Chapter 1141 - 518: Will Like a Mountain (Part 2)

He first lowered his stance, acknowledging the other’s status.

Bone Raven tilted its head slightly, the light in its crystal stone eyes flickering, seemingly savoring the truth or falsity in his words.

"Soul Source, has already fused with my origin, cannot be separated." Xu Ran continued to convey information, tone sincere, "Forcefully separated, I will surely dissipate, and the soul source will therefore collapse, yielding no benefit to you."

"As for the ’Core Bone’... I can offer it to you as compensation for disturbing the tranquility of this place."

This is the greatest concession he can make. Using a core bone to trade for his survival and the remaining thirty-three strands of Bone Fiend.

Bone Raven silently ’listened’, without immediately responding.

The surrounding air seemed to freeze. On the deathly silent bone-laden earth, this newly born remnant soul and ancient tomb guardian were engaging in a silent contest.

Xu Ran’s heart was in his throat, knowing that success or failure hinged on this moment.

To enhance his negotiation leverage, he imperceptibly entwined a trace of extremely faint ’Desolation’ aura within his will’s fluctuations, transmitting it forward.

This wasn’t a provocation but a sort of ’display’.

Displaying his ’value’ and ’potential’.

As expected, when Bone Raven sensed the more distinct aura of ’Desolation’, for the first time, a genuine emotional fluctuation arose in its profound crystal stone eyes.

It was... a mix of surprise, curiosity, and even a hint of... greed.

"’Desolation’... a scent not encountered in ages... The last ’variable’ with this aura attempted to claim the entire abandoned ruins as their own..."

Bone Raven’s will fluctuated with a touch of nostalgic antiquity.

"He failed. But, he was strong."

Xu Ran’s heart stirred, capturing astonishing information. Someone before him also possessed the Dao Principles of ’Desolation’ and had stirred up waves in this burial ground!

This world is more complex than he imagined!

"Your ’Desolation’ is still weak, like a seed just sprouted." Bone Raven’s will turned cold again, "However, it is interesting."

"The soul source, you may keep."

Xu Ran’s heart relaxed, knowing he gambled correctly on the first move.

"I want the core bone. Additionally, as the cost of retaining your soul source, you must do something for me using your ’Desolation’ origin."

"What thing?" Xu Ran immediately grew vigilant.

Bone Raven’s crystal stone eyes turned towards the dragon elephant leg bone towering like a pillar.

"The will of the ’King’ has slept too long, too much ’logical dust’ clings to it. This dust taints the purity of the bone material. Your ’Desolation’ can ’devour’ them."

Xu Ran instantly understood the other’s intent.

The Daoist Master’s will contained within the dragon elephant leg bone is too strong; Bone Raven, though powerful, dares not easily touch it. And those so-called ’logical dust’ are likely imprints left by the Power of Rules from countless epochs in the matrix world on this immortal bone, like rust.

And his ’Desolation’ Dao, its essence is a reverse pollution, devouring everything, turning it to void. For this ’rust’, it has a restraining effect.

Bone Raven wants him to be a ’Cleaner Fish’, to clean the dragon elephant leg bone!

An undertaking undoubtedly accompanied by tremendous risk. Every contact with the dragon elephant leg bone is like dancing on a knife’s edge.

Yet, this is also a giant opportunity!

The process of cleaning ’logical dust’ is, after all, an opportunity to closely comprehend the mysteries of the Daoist Master’s bone!

"Alright, I agree." Xu Ran didn’t hesitate in the slightest.

"A smart choice."

Bone Raven seemed very satisfied with his answer.

Xu Ran hesitated no longer, he drove his will, beginning to carefully search amidst the scattered bones.

Soon, he found amidst a pile of shattered bones a bone shard that stood out. It was a fragment of a sternum, about the size of a palm, fully crystalline, naturally formed with intricate patterns, vaguely constituting an energy circulation node. This is precisely the other power core besides the skull soul fire for bone reapers.

He controlled the Dao Origin finger bone, silently absorbing the thirty-three weaker strands of Bone Fiend into the finger bone for storage. Then, he raised the most core sternum fragment slowly, pushing it before Bone Raven.

Bone Raven’s crystal stone eyes swept over the sternum, nodded in satisfaction.

It opened its mouth, a pale white light shot out, wrapping around and swallowing the sternum fragment.

After eating, it didn’t immediately leave.

Instead, it opened its mouth again, spitting out a small pinch of... emitting a rich deathly silence aura... black soil.

The soil is only the size of a fingernail, yet seems to contain the weight of a world, deep black, within which countless stars seem to be born and perish.

"Detected ultra High Tier substance!"

[Item Name: Yi Qian Gui Xu Burial Soil]

"Item Description: One of the most original substances of the Abandoned Ruins, formed by countless formatted cosmos remnants, after being crushed and deposited by high-dimensional matrix, the ultimate dust. Contains the Dao Principles of ’End’ and ’Rebirth’ paradox."

"Effect: Can greatly nourish everything related to ’Death’, ’Nirvana’, ’Desolation’, Daoist Body or Magical Treasure, and perfectly conceal its aura, isolate causality."

Xu Ran’s will surged with towering waves!

Gui Xu Burial Soil!

What kind of heaven-defying treasure is this!

He initially thought this was an unequal transaction, and he was losing significantly. Unexpectedly, this Bone Raven, after taking the core bone, actually gave him a ’return gift’!

This isn’t extortion; it’s rather... an equivalent exchange?

"This is your remuneration." Bone Raven’s will fluctuated over, still cold, "The Tomb Guardian doesn’t take advantage of unknown folks. Use your ’Desolation’ to shine the ’King’s’ bone, this pinch of burial soil is your down payment."

"After the matter is done, there is additional compensation."

Finished, it lingered no more, wings outspread, transforming into a white streak of light, instantly vanished into the gray-white sky, as if it had never been there.

On the spot, only the small pinch of infinitely mysterious black soil remained, and Xu Ran caught in great shock.

"Tomb Guardian... Transaction... Contract..."

Xu Ran murmured, feeling he had touched an invisible web covering the entire ’Abandoned Ruins’.

This is not the primitive jungle of disorder and brutal survival he imagined.

Above those ferocious ’Cleaner Fish’, there are higher levels of ’Tomb Guardians’ maintaining some ancient order.

And he, this outsider, thanks to the unique nature of the ’Desolation’ Dao, was unexpectedly drawn into this web, becoming one of its ’pieces’.

"Being a piece... is fine." Xu Ran’s will restored its calm like an ancient well, "As long as there’s value in use, it means there’s a reason to survive. As long as I can survive, a piece will someday overturn the board!"

He suppressed countless thoughts, focusing his gaze on the two ’loot’ before him.

Thirty-three strands of Bone Fiend, and Yi Qian Gui Xu Burial Soil.

He did not immediately touch the immensely precious burial soil, but instead put all heart spirit into the great work of ’Bone Forging’.

"’Taichu Dao Bone Sutra · Bone Forging Chapter’, using Divine as fire, using Fiend as material, smelting Dao Bone, reshaping true body!"

Xu Ran’s will transformed into an invisible forge. His Divine Soul Power, having just stepped into Minor Achievement of the Condensed Divine realm, is the forging hammer fire.

He gingerly drew a strand of ’Bone Fiend’ from the finger bone of Dao Origin.

It was a gray-black stream full of ferocity and destruction aura, struggling madly upon appearing, trying to erode Xu Ran’s will.

"Suppression!"

Xu Ran’s will pressed down hard like a mountain. Simultaneously, a trace of pure ’Desolation’ aura entwined upwards, like the strongest chain, thoroughly binding that strand of Bone Fiend.