"Haha." A sweet laugh rang out, and Keris's alluring figure appeared within the barrier, speaking sweetly to the Skeleton Supreme, "Old Skeleton, it's been so long! You can't even recognize your little sister's voice anymore?"
The Skeleton Supreme's face grew increasingly grim as he said, "Keris, what are you doing here?"
"Of course I missed my older brother, so I came to see him."
The Skeleton Supreme's gaze swept quickly across the light barrier above his head, and he said, "Is this how you see me?"
"Sigh..." Kairis sighed wistfully, her expression instantly transforming into a pitiful one, which made Xiao Wenbing and the others' hearts skip a beat. The charm of the Ten-Tailed Celestial Fox was indeed irresistible to ordinary people: "Old Skeleton, there is actually something else I need to tell you, it's about your disciple."
"You mean the Great Immortals' Exchange Meeting? Since my disciple lost the bet, I have nothing to say. Let's pretend this never happened," the Skeleton Supreme said readily.
The old skeleton was no saint either. He had already been informed of the Great Immortals' Exchange Meeting in the Linglong Immortal Realm via flying sword. Knowing the old man's temper, he would definitely go after Xiao Wenbing. And as the host, Keris would also inevitably face trouble.
However, seeing that Keris had come with great force today, and that the barrier was stronger than expected, the old skeleton decided to temporarily let things rest and settle the score another day.
Kairis seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, curtsied to the old skeleton, and said, "Brother, your word is your bond, thank you very much. However, this matter occurred on my territory, and in the end, we managed to find out who the immortal who killed your disciple was." A captivating smile appeared on her beautiful face: "Since you don't want to hold me accountable, then I will tell you."
The Skeleton Supreme's sinister eyes lit up. He asked, "What is that person's background?"
"This person is..."
The Skeleton Supreme was listening intently when suddenly his vision blurred and a hidden power attacked from the side.
Startled, the old skeleton advanced instead of retreating, his figure blurring as he appeared before Keris. A tremendous amount of energy erupted from his gaunt body, and a blinding black light shot from his palm, hurtling towards Keris.
With a deafening explosion, Kairis was caught off guard and took the fatal blow, letting out a scream as half of his body was blasted off.
Xiao Wenbing and the others watching from the sidelines had their eyes bulging out of their sockets. They weren't surprised by the fox spirit's surprise attack, but the result of the sneak attack was too unbelievable.
If Keris had easily defeated Skeleton Supreme, they wouldn't be so surprised, but the one who ambushed them was the one who died first—that's just too unfair.
However, something even more surprising happened.
Keris's aura did not weaken; instead, it became even stronger. Moreover, her subsequent actions were inexplicable, as if she had anticipated the Skeleton Supreme's reaction. Taking advantage of the old skeleton's surprise attack, she grabbed it tightly.
Although half of his body was missing, Keris was covered in blood and disheveled, looking like a vengeful ghost.
However, even when embraced by this terrifyingly beautiful corpse that was by no means a pretty face, the Skeleton Supreme showed no sign of discomfort. He truly lived up to his reputation as an old monster whose bones had become sentient.
Volume 21, Chapter 19: Sneak Attack on the Skeleton (Part 2)
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The old skeleton sneered. Their cultivation levels were roughly equal, but since Kairuns was missing half of his body, he was naturally not much better off.
He circulated his immortal power, about to forcefully break free, when he suddenly sensed something amiss in the space around him, and several powerful energies roared towards him.
The old skeleton already knew from its senses that if it were hit by these energies, it would have no chance of escaping unscathed. However, under Keris's strong and powerful embrace, it couldn't break free, let alone use any magic.
Terrified, an endless, thick black mist suddenly surged from the old skeleton's body, enveloping the two of them completely, and they were caught off guard by this powerful sneak attack.
"boom."
After a deafening roar, the black mist surrounding the old skeleton vanished completely, revealing a mangled body. Blood oozed from the scattered holes in the flesh, and cracks appeared on the stark white skeleton. Meanwhile, Keris, who had been holding it, was now even more severely injured and beyond saving.
The old skeleton glanced around and saw that it was surrounded by five supreme beings. It gave a bitter laugh and asked, "Why?"
The Seven-Colored Winged King glanced at it with an emotionless gaze and said, "Because Keris wants to kill you."
The Skeleton Supreme, carrying only a quarter of the mangled body of Keris, roared with laughter, "Kill me? Haha, with this vixen to die with me, it's not a waste!"
The several supreme beings stared at it coldly, and not one of them showed any sign of sadness.
"Hey. What's that you're carrying, big brother?" A similarly seductive voice came from behind the old skeleton.
The Skeleton Supreme's laughter abruptly stopped. It quickly turned around and saw Keris looking at it with a beaming smile, his eyes filled with undisguised smugness.
The Great Serpent Supreme suddenly said from outside the barrier, "This fox spirit, I thought that one was an avatar. But it turns out it was just a substitute."
Xiao Wenbing's heart stirred, and he took out the small paper figure from his Heavenly Void Ring, asking, "Great Serpent, is this it?"
"That's right. This thing was specially made by the Celestial Fox. Within a quarter of an hour, it possesses all of her magical power. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been able to trap this skeleton demon." The Great Serpent Supreme shook his head and sighed, "This fox demon is really willing to sacrifice something, but sacrificing such a treasure to severely injure the skeleton demon is worth it."
Xiao Wenbing could naturally sense that the old skeleton's aura was extremely weak, a far cry from the towering flames it had unleashed just moments before.
"Let's go in," Xiao Wenbing said, and flew towards the barrier first.
The Great Serpent Supreme was greatly alarmed and quickly grabbed him, saying, "Fellow Immortal Xiao, you must not venture in lightly."
Xiao Wenbing smiled calmly and said, "It's alright, come with me."
He then took the lead and continued forward. Apart from Xing Mingdi, who still showed some hesitation, everyone else followed without thinking.
The Great Serpent Supreme's expression shifted unpredictably. He sighed helplessly, wondering if the Serpent Supreme was being reckless or simply ignorant of his own limitations, daring to force his way through a barrier filled with divine power. Even if he was a divine messenger, wasn't he being far too arrogant?
Xiao Wenbing approached the barrier and stretched out his hands. A golden light seemed to shimmer on his palms.
"Hiss..."
With a strange sound, he actually tore a large hole in the barrier.
Upon hearing the strange noise, the Supreme Beings, including Keris, couldn't help but send a wisp of their divine sense over. When they sensed that Xiao Wenbing and the others had passed through the barrier with ease, their faces couldn't help but show expressions of shock.
Mingzhu nodded slightly to Kairis. These people's evaluation of Xiao Wenbing had risen to a new level.
Xiao Wenbing was secretly pleased. He had long known that his mutant ability could assimilate any barrier, and he had even broken through all the restrictions in the former Forbidden God Tower. Not to mention this barrier that had been hastily set up.
The already crumbling Skeleton Supreme turned ashen-faced upon seeing another Supreme arrive, and among this group was a golden Roc that terrified all evil beings in the world. He knew that he was doomed.
"Brother Xiao, what brings you here?" Kairis asked with a smile.
Xiao Wenbing smiled at her and said, "I've come to ask this senior skeleton a question."
Although Keris was extremely puzzled, he did not stop him, but simply nodded, signaling him to ask quickly. Surrounded by so many people, the heavily injured Skeleton Supreme had nowhere to run, so Keris was not worried that it would escape.
Xiao Wenbing glanced at the disheveled old skeleton and said, "Senior, I have a question to ask you."
The Skeleton Supreme said calmly, "Ask away."
While giving perfunctory answers, the old skeleton gathered his almost dissipated immortal power, knowing that at this moment, the longer he mopped the floor, the better.
Xiao Wenbing reached out and touched it, revealing an additional iron bar. He asked, "Senior, do you recognize this object?"
The Skeleton Supreme sensed the lingering aura on the iron bar, his expression changed slightly, and he said, "The Tree of Life in that lower realm was the one you revived?"
Suddenly, the flames on Quini's body began to flicker violently, and he shouted angrily, "It really is you! Why are you causing havoc in the Flame Realm?"
The Skeleton Supreme looked at it disdainfully and said, "Is there any reason to slaughter dogs and pigs?"
Queenie was stunned, speechless.
Indeed, in the eyes of these ruthless and powerful immortals, a mere billion living beings in the lower realm would not even be of concern to them.
If they are mindful of the Heavenly Tribulation and the Earthly Sovereign, they will restrain their actions. But if they are unscrupulous, then destroying a lower realm is not a big deal to them.
Xiao Wenbing pulled Quini aside, looked at the old skeleton, and asked seriously, "I only want to ask one thing: why do you collect the Five Elements Spirits?"
The old skeleton suddenly laughed, his expression incredibly eerie: "Want to know? I'll tell you."
The Skeleton Supreme roared, and a faint golden light rose from his body. However, this light was only fleeting, disappearing in an instant.
The old skeleton's face finally changed, revealing utter horror. He shouted, "Impossible! This is impossible!"
"Haha, elder brother, do you think our hard work in setting up this barrier was for nothing? If it weren't for this barrier, do you think we would have let you gather your power?" Keris's laughter was still pleasant, but there was no real joy in it. "How about it? Can't you contact the gods behind you anymore?"
Xiao Wenbing's mind was in turmoil. It turned out that this Skeleton Supreme was also a divine messenger. Moreover, judging from its behavior just now, it seemed that the matter of collecting the Five Elements Spirits was related to some deity. If this was true, it was not good news for him.
The Skeleton Supreme stared intently at Keris. If looks could kill, this vixen would have died a thousand times over.
"You want my life? Then come and take it."
With a loud crack, the Skeleton Supreme's body exploded, and in the next moment, countless identical old skeletons flew off in all directions.
"Avatar Technique!" the Great Serpent Supreme coldly commanded, "annihilate them all!"
Without even needing its command, Keris and the others, who were already prepared, had already made their moves. Countless beams of light of various colors shot out from the hands of these supreme beings, and each beam of light that struck a skeleton supreme being could shatter it completely. In an instant, the vast majority of the figures had been destroyed by them simultaneously.
At the reminder from the Great Serpent Supreme, Xiao Wenbing, Feng Baiyi, and others also stepped in to intercept.
These avatars of the Skeleton Supreme only possessed the strength of ordinary cultivators at the Separation and Union stage. To them, they could kill them one by one without breaking a sweat.
However, the sheer number of Skeleton Supreme's avatars was beyond imagination; their sheer number of tens of thousands caught everyone off guard.
Despite their best efforts to block them, three clones still managed to escape their encirclement and fly towards the ground.
Just as these figures were about to disappear into the ground, a flash of golden light appeared. The Roc had already appeared in front of them, its sharp beak pecking at them. Instantly, one of the clones screamed in agony before turning into a cloud of white powder.
With a sudden inhale, the roc swallowed the white powder and it disappeared from its stomach.
Everyone was secretly alarmed, startled by the speed and ferocity of the Roc. The legend that the Roc feeds on immortals seemed to be true.
After slurring its beak twice, the roc seemed to still have much to say, so it raised its head and looked at Kairis and the others.
The fox spirit subtly shifted her body, moving to Xiao Wenbing's side. Although she was certain that even being next to Xiao Wenbing wouldn't guarantee her survival against the roc's absolute speed, she still made this choice instinctively.
The supreme beings felt a chill run down their spines, secretly preparing themselves. They had to admit, the Roc's power was truly extraordinary, and the threat it posed to them was far too great. If they lost control and went berserk, becoming the bird's meal would be a terrible injustice.
"Alright, alright." Xiao Wenbing flew down and comforted the roc for a while before it finally withdrew its lingering gaze.
The supreme beings, who had been terrified by the birds' stares, finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Big sister, is this Skeleton Supreme also a divine messenger?"
“Yes, this group of over a thousand Supreme Beings all belong to the same power, and several of them are even messengers of gods in the Immortal Realm,” Kairis sighed. “Brother, you may have noticed as well, but we are actually messengers of another god in the Immortal Realm.”
Xiao Wenbing nodded slightly. Anyone with a modicum of sense could guess what was going on after seeing that powerful barrier.
"Let's go down and search," Mingzhu interrupted them, saying, "Let's find its life-saving clone, and also, there are definitely still remnants in this old skeleton's lair."
"You mean..."
“That’s right.” Mingzhu said calmly, as if stating a matter of course: “If you don’t nip the problem in the bud, there will be endless troubles in the future.”
Xiao Wenbing pondered for a moment, then smiled and said, "Excellent! Thank you for everything, fellow immortal. I'll be here to cheer you on."
Mingzhu was taken aback and asked, "Fellow Immortal, aren't you going?"
Xiao Wenbing said with a smile, "Our cultivation levels are low. We can cheer from behind, but if we were to take action ourselves, we might only get in the way. So we'd better not go down."
Mingzhu glanced at him unexpectedly, then said nothing more. With a shout, the several supreme beings flew downwards in unison.