Chapter 138: The Madness of the Skeleton King

Purple-gold flames raged, and Li Ren’s body began to drift slowly into mid-air.

Suspended there, Li Ren seemed drawn by a mysterious force, his entire figure radiating a hazy, ethereal aura. It was as if something stood before him, obscuring his true form, or perhaps the roiling flames were distorting the surrounding space, creating such an illusion. Regardless, ever since his body had transformed into this state, a powerful suction had been emanating from him, radiating in all directions.

Deep within the Skeleton King’s cavern, the blue light—which had been on the verge of being extracted by the oppressive force of the King’s natal soul-lattice—was now eerily frozen in mid-air. Even with the Skeleton King pushing his power to its absolute limit, the suction generated by his own natal soul-lattice could only manage to hold the light in a stalemate. The blue radiance, half-solid and half-illusory, appeared truly fantastical.

As time ticked by, this bizarre standoff persisted. Finally, a flicker of impatience and dread crossed the Skeleton King’s mind. Gritting his teeth, he knew that if he did not seize this golden opportunity to snatch the blue soul-fire, he would find it difficult to defend himself should the forces of Fan Yunshan or the current Luoyun City arrive.

With this thought, he hesitated no longer. Originally, his plan had been to seize the entire blue soul-fire, which would inevitably result in Li Ren’s death, but would allow him to achieve his goals with the complete, newly ascended soul-fire. He had invested immense effort into this blue soul-fire. From the moment he first encountered Li Ren to his careful cultivation of the boy’s growth, every action had been driven by his anticipation of this very flame.

The reason he had been certain Li Ren would ascend to a blue soul-fire was due to the heaven-defying talent he had witnessed. While he possessed certain privileges within this game world, even the system itself could not arbitrarily grant the ability to absorb attributes like Li Ren’s. Those who arrived from the Underworld were merely operators; they could manipulate data, but they could not conjure anything from nothing. They were bound by the rules of this world, lest they cause catastrophic consequences.

It was precisely because of these constraints that the Skeleton King knew his hope had arrived the moment he saw Li Ren. The reason he would stop at nothing to seize Li Ren’s soul-fire was that a skeleton’s potential is largely determined at birth. Evolving one’s soul-fire is an arduous task. They must rely on the potent essence of the Underworld to slowly absorb energy and evolve. Advancing from green to red is a hurdle, but with enough time, it is not impossible. However, the progression from red to blue is no longer a matter of time alone; it requires a convergence of time, opportunity, and talent. Once a skeleton evolves to blue soul-fire, their power undergoes a tectonic shift.

The Skeleton King had been at the peak of the red level before entering this world, and despite countless battles against Tianxie, he had remained stagnant at that tier. In contrast, those who were once human and had transformed into soul-forms upon entering the Underworld saw their power grow rapidly through combat and the absorption of soul-essence. Faced with such provocation, how could he not be tempted? Furthermore, in the current state of war, the red soul-fire tier was little more than cannon fodder. The skeleton race of the Underworld occupied the lowest status, and he refused to be thrown into the fray as cannon fodder, only to have his final existence as a soul stripped away. Thus, the moment he saw Li Ren’s talent, his plan had been set in motion. The two skeleton guards Li Ren had absorbed had actually contained a trace of the King’s own essence within their blood-crystals, planted to ensure the later fusion of their soul-fires would be seamless and free of rejection.

But now, it seemed impossible to devour the entire newly formed blue soul-fire. Although he was at the peak of the red tier, and devouring even half of the blue flame would give him a chance to evolve, the risk of failure was high—and failure would mean total annihilation. Yet, time was running out. Fan Yunshan was close to Li Ren and would never simply abandon him. If Fan Yunshan reached the scene, the Skeleton King might even lose the final scraps of soul-fire he had managed to secure.

Thinking this, the Skeleton King prepared to trigger his natal soul-lattice once more to extract whatever he could. But then, an unexpected turn occurred. As the Dragon Eagle landed, Fan Yunshan flashed to the side of the floating Li Ren. With a single glance, he discerned Li Ren’s state, and he was seized by a fury at the Skeleton King’s malicious intent.

Under normal circumstances, such an evolution might be acceptable; each advancement of the skeleton race brought significant strengthening, and a new blue-fire skeleton would be a boon to the Underworld—a being stronger than he had ever been at his own peak. But the King had targeted Li Ren, ignoring the oaths sworn before entering, desperate to find the legendary final glimmer of hope. Now, that hope was before them, and the King was attempting to extinguish it in its cradle, sacrificing the entire Underworld for his own security. This had clearly crossed Fan Yunshan’s final line.

Fan Yunshan slammed his greatsword into the ground, his aura erupting with violent intensity. He understood how difficult it was to snatch a soul-fire from a skeleton king wielding a natal soul-lattice. Risking the aggravation of his own injuries, Fan Yunshan pushed his气息 to the limit, causing even the distant lords of the Phantom Mountains to tremble in fear—a primal terror of the sheer, tyrannical pressure radiating from the essence of Tianxie. With Fan Yunshan’s intervention, Li Ren’s aura surged, and the blue soul-fire, held in its stalemate, pulsed violently toward Li Ren.