When Julian walked into the valley, he found that there were thousands of bones piled up on the ground, arranged as if a mysterious, dark ritual were being held.
All the bones were stacked like miniature pyramids or burial mounds. A cold aura brushed against Julian's senses, chilling him to the marrow.
"What kind of grim artistry is this?"
Julian approached one of the mounds, curious. He flicked his sword lightly against the structure.
Pa! Pa!
A bleached femur fell, and with a sudden crash, the entire small pyramid collapsed.
Huala~ Huala~
As Julian moved, the vibration seemed to trigger a chain reaction. Dozens of surrounding mounds scattered, and in a heartbeat, the entire valley floor was carpeted in bone.
Huha!!
A guttural, enraged roar erupted from the depths of the valley. The voice was filled with a primal fury, sounding like a massive beast had been provoked from its slumber.
In the depths of the valley, a group of students was fighting for their lives against a wave of aberrations. It was Elena's group.
"Marcus! Why are these monsters suddenly going into a frenzy?"
Elena lashed out with her black whip. Light blue mana coated the weapon, making it look like a shimmering ribbon of energy as it tore through the air.
"I don't know, Sister Elena! Their eyes are glowing red—it's like someone just spit in their god's face!"
Marcus was a talented commoner Elena had recruited into her circle. Though not from a major clan, his strength had already reached the Ascendant Realm. He wielded a black saber that flickered with a chilling frost.
In front of them were Skittering Shadows and bone-armored variants. These monsters were humanoid, but their bodies were reinforced with pale plates and jagged spikes. Their movements were jerky yet powerful, balanced by long, whip-like tails.
"No, this is wrong," Elena muttered, her exquisite face turning pale. "Someone destroyed their ritual."
Elena remembered the records from her family archives. This alien race was performing a dark sacrifice. By sacrificing humans, they could elevate their leader into a "Sacred Master."
The monster before them was already at the Ascendant Realm. If the sacrifice succeeded, it would reach the peak of that realm, or perhaps even become Transcendent.
Usually, the ritual host is immobile during the ceremony, making them an easy target. But if the ritual is interrupted by force, the host is released from their trance—and they fall into a murderous rage.
"Marcus! Lily! Charge the center! Grab the relics and get out!" Elena shouted, pointing toward three glowing items sitting on a bone-wrought pedestal.
"Sister Elena, what about you?"
"Go! These drones can't stop me!" Elena swung her whip, entangling one of the bone-armored beasts and hurling it into its pack.
Marcus and Lily mobilized their mana. Though they hadn't mastered high-level Qinggong, the pure qi enhancement made them move like phantoms.
"HUMANS!"
A massive figure, nearly three meters tall, suddenly blocked their path. It swung a club made of fused femurs and iron, sending the charging students flying backward.
Elena's heart sank. "An Ascendant Rank 6?"
"You dare interrupt the transition?" The giant looked at Elena, his face obscured by a mask of bone, save for a single, glowing red eye. "The Holy Lord requires higher-tier catalysts. You... you will serve well."
Back in the sea of bones, Julian was still confused.
"Why did that roar just stop?"
He moved toward the source of the sound and spotted a structure through the mist. It was an ancient pagoda, seven stories tall, constructed entirely of white bone.
"A Bone Pagoda... a rare treasure?" Julian's eyes gleamed. Despite its macabre appearance, the tower possessed a strange, geometric beauty.
Suddenly, an invisible force rippled through the valley. The bones on the ground began to vibrate and pile themselves back into mounds, as if controlled by an unseen hand. Julian gripped his sword, his Nova Sovereign mana circulating rapidly.
As he got closer to the tower, he noticed something horrifying. Hanging from the surrounding trees were hundreds of cocoons made of sinew and bone. Julian estimated nearly 500 of them.
"What is... wait."
He approached the nearest tree and saw a face peering through the webbing. It was a human, unconscious but alive. He scanned the other trees and froze when he saw a familiar silhouette.
"Julian?"
"Elena!"
Julian stared in shock at the high-ranking student from the High Dragon class. Elena was bound to a trunk, her mana seemingly suppressed by the bone-silk wrapped around her.