Chapter Fifty-Five: The True Dragon’s Bone

Long Yun was at a loss, but when he caught the look in Bi'an’s eyes, his heart gave a subtle jolt.

"Xuan’er, you stay here for now and catch up with Da Ling and Xiao Ling. I’ll go with the elder and be back soon," Long Yun said to Chu Xuan.

Although Chu Xuan was still young, he understood and nodded without clinging to Long Yun any further.

Following behind Bi'an, Long Yun crossed the entire mountain, arriving at a precipitous peak. To call it precipitous was no exaggeration. The summit looked as though it had been cleaved in half by a single, mighty stroke, leaving only half the mountain standing. In the center, the remaining half formed a bottomless cliff.

"Come with me!" Bi'an called from the summit, then, with a flicker, drifted down toward the abyss below.

Long Yun dared not hesitate. With a flash, he memorized the protruding rocks on the sheer cliff and pursued Bi'an downward.

They descended to about two-thirds of the mountain's height when Bi'an came to a halt, turning his descent into a sideways motion, crashing directly into the cliff face.

What had appeared to be a smooth rock wall was, under Bi'an’s impact, forced open to reveal a man-sized entrance.

Long Yun landed at the mouth of the cave, frowning as he gazed at what seemed to be a cavern forced open by Bi'an. Yet the cave was far too spacious; it could not have been shaped solely by Bi'an's actions. Clearly, it had existed long before, its entrance sealed with stone by Bi'an or some other hand.

Bi'an opened his mouth and spat a stream of true fire, which leaped to the adjacent wall. All around, pine resin torches were set into the rock, and with that single breath, they all burst into flame.

Instantly, the cavern was illuminated, every detail thrown into sharp relief before Long Yun’s eyes.

"This is…" Long Yun’s lips trembled.

The entire cave rose thirty feet high, vast and imposing, its walls polished smooth as a mirror. Only a cultivator of immense power could have achieved such a feat.

The cave stretched some one hundred and fifty feet deep. At the far end, from beneath the rock, golden light streamed forth, radiating an overwhelming presence that seemed to connect heaven and earth.

That golden glow emanated from below the ground; evidently, some treasure lay hidden beneath the rock at the cavern’s end.

"Come over here, boy," Bi'an called, his figure flickering as he appeared at the far side, standing silently, his gaze lingering as a trace of sorrow slid from the corner of his eye.

Long Yun followed and stood behind Bi'an. At the very end of the cavern was a square pit, some twenty feet across, shaped like a stone chamber.

At the very center of this stone chamber sat a meditation mat, and to Long Yun’s astonishment, a human skeleton was seated upright upon it.

The entire chamber was filled with golden radiance, which emanated from this very skeleton.

"Boy, this is an elder of our Dragon Clan. Kneel and pay your respects!" Bi'an's voice shook faintly.

Long Yun immediately knelt, bowing reverently three times. "Disciple Long Yun pays homage to his elder!"

Bi'an sighed, his eyes distant. "Boy, do you know the true identity of the owner of these remains?"

Seeing the grief in Bi'an’s eyes, Long Yun guessed the owner of these bones must have been very close to him.

He looked again at the skeleton, feeling a wave of familiarity, and blurted out, "Could he be one of the nine elders?"

Bi'an nodded. His expression, coupled with the unmistakable bloodline of a true dragon radiating from the bones, was all the confirmation Long Yun needed. If he could not deduce it now, he would be a fool.

"He is our eldest brother among the nine, Qiu Niu," Bi'an declared, his words falling like thunder.

Long Yun’s face changed dramatically with shock. As children of the Primal Dragon God, the nine brothers each possessed an endless lifespan—practically immortal.

Yet before him lay the bones of Qiu Niu, once the mightiest among the nine sons. How could he have fallen? Countless questions surged through Long Yun’s mind.

Bi'an said quietly, "Have you never wondered why, in legend, the nine dragon sons could not assume human form, while I can stand before you like this?"

Long Yun nodded. Bi'an was right; he had indeed wondered, but had refrained from asking out of fear of offending Bi'an.

Now that Bi'an had broached the subject, Long Yun voiced his confusion.

Gazing at Qiu Niu’s bones, Bi'an began, "In those days, the powerful ones of Divine Dragon Island could not tolerate us. We were driven from our father’s palace and each suffered wounds of varying severity, forced into seclusion across the great mountains and rivers."

"For over a thousand years, we had no contact with one another. Then, one day, I received a message from our eldest brother, who said he had urgent matters to discuss. I rushed here, and so did the other seven brothers."

"When we arrived, our eldest was already on his last breath. Yet, to our shock, he had achieved human form."

"Our eldest had exhausted all his power to take on a human shape, and as a result, he was doomed beyond redemption. Though the eight of us were deeply skilled, we could not save his life."

"At death’s door, our eldest imparted to us the method he had devised for transformation, and with his own bloodline as the medium, he condensed eight Transformation Pearls to aid us, so we would not exhaust ourselves as he had."

"Qiu Niu gave himself to the Dao, creating such a method and passing it to his brothers—a true act of nobility and selflessness. It commands deep respect," Long Yun sighed, deeply moved by Qiu Niu’s deed.

Bi'an nodded in agreement. "Indeed. After forming the Transformation Pearls, our eldest departed from us; his flesh turned to dust, leaving behind only these bones."

"The power of his bloodline, even the essence of his flesh, must have all been used in forging the Transformation Pills. Otherwise, he would not have become dust and ended up like this," Long Yun lamented.

Bi'an murmured, "Yes. Our eldest gave us all he had, leaving behind this great legacy. He never asked us to seek vengeance on Divine Dragon Island, but rather, to become true men in our own right."

Long Yun was moved. He had not anticipated Qiu Niu’s true purpose. The nine brothers, unable to assume human form, had been exploited and spurned by Divine Dragon Island and shunned by the world.

Now, with the Transformation Pills and this method, Qiu Niu had given everything, but perhaps, in his heart, he could finally rest content.

Bi'an continued, "The eight of us stayed here with our eldest for a thousand years. In that time, we practiced the method he left behind, and all succeeded in attaining human shape before going our separate ways."

"Because my domain lay closest to his, I was the last to leave. I split this mountain in two and built this tomb, so our eldest could rest in peace amidst these hills forever. Yet, as I moved his remains, I discovered a letter beneath his body."

"Our eldest’s powers far surpassed our own. He understood all ages, and foresaw that two thousand years hence, a human with the blood of the Dragon God would come here. These remains are true dragon bones. Though they have endured two millennia, through our eldest’s will, not a trace of their essence has leaked away."

"Our eldest said that all he had was a gift from the Father, so after death, his body should return to the Father. These bones, however, are to be given to the human who would come two thousand years later."

As he finished, Bi'an’s gaze shifted to Long Yun, who could not help but tremble.

Qiu Niu had foreseen his arrival two thousand years hence, had left these bones specifically for him. Could he have even foreseen that Long Yun would reach the Bone Transformation stage and need to replace his spirit bones?

In the world of immortals, Long Yun silently paid tribute to Qiu Niu’s cultivation—it was truly peerless.

He knelt once more. "Junior Long Yun, forsaken of Divine Dragon Island, has today received Elder Qiu Niu’s gift, a grace akin to rebirth. I vow never to betray the elder’s expectations, nor fail the trust of these sacred bones!"

He bowed three more times, each one resounding.

A look of approval flashed across Bi'an’s face. This youth was truly remarkable—sincere and unpretentious, a rarity among men.

"Boy, our eldest’s spirit bones are filled with boundless spiritual power. To fully replace your own with them will bring pain beyond imagining. Can you endure it?" Bi'an suddenly asked.