Chapter 39: Burying the Grey Kestrel

Silver needles condensed into a swirling vortex, snapping the withered tree with a sharp crack. The bark split, revealing charred, serpentine patterns that twisted like snakes.

Ling Xuan beamed with sudden delight. "This damn charm of mine—I’m the center of attention wherever I go!"

For days, they had been fleeing the relentless pursuit of the Grey Kites, suffering one humiliation after another. Grey, white, blue, and black falcons swept across the sky, their piercing cries echoing as they kept the group under constant surveillance, denying them even a moment to catch their breath.

The Grey Kites, a force of over a hundred, harassed them incessantly. Ye Ziyan’s Purple Phoenix was only a two-star orange-glow spirit, further constrained by the Evil Curse of Frost; however formidable, she could only hold her own against twenty or so Qi-Sea realm opponents. Hou Junji, though agile and swift as an ape with his leaping techniques, could not withstand the siege of thirty or forty Great Heavenly Cycle experts, and his supply of ghost-head nails was exhausted. Ling Xuan fared no better; forty or fifty Small Heavenly Cycle experts kept him overwhelmed, leaving his Purple Firmament Divine Flute battered and his purple sword-blade cracked.

Fortunately, the three of them possessed excellent footwork. Following the little white snake, they dove into Eagle Sorrow Ravine and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Eagle Sorrow Ravine was shrouded in dense fog, making it impossible for those above to see into the depths. Even the falcons, filling the sky as they were, were left helpless. Having lost their aerial scouting, the Grey Kites immediately lost track of them.

At the bottom of the ravine, moss covered the ground and withered trees lay scattered, with visibility extremely low. To their excitement, the ravine floor was home to many of the herbs required for their Imperial Heavenly Workshop mission. Without needing to be told, Hou Junji immediately began to gather them. Ye Ziyan kept a vigilant watch, seizing the moment to regulate her breathing.

With a rare respite, Ling Xuan delved deeper into the Ten Supremacy Dominance techniques. Integrating his combat experience from the past few days, he finally grasped a flicker of insight.

His silver needles coalesced into a vortex, coiling like a snake's body, the needle-tip darting out like a serpent’s tongue. With a wave of his hand, he swept across a withered tree; the vortex suddenly unleashed, and the wood shattered instantly. Looking closely at the grain, the charred streaks extended in a way that mimicked the writhing of a snake. If the founding god-emperor of the Former Chen Dynasty, Chen Baxian, could see this, he would surely leap from his coffin—if only to protest this insult to the Ten Supremacy Dominance.

Yet, Ye Ziyan’s eyes flashed with purple light, and her fair hands quickly covered her cherry lips in surprise. "This pig-headed fool... he actually figured it out?"

By blending the advantages of his Spirit Snake Entwining the Moon shikigami into the Ten Supremacy Dominance, the technique had become an unconventional, unique martial art. The upright, imposing nature of the original style had vanished, replaced by something eerie and unpredictable.

Ling Xuan reached up to touch his head, where short, inch-long hair had begun to sprout. He curled his lips into a smug grin. "My lady, how was that? Do I get a reward?"

"Get lost. It’s only one move," Ye Ziyan retorted, feigning anger.

Ling Xuan patted his head, laughing as he replied, "They say a clever brain has no hair, so it seems I’ll have to shave it all off."

*Hiss... hiss...*

The little white snake let out an urgent hiss. Ling Xuan quickly beckoned it over. "You found it?"

Their journey to Eagle Sorrow Ravine was not merely to escape the Grey Kites; it was also to help the little white snake awaken its White Dragon bloodline.

In the ravine, white bones began to appear, growing more numerous the further they went. Upon closer inspection, these were not only human remains but also the bones of beasts, some as large as three or four zhang in length. Green foxfire drifted by in clusters, and the mountain wind wailed as if weeping, heightening the eerie atmosphere.

Among the moss, small snakes slithered out from time to time, but they showed no intention of disturbing them.

"Strange, these little snakes seem to be welcoming us?" Hou Junji remarked, bewildered.

Ye Ziyan smiled, saying nothing. The Spirit Snake Entwining the Moon, even without its aura fully unleashed, was enough to make these small snakes keep their distance, let alone the fact that they were being led by the little white snake.

The little white snake touched the small snakes from time to time, as if communicating with them. Hissing sounds rose and fell in succession. Ye Ziyan and Hou Junji could not understand the serpentine language, but Ling Xuan could. The Black Profound Water Snake soul had been here before and had carried away a broken stone tablet. The tablet bore the faint characters "Sen Luo," though none of the small snakes understood their meaning.

Ling Xuan listened for a long time, but he could not discern what kind of treasure could possibly activate the little white snake's bloodline.

As they moved forward, the bones they encountered became increasingly massive, some reaching over ten zhang in length. Even Ye Ziyan, who had seen the Great White Snake, could not help but gasp at the sight. She had thought the Great White Snake was a colossal creature, but it seemed she had been looking at a minor specimen after all.

When Ling Xuan reached out to touch the bones, they crumbled into dust, clearly having weathered countless years—or perhaps having had their essence drained away by something. Yet, the little white snake burrowed into these bone fragments, rustling about in search of something.

*Crack, crack.*

The sound reached their ears suddenly. From the spot where the little white snake had burrowed, several long, green shadows drifted out.

"Demonic Souls!"

Ye Ziyan’s eyes were sharp; she quickly drew her Purple Phoenix twin spirit blades. She instantly activated her Spirit-Gazing Art, and the vertical slit pupils of her Spirit Snake Entwining the Moon reflected the true form of the demonic soul: a four-star green-glow Withered Bone Vine.

According to the *Treatise on the Origin of Demonic Souls*, the Withered Bone Vine grows by absorbing the energy contained within bone marrow. To reach a four-star level, it must have absorbed at least a thousand skeletons. Normally, it would have no interest in living creatures, feeding only on the dead. But now, this vine was attacking them directly.

The vines were like long snakes, incredibly resilient. Ye Ziyan’s blades struck repeatedly, yet failed to sever even a few strands. Hou Junji, his ghost-head nails spent, had only a steel blade taken from a Grey Kite; his fierce hacking proved completely useless.

Ling Xuan struck out with his Purple Firmament Divine Flute, only to be nearly dragged away. Despite his Small Heavenly Cycle realm, facing a four-star green-glow demonic soul was still a step too far. He unleashed his Snake-Shadow Evasive technique, dodging repeatedly. He pulled out his silver needles, condensing a vortex at the tips, but a fierce strike left him feeling breathless—the Withered Bone Vine was far too tough; ordinary needles could not pierce the resilience of its hide.

Without a moment’s hesitation, he opened his Benevolent Heart Needle Case and drew the black and white needles. A vortex formed at the tips, and a Taiji pattern flashed in his palm as he swung the black and white snake shadows. With a loud *boom*, the Withered Bone Vine was finally pierced and a segment of it exploded.

"Are you trying to get us killed?" Ye Ziyan shouted angrily.

Before the words had faded, the sound of *rustling* became incessant. From the ground, the cliffs, and the moss, the roots of the Withered Bone Vine sprouted in an endless stream.

In an instant, the roots of the Withered Bone Vine danced across the sky, and the space in which the three could move suddenly shrank. Before them, nothing could be seen but a dense, countless mass of black, brown, and blood-black vines and roots writhing like snakes.

"My lady, don’t scream. I’m giving you a front-row seat to a good show," Ling Xuan said, a corner of his mouth curling upward.

He detonated a Taiji Orb to create illusions, making it impossible to distinguish truth from falsehood in the thick fog. "Try to hold on; I’m going to go lure those fellows over."

Using the ultimate footwork of the Spirit Snake Entwining the Moon, he slipped out of the range of the vines and dashed toward the entrance of Eagle Sorrow Ravine.

At the entrance, the Grey Kites were in pursuit, dozens of them pouring in at once. Ling Xuan turned and ran. "You lapdogs of the Yuwen family, let’s make a deal—stay back for a moment and let me dig up the treasure first."

Hearing the noise ahead and believing a treasure had truly appeared, the Grey Kites increased their speed. They trampled over the withered bones on the ground, snapping them in succession. The Withered Bone Vine seemed stimulated; more roots and vines sprouted forth.

Caught off guard, the Grey Kites at the front could only let out a few wails before their lives were extinguished. The scent of blood suddenly filled the air, and the Withered Bone Vine surged in even greater numbers, coiling around the fallen Grey Kites and lashing out wildly.

"Brilliant!" Ling Xuan thought to himself. These Withered Bone Vines required sound to be stimulated; the greater the disturbance, the more roots would emerge. When they had first entered, they had used their footwork to avoid breaking the bones, which was why the vines had not appeared. It was only when the little white snake burrowed into the bone pile, creating noise, that the vines felt their territory being invaded.

Having realized this and verified it through combat, and prompted by Ye Ziyan's warning, he had lured the Grey Kites in. Suddenly, the quiet floor of Eagle Sorrow Ravine was filled with the cacophony of wails, clashing blades, and roars as the demonic nature of the Withered Bone Vine was fully ignited.

Although the Withered Bone Vine was a four-star green-glow demonic soul, not every root or vine possessed that level of power; there were simply so many of them that it was impossible to distinguish between them in the chaos.

The dozens of Grey Kites, caught in the sudden ambush, unleashed their shikigami—almost all of which were falcons. As the falcons they carried swept in, cries filled the air. The Withered Bone Vine, provoked, surged with ferocity.

Screams rang out, and the scent of blood spread. The clear sound of tearing flesh made the confused Grey Kites shriek in terror. "You brat, are you setting us up?"

"I’m setting up you pig-headed fools," Ling Xuan laughed. "That’ll teach you to chase me!"

He did not engage directly, relying instead on his footwork to dodge without making a sound—a skill in which both Ye Ziyan and Hou Junji were experts. Ling Xuan’s own footwork was inherently eerie, something even Ye Ziyan could not fathom, let alone a four-star green-glow demonic soul like the Withered Bone Vine. No matter how many roots or vines lashed out, there was always a gap to be found, perfect for tempering his footwork and stimulating his own potential.

At the Demon-Conquering Camp, the aura of the shikigami continuously dissipated, and the Grey Eagle’s face changed drastically. "How could Black Eagle, White Eagle, Mountain Eagle, and Red Eagle all die one after another?"

His face turning the color of pig liver, Yuwen Chengxiang flew into a rage. "Go yourself! By any means necessary, force that brat to reveal the power of his shikigami!"