Chapter 5：Bones become mountains

"He doesn't want to live anymore!?"

The few onlookers were utterly stunned by Tian Fan's current display. This was their immediate thought, as even the dragon, which had despaired and closed its eyes, now opened them in astonishment at the frenzy of the human below.

At this moment, Tian Fan stepped forward, his face etched with grief and rage. The pitiful visage of the golden dragon and its unwilling gaze were deeply engraved in his heart. A series of horrific images surged within the depths of his soul, especially the final scene, where he felt as though someone were slicing his heart with a knife.

Suddenly, the retreating dark hand halted, splitting to reveal another surge of demonic energy that materialized into a second hand, reaching down towards Tian Fan on the ground and seizing him.

"Seventh Brother!" Long Yuyun exclaimed, attempting to move forward, only to be yanked back by Long Teng Aotian.

"Don't go over there; it's dangerous!" Long Aotian admonished Long Yuyun, surprisingly refraining from intervening. The old national master stood aside, channeling his energy to heal his wounds, unable to reach Tian Fan in time.

The pitch-black mist enveloped Tian Fan, exuding a chilling aura that frantically corroded his flesh. Yet, deep within Tian Fan's soul, a faint white light emerged, gently enveloping his body, warding off the encroaching black fog.

"Damn it, I'm cursed!" 

The biting cold finally snapped him back from madness. As the weight of his thoughts pressed down on him, he reflected on what had just transpired. Even with his usual calm demeanor, he couldn't help but curse in anger before losing consciousness.

The dark mist enveloping the golden dragon and Tian Fan sank deeper into the mystical forest, until they vanished from sight. The old national master stood there, stunned for a moment, before finally letting out a soft sigh and turning to walk out of the enchanted forest.

"Seventh Brother, has he really died like this? Why did he run out!?" Long Yuyun lamented, gazing mournfully in the direction of the dissipating black mist.

"Hmph! Of course he's dead! Do you really think that kind of waste could survive?" The crown prince scoffed, disdain evident in his tone as he took the opportunity to mock Tian Fan. The second prince also wore a mocking grin, clearly agreeing with Long Batian.

"Let's go, we're returning."

Long Aotian observed the old man's departure, his expression revealing a sense of disappointment as he led the way back. He was not sorrowful for Tian Fan's "death"; the fact that he hadn't intervened was telling—Tian Fan's life or death held no significance for him. His disappointment stemmed from the fact that he had accompanied the old national master without gaining anything.

Long Yueying cast a glance at the distant horizon, the direction of Tian Fan's disappearance, and let out a gentle sigh, pulling the sorrowful Long Yuyun away, in stark contrast to her usual lively and mischievous demeanor.

The air, once thick with a sense of impending doom, cleared completely, as if nothing had ever occurred. Only the uneven earth and scattered remnants of dragon scales stained with the blood of the divine dragon lay upon the ground, silently narrating the tale of the cataclysmic battle that had transpired here.

Time passed, though how long, Tian Fan slowly awoke, gradually opening his eyes and sitting up. His eyes widened in shock before he collapsed back down.

Once again, he lost track of time, and when he regained consciousness, he hesitated to open his eyes.

"No, no, this must be an illusion; I must be hallucinating… Yes, that's it!" 

Tian Fan silently chanted in his mind, summoning the courage to suddenly open his eyes. Once again, his eyes bulged as if they might pop out of his head, but this time, he managed not to faint again.

"Damn it, what the hell!?"

He sprang to his feet, and before him lay a chaotic pile of countless skeletons. The landscape for miles was littered with bleached bones—heavens! How many lives must have perished to create such a scene? The countless corpses formed a massive mountain of bones, leaving Tian Fan in a state of shock, far more terrified than when he had encountered that dreadful dark hand.

He lifted his gaze and looked up, where, amidst the sea of skeletons at the peak, something seemed to glow, shrouded in dense white mist, reminiscent of the fog that perpetually enveloped the enchanted forest. However, the concentration of white mist here far surpassed any part of the mystical forest, suggesting that the enigmatic mists of the forest had emanated from this very spot.

"Shh…"

Suddenly, a noise emanated from his left, startling him. His nerves were already on edge; in such a sinister place, any sound could be terrifying!

Tian Fan turned to look, and there, a massive figure drenched in blood was struggling to move on the ground—it was the golden dragon, newly awakened. Both he and Tian Fan had been seized by that dark hand and thrown into this place.

Even though Tian Fan had felt the overwhelming power of the golden dragon upon its emergence, knowing of its terror, he could not shake the feeling of familiarity in this land of bones.

"Are you okay?" 

As long as he wasn't faced with the cold expressions of the Long Teng Empire, he could truly liberate himself. He cautiously approached the golden dragon, peering into its enormous dragon head, expressing concern for it, after all, they were both victims thrown together.

The golden dragon seemed to hear Tian Fan's words, blinking furiously before opening its eyes. It stared blankly for a moment, then suddenly realized that this human was with the elder who had helped it, and recalled how it had run out in a frenzy before being captured.

"Are you alright?" 

Tian Fan cautiously inquired, then suddenly felt foolish—how could it speak? But to his surprise, the dragon responded directly, startling him.

"I'm fine for now…" 

A voice, weak yet distinctly feminine, emerged from the great dragon's mouth. Though frail, it was still melodious.

"You can actually speak?" Tian Fan asked, a look of astonishment on his face.

The golden dragon paused again, seemingly taken aback by Tian Fan's question, before responding, "After reaching the dragon's realm, I can transform into human form and, of course, I can speak."

Then she seemed to notice that something was off in Tian Fan's expression, prompting her to ask, "Is there something wrong?"

With a wry smile, Tian Fan shrugged, saying, "Just look behind you…"

Upon seeing the faint smile on Tian Fan's face, the golden dragon finally managed to turn its head, and when it beheld the scene before it, it was left speechless with shock.

"What… is this…" she murmured, unable to comprehend the sight even in her current dragon form.

"I don't know what happened. When I first woke up, I saw this scene. By the way, what happened to that dark hand? I woke up and it was nowhere to be found. I haven't practiced cultivation, so I can't sense its aura. Can you check if it's still around?"

Noticing the dragon's astonishment, Tian Fan knew she was affected by the overwhelming visual shock. He refrained from asking about her feelings and instead inquired about the dark hand.

His greatest concern was that the dark hand might suddenly reappear and strike them again; if that happened, he wouldn't even have a place to cry. He had witnessed the golden dragon being struck down by a single blow, and he certainly didn't believe his fragile frame could withstand such power.

"That aura has completely vanished, as if it never existed. How strange; where could it have gone?" Then she seemed to recall something and asked Tian Fan, "What did you just say? You mentioned you've never practiced cultivation?"

Upon hearing Tian Fan's admission, the dragon was instantly curious. She had distinctly sensed a holy aura surrounding him when he had dashed out in madness, albeit weak, it was undeniably real. How could someone who had never cultivated possess such an aura!?

"I haven't; what's the issue? I've never been able to cultivate since birth," Tian Fan replied nonchalantly, sensing the dragon's confusion.

"It's impossible… absolutely impossible…" she muttered softly, then said to Tian Fan, "May I feel your blood?"

"My blood? What for?" Tian Fan asked cautiously.

"Don't worry; I won't harm you, and I'm too weak to do anything now," the dragon said feebly.

"Alright then." After considering her words, Tian Fan realized that as a mere mortal, he posed no threat to the dragon, so he nodded and gently bit his left middle finger, allowing a drop of bright red blood to emerge, trickling down his finger.

"Yes, that's the aura!" From Tian Fan's blood, she once again sensed the divine aura.

"Boom…"

At that moment, as the blood flowed from Tian Fan's middle finger, the entire bone mountain suddenly erupted, causing the ground to tremble slightly as countless skeletons emitted a blinding divine light.