, crunch!"
The two Bone Dragons smacked their jaws contentedly, behaving like docile pet dogs. They obsequiously lowered their bodies before the little skeleton, their bony wings fluttering nervously.
The little skeleton’s starlike eyes glittered brightly. As it listened to the dragons' description, it suddenly looked towards the rock formation frozen earlier.
The eye that was entirely crimson suddenly ignited with flame, a ferocious high temperature carrying waves of light piercing out, instantly striking the ice block.
The ice, condensed by Mei Ji's icy power, melted away like a frozen treat under fierce fire, turning into water. The stone formation immediately returned to normal, its spirit and physical body instantly rejuvenated.
He glanced at the little skeleton, his expression changing drastically. He couldn't help but cry out involuntarily.
He had meticulously cultivated the Profound Meaning of Stars, possessing precise knowledge of the Solar Star and Lunar Star. The little skeleton’s left and right eyes, one red and one white, were clearly refined from the Star Cores of the Solar and Lunar Stars. From that ruby-like pupil, he sensed a scorching energy equivalent to no less than ten suns!
It was terrifying to the extreme!
He was certain that if this little skeleton unleashed the solar flame energy from its left eye, it would be sufficient to incinerate hundreds of Life Stars to ash and reduce even an Immortal realm expert to charcoal.
The terrifying density of that flame energy caused the primordial fire in his own mind to stir with unease; under the gaze of that eye, his blood and vitality felt as if they were being evaporated.
And this was occurring while the other party was exercising immense restraint.
Similarly, the little skeleton’s right eye was tempered by the Lunar Star, possessing an yin coldness that subtly concealed some wondrous mystery.
"He is a captive I was pursuing. Little child, are your parents nearby? I am Mei Ji of the Shadow Clan. I wish to avoid any misunderstanding with your Bone Tribe. My intrusion into this sacred ground was indeed somewhat inappropriate, but circumstances left me no choice. I request you..."
Seeing the little skeleton dissolve the ice around Shi Yan, Mei Ji’s composure fractured. She quickly explained in a sweet, gentle voice.
At this moment, her mask was torn, her robes bore several rents, revealing patches of tender, pale skin around her slender waist and alabaster legs—a beauty tantalizingly veiled that could make any man's blood surge.
However, this had absolutely no effect on the little skeleton. Its round eyes rotated, its focus remaining fixed on Shi Yan, ignoring Mei Ji’s explanations entirely.
Shi Yan’s expression was one of stunned disbelief. He clearly sensed subtle fluctuating auras emerging from the little skeleton, which were weaving and peeling back the layers of mystery within his own body...
This small Bone Tribe child was actually using a unique method to scrutinize the profound intricacies of his body. That strange fluctuation swept through his meridians, blood, Sea of Consciousness, and Altar, and it seemed to have genuinely uncovered many wondrous secrets.
Mei Ji’s charming face flushed with embarrassment. This feeling of being utterly disregarded chafed against her usual arrogance, instilling a sense of deep humiliation.
But she dared not act out.
She had no idea if the little skeleton's parents were stationed deep within Skull Island. If they were, their realm would certainly surpass hers, a level she couldn't perceive and, naturally... could not resist.
"Kacha kacha..."
After a long pause, the little skeleton pointed at Shi Yan and made strange sounds from its mouth, as if attempting to communicate something.
Shi Yan shook his head repeatedly in confusion. "I don't understand."
The language memories passed to him by the Heavenly Eye Tribe did not contain this tongue. What the little skeleton was speaking was clearly not the common language, so he naturally couldn't comprehend it.
Even Mei Ji of the Shadow Clan was initially very puzzled, her slender, beautiful dark brows tightly furrowed. After thinking for a long time, her bright eyes suddenly lit up. "The language of the elder generation of the Bone Tribe!" She tapped a spot on her forehead with a finger bearing a jade-green ring. A wisp of oily green light flowed out from the ring and vanished into her mind.
"He is mine!" Mei Ji instantly understood the little skeleton’s words, retorting with mock anger, "You want him to go with you? By what right?"
She spoke in the common tongue, and it was evident the little skeleton understood her. It shifted its gaze from Shi Yan and looked back at Mei Ji.
"Click clack clack..."
From its mouth issued another string of bizarre sounds. It seemed somewhat irritated, the light in its eyes surging.
Mei Ji’s face grew cold, her fair neck tilting as she repeatedly shook her head. "No! He is mine. Whatever business you have, I am taking this one! Child, do you not understand propriety? Didn't your parents teach you manners?"
The little skeleton had initially only been annoyed, but the moment Mei Ji mentioned his "parents," it was like igniting a volcano of wrath within him.
A low roar issued from its mouth.
Terrifying, earth-shaking fluctuations resonated from deep within Skull Island, as if his cry had activated mysterious formation diagrams in its eyes.
The enigmatic runes etched onto its snow-white skull began to sparkle like stars. Immediately, star-like points of light emerged across its skeletal frame. At a glance, they appeared to be the acupoints within its body, utterly marvelous.
However, Shi Yan’s eyes widened, revealing a strange radiance.
He had mastered the Profound Meaning of Space and saw at a glance that those star-like points of light were actually refined stars! They had been transmuted into the little skeleton's acupoints. At this moment, each shining star emitted boundless and surging stellar fluctuations!
This little skeleton, astonishingly, also comprehended the Profound Meaning of Stars, just like him!
"What are you trying to do?!"
Mei Ji also felt a chill creep up her spine. She wasn't afraid of the little skeleton itself, but of the ancient Bone Tribe members potentially lurking inside Skull Island.
The language spoken by the little skeleton was that of the elder generation of the Bone Tribe, a dialect almost no one used in the current tribe. Based on this alone, the little skeleton's parents had to be incredibly ancient and fearsome. If they were truly below, then never mind her, Mei Ji—even the Domain Ancestor experts of her clan might not be their match.
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh!"
Beams of light, like falling meteors, flew out from various corners of Skull Island, seemingly guided by the little skeleton's will.
The light beams descended like a river of stars, all converging upon Mei Ji. Under the lock of these beams, her perfect body radiated terror and anxiety. Without a second thought, she reactivated her Snow Lotus Flower, enveloping her form and simultaneously channeling her Ice Profound Meaning, freezing the surrounding area centered on her.
Instantly, an ice peak towered up, with her graceful figure encased within it.
The little skeleton made its strange clicking sounds, guiding the meteor-like light beams so they wrapped around the ice peak like countless ribbons. Then, a pillar of crimson light shot forth from its left eye, wrapping around the ice peak repeatedly. Under the fierce heat of that light pillar, the ice peak rapidly melted.
The meteor-like light beams also stirred restlessly, poised to strike the moment the ice melted to inflict heavy damage upon her body.
Mei Ji internally lamented her misfortune.
If she were in her peak state, handling this level of attack would not leave her so passive; but currently, she could only focus entirely on defense, unable to spare any energy to counterattack.
She knew she was trapped. Unless the energy within that crimson light pillar was completely exhausted, she wouldn't be able to emerge safely from the ice peak.
The little skeleton paid her little further mind. Seeing her temporarily confined, its rage somewhat subsided. It turned back to Shi Yan, gesticulating with its small hands while uttering a series of bizarre sounds, its eyes even showing a look of pleading—an attitude vastly softer than the one directed toward Mei Ji.
"I don't know what you are saying, but it seems you want to take me somewhere. Well, I have no problem with that," Shi Yan stated calmly.
The strength of this small Bone Tribe child was not much inferior to Mei Ji’s, and this location was Skull Island, the territory of the Bone Tribe. If this little one truly held malice, he wouldn't be able to escape anyway. It was better to observe the situation and see what the little skeleton intended.
Shi Yan quickly came to a resolution.
The little skeleton understood his words. Seeing him agree, its eyes lit up, and it smacked its mouth, pointing toward one of the Bone Dragons beneath it.
The Bone Dragon roared, then obediently crouched beneath Shi Yan’s feet. The little skeleton pointed at Shi Yan, then at the dragon, signaling him to mount.
"Alright," Shi Yan complied, calmly settling onto the dragon's back, noting that its bones felt as smooth and warm as jade.
The little skeleton mounted the other Bone Dragon.
"Whoosh whoosh!"
The two Bone Dragons, carrying Shi Yan and the little skeleton respectively, vanished from Mei Ji's sight and flew toward the dark, giant maw of the skull, quickly reaching the massive abyss and plunging inside.
Mei Ji watched Shi Yan being carried away, utterly helpless, resentment brewing fiercely in her heart.
The crimson light pillar continued to burn her condensed ice peak like threads of flame. Circling the exterior of the ice peak were the layers of meteor-like light beams, their power extremely formidable, waiting for the ice to melt to blast inside and inflict grievous injury upon her body.
"Damn it! Whose child is this, how can he be so monstrously powerful!" Mei Ji cursed inwardly, desperately trying to recall the transcendent figures of the elder Bone Tribe generation, growing increasingly vexed the more she pondered.
...(To be continued)RQ