"Eight hundred years... tsk tsk, it seems that cultivating here in the Sea of Bone with no form is even faster than in the world above by a third," Fang Yuan thought to himself. In fact, when he first entered the mist, he had already realized that the spiritual energy here was so dense that it almost became a substance. Every breath felt like swallowing a spiritual pill.
"Why do you want to leave here?" Fang Yuan asked again.
"Do you understand?!" The Black Fish Demon suddenly burst into anger, its scales flying up. "This cursed place — was born blind! The divine sense can't unfold, and most of the five senses are sealed!"
Its voice was filled with madness, "Eight hundred years! A full eight hundred years without seeing the light of day, all I could see was white mist, who would want to stay in such a cursed place?!"
Only then did Fang Yuan notice that the demon's pupils couldn't focus, and its eyeballs were covered with a layer of murky gray film, looking rather dim-witted.
The reason for this was that living in such dense mist had caused its vision to be nowhere near as powerful as that of creatures in the outside world. The same seemed to apply to the horse demon Fang Yuan had killed earlier.
"Moreover..." The Black Fish Demon hesitated.
"Moreover what?"
"Moreover... the longer you stay here, the more you'll lose your sanity," the Black Fish Demon's voice suddenly turned hoarse, and its dilated pupils trembled violently. "Anyone who lives here for over 1,500 years will turn into a wandering undead, and eventually disappear into this Sea of Bone..."
"Who would want to become that kind of thing..."
Upon hearing this, Fang Yuan's gaze darkened. He hadn't expected this Sea of Bone to be so bizarre.
The inexplicable mist, the thick spiritual energy, and the fact that the longer one lived here, the more they would lose their sanity...
The series of things the Black Fish Demon described made Fang Yuan suddenly think of something. He focused his mind and began to attempt to absorb the spiritual energy of the Sea of Bone.
Suddenly, an antivirus software prompt appeared out of nowhere:
[You attempted to absorb a strand of spiritual energy, but you noticed that the energy of this world seems impure, mixed with some strange force.]
[Do you wish to use 'Virtue Points' to eliminate this strange force?]
Seeing this prompt, Fang Yuan narrowed his eyes. He knew... this place was definitely not simple!
He remembered that the first time he saw this prompt was when he tried to absorb spiritual energy for the first time, back when he was still a weak fifth-stage cultivator.
It was from the prompt in the *Virtuous Man Sutra* that he noticed something unusual, then learned from Lord Chong Wu that the spiritual energy was tainted. Eventually, he traced it back to the underground and found the mischievous Yellow Dragon...
Now, the same scene was unfolding again.
"No wonder the Earth Sword gave a warning. Deep in this Sea of Bone, there's probably something as explosive as the Yellow Dragon..." Fang Yuan realized the seriousness of the problem.
The Yellow Dragon, buried under the Daxia Kingdom, was a terrifying existence. Even with Fang Yuan's peak realm, he didn't feel confident he could deal with it, let alone completely obliterate it.
Fortunately, the Yellow Dragon was just a corpse, and the scheme to possess it by Emperor Yan was thwarted. For now, it lay deep underground without stirring up any more chaos.
So what exactly was the presence in the Sea of Bone?
Anything capable of tainting the spiritual energy of an entire area with its mere existence should not be underestimated. If it was like the Yellow Dragon, merely a corpse, then it was manageable. But if it was still alive... then it would be even more terrifying.
However, Fang Yuan didn't think that was likely. If it were alive, the entire world here would have been reshaped by now, and he wouldn't be able to dominate.
Nevertheless, he felt that the world below was more dangerous than the one above.
"Can you take me out of here? I want to leave!" Just as Fang Yuan was deep in thought, the Black Fish Demon urgently pleaded.
This mist seemed like a labyrinth, trapping its inhabitants forever. The horse demon had managed to escape the Sea of Bone by following Ruan Chao'an's aura, a miracle in itself.
When Emperor Yan and his ally the Turtle managed to escape, they must have used tremendous effort.
Fang Yuan didn't respond to the Black Fish Demon's request. Instead, he asked, "Can you take me deeper?"
"Deeper?" The Black Fish Demon's eyes widened. "This cursed place is nothing but mist. Are you asking to die?"
"Can you or can't you?" Fang Yuan didn't explain but asked again.
"No, I can't. I've been here for so long, and I still can't find the core area..." The Black Fish Demon helplessly said.
Before it could finish speaking, Fang Yuan felt the Earth Sword in his hand tremble again, its blade upright, pointing in one direction.
Fang Yuan understood the Earth Sword's intent. This sword was unaffected by the dense mist and could guide him to the deeper part of the Sea of Bone.
The Earth Sword had truly become his reliable partner. After understanding Fang Yuan's intent, it no longer tried to dissuade him and began to lead the way.
He remembered the time when he dealt with Emperor Yan. Without the Earth Sword's help, he might still be trapped inside that immortal dragon body. Fang Yuan's lips curled into a smile, "Old partner, looks like I'll have to rely on you again."
With the Earth Sword guiding him, Fang Yuan lost interest in talking to the Black Fish Demon. With a grip, he ended its life.
"Your Majesty, what should we do next?" Ruan Chao'an asked in a trembling voice. From Fang Yuan and the Black Fish Demon's conversation, he could sense that this place was far from ordinary.
"Continue forward." Fang Yuan said in a deep voice. "Also, change the way we fight. From now on, try to conceal your aura as much as possible..."
Even though he knew there were terrifying forces hidden here, exploring was still a must.
At this moment, Fang Yuan's goal had shifted. He wasn't in a rush to eliminate the evil beings in the Sea of Bone. His virtue points were still enough, but he lacked the breakthrough methods to reach the next realm.
Thus, the most urgent matter was to understand the situation here.
"Understood..." Ruan Chao'an immediately concealed his aura as ordered.
The next moment, Fang Yuan grabbed Ruan Chao'an and used his speed to rush toward the direction pointed to by the Earth Sword!
...
The Sea of Bone was vast, and Fang Yuan traveled at full speed for six days before the scenery around him began to change.
The dense mist that had surrounded him gradually dissipated, and eventually, in one area, it disappeared completely.
Fang Yuan had left the mist zone, but what appeared before him was an even more bizarre sight.
It was a massive cavern, its edges unseen, vast like the mist from before.
Strangely, this cavern was not located on land but spanned across space, as if the world had been torn open, creating a huge wound.
Even more terrifying were the demons wriggling in the dark cavern, a putrid smell assaulting his senses.
**[Hundred Corruption Demon King]**
**[Bone Demon Emperor]**
**[Giant Insect Demon Lord]**
...
Names in scarlet letters appeared before Fang Yuan's eyes. Each one represented a terrifying existence capable of wreaking havoc on an entire realm.
"Your... Your Majesty..." Ruan Chao'an's voice trembled. "Are we really going in?"
Looking at the surging tide of demons in the cavern, even the battle-hardened Fang Yuan couldn't help but fall silent. This scene was indeed shocking...
"From here on out, I'll handle it alone. You should hide in my internal space," Fang Yuan said calmly.
Before Ruan Chao'an could respond, a gentle force whisked him into the internal space.
Fang Yuan, on the other hand, continued flying toward the cavern.
Since he had come, he wasn't going to leave without uncovering the truth.