"Grak-sha!" Shuha screamed. He rolled across the hard ground, his neck nearly snapped by the creature’s scythe-like claws.

  Shanhu reacted with the instinctive speed of a wild hunter. He slammed his bone spear into the earth, creating a small vibration that disrupted the creature’s footing. "Nara! From the left!"

  Nara leaped nimbly over the mounds of skeletal remains, drawing her bone bow and releasing an arrow coated in thick, green poison. However, the creature’s hide was too tough; the arrow merely struck a few sparks before falling uselessly to the ground.

  SHUUTTT!

  "Small ant," Zhi Xuan’s voice was low, yet it carried a weight of will so immense that with a single word, the creature felt as if it were being slashed by a thousand blades.

  The six-legged beast instantly froze in mid-air. Its body trembled violently as thin cracks began to spiderweb across its entire form, as if polished by a thousand swords. That Killing Intent was so pure, fused with Man-Sword Unity, that Zhi Xuan could eliminate such a weak creature with his will alone.

  BUM!

  Without Zhi Xuan moving a single finger, the creature was slammed into the ground. Its head exploded into a mist of blood, simply because the mental pressure was too heavy for its internal senses to bear. The creature’s body was sliced into pieces, falling right before the five hunters, whose eyes were wide with shock.

  Shanhu, the brave leader, felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up. He turned slowly toward Zhi Xuan, swallowing hard. "W-what kind of magic is this?" Shuha stammered, his voice shaking. He crawled backward. "He didn't touch it... he didn't even blink!"

  Zhi Xuan swept his ice-cold gaze over the carcass of the creature, which had now decomposed into a pile of shapeless flesh. He took a slow breath, each inhalation seemingly reabsorbing the aura of slaughter he had just released.

  "It is not magic," Zhi Xuan said, his voice clear yet heavy, echoing through the hollows of the giant bones surrounding them. "It is merely Will. If your heart is sharp, the world is your blade. If your mind wavers, then you are merely a piece of meat on a banquet table."

  Shanhu lowered his spear, his hands still trembling slightly. "Will... to kill without touching? Sky Warrior, in this land, we must struggle with blood and life just to bring down a single six-legged runner. But you... you extinguished its life like blowing out a candle in the wind."

  Nara approached with hesitant steps, her sharp eyes now filled with a respect mingled with deep fear. "Lord Warrior, are you a God from the Upper Heaven who has descended to judge us?"

  Zhi Xuan gave a short snort, a hollow laugh that didn't reach his eyes. "A God? Do not insult the figure of a god by equating them with me. I am merely a wanderer walking across a bridge made of the bones of his enemies. Gods have mercy; I only have a sword."

  Shuha, who had just stood up while brushing dust from his animal skins, stared at Zhi Xuan with eyes sparkling with adoration. "A sword? But Lord, I didn't see you carrying a weapon! You killed that monster just with your eyes! Teach me! Teach me how to glare until my enemies explode!"

  "Be quiet, Shuha!" Shanhu barked, hitting the small youth on the head with the butt of his spear. He then bowed deeply before Zhi Xuan. "Forgive my little brother’s insolence, Sky Warrior. We people of the Land of Giants only know the strength of muscle and bone."

  "Rise," Zhi Xuan said flatly, ignoring the occasional sharp pain throbbing in his meridians. "Strength without inner control is nothing more than the rampage of a wild beast. Walk. Do not let the scent of this blood invite larger predators."

  Shanhu stood up, his eyes scanning the remains of the six-legged creature with a gaze that was now even more alert. "The Sky Warrior is right. This blood will invite scavengers if we do not leave immediately. Our tribe is behind the Sky Skull Hill, only a few falling sands from here."

  "Sky Skull Hill?" Zhi Xuan narrowed his eyes, looking into the distance where a rock formation resembling a giant skull protruded from the earth. "A fitting name for a land filled with these giant tombstones."

  Nara walked beside Zhi Xuan, keeping a safe distance yet remaining curious. "Lord, in the Upper Heaven, do all warriors have eyes as sharp as yours?"

  Zhi Xuan fell silent for a moment as he walked slowly. He sharpened his Divine Sense, piercing through the bodies of the five hunters. He discovered that they possessed no cultivation like that of Dao practitioners. While the Divine Wheels of Dao practitioners absorbed the essence of Heavenly Jade, those standing on this land utilized dark crystals seemingly obtained from gathered spirits.

  "Shanhu," Zhi Xuan called softly, his voice cutting through the silence of the bone valley. "What do you use to nourish your souls and bodies in this barren land?"

  Shanhu turned, slightly taken aback that Zhi Xuan knew of such things. He reached for a leather pouch at his waist, showing a dark-colored crystal. "We call it the Underworld Crystal, Warrior."

  "That's right," Nara added, pointing back toward the far south. "We sometimes steal them, or dig deep underground to find them. However, we also believe that these Underworld Crystals originate from beneath the soil of Huang Tu. Our ancestors believed that behind those barren lands lies a world inhabited by monsters."

  "It is what gives us life over such a long time," Shuha chimed in, scratching his head. "We do not know how long we live, but it gives our bodies strength and long life."

  Zhi Xuan took the crystal for a moment, feeling a cold vibration creeping across the surface of his palm. His Divine Sense pierced into the structure of the crystal and found something shocking. It was an extremely dense Yin Crystal, almost like those found within the Great Emperor’s Tomb, but purer.

  "Extremely concentrated Yin, yet it contains no foul aura of death," Zhi Xuan whispered in his mind, allowing the cold energy from the crystal to touch his Law of the Heavenly-Blood Body. "So stable and strong—it doesn't freeze the bones, but strengthens them. How is this possible?"

  "They devour these crystals, yet they do not freeze because of this scorched earth," Zhi Xuan thought. He stared at the crystal for a long time. "Yin and Yang in balance; they live between extreme opposites."

  Zhi Xuan returned the crystal to Shanhu, his eyes returning to the horizon filled with giant tombstones. "You... use this to survive in the middle of this barren land?"

  Shanhu nodded firmly, tucking the dark crystal back into his leather pouch with a swift motion. "Without the Underworld Crystal, our bones would dry up in a single season. The Land of Giants does not give us clear water or sweet fruit; it only gives us this cold stone for our souls to chew on."

  Zhi Xuan remained silent, his steady pace leaving no footprints on the bone dust, but his mind was in a state of great upheaval. Within his sea of consciousness, Ruo Xianxue laughed lowly, a sound like silk rubbing over broken glass.

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  "Interesting, isn't it?" Ruo Xianxue hissed. "A Dao practitioner would explode if they tried to absorb Yin that concentrated without proper refinement. Yet, these barbarians make it their daily meal. Their bodies have turned into natural Yin refinement furnaces because of the heat of the Giant’s Land, which carries pure Yang. A balance forced by nature, Zhi Xuan."

  "A balance forced by nature," Zhi Xuan muttered internally, aligning his steps with the hunters who moved nimbly among the shadows of the bones. "Destiny truly has a way of sculpting life in places where even Gods hesitate to step."

  "Look! That is our tribe's gate!" Shuha shouted joyfully, pointing toward a large gap between two giant jawbones standing upright, forming a natural gate that was magnificent yet terrifying.

  Beyond the gate, a settlement built inside the cavities of giant skulls began to appear. Torches fueled by beast fat burned along the stone walls, casting a deep reddish hue on the rough faces of the inhabitants. The aroma of smoke, roasted meat, and the sharp scent of earth rushed to greet them.

  Several other barbarian practitioners, carrying weapons made of fangs and claws, immediately stood tall atop watchtowers made from arrangements of ribs. Upon seeing Shanhu return, they let out shrieks resembling wolf howls, but the cries quickly faded as their eyes fell upon the figure of Zhi Xuan walking calmly in the middle of the group.

  "Shanhu! Who is that you have brought?" An elder with a hunched body and skin that looked like old tree bark stepped forward. He held a staff decorated with the skull of a carrion bird. His eyes were white, a sign of physical blindness but internal sharpness, fixed in Zhi Xuan’s direction.

  "Chieftain, he is a Warrior who fell from the sky," Shanhu replied with deep respect. "He brought down a six-legged runner with only his will. I believe he is a guest sent by the Giant Spirit."

  The elder, addressed as the Chieftain, approached with trembling steps. He sniffed the air in front of Zhi Xuan, then slowly reached out his wrinkled hand to touch the aura surrounding him. However, before his fingers could touch Zhi Xuan’s black-and-white robes, a fine spark of sword energy snapped out, forcing the elder to retract his hand quickly.

  "Sharp... incredibly sharp," the Chieftain whispered, his voice shaking. "My child, you have brought a sword in human form into our settlement."

  Zhi Xuan looked at the elder with a flat gaze. "I bring no ill intent into your tribe, Elder. I only require a place to recover for a moment."

  The Chieftain fell silent for a moment, then gestured with his staff for the warriors to make way. "A warrior’s blood is respected in the Land of Giants. Enter, Lord Wanderer."

  Zhi Xuan stepped into the center of the settlement. There, in the middle of a square surrounded by giant bone pillars, stood a large altar made of a dark crystal similar to Shanhu’s, but far larger—as big as a mortal's house. The crystal pulsed weakly, spreading a calming wave of Yin energy amidst the heat of Sky Skull Hill.

  "That is the Earth Heart," Nara said, walking by Zhi Xuan’s side. "Without it, our tribe would not be able to withstand the heat of this land's breath."

  WUNGGG! WUNGGG!

  "The Spirit Storm is coming!" shouted one of the tribe's youths from a watchtower. "Quickly, push the God Statue to protect us!"

  Instantly, the atmosphere of the settlement, which had been filled with curiosity, turned into a state of harrowing alarm. The wind, which was previously only a hot breeze, suddenly roared with a shrieking sound capable of tearing eardrums. In the distance, the sky that was originally earth-red was now covered by rolling dark purple-black mists, carrying flashes of grey lightning that struck between the giant bone peaks.

  "Spirit Storm?" Zhi Xuan muttered, narrowing his eyes. He felt the atmospheric pressure change drastically; the Yin energy from the Underworld Crystal, which was previously stable, now surged violently as if being summoned by a greater power in the sky.

  In the middle of the square, a dozen large barbarian men began pulling rusted iron chains connected to a faceless giant stone statue. The statue had four arms spreading wide, and as it was pulled into an upright position atop the crystal altar, a dome of transparent energy began to envelop the settlement.

  DUM! DUM! DUM!

  The first impact of the storm hit the protective dome. Zhi Xuan saw millions of faint light fragments resembling struggling human faces—unrestful spirits, remnants of consciousness trapped in the dead earth. They hammered against the tribe's shield with incredible ferocity, trying to find a gap to enter and devour every inch of remaining life essence.

  "Zhak'ra! Hold the line!" Shanhu roared, slamming his spear into the ground and helping to take the weight of the statue’s chains, which were beginning to vibrate violently.

  Zhi Xuan stood still amidst the chaos. He could feel how the Earth Heart beneath his feet was squeezing out Yin energy to support the dome. However, he also saw fine cracks beginning to appear on the surface of the stone statue. The strength of the storm this time seemed to exceed what the tribe usually faced.

  "Lord Warrior! Help us!" Shuha screamed through the roar of the wind, his eyes full of terror as he saw the top of the dome thinning. "Those spirits... they have often eaten our people!"

  Zhi Xuan took a long breath. Although his meridians still felt sore, he could not allow this place, which might be the key to his recovery, to be destroyed so easily. He stepped forward, passing the struggling line of warriors. Zhi Xuan exhaled softly, waved his hand, and several pieces of Heavenly Jade immediately surrounded him; he briefly absorbed the energy surrounding them.

  He closed his eyes for a moment; his energy had recovered slightly, though it was not yet fully stable. When he opened his eyes, flashes of reddish lightning seemed capable of tearing the horizon from his sapphire pupils. With a gentle wave of his hand, he gripped the hilt of the Heavenly Sword without drawing it. However, from the Heavenly Sword, it was as if Zhi Xuan’s will was the same as his physical form.

  "Cleave." Instantly, an invisible wave of sword will shot out from the hilt of the wrapped sword. A thick, dark reddish light sliced through the protective dome from the inside—not to destroy it, but to create a straight path for a killing intent that surpassed mortal limits.

  CRASH—!

  The sound was like the fabric of the sky being forcibly torn. The purple-black sky above the Sky Skull Hill settlement was instantly split into two parts. The rocks in the path of the slash split open, making the ground shake. The spirits seemed to be cleaved apart; the storm split and bypassed the protective dome to surround the area.

  Zhi Xuan snorted coldly. He withdrew the Heavenly Sword as fast as lightning, pulled out the Ruthless Heavenly Banner, and slammed the banner's pole into the ground. From there, thousands of demon soldiers immediately crawled out, carrying a wild will of slaughter that devoured all spirits. He raised the Ruthless Heavenly Banner into the air, moved his hand, and formed a disk that encircled the dome.

  Thousands of demon soldiers summoned by the Ruthless Heavenly Banner shot out like a black mist carrying death. They had no definite physical form, but their energy fangs tore into the wild spirits trapped outside the dome with savagery. The sound of the spirits' screams being swallowed by Zhi Xuan’s demon soldiers created a note of death that made the barbarian practitioners fall to their knees in horror.

  The disk encircling the dome spun with a heavy resonance, creating a field of spiritual coercion that sucked in the remaining purple-black mist. The spirits that previously threatened the settlement were now transformed into nourishment for the Ruthless Heavenly Banner. Each time a wild spirit was swallowed, the red glow on the banner’s surface grew brighter, casting a haunting reflection on Zhi Xuan’s pale but unshakable face.

  The entire Sky Skull Hill tribe froze. Shanhu released the iron chain he was holding, his eyes staring blankly at the sky that was now being forcibly cleared by this foreign man. To him, this sight surpassed all legends told by the elders; this was no longer just physical strength, but authority over the afterlife itself.

  "He... he is eating the Spirit Storm," the Chieftain whispered with trembling lips. "He commands ghosts to swallow ghosts. This is not the way of the Giant Spirit... this is the way of the Lord of Death."

  Within just a few moments, the storm passed the dome and headed toward another territory, though remnants of the cold aura still hung in the air. Zhi Xuan slammed the pole of the Ruthless Heavenly Banner back into the ground, summoning his demon soldiers back into the folds of the pitch-black banner fabric.

  Zhi Xuan coughed softly, the soreness in his meridians stabbing again due to the forced use of energy. He immediately stored the Ruthless Heavenly Banner back into his sea of consciousness, then turned toward the Chieftain, who was still trembling where he stood.

  "The storm may still come," Zhi Xuan said, his voice sounding a bit hoarser than before. "But you will be able to hold it. Show me a place to recover; do not approach me for three suns."

  The Chieftain bowed until his forehead nearly touched the still-vibrating ground. "We will provide it, Savior. Shanhu! Take him to the cave beneath the crystal altar. Do not let a single insect disturb his meditation!"

  Shanhu immediately stepped forward, his rough face now filled with a fear mixed with sacred adoration. He guided Zhi Xuan toward a gap beneath the Earth Heart. There, there was an underground room whose walls were lined with Yin crystals emitting a calming deep blue glow.

  "Lord... we will guard the cave door," Shanhu said, giving a final salute before slowly retreating, closing the giant stone door made from a tortoise shell.

  As silence enveloped the cave, Zhi Xuan no longer restrained himself. He collapsed into a sitting position atop the expanse of cold crystals, fresh blood once again seeping from his lips. His face, which originally looked like marble, was now as white as a gravestone.