Chapter 571 550: Dragon Bone

The surface of the sea was churning violently.

Gu Ming and his party gradually approached the boundless black energy shield, their entire field of view devoured by pure darkness.

When they were only a few meters away, they could clearly feel the entire world being swallowed by an absolute darkness, as if all sound from the sea had been completely absorbed.

Goosebumps broke out across his skin as a strange illusion took root in his mind.

He felt as if he were traveling to a kingdom called "Death."

'If the real world is the domain of the living...'

'Then the Inner World must be the final resting place of the dead.'

These thoughts swirled in his mind for only an instant. The next moment, he saw the Sea Beast beneath them pass straight through the black energy shield.

It was like sinking into thick ink, submerging them without a sound.

The world spun around them, splitting open and shifting like a kaleidoscope.

An indescribable chill seeped through every seam of his protective suit and into his skin. The dense Microscopic Arrays within the suit lit up in unison, desperately resisting the corrosion of this powerful, alien energy.

Gu Ming, caught within it, could clearly feel a deep, omnipresent malice emanating from the entire world.

He immediately activated his Spiritual Technique. The Divine Sense Sword Body in his Sea of Consciousness flared to life, erupting with boundless courage and sharp intent.

Beside him, Lu You, Teacher Tang, and their escort, Master Xiao, also unleashed the fluctuations of their respective Spiritual Artifacts.

Their combined Spiritual Power, coordinated by the protective suits, merged into one, forming a massive protective film that barely maintained a small pocket of safe space around them.

The Pet Beasts, having already undergone the Dark Star Jellyfish's baptism, managed to protect their own minds and wills, their sanity not yet devoured by the darkness.

Before long, Gu Ming realized they had arrived near the Dragon Transformation Pool.

The reason was simple.

Upon arriving, he could clearly feel the aura of death from the place where the Dragon Race had fallen. It was an omnipresent, rampant force, carrying with it infinite resentment and a bone-deep malice toward all living things of the present world.

He clearly heard a SIZZLE... SIZZLE... of corrosion on the surface of his protective suit, and his heart tightened.

'At this rate of corrosion, we probably can't even last a day in the Dragon Transformation Pool. It might be even shorter than that.'

'Maybe in an hour—no, half an hour—we'll have to turn back.'

Teacher Tang wasted no time, immediately taking out a special container to collect the ink-black liquid from beneath them.

Gu Ming also took out a container to gather the material. As he did, he glanced around, but the surroundings were almost pitch-black, making it impossible to discern any shapes.

Lu You let out a soft grunt, as if she had seen something.

Gu Ming immediately extended his Divine Sense, connecting to the shared Divine Sense Perspective of the Star Spirit in her arms.

The Power of the Prophetic Element made his vision, which had been plunged into darkness, suddenly brighten for an instant.

He vaguely perceived a projection of the surrounding scenery:

It was a sunken pool about fifty meters deep. Soaking within it was a section of a massive dragon skeleton that had not yet completely dissolved.

The individual bones stood like giant pillars in the pool. Following them with his eyes, he could see a section of a corpse extending beyond the Dragon Transformation Pool, its full length disappearing into the distance, all connected to this skeleton.

Further in the distance, the figures of a research team of Beastmasters were heading toward them, apparently preparing to withdraw.

The two teams brushed past each other in the pitch-black darkness, yet it was as if neither was aware of the other's existence.

Gu Ming quickly came back to his senses.

What he had just seen was a prophetic vision from the Star Spirit.

The team that had passed them was from a future timeline, not people who were there at that moment.

[You have arrived at the Dragon Transformation Pool in the Inner World.]

[You have acquired fifty milliliters of Dragon Transformation Fluid.]

[You have discovered the skeletal remains of a dragon's head in the Dragon Transformation Pool.]

[Time Dragon Cyan Treasure has encountered the remains of an Ancient Dragon from a previous era for the first time. It is attempting to use its Time Reversal Talent to trace the Ancient Dragon's cause of death...]

The system notifications flashed past.

Gu Ming immediately looked at Cyan Treasure and asked,

"Did you perceive the aura of the dragon bones?"

Cyan Treasure wasn't connected to the Star Spirit's Divine Sense. It was trembling uncontrollably, its mind a complete blank.

The boundless malice of the Inner World was relentlessly corroding its mind, and the sealed Light Spiritual Root within its body was trembling violently.

Although it had sealed its Light Spiritual Root beforehand and was not using it, the Light Spiritual Root was still part of its body and couldn't completely block the malicious, soul-crushing attacks of this reverse world.

Hearing its master's question, Cyan Treasure shook its head. It hadn't sensed the dragon bones at all. All it could perceive were dark bubbles roiling all around, filling the air with a toxic stench.

'Can the liquid here really make Pet Beasts of ordinary species evolve?'

Cyan Treasure had no desire whatsoever to soak in it.

Gu Ming took a deep breath. He decided to ignore the system's nonsensical prompts for now and focus on filling his container with liquid from the Dragon Transformation Pool.

Just then, the Sea Beast beneath their feet suddenly let out a muffled groan.

Everyone felt a tremor as the darkness ahead began to churn violently like a thick fog.

Teacher Tang and Master Xiao narrowed their eyes in unison.

Without a word, both figures completed their summons in almost the exact same instant.

A Seven-star Profound Celestial Beast Ghost Soul materialized, transforming into a twisted shadow that hovered behind Tang Tianyi. Two points of spectral fire danced silently within its hollow eye sockets.

An Eight-star Dark Star Jellyfish's bell suddenly flared open. The violet-blue nebula within its body spun faster, and its surrounding tentacles rose slowly like a brood of vigilant snakes.

Several other mid to High Tier Pet Beasts followed suit. Flashes of colorful light sparked and died in the darkness, their low growls mingling with the hum of circulating Spiritual Power.

The narrow back of the Sea Beast was instantly filled with a vast, compressed aura, causing the very air to stagnate.

Gu Ming's breath hitched under the sudden eruption of pressure, and he subconsciously hugged Cyan Treasure tighter.

However, just a few moments later, the churning black fog before them seemed to part as if pushed aside by an invisible hand.

Another Sea Beast slowly emerged from the darkness.

It had the same purple skin and the same vertical purple pupils, but its bloodshot eyes betrayed a madness far deeper than the beast beneath their own feet.

On its back stood a crowd of indistinct figures, their auras radiating at least a Seven or Eight-star level—a presence as heavy and imposing as a silent mountain range looming before them.

Master Xiao recognized them as acquaintances—fellow researchers. His tense expression softened slightly. He cupped his hands in greeting and said,

"Master Luo, things are a bit rough today, eh? Fancy running into you here."

"Tell me about it. Haha, good thing nothing bad happened."

The two men spoke as they exchanged a countersign, confirming that the others weren't Demon Fiends in disguise. Only then did they recall their vigilant Pet Beasts.

The Sea Beast beneath them also gurgled and closed its eyes, ceasing its frantic behavior.

Despite the Sea Beasts' terrifying appearance, they traveled through the Inner World year-round, and their minds and faces had long been eroded to the point of near-madness. They were only able to navigate the Dragon Transformation Pool because their Beastmasters were forcibly controlling their bodies, having stripped them of all autonomy.

The one opposite them was the same—both were just empty shells of Pet Beasts.

After bringing the Sea Beasts to a stop, the two parties communicated across the gap for a dozen or so seconds.

Master Xiao learned the other party was preparing to head back, so he kept the pleasantries brief.

This environment wasn't a place for lingering, after all.

Teacher Tang responded politely a few times, similarly having no interest in an academic discussion in such a place.

A moment later, the two groups parted ways.

Gu Ming and Lu You exchanged a look, then both turned their gaze to the Star Spirit in her arms.

This little Pet Beast, not yet even evolved to Two-star, had a prophetic ability that was growing stronger and stronger.

An idea suddenly struck Gu Ming.

'Maybe I can use the Star Spirit's Future Perspective to let Cyan Treasure make contact with that dragon skeleton. The system might be able to use Time Reversal to dig up some advanced information.'

But he quickly extinguished the thought.

'That's a dragon from the Inner World, after all. Just knowing its cause of death would be enough to corrupt Cyan Treasure's will.'

He shook his head, severing the bold idea completely.